It’s not often you find a group of kids asking for more to learn outside of the traditional school day, but a number of Happy Youngsters 4-H members have really been pushing the limits of their knowledge — in horticulture.
And it’s paid off.
The Moody County 4-H “Rubarbarians” actually took top prize this fall at the 2024 South Dakota State Fair in the Senior Horticulture-Skill-A-Thon. The team finished with a score of 966 points. Second place was 816 points.
Individually, Jillian Knippling won first place in the competition with a score of 344 points. Abigail Lewis took third prize with 332 points. Abe Streitz placed 6th with 290 points, and Liam Knippling took 15th place with 261 points.
“There were three components to it,” said Jillian.
Youth had a written test where they had to identify a series of facts, including the nomenclature of the plants. They then judged the plants, including how the food looked, such as the size and shape, and if it was disease and pest free.
The third category was plant identification.

“We had to identify fruits, nuts, berries, vegetables, landscape ornamentals and flowers,” Jillian added. “I’ll be able now to identify plants, flowers, just based on their seeds.”
The kids had to identify over 100 items.
“I also feel like when I grow up, my yard and my landscaping will be top tier,” said Jillian, with a laugh.
Junior 4-H member, Rona Streitz, placed 17th individually with 279 points and 16th as a team of one in her division.
Beginner Bennett Lewis earned 8th place individually with 217 points and recognition for 14th place as a single member team in his level of the contest. Beginner youth prepare for the contest by learning the basic skill of gardening, vegetables and fruit identification, and plant anatomy.
“I had to look at these fruits and vegetables and put them in order, like which would look the nicest to eat and which one didn’t and I had to list the names of all of them and then answer some questions,” said Lewis.
The six youth worked individually and as a group under the direction of local 4-H leader Erica Knippling to further their knowledge on greenhouses, turf, plant propagation and nutrition, landscaping, managing lawns and trees, and soil health.
It was the first year the group has taken on such a topic. Each of the participants said it was a lot to learn, but it offered them a new challenge. Plus, they had a lot of fun taking field trips, playing games, and taking pop quizzes on the lessons over ice cream at The Spot.
“I hope they took away an understanding that it is a topic not looked at for kids their age but it’s something that will benefit them as they grow older,” said Knippling.
“They’re expanding their knowledge to something that’s going to take them further in life in the aspect of, when they become adults, they are going to be able to pick fresh produce for themselves and see that this apple doesn’t look good, or this corn is probably not going to be as sweet…if they become homeowners someday, hopefully that they’re not wasting money on things that won’t grow or placing it in proper shading. There are so many elements to any skill-a-thon, and it shows them that perseverance and studying really pays off. The kids really put in the time. When you commit, hard work pays off.”
An awards ceremony for all local 4-H youth will be held November 19th at the Janklow Community Center in Flandreau, all are welcome.
To learn more about the skills-a-thon or local 4-H opportunities, contact Moody County 4-H at (605) 997-2469, Moody.County@sdstate.edu, or stop by the office at 500 W 1st Ave, Flandreau.