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Spirit of 4-H lives on

Hoosier Perspectives: In this edition of 4-H Spotlight, meet 4-H members who make it all worthwhile.

Tom J. Bechman, Midwest Crops Editor

July 20, 2023

3 Min Read
 A white lid with 1,855 written in black marker and a quart glass jar with corn kernels in the background
EVERY KERNEL COUNTS: A dedicated young 4-H’er in Shelby County, Ind., hand-selected every kernel and counted them too. Her quart jar held 1,855 kernels. Tom J. Bechman

Many county fairs in Indiana have fewer 4-H exhibits now compared to five or 10 years ago. Some question if recent changes made at the state 4-H level are part of the reason for the drop-off in participation. I am one of those people.

The question is still valid. There hasn’t been a huge revival in county fair participation, although some counties note participation has trended up somewhat post COVID-19. However, it’s only fair to report negative things if you also point out positives. The biggest positive I encountered judging projects at many fairs this year was the “can do” attitude of many 4-H’ers. Not everyone is taking the easy way out. Some are still investing hours into projects — and are learning in the process.

Above and beyond

Here are some examples of kids and projects that impressed me:

Small kid, big smile. There will be a first grader in Owen County, Ind., this fall who can tell his friends that he talked the garden judge into a blue ribbon and honors for his tomato plant growing in half of a milk jug. It was the coolest mini-4-H exhibit I’ve seen in a while. And he didn’t stop smiling from the moment he approached me until I shook his little hand and bid him good-bye. Now that is where 4-H should start, and what it should be about!

Kernel by kernel. The young 4-H member in Shelby County, Ind., who hand-picked kernels for her jar of corn was excited. She not only hand-picked what went into the quart jar, but also counted the kernels. Her jar held 1,855 kernels!

Did she win? No, she was runner-up. An older member said he spent hours hand-picking his sample as well, and the sample showed it. The competition was so fierce, I used a blind test of corn from every jar on numbered plates, and the plate I selected belonged to him.

Sincere effort. Forestry judges at the Indiana State Fair may wonder why a poster from Dearborn County has handwritten captions. Normally, I would wonder, too — that is usually a no-no for a 4-H poster display.

This young teenager was just learning about 4-H and what it takes to make a poster, but she was already way ahead on ability and ingenuity. To show how long a California redwood tree can live, she drew the tree and a timeline, starting before Jesus’ birth. The tree was a work of art, and the timeline was incredibly detailed.

That kind of dedication deserves some leeway when it comes to poster etiquette. You can learn how to make a good poster. It’s tough to teach someone how to be inquisitive, creative and imaginative.

Beat of his own drum. A high school student in Morgan County, Ind., who is new to 4-H wasn’t too excited about bringing a stalk of corn to the fair. So instead, he created a poster about no-till. Why? Because they no-till, and he wanted to tell other people what no-till can do for the environment.

As far as the Extension staff knows, this blue-ribbon poster was the first crops poster ever at their county fair. It took more time than digging up a corn plant, yet it was much more instructive to both the 4-H’er and those who stopped to check it out.

Read more about:

4-H

About the Author

Tom J. Bechman

Midwest Crops Editor, Farm Progress

Tom J. Bechman became the Midwest Crops editor at Farm Progress in 2024 after serving as editor of Indiana Prairie Farmer for 23 years. He joined Farm Progress in 1981 as a field editor, first writing stories to help farmers adjust to a difficult harvest after a tough weather year. His goal today is the same — writing stories that help farmers adjust to a changing environment in a profitable manner.

Bechman knows about Indiana agriculture because he grew up on a small dairy farm and worked with young farmers as a vocational agriculture teacher and FFA advisor before joining Farm Progress. He works closely with Purdue University specialists, Indiana Farm Bureau and commodity groups to cover cutting-edge issues affecting farmers. He specializes in writing crop stories with a focus on obtaining the highest and most economical yields possible.

Tom and his wife, Carla, have four children: Allison, Ashley, Daniel and Kayla, plus eight grandchildren. They raise produce for the food pantry and house 4-H animals for the grandkids on their small acreage near Franklin, Ind.

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