National 4-H Council and CME Group Announce New Partnership

CHEVY CHASE, MD and CHICAGO, June 19, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- National 4-H Council and CME Group have launched a new partnership that will connect the important work of the world's leading futures exchange company to the 4-H mission at the local level.

National 4-H Council and CME Group developed a Commodity Carnival together, aiming to increase the public's understanding of the important role agriculture commodities and hedging with futures play in successful farming.  Specifically, the interactive initiative will highlight what it takes to successfully manage the risks in bringing them to market– and build agriculture literacy across the nation.

In its first year, the new program will showcase a fun, interactive learning activity – at select county and state fairs across 11 states including Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, South Dakota, Texas and Wisconsin.  4-H youth will run The Commodity Carnival game booth, and actively engage fair goers about agricultural commodities and risk management in each participating state.

"A partnership with CME Group is a perfect fit with 4-H," said Donald T. Floyd, Jr., president and CEO, National 4-H Council. "The agriculture market impacts people's lives each and every day. It's a vital part of our global economy. Therefore, educating youth and their families about the role of agricultural commodities is vital. This initiative delivers that important education in a fun, interactive way that everyone will enjoy."

"Agriculture has been a central part of our business for more than 160 years, and we're thrilled to partner with 4-H at county and state fairs. We're eager to provide an engaging way for fairgoers to gain a basic understanding of commodity trading and the vital role that managing risk plays in helping our nation's farmers thrive," said Anita Liskey, CME Group Managing Director, Corporate Marketing & Communications.

Developed by the Ohio State University Extension, The Commodity Carnival will consist of two hands-on mini carnival games – Invest & Grow and Pig-Linko – to introduce the concepts of agriculture futures, options and commodity trading to families and youth ages 8-14.  Each activity will guide the participants through the process of producing a commodity (e.g., hogs) and selling it.  Throughout the experience, participants will learn to (1) recognize what an agriculture commodity is and associate commodities with products used in their daily lives; (2) learn what investments are required to raise a commodity; and (3) discover how the risks of taking a commodity to market factor into its selling prices.

To see a video about the partnership between 4-H and CME, go to: http://cmegroup.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=132&video=143

To join the fun and play the games, go to www.4-H.org/commoditycarnival to find a participating state or county fair that will be hosting The Commodity Carnival this summer and fall.

About CME Group
As the world's leading and most diverse derivatives marketplace, CME Group (NASDAQ: CME) is where the world comes to manage risk.  CME Group exchanges offer the widest range of global benchmark products across all major asset classes, including futures and options based on interest rates, equity indexes, foreign exchange, energy, agricultural commodities, metals, weather and real estate.  These products and services help businesses everywhere mitigate the myriad risks they face in today's uncertain global economy, allowing them to operate more effectively, create more jobs, and pass benefits on to consumers.  Learn more at www.cmegroup.com.

CME Group is a trademark of CME Group Inc. The Globe Logo, CME, Globex and Chicago Mercantile Exchange are trademarks of Chicago Mercantile Exchange Inc.  CBOT and the Chicago Board of Trade are trademarks of the Board of Trade of the City of Chicago, Inc. 

About 4-H
4-H, the largest youth development organization, is a community of seven million young people around the world learning leadership, citizenship, and life skills. National 4-H Council is the private sector, non-profit partner of 4-H National Headquarters located at the National Institute for Food and Agriculture (NIFA) within USDA. In the U.S., 4-H programs are implemented by the 109 land grant universities and the Cooperative Extension System through their 3,100 local Extension offices across the country. Overseas, 4-H programs operate throughout more than 50 countries.

Learn more about 4-H at www.4-H.org, find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/4-H and Twitter at https://twitter.com/4H.

SOURCE National 4-H Council