4-H’ers are part of Minnesota’s future in pork production
The Martin County Fair is known as Minnesota’s “other big fair,” attracting 40,000 visitors each year. One of the main reasons people come is to see 4-H youth show the animals they have cared for throughout the year through 4-H animal science projects. 4-H member Kylie T. is one of 2,170 4-H youth currently enrolled in the swine animal science project statewide.
In the swine project, young people learn about breeding, health, feeding, fitting and showing — and about marketing and careers.
According to the Minnesota Pork Producers Association, Minnesota ranks second in pork production, generating $7.28 billion in economic activity in 2020. Ensuring that today’s Minnesota youth are prepared to excel in the industry may help the state continue that success.
Highlights
- RSDP impact: With support from a CERTs Seed Grant, energy efficiency assessments of Northcountry Cooperative Foundation’s Five Lakes Cooperative, Fairmont — in collaboration with Slipstream — was used to develop a scalable energy efficiency rehab loan and grant program for manufactured/mobile homeowners.
- U of M Farm Family of the Year: Doug and Joan Abel’s sons, Tadd and Matt, when young, loaded up their red wagon with extra produce and delivered
it to neighbors. In 2007, the family decided to sell at farmers markets to help fund a trip to Florida. That decision marked the start of Abel Family Gardens. - Extension provides financial capability education for participants in the judicial district’s treatment courts, including adult and juvenile drug courts, and courts for mental health, veterans, family dependency and DWI/DUI.
- Master Gardener volunteers participated in Fairmont Elementary’s Arbor Day, hosting stations where 150 students learned about the value of trees and environmental stewardship. They distributed trees, along with planting instructions and adoption certificates, to third-grade children who had permission and space to plant them.
- Aquatic Invasive Species Detector volunteers spot-checked two lakes during Starry Trek events in the last couple of years, where starry stonewort was not detected.
- In collaboration with the Region 9 Development Commission, the Climate Adaptation Partnership enabled the creation of a new staff position focused on community preparedness and resiliency.
Martin County office
Extension has 14 regional offices supporting all 87 counties in Minnesota.
Martin County partners with Extension to deliver practical education and research you can use at home, at work and in your community. More about Extension in our county.
About the Minnesota 87 project
Spend time in any Minnesota county, and you will almost certainly encounter University of Minnesota Extension. Our faculty and staff, volunteers, participants, alumni and partners are woven into the fabric of rural, urban and suburban Minnesota life. This project showcases Extension in action through photos, stories and a sampling of the many ways Extension has touched the lives of people in every county.