Pumped for Pumpkins: West Feliciana 4-Her Wins State Award
The West Feliciana 4-H Program teamed up with Louisiana State 4-H and Agriculture & Natural Resources Agent Jessie Hoover to hold its second annual pumpkin growing contest, which led to one on the growers winning at the state level.
In the contest, participants were required to do most of the work in their pumpkin patches. Each 4-H’er planted two varieties, Atlantic Giant and Cinderella pumpkins.
The weather was tough year for growing pumpkins, and deer eating pumpkins gave the youth issues. 13 students started the contest with five — Andrew Godke, Ashleigh Godke, Caylen Delaney, Alex Patin and Landry Brouillette — submitting pumpkins. The contest had five categories: Smallest, Largest, Most Unique, Most Uniform and Best Records.
Read More
National 4-H Hall of Fame Posthumously Inducts Louisiana’s Denver T. Loupe
Denver T. Loupe was posthumously inducted into the National 4-H Hall of Fame on Oct. 14 for his lifetime achievements and contributions to 4-H, a news release reported.
Honored by LSU and the Louisiana 4-H Youth Development Program, Loupe was one of 16 people inducted during the ceremony held at the Kellogg Conference Hotel at Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C. Stephenie Teichman, of The Hills, Texas, Loupe's daughter, accepted the recognition.
Read More
Louisiana 4-H Hall Of Farm Inducts New Class
The Louisiana 4-H Hall of Fame welcomed 24 new members to its ranks at a ceremony Oct. 9.
The Hall of Fame has inducted 256 members since it started in 2008.
Toby Lepley, LSU AgCenter associate vice president and 4-H program leader, said the work and sacrifices of the 24 honorees add up to thousands of years of service to Louisiana 4-H youth.
Read More
4-H Survey of Teens: Broadband Is Vital to Equity and Opportunity
A new survey by the National 4-H Council, the Harris Poll, and the 4-H Tech Changemakers coalition found that teens believe unreliable access to high-speed internet and digital skills are continuing to drive economic and social inequities in their communities nationwide. The survey’s findings show the profound impact reliable high speed internet access and digital skills can have on the lives and futures of American teens and their communities.
Read More
NFL Linebacker Avery Williamson Gives Back to 4-H in Meaningful Ways
Were it not for the foundation that 4-H provided to Avery Williamson as a youth, the NFL linebacker might not have found his way back to the family farm in Tennessee as an adult.
Williamson, a free-agent linebacker who has spent the bulk of his professional playing career since 2014 with the Titans, is a fourth-generation farmer. His great-grandfather started the family legacy in agriculture, and his grandfather had a dairy farm and grew crops such as corn and tomatoes. Williamson and his father focused on cattle production — specifically black angus.
Read More
Viewpoint: Targeting Ag Youth Brings Out the Worst in Animal-Rights Activism
Animal-rights activists get worse every year, calling our children who participate in FFA or 4H livestock exhibitions “murders,” “slave owners,” and some things too extreme to print. The first time I encountered this type of extremist activism was when I read a Protect the Harvest blog post responding to PETA2’s hit piece called “FFA is Lame AF.” Lovely. PETA2 is PETA’s Youth Education Program (basically, propaganda for youth).
In PETA’s “FFA is Lame AF” post, the activists accuse the National FFA Organization of not upholding its Code of Ethics because of the youth group’s support of animal agriculture. So, because the FFA promotes a keystone element of agriculture (livestock), PETA wants to see them go by the wayside or eliminate the animal agriculture elements in the FFA.
Read More
Louisiana 4-H Volunteers Receive National, Regional Recognition
Two Louisiana 4-H volunteers recently received accolades from the National 4-H Council for their tireless service to the organization.
Gloria Miller, of St. Charles Parish, was named the 2021 National Lifetime Volunteer, and Jessica Parker, of Franklin Parish, was named the 2021 Regional Volunteer of the Year for the Southeast Region.
The mission of 4-H is to provide opportunities for youth and adults to work together to create sustainable community change. This is accomplished in three primary areas: civic engagement and leadership, healthy living and science.
Read More
