4-H – Views from VanDeWalle

State Fair and Its Impact on Youth

August 15, 2025 Brandy VanDeWalle

As you read this, the Nebraska State Fair is in full swing! While many think of special foods, entertainment, carnival rides, and competition as the hallmarks of a state fair, the event means much more to 4-H and FFA members. For them, the fair is the culmination of months—sometimes years—of hard work, dedication, and learning. It is an opportunity for their efforts to be recognized on a statewide stage.

In 2024, Kaitlin Rogers, a 4-H Youth Development Educator with the University of Delaware Extension, shared three key reasons why state fair participation benefits youth. While some benefits are most visible in live competitions such as livestock shows or public speaking contests, youth exhibiting static projects also gain valuable experiences.

Responsibility and Personal Growth
Advancing to the state fair requires commitment, time management, and accountability. Whether preparing a show animal, perfecting a recipe, or readying an art project, youth learn to take ownership of their work. Competitive events foster humility in success and grace in defeat—building resilience, empathy, and emotional maturity. In livestock competitions, exhibitors also take on the responsibility of animal care and answering questions from spectators, further developing personal growth.

Networking and Connection
State fairs provide opportunities to connect with diverse audiences. Youth meet peers from across the state who share similar interests, often forming lasting friendships and exchanging ideas. They also gain valuable insights from judges, fellow competitors, and other exhibitors, whether in person or through viewing others’ work. These connections can broaden perspectives and inspire future goals.

Life Skill Development
The preparation process sharpens essential life skills such as time management, goal setting, and perseverance. For example, a baked good might require multiple attempts to perfect, while showing an animal can demand patience—especially if the animal behaves differently in the show ring than at home. These experiences build confidence, pride, and practical abilities that serve youth in academics, careers, and personal life.

When you visit the Nebraska State Fair, take time to tour the livestock barns and 4-H/FFA exhibit buildings. Congratulate youth on their accomplishments, whether in person or when you see them back home. In a world where young people face many challenges, your encouragement may be the boost they need to take their next step forward with confidence.

The Nebraska State Fair runs August 22 – September 1, 2025, in Grand Island, Nebraska.

Youth

Ready then. Ready now. Ready for anything.

September 27, 2024 Brandy VanDeWalle

Celebrate National 4-H Week!

Nebraska 4-H is building a ready generation in a world of change. Today’s youth are growing up in a unique moment where the world is rapidly changing – life following a pandemic, and artificial intelligence are just a few factors affecting mental health, confidence, and the ability to find contentment in life.

Since its beginning more than 120 years ago, 4-H has become the nation’s largest youth development organization. Nationally, 4-H serves over 6 million youth, ages 5-19, in rural, urban, and suburban communities in every state across the nation. In Nebraska, 4-H reaches one out of three who are age-eligible. Young people need positive youth development experiences more now than ever. 4-H equips youth with skills for the future while meeting them where they are today. 4-H provides opportunities and experiences that shape young people into their full, authentic selves, enabling them to shine both now and in the future.

The citizens of our state have helped shape the educational priorities for the Nebraska 4-H program. These programs incorporate quality learning experiences and science literacy, which are delivered through clubs, camps, school enrichment, afterschool, and special interest opportunities. Everything offered by Nebraska 4-H Youth Development is built around positive youth development (https://4h.unl.edu/pyd) as a way of preparing young people who are engaged, healthy, productive, and beyond ready for their future.

Engaged, Healthy, and Productive Youth

4-H embraces diversity in people, careers, and perspectives. Every child is valuable and deserves the support and freedom to choose their own path. 4-H believes in the potential of all youth and strives to let their talents flourish.

Nebraska 4-H fosters youths’ commitment to their communities and growing future leaders. Through community development programs, youth develop and exercise leadership skills, gain a greater awareness of their civic responsibilities, and participate in service projects. They also provide youth voice to community decision bodies and are engaged, well-informed citizens who are active in their local and global communities.

4-H has proven to instill confidence and resiliency. Dedicated to empowering youth in both body and mind, we rely on scientifically-backed studies and programming that drive youth forward so they can be prepared for anything.

Nebraska 4-H educates youth about making healthy and safe decisions in their daily lives. Through healthy living programs, youth gain knowledge and develop skills for making healthy and safe decisions in their daily lives, acquire an understanding of what positive relationships look like, practice healthy and safe decision-making, and exhibit increased resiliency.

4-H equips youth with skills for the future while meeting them where they are today. Through 4-H, opportunities and experiences are offered that shape youth into their full, authentic selves, enabling them to shine both now and in the future. Through College and Career Success programs, 4-H youth develop the knowledge, skills, and mindsets through experiential learning opportunities to explore potential postsecondary education and career options. Nebraska 4-H prepares youth to make informed decisions about their careers and college paths. Programs assist young people with developing skills that will lead to greater persistence in college and employability.

To learn more about how you can get involved, visit 4h.unl.edu.

Youth

4-H Month

February 4, 2024 Brandy VanDeWalle

February is Nebraska 4-H Month! 4-H is Nebraska’s largest youth development organization – empowering nearly 140,000 across the state with the skills to lead for a lifetime. With the support of 12,000 volunteers, Nebraska 4-H helps youth develop and practice life skills through clubs, camps, school enrichment, afterschool, and special interest programs. In both Clay & Fillmore Counties, more than 1 out of 2, age-eligible youth are reached through a variety of 4-H program delivery modes. This is achieved through clubs, camps, school enrichment, afterschool programs, and special interest programs.

Youth are encouraged to celebrate 4-H Month by wearing 4-H shirts, express appreciation to volunteers, supporters and giving back to their communities. In addition to celebrating, youth are invited to join 4-H and complete the annual enrollment process during February. By becoming enrolled members, youth can join a club, exhibit projects at the county and State Fair, participate in contests, and apply for special awards and recognition.

To learn more about how to get involved, visit https://4h.unl.edu.

About 4-H

4-H, the nation’s largest youth development and empowerment organization, cultivates confident young people who tackle issues that matter most in their communities right now. In the United States, 4-H programs empower six million young people through the 110 land-grant universities and Cooperative Extension in more than 3,000 local offices serving every county and parish in the country. Outside the United States, independent, country-led 4-H organizations empower one million young people in more than 50 countries. In Nebraska, 4-H is present in all 93 counties through clubs, camps, school enrichment, afterschool programs, and special interest programs. Learn more about 4-H at 4h.unl.edu, find us on Facebook at facebook.com/nebraska4h, on Twitter at twitter.com/nebraska4h, and on Instagram at Instagram.com/nebraska4h.

Programming, Youth

Nebraska Extension Showcasing 4-H’ers at County Fairs

May 23, 2020May 22, 2020 Brandy VanDeWalle

Nebraska Extension is working to make sure all 4-H’ers across the state have the opportunity to showcase their hard work come county fair time this summer. Since COVID-19 hit, rest assured Nebraska 4-H faculty and staff have been diligently working on numerous plans and options to celebrate our youth and showcase their hard work. Recently, our Dean and Director, Chuck Hibberd released an article which also describes our efforts. 4h_mark1

County fair boards and agricultural societies in Nebraska’s 93 counties are determining what their county fairs will look like – or whether to have them at all — as the state responds to COVID-19. Nebraska Extension is working with these groups to design in-person or virtual 4-H experiences or a combination of both appropriate for each county. Recommendations of both the governor’s office and Nebraska’s district health departments will determine what strategies will work best on a county-by-county basis.

“We are absolutely committed to making sure all youth who take part in 4-H across Nebraska have the opportunity to exhibit their hard work at a fair,” said Chuck Hibberd, dean and director of Nebraska Extension. “We are equally committed to protecting the health and safety of our youth, volunteers, judges and spectators.

Nebraska has one of the highest 4-H participation rates in the nation, with one in three – a total of over 140,000 — youth engaged in the program. Nebraska Extension began adapting 2020 4-H programming to virtual formats back in March, when social distancing and other directed health measures were first put in place. Locally, I’m proud to say that Clay and Fillmore Counties actually reach one in two – youth engaged in the program.

“Fairs may look different than they have in the past with social distancing, different arrangements for livestock shows, and the possible option for virtual shows; we also know that the fair experience is an important part of a 4-H’ers summer,” Hibberd said. “We are excited to be able to make that happen.”

Additional information for county fairs will be available as details are finalized. Please be patient with our staff and council members as we work through options.

Programming, Youth

This is 4-H

January 15, 2019January 11, 2019 Brandy VanDeWalle

My colleague, Megan Burda in York County did a great job describing 4-H in one of her recent columns so I decided to share facts about 4-H in case you are unfamiliar or haven’t experience 4-H in many years, as it has changed and evolved with the times. 4h_mark1

The 4-H Pledge – I pledge my head to clearer thinking, my heart to greater loyalty, my hands to larger service, and my health to better living, for my club, my community, my country, and my world.

Head, Heart, Hands, and Health are the four H’s that describe how youth are engaged in the 4-H program. Using their heads they learn to manage many different things in their 4-H projects and life. Through their heart, they learn to relate to others and be caring to those around them and their projects. With their hands, 4-Hers are able to work on various projects. By living healthy they are practicing being capable of caring for self and others.

How can being involved in 4-H foster youth’s success? In 2002 the 4-H Study of Positive Youth Development longitudinal study began and was then repeated annually for eight years. There were more than 7,000 adolescents from across 42 states in the United States that participated in the study. The Tufts research team examined how structured-out-of-school time learning, leadership experiences, and adult mentoring that young people receive through 4-H plays a role in helping them achieve success.

4-Hers practice responsibility by being involved in a variety of different projects offered through the program. The project areas are Animal Science, Communication and Expressive Arts, Entrepreneurship, Environmental Education and Earth Sciences, Family and Consumer Sciences, Healthy Lifestyle Education, Leadership and Citizenship, Plant Science, and Plant Science and Technology. If a youth chooses to participate in a Healthy Lifestyle Education project, they may learn the skill of meal planning for themselves and their family. This skill could lead to them actually planning out healthy meals for themselves and their family members and may even include keeping a food budget for their family.

4-Hers practice responsibility by caring for animals daily in various animal science projects. 4-Hers make sure their animals have a safe place to be, have appropriate food and water, and that their animals are cared for and can be handled. This takes much time and dedication by the 4-Her and their family and does not just happen one week out of the year at the county fair. 4-Hers in livestock projects take 4-H Livestock Quality Assurance to help prepare them for daily care and management. They also work closely with their family members and veterinarian and participate in animal science contests throughout the year.

The Tufts research longitudinal study showed that compared to their peers, youth involved in 4-H programs excelled in several areas.

4-Hers are:

Nearly 4x more likely to make contribution to their communities.
About 2x more likely to be civically active.
Nearly 2x more likely to participate in science programs during out-of-school time, 2x more likely (Grade 10) and nearly 3x more likely (Grade 12) to take part in science program compared to girls in other out-of-school time activities.
Nearly 2x more likely to make healthier choices.

For information on how you can be involved in 4-H in Fillmore County, go to fillmore.unl.edu or for Clay County 4-H information, go to clay.unl.edu.

Source: The Positive Development of Youth; Comprehensive Findings from the 4-H Study of Positive Youth Development, Institute for Applied Research in Youth Development, Tufts University.

Programming, Youth

Celebrate National 4-H Week

October 1, 2018September 28, 2018 Brandy VanDeWalle

For the 76th consecutive year, millions of youth, parents, volunteers and alumni across the country will be celebrating National 4-H Week during the first full week of October. This week celebrates the doers of the community who will become the leaders of our nation. 4-H was founded on the belief that when kids are empowered to pursue their passions and chart their own course, their unique skills grow and take shape, helping them to become true leaders in their lives, careers and communities.

4-H alumni around the country are always the first to acknowledge the significant positive impact 4-H had on them as young people; the opportunities and experiences that 4-H provides youth empowers them to become true leaders. In fact, research has shown that young people in 4-H are almost four times as likely to contribute to their communities, and are twice as likely to engage in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) programs in their free time.

In Nebraska, more than 25,000 youth are enrolled in 4-H and 12,000 volunteers are involved in 4-H. In addition, approximately 56,000 youth participate in Nebraska 4-H school enrichment experiences. One of the most anticipated events of National 4-H Week every year is 4-H National Youth Science Day, which sees hundreds of thousands of youth across the nation taking part in the world’s largest youth-led science challenge.

This October, 4‑H and Google will launch an exciting National Youth Science Day challenge, Code Your World, inviting kids to get involved in computer science (CS) through hands-on doing. The national NYSD celebration kicks off October 1, and coding events will take place during October. Easier than ever to facilitate, Code Your World is a four-part challenge that teaches kids ages 8-14 to apply CS to the world around them through hands-on activities. Developed by Google and West Virginia University Extension Service, it includes a computer-based activity on Google’s CS First platform and three unplugged activities that bring coding to life through games and interaction. To learn more about National Youth Science Day, please visit http://www.4-h.org/nysd/.

About 4-H: 4-H, the nation’s largest youth development and empowerment organization, cultivates confident kids who tackle the issues that matter most in their communities right now. In the United States, 4-H programs empower six million young people through the 110 land-grant universities and Cooperative Extension in more than 3,000 local offices serving every county and parish in the country. Outside the United States, independent, country-led 4-H organizations empower one million young people in more than 50 countries. National 4-H Council is the private sector, non-profit partner of the Cooperative Extension System and 4-H National Headquarters located at the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) within the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Learn more about 4-H at http://www.4-H.org, find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/4-H and on Twitter at https://twitter.com/4H. For Nebraska 4-H, go to 4h.unl.edu.

Crops, Programming, Youth

4-H offers numerous opportunities

March 4, 2018March 2, 2018 Brandy VanDeWalle

Any youth ages 5-18 (as of January 1^st) is eligible to participate in the 4-H youth development program. Youth in Clay and Fillmore Counties need to enroll by April 1^st to take advantage of this excellent opportunity. This year, all youth will register online at ne.4honline.com. We also need caring adults to help volunteer with the program and volunteers also need to enroll online. If you have any further questions, please contact Holly at the Fillmore County Extension office at 402-759-3712 or Deanna in Clay County at 402-762-3644.

All across Nebraska 4-H youth are beginning to select their 4-H projects for 2018! Let the Nebraska 4-H Pick Your Project help connect you with projects that fit your interests and skill levels!

The interactive, web-based Nebraska 4-H Pick Your Project is found online at http://4hcurriculum.unl.edu. Use this as a guide when completing your enrollment form. Check out the curriculum and spark an interest in a new project for this year!

Locally, some programs coming up include Youth Animal Science Day and the kick-off of a Plant Science Investigation series which I’ll describe.

4-H Animal Science Day

Coming to Geneva on Sunday, March 18^th is a short animal science program (FREE) which will offer a livestock judging contest, a face to face Youth for the Quality Care of Animals (YQCA) program, tips for your livestock projects and other fun hands-on animal science activities. This requires a lot of planning and assistance so if you are interested in participating, sign up by March 14th. There must be a minimum of 25 youth in order for this program to occur; invite your friends from neighboring counties too! RSVP to the Fillmore County Extension office at 402-759-3712 or by email Rachel at rachel.adam@unl.edu.

PSI - Fillmore (3) — For more info, go to Fillmore County 4-H Facebook page.

Plant Science Investigation (PSI) & Community Garden

Have a green thumb? Interested in gardening? If you answered yes to any of those questions, join the PSI and/or Community Garden teams this year. Here’s what you can learn about in PSI:

Learn about the importance of agriculture and how crops are used.
Conduct cool, hands-on science experiments.
Listen to speakers and learn about careers.
Help conduct field plot research.
Become a PSI investigator and detect plant problems.

The program will kick-off in Fillmore County at the Extension office on March 9^th from 2pm – 4pm. Youth in Clay County can attend the program at the Clay County Fairgrounds on March 9^th from 10-Noon. We will learn about plant propagation methods and more!

PSI Clay

If you are unable to participate in this program, there will be more opportunities through the growing season. For youth in Fillmore County, we will continue the Community Garden and be partnering with the Geneva Library as well. If you are interested, please let the Extension office know by April 1^st.

Youth

Celebrate National 4-H Week

September 29, 2017September 29, 2017 Brandy VanDeWalle

For the 75th consecutive year, millions of youth, parents, volunteers and alumni across the country will be celebrating National 4-H Week during the first full week of October.

On Wednesday, Oct. 4, youth will use the engineering design process to build a prototype wearable technology that will gather data to help solve a real-world problem. Wearable technologies are now used in industries around the globe, from education and sport, to health, fashion, entertainment, transportation and communication. To learn more about National Youth Science Day, please visit http://www.4-h.org/nysd/.

Learn more about 4-H at www.4-H.org, find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/4-H and on Twitter at https://twitter.com/4H. For Nebraska 4-H, go to 4h.unl.edu.

Youth

Nebraska State Fair

August 23, 2017August 18, 2017 Brandy VanDeWalle

The 148^th Nebraska State Fair will be Aug. 25 to Sept. 4 in Grand Island and celebrate the people, products and talent of the state. Thousands of youth who participate in Nebraska 4-H – sponsored by Nebraska Extension will share what they’ve learned throughout the year.

A new display at Raising Nebraska this year is “The Amazing Egg,” an interactive experience in which visitors can discover the intricate structure of an egg, get an extreme close-up look at the surface of a shell and manipulate a virtual yolk. Visitors will learn how often a chicken lays an egg, how many eggs a chicken lays in a year and why some eggs are brown and others are white.

Visitors can download the 4-H at Nebraska State Fair app to keep track of events, results and exhibit maps. The app can also be used to play the Seek and Scan game, which allows visitors to scan symbols on signs next to static exhibits to display videos.

For more information on the Nebraska State Fair, including schedules, visit http://4h.unl.edu or http://statefair.org.

I wish all 4-H and FFA exhibitors the best of luck!

Uncategorized, Youth

4-H Enrollment – OPEN

January 31, 2017January 27, 2017 Brandy VanDeWalle

Hello 4-H Families & anyone interested in learning more about 4-H! We are excited as we embark on a new 4-H programming year! All 4-H families will enroll in clubs and projects through 4HOnline at ne.4honline.com. 4HOnline is a web-based enrollment system that will allow families, parents, leaders and volunteers to enroll or re-enroll in 4-H on your personal computer, mobile device or at local enrollment events hosted in your county. You’ll be able to complete all of the information necessary to join 4-H online, including 4-H code of conduct forms and health forms. There will be no paper forms to submit for enrollment.

The process is quite simple and the website is very user friendly. It is your responsibility to make sure youth in your family get enrolled by the April 1st deadline and (March 1st for Fillmore County Shooting Sports members). We are happy to assist you with your enrollments and please call our office if you have questions with enrolling.

Contact Information: Fillmore County Extension at (402) 759-3712 or Clay County Extension at (402) 762-3644