4-H: Rooted in Agriculture, Growing with Opportunity

When most people hear “4-H,” they think agriculture—and for good reason. Agriculture is where it all began. 4-H started back in 1909 with corn clubs, and while it has grown to include everything from computer programming and public speaking to career development and digital literacy, agriculture remains at the heart of what we do.

Current 4-H Agriculture Programs

This past week, we had a blast with our ag-focused 4-H programs. Right now, we’ve got several exciting projects going on: in-school embryology, a chicken show, our dairy project, and Ag 101.

Preparing for the Coastal Plains Chicken Show

A few of our 4-H’ers are getting ready to show their chickens at the Coastal Plains Chicken Show. They’ve been raising their birds since the end of February and are gearing up for the big day this week.

Embryology in the Classroom

Our 4-H embryology program gives students the chance to connect science with real-life experiences by observing embryo development up close. Classrooms receive an incubator, a brooder, and fertilized eggs. It’s an incredible hands-on opportunity to watch ducklings grow from day one all the way to hatching.

Learning Through the Dairy Project

The Dairy Project is also in full swing! Over the last four weeks, our 4-H’ers have been learning how to care for dairy calves. They’ve practiced giving vaccines, treating minor bug bites, and safely haltering and walking calves. This week, they focused on showmanship skills and even weighed their calves. Tracking weight gain is important to make sure the calves are hitting their growth milestones.

Bringing Agriculture Education in Local Schools

We were thrilled to partner with Pamlico County Christian Academy to bring agriculture education straight to the classroom. Our Ag Class helps students build agricultural literacy—not just learning where food comes from, but also who grows it, and how agriculture affects our economy, environment, technology, and daily lives.

Fall and Spring Gardening Projects

Last fall, we planted winter crops like spinach, beets, radishes, and kale. This spring, we’ve added even more variety: two types of carrots, lettuces, onions, and mustard greens. We've also been exploring careers in agriculture.

Exploring Agricultural Careers Through Field Trips

Just this week, we took a field trip to NC State’s Pamlico Aquaculture Field Lab.

Touring the Aquaculture Lab

Our students got to see aquaculture in action. They toured the lab and learned how researchers manage bass breeding. They saw how eggs are collected and sorted between fertilized and unfertilized, and how the fry are tracked and prepared for shipment. They even got a peek at the lab’s crossbreeding experiments.

Looking Ahead: Summer Crops and Continued Learning

Next week, we’ll be harvesting our spring crops and planning our summer cover crop. It’s been an incredible year of learning and growing—literally!

Get Involved with Pamlico County 4-H

If you would like to be notified via email about all future programs, please fill out our email list, or give us a call! You can also get a head start on registration for specific programs by enrolling in Pamlico County 4-H Online. Participation in all NC 4-H Programs requires enrollment in 4-H Online. If you have any questions about accessing 4-H Online or the enrollment process, please give us a call and we will be happy to walk you through it. You can also learn more about 4-H in North Carolina and our programs throughout the year on the Pamlico County 4-H webpage!