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CME Group, the world's leading futures exchange, and National 4-H Council are partnering for a fourth consecutive year to bring their popular and award-winning fair experience, Commodity Carnival, to a growing number of fairs during 2016. The interactive experience is scheduled to visit 150 state and county fairs across nine states this summer to teach fair-going families the fundamentals of risk management in agriculture, by way of bringing a hog to market. The game will also continue to be accessible beyond the fairgrounds this year via the mobile companion app, Risk Ranch.
"For nearly 170 years, agriculture has been an essential part of our business at CME Group, and participating in these fairs with 4-H allows us to deepen our connection to the farmers, families and communities who fuel our economy," said CME Group Executive Chairman and President Terry Duffy. "Increasingly, the challenges facing agriculture and food security will be solved by young farmers and agribusiness leaders of the future. We're pleased to play a vital role in educating the next generation of food producers on the importance of agricultural economics and managing risk as they go about feeding the world."
"The Commodity Carnival and Risk Ranch are invaluable tools for teaching youth everywhere key lessons on agriculture, business and the economy in an approachable and engaging fashion," said National 4-H Council's President and CEO Jennifer Sirangelo. "We've heard from volunteers and fairgoers across the country that the Commodity Carnival experience is a highlight. Our partnership with CME Group allows us the unique opportunity to connect the curiosity of the next generation of farmers with the expertise of industry leaders, to the great benefit of both."
Four years ago, CME Group and 4-H, the nation's largest youth development organization, announced their partnership built around preparing future generations of farmers and food producers by exposing them to risk management in agriculture. In order to reach today's mobile and tech-savvy youth, the partners launched the learning application Risk Ranch, further helping young people understand agriculture as a complex and crucial element of our economy. New this year, users can access the Risk Ranch leaderboard directly from their mobile device, making it easier to track competition and high scores across the globe.
Developed by the Ohio State University Extension, the Commodity Carnival will travel to nine states during the 2016 fair season: Michigan, Ohio, Nebraska, Illinois, Missouri, Iowa, South Dakota, Texas, and Wisconsin. To find a list of participating fairs that will be hosting the Commodity Carnival this summer and fall, visit www.cmegroup.com/4hcarnival.
Risk Ranch is available year-round online, in the App Store as well as through the Google Play, and has won multiple accolades since its launch - including Best Children's App, Gold Winner in US Mobile & App Design Awards and Parents' Choice Approved Award Winner. This year, fairgoers and app players alike will learn what it takes to bring a hog to the market.
The partnership between CME Group and National 4-H Council is a part of CME Group's ongoing educational efforts around markets and risk management. In addition to the Commodity Carnival targeted to school-age children, the company also partners with Discovery Education in its Econ Essentials program, a free service for middle- and high-school classrooms that helps teachers and their students explore the important and ever-changing variables that affect our global economy, particularly in energy, agricultural, and financial markets. For university students, CME Group offers an annual CME Group Trading Challenge, a global competition that in 2016 drew in nearly 500 teams of students from 30 countries to compete in a simulated trading competition. The company also provides ongoing education resources explaining how markets work at www.futuresfundamentals.com.
