Under the direction of the Hancock County Cooperative Extension Service, the 4-H Livestock Club had a tremendous 2^nd year. A new volunteer completed the Livestock Certification process and obtained her required educational hours.  The number of club members grew from 13 to 16, ages 5-18, participated in a series of educational meetings throughout the year, submitted an essay, participated in community service, presented a speech, and completed a project record book just to be eligible to show their animal at the county fair.

The development of life skills for youth participating in a 4-H or FFA livestock project is well documented. Studies show participating in 4-H livestock projects increases a variety of life skills in youth that they will use in their everyday lives. Youth participating in long-term projects, like raising livestock, can develop a variety of important life skills (Journal of Extension October 2014, Volume 52, Number 5, Ideas at Work; Cummins and Nash.) These youth learned responsibility, commitment, record keeping, time management, budgeting/money skills, ethics, character, feeding, and grooming.

The animals at the fair livestock show were eligible for the 4-H/FFA Youth Premium Auction. There were 10 animals auctioned bringing a bid total of $10,050 and a total of $7,249 awarded to the 4-H youth. This show and auction was a result of a community coming together to support youth in agriculture. There were numerous sponsors for the show and auction plus several organizations and businesses bidding to show their support. This program will be an asset to our community as these young people are the future of agriculture.