West Chester Lawn And Garden

4-H program 'not all cows and corn'

One of the biggest elements of the Butler County Fair is the 4-H program, which attracts approximately 1400 youth. But contrary to popular belief, they are not all there with farm animals, albeit much of it.

According to Erin Sloan Simpson, a program coordinator at the 4-H Office of the Ohio State University Extension Butler County, there are 70 4-H clubs in the county of Butler, organized primarily by district, each with its own interest and concentrate.

“The purpose of the 4-H program is to let young people gain different kinds of knowledge and develop skills that will help them in the future,” she said.

“We have clubs that are very old and some very new because when a club gets very large, a group of them may branch off to form a club of their own with their own special interest,” she said. “It’s good to have a variety.”

Sloan said there are more than 200 project booklets that youngsters can choose from, some are downloadable for free and others obtained for a minimal cost, usually $5, from the OSU office.And some of them are focused on animals and agriculture.

Living in a subdivision on the West Side of Hamilton, Michael Nye is a member of Club Mystique Makers and has a wide variety of non-animal, non-agricultural projects. This is the third year, he made a robotics project, which continues to receive the most advanced. He also proposed a toast, which forced him to pack up and cook a meal for his family on a remote site (a lesson in the organization as much as the kitchen) and a proposed fitness. Twice he is qualified for the state, first candle, then arc (non-shooting).

Michael, a student at St. Peter in chains that will soon be 14, is not only following in the footsteps of his sister, Bethany, who got to join as "Clover Bud" non-competition at the age of 7 but also his mother, Jennifer, who was a 10-year member of 4-H when she grew up in Findlay. She also lived within the city and specializes in sewing projects, but also participated in the 'dog obedience and public speaking, which leads to take a major in fashion design at the University of Cincinnati. And it was his 4-H friends who presented Tom Nye, who would become her husband.

“It’s not about all cows, corn and cooking,” Jennifer Nye said. “4-H really picks up where schools leave off, giving kids an opportunity to learn life skills, which are not bad things to learn. I knew a girl in college who couldn’t sew a button on her shirt and was going to throw it out because of that.

Cornell-Westchester in Dire Straits | In the Garden

Cornell Cooperative Extension left in limbo as Astorino denies $ 1 million in funds approved in Westchester, in today's Journal News

And email from master gardener Donna Sharrett, who heads the Ossining organic community garden:

"Dear fans Cornell Cooperative Extension,

Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) has not contract with Westchester County. The Board of Legislators approved a credit of $ 990,000 for the CEC at the end of 2010, but the administration of the County Executive has not issued a contract as of today, July 22, 2011.The office of the County Executive continues to stall, repeatedly asking the CEC to complete the forms they did, but no contract was created.

Without the county funding the CEC will not, by law, to receive state or federal funds and will be eliminated.

CCE is the word at the meeting of the Board of Legislators Committee on Environment Monday, July 25th at 15:00 to address these problems. The meeting on the 8th floor of the building of the County, at 148 Martine Avenue, White Plains.  Your show of support in the form of appearing at the hearing, writing letters, writing e-mails, and making phone calls to your legislators and the County Executive Rob Astorino would be very helpful.

Rob Astorino’s contact information: Email: CEO@westchestergov.com mail: Office of the County Executive, 148 Maritine Avenue, White Plains, NY 10601, Telephone: 914-995-2127.

Please copy Board of Legislators Chairman Ken Jenkins (Jenkins@westchesterlegislators.com) and Barbara Sacks, director of CCE (bks28@cornell.edu).

Please help keep this 96 year old venerable program with its essential & non duplicated services in Westchester County.

Article in today’s Journal News: http://www.lohud.com/article/20110722/NEWS02/107220334/Cornell-Cooperative-Extension-left-limbo-Astorino-denies-1-million-approved-Westchester-funds?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|Frontpage

Thank you for your continued support.

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