by ewestbrook | Nov 13, 2015
For more than 33 years, Priscilla Weaver has been teaching youth about animal science through the 4-H club program.
This time of the year you can find her at the North Florida Fairgrounds in the livestock buildings. As the North Florida Fair’s Livestock Director she’ll be busy putting on a great livestock show and competition for youth and adults. Priscilla Weaver is passionate about growing the 4-H animal science program. For more than two generations (33 years) Priscilla has been teaching youth about animal sciences and animal husbandry as the Kapra Kids Dairy Goat 4-H Club Leader in Wakulla County, Florida.
Priscilla started the club when she saw a need for her children and their friends to have an opportunity to participate in 4-H. “Youth need things like 4-H in their lives to grow up well,” says Priscilla. When asked why she thinks youth need 4-H Priscilla replied, “4-H teaches young people so many things, things like responsibility, caring and the ability to see a project through to its end.”
Priscilla has raised dairy goats her whole life, so when she started her club she worked with her club members in that project area. Her club has had as many as 16 members before and has won uncounted number of awards and ribbons showing their goats and their dairy by-products like cheese and soap at the Florida State Fair in Tampa, Florida
. Priscilla feels strongly about teaching today’s youth about animal husbandry saying,
“It teaches them so many things; math and science, recordkeeping, planning and responsibility. Participating in a 4-H animal project also teaches caring and empathy by having responsibility for an animal,” says Priscilla.
Empathy and caring are two traits Priscilla has in abundance. When not volunteering for 4-H, she spends her free time working at the fair, caring for her own livestock, or volunteering with the senior group at her local church. These traits also display in the activities of Priscilla’s 4-H club as they participate in many community service projects and also in her leadership of multi-club service projects at places like the local senior center.
When asked what has kept her going as a 4-H volunteer for so many years Priscilla will tell you that it’s because, “she loves working with the youth.” Because of volunteers like Pricilla, 4-H is able to help youth grow resilience, empathy, and responsibility through animal science programs. These are life skills that will help youth be successful no matter what career path they choose. If you want help empower young people to be the best they can be by sharing your passions in a meaningful way Like Priscilla has, consider becoming a 4-H volunteer. The Florida 4-H Program offers a wide variety of volunteer roles to fit your schedule, interests and skills. Contact your local UF IFAS Extension Office or visit http://florida 4h.org/volunteer for more information on how to volunteer today.
by Whitney Cherry | Oct 8, 2015
Growing up, we lived on a farm. At the age of 8, and not weighing much more than 50 pounds, my dad called me outside to a relatively small pen that he had fenced off the weekend before. He taught ag, so farming was more of a hobby for us, but this was something new. I noticed my grandpa’s old beat up blue horse trailer backed to the pen’s gate. I can remember my dad helping me climb onto the wheel well of the trailer and peek through the slats to see two yearling steers. One black and one red and white. “Which one do you want?” he asked. At the time I didn’t know that the judge always picks the black cow to win, in fact, I didn’t know there were any judges involved at all. I didn’t know why these cows were at our house about to go into a special pen. All I knew was that red cow was beautiful, and that’s the one I chose. My dad laughed and said, “He’s a haus.” So that became his name.
As it turns out, Haus was a show steer. With my dad’s help I spent a lot of cold, dark evenings after school walking that steer with fingers so numb I thought they’d break off if he jerked too hard. I learned to groom him. I learned to lead him. I learned how to feed him properly. And I learned that extra hoses and an automatic waterer were well worth the investment the next year when it cut down on the number of trips I had to make with cumbersome, sloshing, five gallon buckets of water to make sure the cows didn’t go thirsty.
I quickly fell in love with the whole idea of showing cattle, and by the Fed Cattle Show, Haus was well over 1,500 lbs. Incidentally, I hadn’t gained an ounce – in retrospect it might have had something to do with hauling those buckets of feed and water. However, I wasn’t scared. You see, as Haus grew, so did I. Not physically as I mentioned before, but my skill had grown, and so had my confidence.
For those of you who don’t know, showing cattle isn’t like other 4-H competitions where you are placed in age categories. The classes are based on animal weight in a steer show. So I walked in the ring to show with people more than twice my age. I didn’t know any better. As luck would have it, Haus not only placed first in his class, but he placed 2nd in the show as Reserve Grand Champion behind the steer everyone said was the clear favorite. What they couldn’t believe was that an eight year girl with less than a year of show experience and a white-faced red cow had beaten a sixteen year old veteran pro with a pure bread black Angus on her lead. Apparently it was a bit of a toss up between her steer and mine as to which would take the Reserve Champion spot. And as I was repeatedly told, when it’s close, the black cow always wins – no matter who’s on the lead.
From this experience I learned that it didn’t matter my age or size, I could do anything. The confidence I gained from this experience sparked a courage in me that pushed me to become a champion in poultry, livestock, and land judging, in public speaking, and in showing rabbits, chickens and hogs as well. I used each of those experiences to fuel countless other successes in life. And each time I was further building that courage. The same courage that gave me the strength of character to be honest, to show integrity when it’s not easy, and to care for others around me. It gave me the strength of character to make wise choices even when they were widely unpopular and to stand alone when it would have been easier to follow the crowd.
It certainly hasn’t always been easy. And I’ve failed a time or two. But, I continue to grow – much like the 4-H motto suggests, “To Make the Best Better”. I will be forever grateful to my mom and dad for choosing 4-H as the vehicle to start my lifelong journey toward an upstanding character. Through them and their support and guidance I came in contact with agents, volunteers, and friends from other clubs and counties who have helped me grow. Now it’s my turn and yours to inspire the next generation. How will you empower youth in your community to grow through 4-H? 4-H offers a wide range of opportunities for youth and adults- everything from animal science to aerospace. To volunteer or enroll a child in 4-H, contact your local UF IFAS County Extension Office or visit http://florida4h.org. It’s never too late to start growing character and make a positive difference!
by Whitney Cherry | Apr 17, 2015
Dr. Williamson helping a 4-Her at a show
There are many reasons why 4-H has stood the test of time for more than 100 years. In addition to its link with land grant universities, 4-H is family friendly and available in every state and every county in the US (and even some foreign countries like Korea, Cuba, Germany and Italy). In fact, you can be a lifelong participant in 4-H- first as a youth member, then as a collegiate 4-H member, and later as an alumni or volunteer. Dr. Reese Williamson is a great example of how to turn a 4-H experience as a youth into a lifelong passion. She joined 4-H in 1974, in McKean County, Pennsylvania and was active in horse clubs, livestock clubs, downhill ski clubs, and even a square dancing club! As a teen, she fine-tuned her communication and leadership skills as a member of the 4-H County Council, which later led to a summer internship as the 4-H Assistant to the County agent. “My 4-H Extension Agent in Pennsylvania was a motivator and wrote recommendation letters for me for college and vet school,” says Dr. Williamson. “I have been involved in 4-H since 1974 with the exception of the five years while I was in vet school. As soon as I moved to Florida, I looked up my local county Extension Office to become a volunteer.”
When asked why she decided to extend her 4-H involvement as a volunteer, she says “I enjoy that there is a place for everyone [in 4-H]. I enjoy sharing the joy of learning and of livestock and horses with youth. It’s important that youth know where their agricultural products come from, that they respect animals and the impact they have on the environment. I want them to have a positive experience with horses and other animals.”
Dr. Williamson with members and alumni of her 4-H club
Without volunteers like Dr. Williamson, many youth would not have opportunities to learn about agriculture or develop life skills such as responsibility, confidence, and compassion. She shares, “It’s challenging to be a youth volunteer in today’s society. Most youth are from single-parent families. Children are living in two homes with multiple parents and grandparents often creates scheduling conflicts, but we must put the children first- they are the priority. It’s important to me to never disappoint or extinguish a child’s enthusiasm. If a child works towards a goal, it’s important that they are not prevented from completing that goal because of a scheduling boundary.”
Dr. Williamson’s passion for helping youth has had a tremendous impact on the Okaloosa 4-H Program over the past 25 years. Many of her members have become teen volunteers and later, as adult 4-H Alumni, come back to volunteer.
Kyle Godwin, an Okaloosa 4-H Alumni says, “Over the years of being in Dr. Williamson’s 4-H club, both as a member and then as the Club President , she laid many building blocks for me from public speaking to proper animal husbandry. She is always willing to go out of her way to help a new kid get started raising animals.” Another 4-H Alumni, Nathan Moores, shares: “Dr. Williamson has been a dedicated volunteer throughout my 4-H experience and we are blessed to have her. She has gone out of her way to help me and my fellow 4-Hers with our projects, whether it was husbandry questions, vaccinations, or health certificates.”
Do you have a passion or skills that you would like to pass on to the next generation of parents, employees, civic leaders, and decision makers? Dr. Williamson’s advice to anyone considering getting involved is: “Step up and volunteer! With 4-H, you can have a positive influence on our next generation of citizens. It is definitely worth squeezing the time into your schedule.” You don’t have to be a 4-H Alumni or a veterinarian to volunteer. 4-H needs caring adults from a wide variety of backgrounds, skills and experiences. For more information, contact your local UF IFAS Extension Office, or visit http://florida4h.org/volunteers.
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