4-H goes to the Ohio State Fair

Janelle Seger came to the Ohio State Fair with a goal in mind.

And it wasn't to eat too much cotton candy or win a huge stuffed animal.

Seger, a recent high school graduate and the 2006 Ohio Pork Industry Queen, wanted "to encourage more people to cook with pork."

As part of a 4-H program, she and Andrea Holthaus, a fellow Shelby County 4-Her and a high school sophomore, demonstrated how to cook "Prize-Winning Peachy Pork Picante" at the fair.

"I was born and raised on a farrow-to-finish hog operation, so I 've been working with pigs and the pork industry pretty much all of my life," Seger says.

Each summer, the Ohio State Fair gives 7,000 to 8,000 club members--ranging in age from third grade to 18--a chance to show off the winning projects they've shown at county fairs.

While some people think of 4-H as a rural program, that's not true these days, says Vicki Schwartz, a specialist in the 4-H youth development office.

Chapters in farming communities show students how to raise and show livestock, but they also teach computer skills. And urban chapters have programs for city kids. In Cleveland, Schwartz says, 4-H members "can come and learn skateboarding and windsurfing and canoeing--things that you don't find in a traditional community club."

"We want the kids to be learning some interaction skills, to understand that there are folks and organizations out there that could be benefitting from volunteer efforts that you as a child might provide," Schwartz says. "That type of experience can transfer into getting you ready for the job market."

"There's a piece of Ohio State in every county and hopefully in every community through the 4-H club," Schwartz says.

Related links:

Find out more about Ohio 4-H

Join Ohio 4-H (off-site)

Ohio State's College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences

(text/images: University Marketing Communications)

About 4-H

• 4-H stands for Head, Heart, Hands, and Health.
• The group has chapters in each county in Ohio.
• The club was founded in 1902, when Ohio State's Agricultural Experiment Station gave 85 children corn to grow.
• One in six Ohioans is or has been involved with Ohio 4-H.
• Between 7,000 and 8,000 4-Hers participate in Ohio State Fair contests.