CME Group and the National 4-H Council will bringing back the award-winning Commodity Carnival experience to state and county fairs this summer. The highly engaging experience will tour nearly 120 fairs across eight states, helping families learn the basics of risk management in agriculture. Commodity Carnival will also continue to be available beyond the fairgrounds through the mobile companion app, Risk Ranch.
“Agriculture has been a central part of CME Group’s business for 170 years,” said Tim Andriesen, CME Group Agricultural Products Managing Director. “We have a long history of investing in the next generation of food producers here in the U.S, including engaging 325,000 youth since the start of this partnership. We are pleased to provide this program again this year to educate our nation’s future farmers and agribusiness leaders about the importance of risk management.”
“We are committed to empowering young people with the skills to lead for a lifetime,” said National 4-H Council President and CEO Jennifer Sirangelo. “We are proud of our long-standing and important partnership with CME Group as we collaborate to promote the Commodity Carnival and Risk Ranch. These key initiatives aid in developing crucial life skills like critical thinking, communication, and technical competence, building young leaders through positive youth development whose reach can extend beyond the agriculture industry.”
Developed by the Ohio State University Extension, Commodity Carnival will travel to the following states during the 2018 fair season: Michigan, Ohio, Nebraska, Illinois, Iowa, South Dakota, Texas, and Wisconsin. To find a list of participating fairs that will be hosting Commodity Carnival this summer and fall, visit www.cmegroup.com/4hcarnival.
CME Group and 4-H first partnered in 2013, motivated by the same goal of preparing future generations of farmers and food producers with respect to risk management in agriculture. In 2015, to reach mobile and tech-savvy young audiences, CME Group launched the first agriculture-based learning application, Risk Ranch, further helping young people understand agriculture as a complex and crucial element of our economy. The award-winning app is available year-round online, in the App Store, as well as through Google Play.
