While Washington County is 27th in the state for population, it is home to Iowa’s eighth largest 4-H program. Washington County Fair Board President Dean Sieren said there are 389 4-H members in Washington County and they had 2,306 projects at the county fair. He explained their goal, “We work very hard to provide an environment for these young people to come and develop their talents. And I’m going to go one step further, I think we do an excellent job of building character and work ethic in these young people so that they can go on and perform activities, just like we had earlier to the school of trades. And I guess, as a business owner and job provider, one of the biggest challenges we have is getting people to show discipline, take pride in their work, and be dedicated to it. And I really think that this is a program that we can be proud of, and a county that works real hard to develop that.”

Overall, 1,715 students took part in Extension programs, while the state average is less than 1,000. Sieren said 48% of students enrolled in schools in Washington County took part in Extension programs. The 2019 Washington County Fair will be held July 14-19.