Young people in the Huntington County 4-H program are learning leadership skills while they assist families with low resources in the community. Members completed these service projects in 2012:

• Youth from nine 4-H clubs helped weed and maintain a community garden that provides fresh vegetables for more than 175 families.



• 4-H Junior Leaders held fundraisers and provided Christmas gifts for 4 families with limited means.



• 4-H poultry members donated 200 birds to furnish meat for local food pantries.

Participants in Purdue Extension-Huntington County programs are now teaching others. The following are examples:

• Master Gardeners, who earned their certifications through training in the county, helped plan and teach a 10-session community educational series about gardening topics. In 2012, 270 attended these sessions.



• A 2010 graduate of the Getting Ahead program has co-facilitated the four programs that followed her class. Getting Ahead teaches financial stability. There were 10 graduates in the series completed in November.

Good soil nutrient management in field crop production is essential to protect water. Purdue Extension-Huntington County and the soil and water district coordinated three workshops on this topic. A total of 128 growers attended. Presentations focused on cover crops, conservation tillage, agricultural drainage, and safe pesticide application.

One participant said, “I will test my water quality. I will also be using the information for some planned farm drainage. I have done some no-till corn with mixed results. This info explained why.”