West Virginia University Extension Service ~ Berkeley County

The original idea of 4-H is the result of the ideas of many people in different regions of the United States who were concerned about the wellbeing and development of young people. From its beginning, 4-H linked both public and private resources for the purpose of helping young people. 4-H taught youth to "learn by doing" by introducing improved methods of farming and homemaking to them. Early club activities consisted of growing corn, planting a garden, testing soil, club meetings, and visits to club members' plots and exhibits.
There were two main ideals that fueled the inaugeration of 4-H work. One was the concern for good education in rural areas. The original 4-H idea of applied educational principles came from a concern about the relevance of public school cirriculum to country life. The second reason was a need for advancing new agricultural technologies that were produced by research done at experimental stations in the land-grant college system. The farming community was not ready to accept these new ideas and techniques with out some prodding.
The first record of any known 4-H activity was in 1898. Liberty Hyde Bailey of Cornell University implemented a system of junior naturalist leaflets in rural schools and organized nature study clubs.
1907 marked the beginning of 4-H work with the support of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
In 1914 The Smith-Lever Act established Cooperative Extension, an organizational entity of the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the land-grant college system. Cooperative Extension Service was intended to conduct educational programs of an "informal, non-resident, problem-oriented" nature. Cooperative Extension provided the professional staffing and support needed to direct the growth of the early 4-H program.
After 100 years of changes and modifications, 4-H has become the largest extra cirricular youth program in the United States-- in rural and urban areas alike. It offers young people opportunities in communications, leadership, career development, animal and plant science, home improvement, and technology, and many other areas. Nearly 7 million American youth take advantage of the possibilites the 4-H program has to offer. 4-H teaches life skills development by instigating an expanding number of delivery modes: 4-H community clubs, special interest groups, EFNEP nutrition programs, school enrichment, and the camping programs.
For decades to come, 4-H will continue to grow and develop the head, heart, hands, and health of youth in America, and around the world.