During the fall of 1994 the Illinois State Fair Junior Livestock Advisory Committee decided that all 4-H and FFA beef, swine and sheep exhibitors at the 1995 Illinois State Fair would be required to attend a training session of quality assurance and show ethics. This program was developed in response to unethical practices that surfaced in livestock showrings throughout the Midwest. The purpose of the programs was to remind exhibitors and parents that unethical fitting practices should not be tolerated by show management staff, exhibitors or parents.

The Quality Assurance and Ethics Clinic manual was developed through the contributions of numerous Animal Science Extension Staff and FFA Instructors. The manual includes the outline and information needed to teach the clinics to both youth and adults. The clinics were designed to last for approximately 75 to 90 minutes, and were primarily taught by Extension Animal Science Field Staff and Vocational Agriculture Instructors. A few volunteers were trained and taught some of the ethics clinics.

In 1995 and 1996, the Quality Assurance and Ethics Clinics were presented to 7,192 livestock youth and approximately 2,500 adults, with some counties requiring attendance by both exhibitors and parents in order to show at the county show.

The manual, clinics and evaluations were divided into seven sections, including Introduction, Benefits of Junior Livestock Shows, Video: "A Question of Ethics," Quality Assurance, Ethics and Animal Care, Rules of the Illinois State Fair, Explanation of the Affidavit, and Conclusion. Following the program, each attendee received an evaluation form to be completed and a card that was signed by the instructor.

The clinics were opened with a discussion of why the clinics were required and what was to be accomplished. Major points included that as livestock exhibitors, we are in the food producing business and have a responsibility to 1) produce a healthy and wholesome product, 2) provide and care for our animals and 3) present a positive image to the public regarding animal production and care.

Exhibiting animals offers an opportunity to motivate young people to develop interpersonal skills, work ethic and animal science skills. Animals are a tremendous teaching tool and the experience of

youth working with animals, being responsible for their care, and exhibiting in a competitive environment can be a tremendous character building process.

More important than winning is the opportunity for family involvement in the project. Parents and project overseers must never lose sight, and often must be reminded, that livestock youth activities are more about adults spending time with youth than about winning a show or contest.

The video "A Question of Ethics" was used in an attempt to make some important points about unethical fitting and showing practices and how these practices could jeopardize the future of junior livestock shows. The youth found the videotape to be entertaining and interesting, as evidenced by the summary of evaluations later in this paper. However, when the same video was used the second year (1996) the instructors received strong negative feedback.

Participants were again reminded that livestock exhibitors regardless of age are involved in a food producing business and have a responsibility to produce a healthy and wholesome product. This included a discussion of extra-label drug use of FDA approved drugs, problems with drug residues, and penalties for violations of these provisions. Areas of emphasis include 1) Do not us any pharmaceutical preparation in any manner other than exactly stated on the label or as directed by your veterinarian, 2) Pay strict attention to withdrawal times, and 3) If you have any questions regarding your animal’s health or treatment, call your veterinarian.

Youth should have the opportunity to compete in an honest, friendly, educational environment. A successful livestock project must include proper feed, water, shelter, exercise and if necessary drug use. Honesty and integrity include correct birthdates, permanent identification, honest pedigrees, proper ownership and breed purity. Artificial coloring and physical alteration of livestock will not be tolerated by show officials.

This area included an overview of rules and regulations including ownership dates, identification, number of entries allowed, minimum body weight and gain requirements, health requirements, plus an array of rules that create the most problems for junior show exhibitors. This discussion possibly did the most toward reducing problems for state fair management. Since most of the instructors for the ethics clinics have some species superintendent responsibility they were able to encourage the youth and parents to read and understand the rules and therefore be better prepared for the fair. Each participant also received a one page summary of the rules for the species that they will be exhibiting.

Both the junior exhibitor and parent must sign the Illinois State Fair Junior Livestock Entry Form. They also sign an affidavit stating that the animal exhibit has been owned and cared for by the

exhibitor, is residue free and the exhibitor will abide by the provisions of the Illinois Humane Care for Animals Act and will abide by all requirements for exhibiting at the ISF Junior Department. Each participant received a copy of the affidavit, and it was read and explained during the clinic. It was considered important that all parties had a thorough understanding of the statement that they were signing.

Most clinics were concluded with the presentation of "Learning By Example," written by Larry Mrozinski. When properly presented, this short story has major impact on most individuals involved in livestock youth.

At the conclusion of the clinic, participants were ask to complete an evaluation sheet. A summary of approximately 2000 participants is listed below. Although this was not a very sophisticated evaluation tool, the average scores were very positive for all areas assessed. This is particularly true, when one considers the participants were required to attend. Junior livestock show species superintendents agree that at the 1995 Illinois State Fair there appeared to be fewer problems with exhibitors lack of awareness or understanding of the rules and regulations. The 1995 and 1996 fairs ran without major problems with exhibitors, even though 1995 was the initial year for drug testing of the market Champion and Reserve Grand Champion animals. Although there has been no formal evaluation, it would appear that the ethics clinics have been effective in making junior exhibitors more knowledgeable about the rules and regulations, and better prepared to exhibit at the Illinois State Fair.

To this point the discussion has centered on 1995 clinics. In 1996 the clinics were expanded to include horse and dairy exhibitors. In addition, it was only required for first year exhibitors and individuals that were 14 years of age on January 1, 1996. The clinics were delivered in a similar format as 1995, which when coupled with fewer problems in the 1995 show season resulted in less interest in the clinics, not only from the part of exhibitors and parents but also the instructors.

As we look to the future of junior livestock shows we must all work toward a more positive program. We must remove the attention from the individuals that are participating in unethical practices and focus the attention on "Superior Young Livestock Producers." At the 1996 Illinois State Fair the Dairy Department initiated a class entitled "Superior Young Dairy Producer Awards." Participants were awarded prizes based on their knowledge of dairy production based on activities such as feed identification written exam, showmanship, judging contest, forage evaluation, equipment identification, and DHIA record analysis. The incentive was that the top five individuals each received a $1,000 scholarship, made possible by ADM, Inc.

As educators, our challenge is to expand this type of program and promote the concept of developing young livestock producers that gain the skills necessary to be successful in their field of choice.

At the 1997 Illinois State Fair, the Superior Young Producer Award will be expanded to include beef, swine, sheep, and horses. Again, as with the dairy, the incentives will be five $1,000 scholarships per species and the recognition of a job well done.