Farrowed & Owned Swine Cohort

The Nebraska 4-H Farrowed & Owned Swine Cohort is an opportunity for youth interested in learning more about the swine industry. The program is designed to cultivate the next generation of leaders in the Nebraska swine industry. The goal is to enhance the educational value of the traditional 4-H swine projects by focusing on swine production, accurate and complete record-keeping, industry knowledge, and engagement by the 4-H member.

Youth participating in the Farrowed & Owned Swine Cohort will:

1. Network with 4-H members across the state who are also participating in the cohort experience.
2. Participate in learning opportunities hosted by Extension Swine Specialist Benny Mote about nutrition, feeding, genetics, and more.
3. Gain knowledge related to their project and the swine industry as a whole.
4. Maintain records related to swine management and basic care.
5. **NEW for 2025** Exhibit their Farrowed and Owned project animals at any Nebraska county fair. Exhibiting at the 2025 Nebraska State Fair is optional. All cohort members will participate in an interview at the 2025 Nebraska State Fair. Join the first session in February for more details!

Program Components

1. Youth must be 4-H age 8 – 18 as of January 1 of the current year, and enrolled in 4-H in a Nebraska county.
2. 4-H youth must complete the Youth for the Quality Care of Animals (YQCA) requirements annually and have a current Pork Quality Assurance (PQA) number.
3. 4-H youth must meet all the State Fair livestock identification, nomination, and entry requirements by the deadline and are responsible for the fees associated with the process.
4. 4-H member and/or their immediate family must have farrowed the animals entered in the farrowed and owned cohort.
5. 4-H youth must actively participate in real-time in three of the five virtual educational programs focused on swine nutrition, feeding, and genetics hosted by Nebraska Extension Swine Specialist. Each session will be recorded. If a cohort member misses the live meeting, they are required to watch the recording and answer some questions regarding the session. The recording is available until the day of the following meeting to watch the recording in order to meet the participation requirements.
6. All virtual sessions begin at 7:00 pm CST via zoom. Details are sent after registering.
7. Maintain accurate production records related to raising the animal(s), including farrowing records of the sow. Complete and submit the record book at the Nebraska State Fair to be used during the interview component of the program.
8. Exhibit farrowed and owned project animals(s) at either a Nebraska county fair and/or the Nebraska State Fair. All 4-H swine fairbook rules apply to the farrowed and owned animals(s) at the Nebraska State Fair. Farrowed and Owned swine entries count toward the overall quota of swine allotted per exhibitor.
9. All cohort members will participate in the interview portion of the cohort.

Awards

Cohort members will be recognized for exhibiting their farrowed and owned project animals at their local Nebraska county fair and/or the Nebraska State Fair. Cohort members will also be recognized for their participation in the interview portion of the cohort, with the top three individuals receiving special recognition