To the Editor:

I would like to encourage parents and youth to get involved and support the 4-H program. I began thinking about the skills that 4-H help develop in me that I still use today and really began to realize that 4-H has made a huge impact in my life.

1) Work Ethic – everyone who has been part of 4-H has experienced the late night before the fair trying to finish projects. While I am more organized and work ahead, I still face last minute projects and work that requires late nights. In part the experience of last minute projects before the fair helped teach a good work ethic and the discipline to see a project through to the end regardless of the time. As a child I learned about the strength that is inside everyone to really go that extra mile even in the face of fatigue.

2) Goal Setting – a major emphasis of 4-H is about setting and achieving goals. The program really put me on a path to dream big, and identify the goals and tasks necessary to achieve the dream. Without sounding super arrogant, there is no way to go from a corn, soybean and swine farm in Iowa, where your parents don’t have college educations, to corporate counsel of one of the largest plant biotech companies in the world without doing some big thinking and setting goals along the way to achieve my dream. A lot of the programming within 4-H exposed me to people and opportunities, and helped build my confidence to dream big and go after opportunities. Now along the way there have been some really fortunate circumstances and very encouraging parents, but all along it required me to think and dream big, and then figure out the tasks and goals necessary to achieve the dream.

3) Communication skills (both writing and speaking) – the program helped develop both my writing and speaking skills at a young age. There are so many opportunities to develop communication skills, including, conference judging, record books, applications, award interviews. I cannot think of any program that builds confidence and communication skills at such a young age.

Overall I would say that the skills taught by 4-H build through life and grow very similar to the way compounding interest helps grow an investment. I don’t know that youth would appreciate my compounding interest analogy, but they would grasp and understand the way a snowball grows and builds as it rolls down a hill. In 4-H you are exposed to life skills earlier than non 4-H’ers, as you go through high school and college, instead of beginning to acquire some of the life skills, you are refining your life skills which helps you enjoy success and provides opportunities, the early opportunities help open doors and provide even more opportunities and the success just continues to build all through life.

Chad A. Johnson, J.D., M.S.

Corporate Counsel

Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc.

Editor’s Note:

Now is the time to enroll in the Hamilton County 4-H program. We have nine community clubs located throughout the county. All have very active young people involved and caring adult volunteers leading their groups. Check out the website at: www.extension.iastate.edu/hamilton/4h or contact Cheryll Entriken, Hamilton County Youth & 4-H Coordinator at 515-832-9597 or email at entriken@iastate.edu.