Florida 4-H News Room: 4-H News from Around the State

  (TALLAHASSEE, FL- November 26, 2012) - It is with great sadness and regret that we report the passing of Florida 4-H Hall of Fame member and past State 4-H Program Leader, Damon Miller Sr. on Saturday, November 24th after a brief illness.  Miller started working with Leon County Cooperative Extension Service in 1969 as a general county extension agent specializing in vegetable production, 4-H youth development and community resource development. Miller was appointed to the state 4-H staff in the 1970s.  He served as the Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University 4-H Program Coordinator, organizing 4-H minority outreach programs in the panhandle and North Florida, until he was appointed State 4-H Program Leader in January 1998. He was instrumental in planning and coordinating the Florida 4-H Legislature, 4-H Public Speaking, and the 4-H Share the Fun programs from 1976 through his retirement in 2002.   "Growing up in 4-H, I remember the adults who helped me le

Marion County 4-H received high honors as they placed as reserve champions at the National 4-H Poultry Judging Contest in Louisville, Kentucky.  The team finished third in the production hen division, sixth in the market egg division and ninth in the market poultry. In addition to placing second overall, team member’s Ilene Boetger, placed first in the production hen division, and Sarah Harper placed sixth in the market egg division.  The four Marion County 4-H youth, Sarah Harper, Kailea Quad, Ilene Boetger and Gabriela Valentin, travelled to Louisville, Kentucky to judge three categories of chicken, eggs and turkeys.  The competitors were required to judge ready-to-cook chicken and turkey carcasses, live production hens and market eggs.   “4-H youth travelled from all over the country to compete in educational events that help them learn to make and defend decisions, speak publicly, and gain poultry-related skill,” said Xiomara Diaz, Marion County 4-H extension agent. 

Florida State 4-H representatives join UnitedHealthcare for a check presentation at the "Eat4-Health" partnership launch at the North Florida Fair. Florida 4-H received a $30,000 grant from UnitedHealthcare to promote healthy living. From L to R: Pete Vergott III, District Extension Director, University of Florida IFAS Extension; Heather Kent, 4-H Regional Specialized Agent; Marcus Boston Jr., Extension Agent, Leon County 4-H; Kelly Skidmore, UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Florida; and UnitedHealthcare mascot Dr. Health E. Hound (Photo: Sam Holton/Holton Photography). Business Wire Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/11/12/3093682_p2/florida-4-h-and-unitedhealthcare.html#storylink=cpy Eat4-Health partnership includes 10 states, with 4-H youth as health ambassadors reaching other youth and families with messages to fight obesity United Health Care mascot Dr. Health E. Hound participates in 4-H Day at the North Florida Fair, leading hundred

4-H'ers concentrate on the project as they participate in the fifth annual 4-H National Youth Science Day (NYSD).  Contributed photo.  St. Johns County 4-H youth joined millions of young people across the nation to become scientists for the day during the fifth annual 4-H National Youth Science Day (NYSD). This annual event seeks to spark an early youth interest in science and future science careers, and to reclaim the nation’s position of leadership in scientific exploration. As part of 4-H NYSD, youth participated in the 4-H Eco-Bot Challenge: the 2012 National Science Experiment. Designed by The Ohio State University Extension, this year’s experiment introduced youth to robotic engineering concepts as they program an autonomous robot to clean up a simulated environmental spill. The 4-H Eco-Bot Challenge demonstrated that by utilizing engineering principles, youth can have a positive impact on communities and ecosystems. St Johns County 4-H’ers enhanced th

By Deborah Buckhalter November 04, 2012 First grader Kailyn Vega searches for a worm in a handful of mulch being held by Anita Crossley during 4-H Ag Adventures Friday at the North Florida Research and Education Center near Greenwood. Roughly 450 first-graders from all over Jackson County converged on Greenwood Thursday and Friday to take part in 4-H Agriculture Adventures at the North Florida Research and Education Center, where the youngsters ran into a couple of living scarecrows as they picked their way through a corn maze. The scarecrows were volunteers from the Jackson County Master Gardeners organization. They and other event volunteers were important contributors to the annual Ag Adventures program, said 4-H Youth Development Agent Ben Knowles. For instance beekeeper Herman Elmore taught the youngsters about the importance of bees to the production of honey, food and beeswax. The children learned about dairy cows, too, and other livestock like goats, ch

By Scott Fishman, Forum Publishing Group November 2, 2012 What can you do with a battery, toothbrush, cellphone vibrator and some tape? More than 100 students at the Broward County 4-H at the UF/IFAS Broward County Extension Office in Davie recently found out by using the materials to create mini eco-bots. This was the fifth year the 4-H (Head, Heart, Hands, Health) celebrated National Youth Science Day with an experiment. During the Eco-Bot Challenge, children were robotics engineers for the day. The groups created their own eco-bots to simulate environmental cleanup using rice. "It's nice to be able to reach out to them and have them get involved in it because it also pulls