CALS News Center

Lifetime 4-H’er and former State Leader Dalton Proctor named to National 4-H Hall of Fame

Dr. Dalton Proctor, former State 4-H Leader in North Carolina, was inducted into the National 4-H Hall of Fame in an October ceremony in Chevy Chase, Md. The Hall of Fame honors 4-H volunteers, supporters, staff and pioneers who have made a significant contribution to 4-H at local, state or national levels. Active in 4-H [...]

Cabarrus youth earn county fair honors

Youth incarcerated at Concord’s Stonewall Jackson Youth Development Center were able to participate in this year’s Cabarrus County Fair through projects they created with 4-H clubs on the center’s campus. 4-H Extension agent Heather Jones and Cooperative Extension of Cabarrus County partnered with Stonewall Jackson YDC to offer experiences through 4-H that to help youth learn live skills to help them become more engaged with the community.

Craven team takes top horticulture honors

Craven County’s 4-H junior horticulture team — members Nathaniel Glasgow, David Lynch, Zane Zechmen and Seth Schneider — placed first in the junior division of the N.C. State Horticulture Contest recently.

Guilford hosts Great Tomato Tasting

In July, about 150 people turned out in Guilford County to pick their favorite tomato from roughly 40 varieties planted in the spring by Master Gardeners and cared for by N.C. A&T State University researchers Dr. Keith Baldwin and Ricky Holness.

Youth participate in Junior Dairy Show

Each year, N.C. Cooperative Extension conducts the Junior Dairy Show at sites around the state. The show held in Guilford County Aug. 3-4 included participants from surrounding counties. The dairy show was organized by Extension Dairy Agent Marti Day. To see images from the show, visit Debbie Roos’s Growing Small Farms site.

Not your mom’s 4-H

In July, N.C. Cooperative Extension and 4-H worked with Trading Spaces designer Edward Walker to develop a green design competition for 4-H’ers interested in fashion and interior design, encouraging their ambition while helping to change public perception of 4-H – an organization that does so much more than livestock exhibitions and canning competitions.

N.C. 4-H’ers take action to stop the hidden problem of local hunger

4-H’ers attending State 4-H Congress in mid-July committed to an ambitious goal of collecting 1 million pounds of food for North Carolina’s food banks as part of a campaign called Hungry to Help. Conducted in partnership with the Food Banks of North Carolina, the campaign is designed to promote awareness of hunger in North Carolina and to help stop it.

A berry good experience

Eight teens and tweens wandered beneath and between the branches of blueberry bushes under a sweltering July sun in Moore County’s Cameron community. Some mentioned the careers they’d like to pursue when they grow up: One said a hockey player. Another, an auto mechanic. And yet another, a veterinarian.

Whatever careers they ultimately choose, all of the 4-H’ers were gaining skills that will help prepare them. They were learning what it means to work hard, develop a business plan, put it into action and move on to new strategies when things don’t work out as planned.