Beyond the blue ribbon

When entering a small-town community, it is almost impossible to miss the signs of agriculture. Livestock grazing in pastures, tractors working in fields or tumbling down the road, and signs pointing towards family farms and ranches just further down the gravel. These signs are more than just a part of the landscape, but of a farming culture that has shaped the community for decades if not centuries.  

At the center of many of these communities is an organization that teaches younger generation the traditions, values, and skills that built them: 4-H. 

This week, communities across the country are celebrating National 4-H Week, recognizing the young people, families, volunteers and communities that make the organization possible. The week provides an opportunity to highlight what 4-H offers the youth and the impact it can have both inside and outside the show ring. 

Through projects that involve livestock, crops, community service, and countless other interests, 4-H members gain knowledge and skills that extend far beyond the farm. For years, 4-H has provided opportunities for young people to take responsibility, participate in teamwork, explore new interests, and become more connected to the communities they call home.

For Grant County resident Boe Weinhandl, those opportunities have made 4-H a significant part of his life. 

As a member of the Sagebrush Riders 4-H Club for the past four years, Weinhandl has participated in a plethora of projects, including woodworking, models, and welding, while also raising and showing sheep.

His involvement has recently earned him the Herdsmanship Award at the 2026 Grant County Fair, but the award represents only one part of his experience as a 4-H member. 

“(4-H) means a lot to me in a lot of different ways. I’ve never really been a straight-A student, and with 4-H you aren’t graded,” Weinhandl said.

Rather than learning solely from a classroom or computer, 4-H has given Weinhandl opportunities to learn through hand-on experience. Along the way he has developed skills and values including confidence, discipline, accountability, and self-assurance.

“4-H has helped me become more confident. It’s helped me improve in school and just all around makes me feel better,” he said. 

Those lessons are a part of what National 4-H week celebrates.

While the projects and competitions are a huge part of 4-H, the organization also creates opportunities for young people, such as Weinhandl, to build friendships and become more connected to their communities.

“My friendships have gotten a lot better. I’ve made a few new friends just by going there over the years," Weinhandl said.

For Weinhandl, one experience that stands out is the day he won the Herdsmanship Award. But, like many 4-H experiences, it is not simply about the final result, but the work and memories that lead up to it. 

The recognition came after what Weinhandl described as a difficult day of showing. 

“It was an honor, because that day was a rough day. I didn’t have too good of a showing for my animals, and that just made my day all the better,” he said.

The award itself came as quite an astonishment.

“It was a pretty big shock when it happened. I was cleaning out my pens, getting ready to leave and Mrs. Springer told me to come over and watch. I was thinking it was just to clear my head from the bad day of showing that I had, and then they called my name and I was just shocked.”  he continued. 

Although the Herdsmanship Award was just a moment of recognition for Weinhandl’s dedication to his livestock, it also represents the kind of lessons 4-H members develop throughout the year. Responsibility, cooperation, commitment, and care are not skills learned in a single day at the fair but built through months and years of participation. 

As 4-H week highlights the many ways it impacts young people, Weinhandl’s experience is one example of how those lessons can stretch past a single project or competition.  And Weinhandl’s 4-H journey is far from over. 

“This year, I’m most excited that I get to show more animals and do more projects! I’d like to do more projects with my group and help out the community. I usually show sheep, which go every year, but I may be showing a pig this next year.” Weinhandl explains.

Looking forward to the future, Weinhandl hopes his experiences in 4-H will continue to help him grow while also helping others.  

“I hope that 4-H teaches me to just appreciate myself and maybe help other people do the same. Someday maybe I could be a judge,” he said. 

After years of involvement in the club, Weinhandl has gained more than just experience with projects and competitions. He has gained skills, friendships, memories, and experiences that will continue to shape him well beyond his years in 4-H. 

As 4-H Week continues to be celebrated, Weinhandl hopes this encourages others to sign up and be a part of not just the organization but the close-knit community that they become. 

“I would tell others that 4-H is fun; you get to show animals. But you don’t even have to show animals if you don’t want to, you can make projects, weld, build wood projects, and so much more,’ Weinhandl said.

For many rural communities, 4-H is more than just an organization but a place to learn, grow, serve, and help younger generations find themselves, all while carrying the agricultural traditions that raised them into the future. 

During National 4-H week, those opportunities and the young people taking advantage of them are worth celebrating.