Fifty years of 4-H in Missouri, 1914-1964 : a unique experience in youth education
Abstract
"In the epic period between 1914 and 1964, agriculture came ofage. By 1914 the colleges of agriculture, and their research arms, the state experiment stations, had already begun to serve the needs of a great and growing nation. As the State of Missouri and the nation grew, there was a pressing demand for more feed and more food. This demand led to an agricultural renaissance, and this makes the 50 years between 1914 and 1964 one of the most significant and interesting periods in the history of Missouri, and the nation. In 1914 the Smith-Lever Act was passed, and the Cooperative Extension Service was born. Historians call it the "starting mark" of club work, later to be known as "4-H" club work. 1 The idea of such an organization among rural youth had been generated in many places at least a decade before. But the year of 1914 is the one credited as the "official" beginning of club work. In this year governmental agencies, through specially trained personnel, began to work with rural boys and girls. The first 50 years of Missouri club work are the subject matter of this book. The period it covers is between 1914 and 1964. During that half-century, one-half million of Missouri's young people were enrolled in this State's Extension youth program. In the very early years, the program operated under the general title of Boys and Girls Club Work. Came 1927, and its name was changed to 4-H Club Work. In recent years the youth program has been broadened to encompass more than 4-H work, and to reach small town and city youth. It is a notable tribute to the elasticity of the program that it changes as times and conditions warrant. Once a completely rural organization-rural including villages and small towns as well as open country-it is still deep-rooted in the farms of America and will always be, but its branches today reach into the cities and large towns of this America of ours, broadening the program and reaching thousands more."--Introduction.
Rights
Archive version. For the most recent information see extension.missouri.edu.
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Provided for historical documentation only. Check Missouri Extension and Agricultural Experiment Station sites for current information.