4-H

Mission: Feeding a Growing Population

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-...
Finish this story

Cheers to the green and white

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...
Finish this story

Google and 4-H ... and Russell

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...
Finish this story

Failures don't have to be failures

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...
Finish this story
hereford cow drawing

Remember what matters at this year's fair

As we look toward a summer filled with 4-H shows, we encourage you to remember this: It's never about winning; it's about being part of something more than yourself. It's never about being perfect; it's about being your personal best. It's never about beating someone else; it's about beating...
Finish this story

5 lessons every 4-H member knows

Lessons come wrapped in all types of boxes. Here are five lessons every 4-H member knows. #5: You aren't going to win every time, and that's okay. How you lose is just as important as how you win. There's no way you're going to get through life #1 all the time. Real champions...
Finish this story

Adventures Await in faraway places

What makes an Illinois teenager decide to travel to a new country and live for weeks with a family she's never met? For Lana Fitzgerald, it's adventure of the unknown. Lana was part of the 4-H intercultural exchange program and lived with a host family in South Korea for four weeks last summer....
Finish this story