According to the 2024 University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Community Needs Assessment data for Kenton County, the overall highest priority issue is “Youth life skill training opportunities,” and the second highest priority issue is “Strengthening youth workforce readiness.” Across the state, these are the second and third highest ranked issues, respectively. 

Though the Kenton County 4-H Livestock Program began long ago with the county’s deep agricultural roots, in 2024 we find that the Livestock Program also now serves to address these two issues. According to a June 2018 article from the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, “Children who do chores may exhibit higher self-esteem, be more responsible, and be better equipped to deal with frustration, adversity, and delayed gratification. These skills can lead to greater success in school, work, and relationships.”

This is relevant because daily chores are a large component of the dedicated work it takes for a 4-H member to see this project through to completion. In this program, students obtain a young pig, sheep, or beef animal, which they raise and train in the months leading up to the county fair. At the fair, hosted by the Kenton County Fair Board Livestock Committee, they will show and sell their animals. 

The target audience for this program is 4-H members aged 9-18 who live in rural or semi-rural Kenton county and have the time and financial resources to care for animals properly. Of the 36 members who originally intended to show livestock this year, 28 saw the project through to completion (~77%). 

In a survey offered to those 28 showmen, 11 responses were collected. When asked in an open ended format, “How does showing livestock help you?” 45% of responses indicated that showing helped teach them responsibility. Additionally, 27% of respondents indicated separately that showing helped them develop patience, manage time more effectively, and helped them increase their agricultural skills. Increased confidence, ability to work with people, and increased work ethic were just a few of the other qualities mentioned by respondents. These children’s responses drive home the point that the level of work, responsibility, and skills children learn from this project help prepare them to be well-rounded, contributing individuals who are workforce and community ready. 

(2024). (rep.). University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Community Needs Assessment. Retrieved from https://extension.ca.uky.edu/community-assessment-0. 

The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. (2018, July). Chores and Children. The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. https://www.aacap.org/AACAP/Families_and_Youth/Facts_for_Families/FFF-Guide/Chores_and_Children-125.aspx