“It’s kind of a big deal around here.”

Those words are printed in green lettering on black Iowa 4-H T-shirts being worn across the Worth County Fair this weekend.

“For a small rural county, it is a big deal,” said Mindy Tenold, Worth County 4-H coordinator.

Much of the Worth County Fair features 4-H members. The 4-H runs and operates the main food stand and has an exhibit building open all week. There are also a number of 4-H events such as a dog show, horse show, lamb show, poultry show and dairy show.

“If we lost our 4-H or any part of our 4-H, even our numbers in 4-H, our fair would suffer. It really would,” Tenold said.

Worth County has the largest percentage of 4-H participants of any county in Iowa, Tenold said, with 36 percent of the children in Worth County involved in 4-H. The next highest county has 33 percent, she said.

“The fair’s kind of like a culmination of what we work on during the year,” said Shea Kruger, president of the Worth County 4-H council and president of the Golden Banners. Kruger is also on state council.

There are 267 students involved in 4-H in Worth County, said Tenold. That’s for a county with a 2008 estimated population of 7,661.

“It is a very strong aspect to the county. I think it’s a very important thing to these kids. It gives them a sense of ability and determination to do something,” said Brian Waller, who’s a member of the fair board. Waller’s son Garret, 19, is in 4-H, his son Michael, 10, will join 4-H next year, and his son Kyle, 23, used to be in 4-H members.

Members of 4-H are involved in nearly every aspect of the fair. Outside of fair week, the grounds are open for a nearly mile long walking trail. Some of the landscaping along the trail and across the fairgrounds has been done by 4-H.

Fair week is a busy week for 4-H members. Kruger, 18, said she gets to the fair most days to do chores for her steer, horse and four sheep around six or seven in the morning. She’ll run home for a shower, but she stayed until around midnight on nights she worked at the food stand. She also showed her black lab in the dog show.

“It’s busy but it’s really fun,” Kruger said.

Animals aren’t the only focus of 4-H at the fair. Students such as Skylar Faust, 16, are also part of a $15 challenge, where an outfit is put together using clothes from a secondhand store.

“It’s a great get together for some of these kids throughout the whole county to get together here. They compete very well. Everyone is helping one another,” said Waller.

There are 10 4-H clubs in Worth County, and there’s an active county council that provides leadership, Tenold said. Five members of the Worth County 4-H are on the state 4-H board, and five new members will be on the board next year, which Tenold said is a very high number.

“Everyone kind of looks at Worth County kind of as like the role model county,” Kruger said.

Other counties look to Worth County leaders like Kruger for advice on things like how to increase involvement, said Kruger.           

According to Kruger, a big reason for the success of the Worth County 4-H is the enthusiasm of the adult and student leaders and the support of the parents.

 
How many more years?

Worth County officials took a major step in keeping 4-H a big deal in the county for years to come, and the news is a hot topic with fairgoers. Worth County officials have decided to rehire Dennis Johnson, Worth County Extension education director.

“We fought very hard to keep him as our county director,” Waller said,

Johnson was an employee of Iowa State University, which worked in conjunction with the county. But the land-grant university decided to cut the program and the 97 Extension directors.

Johnson is working at the fair to coordinate many of the 4-H activities, including judging and volunteers.

His title will soon change to Worth County Extension program specialist, paid through the Worth County Board of Supervisors, not ISU.

“The thinking is, it’s not just about me. It’s about having a position that will keep our 4-H strong for many, many years. People kept looking at me when they had this little restructuring thing happen. They said, ‘Johnson, how many more years?’ It’s not about me. I said, ‘How many years do you want to have this go?’ I said it’s a wonderful program they’ve got here. Do you want to do it 20 years, 30 years?” Johnson said.

After the Worth County Fair ends with the ribbon auction on Monday, two buses will leave at 7 a.m. Tuesday to go Ames, Iowa, for a statewide 4-H convention. The Worth County 4-H will have 74 students attending. About 900 students from across the state attend. Johnson said this will be the largest delegation by about 25 students.

The 4-H will be the grand marshals of the Fourth of July Parade in Northwood, and Tenold said she is hoping to have a hundred 4-H members and alumni to march.