Boone County

A Brief History of 4-H

Boone County

Boone County formed its first two clubs in 1924, Ashland and Woodlandville.                       The Woodlandville 4-H Club is still growing strong.

It is interesting to look down the road that 4-H has traveled, following it up to the present day program. Perhaps it will give us a deeper understanding and greater appreciation.

Several people and states claim to have the 4-H origin. It is true because many did play a part in starting and shaping the program, but the origin cannot be attributed to any one person. Many boys’ clubs sprang up around the turn of the century. Thus, it is more accurate to say 4-H started as a movement. The boys’ clubs sprang up in several different states at about the same time. In Illinois and New York, corn clubs were popular with boys. The boys who could grow the most corn per acre received much acclaim. Others included pig clubs in Iowa, vegetable clubs in Ohio…and the movement spread rapidly. The girls were not far behind. As early as 1903, home culture clubs were organized. Girls carried on projects in needlework, bread baking and exhibited at Farmers Institutes.

The movement developed as a response to a need in rural America for practical education. Farmers lagged behind the development of new farming methods and information. Thus, the purpose of the clubs was to communicate new agricultural methods and information to farmers (parents) through their sons.

In 1907, a series of three boys’ encampments were held in Missouri. The program included instructions and demonstrations on modern practices in agriculture.

In 1914, The Smith Lever Act brought the Agricultural Extension Services into being. Boys’ and girls’ clubs were made a part of the Extension Service.

The first club work to be organized in Missouri was a corn club in Iron County. It was one of 326 clubs organized the first year.

In the beginning, 4-H was built on one basic idea. That a boy and girl would elect to assume a responsibility and carry it out using approved methods and practices. Today, project work is much broader than it was in 1914, but the responsibility is the same. Projects were and still are the lifeline of 4-H work.

Before 4-H had a chance to develop very far, World War I started and all efforts were turned toward production. After the war, a trend to separate 4-H from schools started. A national leaders meeting in Kansas City resulted in the establishment of the needs of a lasting program which included the following:

Local Club Organization

Local Self Determination

Community, State and National Cooperative

Program with educational value designed to fit the abilities of youth

With this move, emphasis changed from dissemination of information and methodology, to the importance of the development of boys and girls.

In 1927, the 4-H Club pledge, motto and emblem were adopted.

The program began to branch out beyond moneymaking projects, to activities with educational, aesthetic and community service objectives.

A significant development in the Missouri 4-H program took place in the late thirties when the community type club was organized. This took 4-H out of schools, making it an all year round program, organized at the community level. With this change came opportunities for more group work in the form of activities. The clubs began to select subjects, which they could work on together or carry out individual project work.

In the 1940s, Junior Leadership was introduced as a project, the project was designed for the upper teen members.

In the mid-1940s, IFYE Program was developed. In the early days, it was called the "International Farm Youth Exchange." In the 1990s, it became known as the "International 4-H Youth Exchange." Through this experience, the 4-H delegates from the United States had the opportunity to travel abroad. In exchange, those who travel to the United States are able to spend some time with their hosts and learn about the American culture.

The History of the 4-H’s

It is well established that 4-H work started with Cooperative Extension in 1914, prior to the three series of acts provided for the Land Grant Colleges.

Morrill Act of 1862, provided the teaching of agriculture

Hatch Act of 1887, provided experimental stations for research work

Smith-Lever Act of 1914, was the third of a series of acts that provided for the Land Grant Colleges

In 1927, Boys and Girls Club work officially became known as the 4-H Club work. This change in name and direction came out of the National Club Leaders Conference in June, at the First National Club Camp in Washington D.C. with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Land Grant colleges cooperating.

As early as 1910, Club work began writing program(s), not as a textbook handed down from above, but as a living story starting from its grass roots. In the unwritten, experimental, evolutionary nature of club work, came its greatness.

The new activities and the rapidly mushrooming enrollment in boys and girls clubs called for more help in the Washington D.C. Office of Farmers Cooperatives Demonstration Work.

By 1910, O.B. Martin bore the burden of ministering to the growing army of young demonstrators. During that year, it became evident that Martin would need help. The man selected was O.B. Benson, superintendent of schools in Wright County, Iowa.

The Clover

Previous stories of the origin of the emblem have left the impression that the cloverleaf design was adopted in 1913, first as a label for canned tomatoes, then as a badge for 4-H members. Records show that the emblem was adopted as both label and badge in 1911, the first year that Benson came to Washington D.C.  Both Benson and Jessie Field have used three-leaf and four-leaf pins as awards to counties.

Benson brought the idea to Washington D.C. with him. He stated that the emblem was adopted at a meeting of boys and girls club leaders in Washington D.C. in the spring of 1911. He added that O.B. Martin had suggested that fourth "H" represent Health.

The four "H’s" in 4-H stand for:

The Head was to be trained to think, plan and reason

The Heart was to be kind, true and sympathetic

The Hands were to be useful, helpful and skillful

The Health was to resist disease, enjoy life and make it more efficient

Boone County 4-H main page | Boone County Extension Center main page
		Boone County University of Missouri Extension Center booneco@missouri.edu Updated 10/13/09