There aren’t many places you can go where you can see a kid walking a hog down the sidewalk, but it happens regularly at Kent County Youth Fair. Many of our Kent County Farm Bureau members are involved in the Youth Fair, either as exhibitors, organizers, or parents of exhibitors—sometimes all three at once. Our Board of Directors has made it a priority to show tangible support to the Youth Fair by getting more people to the Fair, participating in the large animal auction, and ensuring the future growth of the Fair through a matching gift challenge.
This is the second year we’ve sent all our regular members a postcard that gets them free parking and admission to the Youth Fair, and it’s become one of our most successful membership perks. Last year, for 37 families, it was their first time being involved in any Farm Bureau event. For 14 more families, it was the first time they participated in an event in years. In 2024, it was the first-time Farm Bureau event for 41 families. We’d love to see that number grow every year!
One hundred and twenty-two children of Farm Bureau members had at least one exhibit at the Fair, with many of them showing more—one had at least 6. They won over two dozen award banners, trophies, and ribbons for their projects. Bringing more people to the Fair to see the great work these children and young adults in agriculture are doing is valuable on its own. But we also encourage the exhibitors in a more direct way: by buying animals. This year, we bought animals from several member children and did add-ons in the market dairy, goat, and gallon of milk departments. We also got auction parties started for the Lowell, Cedar Springs, and Caledonia FFA animals, winning the first bid and putting it back up for auction so it could be sold again, and again, and again, and again, netting more support for our county FFA programs.
At last year’s Fair, we announced a matching gift challenge for the Fair’s Raising Barns, Building Youth campaign: up to $750,000 over the next 3 years. It was wildly successful for the Kent County Youth Agricultural Association (KCYAA), helping them raise over $2,000,000 in gifts and grants. So this year, our Board Vice President Bruce Klamer got to present them with a $250,000 dollar check. We are grateful for the vision of the current Board of Directors, the financial stewardship of past Boards, and for the hard work of the KCYAA that made this gift possible.
When we asked Fair parents how they were doing after Fair week, we heard about families who headed right out to another Fair, some who took it easy, and others where everyone was sick, but Farm Bureau member Kendra Steinhaus gave an answer that reminded us all why we encourage Fair participation:
We had a day just being home, cleaning and putting away all the things, shedding a few tears when we look at empty pens, but talking about all the fun we had. Having each kid tell us their favorite part about showing their animals and what they’re most excited about for next year helps set the positive tone and outlook. And it didn’t hurt that we got to bed at “normal “bedtime …. I think it is safe to say that from a parent’s perspective, while it is the most exhausting week of summer, it is also the most rewarding. Looking back on how much you’ve taught your kids in a single summer with a fair animal or two fuels you to keep going. It’s never too early to teach kids patience, leadership, character, kindness, business, friendships, and so much more.
See you next year!