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Series of trophies on display at a 4-H contest.

4-H

4-H fosters an innovative, "learn by doing" approach with proven results.

Mission

South Dakota 4-H enables youth to be engaged in the following:

  • Partnerships with caring adults
  • Positive learning environments
  • Developing their fullest potential
  • Learning life skills

Values

Throughout the SDSU Extension 4-H Youth Development program, we value:

  • Youth, families, and communities;
  • Partnerships and coalitions that work for the betterment of youth in our state, and combined strength of local programming in cooperation with the land-grant university, South Dakota State University;
  • Every child’s individuality and uniqueness;
  • An environment that assures all youth access to programming;
  • Caring adults who volunteer to work with, mentor, and teach youth;
  • The Six Pillars of Character: trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring and citizenship.

Get Involved

Joining 4-H is easy! You can either visit your local 4-H county office or enroll as a new member online

As of January 1, potential members must be 5-7 years old in order to become a Cloverbud or 8-18 years old to become a 4-H member. 

Enroll in 4-H Today!

Start developing skills that youth can use now and throughout their lifetime.

ENROLL NOW

Find Local 4-H Information

Join the 4-H e-mail list

Don't miss out on 4-H developments, instead have them delivered to you.

SUBSCRIBE

Upcoming Events

4-H youth presenting goats in a show ring.
Aug 24

State Fair Exhibitor Q&A Webinar

SDSU Extension will host a public webinar over Zoom on August 24 from 6:00-9:30 p.m. to provide a Q&A session for 4-H State Fair exhibitors.

Overhead view of State Fair 4-H exhibits
Sep 02

State Fair

The 2026 South Dakota State Fair will take place Wednesday, September 2, through Monday, September 7, at the South Dakota State Fairgrounds in Huron, South Dakota.