Lauren Rubin Sue Hinz History/Information about 4-H Contact information: Kelli Loftus, associate 4-H extension educator

for Latah county 208.883.2267 Office is at 220 E. 5th St. #336 Moscow Idaho. What is 4-H? 4-H started 100 years ago and is the nations largest youth development organization. The idea of 4-H is to help young people and their families gain the skills they need to be proactive forces in their communities and develop ideas for a more innovative community. How 4-H began In the late 1800s researchers at public universities saw that adults in the farming community did not readily accept the new agricultural discoveries being developed on campuses. Young people were open to new thinking and experimenting with new ideas and their successes. 4-H is a very hands on type of learning that came from the desire to make public school education more connected to the country life. Building these community clubs helped solve these agricultural challenges with helping youth in rural areas. The first 4-H clubs were in Ohio and Minnesota. In 1910 the 4-H clover was designed with 4 Hs, one on each clover. These Hs stood for head, heart, hands, and health. It was nationally recognized in 1914 when the USDA nationalized the organization. The 109 land grant universities, such as the University of Idaho, are partners with this organization.

What about Latah County 4-H? There are currently 300 members in the Latah County 4-H program. 90 members are swine projects. There are 60 leaders and robotics is the newest program offered. Kelli Loftus would like to see more youth development awareness in smaller communities and let everyone learn that 4-H is not just cows and corn anymore. Underserved areas, such as Troy and Deary, are a great place for 4-H growth.