Chippewa County staff members were honored with the Friend of 4-H Award. Pictured (from l to r): Sue Bye, Diane Berven, Liz Ludwig, Laurie Golden, and Lori Olson. 

Five staff members of the Chippewa County Farm Service Agency in Minnesota were honored at the annual 4-H awards for their support and dedication to the agricultural organization. The group received the Friend of 4-H award for collaborating on several events that have educated and encouraged young people to get into the field of agriculture.

Chippewa County FSA employees have served as livestock herdsmanship judges at the county fair and in the past two years, they have also dedicated time to the “Little Farm Hands” exhibit at the fair.  The exhibit allows children of all ages to discover the origins of their food. Participants have the opportunity to collect eggs, feed cattle, hogs, sheep and dairy cows as well as milk a cow, pick apples, sugar beets and potatoes. They are then shown how to sell their goods at the market.

FSA and 4-H employees also collaborate on two “Little People’s Gardens” at a local school. “Working in a collaborative effort has been rewarding,” said County Executive Director Liz Ludwig. “I enjoy the look of surprise when little people see potatoes being harvested and they marvel at the fact that they’ve grown their own food.” 

Ludwig said that the working relationship will continue with 4-H because “They are grooming the leaders of tomorrow.”