Most North Shore high school students never experience farm life, agriculture, or animal husbandry. Happily, the 4-H program at Wagner Farm, operated by the Glenview Park District, provides unique opportunities for young people to learn about just that. By granting local youth insight into the agricultural process, the program bridges a gap in understanding about where our food comes from and the environmental considerations that accompany it, including resource use and sustainable farm practices.
4-H (which stands for “Head, Heart, Hands, and Health”) is a national organization with backing from more than 100 public universities across the U.S. that focuses on youth development in leadership and research, providing hands-on experiences in STEM and agriculture. At Wagner Farm, the program comprises about 25 young people ranging in age from 5 to 18.
Each 4-H student at Wagner chooses one to three animals to care for annually. This includes feeding them, cleaning their pens, interacting with them, training them, and even assisting with their veterinary care. They also learn how to “show” them, which means training them at least twice weekly with harnesses to gain handling skills. Animals are shown and judged at the Lake County Fair in Grayslake each summer and are auctioned off on the last day of the fair.
“4-H showed me that there are so many different aspects to [agriculture],” remarked New Trier High School junior Maya Gould, a member of the program at Wagner. “We talk about the sustainability part of it, like: what do we do with the milk we get? What do we do with the animals? And also animal anatomy, animal nutrition, farm management, and more.”
The 4-H program taught Maya how to care for dairy cattle, lambs, and pigs. Through these hands-on experiences and long hours spent with the animals, her conception of agriculture was broadened and enriched.–
Reported and Written by GGW Intern Christina Fahmy
