Manistee County 4-H Livestock Council

The Manistee County 4-H Livestock Council serves the 4-H youth of Manistee and Benzie counites, located in Northwest Michigan. We are made up of 5 to 12 Michigan State University Extension Volunteers and serve elected three-year council terms, with Executive offices being held for one year. The majority of our Council has a background in animal husbandry and farming, are 4-H Alumni themselves, have children currently enrolled in the 4-H Program, or a combination of all of the above.

The Manistee 4-H Livestock Council holds meetings on the third Tuesday of each month at 7:00pm EST. We strongly encourage the public to attend and make their voice heard to contribute to the improvement and expansion of our 4-H Program.

Our Next Council Meeting: October 15, 2024, 7:00pm, Manistee County Road Commission Meeting Room

CONTACT US

To learn more about our 4-H Livestock Program contact us via email: manistee4hlivestockcouncil@gmail.com or contact your local County MSU Extension Office.

Meet Your 2024-2025 Livestock Council!

Executive Board

President: Jeremy Sexton

Vice President: Tobi Purple

Secretary: Kirsten Lambert

Treasurer: Emily Burrus

Council Members:

Carl Lacki

Jamie Smith

Our Mission

We strive to establish and maintain the necessary standards to run a successful educational program for Manistee and Benzie County 4-H youth involved in Livestock Projects, represent the common interest of all Manistee and Benzie 4-H Livestock Clubs, and in partnership with MSU Extension in Manistee and Benzie County, make recommendations regarding changes or procedures to help make a more engaging and effective program for local youth.

Becoming a Council Member

Adult Membership: A maximum of twelve (12) adults who are registered 4-H Club Leaders or have ties to the local Manistee and Benzie County 4-H Programs (parent of 4-H member, individual who volunteers at 4-H functions or assists at 4-H Club meetings, etc.). Term length is three (3) years, and a maximum of two consecutive terms may be served. After an absence of one (1) year, a former member is eligible for membership.

Youth Membership: All Manistee and Benzie 4-H youth currently enrolled in a Livestock project are encouraged to attend and participate at any Council meeting. A maximum of two (2) youths from Manistee County and two (2) youths from Benzie County over the age of 13 may seek Council Membership. Terms shall be for one (1) year and may be repeated.

All candidates must complete a “Prospective Candidate Form” – available below – prior to the election in order to be included on the official ballot. Names received after the official ballot is made may be included as “write-in” candidates. All nominations must be presented and voted on no later than the October Council Meeting of that year. Member terms will run from November to November. (The actual 4-H Program Year is September 1 through August 31)

Prospective Candidate Form (fillable)

Showmanship in Manistee County 4-H

The Manistee 4-H Livestock Council maintains a high standard of Showmanship in our 4-H Program. We require ALL of our 4-Hers to complete one (1) year of "Showmanship Only", that is one year where they only Show their animal and cannot Market or Sell said animal. Cloverbud participation counts towards this requirement. The Showmanship Only rule reinforces the importance of animal care in our youth. It allows them to focus on the important lessons of proper feeding, nutrition, and care associated with raising all types of Livestock to produce a quality Livestock Animal.

For more information about 4-H Showmanship, check out the links below:

Showmanship 101

Manistee County 4-H Showmanship Guidelines

Youth Marketing Livestock in Manistee County 4-H

The Manistee 4-H Livestock Council prohibits 4-H Livestock Exhibitors from entering Manistee Fair Market Livestock classes if they plan to participate in any market livestock program at any other Fair in the same calendar year. Members may sell a TOTAL of THREE (3) animals: 2 large & 1 small, or 1 large & 2 small, or 3 small. (The maximum of 2 large is due to barn space limitations.) Goats are considered small animals. No duplicate species may be sold - all must be a different species. Members will not be allowed to sell unless he/she has submitted four (4) completed “Prospective Buyer Slip” forms by the last day of 4-H Fair Registration.

For more information about 4-H Youth Marketing in Manistee County, check out the links below:

Manistee 4-H Market Livestock Rules & Guidelines

Prospective Buyer Slips (fillable)

Our 4-H Youth Livestock Options

Youth in Manistee and Benzie County can pick from any of the following Livestock project areas, currently established within our program:

Rabbits & Cavies
Poultry & Fowl
Goats
Sheep & Lamb
Swine
Beef Cattle
Dairy Cattle
Feeder Calves

Scroll down to see more information about your child's area of interest. If you don't see your area of interest listed, please contact us or our 4-H Program Coordinator, Ali Olson. Our program is constantly growing and changing, we'd love to hear your thoughts and ideas about what interests you about 4-H Livestock!

Each Species section will have MSU Extension Resource links for Show and Market projects, for general Animal Science and Welfare, see the links below:

You will also find Animal Registration information that you will need to submit to Show and/or Market your 4-H Animal Projects at the Manistee County Fair, at the bottom of this page.

You can also visit our website: COMING SOON and follow us on Facebook!

Rabbits & Cavies

Here are some valuable Resources for youth interested in Rabbits and Cavies (guinea pigs).

Poultry & Fowl

Poultry options for Youth in Manistee County 4-H are: Chickens, Ducks, Turkeys, Geese, and other Fowl! Find resources below to get started on your 4-H Journey.

Goats

Goats can provide us with meat and dairy products! Think you want to learn more about these versatile domestic creatures? Check out the links below!

Goat 4-H Snapshot!
Learning Goat Showmanship & Daily Care (video)
Michigan 4-H Goats (Facebook)
Michigan State CANR Goats
4-H Goat Quiz Bowl
4-H Angora Goat Project
Goat Youth Marketing Resource

Sheep & Lamb

Sheep and Lamb are wonderful Livestock animals to raise in 4-H! Learn more about this opportunity below!

Swine

Hogs are staple of 4-H Livestock programs and a very popular here in Manistee County as 4-H Projects and feeding local families. Learn more about this type of project below!

Beef Cattle

Raising beef is another staple of 4-H Livestock programs and Manistee & Benzie County hosts a number of family-owned beef operations making it an obvious popular 4-H Project! Get started raising your Beef Project with some of the resources below!

Dairy Cattle

Dairy Cattle are another option for 4-Hers in Manistee and Benzie County to try their hand at in our 4-H Program. Resources to get started or learn more are below!

Feeder Calves

Feeder Calves are great introductory 4-H project as a lead into bigger Cattle. While Feeder Calves can be sold at the 4-H Auction at the Manistee County Fair, it is generally recommended that a 4-H youth keeps their calf or calves for another year to raise them to market age and weight, THEN sell them at Auction as a Beef or Dairy Steer.

Animal Registration for Fair & Auction

All paper or PDF registrations should be turned into the MSU Extension Office in Manistee or Benzie County, depending on which county the 4-Her is registered in on 4-H Online. Google Forms are automatically recorded and sent to the 4-H Program Coordinator, copies of submitted responses are also emailed to the email address the registrant provided.

Paper or PDF registrations can be emailed to Ali Olson, olsonal8@msu.edu or Sherry Stamp, stamp1@msu.edu or Terrye Prybylski, prybyls3@msu.edu

Record Books

At this time, Manistee County 4-H has an All-Species Generic Record Book for Beginners (age 8 & up) through Seniors (ages 15 to 19) and a Cloverbud Book (ages 5 to 7). Record Books are REQUIRED for Beginners, Juniors, & Seniors.

All Species Record Book for Beginners - Seniors (printable)

All Species Record Book for Beginners - Seniors (fillable)

All Species Record Book for Cloverbuds (printable)

All Species Record Book for Cloverbuds (fillable)

Beef and Dairy Steers

Steers have two (2) required Registrations that take place at different times in the year. They are the initial Market Project Registration and the Registration to Show and/or Market an Animal. Both of these forms are available as Fillable PDFs that can be downloaded, filled in, saved, and emailed back to the MSU Extension Office OR as a Google Form that can be filled out and submitted entirely online.

4-H Market Steer Registration Forms due by December 31, 2024

4-H Market Steer Registration Form (fillable PDF)

4-H Market Steer Registration Form (Google Form)

Registration to Show & Market Livestock due by April 1, 2025

Registration to Show & Market Livestock (fillable PDF)

Registration to Show & Market Livestock (Google Form)

Feeder Calves

Feeder Calves have one (1) required Registration currently, the Registration to Show and/or Market an Animal. This form is available as Fillable PDFs that can be downloaded, filled in, saved, and emailed back to the MSU Extension Office OR as a Google Form that can be filled out and submitted entirely online.

Registration to Show & Market Livestock due by June 25, 2025

Registration to Show & Market Livestock (fillable PDF)

Registration to Show & Market Livestock (Google Form)

All Other Species

Rabbits & Cavies, Poultry & Fowl, Goats, Sheep, and Swine only have one (1) requirement for registration and that is the Registration to Show and/or Market an Animal. This form is available as a fillable PDF that can be downloaded, filled in, saved, and emailed back to the MSU Extension Office or Manistee Livestock Council OR as a Google Form that can be filled out and submitted entirely online.

Registration to Show & Market Livestock due by June 25, 2025

Registration to Show & Market Livestock (fillable PDF)

Registration to Show & Market Livestock (Google Form)