Explore the beef industry. Learn about breeds, health, feed, behavior, judging and showing a calf, ethical issues, reproduction, marketing, careers and more.
Your animal may be purebred, grade or crossbred; heifer, steer or cow-calf. Most 4-H'ers in the beef project aim to show their beef animal at the county fair. Those who do well in the county fair may go on to compete at the Minnesota State Fair!
What can you do?
In the beef project, you can:
- Learn basic principles of animal science by caring for and keeping records on one or more animals.
- Show that you understand sound breeding, feeding and management practices.
- Learn the value of scientific research on animals and the meat industry.
Project information
Adult volunteers and youth members: Be sure to watch the 4-H animal science PDC update webinar recording (YouTube) - April 24, 2025.
Animal health and biosecurity information (Google Doc) - Important to read.
Get started with 4-H'ers in your area
- Contact your local 4-H office for more info.
Get started on your own
- Beef information sheet - Important to read.
- Discover 4-H activity books (free download)
- Beef activity books from National 4-H (for sale)
- Know all the beef breeds and be able to identify them.
- Identify parts of a beef cow and cuts of meat.
- Train your calf to lead.
- Groom your animal.
- Recognize a healthy beef cow.
- US beef and cattle statistics
- Estimating cattle age using dentition - Missouri State University
- Beef Quality Assurance Manual
- Buying beef for meat processing
- Cattle grazing management systems
- Download the Cattle Grazing Management Systems poster (English version)
- Download the Cattle Grazing Management Systems poster (Spanish version)
Deepen your project learning with these opportunities:
Local livestock committees
You may be able to join your county 4-H livestock committee. Contact your local 4-H office for more information.
Beef project resources for volunteers (Google Site)
Find training, project development committees (PDCs) and more support for volunteers on our 4-H Volunteer Resource Center (Google Site).
To volunteer with 4-H in your area, contact your local 4-H office.
Minnesota 4-H State Show Committee
The 4-H state fair show committee has the responsibility of providing the necessary direction and support so that 4-H animal science state shows and educational opportunities meet the needs of youth and adults.
Committee members will be selected from submitted applications on an as-needed basis.
Selections will be completed by Sept. 30. All adults selected must have completed the 4-H volunteer screening process by Dec. 1. Please note: Local Extension educators may be contacted to serve as a reference for applicants.
Fair information
What does it mean to show at the fair?
For 4-H'ers, local and state showcase events (like the Minnesota State Fair) are not just fun events. They provide youth opportunities to exhibit the knowledge and skills they've gained throughout the year– and to continue their learning.
Contact your local 4-H office to learn about local livestock showcase opportunities.
Important to know
- Beef information sheet — posted Dec. 18, 2024
- AnSci updates for 2025 — posted Dec. 18, 2024
- Animal science show requirements sheet for all species
- 4-H animal ID requirements and processes
- Cloverbuds and animals
- MLBA 4-H Purple Ribbon Auction information for market animal exhibitors at the Minnesota State Fair.
- Livestock interviews
- See all 4-H policies
Record keeping and evaluation
- 4-H youth record keeping — reflect on your project and what you've learned.
- Animal science project interviews evaluation — junior level
- Animal science project interviews evaluation — senior level
- General livestock judging contest evaluation with reasons
Contact your local 4-H office for sign-up deadlines and more information about how to get started showing.
Beef exhibits can include:
Breeding heifer
- Registered or commercial spring calf
- Registered or commercial fall calf
- Registered or commercial summer yearling
- Registered or commercial junior yearling
- Registered or commercial senior yearling
Cow-Calf pair
Prospect Calf
- Heifer calf
- Steer calf
Market beef
- Heifer
- Steer
Dairy Steer
- Purebred
- Crossbred
Beef Showmanship
Commonly shown breeds, include Black Angus, Charolais, Hereford, Red Angus, South Devon, Shorthorn, Gelbvieh, Limousin, Simmental, Maine Anjou, Maintainer and Crossbreeds.
See requirements for breeds, birth dates and animal ID. These are required for all beef shows (state and local).
Science of animals
You can also exhibit your knowledge with a science of animals project. This project is designed to expose 4-H animal project youth to the many dimensions of the industry.
Science of animals is offered in all livestock species in one of four topic areas:
- Animal health
- Breeding
- Production
- Other
Please note:
- Exhibits do not have to be in the same species as your livestock exhibit.
- You can win a trip in science of animals and take a livestock trip to the state fair.
- You can receive housing with your county livestock delegation and help with herdsmanship, herdsmanship judging, etc.
Science of animals evaluation sheet (Google Doc) - use for county and state fairs.
Learn more about science of animals at the state fair.
Exhibit your knowledge
What is animal ID'ing?
Animal ID is a system for identifying and tracking all animals in the 4-H animal science project areas. It is important to follow the ID requirements to ensure health, safety and fairness.
See all requirement details by species and class (Google Doc). You must follow all of these requirements, whether you own or lease your animal.
Important ID deadlines
- Feb 18, 2025, for market beef (beef steers, market heifers and dairy steers).
- May 15, 2025, for beef, dairy, dairy goat, dog, horse, llama - alpaca, meat goat, poultry, rabbit, sheep and swine.
Find more information on the animal science ID page.
Leasing program
We want you to be able to learn about animals, even if you don't own one. You can lease an animal. You'll gain valuable hands-on experience managing and showing animals, and you'll learn from caring adults.
For full details, see the leasing a 4-H animal page.
The 4-H member or family must complete the 4-H animal identification process, just like owned animals. This will include verifying the leasing agreement. Read all about animal ID.
Livestock Quality Assurance (LQA) training
Livestock Quality Assurance training helps youth provide excellent care for their food animals and ensures a high level of food safety to consumers. We designed it to enhance the educational experience of 4-H animal science projects.
Do you hope to exhibit with 4-H at the Minnesota State Fair? All 4-H livestock exhibitors must complete livestock quality assurance training to exhibit at the state fair.
Two training options
Youth who complete either one of these training options will receive a certificate of completion.
- A three-hour in-person workshop (LQAE) including ethics. Valid for three years.
- Youth for the quality care of animals (YQCA) - A one-hour online training. Valid for one year.
For full details, see the Livestock Quality Assurance (LQA) training page.
Reviewed in 2024