While nearly 2 million fun seekers attended the Minnesota State Fair this summer, 4-H’ers from around the state were hard at work at the Falcon Heights fairgrounds.
They made sure livestock barns were clean, the space was safe and healthy for visitors and all the animals, and there were always experts on hand to educate the most curious. Over four days they tended to beef and dairy cattle, goats, poultry, rabbits, sheep and swine — and according to fair judges, the best in the state were from McLeod County.
During an Aug. 28 ceremony, the 43 McLeod County 4-H livestock exhibitors learned they placed first overall for herdsmanship at the Minnesota State Fair.
“It’s quite an accomplishment,” said Darcy Cole, McLeod County 4-H program coordinator. “Herdsmanship shows you have pride in your animal.”
“It was really good,” said Rachel Visser, a Hutchinson High School senior who has been in 4-H for 10 years and has showed dairy cattle and market lambs since third grade. “It was a super cool experience after winning last year just in the dairy section. And our dairy group was in the front row of the dairy section in the barn. It was cool to have more of an opportunity to visit with fairgoers.”
McLeod County 4-H earned other accolades, as well. Its members won second place overall for swine herdsmanship, first place overall for dairy herdsmanship, third place overall for beef herdsmanship and first place overall for consumer education of herdsmanship for goats.
“Not only is it about keeping our area clean, but about our engagement with the public, and being able to share our stories,” Visser said. “It was a super cool experience and awesome to be able to receive that as a county.”
The recognition is one the county as a whole can take pride in, she said. Cole said it shows the students’ ability to work and plan together, and not rely on chaperones to handle those responsibilities.
“I am really proud of the kids,” Cole said. “All that hard work paid off.”
“We work together at the (McLeod County) fair, but really come together at the state fair,” Visser said. “Herdsmanship is such a team activity. You can’t just have one person sweeping the aisle or cleaning the animals, making sure they look their best. It’s all of us working together.”
The 4-H’ers presented in front of an especially large crowd this year, as the Minnesota State Fair showed a rebound in attendance. According to the State Fair, 1.84 million attended. With nearly 250,000 on Saturday, Sept. 3, and more than 220,000 on Sunday, Sept. 4, it was reportedly the fifth-largest turnout the Minnesota State Fair has seen. The all-time record was in 2019, with 2.13 million fairgoers, before a dip the next few years as the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
