County fairs abound this time of year and are a favorite summertime tradition for rural communities. After judging a few shows and volunteering several hours at our local fair, there’s a lot more to fairs than meets the eye. As a lifelong participant in fairs, I believe there are several lessons we all need to reflect upon:

• Pride: Teenagers with responsibility and a sense of ownership are inspiring; look no further than the 4-H and FFA members who have worked diligently on their projects. Whether engine repair, photography, shooting sports or corn, it’s obvious that it is still possible for young people to take a great deal of pride in their work.
• Perseverance: Watch a 10 year-old try to walk around with several hundred pounds of livestock on a halter – no further explanation needed!
• Work Ethic: With our daily news constantly highlighting violence in our society, we should be giving equal voice to the individuals who work hard to make their communities the fabric of their country – through events like the fair.
• Friendship: Young people developing bonds of friendship through helping each other prepare for a competition, competing against each other, and then going back to play a game of cards together. If we could only do the same thing for world peace!
• Leadership: The essence of leadership can be found in the volunteers that invest hundreds of hours into a fair so that their community can continue to experience the tradition of a great family event. It’s not for glory, recognition, or to gain a position; it’s simply for the love.

However, the most noticeable lesson is opportunity. Watch a preschooler’s opinion as they go through the livestock barns. Their usual reaction (and a lot of adults) includes wrinkled up noses and questions about what is being done to the animals. It’s a huge educational opportunity for people involved with those animals to take time to explain how the animals bring us milk shakes, eggs, or BBQ. Or how about the opportunity that FFA and 4-H offer young people to learn about careers in the agrifood business? We’re fortunate have many non-farm kids involved with the local dairy project that I’m help lead. Fortunate because it’s a great way to teach somebody about the industry that didn’t grow up with it. These types of projects should be looked at as a way to make agriculture real and create career interests that may not have existed before! Fairs offer one of the best hands-on opportunities to educate the non-ag public about the agrifood business. Why should you care? Look no further than the woman who grew up in a rural Indiana community and now goes by the name GoVeg.com. Perhaps if we in agriculture can grasp the lessons like those found at the fair, we can educate young people about our industry rather than creating another uninformed activist that speaks out against us!