4-H
4-Hand FFA Members Join Here!
RI 4-H
On December 12, 2016, leaders of National 4-H Council and the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) announced a newly established partnership during the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the two groups.
Recognizing the need to support agricultural education and highlight the impact agriculture plays in our daily lives, National 4-H Council and AFBF aim to ignite the desire of young people to embrace agriculture, cultivate innovation and empower them with opportunities to improve the world around them. Through collaboration on thought leadership and agriculture literacy initiatives, both organizations are committed to better link young people to agriculture of today and tomorrow.
“For more than a century, 4-H has provided young people with opportunities to spark and grow their interests in agriculture, giving them the courage, confidence and resilience to lead,” said Jennifer Sirangelo, president and CEO, National 4-H Council. “National 4-H Council is proud and excited to join forces with the American Farm Bureau Federation to help empower and develop young people with the workforce skills necessary to pursue careers in the agriculture industry.”
The Council-AFBF partnership will formally kick off in 2017.
“Farm Bureau has a long history of investing in young people with a demonstrated interest in not only farming and ranching but also agri-business and food-related careers,” said AFBF President Zippy Duvall. “We’re pleased to build on our tradition of supporting youth in agriculture through this formal collaboration with National 4-H Council.”
What IS 4-H?
Since 4‑H began more than 100 years ago, it has become the nation’s largest youth development organization. The 4‑H idea is simple: help young people and their families gain the skills needed to be proactive forces in their communities and develop ideas for a more innovative economy.
The passage of the Smith-Lever Act in 1914 created the Cooperative Extension System at USDA and nationalized 4‑H. By 1924, 4‑H clubs were formed and the clover emblem was adopted.
The Cooperative Extension System is a partnership of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) within the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), more than 100 land-grant universities and more than 3,000 county offices across the nation. Cooperative Extension combines the expertise and resources of federal, state, and local governments and is designed to meet the need for research, knowledge and educational programs.- 4-h.org/about/history/
The Rhode Island 4-H Program has been active since the early 1920’s teaching Rhode Island youth life skills and how to be productive citizens continually learning and leading the way!