Casey Mull became Indiana’s new state 4-H program leader and assistant director of Purdue University Extension in April. He hit the ground running, arriving in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. Fortunately, Mull possesses leadership experience and a vision of what Indiana 4-H might look like in the future.

Here is Indiana Prairie Farmer’s exclusive interview with Mull:

Can you tell us about your own experiences with 4-H? My 4-H experience started in the fifth grade when a local youth Extension educator came to my classroom in Athens, Ga. I was hooked, and I did my first 4-H presentation in class. I achieved what Georgia calls the Master Award in General Recreation, plus the Dean’s Award for Citizenship.

At age 18, I was a counselor at the Rock Eagle 4-H Center in Georgia, assisting with 1,000 fifth and sixth graders each week.

What was your career like before coming to Indiana? I earned a B.S. degree at Wake Forest University, then later master’s and doctorate degrees from the University of Georgia.

NEW LEADER: Casey Mull left Georgia to assume duties as the new Indiana state 4-H program leader and assistant director of Purdue Extension.

My first job grew out of the camping experience. I was coordinator of 4-H for military youth in Georgia. Supported by the U.S. Department of Defense, the goal is to involve youth from military families in 4-H. Georgia has one of the larger programs of this type in the U.S. I fulfilled a similar role for the Air Force, too.

Indiana has a military youth program, but it’s much smaller since there isn’t an active base here.

Why did you accept this position and come to Indiana? It was all about the people I had met! I worked with various Purdue 4-H staff over the years. Recently, I was president of the National Association of Extension 4-H Youth Development Professionals. Tony Carrell, on our state staff, held that role before me. Through those experiences, I learned about the innovative things which happen in 4-H in Indiana.

There is lots of talk here about traditional versus nontraditional 4-H programs. How do you view this? To me, there is no such thing as “traditional 4-H.” What is traditional in Georgia is not what is traditional in Indiana. I hope we can look at the best parts of 4-H programming in many states, including Ohio, Minnesota, New York and Georgia, and incorporate those into what is already a great program here.

Coming though the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s clear we need to help 4-H youth gain a better understanding of where their food comes, and what it takes to get food from farms to their tables. Agricultural literacy should be part of what we do in 4-H.

What are your goals for Indiana 4-H? We want to provide experiences that will prepare youth with 21st century leadership and life skills. What they learn in 4-H and FFA will prepare them for the future.

Virtual learning will be part of it, especially this year. They won’t get the same experience you had in 4-H, but it will be their 4-H experience, and they will learn from it.

We want all Indiana youth to know they can grow through 4-H. Including agricultural literacy in their experience is important. They will learn that they can engage in learning through Extension, and perhaps this will help them stay connected with Purdue going forward.