The South Dakota 4-H program has received $50,000 from this year’s state legislature to help with reducing or eliminating exhibit registration fees. SDSU Extension 4-H Program Director Peter Nielson says the funding is helpful for 4-Hers and their families dealing with rising costs.

He says the state funding allocation not only helped eliminate exhibit registration fees at the state fairgrounds, but also at a pair of other 4-H events held outside the fairgrounds.

Nielson says besides the funding allocation given to help 4-H, the entire program is now seeing its fifth consecutive year of membership growth and has surpassed 9,100 with a total of 9,151.

Nielson says they could add a few more members yet this year.