Brown County 4-H families preparing animals for the Brown County Youth Fair should mark Oct. 24 on their calendars. Lamb and goat validation will take place from 8 to 10 a.m. at the Brown County Youth Fair barns, and organizers said there will be no county validation makeup day.
Animals must be present during the scheduled validation for exhibitors planning to participate in the fair. Youth also must be enrolled in 4-H before the validation date. The Brown County Extension Office said invoices for validation tags will be sent by email beginning next week.
Important changes for the 2027 Brown County Youth Fair
The 2027 Brown County Youth Fair will require state validation for all animals eligible to show, including market and breeding animals. The stated exceptions are registered breeding heifers and pee-wee-only animals. The fair will no longer use county-only validation except for pee-wee-only animals.
Exhibitors must purchase state validation tags. Sheep and goat tags must be ordered by Aug. 24, while the swine tag-order deadline remains to be determined. Lamb and goat validation is scheduled for Oct. 24, followed by swine validation on Nov. 14.
Other changes will affect entries and memberships. Each exhibitor may enter no more than three animals per division. Every exhibitor entered in the fair must have an individual membership; exhibitors will no longer be covered under a family membership or umbrella. Each exhibitor or entry form will also include a $10 processing fee.
Families are being urged to track tag-order deadlines and validation requirements closely. Missing a state-validation deadline may make an animal ineligible for the 2027 Brown County Youth Fair. Questions about validation or fair requirements can be directed to the Brown County Extension Office.
New 4-H enrollment and participation system
The new 4-H enrollment system is now live for the new 4-H year. Submitting payment does not complete enrollment. After paying, families must return to the dashboard, select the yellow notification under each member’s profile, choose the projects the member wants to participate in, and submit the profile for review.
Members may select up to 10 projects and must choose “Program Participant” for each project. Once the profile is submitted, the Extension Office can access and approve the enrollment. The office noted that the system officially launched Monday morning and that staff and families are still learning its features.
Incoming third graders must wait until Sept. 1 to enroll. Enrolling before that date will categorize them as Clover Kids.
Participation points and upcoming October activities
Brown County 4-H is introducing a Participation Point System for the 2026–2027 year. Members can earn points through approved activities such as club and county meetings, project workshops, contests, community service, leadership activities, camps and other 4-H opportunities.
At 4-H-sponsored activities, members will scan a QR code and submit a participation form. After the submission is reviewed and approved, the points will be added to the member’s total. Recognition levels are Bronze, Silver, Gold and Emerald, with progress tracked by junior, intermediate and senior age divisions.
The October calendar includes a Rabbit Club meeting from 2 to 4 p.m. Oct. 11 at the Extension Office, a Cen-Tex Club meeting at 5 p.m. Oct. 11 at the office, and a Brookesmith Club meeting Oct. 11. The District 7 Livestock Judging Contest is scheduled for Oct. 27.
For the One Day 4-H community service project, members will help with Light Up Lake Brownwood, a floating lantern event benefiting United Way, on Oct. 10 from 5 to 9 p.m. at the Texas 4-H Center. More information about responsibilities and participation will be sent later. Interested volunteers can contact the Extension Office at 325-646-0386.
Quality Counts enrollment is also open for youth taking the course for the first time or renewing verification. The course is required for major livestock show entries and must be completed before entry deadlines. It is taken once per grade division: junior for grades 3–5, intermediate for grades 6–8 and senior for grades 9–12.
Families needing help with Quality Counts can contact Rachel at 325-646-0386 or [email protected]. The Brown County Extension Office is at 605 Fisk Avenue in Brownwood and can be reached at 325-646-0386.