4-H Youth Development
4-H Youth Development
4-H is a youth organization committed to building outstanding leaders with marketable skills to succeed in today’s global society. 4-H empowers youth to reach their full potential, working and learning in partnership with caring adults.
JOIN 4-H! CLICK BELOW TO PRINT THE ENROLLMENT FORM, FILL IT OUT AND RETURN IT TO THE ADAIR COUNTY EXTENSION OFFICE AT 409 FAIRGROUND STREET, COLUMBIA, KY 42728
Important 4-H Clubs and other information
For Bronze, Silver, and Gold Applications Only
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS
- The applicant must be an enrolled 4-H member in good standing in his/her county. Youth who have reached their nineteenth birthday but were enrolled 4-H members in Program Year 2024 (September 1, 2023 – August 31, 2024) are still eligible to apply.
- The applicant is required to have participated and been a 4-H member in Kentucky for at least one year.
- The application should report on 4-H specific activities, events, or projects unless otherwise noted.
- An activity, event, project, or program may only be used once in one area per program year.
Click on the links below for the application
2024-2025 4-H Club Meeting Dates:
(Dates are subject to change or be cancelled. Come to the meetings regularly and sign up for Remind or with your club leader to have the latest information about each club, also check this page before your meeting to see any changes. This may not include all meetings. Some months aren't scheduled yet. We are awaiting meeting dates for the other clubs not listed. Those will be posted as soon as we have them. Thank you & check back often!
Cloverbuds Club
Participation, safety, personal development, learning and fun are the highest priorities in providing 4-H Cloverbuds programs.
The Cloverbuds program provides an excellent opportunity for children to reach their highest potential because early life experiences, even subtle ones, affect future development.
If you have any Cloverbuds Club or Cloverbuds Camp questions, please feel free to contact Tony Rose, trose@uky.edu or call the Adair County Extension Office at 270-384-2317.
Click above to print the Ham Flyer and Contract for 2025
Country Ham Project
The country ham has been a food tradition in Kentucky and throughout the southeast for hundreds of years. The Kentucky 4-H Country Ham project continues the tradition of the country ham. The project began in the late 1990’s with less than 40 4-Hers to currently over 775 4-Hers from greater than 65 Kentucky counties. The project begins in the cold winter months of January and ends in August at the Kentucky State Fair, where the hams are judged by members of the Kentucky Country Ham Producers and the students present a 3 to 5 minute speech on the project. Throughout the project the 4-Hers learn about food production and how the country ham fits into Kentucky’s food heritage.
Description: Open to youth ages 9-18 years old. Youth learn about and complete the curing process of a country ham. Youth are required to complete a 3-5 minute speech at the Kentucky State Fair or they forfeit their hams and all fees. You must pre-register for project! Registration materials are available via online and at the Adair County Cooperative Extension Office.
Tony Rose, Adair County 4-H Agent for Youth Development.
Questions? Contact Tony @ 270-384-2317 or trose@uky.edu
Adair County Fair
4-H Youth Floral Hall
Location: Adair County Cooperative Extension Service
409 Fairground Street in Columbia KY
2025 Dates coming soon
Adair County youth ages 9-18 are encouraged to enter their 4-H projects in the Adair County Fair. Age is based on the youth's age as of January 1, 2025. Cloverbud youth ages 8 and under may display their exhibits also during the County Fair. For non-animal-based projects, the Adair County Fair is the qualifying event for a youth to advance to the Kentucky State Fair.
County and State Fair Exhibit Rules
These rules are updated annually and will be followed in determining class champions that will advance to the State Fair. It is the youth's responsibility to prepare the exhibits according to the guidelines. Many of the categories refer to 4-H publications that can be picked up at the Adair County Extension Office. Contact the Extension Office for specific category questions.
University of Kentucky 4-H Entomology Page
4-H Horse Program
The 4-H Horse Program in Kentucky is designed to reach youth that have a passion for horses, whether they own one or not. The program offers a variety of areas that the 4-Hers can be involved, learn valuable skills, and make friends for life. To participate in state-level 4-H events you must be a member of your county 4-H Horse club and complete 6 hours of education through the club's certified volunteer leader.
Online Educational Programs
Horse Discovery- The Horse Discovery site has the resources you need to complete this short course about horses. There are eight sections in the course: Breeds, Forages, Bits, Equipment, Parasites, Horseshoes, Horse Selection, Materials.
AFS 4-H Youth Horse- UK CAFE Animal Science 4-H Horse Page
Virtual Tour of the Kentucky Horse Park
Horse Workbook
The Livestock Club is for youth who have an interest in participating in livestock projects. This club includes beef, dairy, goat, sheep, swine, poultry, and country ham project. The youth will learn how to conduct a successful livestock project.
This group will have many areas to participate in. The group will be taking part in the 4-H Stream Team study to track water quality throughout our area. Other programs related to the environmental study will also be included. The group will participate in canoe/kayaking, hiking, and other outdoor activities.
Insect Collections:
UK 4-H Website has all the information you need to complete a 4-H Insect Collection you can enter in the 4-H Project Fair.
UK 4-H Entomology Web site: https://entomology.ca.uky.edu/4-h-and-youth-entomology
https://entnemdept.ufl.edu/bug_club/bug_ID/index.shtml (Developed in partnership with University of Florida Entomology & Nematology Dept)
4-H State Fair Poultry and Showmanship Information
Just a reminder that the deadline to register for poultry showmanship at the state fair is July 10. No entries will be accepted after that date.
Some important information when registering.
- All the poultry showmanship contests run concurrently – ducks, bantam chicken, and standard chicken. A 4-Her can only enter in ONE contest. Do not enter a 4-Her with multiple birds. They can only show one bird.
4-H Shooting Sports Club
Kentucky 4-H Shooting Sports began in 1988 and is a nationally recognized program that focuses on fostering life skills and positive youth development through healthy competition, service, leadership and education. There are a variety of disciplines offered within the program including archery, muzzleloader, pistol (air & .22 caliber), rifle (air & .22 caliber), shotgun, and hunting and outdoor skills, all of which are taught by a National or State Certified Instructor.
Shooting Sports is open to all youth, 9 to 18 years of age as of their 4-H age (age as of Jan. 1st of that year).
Kentucky 4-H believes that all youth should have opportunities for positive youth development in our four guiding concepts: mastery, belonging, independence, and generosity. This program fosters mastery by learning firearm safety and marksmanship, belonging by taking part in club and community activities, independence by demonstrating responsible firearm use, and generosity by participating in community service and outreach projects.
If you have any questions or need to contact me the best way is to call or text me, Tony Rose, on my cell phone @ (270) 634-0401.
Shooting Sports Information | 4-H Youth Development (uky.edu)
Interested in Volunteering?
If you are interested in being a 4-H Shooting Sports Volunteer
please contact Tony Rose trose@uky.edu. If we do not have Certified Coaches moving forward we may be offering limited disciplines.
Study Materials
Archery
General 4-H
Hunting Skills
Muzzleloader
Pistol
Rifle
Shotgun
Western Heritage
Kentucky 4-H State Shooting Sports Webpage
YOUTH (6-8TH GRADE) AND TEENS (9TH-12TH GRADE)
Interested students should:
*Demonstrate leadership in school and/or community activities.
*Express an interest in furthering their knowledge of the Adair County area.
*Commit to 100% attendance at all sessions.
*Receive a recommendation from their principal or counselor and approval to participate.
*Participants must have a passing grade of at least a B average and must maintain this average throughout the school year. Participants must not get into any discipline problems during school year. If a participant drops below a B average or gets into discipline problems, then he/she will be dropped from the program.
GOALS AND OUTCOMES
Leadership is an important asset for community strength. The young people of this area should be taught leadership and actively engage in leadership activities as a valuable resource in furthering the community.
The goals of this program are to educate young people about our community; to educate young people about leadership; and to engage young people in community involvement.
The intended outcomes of this program are to promote the values of leadership and community involvement; to create future leaders in our community; to create relationships between youth and local businesses and organizations; and to promote the strengths of the Adair County area.
SELECTION PROCESS
Using the objectives of the Youth Leadership Program, the Selection Committee will review all applications and select the participants for this year’s program. All applicants will be notified in writing of the
Selection Committee’s decision.
TIME COMMITMENT
Monthly sessions will be held during the day during the months of September, October, November, January, February, March, and April. These will be planned on as many non-school days as possible.
What is 4-H?
4-H Youth Development is part of Kentucky Cooperative Extension. Extension’s mission is to make a positive difference in the lives of Kentucky citizens through non-formal education for the entire family. Extension agents and volunteers take the results of university research and explain it in such a way that different age groups can learn and apply the information to their own lives. Kentucky 4-H believes in providing positive youth development experiences that all youth to experience belonging, mastery, independence, and generosity.
4-H is a youth organization committed to building outstanding leaders with marketable skills to succeed in today’s global society. 4-H empowers youth to reach their full potential, working and learning in partnership with caring adults. The four H's represent the idea of Head, Heart, Hands, and Health. These are the values members work on through fun and engaging programs.
Head Managing, Thinking
Heart Relating, Caring
Hands Giving, Working
Health Being, Living
How does 4-H benefit youth?
4-H’ers, regardless of their background, socio-economic status, race or gender, benefit from their participation in Kentucky 4-H. Positive youth development studies have affirmed that compared to other youth, young people involved in 4-H are:
- Four times more likely to contribute to their communities.
- Two times more likely to be civically active.
- Two times more likely to make healthier lifestyle choices.
- Two times more likely to participate in Science, Engineering and Computer Technology programs during out-of-school time.
- 4-H girls are two times more likely (Grade 10) and nearly three times more likely (Grade 12) to take part in science programs compared to girls in other out-of-school time activities.
Tony Rose
Extension Agent, 4-H Youth Development
(270) 384-2317 trose@uky.edu Adair County Extension Office 409 Fairground St., Columbia, Kentucky 42728-0309
