Ag Days 2026 kicks off Friday at the St. Joseph County Fairgrounds

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Ag Days returns to the St. Joseph County Fairgrounds with different livestock available for family fun.

If tech isn't for you, how about Ag days? Starting Friday, April 10 to Sunday, April 12, you can see all kinds of animals at the St. Jospeh County Fairgrounds. Ag Days allows families to get hands on experience with the animals and learn all about agriculture.

Shearing a lamb is one of the many things happening at the fairgrounds that you can't experience anywhere else.

Since he was 12, Andrew Myer, always participates in Ag Days. He says that's the beauty of bringing kids to the fairgrounds.

"It taught me responsibility. It taught me how to care for other living things. My kids are doing it now, so this is a good opportunity to get the kids who might not necessarily be exposed to the livestock and showing livestock, they could probably do it too," said Myer.

It really is the hands-on experience that brings kids into a whole new world they've never experienced. That's the case for 18-year-old Elizabeth Applegate who found a love for livestock when she was in 4th grade.

"I had a best friend and she said that she had to go to the farm one day and I was like 'ok I'll go with you' and then I told my mom that I wanted to show goats. So, I got into dairy beef, sheep and goats," Applegate explained.

Elizabeth, along with other farmers dedicating their lives to raising animals and sharing them with others, say family trips to Ag Days and the 4-H fair in your formative years can be life changing.

That's why Candice Salazar is making sure she's hands on with her grandson, Luca.

"Oh yes, we just signed him up for Ag projects. So, we definitely want him to learn the importance of farming in our community," shared Salazar.

It's all about creating memories, stories to share, and educating the youth. All happening here at the St Joseph County Fairgrounds. Below is the schedule for the rest of the weekend:

• Saturday, April 11: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. 
• Sunday, April 12: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

There will be a pedal tractor pull for kids on Saturday. Sign up for the pull begins at 1 p.m.; the pull begins at 2 p.m. This is for children ages 5-12.

For more information, click here.