March 17: Giving of the green for Arkansas 4-H

By Mary Hightower
U of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture

FERNDALE, Ark. — Arkansas 4-H, the state’s largest youth program, could use your help on March 17, a day when people are thinking about all things green.

“Green is our color,” said John Thomas, managing director of the Arkansas 4-H Foundation. “Having March 17 as our fourth annual ‘giving of the green day’ seemed to be a great reminder that we need your support.

“Each year, Arkansas 4-H distributes more than $150,000 in college and activity scholarships,” he said. “You can be sure your donation goes to a good cause. Please support us.”

Thomas said donations can be made online, or donors may text AR4H to 44321. He notes that when texting, donors will be asked to give a $44 default gift or donate a custom amount.

Arkansas 4-H members can attest to the personal growth opportunities the organization offers. There are some 130,000 youth involved with 4-H in Arkansas.

Arkansas 4-H awwards some $150K in scholarships each year.

“My experiences taught me a lot about seeing the whole picture and really understanding other perspectives,” said Jack Berryhill, a past Arkansas 4-H president. 4-H “gave me great insight into how others think and feel and how things affect them. That gave me understanding and compassion for wanting to work with others”

Diamond Jones, the current Arkansas 4-H president, said, “If you want a group of people who believe in you, who back you up, and who offer to teach you, I say join Arkansas 4-H. It’s definitely left a huge impact on the way I socialize with others, and I’ve learned so many skills that I wouldn’t have before."

Learn more about the Arkansas 4-H Foundation at arkansas4hfoundation.org.

To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.uada.edu. Follow us on X and Instagram at @AR_Extension. To learn more about Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website: https://aaes.uada.edu. Follow on X at @ArkAgResearch. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit https://uada.edu/. Follow us on X at @AgInArk.

Hot Spring County teen wins Arkansas 4-H Governor’s Award

By Tracy Courage
U of A System Division of Agriculture

FAYETTEVILLE – Hot Spring County teen Jack Berryhill’s term as president of Arkansas 4-H ended on a high note — with him receiving the Arkansas 4-H Governor’s Award, the highest honor awarded in Arkansas 4-H.

WINNER — Jack Berryhill of Hot Spring County is the 2023 Arkansas 4-H Governor's Award winner. UADA photo

Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced Berryhill, 18, as the winner on July 26 in a recorded message played during the Arkansas 4-H Awards of Excellence ceremony at the University of Arkansas. More than 250 4-H members from across the state spent the week on the Fayetteville campus competing in State 4-H O’Rama events, ranging from archery and ATV safety to public speaking and poultry judging.

“The Arkansas 4-H Governor’s Award is the highest honor a 4-H’er can receive,” Sanders said. “Each of our finalists has done fantastic work in their community and is setting themself up for a lifetime of service. Though only one can receive the award, all four of you have achieved amazing results for 4-H and the entire state of Arkansas.”

Berryhill received a $3,000 college scholarship, a silver tray, and his name will be added to a plaque on permanent display at the C.A. Vines Arkansas 4-H Center in Little Rock.

“I’m just incredibly honored and grateful,” he said after receiving the award.

Three other 4-H members were in the running for the top award — Laven Franklin of Madison County; Lani McClure of Pope County; and Ethan Wolcott of Sevier County. They each received a $1,000 scholarship.

“We had an exceptional group of finalists for our governor's scholarship this year. All four demonstrated a strong connection to their communities, amazing leadership skills, and an excitement for their futures,” said Debbie Nistler, assistant vice president for 4-H and youth development for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. “I did not envy the judges having to make a decision. Jack Berryhill is an amazing example of our young people in Arkansas 4-H and did a wonderful job leading our officer team as president this year. Jack is passionate about mentoring other members and providing a positive example for others to follow.”

Selection is based on nominees’ accomplishments in leadership, citizenship, community service, 4-H projects and activities and overall contributions to Arkansas 4-H. The award is presented during the week-long Arkansas 4-H State O’Rama, when 4-H members also elect state officers for the next year. For Berryhill, receiving the Governor’s Award was the perfect end to his year as president.

Over the past year, Berryhill has promoted 4-H at events across the state, sharing his experiences and his message that “4-H is better when we’re in it together.”

That doesn’t mean he’s done though. Berryhill plans to be active in Collegiate 4-H at the University of Arkansas, where he will be a freshman his fall. He plans to major in poultry science and agricultural leadership – two areas in which he has gained skills and knowledge through 4-H.

“4-H completely put me on the path I’m on now,” he said. “I think I’d like to work for Extension one day.”

Berryhill, a Hot Spring County native, joined 4-H when he was 8. He started with an Animal Science project with chickens and rabbits but later switched to Foods and Nutrition and Leadership. He has been involved in 4-H at every level. At the county level, he showed chickens and rabbits, attended workshops, and worked on community service projects. At the district level, he competed in the Poultry BBQ Contest and O’Rama. At the state level, he worked as a 4-H camp counselor, a member of the Arkansas 4-H Video Crew and served as state president.

“Leadership has certainly been my biggest project, and it’s the one that means the most to me,” he said.

To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.uada.edu. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram at @AR_Extension. To learn more about Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website: https://aaes.uada.edu. Follow on Twitter at @ArkAgResearch. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit https://uada.edu/. Follow us on Twitter at @AgInArk.

Four finalists await judges’ decision as Arkansas 4-H Governor’s Award marks 40 years

The four 2023 finalists for the Governor’s Award stand with U of Arkansas System President Donald R. Bobbitt and his wife Susan on the stairs of their home. From left, Lani McClure of Pope County; Laven Franklin of Madison County; Jack Berryhill of Hot Spring County, and Ethan Wolcott of Sevier County. The Bobbitts hosted the finalists for lunch. (U of A System Division of Agriculture photo by Mary Hightower)

By Mary Hightower
U of A System Division of Agriculture

LITTLE ROCK — The Governor’s Award, the highest honor offered by the Arkansas 4-H program, is marking its 40th year as four finalists eagerly await the judges’ decision on who will be named the 2023 winner.

“The award was instituted in 1983 as a way to recognize one outstanding 4-H member each year,” said Shannon Caldwell, director of programs for the Arkansas 4-H Center.

Applicants must be former state record book winners and submit a current record book along with two letters of recommendation. Finalists are selected during record book judging and are interviewed, with the winner being determined at a separate judging event. A record book is a log that describes the work a member has done on a project and is an important part of 4-H.

The winner is announced at the annual State 4-H O-Rama, which starts July 25 this year and is held on the University of Arkansas campus in Fayetteville.

“Each finalist exhibits an impressive scope of ‘making the best better’ through their 4-H work,” Caldwell said. “To quote one of the judges, ‘selecting one winner is one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, and I’ve made policies’.”

The finalists were recognized at a luncheon hosted by Donald R. Bobbitt, president of the University of Arkansas System, and his wife, Susan, following rounds of interviews with judges.

This year’s finalists are Jack Berryhill of Hot Spring County; Laven Franklin of Madison County; Lani McClure of Pope County and Ethan Wolcott of Sevier County.

Berryhill, 18, is the 2022-23 Arkansas 4-H state president and has represented Arkansas 4-H at the state Farm Bureau Convention and the American Farm Bureau Convention in Puerto Rico. He also facilitated a roundtable at the Southern Regional Teen Leader Conference in Tennessee. Berryhill has held many leadership positions in 4-H, been a Teen Star and state 4-H Ambassador. He was selected for the 4-H National Congress Youth Leadership team, which is responsible for leading all assemblies at the national congress. Berryhill is also a member of the Tech Changemaker program and is frequently seen at 4-H events working as part of the 4-H Video Crew. Berryhill also has an extensive record of community service.

Franklin, 17, has been part of the Arkansas 4-H program for 11 years. He enjoys music theory, plays the piano and guitar and also likes gardening. He has also started a robotics club and soon those simple club STEM projects turned into him fielding a remote-controlled submersible team for the SeaPerch competition. He teaches piano and leads his homeschool robotics club. Among his achievements were being the state 4-H robotics record book winner and his team placed second in the state SeaPerch competition. He spent 2022 learning JavaScript and C++ coding and was taking college trigonometry.

McClure, 18, has been a 4-H member since elementary school. She has served as state Ambassador, National 4-H Congress delegate and said she is ready and willing to encourage and advocate for Arkansas 4-H families. She is always looking for an opportunity to share her 4-H experience and encourage non-4-Hers to get involved. During her time as a national delegate, she spoke to more than 300 schoolchildren in Atlanta about 4-H.

She has used her skills in her main project areas from encouraging individual development in the fine arts, to leading painting workshops and digital art classes. She also organized and led sections of the Pope County 4-H Achievement Banquet in 2022.

Wolcott, 19, started in 4-H when he was 8. Since then, he’s been a Teen Star, 4-H Ambassador and won the Advanced Record Book competition in 2021. Wolcott has championed community service, especially to other youth and families. In 2022, he lent his energies to three new organizations that help families and youth: 100 Families, Breaking the Ties that Bind and You Matter. Over the last two years, Wolcott helped raise more than $72,200 for his community, just in Christmas projects alone. Wolcott was a finalist for the 2022 Governor’s Award and was inducted into the Arkansas 4-H Hall of Fame this year.

Judges for the 2023 Governor’s Award are Christina Breckenridge, Ed.D., chief of staff for the UA System vice president for agriculture; J. J. Pitman, C. A. Vines Arkansas 4-H Center director and Desarae Nelson, Ed.D. TRIO Student Support Services director at the University of Arkansas-Little Rock.

To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.uada.edu. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram at @AR_Extension. To learn more about Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website: https://aaes.uada.du/. Follow us on Twitter at @ArkAgResearch. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit https://uada.edu/. Follow us on Twitter at @AgInArk.