VPSI Community Involvement

Elkhart County 4-H Fair Sponsorships

Young MacDonald's Barn & Youth Agricultural Center

We are proud to be able to sponsor the Young MacDonald's Barn & Youth Agricultural Center at the Elkhart County 4-H Fair each year.

The barn is open daily at the fair and allows visitors to see young and newborn animals up close. Stop by the next time you're at the fair and learn about caring for the animals from the veterinarians on site.

Elkhart County 4-H Beef Club

As a supplier of health and nutritional supplies for the beef industry, we are honored to be able to support the next generation of beef farmers. We sponsor Beef Club classes during the fair.

(pictured right) In 2017 we sponsored the Beef Club's Charolais Heifer class. The winner of the class was Kaitlyn Pluimer with her yearling heifer.

Elkhart County 4-H Dairy Club

Over the years we've had the privilege of sponsoring awards for the Elkhart County 4-H Dairy and Open Shows. This club is home to the future dairy producers. The Dairy Bar serves up delicious ice cream and grilled cheese during the fair at a bargain, so be sure to stop in for a treat and support the club the next time you're at the fair.

Click to read an article about a 10-year 4-Her's experience showing in Dairy Club.

Elkhart County 4-H Poultry Club

2017 began our first year in sponsoring the Poultry Fly-Off event for the Elkhart County 4-H Poultry Club. The Poultry Fly-Off is a fair tradition where the birds fly from a launching pad. 4-Hers with birds that fly the farthest win a cash prize. A representative of VPSI has the honor of announcing the participants of the event.

Read about 2017's Poultry Fly-Off here.

Elkhart County 4-H Saddle Club

Since 2015 we have been happy to support the youth in the Elkhart County 4-H Saddle Club. We've donated toward fair classes, the timer system for contesting, and other necessities for the club.

Click to read an article about one of Saddle Club's most dedicated members.

Additional Support and Sponsorships

LoveWay, Inc.

LoveWay is a non-profit, equine-assisted therapy center located in Middlebury, IN. LoveWay is well-known in the area for helping children of all ages with their therapeutic services.

We teamed up with LoveWay in 2015 to help provide some of their horses' nutrition and health care supplies.

We're proud to be a continuing sponsor of LoveWay. We frequently feature LoveWay in our blog. We also accept LoveWay donations in our store.

FFA

We are proud to be a supporter of agricultural education through the FFA. The Zoetis Industry Support Program allows us to donate to our local chapter of the FFA: Fairfield Junior-Senior High School FFA.

A percentage of qualifying purchases of Zoetis products are donated directly to this chapter. As one of our trusted suppliers, we purchase from Zoetis frequently. This allows us to donate a significant contribution amount to the FFA.

Northern Indiana Dairy Trail

In 2016, Indiana celebrated 200 years of dairy farming. The Northern Indiana Dairy Trail featured a series of educational open houses where the public could visit local, Indiana dairy farms and meet the farmers and cattle face to face.

The event served to show the history of the dairy industry in the state. People were able to connect with the farms where their dairy products come from. We were glad to be able to sponsor this fun and educational event.

National Egg Quality School

The National Egg Quality School is an annual four day curriculum that is focused on teaching students about egg quality. The course includes a combination of lectures, instruction, and hands-on lab experience. We're honored to be able to contribute to the NEQS and future of the egg industry.

Find out more about NEQS and their upcoming curriculum.