DC 4-H

Dawson County 4-H has had a fantastic year! 4-H members participated in various traditional 4-H programs, including a speech contest, presentation contest, clothing construction & fashion show, ID & judging contests, as well as state and national contests. The Dawson County Fair was a fun time to participate in livestock shows, static exhibits, and help in the 4-H cafe. There was a lot of growth this year, and overall, we had 171 total exhibitors at the fair with over 1,000 entries (static, shooting sports, and livestock). 

Dawson County has represented the state of Nebraska for 4 years in a row, covering recurve (2022) and compound archery (2024), hunting skills (2023), air pistol (2024), and muzzle loader (2025) at the National Shooting Sports Championships. The Dawson County Shooting Sports Club had two gold medalists at the Cornhusker State Games in archery and .22 rifle silhouettes! At the state archery competition, 11 youth from Dawson County participated. At the state air rifle and BB competition, there were two youth from Dawson County as well! Dawson County still has a Nebraska State Shooting Sports Ambassador involved and sharing the importance of shooting sports and 4-H throughout the state and nation.

Dawson County 4-H had a strong showing at the 2025 4-H Premier Animal Science Event. 4-H’ers from across the state gathered to compete in eight livestock events. Twenty-four Dawson County 4-H’ers participated and brought home four team championships along with many individual awards. The Senior Meats judging team and one of the Senior Quiz Bowl teams were the state champions this year. The Senior Quiz Bowl team will be competing at the National Youth Livestock Contests in Louisville, Kentucky, this fall!  Additionally, the second senior Dawson County Quiz Bowl team placed second, while the two intermediate teams took a champion spot and second place honors as well. The junior Quiz Bowl teams also placed first, bringing home a clean sweep for Dawson County. The Livestock Judging teams also did well at this event. Overall, the Dawson County Senior team took 8th place while the Intermediate team placed 2nd place overall and first in Reasons. All these teams had fantastic participants and excellent coaches who volunteered their time.

The 4-H motto, "to make the best better," drives 4-H members and caring adult volunteers to achieve their goals to the highest standards. Dawson County 4-H offers nearly 160 projects that youth can participate in, whether in a club environment, after-school session, school enrichment, or on an individual basis. The skills learned through 4-H participation help youth become better members of their families, communities, and the world. Youth ages 5-19 may become members to participate in a variety of projects, community service, and social learning activities.

With donor assistance this year, scholarship money will support youth participating in the Dawson County 4-H camp at Camp Comeca, as well as other new one-day camps, State and National trips for judging and contest teams, and upgrades to equipment for the fair. We hope to continue providing support for our volunteers, as well as investing in our clubs to support their continued growth and development. 

4-H is the largest youth organization in the United States. 4-H is one of a kind! Your support of the Dawson County program is greatly appreciated.

For more information about Dawson County 4-H, please call: 

(308) 324-5501

Web site: Dawson County 4-H

Facebook: Dawson County 4-H