Do not support the National 4-H

[kanshow]

FFA is not exempt.    The National FFA hired a group to put together the entertainment for the National Convention a couple years ago.   That group hired carrie underwood.    There was a mass walk out at the convention led by Amanda Nolz.    Good for those kids.   Here is a link to the video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffUz_lOTN_0

The National 4H office is in DC, I think.   I doubt that many, if any, of the people that work at the national office have been down in the 4H trenches on our level.  

Hope this is ok to post but here is the Kansas 4H statement

STATEMENT FROM K-STATE RESEARCH AND EXTENSION REGARDING A MARCH 23 SESSION PRESENTED AT THE NATIONAL 4-H CONFERENCE BY THE HUMANE SOCIETY OF THE UNITED STATES (HSUS)

On March 23, a session was presented by Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) at the National 4-H Conference. The session was titled, “Animal Instincts: Service Learning and Animal Welfare.”

It was one of many sessions during the five-day conference, and participants had a choice of which sessions they’d attend. Of the 10 Kansas representatives at the conference, one chose to attend this session.

Some of the materials provided by HSUS met the conference’s workshops criteria of teaching civic engagement, community service, youth volunteerism and impacting community issues. However, much of the material was more focused on the HSUS goals.

K-State Research and Extension and the Kansas 4-H Youth Development Program does not agree with the values supported by HSUS, particularly as related to animal agriculture.

Kansas 4-H values the development of citizenship, leadership and critical thinking skills. These critical thinking skills serve Kansas youth well when faced with potentially confrontational issues or alternative points of view.

Through 4-H, many young people explore their passions for working with animals. These animal projects provide a platform for young people to learn responsibility, ethics, record keeping, sportsmanship and proper care of animals.

It is important to know that HSUS’ name is confusingly similar to that of local or county organizations. The local organizations, such as local humane societies, societies for the prevention of cruelty to animals, and shelters, are independent of HSUS.

The National 4-H Conference is a working conference in which youth and adults, at the invitation of the Secretary of Agriculture, assist in the development of recommendations to help guide 4-H Youth Development Programs nationally and in their communities. This event brings together youth, volunteer leaders, and state and county Extension staff members from across the United States, the U.S. Territories, and the Canadian Provinces.

 

[KCK]

4-H responded with this.... Each year, 4-H National Headquarters puts out a call to internal and external groups to propose workshops for presentation at the National 4-H Conference. When received, the proposals are reviewed independently by youth and adult members of the planning committee. The planning committee then considers the reviews for all submitted workshop proposals and selects a set of them as most acceptable for National Conference. 
Workshops are an opportunity for youth to self-select topics of their interest. Materials disseminated at workshops generally are copies of slides and/or general information brochures/toolkits that are mostly available via the web.
For the 2010 National 4-H Conference, a proposal titled “Animal Instincts: Service Learning and Animal Welfare” was submitted by the Humane Society of the United States. It was reviewed by the planning committee and found acceptable. The proposal addressed the National Conference central theme of citizenship and showed alignment with programming areas for community service, youth volunteerism, service learning, and youth voice.
The workshop was presented at the 2010 National 4-H Conference in two sessions on March 23, 2010 and had about 25 youth per session. While one or two individuals expressed concern at the closing banquet about the position of the Humane Society regarding animal agriculture, this was not the subject of the workshop.

While the views or ideas brought forth in any workshop or conference are those of the presenter and do not necessarily reflect the views of 4-H National Headquarters, the National Institute of Food & Agriculture, or the U.S. Department of Agriculture, this workshop was approved by the planning committee because the proposal aligned with the goals of the 4-H Conference and did not present any indication of anti-animal agriculture views or positions.

4-H National Headquarters is proud of the annual National 4-H Conference and the great opportunities and benefits it provides to the youth in attendance, and it is equally proud of the 4-H youth across our country who dedicate themselves in service to agriculture and to their world.

Still doesn't make me feel all warm and fuzzy. I emailed their headquarter last Thursday and got an out of office reply... but they were to be back in the office....

 

[loveRedcows]

That the World May Know - A Fight Against HSUS, is a Facebook Group you might look into.  We will definitely be checking out the 4-H status in our area.  Thanks for bringing this to our attention.

 

[GoWyo]

People in all phases of agriculture, from field to retail, need to know what a pariah the HSUS is.  They are no different than Skinheads or Black Panthers or any other hateful organization.  National 4-H is not exactly apologizing for allowing HSUS to hand out its propaganda -- that tells me that one or more of the people in charge there are probably dues paying members.  It is the person, not the organization that needs to go.

 

[knabe]

this workshop was approved by the planning committee because the proposal aligned with the goals of the 4-H Conference

which are? 

 

[Throttle]

I agree, donate to local Humane Society or shelter. That's great. HSUS isn't and it is BS how confusing that is

 

[Joe Boy]

I hope each 4-H leader will make sure that the local groups are aware of this and let the National 4-H organization know that there is no place for HSUS in 4-H. To say that they have some good points about mistreatment of animals is like saying that some poison will not hurt you, after all it is only 2% that is really what kills you. 98% is pure water and coloring, but the rest of the bottle is fatal. We cannot give these organizations a foothold in our programs for any reason, as they will kill the American family farm.
Joe Dale Wilson

 

[Joe Boy]

Last night on RFD-TV Simon SEZ gave a very good program on what PETA and HSUS is doing to undermine ranching and farming.

Why is it that we do not produce steel, batteries, and many other products in America today? It is the EPA who has been greatly affected by the Sierra club and other environmental organizations. That is also one of the main reasons that the large field of oil has not been produced in Montana, South Dakota, North Dakota and Canada. These “politically correct” decisions are one of the reasons America has gone broke. Cruelty to animals is one thing, but to prohibit them from being fed out for food and fiber is another. It is inhumane to allow an old or injured horse to die and then what happens to the environment when their carcasses pile up?

 

[ROAD WARRIOR]

However, just boycotting this institution or calling for it's dismantling will do way more harm than good and would most likely be HSUS end goal.  We need to use this as a teachable moment for all involved.  The last thing we want to do is ruin  a truly great organization that has been developing leaders for the past 100 years. 

This is RW's other half. I am usually sitting with RW reading Steer Planet and I couldn't let this one go.  I am our local CYC for 4H. I agree with Joshua on this. DO NOT boycott the organization. Our good youth organizations such as 4-H have been suffering enough as it is. States have been cutting right and left. In Nevada, one public college cut their Ag College completely. If you all start calling to NOT SUPPORT, we are going to lose the organization completely. We do not want to do that. Our kids need these organizations.

As with any organization, the leaders at the National level are supposed to answer to the local level, but also with MANY organizations, the national leaders loose touch with the local institutions for many reasons, of which there are too many to even list. Stop and think about this. Has our Congressmen and Congresswomen lost touch with us? ABSOLUTELY!! Why would our youth organizations be any different? They learn by example. LOCAL 4-H organizations have very little to do with the national organization any more. It didn't used to be that way. SO lets use this as a learning tool and take back the organization to what it is supposed to be. It is very hard to even get a local 4-H representative to the National Convention. It costs money to do this and with all the budget cuts coming down the pipe, the local levels have to do fund raisers to even do anything. I would love to send a rep to the state and national conventions, but that takes money. We are a poor county and most of our kids that are in 4-H are from struggling families, but they still sacrifice to keep their kids involved at the local level. 

AND kids learn by example and have to be taught AND WILL make mistakes. Any one of us that has kids have that constant fear that the local bad apple is going to get to them and convince them to do stuff that we have talked until we are blue in the face not to do. We have to teach our kids that when you are part of something big, no matter how small your local organization is, you can make a difference and you CAN change things.

Look at what has happened to our nation with our current President. I think it is safe to say he doesn't speak for most of us that post on this site and I sure didn't vote for him but somehow he did get voted into that position. How many people do you think he convinced that "I won't do that"? How many people do you all know that didn't take the time to vote because "it doesn't matter" anyway? How many of those people do you know will be voting in the next election? I know alot that fall into these categories!! Well, the same can be said for the national 4-H people. They had to be nominated at their local level and then make it through all the levels to get there.  SO LETS TAKE IT BACK!!! DO NOT throw the program out!! DO NOT boycott it!!!  Joshua is right, this is probably HSUS's end goal. If we let HSUS slide in with our kids and an organization that the US has been proud of for decades, what does that say for us?! We need to not let them destroy it. We need to kick their butts out and show the kids how the proper way to take a stand, keep their organization and tell the world this is what our organization is about and don't try to mess with it!

No quality youth program is exempt. As kanshow posted, FFA was also not exempt. In some states, 4-H is very very strong and FFA is struggling as it is in many parts of Iowa. In other states it is the opposite. GEE maybe they should work together instead of trying to tare the other one down, Do you think?!

Support your local 4-H organization, make it stronger and ENCOURAGE to make a showing at state and national conventions. By doing this, we will not only take the organization back from the people that are trying to destroy it such as HSUS, but also people that strategically place their words to make people jump on the bandwagon for boycotting and to not support. I think a better title to this post would have been "Lets Take Back our National 4H"!!

RW's Other Half

 

[knabe]

If you all start calling to NOT SUPPORT, we are going to lose the organization completely. We do not want to do that. Our kids need these organizations.

this is called the divide and conquer method.  learn it.  compromising with those who seek your destruction is suicide.  NOT ONE INCH.

do you not think HSUS and PETA think these things through?  this really shows how STUPID someone is at the national level and they need to be fired immediately so they can go work for HSUS and PETA.

talking with PETA is like talking with bin laden.  pointless.

 

[KCK]

I think we should all start from the ground up. Let's get with our local 4-H leaders, if not all ready one, and ask for a meeting to explain HSUS and other organizations. If you can get to just a handful and then the word spreads, we are making a difference. I know it isn't that black and white, but a grassroots effort might be what we need on this. If you have participated in the NCBA's Masters of Beef Advocacy program, you can get on the Alumni site and find valuable materials. The presentations are all there, too. If you haven't taken done the MBA program, get to it To enroll, send an email to MBA.org.

 

[ROAD WARRIOR]

If you all start calling to NOT SUPPORT, we are going to lose the organization completely. We do not want to do that. Our kids need these organizations.

this is called the divide and conquer method.  learn it.  compromising with those who seek your destruction is suicide.  NOT ONE INCH.

do you not think HSUS and PETA think these things through?  this really shows how STUPID someone is at the national level and they need to be fired immediately so they can go work for HSUS and PETA.

talking with PETA is like talking with bin laden.  pointless.

Exactly! If we teach these kids to stand strong and close ranks to keep this organization to its roots, the organization will be saved. We need to teach them that if your national reps go against what you believe in, they need to go and replace them with those that will follow through with what your organization stands for. If the ones at the national level are replaced that should send a very strong message to future 4-H leaders that the members of the organization are not going to stand for such actions.

I will continue to support my organization and I am working towards getting a representative at the state level and at the national level from our county. Some people have told me that is a lofty goal, but I think it can be done.

How the kids at the FFA convention handled themselves was very dignified and sent a very GOOD message to the organization leaders as well as the nation and Ms. Underwood that what she stands for is not what they stand for. I, myself, am very proud of those young men and women in how they conducted themselves to get their message across.

 

[kanshow]

Way to go Mrs. Road Warrior!!    (clapping) (clapping) (clapping)  You said it! 

I think we need a movement..    Like someone said..  Let's Take back National 4-H.     

 

[Show Heifer]

I never said to abandon the 4-H program. In fact, I think I said if you are going to donate to the 4-H program you need to do it at your local level.  For the most part, you have the most control over how your money is being used if you donate local (on any organization).
We do need to teach the kids to stand up for agriculture, but how do you explain if an organization is wrong, if your national organization is actually using them as reference materials? You do that by making it known to ALL that it was wrong for the national organization to do that.  It shouldn't be kept secret. Shouldn't be passed over as a simple lack of judgement. Someone should be held accountable.
You can boycott the national organization while keeping the local organization strong. That is how you get a message acrossed. Take back the national organization THROUGH the local groups.

 

[knabe]

here's something interesting.  

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Nearly-half-of-US-households-apf-1105567323.html?x=0&.v=1

In recent years, credits for low- and middle-income families have grown so much that a family of four making as much as $50,000 will owe no federal income tax for 2009, as long as there are two children younger than 17

The result is a tax system that exempts almost half the country from paying for programs that benefit everyone, including national defense, public safety, infrastructure and education. It is a system in which the top 10 percent of earners -- households making an average of $366,400 in 2006 -- paid about 73 percent of the income taxes collected by the federal government.

The bottom 40 percent, on average, make a profit from the federal income tax, meaning they get more money in tax credits than they would otherwise owe in taxes. For those people, the government sends them a payment.

"We have 50 percent of people who are getting something for nothing," said Curtis Dubay, senior tax policy analyst at the Heritage Foundation.

good thing they don't pay taxes so they won't complain how it's spent.

course lots of rich people don't pay either.

that's why i'm for a flat tax.  if you want to save, spend less.

 

[bernalillo4H]

I agree with Joshua and Mrs. Road Warrior. This is an opportunity to encourage members to take back their program, to build it from the club and county levels up to the state and national level. I do not agree with the decision national 4-H made to have HSUS speak at conference and think that their lack of apology could hurt the organization at a national level. However, this is our opportunity as members, leaders, clubs, counties and states to get the word out that WE still believe in agriculture. If our supporters and politicians realize that there are still members who believe in it they will take their support to those members and counties and hopefully continue to support us. This is something that has happened and we had no control over, it is done now. We can control how we respond though. As a county and state officer, I will stay to true to my beliefs in agriculture and the program and continue to do my best in that. Thank you to all 4-H leaders, county agents and fellow members who continue to make this program possible! We couldn't do it with out you!

 

[fed_champions]

The FFA is nothing like that, we sell meat during the holidays for a fundraiser... How out of ur mind do you have to be to become a vegetarian, They have to take supplements to replace protein, etc. that they are not getting from meat... If u were meant to be a vegetarian, you would not have to supply your diet with pills... Secondly, horse slaughter is neccesary on a number of levels, they live a long time, they are worthless after a certain age and just look miserable, if u have every horse living to the age of 30, in 20 years, they will be everywhere, the only reason people want to save the horses is because of companionship... well i say big deal, Its Life

 

[irh]

These people that want to save every animal, needs them all dumped on their land.  Let them feed them and take care of them.  How would you like that Bo Derek?  I'am sick of people telling me what to do in this country, there is nooooooooooo common sense anymore what so ever.  They want to do away with giving our cattle medicines.  Well is it human to see them lay there and die after a cow has prolasped, she is in pain she needs antiboics to help her recover. 

 

[knabe]

the only reason people want to save the horses is because of companionship

people don't have companions?

 

[xxcc]

the only reason people want to save the horses is because of companionship

people don't have companions?

what cracks me up, is that 99.9% of that people want to save something they have absolutely know idea how to manage, horses, wolves, bears, land, money...