“How it Started vs. How it’s Going” is the Florida 4-H theme for Friday, October 9, 2026, in celebration of National 4-H Week. As part of the festivities, the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Glades County Extension Office invites all community members and 4-H alumni to explore the newly renovated UF/IFAS Glades Extension Office from 8 am to 5 pm on October 9, 2026.
To set the stage, the Doyle Conner Building first opened in 1963 to support agriculture and serve the community. Through the years, the Doyle Conner Building, or “DCB” as many locals call it, has been the centerpiece of agricultural education and the home of the UF/IFAS Glades County Extension Office. In 2025, thanks to grant funding and support from the Glades County BOCC, the Doyle Conner Building underwent a much-needed renovation. The newly renovated building offers a spacious conference room and teaching kitchen. Over the past year, youth and families have participated in a variety of workshops designed to help them learn new skills and strengthen existing ones. The community has also enjoyed using the conference room to hold meetings for organizations outside Extension.
According to U.S. Census Quick Facts data, there are 1,407 4-H-age youth (ages 5-18) in Glades County. During the 2025-2026 4-H year, Glades County Extension reached 776 youth, or 55% of all eligible youth, through club programming, special-interest workshops, and school enrichment activities. Youth in Glades County participate in both local school enrichment programs and statewide school programming, including the “A Land Remembered,” “Adopt a Cowboy,” and the “Florida 4-H Public Speaking Program Powered by FPL” programs.
We look forward to visiting with you on October 9th as we celebrate not only “How it Started vs. How it is Going” but also explore the “Possibilities of the Future.”
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