Communication skills are possibly more vital now than ever before.   The Magoffin County 4-H program promotes the 4-H Country Ham Project where youth gain these life skills.  The 4-H Country Ham Project also teaches 4-H members about food preservation and the Appalachian tradition and history of curing country hams.

Each January, the country ham project begins with fresh ham.  Youth members process two.  They selected their hams, trimmed and weighed them, applied salt cure to them, wrapped them tightly in paper and placed them in socks to hang until spring in the ham house at the Magoffin Extension Office.  The 4-H Members scrubbed their hams to remove excess cure and any mold then washed and placed in ham socks to hang until early summer.  In the meantime, the 4-H members prepared for their speech to present at the 4-H Country Ham Day at the Kentucky State Fair.  Youth write a speech based on their appropriate age level topic.    In August, the hams were cleaned again and prepped for the state fair competition.  Youth focused on the aroma, shape, color and overall appearance in choosing one ham to enter in the contest.  

Over 1200 4-H members  presented their speeches and ham at the state fair in August 2924.   Magoffin County had two participants in the ham contest and speech.   The project has doubled to four participants for the upcoming 2025 fair!

Outcomes reported from 4-H members include successful understanding and actual curing of country ham, speech writing and presentation, learning about Appalachian culture, food preservation techniques and entrepreneurship from selling a country ham.