4-H LIVESTOCK INDUSTRY

TRUST FUND

Who We Are

The 4-H Livestock Industry Trust Fund was formed

in 1971 as a joint project of the South Dakota 4-H

and the SD Stockgrowers Association. It continues

to operate in cooperation with those organizations

to benefit 4-H Programs.

Today the fund has matured to just over $1 million

and continues to grow as an endowment within the

South Dakota Community Foundation.

The Advisory Board

The fund is managed by a nine-member board of

advisors representing various segments of the live-

stock industry including representatives of pork,

beef, livestock markets and 4-H leaders. The LITF

Advisory Board is responsible for managing the

investment and making annual disbursements in

support of specific 4-H programs.

“The people of South Dakota can

dedicate themselves to no finer

purpose than a fund-raising

campaign which will organize rural

and urban forces to assist in raising

a 4-H Trust fund, the beneficiaries of

which will be our number one crop—

THE YOUNG PEOPLE OF SOUTH

DAKOTA”

- Blue Print for Success, 1971

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What We Do The LITF makes annual distributions to numerous

4-H leadership and youth programs. Annual

grants are made to support state winning teams/

individuals at National Competitive Events. A few

of the annual priorities include:

Western Junior Livestock / Consumer Sciences

Show

National 4-H Conference, Washington, D.C.

Western Round-up, Denver

Livestock judging, SkillAthon

Horse judging, Hippology, quiz bowl, public

speaking

Consumer Decision Making judging, FCS

bowl

World Dairy Expo, Madison, WI

Eastern Round-up, Louisville, KY

Livestock judging, SkillAThon

4-H Livestock Industry Trust Fund

Founded in 1971

The idea sounded simple enough. Coordinate a

statewide campaign to raise $500,000 over three

years to establish the SD 4-H Livestock Industry

Trust Fund as a permanent endowment for the

benefit of 4-H club

programs focused on

leadership and

livestock.

Lyndell Petersen, Joe

Rovere, Jack McCulloh

and Tom Landers from the South

Dakota Stockgrowers Association, and Wilbert

Davis and John Younger from the SD 4-H

offices in Brookings worked together to build a

“Blue Print for Success” which guided county

4-H programs in hosting fundraising events.

Fundraising for LITF

The campaign was officially launched with a calf

sale auction at the 1971 State Fair in Huron and

was followed by seventeen other calf sale

fundraisers across the state. The first of those

was hosted by the Stockgrowers President Tom

Landers in Hot Springs and raised an initial

$10,300 for the fund.

The fundraising efforts continued and within

three years, raised $534,000 to be invested by

the SD 4-H Foundation. During the 1975

Stockgrowers Convention, President Vince

Crago announced that Livestock Industry Trust

Fund would make its first contribution of $34,758

to South Dakota’s 4-H programs.

Contact Us 4-H Livestock Industry Trust Fund

426 Saint Joseph St

Rapid City, SD 57701

(605) 342-0429

office@southdakotastockgrowers.org

www.southdakotastockgrowers.org/LITF

The Investment

The LITF is endowed and invested with the

South Dakota Community Foundation, and is

dedicated to supporting 4-H livestock programs

and youth leadership opportunities.

Contributions to LITF are gratefully accepted,

and are tax deductible as a charitable donation to

the South Dakota Community Foundation.

Since its inception, LITF has

contributed nearly

$3 million to youth 4-H

programs across the state of

South Dakota.