The Dane County Fair Approved Livestock Education list is below per Department. Youth showing more than one species need to attend a separate education event for each species. New information will be added as it is available.
All youth planning to show OR sell livestock (Beef, Sheep, Swine) at the Dane County Fair must meet these species-specific educational requirements:
- Enroll in the Beef, Sheep, Swine Project by December 31, 2024
- Attend at least one approved Dane County Fair education offering (4-H, FFA curriculum, WYLP, etc.) related to the species they intend to show.
- Education Requirement Card – Complete this card after attending a species-specific education meeting/event to confirm attendance. Youth showing beef, dairy goats, sheep, and/or swine are required to complete at least one approved education requirement. You should upload the completed card by June 15.
- Education Requirement Forms can be uploaded as scans or high-quality photos. To keep track of forms, some found it helpful to take a picture of the completed form in case the hardcopy is misplaced.
- To upload the education card, please save the document as a JPG, TIFF, or PDF. Youth can take a picture of the education card to upload. Save as LastName.FirstName.Species.2025 (e.g.,Smith.Chris.Beef.2025) before uploading to the online portal.
- Use the Education Requirement Form with the Dane County Fair Logo, not the Youth Livestock Form found on the state online training page.
- Complete Youth for the Quality Care of Animals (YQCA) certificate between 9/1/2024-6/15/2025. YQCA is required for youth who will show beef, dairy goats, sheep, and/or swine at the Dane County Fair. Youth can complete this certification online anytime. There is a $12 fee for the online training. YQCA is designed as an annual education and certification program focused on food safety, animal well-being, and character awareness for youth ages 8 to 21. The program has been designed by extension specialists and national livestock program managers to ensure it is accurate, current, and relevant to the needs of the animal industry and shows and is appropriate for youth.
- Complete all training, and submit education card and YQCA certificate by June 15 via the online portal (opening in April). Failure to submit this card by June 15 at 11:59pm will make you ineligible to show your animal at the Dane County Fair.
- If showing in more than one species, youth must complete and submit the requirements for each species separately.
Contact the Fair Office at info@danecountyfair.com if you have any questions or to receive approval for educational opportunities not listed.