Springfield, Ill. -- The 2025 4-H Illinois Superior Young Livestock Producers Contest was held on Aug. 6 in conjunction with the Illinois State Fair. A record number of 63 4-H members from across Illinois competed in this year’s contest. Members tackled a three-phase competition including livestock management, marketing and hedging, in addition to a skillathon. Throughout these phases, members' knowledge of livestock production, including beef, swine, and sheep, is challenged. $1,000 scholarships are presented annually to the nine highest scoring individuals overall. The contest is generously sponsored by the CME Group Inc. (Chicago, IL) and the Illinois 4-H Foundation.
The top nine 4-H youth receiving $1,000 scholarships include (in no particular order): Gracie Walker of Hamilton County, Preston Howell of DeWitt County, Addison Tebbe of Clinton County, Abby Wamsley of Christian County, Olivia Quertermous of Johnson County, Deacon Shanks of Christian County, Luke Short of Christian County, Jolie Johnson of Henderson County, and Kalen Setterdahl of Knox County.
In the Livestock Management test phase, Molly McCalla of Madison County, Preston Howell of DeWitt County, and Gracie Walker of Hamilton County sorted themselves to the top and received banners for their achievements. In the Livestock Marketing and Hedging competition, Macie Bartlow of McDonough County, Benjamin Wamsley of Christian County, and Addison Tebbe of Clinton County received banners and took home the highest honors. In the Skillathon phase, Molly McCalla of Madison County, Benjamin Wamsley of Christian County, and Macie Bartlow of McDonough County, made up the top three.
Dan Jennings, University of Illinois 4-H Livestock Specialist, said, “This contest provides youth an opportunity to showcase their knowledge of the industry while competing for valuable scholarships to help them pursue their career goals. In Illinois 4-H, our goal is to create youth who are beyond ready for life, work, and future education. This contest is a vital piece of that goal.”
This year marked the 29th consecutive year for the Superior Young Livestock Producers Contest, which has provided participating youth the opportunity to compete for over $600,000 in college scholarships since its inception. The purpose of the contest is to create an educational activity that promotes youth development, career development, and personal growth through increased knowledge of the livestock industry. The Illinois State 4-H program along with the University of Illinois, College of ACES would like to extend a special thank you to the CME Group for all their support in providing scholarships to this year’s winners.
Media Contact: Carissa Nelson, Illinois 4-H Media Communications Manager, carissa7@illinois.edu
About Illinois 4-H:
Illinois 4-H is the flagship youth development program of University of Illinois Extension, administered through the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences. Through hands-on learning and life-changing experiences, Illinois 4-H prepares youth to be Beyond Ready — ready for college, career, military service, entrepreneurship, and more. Young people build confidence, leadership, and resilience as they explore interests from agriculture to computer science. Independent research and national surveys confirm the powerful outcomes of 4-H: participants are 40% more likely to pursue a college degree, twice as likely to obtain technical training, and two times more likely to serve in the military. With a legacy of cultivating leaders, Illinois 4-H continues to grow the next generation who are equipped to thrive in life and work today and beyond.
Winners L to R: Jolie Johnson, Henderson County; Kalen Setterdahl, Knox County; Addison Tebbe, Clinton County; Deacon Shanks, Christian County; Luke Short, Christian County; Gracie Walker, Hamilton County; Abby Wamsley, Christian County; Olivia Quertermous, Johnson County; and Preston Howell, DeWitt County.
University of Illinois Extension develops educational programs, extends knowledge, and builds partnerships to support people, communities, and their environments as part of the state's land-grant institution. Extension serves as the leading public outreach effort for University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences in all 102 Illinois counties through a network of 27 multi-county units and over 700 staff statewide. Extension’s mission is responsive to eight strategic priorities — community, economy, environment, food and agriculture, health, partnerships, technology and discovery, and workforce excellence — that are served through six program areas — 4-H youth development, agriculture and agribusiness, community and economic development, family and consumer science, integrated health disparities, and natural resources, environment, and energy.