Kentucky volunteer inducted into National 4-H Hall of Fame

May 18, 2023

By Jordan Strickler

hall of fame ky

The National 4-H Council announced that long-time volunteer and Kentucky native, Linda Branstetter, will be inducted into the National 4-H Hall of Fame. The prestigious award recognizes Branstetter for five decades of 4-H service and her significant contributions to the community.

“I was surprised and overwhelmed,” Branstetter said. “Many specialists, volunteers, and administrators have been recognized for their work. I can’t believe I would be considered in the same company.”

Each year, the Hall of Fame inducts individuals who have made significant contributions to 4-H programs and positively impacted youth’s lives. Recipients include state and national extension specialists and volunteers for their 4-H dedication.

A retired educator, Branstetter has been actively involved in 4-H for 50 years. In Metcalfe and Hart counties, she served on the Kentucky Volunteer Forum committee for eight years and worked with 4-Hers on their 4-H projects, talent shows, speeches, leadership and volunteer projects.

“Linda is one of the best volunteers I have ever worked with,” said Ken Culp, III, University of Kentucky 4-H Youth Development agriculture extension principal specialist. “She ensured every child had what they needed for their projects. Whether that was supplies for a specific project to ensuring transportation, she is always there for 4-Hers. When it comes to someone that should be in the Hall of Fame, Linda checks all the boxes.”

The 2023 National 4-H Hall of Fame ceremony is Oct. 9 in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania in conjunction with the National Association of Extension 4-H Youth Development Professionals.

“I’m just so blessed to receive this award. However, giving back to the community and doing other projects is as important as winning awards,” Branstetter said. “The 4-H program teaches children life skills and responsibilities. 4-H positively impacts everyone, and I’ve been proud to have the opportunity to work with the organization.”

4-H Youth Development is part of UK’s College of Agriculture, Food and Environment and the Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service.

Source : uky.edu

Video: Western Canadian Agriculture: Hard Times Made the World's Best Farmers

Western Canadian agriculture produced the most advanced farmers in the world not through abundance but through adversity. The crow rate fell. The wheat price went nowhere. The brown envelopes stopped.

When the subsidies disappeared, the bad farmers left and the good ones stayed. And the ones who stayed could not just grow wheat anymore. They started growing lentils and canola and peas and flax and faba beans. They built crop rotation. They got serious about agronomy because there was no government backstop. That process produced the Western Canadian agriculture Dennis Bulani describes in this clip: the most advanced, most educated farming culture in the world.

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The lesson Dennis draws from the tale of two farms: continuous improvement is the only durable strategy. When canola was $22 a bushel some growers went to Arizona instead of the Crop Production Show. When the price came down those same growers came back to the research and the discipline. Products do not go on Rack Petroleum's shelves unless they pass a replicated trial first. That is what Western Canadian agriculture built through hard times: farmers who do the work whether the times demand it or not.

Dennis Bulani is CEO of Rack Petroleum and Ultimate Yield in Biggar, Saskatchewan. Dan Aberhart hosts GTF Productions, Western Canadian Agriculture's foremost live briefing platform and its foremost AI training platform for ag operators