• State Fair 4-H Fairbook: https://4hfairbook.unl.edu/fairbookview.php/rules
• Static Exhibitors: exhibits selected in the 4-H Building for State Fair must be brought to the Extension Office by Tuesday, August 20, by 12:00 p.m. for staff to transport to Grand Island. Items can be brought starting Monday, August 12. Extension Staff will enter static exhibits on ShoWorks. Remove county fair score sheets, entry tags and ribbons. Name and county must be on the bottom/back of each exhibit. Make sure to include recipes, directions, supporting information, etc. We will not enter incomplete exhibits. PLEASE PACKAGE/BOX UP FRAGILE ITEMS.
• A transportation and release form must be used for anyone other than Extension Staff who will enter larger exhibits at the State Fair. Check with Extension Office for more information.
• Exhibits displayed at the State Fair are entered and displayed at the risk of the 4-H member. Management will exercise due care to protect them. However, the 4-H Department and Board of Fair Managers cannot accept responsibility for loss or damage. Youth who have exhibits of sentimental and/or monetary value should carefully consider whether such exhibits should be exposed to the hazards of the fair.
• Following the Nebraska State Fair, we will display these exhibits at the Good Samaritan Society in Beatrice. Exhibits will be on display from September 4th- September 8th. We will have a reception on September 8th at 2:00 p.m. at which time you're invited to pick up your exhibits. After September 8th, they will be taken back to the extension office for pick-up.

• Online Entry Website - Deadline: August 10, 8:00 pm (Livestock & In- person events only): https://nebr.fairwire.com/
• Some reminders for State Fair
• Cannot bring the same animal back for both weekends
• Ensure tag & tattoo is visible and present in ear
• If you had to retag or try to retattoo you need to let us know ASAP
• When submitting entries that is when you pay for your potential extra pen/stall, chute/stand permits, any extra passes or wristbands
• Note: Livestock Exhibitors automatically get a wristband, do not select an additional band for the youth
• State Fair Entry Limits
• Beef (5)
• Swine (6)
• Sheep (4)
• Goats (4)
• Poultry (6 live birds, 1 egg exhibit)
• Rabbit (6)
• Dog (1 showmanship, *2 agility, *2 obedience, *2 rally) *using different dogs and in different level of classes
• All 4-H Youth are automatically entered into showmanship
• FFA Members NEED to enter themselves into showmanship
• NEW in 2024: Animals of Nebraska Origin do NOT require a Certificate of Veterinary Inspection (CVI)
• Animals will still be checked by a veterinarian in the livestock trailer lot
• Also, please keep in mind when you submit entries and pay for them there are no refunds.

• Exhibitors must enter ShoWorks AND fill out the paperwork by the August 10th at 8:00 p.m. deadline
• Constructed Garment (STEAM 2-3, BTN, Knit/Crochet) Exhibitors
• Fill out form online: https://go.unl.edu/ne4-hsffashionshowconstructedgarmentsf24
• Submit swatch (with exhibitor’s name somewhere with the swatch) to Jacie Milius 1115 W Scott, Beatrice, NE 68310
• Shopping In Style Exhibitors
• Fill out form online: https://go.unl.edu/ne4-hsffashionshowshoppinginstylesf184

4-H static exhibitor families will be able to order discount passes directly from the Nebraska State Fair! Orders can be placed using the following link and password. Please remember the opportunity to order these discounted tickets is for static exhibitors and their families only. The misuse of this resource may eliminate this opportunity in the future, so please do not share this link. Note – We can track who ordered tickets and match it with your 4-H participation. There is a limit of 10 tickets per exhibitor. Discount tickets will not be available through the county offices.​

Static Exhibitor Discount Ticket Link:​ 4-H Static $5 Exhibitor Tickets | Lincoln, NE | Nebraska State Fair- Livestock (etix.com)​

Password:​ 22204H​

Note – All livestock exhibitors and in-person event exhibitors (contests, fashion show, presentations, and robotics showcase) will still be able to order discounted tickets when they enter in ShoWorks for State Fair. This process has not changed for those exhibitors coming to the fair.​

All advance ticket options are available now until 11:59PM on August 22nd CT.​

The Nebraska State Fair also has ticket options available to the general public. Tickets can be purchased at https://www.statefair.org/buy-tickets.

Congratulations to the 4-Her's who competed at the State 4-H Horse show!

Those from Gage County that competed were...

• Isabelle Penner
• Hadleigh Pryor
• Ashlee Ericson

There were

239 exhibitors entered the show

There were 351 horses

1306 total entries

And 45 counties represented

Congratulations to everyone who competed during the State Horse Show!

Congratulations to exhibitors, families, and participants. Your many hours of hard work, sportsmanship, and teamwork throughout the week did not go unnoticed! We hope you got to celebrate and enjoy all that the 4-H and FFA youth have learned and achieved this year.

The support of award donors is vital to the recognition of the success of 4-H and FFA youth. Our thanks to over 150 businesses and organizations in the county who give so generously. Thanks for believing in the value of rewarding youth for their accomplishments.

We would also like to thank all of our club leaders, superintendents, and volunteers for helping in various capacities throughout the week of fair. This was a team effort and we sincerely appreciate all of your help!

A big thank you to the Gage County Ag Society and the Gage County 4-H Council for all of your help leading up to fair and your behind the scenes work. Your dedication to Gage County youth helped make this fair beyond successful.

See you next year at the 2025 Gage County Fair and Expo, July 23-July 27. Next year's theme is "You Gotta LOVE the Gage County Fair"

The 14th annual event was a fabulous network of 4-H and FFA exhibitors, community buyers and supporters, Gage County Ag Society, and 4-H/Extension, all partners who believe in recognizing youth for your excellence! Thanks to the support of persons and businesses across the county and beyond! Participants, as a recipient of these project dollars, please thank your donor, send a note, make a quick visit, however you want to say THANKS!! Thanks to Beatrice 77 Livestock Sales, ”The Auctioneers”. Thanks to Lefty's Catering (Tim and Kris Riechers), for sponsoring and serving that mouth-watering meal. Thanks to everyone who worked at the auction, we can’t do it without all the volunteers! It was a great event and we’re very appreciative of the support for 4-H and FFA members as they work toward their 2025 projects.

THANKS TO EVERYONE for keeping the livestock, horse and small animal areas neat and attractive for visitors to the fair, indicating pride in yourselves, your animals, and your fairgrounds. A BIG THANKS to everyone who cleaned up the grounds on Monday after the fair; 142 people signed up, worked together and got the grounds cleaned up. Thanks to the Ag Society for the free lunch!

Congratulations to our 2024 Gage County Fair Herdsmanship Winners

• Overall Livestock Herdsmanship
• 1st Place: Riverview Jr. Stockmen 4-H Club; 2nd Place: Independent Members; 3rd Place: Prairie Rangers 4-H Club
• Hogs
• 1st Place: Rolling Hills 4-H Club; 2nd Place: Riverview Jr. Stockmen 4-H Club; 3rd Place: Best Foot Forward 4-H Club
• Beef
• 1st Place: Prairie Rangers 4-H Club; 2nd Place: Riverview Jr. Stockmen 4-H Club; 3rd Place: H&H 4-H Club
• Horse
• 1st Place: Blue River 4-H Club; 2nd Place: 3G's 4-H Club
• Sheep
• 1st Place: Rolling Hills 4-H Club; 2nd Place: Independent Members; 3rd Place: Nemaha Valley 4-H Club
• Goats
• 1st Place: Blue River 4-H Club; 2nd Place: Rolling Hills 4-H Club; 3rd Place: Independent Members
• Dairy Cattle
• 1st Place: Best Foot Forward
• Poultry/Rabbit Overall Herdsmanship
• 1st Place: Blue River 4-H Club; 2nd Place: Independent Members & Nemaha Valley 4-H Club
• Poultry/Broilers
• 1st Place: Pathfinders 4-H Club; 2nd Place: Prairie Rangers 4-H Club; 3rd Place: Independent & Nemaha Valley 4-H Club
• Rabbits
• 1st Place: Blue River & Nemaha Valley 4-H Club; 2nd Place: Feathers & Fur 4-H Club & Independent Members

4-H and FFA members who won trophies and/or awards, we remind you to write thank you notes, your responsibility as winners. Take a minute to thank the Ag Society for their work and support, Exmark for the 4-H and FFA exhibitor t-shirts, Gage County Farm Bureau for the show shirt, On The Hill Ag for the buckets, Farm Credit Services of America for the water at the shows, and any other supporters.

We have made changes to the way that you apply for County Achievement Awards (pins), Special Awards, and Scholarships for 2024. This year, the Career Portfolio and Achievement Applications will no longer be accepted for County Awards, but we have created a [hopefully] streamlined process to apply. There are two ways to apply this year:

1. Fill out the application using the link: https://go.unl.edu/gagecoawards OR
2. Download the Gage County 4-H Achievement & Scholarship Application .PDF (file included below) to your computer. Add in your information, and click "SUBMIT" in the .PDF

• You need to have the adobe on your computer to be able to edit the pdfs. A Chromebook will not open the pdf. If you have a Chromebook you will have to fill out the online form.

No need to print and bring us anything this year. by clicking "SUBMIT" on either the online form of the .PDF, we will receive your form. You will get a confirmation email that will allow you to make edits to your application. You can make edits until October 1, then we will print them and prepare them for judging.

Apply for all County Awards & Scholarships using these two options. A listing of all the County Award Areas can be found at: https://go.unl.edu/gagecoawardlist

The Achievement Application is still required to apply for State-Level Achievement Awards. Information about that process can be found at: https://extension.unl.edu/statewide/cuming/achievement-application/

If you have questions please contact the Extension Office at 402-223-1384 or email Jacie

The Nebraska 4-H Diamond Clover program encourages 4-H youth to engage in a variety of programs, projects, and activities that will enable youth to acquire skills and abilities that will prepare them for success in the future.

The program consists of six levels that require a young person to plan and report a broad range of age-appropriate accomplishments. For each level, the Nebraska 4-H Diamond Clover program provides a list of accomplishments from which 4-H youth choose their goals. The accomplishments increase in quantity and difficulty for each level. At the beginning of the 4-H year, participants plan what to accomplish and at the end of the 4-H year, they report on their completed accomplishments. Successful completion of a level's Plan & Report form results in a 4-H youth earning that level of the Diamond Clover program.

Adults interested in serving as a county or state fair judge in 2025 are invited to submit their interest via the online registration process. The process captures interest and asks interested individuals to agree to the indirect volunteer application process.

Find more information at 4h.unl.edu/judges.

Hi, my name is Ryan Rempel and I am a Gage County 4-H Member who took part in one of the University of Nebraska Lincoln Big Red Camps in June where I attended the Discover Engineering Camp. This camp allowed me to explore different fields of engineering like mechanical, electrical, civil, chemical, agricultural, environmental, and biological systems. I visited lab spaces, listened to faculty speak, and participated in hands-on activities. I learned about making bridges, roadside barriers, and earthquake-proof structures, how hydraulics work, how to build a lie detector and how they work, make scaffolding for artificial tissues, and even how to make ice cream and some of its alternatives. I toured Olssons, watched a slide show at the Midwest Roadside Safety Facility, and visited the UNL Tractor Test Lab, and Innovation Campus. The highlight of the Camp was getting to see and spend time in the newly opened Kiewit Hall and seeing the massive Maker Space that is to be filled with tools, mills, lathes, and other equipment.

The camp also gave me the chance to experience a little bit of what college life is like such as staying in Massengale Residence Hall on East Campus, riding the city bus from East Campus to City Campus and back, eating at Harper Dining Hall and the East Campus Union Dining Hall, visiting the East Campus Rec Center, and just really getting to know what City and East Campuses are like and where things are located. I enjoyed attending the Discover Engineering Camp. All in all, I enjoyed my time at the camp and hope others will look into it and try it out and go next year.

Email: Gage-County@unl.edu
Website: https://extension.unl.edu/statewide/gage/
Location: 1115 West Scott Street, Beatrice, NE, USA
Phone: 402-223-1384
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UNLExtensionGageCo/