St. Paul, MN (8/26/2026)
Minnesota 4-H’ers from 87 counties arrived with over 2,778 animals at the 2026 “Great Minnesota Get-Together” for this year’s 4-H livestock encampment, which was held Wednesday, Aug. 26th through Sunday, Aug. 30th. The number of livestock exhibits over the weekend included:
- Beef: 607 exhibits
- Dairy: 424 exhibits
- Goats: 335 exhibits
- Poultry: 297 exhibits
- Rabbits: 318 exhibits
- Sheep: 325 exhibits
- Swine: 397 exhibits
- Llama: 75 exhibits
Minnesota 4-H’ers have been preparing for this event all summer long. Members consider several components when deciding to exhibit livestock, including selection and preparation of the animal; educational programming; scholarship applications; and participation at county fairs.
Education is integral to the “learn by doing” philosophy of 4-H. As part of the educational component, Minnesota 4-H requires every youth participating in the livestock encampment to participate in a livestock interview. Examples of the interview process include an online knowledge test, skill-a-thons, and personal interviews about their project area.
Along with interviews, all 4-H youth participating in livestock programming are required to complete the Livestock Quality Assurance and Ethics (LQA&E) Training. Through this certification, youth are educated on biosecurity, educating the public on the role of livestock, and caring for their animal’s welfare. Many 4-H participants also have the opportunity to finance their education as recipients of scholarships. This year, the Dairy Project will continue with the 18th annual Dairy Showcase and award special recognition and scholarships to 25 outstanding participants based on their dairy industry knowledge, 4-H dairy project involvement, along with state fair dairy show results. The annual 4-H Purple Ribbon Auction sponsored by the Minnesota Livestock Breeders Association (MLBA) presented 44 scholarships to youth with well-rounded leadership, community service, and livestock involvement throughout their 4-H career.
4-H not only produces purple ribbon animals, but, more importantly, is focused on producing purple ribbon kids!
Congratulations to all the youth who participated in the Livestock Encampment at the 2026 Minnesota State Fair. In St. Louis County, 11 youth participated in the 4-H Livestock Encampment at the Minnesota State Fair.
Here are their results:
- Asher Acosta (Iron) - Dairy Goat - Champion Alpine Junior Doe
- Lilianna Acosta (Iron) - Dairy Goat - Champion Sable Senior Doe
- Sophia Carlson (Cotton) - Rabbit - Mini Lop - Junior Doe - Blue Ribbon
- Sariah Hadrava (Chisholm) - Rabbit - New Zealand - Junior Buck - Red Ribbon
- Kaylee Grass (Iron) - Swine - Breeding Gilt, Duroc - 4th place and Sheep Fleece-7th place
- Madeline Grass (Iron) - Swine - Reserve Champion Spot Gilt
- Heidi Lindula (Iron) - Sheep - Market Lamb - 10th place
- Sawyer Lindula (Iron) - Sheep - Market Lamb - Green Ribbon
- Tyler Nash (Hibbing) - Poultry - Egg Production, Brown Egg Layers - Blue Ribbon and Advanced Poultry Showmanship - 5th place
- Cheyenne Schelde (Angora) - Rabbit - Showmanship Senior - Green Ribbon
- Avah Walzak (Meadowlands) - Beef - Cow and Calf Commercial - 3rd place and Senior Showmanship - Green Ribbon