The 2026 Illinois 4-H Superior Young Livestock Producer Contest was held on Aug. 12 in conjunction with the Illinois State Fair. A record number of 35 4-H members from across Illinois competed in this year’s contest.
Members tackle a three-phase competition including livestock management, marketing and hedging, and a livestock 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) and the Illinois 4-H Foundation.
The top nine 4-H youth receiving $1,000 scholarships include:
- Macie Bartlow, McDonough County
- Evan Beal, Clinton County
- Will Deters, Cumberland County
- Addison Duis, Menard County
- Emersyn Harms, Woodford County
- Claire Kuipers, McLean County
- Caiden Littiken, Clinton County
- Calum Shanks, Christian County
- Reagan Shike, Mercer County
In the livestock management test phase, Preston Howell, Reagan Shike, and Gracie Walker ranked at the top and received banners for their achievements. In the livestock marketing and hedging competition, Claire Kuipers, Reagan Shike, and Abby Wamsley received banners and took home the highest honors. In the livestock skillathon phase, Claire Kuipers, Reagan Shike, and Abby Wamsley made up the top three.
“When members participate in this contest, they showcase the knowledge that they use daily in their animal science projects," said Shelby Carlson, University of Illinois co-interim 4-H livestock specialist. "The young people who work daily with their animals and ask questions of their adult mentors are going to rise to the top. In Illinois 4-H, our goal is to create youth who are beyond ready for life, work, and their future education. This contest allows members to demonstrate their readiness while earning scholarships to continue their educational journey.”
This year marked the 30th 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 and career development, and personal growth by increasing 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.
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.
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 500 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 five program areas — 4-H youth development, agriculture and agribusiness, community and economic development, health and community wellness, and natural resources, environment, and energy.