Ionia County 4-H Livestock Committee

04/08/2026

Here's another educational opportunity that can count towards your educational requirement. You will just need to submit an event summary about what you learned before June 11th to the 4-H office.

Are you new to the 4-H swine project? Do you want to learn more about the ins and outs of your project? Check out our NEW Youth Show Swine Video Series! Designed with beginners in mind, this series has short, digestible videos covering an array of topics that can help you succeed in your project, including when to get your pig, selection and judging, feeding and nutrition, and more!
Check it out: https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/buying-day-to-fair-week-new-educational-4-h-swine-videos-from-msu-extension

04/07/2026

Location Update for our monthly meeting on Thursday April 9th 6:30pm. We will be meeting at the extension office due to the flooding at the fairgrounds. Hope to see you all there!

04/06/2026

Happy Monday Everyone! The monthly meeting is tentatively this Thursday April 9 at 6:30pm at the Fair Office, if the river comes down enough before then. We will update as soon as the final decision is made. Have a great Spring Break!

03/27/2026

Attention all Beef Exhibitors!!!!! Ben Randall will be having a hoof trimmer come in again this year. The date will be Friday May 8 from 3pm- 6pm in the large animal barn at the fair. You must be signed up prior to May 1st and it is open to the first 50 cattle signed up. The cost of the trimming will vary depending on the amount of cattle registered. It will be as follows, 1-5 $50, 5-10 $30, 10 and over $25. Also if there are any lesions or other medical needs it will cost up to $50 for treatment. Please RSVP asap to Ben Randall (616) 914-5961

*** This is open to all dairy feeder and beef exhibitors***

03/19/2026

ATTENTION ALL EXHIBITORS, FAMILIES AND SUPPORTERS OF 4-H!!! Attached below is the link to the 2026 4-H shirt storefront. A portion of the sales will be given back to the committee to help pay for judges, ribbons, banners and awards. A side note if you need a shirt size (such as toddler or tall sizes) that is not listed, please contact Hometown Sports and they will try to accommodate you.

Hometown Sports Inc.

03/19/2026

The committee would like to thank the 4-H Service Club for the generous donation to help fund judges, ribbons, banners and awards. Thanks to them, the required sponsorships were not necessary this year.

03/11/2026

Below is a link to view the 2026 Fair book pages for beef, sheep, market goats, and swine, along with the educational requirements.

Shared with Dropbox

03/10/2026

Good Evening Everyone! We are 128 days from the first day of fair, with that being said we have had a lot of people inquiring about the Educational Requirements. Below is the requirements, along with the poster categories by age group. Please feel free to reach out to a board member if you have any questions or attend the monthly meeting this Thursday March 12 at 6:30pm at the fair office.

03/09/2026

Attention All Exhibitors! Below is an educational opportunity that Shane Ferris, Grace Ferris, and Elissa Mutschler are graciously putting on. This will count as your requirement.

03/01/2026

02/20/2026

We would like to share with you that due to a very gracious donation, sponsorships will not be required for the 2026 fair. With that being said, we will be revisiting this topic in the fall when the next fair season starts being planned to discuss this topic again. While sponsorships are not required, the committee is still accepting sponsorships if any youth would like to collect them or any business would like to help sponsor any banners, ribbons, or awards. Below is the form if you are collecting sponsorships. Thank you to all the past and present sponsors for making this possible.

02/19/2026

Good Afternoon 4-H youth and families, this is a reminder that there is an educational requirement for the 2026 fair. The requirement is one of the following three options for each species you are showing.
* Educational Event - Submit a summary of what you learned from the event or your YQCA certificate
*Educational Poster - Submit a poster on a topic from the list of age appropriate topics
* Record Book- Submit the record book for your specie.

If you are submitting a poster or attending an event, these need to be turned into the 4-H office between June 1 - June 11.

Below are a couple activities that are happening, that would satisfy the requirement.