4-H Agriculture Projects

The primary objective of 4-H Agriculture projects includes the following:

  • How to create the proper facility to care for the 4-H Project animals.
  • Identify requirements to appropriately address the needs of the 4-H Project animals.
  • Give an overview of the proper nutritional rations for the specific requirements whether breeding, market or non-market purpose.
  • Provide a general summary of necessary costs associated with the 4-H Project. 
  • Understand the characteristics and benefits of the many breeds or varieties of the 4-H Project.
  • Learn basic points to showing, presenting, or demonstrating the 4-H project.
  • Begin to understand fundamental life skills such as building self-confidence, learn to make decisions, develop inquiring minds, relate to others, and develop concerns for your community.

Agriculture Education

Agriculture Education Objective: To encourage educators to teach more about our food and fiber system and the critical role of agriculture in our economy and society.  The classroom is a logical place for them to teach the basic concepts that will improve students’ understanding of agriculture and its role in their lives.

Ag in the Classroom is a school enrichment program that is available in several counties in Arizona. For more information, contact you county extension office.

The 4-H Veterinary Science project helps you explore and learn more about animal health in your home, club, community, country, and world. Grow your knowledge about how animal health affects public health!

Companion Pets

Companion Animals Objective: Youth will learn the basics of companion animals, such as dogs, cats, guinea pigs, hamsters, companion birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish, which includes selection, proper care, grooming and feeding.  Youth will also learn about the nutritional needs, the reproductive cycle and how to train their animal.  The project will teach youth the responsibilities of having an animal, the importance of keeping accurate records and the value of citizenship, sportsmanship and cooperation.

  • The cat project Purrfect pals will show you how to enjoy and experience your cat through the activities in these progressive levels. Depending on your age level and experience, you should sign up for one of the three levels of this project.
  • University of Idaho Extension has extensive resources for youth and volunteers, including complete lessons and objectives for a cat care project.
  • 4-H Cat project snapshot from Michigan State University Extension

Dog - Agility
Dog - Animal Care

If you decide to own a dog it is a big responsibility and this program will show you through many activities how to select, feed, train, house and care for your dog properly. The main activities you will learn about are breed types, appreciating dogs' places and roles in society, practicing grooming, correcting undesirable dog behaviors, teaching dog performance events, creating a housebreaking plan, recognizing the value of guide dogs, assessing your dog's vital signs and exploring dog-related careers and activities. You must complete a minimum of seven activities and three learning experiences per level to complete this project.

Dog - Guide Dog
  • University of California factsheet on guide dog projects
  • Paws for the Cause is a University of Arizona cooperative extension program connected to Guide Dogs for the Blind projects
  • Dog Helper's guide from National 4-H Council
Dog-Obedience

The pocket pets project includes hamsters, gerbils, and other pocket-sized animals.

Entomology

Entomology Objective: Youth will learn how to identify, classify, collect and preserve various insects. They will also develop a healthy realistic attitude toward insects. Such as discovering that not all insects are bad. Discovering why insects are important to the world and being able to identify beneficial and harmful insects. Youth will also learn about careers in the entomology field and opportunities to display their projects at county fairs or other related events.

4-H Entomology Club Leader's Guide [PDF] from Michigan State Cooperative Extension

The University of Idaho’s Cooperative Extension’s 4-H beekeeping program curriculum has been adapted from Purdue Extension’s Beehive program and has three levels:

  • Level 1, Understanding the Honey Bee, gives youth the information they need to enter the art of beekeeping safely.
  • Level 2, Working with Honey Bees, will get youth started managing their own hive.
  • Level 3, Advanced Beekeeping Techniques, will take the experienced youth to the next level of specialization.

The project requirements listed for Idaho’s beekeeping program can be applied to 4-H projects in Arizona. Contact your local extension office or your project leader for more details. 

A good project record book for beekeeping can be found at The Ohio State University’s Extension site.

A fun introduction activity to bees as important pollinators can be found at 4-H @Home

Updated: April 2022

The 4-H entomology series explores the world of insects — from learning about their behaviors, to what they eat and their habitats. You will learn about biodiversity invasive species, integrated pest management practices, and then progress to experiments, and also learn about career opportunities in the field. There are even opportunities to participate in forensic entomology — using insects to help solve a crime! If you decide to exhibit at your county or other fairs, you should collect, properly mount, label and display them by order.

  • Insect Discovery is a program from University of Arizona Cooperative Extension that has a wealth of proven lessons and activities, as well as classroom visits for elementary schools.
  • The 4-H national entomology curriculum consists of three levels and includes a facilitator's guide. Several activities from each level are available free of charge.  
  • 4-H @Home: Pollinators has several activities about diverse types of pollinators and their importance in ecosystems.
  • 4-H @Home: Butterfly Adventures is a video series that engages youth to learn about caterpillars and their metamorphosis into butterflies.
  • 4-H Entomology Manual from Mississippi State Extension

Horses

Horse Projects Objective: Youth will develop leadership, initiative, self-reliance, sportsmanship, and other desirable character traits, as well as an appreciation of horse well-being and proper horsemanship with or without a physical horse. Youth will experience the pride and the responsibilities of owning/leasing a horse. Youth will also learn good horsemanship and an understanding of proper management for nutrition, raising, daily care, and training horses. The horse project will provide an opportunity for youth to observe and learn through participation and observation, to accept constructive criticisms and learn new ways of training and caring for animals and provide an opportunity for educational experiences through county, area, and state functions.

English riding consists of specific disciplines and events like jumping, dressage, and equitation.

  • University of Arizona Cooperative Extension's Horse website
  • AZ 4-H Horse Show Rulebook
  • English Horse rulebook from Utah State Extension
  • English horsemanship pattern guidebook from Montana State Extension

Gymkana horse events are events with riding-related games or competing in mounted tests of balance, speed and dexterity.

  • University of Arizona Cooperative Extension's Horse website
  • AZ 4-H Horse Show Rulebook
  • Gymkhana specific rulebook from Mojave county Cooperative Extension office
  • Gymkhana guidebook from Colorado State Cooperative Extension
  • 4-H Horse guidebook from Cornell Cooperative Extension

The ranch horse project area teaches the practical skills and practices necessary to manage cattle on a working ranch and can benefit any rider looking to improve their equine skills.

  • University of Arizona Cooperative Extension's horse website
  • Ranch Horse manual from Oregon State University Extension
  • Ranch Horse project guidebook from 4-H Alberta
  • Working Ranch Horse Training Guide from Utah State Cooperative Extension

The western riding tradition emphasizes skills and events that include barrel racing, pole bending, and roping.

  • University of Arizona Cooperative Extension's Horse website
  • AZ 4-H Horse Show Rulebook
  • Pima County Horse Project webpage
  • Western Horse Rulebook from Utah State University Extension

Horticulture

Horticulture Project Objectives: Youth learn how to plan an in-ground or container garden; how to prepare the soil; and when, where, and what to plant. Introduces basic plant science, garden friends and foes, tool safety, using the vegetable harvest, and horticulture-related careers. Other activities may include germinating seeds and experimenting with plants. Youth learn to make the most of their garden space using different planting methods, then how to harvest, store, preserve, and/or sell their bounty of vegetables and herbs. They study plant genetics, plant diversity, plants in space, in addition to learning about horticulture-related careers.

Gardening from our heritage explores gardening with an emphasis on historical and cultural traditions of gardening, including the history of native and heirloom crop varieties.

  • University of Arizona Cooperative Extension's Home Gardening page with information on herb gardening
  • University of Arizona Cooperative Extension's Master Gardener program is a great resource and available in all counties in Arizona.
  • Project Fact sheet from North Dakota state University Extension that includes how to incorporate herb gardening into a horticulture project.
  • Michigan State University Extension's Herb Gardening curriculum
  • 4-H at home activity: Grow your on Herb Garden

  • University of Arizona Cooperative Extension's Home Gardening page with information on herb gardening
  • University of Arizona Cooperative Extension's Master Gardener program is a great resource and available in all counties in Arizona.
  • University of California Extensions fact sheet on vegetable gardening
  • Vegetable Gardening project website from Purdue Extension
  • Beginning Gardening activity sheet from University of Kentucky Extension

Large Animal

Large Animal Objective: Youth will participate in large animal projects such as Beef, Swine, Sheep and Goat (Market and Breeding), Dairy, Horse, Alpaca, and Llama. From these projects youth will engage in activities that expand their knowledge on animal care, husbandry, nutrition, financial literacy, showmanship, meat marketing quality assurance, and careers in agriculture. Youth can participate in county fairs, tribal fairs, Arizona National Livestock shows, and other livestock showing opportunities.

  • Alpaca project sheet from University of California Extension
  • Alpaca and llama project website from University of Idaho Extension- includes activities and project leader guide
  • Alpaca and Llama project website from Purdue Extension

Beef - Breeding
Beef - Market
Beef - Market Calves
Beef - Production Steer

Throughout the different levels of this project you will learn the dairy cattle breeds, explore the milk production system, demonstrate showmanship techniques, describe signs of health and illness in dairy animals, give reason on hay quality, compare pig and cow's digestive system, identify parts of the DHI record, perform a CMT and interpret the results and demonstrate how to deliver a calf.

  • The Dairy Industry in Arizona and Beyond video
  • University of Arizona Extension's large stock fact sheet with information on dairy cattle projects
  • North Dakota State University Extension's website on dairy cattle projects
  • University of Florida Extension's project handout on dairy cattle projects
  • University of Vermont Extension's dairy cattle project guide book

Goat - Boer Meat Breeding

Boer goats are an increasingly popular choice for market goat projects, projects specifically geared towards breeding goats for meat. This project has many of the same resources as the market goat project.

Goat - Dairy

Youth from the novice to expert will expand their dairy goat knowledge and skills of goat management, selection, health, reproduction, showing, judging projects and careers. You will also practice life skills of recording keeping, decision making, leadership, communication, planning and organizing and more. You must complete a minimum of seven activities and three learning experiences at each level to complete this project.

Goat - Draft

Draft goat are goat that are bred and trained to pull a wagon or cart. Many general goat project resources apply to the draft goat project as well.

Goat - Market Animal

The meat goat project will help you learn how to raise a market or breeding animal. Throughout the different levels of this project you will learn to identify healthy and sick animals, keep proper records, define the difference between milk-type and meat-type goats, learn how to score body condition, and many other skills.

Goat - Pack

Pack goat are goats that are trained to carry gear and other supplies. This unique project involves caring for and managing a pack goat with gear over various distances.

  • Pack goat guide book from Oregon State University Extension
  • University of Wisconsin Extension pack goat handbook
  • Michigan State University Extension's Ottowa county pack goat project guide

  • Llama project snapshot from Michigan State University Extension
  • University of Minnesota Extension's llama and alpaca project website
  • Alpaca and llama project website from University of Idaho Extension- includes activities and project leader guide
  • Alpaca and Llama project website from Purdue Extension

Sheep - Breeding

A sheep breeding project is a multi year project in which youth will raise a female lamb to breeding age and through the birthing process.

Sheep - Market Lamb

Swine - Breeding
Swine - Market

Small Animal

Small Animal Objective: Youth will participate in small animal projects such as Cavy, Rabbit, Poultry, Dairy Goats. From these  projects youth will engage in activities that expand their knowledge on animal care, husbandry, nutrition, financial literacy, showmanship, meat marketing quality assurance, and careers in agriculture. Youth can participate in county fairs, tribal fairs, and other small animal showing opportunities.

Cavies, commonly known as guinea pigs, are delightful animals. Although timid, they generously give affection for a small amount of care. Through this project, you will reap many rewards including the companionship of the animal. The cavy is popular as a pet because of its docile, gentle manner and attractive, roly-poly appearance.

In the Embryology project, youth will use an incubator to successfully incubating avian (usually chicken) embryos inside fertilized eggs until they hatch, learning basic biology and life science in the process.

Through the activities in the poultry project, you will begin by learning about egg parts, breeds, costs to raise poultry, how to prepare for chicks, how to care for and handle your birds, how to select pullets and showing poultry.

  • 4-H pygmy goat project leader's guide from University of California Extension
  • Pygmy goat project guidebook from Oregon State University Extension
  • University of Idaho Extension's pygmy goat website with guides, project record sheets and other resources.

4-H Rabbit projects teaches youth about raising rabbits, body parts, breeds, costs of raising rabbits, how to care for rabbits and  much more.

Small Animal- Exotic

Exotic small animals include reptiles and other animals not covered in other small animal project areas. Projects are closely related to many companion pet projects

Small Animal - Meat Production

The small animal meat production project covers poultry or rabbit projects that are raised for meat. See the poultry and rabbit project pages for more information.

  • University of California Extension's project sheet for market poultry
  • University of Wisconsin Extension's poultry meat production guide
  • Colorado State Extension's Weld County breeding and market rabbit webpage

  • University of Arizona Cooperative Extension's Ag at Home webinar on turkeys
  • University of Wisconsin Extension's turkey project guide
  • Ohio State University Extension's Union county turkey handbook