National 4-H Week was celebrated from October 1st through October 8th this year. Levy County 4-H holds an Annual Hay Bale Contest to celebrate National 4-H Week. This year, the contest had to be postponed due to the uncertainty surrounding Hurricane Ian’s path. The 4-H Clubs in Levy County came together with their members to decorate their hay bales for this year’s contest and to promote 4-H.

4-H Programs aim to teach youth valuable life skills through hands-on learning and positive youth-adult relationships. 4-H professionals strive to create and offer unique and engaging activities for youth to participate in while learning targeted skills. Through this contest, youth have the opportunity to improve and exemplify their teamwork and leadership skills by working together to create and implement their hay bale design. Older youth practice leadership skills by helping and directing younger members during the decorating process.

This year, 80% of Levy County’s 4-H Clubs participated in the contest. Clubs had the opportunity to win a pizza or ice cream sundae party for their entire club through this contest. After days of voting through the Levy County 4-H Facebook Page, the winner was determined to be the Kountry Bumpkin’s 4-H Club!

4-H is America’s largest youth development organization and has supported almost six million youth across the country. These programs are delivered through Cooperative Extension which is provided through more than 100 public universities across the nation. 4-H Programs nationwide provide experiences for youth to learn by doing through a wide range of topics. In Levy County, 4-H has helped over 200 youth to better their communication, decision making and leadership skills to become confident, resilient and compassionate leaders.

So, How Do I Get Involved?

The 4-H Program is an all-inclusive youth organization that offers a variety of youth involvement. Youth can become involved through community-based clubs or school-based programs. We encourage students to join 4-H and find their passion by exploring the many opportunities the program has to offer. Enroll through the Florida 4HOnline web portal: https://v2.4honline.com/. For more information about the Levy County 4-H Program, please contact the UF/IFAS Extension Levy County Office at (352) 486-5131.

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