Livestock Projects

We offer project options for raising cattle and goats (both for beef and dairy purposes), swine, and sheep. Please scroll through our page to see what is required to raise these projects, as well as take a look at our County Rules for participation.

Youth for the Quality Care of Animals is a class that all 4-H members who plan to exhibit large livestock market animals are required to take on a yearly basis. The class is one hour in duration and covers three key areas: Food Safety, Animal Well-being, and Character Development.

The Pima County 4-H Beef Project strives to educate 4-H members, families, and the community about the Animal Science behind the beef cattle industry. 4-Her's who take on the beef project can participate in four different classes:

Of the four options, the Market Beef Program has the most participation. In this project, youth raise a market beef from as late as early November through April of every year. In April, the Pima County Fair is the capstone exhibition where members compete against one another in a show ring where they present their project in front of a Beef Cattle Industry Professional who judges them in the areas of market standards and showmanship ability. Throughout the year, 4-H Beef Project Members are expected to participate in monthly meetings, clinics, and shows in order to be eligible to participate at the Pima County Fair.

The Breeding Heifer program is focused on raising an ideal female animal who would become part of a breeding program.  For any questions relating to the Beef Project, please contact Micaela McGibbon at kidsandcows@me.com. 

Raising a dairy animal is a very rewarding experience. Each animal has its own unique personality and they will often get very excited to see their human caregivers. Along the way, members learn about different dairy breeds and what they are typically used for, explore how milk (and other milk products) are produced, and develop showmanship skills. Be sure to check on whether your area is zoned for livestock.

Options
  • Dairy Heifer – a female that has not yet calved (given birth)
  • Dairy Cow – a female that has calved and maybe producing milk
  • Dairy Bull – a male that is under 8 months old
  • Dairy Steer – a castrated male

You may purchase dairy cattle at any time of the year, but the member must follow the club and current premium book rules in order to show at the upcoming county fair.

Ongoing Care and Costs

Daily care for dairy cattle includes feeding, watering, cleaning and checking on general health. Milking cows must be milked twice a day. In addition, it’s important to work with an animal several times per week. Ongoing costs include feed and healthcare, e.g. grooming and hoof care.

Start-up Costs

Initial Animal Purchase: This cost varies widely from approximately $30 - $500, depending on whether you would like to raise a dairy steer, a bull or a heifer. It is recommended that you work with your project leader or someone with knowledge about the project when you purchase your animal.

  • 400+ square food pen with covered shelter
  • Supplies, such as water tank, feed bucket, and a rope halter
  • If you have a milk cow, you’ll need supplies, like a stanchion and other milking equipment. Your project leader can help in identifying options and sources for these.
  • Show supplies, such as leather halter, shampoo, brushes, and clippers
Who to Contact

Any questions can be directed to the Dairy Cattle Project Coordinator: Summer Wilson-Hawking pimacodairycattle@gmail.com

The Dairy Goat project is a fun and rewarding project. Dairy goats have a great personality they love full-heartedly. You will be raising a dairy goat for multiple purposes one is for the love of the animal, other reasons are for breeding and for milk production. You will have to work with your animal a few times a week. You will have to teach your Dairy goat doe to walk on a leash and how to stand in a ring for showmanship. With the breeding part, you can have a sire on your property or you can find another sire that can breed with your dairy goat doe. Once your dairy goat doe is in milk you will want to make sure her kids are feeding off her or milk her daily to bottle feed the kids. Another use for the milk is to make soap, ice cream, ranch, or many other helpful things.  

Some Project Tools/Helpful Items Include:
  • hair clippers with #10 blades
  • goat hoof trimmers
  • milking stand
  • collar
  • leash/lead
  • watering and feed containers

Questions can be sent to the Project Coordinator: Jeanette Ginn jeanettegrove3@yahoo.com

In Pima County, there are a lot of projects offered for members to participate in, but there are two unique projects that are manageable and fun! In the Market Goat and Breeding Boer Doe Projects, we strive to provide members with every resource they need to succeed. We advise, teach, help, and mold young individuals with their projects and 4-H community itself. By not only being part of the 4-H Club but also being in a Project allows youth to grow as a leader and to learn responsibility through the daily care of another life. This responsibility molds an individual and provides a youth with life skills to last a lifetime!

Categories
  1. Market Goat Project- this program allows a 4-H member to go out and purchase a market goat, or goat that was bred for its carcass qualities. Once that goat is raised to market weight from proper nutrition and exercise, 4-Hers can then bring that animal to the annual Pima County Fair to exhibit the animal in Market and Showmanship Classes. Market goats are evaluated by a professional judge for their traits in muscle development, the correctness of finish, growth, and weight, skeletal correctness, and balance and eye appeal. If the animal is ranked high enough using the danish ribbon system, the animal may become eligible to be sold through the Pima County Junior Livestock Auction.
  2. Breeding Boer Doe Project- In this project is, a 4-Her raises a Boer (breed of goat) female goat (doe) with the intent to breed that animal to produce marketable off-spring. At the conclusion of the project year, 4-Hers can enter there Boer Doe into the annual Pima County Fair to be judged on growth and performance capabilities, functionality, balance and eye appeal, and muscle quality.  This is a project where a member intends to bring this animal to produce their own stock in the future.

Both of the Goat Projects would be a great project for your 4-H member as goats are fun to raise, but allow youth to challenge themselves in raising a top quality market animal. 

We strive to teach and advise our members to be better individuals and allow them to learn the responsibilities of caring for a project. As leaders we want our members to have fun and learn life lessons on the way. 

Thank you so much and if you have any questions regarding the Pima County Lamb and Goat Project please feel free to email me. Contact Info for the Goat Project Coordinator: JC Boyd 520-429-7132

In Pima County, there are a lot of projects offered for members to participate in, but there are only two projects that involve raising sheep that are both manageable and fun! In the Market Lamb and Breeding Ewe Projects, we strive to provide members with every resource they need to succeed. We advise, teach, help, and mold young individuals with their projects and 4-H community itself. By not only being part of the 4-H Club but also being in a Project allows youth to grow as a leader and to learn responsibility through the daily care of another life. This responsibility molds an individual and provides a youth with life skills to last a lifetime!

Categories
  • Market Lamb Project- this program allows a 4-H member to go out and purchase a market lamb, or young sheep that was bred for its carcass qualities. Once that lamb has been raised to market weight (through proper nutrition and exercise), 4-Hers can then bring that animal to the annual Pima County Fair to exhibit the animal in Market and Showmanship Classes. Market lambs are evaluated by a professional judge for their traits in muscle development, the correctness of finish, growth, and weight, skeletal correctness, and balance and eye appeal. If the animal is ranked high enough using the danish ribbon system, the animal may become eligible to be sold through the Pima County Junior Livestock Auction.
  • Breeding Ewe Project- In this project is, a 4-Her raises a female sheep (ewe) of any market sheep breed with the intent to breed that animal to produce marketable off-spring. At the conclusion of the project year, 4-Hers can enter there Breeding Ewe into the annual Pima County Fair to be judged on growth and performance capabilities, functionality, balance and eye appeal, and muscle quality.  This is a project where a member intends to raise this animal to produce their own stock in the future.

Both of the Sheep Projects would be a great project for your 4-H member as sheep are fun to raise, but allow youth to challenge themselves in raising a top quality market animal.

We strive to teach and advise our members to be better individuals and allow them to learn the responsibilities of caring for a project. As leaders we want our members to have fun and learn life lessons on the way.

Thank you so much and if you have any questions regarding the Pima County Lamb and Goat Project please feel free to email me.

Contact Info for the Goat Project Coordinator: Kaycee Larios pimacountysheep

The Pima County 4-H Swine project is the largest of the large livestock projects with over 200 members county-wide. Raising a swine as your 4-H project is a great opportunity as hogs are the smartest animals in the barnyard!

Categories
  • Raising Market Swine- Hogs that will be entered into the Pima County Fair and exhibited for both Market Judging and Showmanship Judging. Eligible hogs are then sold in the Pima County Junior Livestock Auction.
  • Raising Carcass Swine- Hogs that are judged on the hoof for Market, and then taking to a local harvesting facility to be judged on the rail. 
  • Raising Breeding Gilts- Female hogs that are raised and exhibited with the intent to produce your own livestock.

If you are new to the project and are looking for a club, please contact the County 4-H Livestock Assistant in Extension, Ashlea Gideon at agideon@arizona.edu to help you out! Also, the 4-H Office has a list of local swine breeders that have provided swine to 4-H'ers in Pima County in past years. If you are a breeder and would like to be added to the list, please contact Ashlea at the 4-H office.

This year, there are a few new rules that are being implemented including a requirement for all swine project members to attend at least one swine clinic or one swine jackpot show with their animal in attendance. There is a form that must be filled out and submitted at fair check-in to prove attendance. The required form can be found below.

As a reminder, there is a new rule in Pima County requiring Swine Project members to attend either 1 swine show/practice or 1 swine clinic with their hog/s in order to get the experience of taking an animal away from home and to another environment. Be sure to fill out the attached form and have signed by your 4-H project leader/ FFA advisor and submit at Fair Check-In. To see a list of SAILA Shows, please visit SAILA Website

Any questions about the Swine Project can be submitted to the Project Coordinators Bobby Kern and Jane Macuilla at pimacountyswine@gmail.com