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Mississippi 4-H foresters win another national title

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Ashlyn Henderson can now lay claim to two Super Bowl wins -- one as a competitor and another as a coach.

In July, the Mississippi 4-H Forestry Judging Team won its second national championship in three years at the National 4-H Forestry Invitational, also referred to as the Super Bowl of 4-H Forestry.

Team members included Mississippi 4-H president John Clayton Kitchens and fellow 4-H’ers Samuel Davidson, Joy Kitchens and Josie Thompson. The team is based out of Lauderdale County.

Henderson was on the team that won in 2022. This year, she was an assistant coach with her father and team coach Ray Henderson. She said she was involved in a wide range of 4-H projects throughout her term in the youth development program, but forestry judging was the one she enjoyed the most.

“When I competed at Nationals in 2022, all of my team’s hard work and hours put into studying paid off, and we came out of the competition with a national championship and memories that would last a lifetime,” she said. “This year, my father encouraged me to mentor these 4-H’ers as an assistant coach by using my experience. I quickly dove into helping them prepare, sharing with them tips and tricks I learned over the years.”

At the invitational, 4-H foresters participate in several forestry skills and knowledge competition categories including tree measurement and identification, compass orienteering and topographic map use. The invitational is designed to help 4-H’ers develop an appreciation for the importance of conserving forestland and learn leadership skills as well as forest management skills.

“When competing in tree identification, we were expected to identify different trees based on leaves in an indoor and outdoor setting,” Kitchens said. “The most fun was the forestry bowl where we competed in a game show-like setting and had to buzz in before the other team with the correct answer.”

Kitchens said the team prepared all day, every day this summer leading up to the championship, which is held each year in Weston, West Virginia, at the Jackson’s Mill State 4-H Conference Center.

“Hard work pays off, and we were challenged every step of the way,” he said. “We all had drive and commitment as we met often to study and studied at home. As we became closer as a team, we didn’t want to let each other down. We all knew we had to stay focused if we wanted to win.

“In the end,” Kitchens added, “we not only learned practical forestry skills but also citizenship and leadership skills.”

Henderson said being involved in the team’s efforts as a coach was an experience she had dreamed of after competing on the 2022 title team.

“Growing up, I always heard of the exciting times my dad had while competing at State and Nationals in 4-H Forestry Judging,” she said. “There was always something so thrilling about his stories, and I wanted to experience this excitement for myself one day. I wanted to gain new friendships and have memories for myself in 4-H Forestry Judging like my father had over the years as a 4-H’er and coach.

“This experience was nostalgic for me and allowed me to pass down my love for 4-H forestry to these 4-H’ers,” Henderson added.

Ray Henderson said the team’s dedication to the project was a major factor in its success.

“The way the scoring works at the national competition is they count the top three scores in each event,” he said. “Our team only had one member to finish in the top 10, but each teammate contributed to the scoring by excelling at their strongest events. They also scored the highest score in the team forest evaluation category. Bottom line, these four sacrificed several hours of their summer studying and preparing.”

Mariah Morgan, interim head of the Mississippi State University Extension Center for 4-H Youth Development, praised the team for its dedication and strong performance at the contest.

“These 4-H foresters and their leaders were outstanding representatives of Mississippi 4-H on a national stage,” Morgan said. “4-H programs have helped thousands of young Mississippians learn life skills, and it’s an added bonus when any of them excel the way these two national title teams have.”

 

Dixie National sales surpass $9 million

JACKSON, Miss. -- Hinds County 4-H’er Mason Williams had already represented Mississippi in a national competition less than a year ago, so showing animals in a statewide event was no sweat.

“Those experiences make it a little bit easier to be in front of all those people,” Williams said. “It doesn’t take all the pressure away, but it makes it easier to manage, so when you walk out there and see everybody, you don’t get stage fright.”

Williams’ hard work paid off when he placed a goat in the Dixie National Sale of Junior Champions and the highest bid was $8,000. More than 2,500 animals across the state competed in the Dixie National Junior Round-Up leading up to the sale. Of those, only 53 advanced.

A high school sophomore, Williams has been showing animals since he was 8 years old. Last year, he was one of only four Mississippi 4-H’ers to compete in the National 4-H Livestock Skillathon Contest. He attributes his social development to the opportunities 4-H membership has given him.

“I think it’s helped me get out of my shell a little,” he said. “I’ve always been kind of an introvert, but I enjoy competing and the feeling of winning and all that hard work paying off.”

This year’s sale, the 55th consecutive one, marked several milestones. It surpassed the $9 million mark in total sales, broke the record for the total number of champion market animals featured with 53, and set a new record sale total, $484,010.

Another record was also set: the highest price paid for a steer in sale history. The grand champion steer shown by Tripp McGee of Jones 4-H was sold for $30,000 to the highest bidding group.

Held Feb. 8 at the Mississippi Trade Mart, the Sale of Junior Champions included eight steers, 17 hogs, 12 lambs, 12 goats, and four hair sheep. The shows featured 1,225 members of 4-H and FFA showing 2,084 animals.

Dean Jousan, 4-H livestock specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said events like Dixie National help young people build life skills that will serve them now and into adulthood.

“The exhibitors with champion market animals began a lengthy process of raising them many months ago,” he said. “Getting any animal show-ready is challenging, but having one reach the sale should be a source of pride for these young people because they’ve gone the extra mile.”

The Sale of Junior Champions Promotion Committee awarded 25 $1,500 scholarships to exhibitors who are high school seniors, six $2,000 scholarships to premier exhibitors and eight $1,500 scholarships to owners of supreme champion livestock. In total, the committee awarded $61,500 in scholarships.

4-H: Where Are They Now? Extension Matters Volume 8 Number 2

Oktibbeha County native Sanford Johnson has a deep love for his home state that fuels his passion to make Mississippi better. As the executive director of Teach Plus Mississippi, Johnson uses his experience as a high school teacher and education policymaker to lead a policy fellowship for Mississippi teachers interested in influencing education policy decisions in the state. Because of his decade-long experience as a Mississippi 4-H’er, Johnson understands how to be an effective public speaker and leader, part of the foundation of his success with Teach Plus Mississippi.

4-H: Where Are They Now? Extension Matters Volume 5 Number 2

Q&A by Nathan Gregory

Miss Rodeo America 2019 Taylor McNair is the official spokesperson for the sport of professional rodeo. A native of Learned, Mississippi, McNair will travel more than 100,000 miles to attend more than 100 rodeos over the course of her term. She shares how the 10 years she spent in Hinds County 4-H prepared her for her career.

 

Q: Why did you first join 4-H?

My father was in 4-H, and he encouraged me at 9 years old to exhibit my first market steer. From then on, I was hooked.

 

Q: Fill in the blanks:

4-H: Where Are They Now? Extension Matters Volume 4 Number 3

Former 4-H’er serves as Miss Hospitality

Story by Keri Collins Lewis • Photos by Kevin Hudson

When Emma Grace McGrew became Mississippi’s 2017 Miss Hospitality, a year of exciting experiences awaited the former Prentiss County 4-H’er and self-proclaimed country girl.

“I had never been in a pageant before, but I knew Miss Booneville got to read stories to kindergartners and cut the ribbon when a new business opened. I love my town and decided to compete,” McGrew explains.

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