4-H: A way of life could be a thing of the past

On a farm east of Hugo in Washington County, the Anderson family arrives at the barn early on Saturdays to train their steers and heifers for the county fair. Teenagers Kelvin and Vince belong to 4-H, the youth development program, as did their parents and grandparents.

"To our family it's a way of life," said the boys' mother, Carrie Anderson, who spent 10 years in 4-H when she was a girl. "It's an activity that we can pull several generations together."

But now it's possible that 4-H won't survive the summer in Washington County as commissioners prune $3.2 million from their budget. The county could become the first in Minnesota to cut all funding for 4-H, lopping $130,000 spent on two full-time program coordinators who steer the largely volunteer organization.

If the county's proposal to end funding for 4-H comes to pass, programs and activities for 850 youth would end by July.

Leaders of 4-H youth worry that the trend in Washington County -- because 4-H isn't a "core service" of government -- will spread to other counties in the state, where 4-H has been a staple for 100 years.

"These are unprecedented times that we're dealing with," said Aimee Viniard-Weideman, assistant dean for the University of Minnesota Extension Service. At least five other counties now are considering reductions in 4-H because they're struggling to pay for state-mandated services and 4-H isn't one of them, she said. "We're very aware of that scenario playing out for us in the next few years."

To participants, 4-H remains a sacred institution with roots deep in Minnesota's agrarian past. To some public officials, 4-H funding represents an albatross at a time when money is scarce because of deep cuts in state aid to counties and declining revenue from fees and interest earnings.

"The bottom line is we don't have a lot of money and we have hard choices," said Myra Peterson, who chairs the Washington County board. County funding, she said, will be reduced to bare essentials.

That's riled families like the Andersons who see it as the county's duty to help develop tomorrow's leaders.

"They have many tough choices to make and this is another one to add to their list," Carolyn Anderson said of Washington County's five commissioners. "We do want the commissioners to realize we're the tax-paying public and this is one activity we want funded by our tax-paying dollars."

A deluge of calls, e-mails

The Anderson family and dozens of others in Washington County have taken their protests to cyberspace, logging hundreds of comments on a Facebook page. They're besieging commissioners with phone calls and e-mails, and on Tuesday, about 50 supporters swept into the weekly board meeting to lobby for 4-H, warning that with no 4-H program, the county fair will die.

"We need to show them what 4-H does for the community," said Kelvin Anderson, 17, a junior at Stillwater Area High School. A quiet and shy youth before he joined 4-H nine years ago, he's now president of the Washington County 4-H Federation, the governing board of the county's 4-H clubs, and looks forward to a career in agricultural research.

Kelvin's father, Steve, serves on the executive board of the Washington County Agricultural Society, which runs the county fair, where 4-H members showcase their skills. They work on projects ranging from science and technology to wildlife biology to landscaping and wetlands management. Photography is the most popular project in Washington County, followed by crafts and fine arts, and then horses. But it's not projects by themselves that benefit youth the most, 4-H leaders say, but the public speaking and leadership skills that grow from them. (4-H stands for four personal development areas of focus for the organization: head, heart, hands and health.) "It's all about educating," said Ann Church, one of the program coordinators who could lose her job if Washington County votes to end its contract with the University of Minnesota Extension Service. "A huge self-esteem builder," is how her colleague, Anja Koester, describes the program.

Commissioner Gary Kriesel said he supports the mission of 4-H but wonders why families can't find a way to sustain the program without county funding. "I'm scratching my head wondering why the fair would go away if we didn't fund two extension employees," he said. "We didn't cut their budget, the state did. They should take their argument not to the county but to the legislators."

Commissioners will vote on the fate of 4-H sometime this month.

Pat Morreim, a regional director for the Extension Service, said the state and 4-H families already pay tens of thousands of dollars to keep 4-H afloat. She also said 4-H clubs in Washington County receive about $22,000 in grants to allow disadvantaged youth to participate.

Commissioner Lisa Weik wants county funding of 4-H to continue, although she prefers to negotiate a lower price. "I'm hoping we can work out some kind of a compromise solution that can be fiscally responsible," she said.

The $130,000 that Washington County planned to spend on 4-H this year matches Hennepin and Scott counties, is more than Carver but less than Anoka and Dakota counties. Of Minnesota's 87 counties, only Cook and Ramsey don't contract with the Extension Service for 4-H program coordinators, Viniard-Weideman said. That's because Ramsey receives federal funds for an urban-based program, she said, and because Cook has so few residents. But Cook, with about 5,000 residents, still has an office for other Extension Service programs and a regional 4-H director provides some classes for youth.

"Washington will be the first county that has ended all contracts with us," Viniard-Weideman said.

Kevin Giles • 612-673-4432