Last week, more than 4,250 youth, volunteers and parents gathered at Texas A&M University for the 2026 Texas 4-H Roundup.
Hosted by the Texas 4H Youth Development Program, this annual event brings together 4-H members from around the state to compete, gain leadership experience and access handson learning opportunities.
The event includes youth from all 12 4-H districts, with competitions focusing on agriculture and livestock, family and community health, leadership, natural resources, and STEM. This year’s theme was “Explore” and challenged participants to “explore their roots, their brand, and their horizons.”
AgriLife Extension 4-H program director Montza Williams describes the “explore theme” as being “about discovery - understanding where you come from, defining who you are and imagining where you’re going.”
“Roundup is an exciting time for Texas 4-H to come together to celebrate our senior- level members and the power of youth leadership, lifelong learning and friendships,” she adds. “This year, we wanted every young person to leave having explored something new about themselves and their future.”
This year’s roundup carried a good deal of significance, as this year marks the 75th anniversary of the Texas 4-H Council. To commemorate the anniversary, the roundup hosted a Texas 4-H alumni reunion, which brought former council members back to campus to share stories and reconnect with the program.
The Texas 4-H Youth Development Foundation also awarded more than $2.7 million in scholarships to youth at the roundup.
David White, the Texas 4-H Foundation director, said that these scholarships “represent an investment not only in individual futures but in communities across our state.”
Texas 4-H is the largest youth development program in the nation, and, operating as part of the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and the Texas A&M University System, delivers programming in all 254 counties in Texas and reaches nearly 520,000 youth.
“When you pair that scholarship investment with 75 years of alumni who came back this week to say, ‘This is what 4-H made possible for me,’ the message to today’s members is clear: this program will open doors you haven’t even imagined yet.”
The Hockley County 4H team, which is part of 4-H district 2, took five individuals to the roundup, which they qualified for through the District 4-H contest.
At the event, McKinley Tucker and Ryder Stracener competed in educational presentations in the swine division and placed 4th. Bryar Sherrill and Bradley Gray competed in educational presentations in the health and safety division and placed 2nd.
As a team, Tucker, Stracener, Sherrill, Gray and Kade Gregory placed 5th in soil judging. Tucker, Stracener, Sherrill and Gray also competed as a team in the livestock skillathon, where they placed 8th on the livestock quiz.
Tucker of Whiteface ended up receiving a $20,000 Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo Scholarship through the Texas 4-H Foundation at the event.
Hockley County Extension Agent Wes Utley says only 35 teams in the whole state get to attend the 4-H Roundup, out of the 12 districts. There are more than 20 counties in District 2 alone. “It’s very competitive,” he says.
Ultimately, the event entailed success for the Hockley County 4-H team, as well as presenting the Hockley extension agents with an opportunity to meet their future colleague, Amber Lambright, who attended the event.