The 4-H Country Ham project has become a staple of the Henry County 4-H program.  The project has been a multi-generational project for over 20 years.   The project allows adults and families to purchase hams as well as 4-H aged youth.  There are as many as three generations working alongside one another preparing the raw hams to be hung in the ham house.  

It always seems to be the coldest January day of the year when the hams are brought to the local extension office.  While volunteers trim the hams and cut off part of the hock the youth and interested newcomers attend an educational training on the history of curing hams as well as how to put the ham into cure.  Following the training youth are asked to come into the work area and select hams to be put into cure.  They work with older 4-H members and volunteers to make sure they are working the cure into the ham and placing it correctly into the ham sock.  Adults then follow choosing from the hams that are left.   

At the end of May the hams are cleaned and rehung for the summer sweat.  The second week of August 4-H’ers give the cured hams a good scrubbing and treat the ham going to the state fair a light rub of oil for a nice sheen.  On Thursday of that week, they attend the opening day of the state fair and give a speech on a given topic about their ham.

This program has grown across the state as well as in Henry County.  There were over 900 hams entered last year at the fair and 28 of those came from Henry County youth.  In a world of technology and AI this type of skill is needed more than ever.  Youth learn how to preserve meat, how to prepare it for consumption, communication skills, and generational bonding.  They love hearing the stories of their families and how they processed the entire animal, “everything, but the oink”!