Youth Livestock Shows

Best Practice Checklist for Management of a Swine Show for Youth

Chad Carr and Justin Crosswhite

Raising a Market Show Hog

Chris DeCubellis

Recommendations for Traceability and Use of USDA Premise IDs for Swine Exhibition at Terminal Shows in Florida

Heidi Hill, Morgan McKinney, T. Langford, Clayton Roland, Charles Carr, and Pamela Hunter

Educational Opportunity for Showing Market Animals by Breed

Travis Arp, Chad Carr, and Warren Beeler

This article discusses the ongoing importance of junior livestock shows for the educational value and leadership opportunities they provide, and the challenges that need to be considered for continuing relevance.

Selecting Pigs for Youth Swine Shows

Nicholas Myers, Timothy T. Marshall, William R. Walker, David L. Prichard, Bill Heltemes, Chris Decubellis, Brian Estevez, Saundra H. TenBroeck, and Chad Carr

This publication will help youth exhibitors determine how and where to purchase a project pig and provide information on what the student should look for when purchasing the pig in order to do well in a swine show.

Incorporating Growth Performance with Youth Market Hog Shows

Chad Carr and Travis Arp

Ultrasound and Carcass Merit of Youth Market Hogs

Chad Carr, Dwain Johnson, and Mark Shuffitt

AN252 describes the process whereby ultrasound evaluation of the live animal can be used to predict fat thickness and loineye area to determine the carcass merit of youth market hogs.

Ultrasound and Carcass Merit of Youth Market Cattle

Chad Carr, Dwain Johnson, and Mark Shuffitt

Conducting a Successful Livestock Show for Youth

Chad Carr, Justin Crosswhite, Jennifer Shike, and Heather Shultz

Tips on Halterbreaking Cattle

Chris DeCubellis

Many youth join 4-H with visions of exhibiting dairy or beef cattle.  For those youth new to a dairy or beef project, halterbreaking their project animals is an early step to help prepare their project animal for exhibition. This new 2-page publication of the UF/IFAS 4-H Youth Development Program provides a brief list of tips for halterbreaking an animal. Written by Chris DeCubellis.

Biosecurity Plan Template for Livestock Exhibitions

Isabell L. Revere, Colleen C. Larson, Ricky W. Telg, Benjamin D. Anderson, and Cynthia B. Sanders

This publication provides a biosecurity plan template for livestock exhibitions. Due to the presence of large crowds in proximity to animals, these exhibitions can increase the risk of infectious disease outbreaks. This template is a framework specific to exhibitions, designed to assist exhibition organizers in creating a biosecurity plan for their event. Implementing the suggestions from this template during an exhibition will help reduce the risk of disease outbreaks. Written by Isabell L. Revere, Colleen C. Larson, Ricky W. Telg, Benjamin D. Anderson, and Cynthia B. Sanders, and published by the UF/IFAS Department of Animal Sciences, November 2025.