Utah State University has completed a new youth livestock barn in South Jordan, giving kids in its Junior Livestock Program a dedicated space to raise animals after the program's rapid growth left it squeezed into repurposed grandstand space at the Bastian Agricultural Center.
According to ABC4 Utah, the Junior Livestock Program is an initiative for kids interested in raising livestock and is part of USU's 4-H Extension. The new barn is intended to help youth participate in the program, according to USU, after the program's fast growth meant the grandstand space the university had provided for participants to raise animals at the Bastian Agricultural Center in South Jordan eventually ran out.
A Program That Outgrew Its Space
The station reports the Junior Livestock Program provides youth in grades 3-12 with opportunities to learn about raising animals, and features goats, hogs, lambs and turkeys. The program's quick growth is what pushed USU to look elsewhere for space, and the same account notes the university began looking into creating a dedicated youth livestock barn following youth requests in 2022, focused on the Bastian Agricultural Center.
The article also reports that the Bastian Foundation funded construction of the new barn and recognized the value of the project, though the specific numbers behind South Jordan's program have not been independently verified beyond the original report.
How Similar Programs Operate Elsewhere in Utah
Youth livestock programs across Utah share a common structure of hands-on animal projects paired with life-skills education. In Cache Valley, more than 450 youth participate annually in a comparable effort, according to USU Extension, which notes that youth there learn essential life skills like responsibility, compassion, and the humane treatment of animals while raising market animals.
Cache County's program also requires youth to attend at least two education clinics and sign an attendance sheet before showing their animals.
Registration and animal-identification requirements are common features of these shows. The Salt Lake County Junior Livestock Show, held at the Bastian Agricultural Center, requires participants to be registered with 4-H or FFA before they can register for the show, according to the Salt Lake County Junior Livestock Show, which also requires animals to carry a state-approved tag by applicable state deadlines.
Fairs can be a culminating showcase for youth agricultural work. The Utah County Fair describes itself as the culmination of a year's worth of 4-H project work, where youth exhibit projects including market goats, beef, sheep and hogs and compete for awards. For South Jordan's youth livestock kids, the new barn provides a dedicated space for the program.
