The Minnesota State Fair is proud to introduce the Beginning Exhibitor Livestock Learning Experience Grant, a program that will award grants and provide mentors to 15 youth livestock exhibitors who are first-time participants in the Minnesota State Fair. The BELLE Grant is being funded by the Minnesota State Fair Foundation.
The State Fair showcases the state’s finest agriculture and recognizes the importance of cultivating youth experiences in the livestock industry. The BELLE Grant program will help finance participation while introducing new livestock exhibitors to the Great Minnesota Get-Together.
The BELLE Grant will gift $500 each to 11 large-animal exhibitors entering beef cattle, dairy cattle, horses, sheep, swine, goats and llamas, and $250 each to four small-animal competitors exhibiting rabbits and poultry. These funds will help offset costs of participating in the fair, including travel, lodging and purchasing show supplies. Applicants must be Minnesota residents between the ages of 10 and 18. The State Fair is also seeking peer-to-peer mentors to help guide grant recipients throughout the year.
Applications for the BELLE Grant and peer-to-peer mentorship program are open now through April 30. Information about these programs and how to apply can be found at mnstatefair.org/about-the-fair/awards-and-recognition/.
