Creating the next generation of ag-aware citizens has been stressed as a priority for Woodford County 4-H. According to 2013 data approximately 14% of Woodford County citizens are employed in the agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting industry. In response and in order to attract and engage otherwise uninterested youth audiences and families in Woodford County, Woodford County 4-H offers the 4-H Country Ham Project. This projects offers an opportunity for youth to engage in livestock education through the course of a program year as they dry cure two country hams. The hams are cured in January and hung in ham socks in the county-provided barn at the Extension Office. They are cleaned twice and taken to the Kentucky State Fair in August where they are judged. In addition, participating youth are tasked with writing a speech on one of two prompted topics, dependent on their age. While their hams are judged at the Kentucky State Fair the youth give their speeches to volunteer judges and their speech scores are factored into an overall total score. Woodford County 4-H youth participants are then given the opportunity to sell their ham at a community investment sale which requires youth to engage community members and businesses as potential buyers at the sale. Participants during the 2017 project reported several noticeable outcomes, as 95% of the respondents remarked that they had learned something new, 82% reported that because of their participation in the project they feel more comfortable giving a speech in front of others and 77% reported that they learned something new about the field of agriculture. By exposing these youth, many of whom are unable to participate in other traditional livestock programs, Woodford County 4-H is helping to create a generation of agricultural aware citizens with connections to traditions of the past.