I pledge...

my head to clearer thinking,
my hands to greater service,
my health to better living,
and heart to... well i can't remember.

Well that is what I remember from the 4-H pledge. With all the propaganda there is about voting to support 4-H, I don't think it will continue.

I was big into 4-H, but a little bit less after I got started in FFA. I really kind of lost interest when the group decided they didn't want to vote me as president. I was good enough to be the FFA president, but the 4-H group wanted a girl who projects were photography or some lamer project.

One of the reasons I am not in support of the vote is the youth involvment. Not many kids are taking the core projects such as livestock and crops. Sure, many young people enjoy taking projects, but for the most part the fair is a big expense that doesn't apply anymore. Schools have to let kids out a week, parents have to give out all kinds of money, and neither of those support agriculture, the basis for a county fair.

The county fair is to commercial. The basis for such an event should be agriculture, and not enough kids are involved in agriculture nowadays. I don't think our tax dollars are worth pumping money into that fund. Use them for something else. The kids that do live on farms and have an interest in livestock will just have to go on some independent program until they get to high school and join FFA. That is if FFA is even around and not cut from high schools by that time.

I don't think enough kids live on farms to justify having a solid 4-H program. I can only think of three I graduated with that did real farming that would have projects to show off their work. I don't know what those numbers are for the rest of the area, but it can't be all that high. Why should tax dollars be forced into that program when the youth around will not get that benefit?

Another reason is who is going to administer the 4-h program? Money keeps getting cut for the ag departments county wide. The person who was in charge when I was around is now doing two counties and the job likely won't be replaced when she retires.

Most of the projects now a days at the county fairs are small household animals and photography. Gun projects and 4-wheeler safety also seem to dominate. Sure the kids are interested, but I don't think making a fuss for those is worth the effort. Youth today are going to park themselves in front of computers and TV's, and saying or acting like 4-h is going to help will not help.

times typed "oftern"-0