4-H Animal ID information

4-H Animal ID process

All animals must have a tag in the ear and registered with 4-H Online or have a completed signed paper ID worksheet in the office on the due dates listed below:

  • February 15, 2023: Market beef (steers, heifers and dairy steers)

  • May 15, 2023: Beef, Dairy, Goat, Horse, Poultry, Rabbit, Sheep, Swine

If you're unable to get to the office during business hours M-F 8:30am-4:30 pm please call 507-375-1275, email mknudson@umn.edu, or use the animal ID reservation google form to reserve and pick up your tags from the outside drop box.

  • Animal ID tags are $2 per tag billed at the end of the fair season

  • Taggers are available to borrow for 3 days, $10 per day up to $100 will be charged to your account for an unreturned tagger after the 3rd day.

Dairy ID's prior to first freshening

Dairy animals NO LONGER need to be ID’d prior to first freshening. However, no family member or other 4-H’er will be allowed to show an animal that has been shown by another 4-H’er after the animals first freshening.

What is the next step for dairy project families?

  • All dairy animals currently in 4-H online will need to be reactivated by Mary 15 to be eligible to be shown in 2023. 4-H Online is currently open for youth to reactivate and/or add new animals for the coming year.

  • If the family unit includes someone who has graduated out of 4-H or is not enrolling in dairy this year AND there were heifers ID’d in their name last year, you will want to re-ID those animals under another family member. Keep in mind that any animals shown by this past dairy project member AFTER freshening are not eligible to be shown by another 4-H’er

Cloverbud animal ID's

Cloverbuds may show their own animal or another 4-H'ers identified animal.

  • The Minnesota Board of animal health requires all animals at exhibition to have official ID (tag or tattoo) this includes Cloverbuds. Cloverbud ID information does not need to be included in 4HOnline but is helpful for pen set-up and check-in.

  • Cloverbud entries must register their livestock in the County fair registration website FairEntry by June 15 for stalling/penning/check-in purposes.

Leasing animals

We want you to be able to learn about animals, even if you don't own one. You can lease an animal. You'll gain valuable hands-on experience managing and showing animals, and you'll learn from caring adults.

These animals may be leased

  1. Horses

  2. Dogs

  3. Llamas - Alpacas

For these species, market animals are not eligible to lease, but breeding animals may be leased

  1. Market Beef

  2. Prospect calves

  3. Dairy steers

  4. Meat Goats

  5. Poultry

  6. Rabbits

  7. Sheep

  8. Swine

Animal ID information & worksheets

Information sheets provide birth dates, registration paper requirements, weight guidelines, divisions and classes, state fair grooming rules.

Worksheets are printable 4-H animal ID forms to be completed by hand and turned into the office.

Beef

Dairy

Poultry

Goat

Horse

Rabbit

Sheep

Swine