The Legacy Behind Stevens County’s 4-H Club

As Stevens County 4-H clubs celebrate National 4-H Week from Oct. 4-10, the Statesman-Examiner looks at one family that has participated in the organization for generations. According to the National 4-H Council, 4-H is a development-oriented organization designed for youth specifically focused on agriculture, leadership, and life skills. Resident Sara Johnson and her three children have been part of the Stevens County 4-H Club for many years.

Johnson said, “My mom moved to Stevens County as a young girl from Montana. She had two sisters, and they grew up riding ponies.” Johnson said that her mom’s family lived in a pretty active area where people would participate in various 4-H events and play days. “She saw busy families taking time to do those events, and so I think that was really instilled in her memory and just a positive thing.” Living in a rural farm area surrounded by animals and neighbors who were involved in 4-H, Johnson said she also associates the organization with positive memories and decided to create her own 4-H club called the Pony Express 4-H Club.

This name was inspired by the families’ memories of their ponies, she said. Johnson said she passed on the 4-H tradition to her own children including Raena (17), Joel (13), and Porter (12). Johnson explained that her family began with raising beef cattle on their farm, but that the large animals proved to be too big a project for young children, so the Johnson kids switched to chickens. Raena Johnson said, “I would like to encourage anybody who needs a 4-H project and does not want to keep a 1,700-pound steer that a chicken is a perfect project for basically anybody. That’s really what taught me to learn by doing.” Raena Johnson, the president of her 4-H club, shared her views on leadership and how it sparks interest in the younger generations. “Our club is really good at organization and getting the leadership part down.

My favorite part is the parliamentary procedure, which is something almost nobody … my age gets exposure nowadays outside of public school clubs. The parliamentary procedure is a huge benefit to basically anybody.” Raena Johnson also explained how 4-H is relevant to youth, particularly those in rural areas. “One thing I noticed is that my grandma, when she came over here, joined 4-H with her kids, with my mom and her aunt. She joined because they were already steeped in agriculture, and that’s something not a lot of people have today. While she was getting into it because she was already grounded in agriculture, we get into it so that we can stay grounded in agriculture.” Sara Johnson discussed her family’s 4-H legacy and its roots in agriculture in relation to its impact on the state. “If agriculture is such an important industry and children are the future of agriculture, that means that educating ourselves and our peers and our children is a way of securing this industry, and that will keep our nation going.”

The emblem of 4-H is a green clover. According to the National 4-H Council, the four Hs in the symbol recognize the different focuses on personal development in the organization: head, heart, hands, and health. Raena Johnson added, “It’s also a symbol of connection to your community and your fellow farmers. We’re all trying to educate ourselves and each other, not only about animals, but other skills that we’re trying to teach the kids or learn ourselves.” National 4-H week is a time for celebration, Sara Johnson said, adding, “We have an end of the 4-H year club meeting, and we’re going to look back on the successes of the year and what went well and what we can do even better for next year. We’re going to get together and have some contests and do some trivia games and everything else we usually do as a club. It’s always kind of a chance to just breathe after our culminating fair (which took place in August) and just look back on … the whole year.” Taking part in the 4-H program has many benefits, although it is not without its challenges. Sara Johnson said it begins with purchasing animals; having the room to care for them; handling animal health; and understanding that the larger the animal project, the higher the cost. She said this activity is not without risk, but with risk, there is also a valuable lesson and learned experience. “I would encourage people to not think that it’s just animals in 4-H. There’s always a project somewhere. I really do think there’s something for everybody,” Sara Johnson said.