Passions Planted in 4-H Youth Development

Indiana’s 18 employability skills standards for youth include integrity, perseverance, adaptability, self-confidence and problem solving. For over a century, 4-H has combined all 18 standards in a fun and supportive environment.

Through many 4-H programs, camps and projects, 4-H members grow and become leaders in their communities as well as in the business world. Here, former members reflect on how 4-H shaped their character and built their professional confidence.

John Beale, owner and manager, Beale Feeds LLC

4-H is where I learned the skills to start  my commercial feed business in high school.

I was a 4-H member for 10 years. I showed animals at the fairs, which was fun, but  I loved doing the record sheets. A lot of people think record sheets are silly, but I thought they were the most important part of the project. They helped me to understand the basics of bookkeeping and budgeting, which was useful for my family’s farm and for my business.

4-H also taught me how to build relationships and communicate better. I was a 4-H camp counselor, which was great experience working with youth and adults. I met a lot of individuals. We learned to work together, even if we didn’t see eye to eye all the time.

Now, I help my family with their cow-calf operation and row crops while also running my business, which diversifies our profits. My family uses the feed for their operation, but we also sell it to local customers in and around Carroll County.

Cayla Walker (left) was part of a 4-H chorus in 2007.

Cayla Walker, owner, Daisy’s Designs

Through being a 4-H volunteer and 10-year member, I found my niche and created a job I love that gives back to my community.

After doing aquatic science projects with 4-H, I got involved at the state level. I spent almost every weekend in middle and high school doing some sort of 4-H camp. I never wanted to leave 4-H.

After going to college to be an Extension educator, I found  I didn’t enjoy teaching. That’s when I started my embroidery and screen printing business. It was tough at first, and  I was working five or six part-time jobs while I got my business started.  4-H taught me the persistence I needed to get through that time. As a kid, you don’t realize what you take away from those late nights. I only realized when I got older how valuable those experiences were.

Now, my business has a storefront and services 4-H groups, locally and nationally, and other organizations. It’s exciting to see my hard work and that of my employees paying off and to make a difference in the community. Cayla Walker’s business has both a storefront and an online catalog for custom embroidered products.

Matthew Skiba, assistant director of bands, McCutcheon High School

4-H showed me how I can bring passion into my job as a high school band director. There’s a lot I do now that I’ve either already had experience doing or that I’ve been a part of myself.

I worked on a variety of 4-H projects, including aerospace, woodworking and photography, and participated in the State 4-H Junior Leadership Conference. I also got involved with the State 4-H Band for two years in high school. These experiences taught me how to manage time, communicate and find passion in my work.

Those things were valuable to me in college and now in my career. Some days I’m exhausted or less motivated than normal, but I don’t dread work. 4-H helped me to find a job that works well for me. I found passion through putting work into projects I genuinely enjoyed.

I didn’t always recognize what 4-H did for me, but as I grew into a teacher and realized where some of those skills developed, I refound an enthusiasm for 4-H and how it lets students explore their passions.

Kyle Mohler, founder and CEO, Insignum AgTech

When I presented my 4-H projects at the fair, I had one chance to get it right. Since I’ve founded my biotech company, Insignum AgTech, I’ve encountered similar high-pressure situations.

In 4-H, I did projects on everything from swine to soil and water conservation to wheat. Through trial and error, I made the projects the best possible. Sometimes they turned out great, and sometimes they turned out ugly.

We’re trying to blaze a new trail with Insignum AgTech, and there’s a lot of trial and error. Sometimes we succeed, but sometimes we fall flat on our faces. 4-H taught me that in those times you need to be confident that you can fix things and figure them out.

My company is working to create genes that help farmers detect fungal infections in corn. I’m excited to bring a new tool to farmers, and I love seeing their excitement over the new technology. I hope my company makes farming crops easier for people like my dad, who grows corn and soybeans.

Kyle Mohler has carried his farm upbringing, 4-H experience and studies in biotechnology into Insignium AgTech, which he founded in 2018 to help farmers better detect stress signals in crops.