Last summer, Merrisa Schwartz completed a year as secretary of the Idaho 4-H State Teen Association, and this summer she’s completed her 4-H volunteer certification and works as a summer 4-H assistant at the University of Idaho’s Canyon County 4-H Extension office in Caldwell.

One day Katelyn McCausey’s mom brought home a couple of 4H lambs for her and her older sister Brianna to raise and show in 4H.

Skylar Schoenecker has finished her third year in 4H, and among a variety of other projects, she raised a wild duck.

Riding horses, belonging to 4H, and the National Junior High School Rodeo Association, helps Payton Woodard deal with a health issue.

LARAMIE, Wyoming — It was a historic end to an extraordinary year at the 2020 Albany County Fair with a record-breaking junior livestock sale.

MACKAY — Despite fewer participants and attendees at this year’s Custer County Fair because of the coronavirus, volunteers pushed on and held the fair for “the people that wanted to be here,” according to University of Idaho Extension Educator Sarah Baker.

Caitlin Okeson is a veteran of 4-H day camps taught at the Bonneville County 4-H office.

Fairs are moving forward in Jefferson County and gearing up for upcoming events and competitions.

AMERICAN FALLS — Despite the coronavirus putting a halt to many events in the area, the Power County Fair continued to trot along with several of its shows and events that started on Monday and will continue on until Friday.

Kiley Roberts is looking forward to seeing the next president of the United States take the oath of office in Washington, D.C., this January.

Lucy Okeson enrolled in a recent baking and cooking 4-H day camp because she wanted to learn more about baking which is one of her favorite activities.

There was a whole lot of shaking going at a 4-H Baking and Cooking Day Camp when eleven kids made ice cream without a machine.

During Addison Hurst’s first year in 4-H as a Cloverbud, she raised a Boer goat named Spot.

Sharae Jones took a baking and cooking day camp to learn more about baking at home.

RIGBY — The Jefferson County Fair is set to move forward for Aug. 10 to Aug. 15 in order to get 4-H participants ready for state, despite the COVID-19 outbreak.

During Ainslee Hurst’s first year in 4H and at just 8 years old, she raised four animals.

Last year, Ian Hurst earned the Agriculturist Award by scoring enough points over course of a few years in all six livestock categories at the Bonneville County Fair.

In her young life, Makinley Curtis has taken on five different 4-H projects in Jefferson and Bonneville counties, and this year, she’ll add a sixth.

Shooting sports and horse projects keep Piper Palmer involved in 4-H all year long since shooting sports are taught in the winter and extend to the summer and horse projects which are mainly a summer activity.

Sofi Creager overcame a hesitation about riding unfamiliar horses and now helps others overcome their fears, too.

Last summer, Merrisa Schwartz completed a year as secretary of the Idaho 4-H State Teen Association, and this summer she’s completed her 4-H volunteer certification and works as a summer 4-H assistant at the Canyon County 4-H Extension office in Caldwell.

Pushing cattle in Southeast Idaho’s high country and 4-H have helped Jyllian Christensen become a better rider and contributed to her winning the 2019/2020 War Bonnet Roundup Princess title.

Ashlynn Hill’s 4-H involvement led her to participate in high school rodeo and rodeo queen contests. She went on to be crowned the 2019-2020 War Bonnet Roundup Teen Queen.

Kaytlyn Duffin continues her membership in two 4-H clubs.

Thanks to some kids with an imagination, a family who loves him and modern technology, Bruce the Goose has a new lease on life.

Greenlee Christensen is following in her sister’s footsteps by being in 4-H and competing in rodeo queen contests.

BONANZA, Oregon — Kendra Rodgers, with Twin Valley Sheep Club, held a bleating, 2-week-old South Down lamb in her lap Wednesday afternoon as she sat near the sheep pen at the 34th Annual Farm Expo, hosted at Klamath County Fairgrounds.

If you ask 13-year-old Morgan Wilson to name her favorite animal, she’d have a difficult time picking just one.

Participating in 4-H projects and rodeo queen contests complement each other, says Olivia Lerwill.

Brylee Genta dreamed big and two years ago her dream of owning and riding her own horse came true.

Hunter Ennis has joined his brother, Skyler Ennis, as a winner of the Superior Beef Award.

Caleb Hampton is a leader in 4-H and FFA.

Marc Beitia, who is both the mayor of American Falls and an agriculture teacher at American Falls High School, is elbows deep in projects and programs this year.

Colena Dorcheus of Rexburg began 4-H as a Cloverbud, showing chickens and goats, but with the help of her leader, Karisa Cutright, she’s showing horses.

Koden Krosch is carrying on a family tradition by raising a market Hampshire pig in 4-H Custer County.

Mary Walker’s first year in 4-H was a unique experience.

This fall, Mattson Thompson of Shelley will pursue a college degree as a surgical technician with the help of a $6,000 scholarship and several other scholarships.

BLACKFOOT — Hunter Owens is a 14-year-old with a business card and his own “hedge fund.”

Karson Krosch has raised market Hampshire pigs in 4-H for the past three years and treasures the new friendships he’s made along the way.

Ben Walker belongs to the same 4-H club his dad Dennis belonged to when he was a youngster.

MOUNT VERNON, Washington — A few blocks from the Skagit County Fairgrounds on Aug. 6, a noise came from the trailer of a pickup truck. A goat’s bleat.

Hunter Sessions is involved in 4-H and FFA and works two summer jobs.

SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — A lawsuit filed Thursday seeks to prevent the state of Washington from killing more wolves from a pack that is preying on cattle.

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — A U.S. Forest Service plan released Friday would reduce designated sage grouse habitat in Wyoming and Nevada while easing grazing rules intended to protect the ground-dwelling birds in five Western states.

WASHINGTON (AP) — China decided Monday to meet President Donald Trump’s latest tariff threat with defiance, letting its currency drop to an 11-year low and halting purchases of U.S. farm products.

Reigning as queen of That Famous Preston Night Rodeo is McKenna Ward, from Burley. Her first attendant is Taylor Hymas, of Ovid, and second attendant is Hadley Seeds from West Point, Utah.

That Famous Preston Night Rodeo Committee is $300,000 closer to their goal to enlarge the capacity of and improve their arena. Local grocery store owner Larry Stokes and his children have pledged $300,000 toward the effort.

The Albany County Fair, hosted July 23 through Aug. 3, is an opportunity for young people to work with their hands, spend time in the warm summer weather and improve their skills before they go back to sitting in desks for nine months. With so many different categories of competition, Albany…

DOWNEY — There’s no guesswork involved in assessing the quality of animals raised as 4-H projects for Idaho’s county fairs, thanks to technology made available by a group of University of Idaho Extension educators.

A county fair ends in one short week, yet behind-the-scenes local residents have been toiling for a year to organize it.