Youth are often criticized that they do not know where there food comes from.  Many youth do not realize that their ham actually has to come from a pig.  That is not the issue with Livingston County Country Ham Project youth.  Since early January 2019, the youth involved in the Country Ham project has to devote multiple weekends to select and prepare two country hams in anticipation of the results that would develop in the summer. Youth wrestled 15 pound hams onto the salting table to rub and coat the exposed surfaces of their hams with a cure mix several times this past winter.  In spring it was time to wash, shape and hang the hams.  During the resting period, youth conducted research on their assigned speech topic. Finally, it is time for the youth to judge and select the best of their two hams. During this time, youth rely heavily on the adult volunteers to help them learn about the ham curing and smoking process. Also the volunteers are very important as they listen and judge the second and most important part of the project, the Ham Speech.  The public speaking portion of the project also the youth to express themselves, share what they have learned in the project, and gain confidence year after year. At the end of the project, the youth has learned great lessons about food production, the traditions of food preservations, and practiced communicating in a formal environment.