There are three major 4‑H deadlines that fall on Sunday, June 15:
• Enrollment/Re‑enrollment in 4‑H Online: required for all youth to participate in the Lancaster County Super Fair.
• Youth for Quality Care of Animals (YQCA) Certificates due to Extension office or lancaster4h@unl.edu: required for all youth showing livestock species at the Lancaster County Super Fair [beef (bucket calf, feeder calf, breeding beef, market beef); dairy cattle; goat (breeding meat goat, market meat goat, bottle meat goat, dairy/pygmy goat) poultry; rabbit; sheep (breeding sheep, market sheep); swine (breeding swine, market swine)].
• Animal IDs due to Extension office or lancaster4h@unl.edu: required for all 4‑H and FFA youth showing beef, bucket calf, dairy cattle, swine, sheep, goat and rabbits. Animal IDs are not required for poultry, dogs, cats and household pets.
As June 15 falls on a Sunday this year and the Extension Office will not be open, it is highly recommended you complete these deadlines by Friday, June 13. If you wait until June 15 to enroll and then have a question, you may miss the submission deadline.
ENROLL/RE‑ENROLL ONLINE
All 4‑H members and leaders must re‑enroll for the 2024–2025 4‑H year. The website to enroll or re‑enroll is 4‑H Online at https://4honline.com. Only parents/guardians may enroll 4‑H youth. Parent/guardian helpers do not need to enroll themselves, only their participating children. Each 4‑H household will need to set up a family profile the first time they enroll, where you will add the individual 4‑H youth and/or volunteers in your household. For returning families/volunteers, please do not create a new account — use your previous log‑in credentials.
• Project selection is no longer required for each entry exhibited at county/state fair(s); however, each youth needs to select at least one project to complete online enrollment. Exceptions: Shooting Sports and Horse project participants MUST select these projects for the required safety permissions.
• Each youth must select a club, Lancaster Independent or FFA Chapter. 4‑H members who are not in a club or FFA chapter, will select “Lancaster Independent” under “Club.”
YOUTH FOR THE QUALITY CARE OF ANIMALS (YQCA)
4‑H & FFA members participating in any of the following animal projects need to complete Youth for the Quality Care of Animals (YQCA) training: beef (bucket calf, feeder calf, breeding beef, market beef), dairy cattle, goat (breeding meat goat, market meat goat, bottle meat goat, dairy/pygmy goat), poultry, rabbit, sheep (breeding sheep, market sheep), swine (breeding swine, market swine). In Lancaster County, youth may choose one of two options to complete their YQCA requirements:
• Complete online training at https://yqcaprogram.org. Cost is $12. For more information, visit https://4h.unl.edu/yqca.
• Attend an in‑person training held on Thursday, June 5, 6–7 p.m. at the Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County conference rooms, 444 Cherrycreek Road, Suite A, Lincoln. You must create an account/login on https://yqcaprogram.org to sign up for the in-person training beforehand. The training will cost $3 payable by credit or debit card on the website. Note: You will need to take a 5‑question pre‑test at https://yqcaprogram.org before attending. You must sign in as proof of attendance — certificates will be available online.
Send completed certificates to lancaster4H@unl.edu or Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County, 444 Cherrycreek Road, Suite A, Lincoln, NE 68528. If certificates are not submitted, 4‑H staff have no way of knowing if trainings have been completed.
ANIMAL IDS
• All 4‑H & FFA beef, bucket calf, dairy cattle, swine, sheep, goat and rabbit ID forms are due by June 15 to the Extension office or emailed to lancaster4H@unl.edu. Pick up tags and ID forms from Extension office or use forms posted at https://lancaster.unl.edu/4h/fair/animals. DNA envelopes for State Fair and/or the Aksarben Stock Show are also due June 15.
• 4‑H poultry, dogs, cats and household pets do not require identification forms.