University of Illinois Extension 4-H & CME Commodity Carnival

My name is Caitlin Chrzanowski and I am a senior at the University of Illinois majoring in Agricultural Leadership Education.  This summer I conducted my 400 hour internship with the University of Illinois Extension serving Bureau, LaSalle, Marshall, and Putnam Counties.  

The Bureau, LaSalle, and Marshall-Putnam 4-H programs have received a gift from the CME Group (Chicago Mercantile Exchange) to launch a new partnership that will connect the important work of the world's largest futures exchange company to the 4-H mission at the local level.  As the summer intern it was my responsibility to host the fun and engaging learning activity called The Commodity Carnival at each of the three county 4-H fairs.  

The Commodity carnival was made up of two hands-on mini-carnival activities to introduce the concepts of agricultural futures and options to the target audience of families and youth ages 8-14.  

As the participants go through the two mini-carnival stations, they will:

• Recognize what an agricultural commodity is and associate commodities with products.
• Learn what investments are required to raise a commodity (hogs).  
• Discover how a commodity's risks in getting to market factor into its selling price.

The Activities - The Commodity Carnival Activity Stations:


Station #1: Invest & Grow

Ryan and Owen Johnson raising their "hogs".

•  Participants receive an activity sheet and a plastic egg representing their hog.  Participants fill their plastic container with a range of items that represent the various investments needed to raise their hog.

 Station #2:  Pig-Linko Game

Breanne watches as Owen sends his "hog" to market.

• Participants send their sealed container down a "Pig-Linko" board obstacle course that represents risk factors beyond the producers' control affecting price at market.  Each container ultimately falls into a slot representing the final price for their commodity.

 It was really fun to watch the participants enjoy the activity while learning more about commodity futures markets.  The most interesting part of the activity was being able to observe as the participants realized the risks involved with raising an animal and also that not every time they raised a hog would it make a profit at market.  One participant said, "I now understand why my dad gets so frustrated with our hogs!"  It was a great activity for those 4-Hers that raise livestock and those that don't to have a great time while developing an understanding of the challenges faced by farmers who raise livestock.

Participants from Bureau County showing off their animal balloon prizes for making a profit!