RadioRotary host Jonah Triebwasser interviews Maureen Roche, Program Director for 4-H Youth Development at Cornell Cooperative Extension in Dutchess County. The 4-H organization officially set up by the US Department of Agriculture in 1914, although built on a number of youth organizations from around the turn of the 19th century into the 20th. The name stands for Head – Hearth – Hands – Health. Although best known for members raising animals and competing with them at county fairs, 4-H today goes beyond agriculture with programs emphasizing public speaking, robotics, college preparation, photography, arts and crafts, and community service. Dutchess Country has an active 4-H program that includes, among other projects, “Agriculture Literacy Week,” in which volunteers read stories based in agriculture to 2nd graders; “College Planning 101,” and drives to provide food, coats, and toys for the needy.
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