A Steak Dinner, a Legacy, and Kids Who Wake Up Before Dawn
Before most of us have poured our first cup of coffee, a young person somewhere in the open fields of this county is already at work in the barn. The horses and livestock that we admire for a few minutes at our local petting zoo need real daily care, and these kids and teens are the ones providing it, day after day, month after month, working toward a fair week that has been circled on the calendar for a year. For the families who have made the Youth Fair part of their lives, this is not a seasonal hobby. It is a way of life.
On September 12, our community can make sure that legacy continues.
The 16th Annual A Taste of Agriculture, presented by the Polk County Youth Fair Inc., is set for Saturday, September 12 at the B Bar J Barn in Fort Meade. Social hour begins at 5 p.m., with dinner at 6:30 p.m. The Polk County Cattlemen’s Association is cooking the steaks, and the Daniel Burns Band will be providing the live music. Throughout the evening, there will be raffle and auction items, all pointing toward one thing: making sure these young agriculturists, and the ones who will show up next year, walk away with the recognition they earned.
This year is extra special. The January fair will mark the 80th annual event, and organizers want to make it one to remember.
It is not just for a buckle, a trophy, or the ribbons, though each of those rewards matter deeply to participants. It is real recognition that brings an intrinsic satisfaction of doing real work and having your community there to witness their accomplishments.
Every January in Bartow, kids all over the county bring everything they have built and grown and learned to showcase at the Polk County Youth Fair.
The fair traces its roots to 1947, when the first Polk County Youth Agricultural Show was held in Bartow, with organizing efforts that began as far back as 1944. What those early agricultural leaders built has now guided generations of junior agriculturalists through 4-H, FFA, and FCCLA, teaching them not just how to raise a hog or grow a plant, but how to show up, compete, and carry themselves.
The program’s reach goes beyond fair week. This year, Kacie Anderson of the George Jenkins FFA Chapter in Lakeland was named Area IV State Vice President for the 2026-2027 Florida FFA State Officer Team, a reminder that the young people coming up through these programs are leading well beyond the show floor.
There are no carnival rides or midway at the Polk County Youth Fair. Just kids and their projects and the community who supports their hard work by attending the fair. Pig shows, cow shows, goat shows, poultry, archery, sewing, table setting displays, horticultural exhibits, a chili cookout, a cake auction, a whip popping contest, and a plant auction. Young exhibitors of every age, from the youngest 4-H members to high school seniors in their local FFA, compete across every discipline imaginable. The fairgrounds welcome everyone, including young exhibitors of all abilities, because this community has always believed that every kid who puts in the work deserves a place in the show ring.
If you have never been to the Youth Fair, there is something there for every age and every interest, and once you go, you tend to come back.
The 2026 fair drew community leaders including Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd and Polk County School Board Member Justin Sharpless, a testament to how deeply rooted this event is in the fabric of local life.
The fair has been led by just 11 presidents in its entire history. That kind of continuity does not happen by accident.
It happens because the families out in those barns before sunrise keep believing it is worth it, and because people in this community keep showing up to make sure it stays funded.
Meet the 2026-2027 Ambassadors
Representing the fair in the community this year are the 2026-2027 Youth Fair Ambassadors, a group of young men and women who applied and interviewed for the honor of carrying the fair’s mission forward.
Tickets for A Taste of Agriculture Tickets are available now. To purchase or learn more, visit the link below.
Your community. Your news. Your right to know. The Citrus Tea.
Follow The Citrus Tea on Facebook.com/thecitrustea for more across Polk County, or subscribe for your free Daily Cup at thecitrustea.com/subscribe
Sources: Polk County Youth Fair Inc., A Taste of Agriculture event page (secure.qgiv.com/for/pcyfi/event/2025atasteofagriculturecopy); Polk County Youth Fair, fair history and event information (pcyf.net/fair-history.html); Polk County Youth Fair Facebook page (facebook.com/PolkCountyYouthFair), July 2026; Maria Wetherington, Operations Manager, WorkComp Partners, interview responses via email, July 2026; ambassador biographical information provided by Polk County Youth Fair Inc. via Facebook, July 2026; Florida FFA Association, 2026-2027 State Officers (flaffa.org/state-officers/); photo credits: Polk County Youth Fair Facebook page, pcyf.net, TK Photography, and Florida FFA Association (flaffa.org/state-officers/).
