It's National 4-H Week: 'I love 4-H'

In 1915, Marius Malmgren’s corn crop yielded 209 bushels per acre, more than four times the national average of 45 bushels per acre.

Malmgren was just 14 years old at the time. He was a member of a “corn club,” a local organization of boys who each grew corn on one acre of land under the supervision of an adult club leader.

Corn club members were required to do all the work on their plots including plowing the land. They also kept detailed records of all expenditures, labor and income.

At the end of the growing season, the boys gathered to compare yields and production costs. Prizes were awarded to the winners.

The first corn club was formed in 1900. A common complaint in those days was that the curriculum in schools, especially rural schools, was out of touch with the times.

Corn clubs provided hands-on learning opportunities to young men, equipping them for their future lives.

The success and popularity of corn clubs was so great that other types of agricultural clubs for boys and girls were soon formed, including pig clubs, tomato clubs and canning clubs.

These clubs were the forerunner to what we now know as 4-H.

This week, October 1 – 7, is national 4-H week. This year’s theme is “I love 4-H.”

More than 6 million young people are currently involved in 4-H, making it our nation’s largest youth organization.

Although 4-H has a history of more than 100 years, the organization has stayed true to its roots, emphasizing the “learn-by-doing” model that corn clubs used in the early 1900s.

Because 4-H has a rich history of serving rural youth, it’s understandable that some people may mistakenly believe that youth must live on a farm or own an animal to be in 4-H. However, that’s not the case.

Today’s 4-H offers fun and challenging learning experiences related to a variety of project areas ranging from aerospace and woodworking to bicycles and cats.

4-H also offers camps, contests, trips and leadership programs, not only at the county level, but also at the district, state and national levels.

The goal of 4-H is to prepare young people to become responsible, capable and involved citizens.

Research shows that compared with their peers, 4-H’ers are four times more likely to give back to their communities, two times more likely to make healthy choices and two times more likely to be civically active.

Last year we had 126 youths enrolled in six 4-H clubs around Foster County.

Seventeen adults served as club leaders, and many other volunteers contributed time and effort to the success of the program.

4-H is open to all youths from Kindergarten through Grade 12, ages 5 to 18 on August 31. New enrollments are currently being accepted for 2023 – 2024.

I hope you will encourage young people you know to join 4-H. For more information, please contact the NDSU Extension office (652-2581).