4-H Livestock Ambassador Program

Billy Zanolini, Madison CEA-Ag/NR, and Rodney Finch, Grimes CEA-Ag/NR, provided leadership in establishing the new 4-H Livestock Ambassador Program. The program is designed to teach senior age 4-H youth advanced animal science while expanding their leadership capabilities to assist other 4-H members with the management of their livestock projects.

The program includes a 3-day 4-H Livestock Ambassador Short Course to teach livestock production and management principles and a commitment by the participant to return at least 20 hours of service in helping 4-H members with their livestock projects and teaching animal science at 4-H Club Meetings. The Short Course provides the participants with the necessary tools to educate new 4-H members on the fundamentals of livestock project management and showing.

During 2008, 12 4-H members completed the 4-H Livestock Ambassador Short Course and have begun to return their 20 hours of service. The participants were from Madison, Grimes and Walker Counties.

During 2009, this program will be expanded to include 4-H youth from other counties in District 9. Of course, the program is new to Texas 4-H. So, additional evaluation and research is needed to fully assess the benefits of this program in expanding our outreach to new youth.

Additional information and evaluation results will be posted at a later date. For now, I am asking you to consider this program for your part of District 9.

Dale A. Fritz, Ph.D.