Carl Schmidgall knows how to take a bad situation and make it better. His sister, Korri, wrecked her Jeep when she hit a patch of black ice coming home from basketball practice. She was fine, but the Jeep was totaled. It sat in the machine shed at home for two years before Carl decided to rebuild...

We have a holiday tradition in our home. No, it has nothing to do with putting up decorations or cooking our favorite holiday recipe. Ever since the children were old enough to understand, we always try to do one thing. Give. Every time we go in a store to shop, we drop something in the kettle....

We asked 4-H members and leaders the things for which they were thankful. Their answers make us smile during this time of Thanksgiving. 1. Life Skills Take your pick which skill you most attribute to your 4-H experience. Public speaking. Organization. Time Management. Teamwork....

When your survival depends on feeding a growing world population, who better to call than a 4-H alum who has spent his professional career working to maximize crop outputs on every acre. Sam Eathington's connection to agriculture started young growing up on a grain and livestock farm in west-...

October 1 starts the biggest week in 4-H, National 4-H Week. 4-H membership is 6 million strong across the country, with more than 25 million alumni. Last year, more than 25,000 youth were 4-H club members in Illinois; another 170,000 youth were involved in 4-H through camps, after school programs...

Google made quite a splash at the Illinois State Fair. Rob Biederman, head of Google's Midwest external affairs office, and Jennifer Sirangelo, president and CEO of National 4‑H Council, announced a $1.5 million dollar grant from Google to the national 4-H program to expand nationwide computer...

To say 4-H at the Illinois State Fair was a success would be an understatement. Stir gently the 3,300+ exhibitors, a national media announcement with representatives from Google and Gov. Bruce Rauner present, perfect weather, an estimated 20,000 visitors to our exhibit area, and I can't imagine a...

It's like suddenly seeing the world in a new way. That's how teens attending the Illinois 4-H Illini Summer Academies describe their time studying with University of Illinois instructors this week. From quantum mechanics and mutagenesis to honey bee health and family interactions, U of I staff...