Project Records and Record Books

Required Project Records to participate in the Carroll County 4-H/FFA Livestock Sale MUST be submitted if you showed and sold an animal at the current year’s fair to be eligible to sale in next year’s livestock sale. If you showed and sold any of the following, you MUST submit project records for these project areas:

• Market Steer/Market Heifer
• Dairy Steer
• Market Lamb
• Market Swine
• Market Goat

Please note that if you do not submit project records after selling an animal at the fair, you will not be eligible to sale any animals at the following years fair.

If you exhibited in any of the following shows at the Carroll County 4-H/FFA Fair you must submit project records in these areas to be eligible for the following years fair:

• Horse
• Poultry
• Rabbit
•  

If you plan to enter in the Indoor Building (Red Building) at the Carroll County 4-H/FFA Fair there are a couple of project areas that REQUIRE project areas. Please make sure you also check the current fair rules to ensure you have the most up to date information.

• Gardening – You must have started your project record and entered in the project record class to be eligible to show your entries at the fair. (This is for every age division, including first year members). These project records will be reviewed before you can enter your vegetables/fruit into the fair. You must also turn in the completed Garden Project Record form at the end of the year to your club leader too.
• Photography
•  

ALL Project Records need to be submitted to your 4-H Club Leader for their signature. Please note that your club leader will set a deadline for when they want your records turned into them. Club leaders are responsible in having project records turned into the Carroll County Extension Office the Monday following Thanksgiving.

All project records undergo a review process to make sure that the records meet the required elements for the Carroll County 4-H program. Each record is reviewed twice by 4-H Educators and UME Volunteers to ensure the records are complete. To ensure your records are complete please review the Project Record Tips as the tips will walk you through on how to complete records. If you have any questions on completing these records please contact your club leader or one of the Extension Educators.

Tips for Completing Project Records

Here are some tips and helpful hints as you work on your project records.

Don’t forget that the following project records are required to show at the 2025 Carroll County

4-H/FFA Fair – ALL MARKET ANIMALS, Horse, Poultry, Rabbit, Garden and Photography (if exhibited at the 2024 county fair.)

Remember to EXPAND on all of your answers.  The more detailed responses you give help the reviewers understand your projects and what you learned and achieved through them.

1. What goals did you set for your project this year and did you achieve them?
   1. Explain three different goals you had for your project and expand on how you did or didn’t achieve them. 
2. What were four things you learned from completed this project this year?
   1. Juniors and Intermediates – You only need to list 2 things you learned from your project.
   2. Seniors – Need to list 4 things you learned from your projects
3. What is one thing you would like to improve or do differently with your project next year?
   1. What is something that you want to improve on your project next year?  Give an example on what you want to do differently on with your project.
4. What I learned as a result of using this life skill…
   1. Under each section (Head, Heart, Hand, Health) write the life skill you are using from the life skill wheel.
   2. Juniors and Intermediates need to write 1 life skill for each section.  You will have one life skill for Head, one for Heart, one for Hand and one for Health.
   3. Seniors need to write 2 life skills for each section.  You will have two life skills listed for Head, two for Heart, two for Hand and one for Health.
5. Project Activities
   1. Everyone needs to list project activities in how they relate to your project.  This can be attending the Mid-Winter Blahs, Livestock Workshops, Quality Assurance, County or State Fair.
6. Project Communications
   1. Everyone MUST have some type of communication related to their project that you have given to at least 3 people who are not related to you. 
   2. Example – If you are filling out a project record for Photography your communication needs to be something relating to Photography and not a speech related to building a birdhouse.
7. Project Exhibits
   1. Everyone must have exhibited their project at some event.  This can include County or State Fair, a community or school event. 
   2. List all exhibits separately.  This includes all classes to be listed separately (example – Market Hog – you would list, Market Hog, Showmanship and Rate of Gain on 3 separate lines, not all together).
8. Project Financial Section (General Project Records)
   1. List all expenses related to your project and put a value on them, even if your parents paid for them, they still have a value associated to them.
      1. Even if you bred your own market livestock project, there is still an associated value to that animal. What would you have sold it for or what was market value at the time you would have bought a market project?
      2. Example – If you baked a cake, you would list your ingredients (Sugar, Flour, Chocolate, etc. and the cost $13.50)
   2. Income includes any premium checks you have received for your items.  Remember to keep your copy of your premiums from the fair, this will tell you what your premiums were for each item you entered at the fair.
9. Supplemental Piece
   1. If you are completing a General Project Record a supplemental piece can be included.  This is one additional piece of paper (8x11) attached to the end of your record.  This can be a picture with a couple sentences written about your project or a story, crossword puzzle, etc.  It needs to be something that related to your project.
10. ANIMAL PROJECT RECORDS
    1. Market Livestock Project Record Forms
       1. Table 1 – Information of Project Animal – This is REQUIRED to be completed.  Make sure to fill in all information related to your animals.  All animals you tagged should be included on this table, even if you didn’t show them.  Remember to bring your totals down to the total line.
       2. Table 2 and 3 – Include information on what you fed your animals and the cost of feeding those animals, along with other expenses you have had with your project including bedding, equipment, etc.
       3. Table 4 – Health and Veterinary Expenses – Everyone should have something listed here.  To show at the fair you had to have health papers, which would be listed on this table.
       4. Table 5 – Sale Animal Income – List the information related to any animals you sold.  This can be from selling at the fair or private sales.
       5. Table 6 – All Other Income – Include any other income from your animals.  This could be premium monies, selling wool or hides, etc.
       6. Financial Summary – Add up all of your income and expenses to see you have a profit or loss from your project.
    2. Poultry/Rabbit/Horse/Dogs Project Records
       1. Make sure to fill out tables related to your animal information, along with each table that related to your project.  If you didn’t do something in the project (Example – Didn’t sell eggs), just put N/A in that table, so the project record reviewers know you didn’t just skip the table.
       2. Include a supplemental piece that showcase your project!

Make sure to have ALL SIGNATURES (4-H Member, Parent and Club Leader) a 4-H Educator will sign off on the forms when they are considered complete. 

Also, if you have siblings that participate in the same projects, make sure your records are DIFFERENT.  If they are the same, they will be returned to be redone.

Any incomplete project record is reviewed by one of the 4-H Educators before being sent back to the 4-H member. If a project record does not meet the county requirements the 4-H member will receive a letter from the Extension Office indicating what needs to be corrected on the record. It’s the responsibility of the 4-H member to return the completed project record back to the Extension Office by the deadline indicated in the letter you receive. Any project records that the Extension Office has recorded as incomplete after the final deadline is sent to the Carroll County 4-H/FFA Fair and the individual superintendents/sale committee and you will not be eligible to exhibit and/or sale at the next Carroll County 4-H/FFA Fair.

Record Books

Record Books are a showcase of your 4-H experiences throughout the year. Record books should be placed in the official 4-H Record Book binder (which are available at no cost, at the Extension Office). You should also use dividers in your book for each of the sections below.

1. Title Page - This will include a current picture, name, age, 4-H Club and address.

2. Table of Contents - This should include all of the sections that can be found in your 4-H Record Book.

3. Summary Record - All of your activities (4-H and others) throughout the year are recorded here. Also, include the highlights of your projects (awards, communications, activities, etc.).

4. 4-H Story - Write a story telling the reader about your 4-H experience.  Summarize your experiences, talk about your different projects, tell us about events you attended. What did you learn this year? Be creative!! (Story should be 2-3 pages double spaced)

5. Project Records - This is where you will put your completed project records. You should have received these back from being reviewed from the county level, but if you haven't you can place another copy of those records in your book.

6. Pictures - You can have up to 3 additional pages of pictures that showcase your 4-H year. Make sure you include a caption with each picture.

7. Newspaper/Social Media Post - If you have talked to the newspaper about 4-H you can include the article in this section. If your county 4-H program or local club have social media pages that you have been featured in, you can print those post to include in this section.

Clover members are eligible to enter a Clover Memory Book (scrapbook). The Clover Memory Book highlights activities the member participated in throughout the year. Instructions on how to complete the memory book can be found below.

Clover Memory Book Guidelines