CHICAGO and CHEVY CHASE, Md., July 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- CME Group, the world's leading and most diverse derivatives marketplace, and National 4-H Council mark five years of their popular and award-winning fair experience, Commodity Carnival, this summer. The interactive experience will visit 120 state and county fairs across nine states, teaching fair-going families the fundamentals of risk management in agriculture, and will also continue to be accessible beyond the fairgrounds through the mobile companion app, Risk Ranch.

"CME Group's roots are in agriculture, and we are pleased to once again provide this program to help the next generation of farmers, ranchers, and agribusiness leaders throughout the United States," said CME Group Chairman and CEO Terry Duffy. "The agriculture and food science workforce is expected to grow five percent by 2024, and Commodity Carnival is a fun, educational way we can help students to better understand the concept of managing risk from a young age."

"Empowering youth today and creating opportunities for them tomorrow is our key objective," said National 4-H Council's President and CEO Jennifer Sirangelo. "Both the Commodity Carnival and Risk Ranch have helped students learn not only about the risk inherent in bringing a product to market, but also developed their skills for problem solving, communication and technical competence – essentials for positive youth development that transcend even beyond the agricultural field."

Developed by the Ohio State University Extension, Commodity Carnival will travel to the following states during the 2017 fair season: Michigan, Ohio, Nebraska, Illinois, Missouri, Iowa, South Dakota, Texas, and Wisconsin. To find a list of participating fairs that will be hosting Commodity Carnival this summer and fall, visit www.cmegroup.com/4hcarnival.

CME Group and 4-H first collaborated in 2013 driven by the same mission to prepare future generations of farmers and food producers with respect to risk management in agriculture. In 2015, to reach today's mobile and tech-savvy youth, CME Group launched the first and most exciting agriculture-based learning application, Risk Ranch, further helping young people understand agriculture as a complex and crucial element of our economy. The award-winning app is available year-round online, in the App Store as well as through Google Play and has reached more than 9,000 users in 115 countries to date.

This program is part of CME Group's ongoing educational efforts around markets and risk management. In addition to the Commodity Carnival targeted to school-age children, the company also partners with Discovery Education in its Econ Essentials program, a free service for middle- and high-school classrooms that helps teachers and their students explore the important and ever-changing variables that affect our global economy, particularly in energy, agricultural, and financial markets. For university students, CME Group offers an annual CME Group Trading Challenge, a global competition that in 2017 drew in nearly 600 teams, made up of more than 2,300 students from 35 countries to compete in a simulated trading competition. The company also provides ongoing education resources explaining how markets work at www.futuresfundamentals.com.

About CME Group

As the world's leading and most diverse derivatives marketplace, CME Group (www.cmegroup.com) is where the world comes to manage risk. CME Group exchanges offer the widest range of global benchmark products across all major asset classes, including futures and options based on interest rates, equity indexes, foreign exchange, energy, agricultural products and metals. Around the world, CME Group brings buyers and sellers together through its CME Globex® electronic trading platform and its exchanges. CME Group also operates one of the world's leading central counterparty clearing providers through CME Clearing, which offers clearing and settlement services across asset classes for exchange-traded and over-the-counter derivatives. CME Group's products and services ensure that businesses around the world can effectively manage risk and achieve growth.

CME Group is a trademark of CME Group Inc. The Globe Logo, CME, Globex and Chicago Mercantile Exchange are trademarks of Chicago Mercantile Exchange Inc. CBOT, the Chicago Board of Trade, KCBOT, KCBT and Kansas City Board of Trade are trademarks of the Board of Trade of the City of Chicago, Inc. NYMEX, New York Mercantile Exchange and ClearPort are registered trademarks of New York Mercantile Exchange, Inc. COMEX is a trademark of Commodity Exchange, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Further information about CME Group (NASDAQ: CME) and its products can be found at www.cmegroup.com.

About 4-H

4-H, the nation's largest youth development organization, grows confident young people who are empowered for life today and prepared for career tomorrow. 4-H programs empower nearly six million young people across the U.S. through experiences that develop critical life skills. 4-H is the youth development program of our nation's Cooperative Extension System and USDA, and serves every county and parish in the U.S. through a network of 110 public universities and more than 3000 local Extension offices. Globally, 4-H collaborates with independent programs to empower one million youth in 50 countries. The research-backed 4-H experience grows young people who are four times more likely to contribute to their communities; two times more likely to make healthier choices; two times more likely to be civically active; and two times more likely to participate in STEM programs.

Learn more about 4-H at www.4-h.org, find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/4-H and on Twitter at https://twitter.com/4H.

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SOURCE CME Group