Many youth are involved in Lancaster County 4-H's livestock program, which includes beef cattle, dairy cattle, bucket calves, dairy/pygmy goats, meat goats, sheep, swine and llamas/alpacas. Youth ages 8–18 may participate by joining a club or as an independent member. Some clubs focus on a specific animal project while some clubs work on a variety of projects including specific animal projects. Except for the Pick-a-Pig and Go Go Goat Getters 4-H clubs, youth are required to provide their own animal — raising an animal develops life skills such as goal setting, discipline and a sense of responsibility. To compete in 4-H/FFA livestock, poultry and rabbit shows (such as at the Lancaster County Super Fair) exhibitors must complete Youth for the Quality Care of Animal (YQCA) requirements — see box below.
For more information about the livestock program, contact Extension Assistant Calvin DeVries at 402-441-7180 or calvin.devries@unl.edu.

Lancaster County Super Fair 4-H Livestock & Poultry Information
This web page has non-fair 4-H livestock and poultry project information. Resources, identification information and forms for the 4-H livestock and poultry shows at Lancaster County Super Fair are on the 4-H at Lancaster County Super Fair web page.

4-H Overall Livestock Project Resources
4-H project books are available to view and purchase at the Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County office. They may also be ordered online through Shop 4-H.
- 4-H Specialty Clubs Invite New Members — includes Pick-a-Pig and Star City Llama & Alpaca 4-H clubs (pdf)
- Nebraska 4-H Livestock Program Website
- Nebraska 4-H Premier Animal Science Event (PASE)
- Nebraska Department of Agriculture Information on How to Get a Premises ID Number
Lancaster County 4-H News & Announcements

4-H Beef/Dairy/Bucket Calf Project Resources
Extension Beef & Dairy Websites

4-H Goat & Sheep Project Resources
Extension Sheep Websites

4-H Swine Project Resources
Extension Swine Websites

4-H Poultry Project Resources
- UNL Extension Publication (EC282) "Exhibiting 4-H Poultry" (pdf)
- Lancaster County 4-H Embryology & EGG Cam
Extension Poultry Website

Youth for the Quality Care of Animals Requirements for 4-H/FFA Members Exhibiting Livestock, Poultry and Rabbits Updated for 2022!
4-H/FFA youth enrolled in any of the following animal projects will 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)
Deadline to complete YQCA and submit certificates of completion is JUNE 15. Send completed certificates to Calvin DeVries at calvin.devries@unl.edu or Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County, 444 Cherrycreek Rd., Ste. A, Lincoln, NE 68528.
Youth must be currently enrolled at https://v2.4honline.com. Only parents/guardians may enroll 4-H members.
YQCA has moved to a new online system at https://yqcaprogram.org. You’ll notice a major change to the account structure — the opportunity to create a parent account and add children, essentially creating one family account for all your YQCA needs. On the More Info/Parents & Youth page, you’ll find Help Documents detailing the steps to getting your web-based training certification, instructor-led training certification (face-to-face training) or test-out certification. Parents/youth, if you have a current and valid YQCA certification, please follow the steps at https://go.unl.edu/newyqcasteps to get yourself set up on the new site.
In Lancaster County, youth may choose one of three options to complete their YQCA requirements:
- Complete web-bsed training at https://yqcaprogram.org. Note new website Cost is $12.
- Attend a face-to-face training held Thursday, June 2 or Tuesday, June 7, 6–7 p.m. at the Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County conference rooms, 444 Cherrycreek Rd., Suite A, Lincoln. To sign up for face-to-face trainings, you must go to https://yqcaprogram.org Note new website before the training. The training will cost $3 payable by credit or debit card on the website. We cannot take payments in person; all families must register and pay online. You must sign in as proof of attendance — certificates will be available online.
- Complete test-out exam at https://yqcaprogram.org. Note new option Cost is $36 for ages 12–14 and $48 for ages 15–18.
If you have further questions, contact Calvin DeVries at 402-441-7180 or calvin.devries@unl.edu.
