Clearwater County 4-H Youth Shine at Minnesota State Fair
Clearwater County 4-H Youth Shine at Minnesota State Fair
Twenty-two Clearwater County 4-H members traveled to the Minnesota State Fair this year to participate in the 4-H Livestock Encampment, representing their county with pride and showcasing the results of months of hard work and dedication.
For these young livestock exhibitors, the trip to the State Fair was the culmination of a year spent learning about animal care, nutrition, health, grooming, showmanship and responsible animal ownership. Each youth worked throughout the year to prepare their livestock projects for competition, making the opportunity to exhibit at the Minnesota State Fair a special accomplishment.
The State Fair Livestock Encampment also provides 4-H members with an opportunity to learn from exhibitors and youth from across Minnesota. In addition to competing in their respective livestock shows, Clearwater County youth spent time caring for their animals, participating in educational opportunities and supporting one another throughout the week.
Clearwater County was well represented across the livestock barns, with youth exhibiting in beef, sheep, swine, dairy goat, meat goat, rabbit, and poultry Their hard work and preparation resulted in numerous accomplishments throughout the State Fair.
In the beef show, Eric Larson placed second with his Other Breeds registered junior yearling and also participated in beef showmanship. Aiden Ehlers placed fifth with his Commercial summer yearling, while Bryce Haugen placed third with his Commercial summer yearling. Gracie Riewer placed second with her Shorthorn Plus registered summer yearling and participated in beef showmanship. Ava Larson placed third with her market heifer and also participated in beef showmanship. Dylan Larson placed second with his Crossbred steer, earning a purple ribbon, and participated in beef showmanship.
In the dairy goat show, Kaylynn Waldvogel placed first with her Unrecorded Grade junior doe kid and participated in showmanship. Lydia Waldvogel earned first place with her Unrecorded Grade dry yearling doe, receiving a purple ribbon.
Macie Farr represented Clearwater County in the meat goat show, placing 10th with her senior yearling meat breeding doe and participating in showmanship.
Clearwater County also had several youth competing in poultry. Zach Marsh earned a blue ribbon with his market chickens and a blue ribbon for his poultry poster. He also placed in the top 20 percent in the poultry interview. Beau Berg earned a red ribbon with his breeding pen of bantam chickens and received a blue ribbon for his poultry poster. Izack Girtz earned a blue ribbon with his egg production pen of white egg layers and a blue ribbon for his poultry poster. He also placed 10th in Senior Poultry Showmanship.
In the rabbit show, Marshall Farr earned a blue ribbon with his Havana senior doe, while Olivia Waldvogel earned a blue ribbon with her Mini Lop senior doe.
In the sheep show, Kaden Bowman earned first place and Grand Champion honors with his White and Speckled Face Commercial yearling ewe. Kaden also placed fifth in breeding ewe showmanship. Aubrey Riewer exhibited a Wether Dam Black Face and earned a green ribbon while participating in showmanship.
The swine exhibitors also represented Clearwater County well. Lexi Cloose placed third with her Other Breeds registered February gilt. Lily Walberg placed 10th with her Crossbred breeding gilt. Emmalynn Bakke placed ninth with her Berkshire registered market gilt. Kamdyn Lewis placed 10th with a Crossbred market barrow, and Colin Haugen placed ninth with his market gilt.
The 2026 Clearwater County 4-H Livestock Encampment participants were Eric Larson, Aiden Ehlers, Bryce Haugen, Gracie Riewer, Ava Larson, Dylan Larson, Kaylynn Waldvogel, Lydia Waldvogel, Macie Farr, Zach Marsh, Beau Berg, Izack Girtz, Marshall Farr, Olivia Waldvogel, Kaden Bowman, Aubrey Riewer, Lexi Cloose, Lily Walberg, Emmalynn Bakke, Kamdyn Lewis and Colin Haugen.
Beyond the ribbons and awards, the State Fair experience gave these youth an opportunity to demonstrate the many skills they have developed through their 4-H livestock projects. They learned responsibility by caring for their animals, confidence by entering the show ring, sportsmanship by celebrating the accomplishments of others and leadership by representing Clearwater County at one of Minnesota's largest 4-H events.
Congratulations to all 22 Clearwater County 4-H livestock exhibitors! Your dedication, hard work and commitment to your projects are something to be proud of. Clearwater County 4-H is proud of the way you represented your families, your county and the 4-H program at the Minnesota State Fair.
Kara Waldvogel-Clearwater County 4-H Extension Educator
Clearwater County Extension Office
213 Main Ave N Dept. 106
Bagley, MN 56621
218-694-6151 or email: waldv039@umn.edu