Show Day Checklist for North Dakota Junior Exhibitors

Before You Leave Home

Show day goes smoothly when the paperwork is done weeks earlier. This checklist pulls from the 2026 North Dakota State Fair 4-H/FFA Livestock Exhibit Book and the 2026 Grant County fair book. Your own county's book always wins, so read it first.

Confirm These Deadlines

• Animals entered in 4-HOnline by May 1; they transfer to FairEntry.
• Ownership: market beef by March 1; breeding beef, dairy, swine, sheep and goats by May 1.
• County FairEntry registration (June 10 in Renville County in 2026; July 27 in Grant County).
• YQCA certification, required by some counties for every livestock exhibitor, including Cloverbuds.
• Completion forms and record sheets, which Grant County wants before the fair.
• For the State Fair, a vehicle pass requested in advance; none are sold at the gate.

Papers and Health

• Registration papers for registered animals; without them, animals are shown as commercial at the State Fair.
• Bill of sale (brand release) and parental release form, which Grant County requires at weigh-in. Without the bill of sale, the animal cannot be unloaded.
• Scrapie tags on sheep and goats (market wethers excepted); leg or wing bands on poultry; a left-ear tattoo on rabbits.
• A signed veterinarian statement if an animal was treated with drugs within 45 days of the State Fair.
• A Certificate of Veterinary Inspection for animals brought in from outside North Dakota.

Show Box

• Show stick or cane, brush, comb, clippers and adhesive as your species needs.
• Your own feed and bedding. State Fair exhibitors furnish both, except rabbits and poultry, and hay and straw are sold on the grounds. No fans or fan stands in barn aisles.
• Water buckets, feed pans, and rope or halter for the tie-out.
• Your State Fair show shirt, which every livestock exhibitor receives and must wear at every 4-H/FFA show (extra shirts are sold first come, first served), and any show coat your species allows.
• Sunscreen, snacks and water for a long day.

Check-In and Weigh-In

In 2026 the State Fair 4-H/FFA livestock check-in was Tuesday, July 21, 8 to 11 a.m., with all animals penned by 11 a.m. Weigh-in followed: sheep and beef at 12:30 p.m., goats at 4 p.m., and swine declaration between noon and 3:30 p.m. An exhibitor meeting was held at noon. Grant County's weigh-in was Thursday, August 13, 8 to 11 a.m. Exhibitors receive a number and T-shirt, and Grant requires the shirt tucked in for judging and the sale.

Weight limits matter: State Fair market swine are 220-300 lbs, market goat wethers 40-110 lbs, and market lambs must be shorn before weigh-in.

Showmanship and Dress

• You must show your own animal in showmanship, and also show it in another 4-H/FFA class.
• The animal from the first showmanship heat is the one you use for the rest of the contest unless the superintendent approves a safety substitution.
• Showmanship order is Legacy, Junior, Intermediate, Senior and Advanced. Divisions are by age as of September 1 of the prior year.
• Grant County bans caps and hats during showmanship and the sale. Rabbit and poultry exhibitors at the State Fair may wear a white show coat or a long-sleeve shirt underneath.
• Be at the ring when your class is called; Grant County will not reopen classes for late or unprepared exhibitors.

Stalling, Tie-Out and Rules of the Barn

At the State Fair, check in at the Livestock Expo Barn, the rabbit barn office or the poultry superintendent table for stall or pen assignments. Livestock tie-out is at 6:30 p.m., and animals must be back in the barns by 8 a.m. Beef in the Expo Barn must use fair-provided wood chip or sand bedding, since straw is not allowed in beef stalls. Grant County allows straw only in its Beef Building, bans clipping chutes in barns, allows washing only in the wash rack, and says feed cannot be stored in the barns. Rabbit exhibitors must feed, water and clean cages daily until release, and neglect can cost them the Herdsmanship Award.

Quality Assurance and Drug Rules

The State Fair accepts yearly YQCA certification, in-person LQA every three years, an industry program such as BQA or PQA, or membership in an accredited FFA chapter plus a completed formal agricultural course. Alcohol, tobacco, vaping and illegal drugs mean disqualification. A first drug-screen offense means premiums withheld and a one-year suspension from the show tested in.

In the Ring

• Sheep cannot be lifted or slapped, though a quick lift to set front legs is allowed.
• Wild or uncontrollable animals are judged by stall or tied to the fence and are ineligible for champion at Grant County.
• Parents may not enter the ring or prep area during judging and the sale at Grant County.

After the Show

• Stay until release. The State Fair staggered release was Saturday, July 25, 3 to 6 p.m., and early release needs veterinarian and state staff approval. Rabbits must stay until checkout or lose premiums.
• Clean your pens. Grant County charges a $75 fine and forfeits premiums for uncleaned pens, and an unpaid cleanout fee can bar future enrollment.
• Hand in your static exhibit check-out sheet; Grant pays no premium without it.
• Write thank-you notes to sale buyers.
• Protests, if any, must be in writing within four hours at the State Fair ($25 deposit in livestock) and within five hours at Grant County.

Frequently Asked Questions

Guide checked Nov. 11, 2026. Rules and dates change; confirm with the organizer.