The Kids’ Own Show

Meet YEPA: The Youth Exhibition Poultry Association

The Youth Exhibition Poultry Association is an educational, year-round organization for youth. YEPA’s goal is to support them as they move through the various stages of learning and growing in the standard-bred poultry hobby.

An organization to support youth

YEPA originally began in the 1990s by several individuals to ensure younger members of the hobby could get accurate information in a youth-friendly format.

Those individuals recognized that youth are the future of our great fancy.

With the rise of junior shows and internet growth, they wanted young people to have an avenue to learn breeding techniques, effective husbandry practices, application of the standards of perfection, culling for improvement of traits, showing particulars, and more. They also wanted to recognize young people for their educational achievements.

APA-ABA joint program

In YEPA’S infancy, it was the APA-ABA Youth Program, working with and affiliated with both the American Poultry Association and the American Bantam Association. As it grew, the need for it to be a separate entity grew as well. Eventually, it became YEPA—an entirely free standing 501(c)5 organization with no official ties to any other organization.

The mission of supporting youth in their endeavors in the standard-bred poultry hobby didn’t change, though. YEPA, the APA, and the ABA all work toward the same goals—furnishing youth in our hobby with the tools they need to grow in their knowledge and practices and continue on to become the next generation of master breeders, show organizers, organization board members, and eventually "old timers" in the hobby.

Michall kids with their winning birds in open and junior at the National Western Stock Show this year.

The ACE program

YEPA’s ACE program—Activities, Competition, and Education—incudes a series of educational workbooks. YEPA members and their advisors use the workbooks to focus on the knowledge and how it relates to the betterment and conservation of the birds.

Workbooks guide YEPA members through suggested activities and educational research at levels appropriate for age and experience. Activities include competition with others at their level.

Upon completion, each YEPA member receives a certificate, a plaque, and a patch for that level. They display their patches on their show coats.

YEPA encourages members to exhibit their birds in poultry shows, but doesn’t give awards for wins. While a great deal of learning and effort that goes into those wins, we prefer to recognize the youth for their strictly individual learning and performance in the showmanship competition.

Showmanship awards are lapel pins for first and second place wins at YEPA-sanctioned showmanship contests.

Kade Sallee, of Missouri. Prepared for showmanship with his silkie

YEPA members earn points for first- through third-place wins. Points accumulate toward patches and can be used in the workbook levels.

Shows that wish to sanction with YEPA simply need to contact youthexhibitionpoultry.org to get what they need for the showmanship contest.

Cackle Hatchery

We have the amazing support of Cackle Hatchery in Missouri, cacklehatchery.com/. Cackle Hatchery sponsors the showmanship awards. They have been a blessing to the YEPA program for many years and we hope to see that continue into the future.

Different from 4-H

YEPA has been long compared to 4-H and while there are similarities, such as the personal growth of the young person, there are many differences.

YEPA focuses on year-round poultry ownership, breeding, and making improvements toward the breed standard in the flocks. The emphasis is not on "production pens" such as laying trios or meat birds, except for where those historical dual-purpose traits come into the breed standards.

There are no minimum age requirements to join YEPA or to begin working on ACE levels, or receive placings in showmanship. YEPA leaves that to individual families, to decide when their little ones are ready to begin this process.

New National Director

I took on the role of National Director late last summer from Doris Robinson. She did a wonderful job running YEPA for years after its beginning. More goes into running an organization like this than anyone realizes, including myself, and I applaud her work over the years.

It takes a lot of focus to keep it moving on the day-to-day matters, along with updating and editing materials and websites and the like. Those familiar with YEPA over the years will see some small changes in the showmanship contest particulars. The ACE program books are being edited and updated. Eventually, breed-specific units will go along with them, as a way to work more closely with breed clubs on educating youth on their breed.

The website is being overhauled to have a password-protected member-only section for additional resources, individual showmanship points records, and more.

150th Anniversary activities

There are always many plates spinning and projects take longer to complete than anticipated, with day jobs and families, but the wheels keep moving forward. I have ideas for some extra fun and educational activities.

I’m planning to host meet-ups during the long weekend of the APA's 150th anniversary national meet in Columbus, Ohio in November 2023. This is a huge undertaking for a memorable milestone in our hobby so I want to ensure things will work with everything else the host show is doing. Full details will be announced to YEPA members as plans settle.

Join YEPA

If you would like to become part of this group of youth that spans the U.S. and Canada, with current ages ranging 3-18, head to youthexhibitionpoultry.org. Dues are $10 per year and there are both paper and Google form versions of the membership form on our website.