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MU Extension In JeffCo: 4-H Joins Our Missouri Celebration At The State Fair
This year, the 4-H Building showcased 127 youth demonstrations and 3,204 exhibits, 53 of which received a Best of Show award.
September 8, 2021
The Missouri State Fair offers an opportunity for members to exhibit their skills in the 4-H Building, their showmanship in the livestock arenas and their character through demonstrations. For many, this is a culminating experience that affects them beyond just the premium and ribbon.
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Missouri State Fair visitors experienced firsthand the foundations of the 4-H program by browsing aisles of exhibits, cheering on youths in the show ring and participating in activities showcasing the 4-H project areas.
This year, the 4-H Building showcased 127 youth demonstrations and 3,204 exhibits, 53 of which received a Best of Show award. Daily activities let visitors engage with 4-H professionals and briefly experience the projects offered by 4-H. Highlights included a 4-H Feeding Missouri food packing event, in which members packed 4,875 meals, and 4-H Zoo Apprentice Day, which that gave fairgoers a chance to learn more about zoo animals.
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More than 1,100 Missouri 4-H exhibitors took to the show rings with a total of 3,080 livestock entries, and 170 youths entered 1,061 horses during the State Fair 4-H/FFA Horse Show that took place prior to the fair, July 29-Aug. 1.
“4-H livestock entries for the 2021 Missouri State Fair were up across the board for all species,” said Ty Peckman, state 4-H agriculture specialist and Missouri State Fair 4-H livestock superintendent. “We welcomed many first-time exhibitors and their families throughout the barns and show rings.”
To celebrate Missouri’s bicentennial, Missouri 4-H placed updated county banners above the exhibits. Banners were originally hung in the 4-H Building in the 1970s and were last updated in 2002. The Missouri 4-H Bicentennial Quilt, created with blocks sent in by 4-H’ers from across the state, was also displayed in the building.
This press release was produced by the MU Extension in Jefferson County. The views expressed here are the author’s own.