All 4-H members are eligible to participate in the livestock and horse shows at the Missouri State Fair, and all registration is handled through the Missouri State Fair. The State Fair website provides official rules and guidelines as well.
If showing as a 4-H member, your county staff must sign off on your participation in the fair. The deadlines for each event varies, so make sure to start on it as soon as you decide to participate in a Missouri State Fair livestock or horse show. All show bills and patterns can be found on the State Fair website.
For animal health requirements for the State Fair, contact the Missouri State Veterinarians' office at 573-751-4359.
Livestock and horses
- Print your Exhibitor Stall Sign (PDF) to proudly display in your stall at the Missouri State Fair (optional).
- Show Me Quality Assurance (SMQA) training: this training must be completed by all youth showing animals at any level
- Missouri State Fair 4-H/FFA: this link will allow you to view all guidelines and registration information pertaining to showing animals at the Missouri State Fair.
STATE FAIR LIVESTOCK RESOURCES
Dog Show and Dog Bowl
Date TBA
Mathewson Exhibition Center
Missouri State Fairgrounds, Sedalia, MO
4-H Dog Shows in Missouri are designed for the development of the youth; therefore, it is intended that they provide opportunities for 4-H members to:
- Experience the pride of owning and/or being responsible for the training and care of one or more dogs.
- Learn about the breeds of dogs and their characteristics.
- Learn to properly feed and care for a dog and gain knowledge of dog health, first aid, and safety precautions for you and your dog. Unless planning to breed your dog, please remember the importance of spaying and neutering your dog.
- Gain experience in training a dog in basic obedience and practice handling, grooming and showing.
- Promote greater love for animals and a humane attitude toward them.
- Develop leadership, initiative, self-reliance, sportsmanship, and other desirable traits of character.
You do not need to participate in your county or area show to exhibit in the Missouri State Fair 4-H Dog Show.
The 4-H Dog Bowl is a competition which tests your knowledge of dogs. The competition is conducted in a format similar to Collegiate Bowl or Family Feud, questions will be given to a team or to an individual who must buzz in and give the correct answer. We will count the right answers-no deductions are taken for wrong answers.
The 2025 4-H Exhibit, Demonstration, and Contest Guidelines (PDF) document will provide information on project exhibits, rules, and guidelines. Please review it for specific details and project exhibit suggestions. Please note that exhibits in binders, folders, notebooks, or bound books will not be accepted.
Demonstrations
- Demonstrations must have earned a blue ribbon at a county achievement event and have been selected for the State Fair. 4-H Staff must approve general and working demonstration in 4-H Online as close to July 15 as possible. More details can be found in the 4-H Building Guidelines.
- General demonstrations are those where the 4-H member shows and tells others how to do something. They are more formal than working demonstrations; therefore, require the use of a microphone (provided). These are five to ten minutes in length.
- Working demonstrations do not use a microphone or stage. Youth work on a project while responding to fairgoers' questions. A poster giving the topic of the demonstration and the 4-H member's name can be displayed on the table during the working demonstration. These are approximately thirty minutes in length.
- Sign up for a building demonstration date and time on 4-H Online.
Exhibits
- All exhibits in the Missouri State Fair 4-H Building have been judged and received a blue ribbon at the local level. Projects on display in the 4-H Building will not be rejudged at the state level. However, a set number of Best of Show Awards will be given. Exhibits will be reviewed by a group of dignitaries from the Missouri State Fair, University of Missouri, and Missouri 4-H before the start of the Fair.
- Project suggestions can be found under each project area in the 4-H Building Guidelines.
- Please make sure all exhibits meet the guidelines outlined in the 4-H Building Guidelines to avoid disqualification. Examples of disqualified items (DOCX)
Specialty Contest in 4-H Building
- More details on Specialty Contests can be found in the 4-H Building Guidelines.
- Sign up for a contest on 4-H Online.
NATIONAL 4-H POULTRY AND EGG CONFERENCE INFORMATION
- Chicken BBQ: Contestant's barbecue skills as demonstrated while preparing/cooking the chicken, and by judges' sensory evaluation of the finished product.
- Additional recipes, criteria and score sheets available at the National 4-H Poultry and Egg Conference website.
- Cooking with Honey demonstrators must use honey grown or made by a Missouri honey producer or company; provide the honey producer or company's name; give nutrition information; the health benefits of honey and the benefits of pollinators. The demonstrator must present a finished product for judges' sampling and a recipe handout for the judges.
- Missouri Grown Foods demonstrators must use a food product grown or made by a Missouri producer or company; provide background information on the producer or company, nutrition and preparation information, and the economics of the food product and the final dish. The demonstrator must present a finished product for judges' sampling and a recipe handout for the judges.
4-H Building Activities At Home
Try these activities at home as we share them with fairgoers at the Missouri State Fair.