CME Group and National 4-H Council are partnering for a fourth consecutive year to bring Commodity Carnival to 150 state and county fairs during 2016. The exhibit teaches fair-goingers 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.