Tippah County 4-H Goat Exhibitors Show at Mississippi State Fair
Two young exhibitors carried the Tippah County 4-H banner to Jackson this week. Jenna Graves and Lara Horton showed their market goats Friday as junior livestock competition opened at the 2026 Mississippi State Fair, according to a post from the Tippah County 4-H Club.
“State Fair Livestock shows kicked off with the goat show,” the club wrote Friday evening, adding that the two girls “represented Tippah County very well!” A photo the club shared shows one of the exhibitors in the show ring with her goat, a ribbon and a plaque, alongside family and supporters. Community members quickly filled the comments with congratulations.
Tippah County 4-H at the Mississippi State Fair
The Mississippi State Fair runs Oct. 8–18 at the state fairgrounds in Jackson. Its junior livestock shows bring 4-H and FFA members from every corner of the state to compete with animals they have raised and trained for months.
Getting a market goat into the ring at the fair takes far more than a single weekend of work. According to Mississippi State University Extension’s 2026 goat division rules, exhibitors had to:
- Establish ownership of their market goats and submit entries through their county Extension office by Sept. 1.
- Take their animals to a classification and DNA hair-collection site in mid-September. One of those sites was in Pontotoc.
- Enter their livestock in the Showman app by the Sept. 18 State Fair deadline.
- Bring a veterinarian’s health certificate to get onto the fairgrounds. An MSU College of Veterinary Medicine show veterinarian is on site during the junior shows.
That kind of preparation, which includes daily feeding, exercise, grooming and practice in showmanship, is a big part of what 4-H livestock projects teach young people about responsibility and record-keeping.
More Livestock Shows Ahead
The goat show was the first of the fair’s junior livestock events, and more species and classes are scheduled through the fair’s final weekend. Tippah County 4-H did not say Friday whether other local members will be showing later in the fair. Families who want to follow along can check the Tippah County 4-H Club’s Facebook page for updates and results.
For many local exhibitors, the State Fair is also a warm-up for the Dixie National Junior Round-Up, which MSU Extension lists for Feb. 1–11, 2027, in Jackson.
How to Get Involved in 4-H
4-H is the youth development program of Mississippi State University Extension. It’s open to young people across Tippah County, and its projects go well beyond livestock, from leadership and public speaking to shooting sports, cooking, and science. Parents interested in enrolling a child can contact the MSU Extension office for Tippah County or follow the Tippah County 4-H Club on Facebook for meeting and project announcements.
Congratulations to Jenna Graves and Lara Horton on representing Tippah County at the state’s biggest fair. For more stories about local young people making their mark, see our coverage of the Tippah County volleyball all-tournament team.
Source: Tippah County 4-H Club; MSU Extension
