The California 4-H Horse Classic Team traveled to Denver, CO in January to represent California 4-H at the National Western Roundup. The Horse Classic team included Pyper, Skyler, and Maya from Marin County 4-H, Merideth from San Diego County 4-H, and Lillie, Sarah, and Catherine from Riverside County 4-H. This talented team competed in the Hippology, Team Demonstration, and Individual Demonstration contests. We're thrilled to share that they placed as the Champion Team in Hippology and Team Demonstration!

Qualifying Educational Contests at Horse Classic

The educational contests at the California 4-H State Horse Classic are qualifiers for the Western National Roundup. Registration is opening soon for the contests and the horse riding competition of Horse Classic. For updates and information, please see the Equine Event site. Study materials are available on the Resource Center - Equine Science page.

Our California 4-H Horticulture Team headed to Kalamazoo, Michigan on October 6th to participate in the 2023 National Junior Horticultural Association (NJHA) annual convention. The event included teams from all over the country. Each state brings a state display which highlights agricultural products from their home state. Our theme this year was nut production and we shared samples of various California nuts. It was an exciting and educational experience for all!

Representing California 4-H

Our California 4-H team members— Allura Andersen (Contra Costa County), Richard Paseman (Alameda County), Andrew Logan (Yolo County) and Karenna Henneker (Alameda County)—qualified for the event by being among the highest scoring seniors at the State Field Day Plant Identification Contest in May 2023. Throughout the fall, our team practiced both individually and together via Zoom with our wonderful and dedicated coach, Michael Rethwisch, who taught us so much in a short time. We are so grateful for his support and wisdom.

Our California team did extraordinarily well in the competition, placing 2nd overall! We also placed well individually:

4-H Senior Individual category

• Andrew Logan - 1st place
• Richard Paseman - 5th place
• Allura Andersen- 10th place

Open Individual category: Karenna Henneker, 1st place

In addition to our team, two California 4-H'ers attended the NJHA convention to participate in the open class divisions. In the junior division, James Logan of Yolo County 4-H placed first, and Grace Logan of Yolo County 4-H placed 2nd! They were inspired to join our team at the NJHA convention from participating in the Plant Science Contest at State Field Day, where they placed 1st and 2nd at the Junior level. We are so proud of all their amazing accomplishments and hard work.

Karenna, Allura, Andrew and Richard show off their medals with coach Michael Rethwisch. Photo credit: Julia Logan

Learning, Fun and Team Bonding

The NJHA convention was full of amazing opportunities to learn about horticulture and to make lasting friendships and connections with teammates. The team participated in several workshops and tours, including to the Kalamazoo Valley Community College Food Innovation Center. We toured the facility and learned about aquaponics, hydroponics, and horticulture therapy. In addition, we had several study sessions and workshops with NJHA leaders, our coach Michael, and even a very exciting round of Horticultural Connections, a jeopardy-like game complete with buzzers, pitting states vs. each other in a fun and friendly way.
 

Andrew, Karenna and Richard in a greenhouse at the Kalamazoo Valley Community College Food Innovation Center. Photo Credit: Marsha Henneker

Sharing a Passion for Horticulture

The NJHA convention is a wonderful opportunity for youth who are passionate about horticulture to meet new people with similar interests and learn from experienced horticulturalists from all over the United States. The highlight of the convention is the Plant Identification Contest, where youth identify 100 different plant samples, answer 80 multiple choice questions, and complete a judging section, where youth grade plants by quality and uniformity.

We are all grateful for:

• The support from our families, who encouraged over the last several months and for attending the convention with us
• State and County 4-H leaders for their generous support
• NJHA leaders for convening such an inspirational convention, and
• Especially our coach, Michael Rethwisch, for his support, expert coaching and encouragement to do our very best.

Plant Science Contest at State Field Day

We'll be hosting the Plant Science Contest at State Field Day again this year in May, on the UC Davis campus. Subscribe to the state 4-H newsletter to stay updated on contest registration and event updates as it gets closer.

This April, five of us California 4-H'ers traveled to Washington D.C. for the 2023 National 4-H Conference. We even had a California 4-H'er, Ben Cederlof, on the USDA's 4-H Youth Leadership Team for the second year in a row! With a focus on civic engagement and leadership, we participated in roundtables to create briefings for federal agencies like the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and met with our Congress people to discuss support for 4-H at a federal level. We had opportunities to see historic sites and monuments, as well as to meet and engage with 4-H'ers from so many other states and US territories.

It was an incredible experience for all of us to be able to learn more about the 4-H experience of other youths, as well as to be able to share our own stories. We all encourage 4-H'ers in California to consider applying to be a part of future National Conference delegations, as this was something we will never forget!

The California 4-H delegation with Ben at the Congressional offices

Michaela

My name is Michaela and I had the opportunity to be a part of the California delegation to the National 4-H Conference this year! It was my first time traveling to the east coast, and it was absolutely incredible to meet so many people from every corner of our country in one place. We had a state pin exchange on the first day where we even managed to trade with Alaska 4-H!

A highlight of the trip for me was meeting my Congresswoman, Katie Porter. We discussed support for 4-H through the Farm Bill, and had an amazing meeting with her. It was incredible to see how our efforts led her to advocate for 4-H on the House floor a month later. (Watch the video here!)

I even got to meet a cabinet member, Secretary Marcia Fudge of the U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and presented a briefing to her staff about how HUD-assisted youth can be helped to gain more financial education, though it technically didn't have much to do with civic engagement or leadership. Learning line dances from the other 4-H'ers was pretty cool too!

Meeting with Congresswoman Katie Porter

Isabelle

Hi! My name is Isabelle, and I was a part of the California National 4-H Conference delegation. My roundtable (shoutout roundtable 17!) was focused on the Department of Labor and youth workforce and education re-entry programs. My favorite part of the conference (aside from learning a bunch of line dances) was getting to see the city of D.C. and exploring the different landmarks, both with the whole group during the night tour and with my delegation. During the night tour, we played Presidential Trivia and I answered three out of five questions correctly! I was surprised by how much I knew about presidents. My favorite monument was the Washington Monument, because it looked really pretty with the sky, like you can see in the picture. It was also a fun challenge to try to collect pins from as many states as possible!

Visiting the Lincoln Memorial

CA 4-H delegation at the Washington Monument

Tejas

My name is Tejas, and I loved my experience as a National Conference Delegate for California 4-H. It was incredibly rewarding to be able to provide a youth voice on Capitol Hill and at the Department of Energy, where I presented my youth roundtable. My favorite parts were meeting with our legislators at the Capitol and exploring the city with our delegation. Our roundtable group from all across America put tons of hard work into researching our topic, nuclear energy marketing, and presenting our briefing to staff at the Department's headquarters. Additionally, we all scheduled meetings with our politicians in D.C. to advocate for more funding for 4-H through the Farm Bill. I got a coveted selfie with Senator Alex Padilla! One of my favorite experiences was also getting a library card from the Library of Congress. National 4-H Conference was the single best opportunity I've had to expand on my passion for civic engagement, and I highly recommend attending!

BeReal with Senator Padilla

Roundtable briefing at Dept of Energy HQ

Sanjana

Hi, I'm Sanjana! Being a part of the California 4-H National Conference Delegation has been an incredible, and also rewarding experience. My favorite part of the National 4-H Conference was exploring D.C. and line dancing with the California delegation. It was also great to make 4-H friends from all across the United States, and I'm so glad to still be in touch with my roundtable friends! My roundtable focused on creating a presentation on ensuring success in various career pathways, which we presented to the Department of Education in D.C. It was great to listen to new perspectives and get to know one another. Not only did we engage in roundtables, but we also did community service at the United States National Arboretum! While our delegation was there, we went on a scenic tour and learned about the types of plant species there and their history. We explored the National Bonsai and Penjing Museum, the National Capitol Columns, and various gardens as well.

Visiting the National Bonsai and Penjing Museum

Visiting Georgetown

Rachel

Hi, I'm Rachel from Santa Barbara County! At the 4-H National Conference, I had the chance to present a presentation on Mental Health needs in rural communities to lawmakers and facilitate the discussion of the importance of mental health initiatives.

Through research with my workshop group, I learned how mental health is a serious issue in rural America. According to the National Rural Health Association, rural Americans are more likely to experience mental health problems than their urban counterparts. They are also less likely to have access to mental health care. Our goal in meeting with lawmakers was to raise awareness of this issue and to urge them to support mental health programs in rural communities. We shared statistics and personal stories about the struggles faced by rural Americans. We also provided ideas for initiatives and efforts that would help with this problem.

Speaking before the House Committee on Agriculture was nerve-wracking yet empowering. It was an honor to represent California 4-H and to advocate for mental health awareness. Leaving D.C., I felt a sense of accomplishment as I not only felt successful in creating a powerful presentation, but also felt successful in creating new memories and friendships.

California 4-H delegation with 4-H Youth Leadership Team member Ben from California

Registration is now open for the 2024 National 4-H Conference

Don't miss your chance to make your own memories and life-long friendships. The 2024 National 4-H Conference is April 19-24 in Arlington, Virginia. All expenses are paid through a grant from the Thomas and Dorothy Leavey Foundation.
Go to our event page to see all the requirements to apply and get started. This is an opportunity for you to meet 4-H'ers from across the country and have your voice heard by top government agencies. Applications and references are due by 5:00 pm, November 30, 2023.