I am a 4-H Youth Development professional in Southwestern Indiana, which means like most moms with careers outside the home my work days start really early and sometimes end late in the evening. My career often involves everyone in my family. My husband often helps at 4-H events and serves as a 4-H project judge during the 4-H Fair. My kids are often found at meetings with me or staying with my mom until I get finished with work.
Every year in over 3000 communities around the country, 4-H is highlighted at county fairs. Although 4-H is the largest youth serving organization in the United Stated (over 50 percent of our membership comes from residents of cities), we started as an agriculturally based program. Fortunately for our 4-H members and communities, agriculture still has a large presence in our programming. Animals are a wonderful teaching tool and research is showing 4-H livestock project members develop leadership, responsibility and caring as well as science skills when they participate in livestock related activities.
During a time when the livestock industry is being targeted with unwarranted criticism, I encourage everyone to talk to a 4-H member about their animal projects. I know in a few weeks I will be walking through the barns at our 4-H fair, and I know the one things I will see is a mutual caring and respect evident between the 4-H members and their animals.
