| Travis Acosta, with his 20″ sunflower, won this year’s sunflower growing contest. |
Utah State University Extension recently recognized six youth from local elementary school for their work in 4-H. Most of these youth are new participants in the 4-H program and they entered the 4-H sunflower growing contest.
Each year the 4-H Teen Council visits local elementary schools to encourage membership in 4-H. The Teen Council this past spring met with over 500 elementary students in grades 3-6 throughout the county. Each student was given a packet of sunflower seeds to grow over the summer. During Peach Days in Ferron and Melon Days in Green River, youth brought their sunflower heads to be measured. Seventy-seven youth took on the challenge of growing the seed and 18 youth managed to raise a full-headed sunflower. This was quite a challenge in this year of drought.
The largest sunflower (20″) was grown by Travis Acosta of Huntington. The school winners were Keera Allred (16″) Huntington Elementary, Terrance Bell (17″) Cottonwood Elementary, Jessica Bergeman (16″) Ferron Elementary, Shelby Mason (14.5″) Castle Dale Elementary, and Kelsee Robertson (19.5″) Book Cliff Elementary. Each youth received a cash prize for their efforts.
The Extension staff appreciates the parents and schools for allowing us to come in and make presentations. 4-H is open to all youth ages 8-18. There are a variety of clubs to participate in. There are clubs with computer, rocketry, clothing, food, babysitting, and just about anything you can think of. We need volunteers to make the program run. Without you, 4-H, which is one of the nation’s leading youth groups, would not function. Join the 4-H team and share your talents and skills with the youth of today. This will help to build the kind of world we all want. To volunteer, call the USU Extension office at 381-2381.
Congratulations to all 4-H youth on their achievements. We hope to see you continue in 4-H for many years.