Wells County 4-H

All youth in Wells County are eligible to enroll in 4-H. Enrollment for Indiana 4-H opens every year on October 1st. Please try to be enrolled and have your clubs/projects picked by January 15th so you can get the most out of all the opportunities 4-H has to offer!

Mini 4-H is available to youth in grades K-2 and has FREE enrollment!

Regular 4-H is available to youth in grades 3-12 and has a $20.00 enrollment fee per member ($15.00 Indiana 4-H Program fee; $5.00 county program fee). There is a family cap at three members ($60.00). Scholarships are available to any and all youth who may need it, no questions asked. Youth members will not be turned away for financial insecurities. 

Enroll online HERE! 

Helpful Instructions: 

New 4-H Youth Member Enrollment

Returning 4-H Youth Member Enrollment

Mini 4-H is a program designed to encourage positive development of children, Kindergarten through Second Grade. The goal of Mini 4-H is to help young children explore friendships outside the family; explore the way in which things work; practice both small and large muscle control; and think about the ways people work together on projects.

The NON-COMPETITIVE learning environment for Mini 4-H includes:​

1. Planned learning activities in which children are invited to be active and explore materials and ideas without the pressure of completing a specific product or exhibit.
2. Low adult/leader to child ratio that allows time for adults/leaders to provide individual, positive encouragement and assistance.
3. Simple, interesting activities that are fun.
4. Encouragement of children to participate in a group activity by sharing and or displaying their activity projects.
5. Rewards that are identical and/or ribbons of the same color for everyone.

As a Mini 4-her, you may select up to 3 projects from the specifically designated Mini 4-H projects listed below. Manuals and/or record sheets telling them what to do in each project are available through their club leader or the Extension Office.

Mini 4-H Projects: 

• Bugs
• Collections
• Crafts
• Dairy Goats
• Dinosaurs
• Farm Animals
• Foods
• Horse & Pony
• Models
• My Pet & Me
• Rabbit
• Sewing
• Space

Members have the opportunity to learn more about a subject matter that they choose to study through completing hands on activities. We refer to these as projects. In order to enroll in a project, members must sign up for them at the time of enrolling in 4-H. Each project has a manual that guides the youth through the learning process as well as a set of guidelines that helps them meet the project requirements. We provide adult volunteers and staff who are knowledgeable on that particular subject who will often times provide workshops to allow th​e youth to learn about that topic in a social environment. Each project has a beginner, intermediate, and advanced level-this allows youth to build on their knowledge each year and continue to challenge their skills. Projects are meant to be worked on over time, providing an educational opportunity for youth outside of the classroom setting. Often times, youth will exhibit and display their project at a local county​ fair in order to show the community what they have learned. 

The Wells County 4-H program offers more than 60 projects for area youth. Check out our 4-H Handbook to learn more about specific topics you might be interested in. 

Static Projects: 

• Aerospace
• Alfalfa
• Animal Education
• Archery
• Arts & Crafts, General
• Barbecue
• Beekeeping
• Cake Decorating
• Child Development
• Collections
• Computer Science (including Robotics)
• Construction & Architectural Replica
• Consumer Clothing
• Corn
• Electric
• Entomology
• Fashion Revue
• Fine Arts
• Floriculture
• Forestry
• Foods
• Garden
• Genealogy
• Geology
• Gift Wrapping
• Health
• Home Environment
• Lawn & Garden Tractor Safety
• Model Craft
• Needle Craft
• Photography
• Scrapbook
• Sewing
• Shooting Spots (BB & Rifle, Archery)
• Small Engines
• Soil & Water Science
• Soybeans
• Sportfishing
• Strawberry
• Veterinary Science
• Weather and Climate Science
• Wheat
• Wildlife
• Woodworking

Livestock Projects: 

• Alpaca/Llama
• Beef
• Cat
• Dairy
• Dairy Beef
• Dairy Feeder Steer Calf
• Dairy Goats
• Dog
• Horse & Pony
• Meat Goats
• Poultry
• Rabbits
• Sheep
• Swine

Your 4-H club in Wells County serves as your home base and there are a lot of clubs to pick from. Your club leader will pass out all relevant paperwork to you, and they're a great resource to ask any questions you may have throughout the year. You can attend any club meeting that you'd like, so you can choose a club outside of your township or only join a livestock club if their meeting schedule is more convenient for you. 

Make sure to follow our Facebook Page to keep up with Club Meeting dates and times!

Township Clubs:

• Chester Chargers Club
• Hurryin' Harrison Club
• Jackson Jaguars Club
• Jefferson Knightriders Club
• Lancaster Achievers Club
• Liberty Happy-Go-Lucky Club
• Nottingham Nobles Club
• Rockcreek Rollers Club

Other Clubs: 

• Alpaca/Llama Club
• Archery Club
• BB & Rifle Club
• Dog Obedience Club
• Horse & Pony Club
• Junior Leader Club
• Mini 4-H
• Robotics Club
• Shotgun Club

Wells County 4-H will no longer require the completion of record sheets and/or workbooks in order to exhibit a project at the Wells County Fair. Certain projects do still require a completed skill sheet to be turned in along with the project to be exhibited (Arts & Crafts, Cake Decorating, Construction, Electric, Fashion Revue, Fine Arts, Foods, Model Craft, Needle Craft, Sewing, and Woodworking). Skill sheets were sent via mail, but are also available in the Extension Office. 

If you choose to complete record sheets and/or workbooks, you can pick those up in the Extension Office. Please call ahead so we can get those ready. 

The Wells County 4-H Handbook is a great resource for project specific guidelines. 

The Extension Office is located at the 4-H Park (1240 4-H Park Rd, Bluffton, IN) inside the Community Center Building. Office hours are Monday through Friday 8:00am - 4:30pm. We are closed on County Government Holidays. Our office phone number is 260-824-6412, and voicemail is available during non-business hours. If email is best, you can email our Administrative Assistant, McKenzie Steele (Mksteele@purdue.edu). 

Livestock Projects:

• Beef
• Cat
• Dairy Cattle
• Dairy Goat
• Dog
• Horse
• Llama and Alpaca
• Meat Goat
• Poultry
• Pygmy Goat
• Rabbit
• Sheep
• Swine

There are many requirements for livestock projects and we want to make sure you have all the information and documents you need! 

Start Here. This letter contains details regarding ID Days, 4-H Online Animal ID, QLC/YQCA, and Animal Possession Forms. 

Below are all the livestock forms and instructions you might need: 

• 4-H Online Animal ID Instructions
• State Fair Animal ID Requirements
• Animal Possession Forms
• Animal Lease Agreement Forms
• DNA Envelopes can be found in the Wells County Extension Office