The livestock clubs were established due to the strong interest within the county. Our youth are gaining skills and knowledge from the 6 hours of educational training they are required to complete to show at the fair. The experience of raising and showing an animal allows 4-H youth to develop confidence in themselves and increase their self-esteem. The 4-H program in Greenup County has a long history with a successful youth livestock program.

 In past years, the number of youth participating in that program have decreased. During the changes we have all faced over the past few years, our livestock club leaders have continued to stay involved, recruited new members, provided adaptive meetings, offered educational opportunities and guidance with the help of the other agents in our office in the absence of a 4-H agent. Additionally, we had certified club leaders join together with our ANR agent to conduct a Saturday livestock training option for members to complete their training hour requirement. This year so far, we have had 16 steers and 3 heifers weighed in that will be showing at the county fair. In the past, our entries for the same species have been in 2019- 13 market steers, in 2020- 4 market steers and in 2021- 8 market steers. We are excited to see the growing numbers in the other species areas as we continue to have weigh-ins leading up to the fair. We also have 4 parents that are currently in the process of becoming certified leaders.

As a new agent in the county, I plan to work with the established leadership within these clubs to ensure a successful future for our 4-H program. We hope to see the trend continue with an increase in participates for next year. Our livestock show also has a partnership with the local FFA chapter. We are looking forward to continuing this partnership in years to come.