What the Iowa 4-H Youth Conference Is
The Iowa 4-H Youth Conference is a three-day leadership event for Iowa teens held on the Iowa State University campus in Ames. It is planned each year by the Iowa 4-H State Council, a group of youth leaders who start work at a winter retreat. The most recent edition ran June 23-25, 2026. Its listing calls it the premier statewide leadership development opportunity available to Iowa teens, with spark areas including agriculture, STEM, community service, leadership and arts.
Who Can Attend
The conference is open to 4-H members and non-members alike. Past conference reports describe it as open to any Iowa youth who has completed eighth grade, and the 2026 listing shows grades 8-12 (ages 13-18). You do not have to be in 4-H to go.
Tracks and What You Do
Participants choose from workshops, many led by ISU academic departments, and hear guest speakers. The 2025 conference (June 24-26, theme "Lasso Your Legacy") offered three tracks:
- Choose Your Adventure. A range of interest-based workshops and activities.
- Mission Moon. STEM and space exploration.
- Animal Science Round-Up. Animal agriculture work at the university's research and teaching farms. In 2023 the track covered beef cattle, dairy cattle, dogs, horses, poultry, sheep and swine, with only the first 20 sign-ups accepted per project.
Delegates also explore campus, learn about majors and career paths, stay in university dorms, eat in campus dining centers and attend an evening social with dancing. The skills emphasized are communication, citizenship and career readiness. Community service learning projects have been part of the program too.
Cost and Deadlines
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| 2026 fee | $225 |
| What the fee covered (2023) | Housing, a t-shirt, all meals and events |
| Financial help | Financial assistance has been available |
| Registration deadline (2023) | June 1 |
Registration is online. Adding the program to a Blueprint listing does not register you: you register and pay through the program's website.
Dates and Where
The conference is held in late June. Recent editions were June 27-29 (2023), June 24-26 (2025) and June 23-25 (2026). Check 2027 dates with Iowa 4-H before planning. Location: Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa. The 2026 listing gives the campus address as 515 Morrill Rd., Ames, IA 50011.
Scale
The 2023 conference drew over 500 Iowa youth. In 2017, organizers expected about 1,000 teens.
Questions
Do I have to be a 4-H member?
No. Non-members are welcome.
Do I stay overnight?
Participants stay in university dorms, and meals are in campus dining centers.
Who do I call?
Your county Extension and Outreach office can help with registration and with financial assistance.
Official Links
- 2026 conference listing
- State Council begins conference planning
- 2023 call for attendees
- 2025 conference report
- 2025 tracks and workshops
- Earlier conference announcement
Iowa State University Extension and Outreach: The Essentials
Iowa State University Extension and Outreach has county offices, specialists and staff in all 99 Iowa counties, per the Osceola Sentinel-Tribune. It belongs to the federal Cooperative Extension Service of land-grant universities.
Local control
Each county has an elected extension council that sets the annual budget, hires local staff and decides how property tax dollars are spent, per the same article.
What it offers
Examples from one county include 4-H, Master Gardener training, pesticide continuing instruction, farm succession planning, farmland leasing education and tax help. Iowa was the first state to formalize extension at a land-grant university, in 1906, per an Extension blog.
4-H
4-H members are eligible to exhibit livestock through 12th grade, and after the calendar year of high school graduation cannot exhibit beyond the county level, per the Iowa 4-H requirements.
Next steps
Call your county office for 4-H enrollment, livestock tagging dates and local classes.
Programs vary by county.
Read the full guide: Iowa State University Extension and Outreach
Other Upcoming Events Nearby
- Story County Youth Fair
Nevada fair at the Story County Fairgrounds; the 2025 edition drew 642 exhibitors and 2,923 entries from 4-H and FFA youth. Scheduled for July 21-25, 2027.
90 I Ave, Nevada, IA 50201 Official event details - Iowa Farmers Union Annual Convention
Iowa Farmers Union members hold their annual convention at the Quality Inn and Suites on East 13th Street in Ames. Held each year; the most recent dates were December 5-6, 2025.
- Iowa FFA State Convention (Leadership Conference)
The 98th Iowa FFA Leadership Conference, the state FFA convention, filled Hilton Coliseum in Ames. Held each year; the most recent dates were April 19-21, 2026.
- Iowa State Horticulture Research Station Field Day
The Iowa State Horticulture Research Station in Ames opens for a field day from 11 am to 4 pm. Held each year; the most recent date was September 26, 2026.
Ames, IA Official event details - Iowa Farm Bureau Annual Meeting and County Leadership Conference
Iowa Farm Bureau members meet for the annual meeting and county leadership conference at the Community Choice Credit Union Convention Center in Des Moines, December 8-9, 2026.
Des Moines, IA Official event details
Listing checked Nov. 11, 2026 against this source. Details can change; confirm with the organizer.