4-H & FFA

As the youth development program of the Cooperative Extension System of land-grant universities, 4-H is the nation’s largest youth development organization, empowering six million young people throughout the United States. Cooperative Extension of 1862 and 1890 land-grant universities provide the leadership to engage young people in 4-H in all 3,007 counties of the United States. The impact of the Cooperative Extension partnership is profound, bringing together National Institute of Food and Agriculture of USDA, land grant universities and county government to resource learning opportunities for youth.

Through America’s 110 land-grant universities and its Cooperative Extension System, 4-H reaches every corner of our nation—from urban neighborhoods to suburban schoolyards to rural farming communities. With a network of more than 6 million youth, 611,800 volunteers, 3,500 professionals, and more than 25 million alumni, 4-H helps shape youth to move our country and the world forward in ways that no other youth organization can.

4-H Volunteer Opportunities & Early Camping Access

Following the success of last Fair season, we’re expanding our volunteer opportunities for 4-H families and starting earlier this year! By participating in designated volunteer activities, 4-H members can earn early access to camping reservations for the upcoming Fair season.

To get involved:

1. Sign up for volunteer opportunities.
2. Log your hours at the Fair Office.
3. Families with over 30 hours will receive early registration instructions on May 1st.

Please note, early access does not guarantee a space, and there’s a limit of one reservation per family. The 4-H Clean Up Day in June is not eligible for these hours.

Explore the opportunities and sign up here.

FFA is an intracurricular student organization for those interested in agriculture and leadership. It is one of the three components of Agricultural Education.

What do the letters FFA stand for?

The official name of the organization is the National FFA Organization.

The letters “FFA” stand for Future Farmers of America. These letters are a part of our history and our heritage that will never change. But FFA is not just for students who want to be production farmers; FFA also welcomes members who aspire to careers as teachers, doctors, scientists, business owners and more. For this reason, the name of the organization was updated in 1988 after a vote of national convention delegates to reflect the growing diversity and new opportunities in the industry of agriculture.