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Transcript: Announcer: This is 4-H-4-U-2, a podcast from the Mississippi State University Extension Service promoting 4-H programs and positive youth development. Here now, your hosts, Dr. John Long and Cobie Rutherford. John Long: Welcome to 4-H-4-U-2, the podcast about everything Mississippi 4-H and just 4-H in general. I'm your host, John Long. Cobie Rutherford: And I'm Cobie Rutherford. John Long: Cobie, how are we doing today? Cobie Rutherford: It's a great day here in Mississippi. John Long: Yes. It's been a while since we've actually done a podcast, and I guess we're going to call this our end of the year podcast. Cobie Rutherford: Season finale. John Long: Season finale. And get ready for next year title. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah, that's right. John Long: So, since we said season finale, do you have a favorite season finale of any show or whatever that you've ever did. Cobie Rutherford: I like those season finales that end in a cliffhanger. You're like what happens next? And you just can't wait until the next season comes on and then you forget to set your DVR and miss it. Usually better. John Long: And then somebody says, "Did you see that?" Cobie Rutherford: The spoilers. John Long: "No, I didn't." Cobie Rutherford: Yeah, totally missed it. But yeah, I like those. I like series finales that end on a good note, I hate not having closure on something. I hate not knowing what happens next with the characters. I want to know what happens at the end. John Long: Yeah, and if they just try to kind of wing it and say, "Oh, this is the final episode, even for the series." And you feel lackluster, like you don't have that closure, and the course of the folks that do try to do a series finale. A lot of times, they can't do it right. And just disappointing, I guess you could say. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah, totally agree there. The one series that just really left things bad to me was the New Dallas. When Dallas came out a few years ago on TNT and they had the new cast, but they still had the old group with Patrick Duffy and Larry Hagman and all of those folks. And that series just ended and I guess funding got cut or the program got cut and now I just really thought that was terrible because we don't know what happened to all those characters. John Long: Now. And I tell you what, since we got on a series finale, I would say that my favorite series finale was Mash. Cobie Rutherford: Really? John Long: Yeah. Oh yeah. I remember that very well. You know, it was just like this, it was a big white off of the whole deal, and they ramped it up perfect. It was just perfect. Cobie Rutherford: Well, speaking of wrapping things up, I think our office is kind of in that phase, right? John Long: Yeah, segue way into what we're going to be talking about. Cobie Rutherford: Getting right into the next spring's activities, I've caught myself all week trying to tie up loose ends from the fair, and we just got out from a great conference. John Long: Yep. We sure did. Cobie Rutherford: And if nothing else, that kind of sets the stage for our planning next year. John Long: When Coach Shaffer, he was, wasn't he just inspiring? I love it. I loved hearing him, just great. Cobie Rutherford: That was really good to me as well. I knew that he is such a leader on the court, but when they gave started giving his personal examples from his home life and especially the things about coaching his own daughter and how he- John Long: Being a servant later. Cobie Rutherford: Oh yeah, that was really good. And what also inspired me, when you talked about the young lady, is what he looks for in talent. He looks for the people that work hard, that are willing to improve and that are coachable and gosh, from a 4-H faculty standpoint, that hit me. Because, if we're not teaching our 4-H'ers to be coachable adults, what are we doing? Right? John Long: I went to a parenting conference this past Sunday and it was on, they ask who it had elementary aged kids. And I raised my hand and says, of course everybody, there was a lot of people there, and they said, you're coaching teenagers right now. You may not think of it, but you are. And I thought that was impressive. So I guess that goes right along with 4-H, we start from the beginning, and we just keep developing that young person and then we hope that, once they get through that. We have done some, we get on the beginning and hopefully they'll stick with it. But yeah, annual conference was really good. I enjoyed it, but I guess, it's amazing because we look at the calendar, and you think how we started way back in January and with planning, and all of a sudden we come along and now this episode is actually being recorded in November and we're already starting to talk about next year and even on into the year for next year. John Long: So, I know you've been working on the calendar zone too, so. Cobie Rutherford: Oh yeah. That's hopefully, I'm ready to put that project to bed. It seems like you start looking at the 2020 calendar, and you start having all the events planned, and you're like, "This will be here tomorrow." John Long: Yeah, that's right. This is it. Cobie Rutherford: It seems like, and you get only into putting dates on the calendar and gosh, we just finished that activity. Just keep on living. But I have now completed a whole year in the state for each office. John Long: Yeah. How does that feel? Cobie Rutherford: It feels like- John Long: A full year. Cobie Rutherford: ... I've accomplished something. Yeah, a full year. Started October 1 of, right now, September 1 the last year. So, it's been a little bit over a year now. But I went through every event the state for each office has something to do with, and I learned a lot this year. Learned a lot about myself, learned a lot about what these 4-H'ers teachers need and gosh, 4-H has changed a lot since I was a 4-H'er. John Long: Damn, it has. We've had some really good guests I think too, since we started, when did we start the podcast? That's a good question right there. Cobie Rutherford: Ooh, trivia. Well, we've done 30 episodes. This is number 30. Probably this summer. Well, I know it's in the spring. John Long: Spring, yeah. It hadn't been. Cobie Rutherford: Because we did some co-op episodes, and we've had a lot of specialists in here talking about their things. John Long: Really good guests. Cobie Rutherford: Yes. John Long: We've had some great guests. Cobie Rutherford: Moving forward for next year. I think you and I have talked about what our hopes are, but I'd like to get any more agents. John Long: Yeah. I think that will be great. Cobie Rutherford: Talk about some folks in the county, talk to more youth. I think our audience would like to hear more perspectives from the young 4-H'ers. John Long: We're going to hold Tammy Parker to our agreement. She's going to come in too and talk about volunteerism. Cobie Rutherford: Yes. John Long: I think that'd be really good. Cobie Rutherford: I think that would be as well. John Long: You get a volunteer and would be great. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah. Well you know we had Courtney? John Long: Yeah, we did. Yeah. Cobie Rutherford: And she did a good job, but she's kind of a different volunteer since she's got two different perspectives. John Long: She kind of wears two different hats, so you know, as far as the Clover is concerned. Right? Cobie Rutherford: Right. And so she has the staff hat and then the volunteer hat as well. John Long: That's right. Cobie Rutherford: Of all the things we did this year, my favorite I think was a going through record books. John Long: I'd never done, I don't know if I said this, I'd never done that before. Cobie Rutherford: Really? John Long: Yeah, it was pretty neat. I enjoyed that too. Cobie Rutherford: See if what, and that's something that I always did as a 4-H'er, but I never really knew what the process was, or I don't even know that the Irish left at the county office. John Long: I'd always heard of record book, but I didn't know what was in it. It's kind of had an idea. Cobie Rutherford: They document for those of you who don't know if they document for their project area for an entire year and document every single thing they do, that is in relationship to their project. So, for instance, a child that has a livestock project, might put that they purchased their livestock and may and that, that they fed them X amount of pounds of feed that was worth X amount of dollars throughout the month of may. And then document that every single month until Dixie Nationals when they sell that animal. But then, what I didn't realize is that 4-Hers are also doing that for things like gardening or- John Long: Safety. Cobie Rutherford: ... leadership, safety, citizenship, where they give back to their communities. And there's just some really good stories in those record boats. John Long: So Cobie, what's the power of the record book? What is that teachable moment that the record book provides? Cobie Rutherford: Well, I think first of all, the record books going to teach them some accountability. I think when you start learn by doing is what we try to preach in 4-H. But when they go back, and they start building up on the record books, they can really see how far they've come. John Long: Right. Cobie Rutherford: Oh, what do you think? John Long: Well, I always, I guess part of me thinks of it is from a standpoint of like, I know it sounds kind of redundant I guess, but record keeping ability. A lot of people don't have that skill of keeping up with day to day activities like that and making a record of it and hence the name record book. I know. But still that's an art within itself, I think. You know what I mean? Cobie Rutherford: Yeah, totally. John Long: Because I know that like for instance, with my child, I gave her record book and it was kind of like, "Okay you have to get on it. Daddy's not going to do it for you." So you have to be, like you said, accountable, you have to be responsible enough to say, all right, well this is something that's worthy of going into the record book and I need to start logging this stuff in. So I think that's real. Well, and another thing too is though is the ability to be able to showcase or, I don't want to say sell yourself, but to really say, "Hey this is who I am. This is what I'm doing." Cobie Rutherford: Self promote. John Long: Self promote. And that's very important. You knew go put in a job resume together, and you've got to sell yourself to that employer or a potential employer. And I think that's a great preparation tool for them. Cobie Rutherford: Well, and I think about these youth that start their record books when they're, I'll just say ninth grade and I realize a lot of 4-H'ers start way before, but if you start by the time you're ninth grade, and you can just document your high school activities and then you got to apply for scholarship, and you can say, I've spent 290 hours doing community service or towards a certain project here where there's health fitness or whatever. I think scholarship committees would really think, "Wow, that's pretty mind blowing. That would set those applications apart from everybody else's." John Long: Yeah, I was going to say it makes them stand out for sure. I tell you. And of course they have club record books too. Why don't you explain that one? So that, well- Cobie Rutherford: The club record books- John Long: ... since we're on the topic of record books, we might as well. Cobie Rutherford: And we just finished with those, judging those, we call them bender club bows basically- John Long: Bender club. That is also my first time see the banner club. Cobie Rutherford: So they is basically a club secretary puts together their whole clubs activities for the year. So the club is consisting of several different children. I think some of them went up to 60 or 70 kids on the row, but basically they put together what the club did as a unit and when they met they recorded their meetings and their minutes and who attended. And then they talked about their community service and whatever they did that was philanthropic, really cool. And you know AT&T sponsors had really good legislative appreciation day for us and we recognize those bender club winners at that reception. John Long: Right, right. Well we were talking about that the other day, Cobie Rutherford: That's always neat and now, I guess since post-election we'll get to meet all those new legislatures and I'll get to see who's down there representing us in Jackson. John Long: Yeah that's right, that's exactly right. Cobie Rutherford: It's always exciting. John Long: Oh, absolutely. Cobie Rutherford: See some new faces and we- John Long: I'm trying to think about working backwards. We have a lot of events during the summer who has the state fair not too long ago and then all the events that we had during the summer that, I've always, and I've said this before, I think my favorite, well, other than 4-H S.A.F.E.T.Y., My favorite thing is the road trip. I love going on the project achievement day, road trips. I think that's so much fun to get out and see the younger kids, which sometimes we kind of lose touch with that because we don't get to interact with the young people all that much, from our standpoint anyway. John Long: But a lot of those activities are just wonderful because it goes back again to what we were saying about record books. You get to showcase what you're doing and you get to actually see it. Whether it be a Logo build or a insect collection. And that's a shameless plug for entomology cause you need to get out there and do that. But just various things and it's so varied. That's the most wonderful thing I think about 4-H is the fact of being able to pick a project that you're passionate about or maybe you that you don't even know much about but want to learn more about that is what 4-H offers and that is, it's just amazing. Cobie Rutherford: Right? And I think about all those "gee whiz" things that you can pick up on and for example, in 4-H, we have a leaf collection and 4-H'ers can turn in leaf collections at state fair. And I mean how many young people can go out and say, "Oh that's an American Chestnut, eyes on those leaves." Or, "That's a white Oak or water out. Tell the difference. Our 4-H'ers who participate in those projects can do that. John Long: I guarantee they can. I guarantee unless- Cobie Rutherford: That's a lost art. John Long: Yes it is and you know, as I say, as one of the first things that you need to really learn about habitat and as far as wildlife's concerned, you need to know the different trees cause you know, need to know what to eat. Cobie Rutherford: What type of fruit I guess, yeah. John Long: Right. Yeah. I read that the other day. Cobie Rutherford: It's time for fruits and nuts. John Long: Yeah and shameless plug for hunting because it's getting that time of year so. Cobie Rutherford: Man, I bet you can't wait. John Long: Ah, I can't, I'm not good. I'm about to die. It's just right there on the edge. Cobie Rutherford: I've seen so many into here this year. And as these days are getting cooler, they're out everywhere. John Long: Did I tell you I got a text from a deputy sheriff out there by my house. He'd said he said big buck just across the road by your house. Cobie Rutherford: How funny. John Long: I got to tackled that I haven't seen it yet, but I used to on it, so I believe it. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah, we're good too. John Long: So maybe he'll slip up. You never can tell. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah. Maybe it'll your little boy's first buck. John Long: Oh, I know. Cobie Rutherford: That'd be kind of cool? John Long: Yeah, it would be. I'm taking my daughter, she started shooting, so, I'm going to take her this weekend. So. Yep. Cobie Rutherford: Good. John Long: Always good to get out and get those young people outside. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah. You know you talked about the PAD road trip. That was fun. John Long: Sorry I got off on them hunting. Not that I am on it. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah, that it was that time of year. John Long: Yeah. Don't start because with Thanksgiving coming around and I'll start telling about turkeys. Cobie Rutherford: I'm going to be gobbling here, I enjoyed the cookout, marshmallow. Put it on your calendar next year. Just go ahead and Mark out the, I was National- John Long: National Shooting Sports. Cobie Rutherford: National Shooting Sports. Well, I'll claim that into myself then but man. John Long: When is that, when is it? That's probably the same time every year, right? Cobie Rutherford: Last week in July. Well- John Long: In July. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah, I think so. John Long: Well, I don't know where I was then. Cobie Rutherford: But yeah, it was that the week after co-op. John Long: The week after co-op? Cobie Rutherford: Yeah, that's it. John Long: Oh, I was getting ready for the invitational. Cobie Rutherford: Oh, that's right. John Long: The state invitational. Cobie Rutherford: So yeah, so that was the most fun. We've got to figure out some locations for that this year. But I'm totally looking forward to that. I'm not relinquishing those duties. John Long: And I wouldn't either. I love it. Well maybe we just need to swap. Cobie Rutherford: No, or just tag team. John Long: Oh yeah, that's right. Cobie Rutherford: I'll take beef. You can have pork. John Long: There you go. Oh my goodness. Cobie Rutherford: Or poultry. John Long: Yes. I cooked some pork last night. Cobie Rutherford: All of the above. It's fantastic. John Long: So wonderful. Cobie Rutherford: Congress was fun too. I will always go back and think, well that was fun. This was fun. But Congress was exhausting. John Long: I love the energy of Congress. Cobie Rutherford: Yes. I mean the days were so long from a staff standpoint, I know they were long for the kids as well and the agents. But you just felt so energized afterwards because I mean it's almost like you were on a high because you knew you had done good that week. John Long: That's right. That's exactly right. Cobie Rutherford: You had seen smiling faces, you had seen people achieve, reach their goals and I don't know. John Long: And problem solving too. When something comes up and you have to think, I mean not think on the flyer, but when you have to come up and say, "Okay, well listen, this didn't work. We're going to make this work this way." Kind of, I liked that aspect of it too. It's a team effort. It's not just one person doing everything so. Cobie Rutherford: Exactly. And I think back to Congress and the election snafu and getting on and saying, we messed up. That's all we can say we have. We made a mistake on this. John Long: I'm trying to forget that- Cobie Rutherford: Attitude. Yeah, Sometimes you remember those things. And that's how we get better. John Long: That's right, absolutely. So if you've got any comments, acknowledge it. Cobie Rutherford: 1-800-Cobie Rutherford. File them in the records, in my record book. John Long: In your record book? Cobie Rutherford: Yeah. John Long: That's right. That's what you need to do is make notes and then forget about them. That's what normally I do. But anyway, every time is why we can take an opportunity to learn. So like you said, it makes us better. So not going to be perfect, never is, so right. Cobie Rutherford: So what about next year? 2020. John Long: What about next year? Cobie Rutherford: The start of a new decade. John Long: Ever since you said that it's made a big impact on me. Cobie Rutherford: Oh yeah. The other day I said we have two months left in the decade? John Long: I just didn't think of it like that, 10 years. Cobie Rutherford: I know. John Long: Good gracious. Cobie Rutherford: Well you know I will finish my PhD in the next decade. John Long: By golly, if it's going to happen. Cobie Rutherford: It's going to happen and then that'll be three decades of school or let's go across three decades. John Long: I started school in August of 1978 and I finished my PhD in the, I'm going to get this right. It was the fall of 2006 so whatever that is. Cobie Rutherford: So you had the seventies eighties nineties and in 2000s. So you had across four. I think I'll be across four because I started school in '90 so I had the '90s, the 2000s, 2010s yeah, it'll be four. John Long: So now I know how much older you are to me. That's when I graduated from high school. Cobie Rutherford: It was '90? John Long: '90. It was a good year. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah, '90 was a good year. John Long: I'm sorry I interrupted you. You were talking about 2020, let's go back to 2020, the new decade. Cobie Rutherford: Go and finish the PhD. We're going to, personally we're going to get some cows in Mississippi. John Long: Yes. Cobie Rutherford: That's my first goal. Professionally, I think my goal would probably be to keep working to expand 4-H programs. I always think about agriculture and trying to keep agriculture at the forefront of 4-H programs and regardless if the child's involved in FCS or clothing construction or citizenship and leadership, make sure that they know where their food and fiber comes from. John Long: Right. That's good. Cobie Rutherford: So I think that's my goal for the decade. John Long: Keep it up. You got to keep it up. Cobie Rutherford: What about you? John Long: Lets say. Personal. I don't know. I think that, I love my family. I think I am going to try to spend more time with them and doing less of maybe other things that I do currently, maybe cut down on some things and do more things with them. Try to get out, maybe travel a little bit more a season. We've got some friends up North and I'd like to go see them. We haven't seen them in a while, so probably do that. And I don't know, I've just family's big thing to me. I just, I love being with my family, so whatever I can do to do more with them I guess. And, and professionally, I don't know. I'm kind of always wanting to think about new things that we can try and do and so I guess it's always on my mind. John Long: So I guess it is an evolving process, I guess this new things that we can try and, and if it fails, it fails. And if you don't, you know, "Hey, try something else." Cobie Rutherford: That's right. John Long: I think that's probably what I'll do is explore more areas like that. Cobie Rutherford: A good deal. Sounds like a plan. Here's the 2020. John Long: Here. We don't have anything to clink, but we'll, yeah, that's great, and so with that we need to thank, I'd say what we need to thank a lot of people. First and foremost, I would like to say thank you to art Shirley in the Ag Communications Department. He has been just absolutely the greatest help we can have as John Long: far as getting us started. It's amazing. 30 episodes has just gone by so quickly and we couldn't have done it without him for sure. Cobie Rutherford: And for the whole Extension, admin team, the Ag Comm team,- John Long: Just got behind us. Cobie Rutherford: ... for providing us with this facility to do this, this room, this technology. Yeah. We're getting into the digital age here, so- John Long: We need to do like a Facebook live where people can see us. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah, that's- John Long: ... at the same time. Cobie Rutherford: ... new year's resolution. John Long: Oh, put that down. Put that down in your notes. Cobie Rutherford: That's right. John Long: And speaking of notes. So we need to thank, we didn't know this until the other day. Ms. Cindy Callahan, she's transcribing our podcast and she said it's quite entertaining. Cobie Rutherford: So I can't imagine what that looks like. John Long: We're making an effort, so thank you Cindy. And for all our guests that we had on this year, it was really a lot of fun and thank you Cobie for, like we said, when we found out that we had this opportunity and it kind of like both clicked on us, this is something we wanted to do. John Long: So thank you and have a great rest of your year. Enjoy the holidays and we'll just start back whenever we get back. Cobie Rutherford: Yes sir. John Long: All right, well with that, that's, I'll get this off my tongue. This is 4-H-4-U-2 and we are signing off for 2019 see you in 2020 thanks for listening. Thanks for joining us for 4-H-4-U-2 for more permission, please visit extension.msstate.edu and be sure to subscribe to our podcast. 4-H-4-U-2 is produced by the Mississippi State University Extension Service, Office of Agricultural Communications.

Transcript: Announcer: This is 4-H-4-U-2, a podcast from the Mississippi State University Extension Service promoting 4-H programs and positive youth development. Here now your host, Dr. John Long and Cobie Rutherford. John Long: All right, welcome back to another 4-H-4-U-2 podcast. I'm your host John Long. Cobie Rutherford: And I'm Cobie Rutherford. John Long: Cobie, it's maroon Friday here on campus and everybody here in our podcast studio is decked out in maroon. You going to the game this weekend? Cobie Rutherford: I am not actually, we've got some other plans and I think we're just going to keep it chill this week. John Long: There were no parking slots in the big parking lot. Cobie Rutherford: Oh really? John Long: Yes, the maroon army has arrived and hopefully we'll have a good outcome this weekend. Cobie Rutherford: I think so. I think it'll be a good game for them. John Long: That's good. That's good. And last week was 4-H day at football. Cobie Rutherford: It was, we had a pretty good crowd for that. It was so hot though. I feel like it's still summertime here in Mississippi when the calendar says fall, but temperatures definitely don't say that. John Long: I'll be so glad. We always talk about weather on here because it's so important. We're ready for cool weather to come and we are excited once again to have a super great guest on the show with us today. And that is Miss Courtney Headley. Courtney, how are you doing today? Courtney Headley: I'm doing well John. John Long: Good, good, good. Well we're wanting to basically find out a little bit more about you. That's what we're going to be first talking about. Courtney, tell us where you're from and how you got to where you are right now. Courtney Headley: Well, I am from Starkville, Mississippi. I started with the 4-H Youth Development Department on campus in 2007 and yeah, I'm here. I'm loving it. John Long: Yeah, but she started out by telling a fib. She's not from Starkville originally... you were born where? Courtney Headley: I was born in South Carolina, but I was raised here. I am definitely a Jacket alumni. John Long: Okay, very good. Very good, very good. And you do go on occasion, go back to South Carolina, don't you? Courtney Headley: Yes. John Long: That's cool. What part of South Carolina? Courtney Headley: Walterboro. John Long: Walterboro. Okay. Maybe can you go through there for anything trampling wise? Courtney Headley: Mostly the beaches are the best. John Long: Oh, okay. Very good. Very good. Courtney Headley: Charleston, yeah. John Long: Awesome. Awesome. Cobie Rutherford: Anybody out there that's listening to us, have called the 4-H office, they've always almost talked to Courtney at some point in time, especially if they deal with the volunteer program or any kind of community club type information. And Courtney, you are a volunteer for a 4-H club here in Oktibbeha County. Courtney Headley: I am. Cobie Rutherford: And tell us about that club. Courtney Headley: I have a club that I started once I started working for 4-H. I wanted to see what the other side was like. I started my club and we have been active for over 10 years now. John Long: Name of club? Courtney Headley: The name of our club as the Clover Dogs 4-H Club in Oktibbeha County. John Long: Shout out to the Clover Dogs. Courtney Headley: Very thriving club. We started first with just some of my own children and church friends and or family and it has just exploded. It has been an amazing experience and I have loved every minute of it. John Long: How long were, you said you started in '07 in the 4-H office. How long was it before you started your 4-H club? Courtney Headley: About a year. About a year. John Long: Okay, so you really did, you really wanted to get involved in it? Courtney Headley: I did. I did not unfortunately get to grow up with 4-H so when I started seeing all the amazing things that 4-H had to offer, I just had to get another insight of what it was like on the volunteer side and the youth teaching side, education side. Cobie Rutherford: And as a parent, all your children are involved in 4-H in some facet, right? Courtney Headley: They are. Finally, we have got my little one old enough that he is a Cloverbud and he knows nothing other than 4-H. When he sees the symbol, that's the first thing he says is, "Hey, that's 4-H Mama." Cobie Rutherford: And shout out to her oldest daughter Callie, who is the Northeast Region Vice President. John Long: That's exactly right. Courtney Headley: Yes, and she is so proud to be representing the Northeast and really has enjoyed and thrived in 4-H and is a big advocate of it. John Long: That's pretty cool to see her, I know when you started here I hadn't been on, well, you and I both started same year and to see how she's grown up and attained that that's a really cool, she does a great job too, by the way. Courtney Headley: Thank you. Thank you. We're super proud of her. Cobie Rutherford: What kind of life skills do you think your own children and the kids that have been your club have picked up as a part of 4-H? Courtney Headley: Oh goodness. Mainly they have learned public speaking. They have learned to set their self some goals and achieve those goals. And as a volunteer, believing in them and watching them achieve the things that they didn't think was possible. And to see the outcome of that, that is the best part of it is that's the main life skills and taking those things and just another step further and believing in themselves. John Long: What about, and you said this twice already, seeing the other side. What I guess what did you go into it with? What did you think about going into it? And then what have you thought about it now that you've been doing it for quite a few years now? Courtney Headley: Well, I just wanted to see the teaching aspect. I wanted to see what really 4-H could do for the kids and the outcome. When we started all of our children were Cloverbuds, and so as they've gotten older we're getting to see the senior side of it and we've got club congress, you've got co-op, you've got national congress and all those opportunities that are just there waiting to be taken. And it's just been a great ride. John Long: That's awesome. That's awesome. Cobie Rutherford: And I think when I think about volunteers and I see our 4-H agents working around the state, volunteers are a pivotal part of our extension program. And especially in counties that only have one agent that has to balance community resource development, FCS, that's family consumer sciences basically, agriculture and 4-H. They have to have volunteers or they would not be able to have any kind of 4-H programs of significance, I wouldn't think. Courtney Headley: Absolutely. I truly believe that our club would not be where it is if it was not for the parents and volunteers that are there with me every time that we meet or they're volunteering because there's no way I could do or have our club as successful as it is without them. They're amazing. John Long: How many did you start out with? How many young people did you start out with? Courtney Headley: Probably around 10. John Long: 10, and now how many? Courtney Headley: Right now we're sitting at, we have going around 50 but right now we're sitting around 40. John Long: Wow, that's amazing. Cobie Rutherford: That is. And you get a lot of support from the agents in Oktibbeha County for your club. Courtney Headley: Oh, absolutely. They are wonderful. If I have questions, because even though I work for the state office, there are still things that I'm learning constantly and they are always there eager to give any kind of feedback and help and support and I couldn't do it without them. Cobie Rutherford: That's really cool because there are several different community clubs in Oktibbeha County, right? Courtney Headley: There are. Cobie Rutherford: I know I think about the controllers and then there's two of those. Courtney Headley: Longview Discipleships. John Long: Sunrise, what is it Sunrise? I thought there was another one too. Sunrise or something. Cobie Rutherford: I don't know about that. Courtney Headley: I'm trying to remember Miss Poe's club's name. John Long: That's the one I'm thinking about I think. There's several in the county. Cobie Rutherford: And they all kind of have different specialties, right? Courtney Headley: Absolutely. Many of them do focus on the community aspect of it and do amazing work. In Oktibbeha County was serving our community. Our club, we do community service as well, but we kind of dabble a little bit more on the project side. John Long: What would you say has been your most popular of those projects? Courtney Headley: Oh my goodness. Probably robotics. STEM and robotics. It is that generation and these youths are just loving it. Anytime I can put some Legos in front of them or challenge their brain, they just love it. John Long: It's amazing how they can put that stuff together. I can't even get it to move. I don't know what's the future going to be holding for 4-H 20 years down the road.? Who knows? Courtney Headley: Exactly. I had Cloverbuds This past meeting that we were going to only do the builds and then we would program the next time that we met and they far surpassed the time. I was like, okay, well let's go ahead and start programming. John Long: That's important is to be flexible, right? Courtney Headley: Oh absolutely. Cobie Rutherford: You've got a wide range of ages in your club all the way from Cloverbuds all the way to the senior 4-Hers. How do you balance that dynamic of all the different ages? Courtney Headley: With volunteers. Absolutely volunteers. I could not do it without them because the way that we operate is most clubs are generalized, a one project area, but I have such a large variety of youths that yeah, we could do it that way, but there's so many interests that we want to supply that need for them. My different volunteers, we split up and we ask the kids what they're interested in for that year and depending on the project choices of that they have, then we'll assign volunteers and they take that on learning about the project and then teaching them. John Long: Have you had an instance of where a child comes in and says, "I'm really interested in doing this." And it's like, oh, we don't know anything about that. Courtney Headley: Oh absolutely. But there's so many resources on the internet, that and curriculum that's out there that it's not difficult. It just takes a parent who is wanting to achieve that. And is as eager as I am to teach the youth. John Long: Right. And that's what it takes really, doesn't it? It takes that enthusiasm and desire. Courtney Headley: Absolutely. Cobie Rutherford: For sure. What kind of fun things do you all do as a club? I know a lot of it's project based. You come together and meet and do state fair exhibits. But do you ever take any trips or do fun things? Courtney Headley: We have taken some trips. We've been here in Starkville we've done a lot of trips on campus. We've gone to the entomology museum. We have come on campus with the clothing. They have a clothing museum. We've been out to Raspet Flight Center before. Here, fortunately with Mississippi State campus, we have tried to take advantage of those resources. John Long: There's a diverse opportunities out there for sure. How many volunteers do you have in your club? Courtney Headley: There is probably about 8 to 10. John Long: Okay, that's pretty good I would say. How many did you have starting off? Courtney Headley: Oh, it was just me. John Long: It's quickly, we need to get some more people in here. Cobie Rutherford: I think that's something that we're all pretty good at in extension is finding people who are the experts and fields to help us out. And rely on for information. And it's neat to see that trickle all the way down to the county level. John Long: And I love the fact that volunteers have such a passion for as Courtney said, for teaching young people. That they really take on a lot and a lot of it's out of their own pocket. And in their time, time is very valuable asset that we all just have a limited amount of and volunteers take that time. And I think that's just so important and it's so, it's important to recognize that and recognition of those volunteers just you never can get enough of that for sure. Courtney Headley: And it's neat to look at your parents too and, and find out what hidden talents that they have and then use those resources. We have one group that we are starting out this year that's going to be neat. It's going to encompass woodworking and small engine that we've never had before. John Long: Okay so this is one instance I guess. Courtney Headley: We're excited to see how this is going to pilot and go forth, but yeah, it's going to be really neat. John Long: That's cool. That's cool. Cobie Rutherford: Last year we had in our annual report, we included some numbers of volunteers in Mississippi. I'm going to drop some numbers that I think are pretty cool. John Long: Number drop. Cobie Rutherford: Yep. Last year we had 5,361 volunteers for 4-H in the state and the average number of hours contributed by each one of those volunteers was 220 hours. Now there's been a lot of research on volunteerism and a lot of folks have put a value on each hour and they have determined the average hourly dollar value of a 4-H volunteer for MSU is not $19.81 cents per hour. John Long: Wow. Cobie Rutherford: That would "equivalate," is that a word? Probably not. John Long: I don't know. We'll make it one today. Cobie Rutherford: That would "equivalate" to. John Long: It's Friday. You can say whatever you want to. Cobie Rutherford: $23.3 million. John Long: That's amazing. Cobie Rutherford: From volunteers. John Long: Absolutely amazing. Just don't, we can't say thank you enough, that's for sure. That is for sure. Cobie Rutherford: And that probably doesn't even count the impact they are making within the county. That's probably just for their time. John Long: Right. Right. Cobie Rutherford: They're doing community service. There's probably an even greater value to that. John Long: But, one thing you can't put a price on, and this may sound corny, but it's the truth, is the fact of the amount of impact that they're having on that young person, you can never put a dollar value on that for sure. Cobie Rutherford: That's right. John Long: Now Courtney, I know for a fact because I was there when you got it, your club has received some recognition and awards and things like that, right? Courtney Headley: We have, especially with Banner Club. John Long: And tell us what that is for folks that don't know. Courtney Headley: Coming up October 1st, is when, or October 15th, one of those days. John Long: Check your calendar Courtney. Courtney Headley: Yeah, check your calendar. Is when the Banner Club books, secretary record books are due. Basically that is a record book that your club contribute. John Long: Collectively contributes. How does it work? Courtney Headley: Basically, well actually I'm really the only one that does it, but it is a collection of everything that the club has done over the past year. John Long: Right, right, right. Like a resume basically of what you've accomplished. Courtney Headley: It's the same as for the youth, but a lot larger version. John Long: I got you. Courtney Headley: For your club. You want to showcase all of the activities that they've participated in, all of the ribbons that they've won, all the meetings that you've had. And it's very important to turn that in. John Long: And you all were awarded that what year? That was few years ago. Courtney Headley: You had been awarded it I believe three times now. John Long: Three times, wow. Courtney Headley: Different awards. John Long: That's awesome. You usually do that recognition at the legislative day in Jackson. That's an opportunity for, again, for the young people to get out and see the Capitol and visit with people that are representing our area. Cobie Rutherford: And as far as volunteers go, there are also opportunities for professional development opportunities within 4-H through NVLA and different trainings that that organization puts on for volunteers that I think are pretty valuable. John Long: Absolutely. Just like I said in there, it's priceless. Cobie Rutherford: And Courtney, if I'm not mistaken, don't the NVLA recognize volunteers based on years of service and do some awards and kind of monetary things for volunteers that have excelled in their field? Courtney Headley: They absolutely do. And I can't stress enough how important it is for volunteers to go to these forums, the North and South forum as well as NVLA because a lot of times adults want to be able to help youth, but they don't know what they can offer or how to even get started. And those events are there for these adults to succeed in their clubs. John Long: Having that information I know can generate other ideas as well too. It's not a, hey, you got to do this for certain for sure. Courtney Headley: And it's very fun for adults. John Long: Oh yeah. You got to keep it fun for the older people as well. Just like for the young kids too. Older kids are just young kids at heart in older bodies. Well, all right. Courtney, what do you, what other things have you got coming down the pipe on your end as far as the club later? Have you all got anything coming up immediately? Courtney Headley: A lot of community service coming up. Of course you've got State Fair right around the corner. Getting the banner book completed and turned in. We just finished exhibit days in our county. Those are the items that go to State Fair. Yeah, so we got some stuff going on, getting started. John Long: Awesome, awesome. Well we just wish you the best of luck and just continued success in all that you do and for the hard work that you do. And I know that the young people appreciate it and as I've always said, if you're doing this now, you never really even get to see on down the road how much an impact that you've had on a young person. It goes and travels beyond this little existence we have here. Thank you so much for your hard work and again, much success. Courtney Headley: Thank you all for having me. John Long: Loved it. Loved it. See, it wasn't as bad as you thought it was going be. Cobie, tell everybody where they can go and get more information on extension and 4-H in their area. Cobie Rutherford: To learn more about the MSU extension programs, you can go to our website at msstate, excuse me, extension.msstate.edu. John Long: It's a mouthful. Cobie Rutherford: Or contact any of our county offices. They're located in each county across the state of Mississippi. John Long: Awesome. Awesome. Well, with that, we're going to wrap this edition of 4-H-4-U-2 up and we'll talk to you next time on youth and 4-H youth development. With that, thanks for listening. Announcer: Thanks for joining us for 4-H-4-U-2. for more information, please visit extension.msstate.edu and be sure to subscribe to our podcast. 4-H-4-U-2 is produced by the Mississippi State University Extension Service, Office of Agricultural Communications.

Transcript: Announcer: This is 4-H-4-U-2. A podcast from the Mississippi State University Extension Service promoting 4-H programs and positive youth development. Here now, your host, Dr. John Long and Cobie Rutherford. Dr. John Long: Welcome to another edition of 4-H-4-U-2. I'm John Long. Cobie Rutherford: And I'm Cobie Rutherford. Dr. John Long: Cobie it is... I know we always seem like we start out talking about weather, but it is fantastic out there for a August day. Cobie Rutherford: It sure is John. That breeze feels mighty nice. Dr. John Long: Mm mm. Good things to come, good things to come for sure. Oh me, well we've been, again, busy and you and I've been traveling a little bit, but what did you do this past weekend? You have anything special. Cobie Rutherford: This past weekend I actually went down to Raymond for the South Mississippi Volunteer Leaders Association Forum, on Saturday. That was a good deal. Tammy Parker, shout out to her, she put on a great conference for the South Volunteers and Extension agents. Well attended. Great workshops. I guess we can spend a whole episode one of these days on the workshops we went over. Dr. John Long: Yeah, we need to get Tammy in here, I think that's a good idea. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah. And I'll tell you someone else we need in here is Erika McDaniel from Chickasaw County, she has started a 4-H dog club in her county, and it's fantastic. It could be a state wide program so easily. Dr. John Long: So what exactly do they do in that? Do you know? Cobie Rutherford: Well they kind of have all the- Dr. John Long: Or should we wait for Erika? Cobie Rutherford: Well we should probably wait for Erika, but all the things that they're doing like; teaching children how to properly handle their pets, how to feed their pets, differences in- Dr. John Long: Grooming. Cobie Rutherford: Different breeds of dogs, grooming, you name it. Dr. John Long: Mm-hmm. Cobie Rutherford: And then they're starting a little dog show, and basically it's an obedience class. So the kids take home what they learned, teach their dog, work with their dog, and basically strengthen that human animal bond. Dr. John Long: That's good. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah, it's very positive. Dr. John Long: I love dogs. Those dogs are great. Cobie Rutherford: And then there was just a whole lot of other good workshops. Rocheryl Ware in Hinds County did a nice workshop about 4-H 101 that's real informative. I hate to start naming names... Dr. John Long: No, no. You may leave somebody out, but still. Cobie Rutherford: Those are the ones I was interacting with the most. And in my workshop was all about the fair, which we talked about a couple weeks ago. Dr. John Long: You didn't have anybody go to sleep in there did you? Cobie Rutherford: No, I almost did, given the presentation, but people were writing down and asking questions, so I think they liked it. Dr. John Long: Well that's good. Cobie Rutherford: Maybe. Dr. John Long: That's always good. You know, it seems like sometimes when you're presenting something it's maybe not as interesting as you think it is, and then somebody says, "I really enjoyed that." And I guess that can be the case at times I guess. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah, kind of like, "Are you feeling empathy? Because that was awful." Dr. John Long: Right, "Yeah, thanks for trying to prop me up." But no, I know you did a good job. Dr. John Long: We actually, and I say we, my family and I went to a bow tournament and everybody but my wife shot so, we had a lot of fun. That's something I guess that... I shoot every day. It may not be, I don't know, whatever, but archery is one of my favorite things to do and it was really good to get to do that with my family and just to get out and, and get away. It was out of town too, so we had a little trip and that was a lot of fun. A lot of fun. Cobie Rutherford: Good. Good. Well, leading up to the weekend it was a busy week. Dr. John Long: Oh yes. Cobie Rutherford: We made some road time. Dr. John Long: Yes. And you and I left last Monday, I guess a week ago, over a week ago now, and went to New Orleans. Dr. John Long: Excuse me. Dr. John Long: And I haven't been to New Orleans in several years, it still looked the same. Cobie Rutherford: That was my first trip. I was impressed. It exceeded expectations. Dr. John Long: What was your favorite thing? Cobie Rutherford: Oh gosh, I guess it was the food. Dr. John Long: Okay. So, first of all, we have to say, we went down there for a meeting. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah. It was for a conference. Dr. John Long: Cobie and I just didn't load up and say, "Hey, we're going to New Orleans." Okay? Cobie Rutherford: Right. That's right. Dr. John Long: So, just clarify that right now. Cobie Rutherford: And the conference was good. It was very good, very informative- Dr. John Long: It was. Cobie Rutherford: Made a lot of good contacts and a lot of networking. But yeah, I don't think you can go to New Orleans and not talk about all the good food. Dr. John Long: Oh the food. I tell you what, it was good. What was your favorite food that we ate? Cobie Rutherford: Oh, I guess it was that the Crawfish Etouffee. Dr. John Long: Yeah. You really liked that didn't you? Cobie Rutherford: I really did. I loaded up that night. I'm kind of a glutton I guess, I ate two bowls of it, but I hated for it to go to waste. I mean they made probably enough for a hundred. Dr. John Long: Gosh, it was a lot. I don't know what they did with it, but it was a lot. Cobie Rutherford: I don't know. But the PLN meetings were good. Dr. John Long: Yes. And that PLN stands for? Cobie Rutherford: Program Leaders Network. Dr. John Long: Southern Region. Cobie Rutherford: Southern Region. So, it kind of was all Extension administration from the ANR and FCS side, the 4-H side, lots of different committees with a whole lot of acronyms. Dr. John Long: Right. That first day...Well, the first day I really enjoyed it because they had that first-timers meeting. That was a lot of fun, just to kind of get to know... And we actually got to go out to eat with a couple of older... Well no, one was first time and then the other one was a committee member or whatever. But anyway, that was a lot of fun to do that and get to start meeting new people. And then we started meetings on that Tuesday and went all day Tuesday and Wednesday, so. Cobie Rutherford: And then part of Thursday morning, it wrapped up. Dr. John Long: Part of Thursday morning, Yeah. Cobie Rutherford: But it was nice to be able to represent Mississippi State as the 4-H leaders. Dr. John Long: Absolutely. Cobie Rutherford: Of course Dr. Threadgill was there, but she sat in on the FCS meetings- Dr. John Long: Dr Jackson. Cobie Rutherford: And Dr. Jackson was there, sitting in on the director's meetings. So, if nothing else, it was also good to get to interact with our administrators and talk to them more, in more of an informal type setting. Dr. John Long: Right, right. And I think you need that sometimes just to kind of, not put all that down, but to really be able to have open discussion about things. And out of the office setting, which was really nice. I like that. Dr. John Long: But, I tell you, one of the things that I was really interested in, and I told Dr. Jackson this when I was talking to him, is that I really enjoyed seeing what other states are doing. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah. Dr. John Long: The difference. You know, of course we're all geared towards youth development, and you and I were in the 4-H youth development committee section of that and, it was really neat to see how different states are doing this. What really stuck out in your mind about that? Cobie Rutherford: Yeah, I think the one thing that I thought our 4-H'ers may be missing out on is a state wide camping opportunity. Which, I know there are good regional camps all around the state. I know those regions put on a very good... But I don't think, with the limited resources we have, you know, we don't have a Mississippi State 4-H camp grounds. And I think most of the states that had successful camping programs had just one 4-H camp ground, the way I understood it. Dr. John Long: Right. Cobie Rutherford: So I'm glad the regions are kind of taking that and running with that endeavor, because I think that's a very positive experience. Dr. John Long: Yeah, I think it is too. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah I went to 4-H camp when I was a 4-H er. Dr. John Long: Did you? Cobie Rutherford: Yeah, it was a lot of fun. Dr. John Long: What did y'all do? Cobie Rutherford: Oh gosh. We did everything. Dr. John Long: Sang Kumbaya? Cobie Rutherford: Well they had some campfire type stuff, but mostly it was just workshops and meetings, and we got to canoe and swim and different things. It was fun. Dr. John Long: Throw in a little shooting sports in there on top of it? Cobie Rutherford: I don't remember doing that. Dr. John Long: You could do archery. Cobie Rutherford: You could. Maybe I went a different track, but it was a lot of fun. But in Alabama they had one in the summer that was kind of statewide and then they also had a mid-winter camp. Dr. John Long: Right. Is this tent camping? Is this what I'm thinking about? Cobie Rutherford: No. Not at all. Dr. John Long: Cabin. Cabin camping. Cobie Rutherford: Cabin. Dorms. Dr. John Long: Oh yeah. Okay. Cobie Rutherford: Yep. They were fun. For sure. Dr. John Long: See, I've got to get in a tent. If I'm going to say I'm camping, I got to be in at tent. Cobie Rutherford: I appreciate the outdoors but, I want modern day amenities. Dr. John Long: We went camping this year for our "Summer vacation." And it was a two day event, obviously on the weekend, but it was so funny. We tent camp, and we were on our little concrete pad... Of course, we're not roughing it completely because we got electricity and water there at the pad, but it was so funny, it was all of these hundred thousand dollar campers and then this, right in the middle of them, is our little tent. But you know what? We had a great time anyway. Cobie Rutherford: I'm sure. That's... to each their own, but that's probably not my cup of tea. I don't want to fight the bugs or, you know? But then again, I'll go out to the barn and sweat with the flies and things. But, I don't know. Dr. John Long: We picked up our tent last year when we were camping and there was a snake under it. Cobie Rutherford: Oh geez. Dr. John Long: So I figured it was attracted to our body heat, I don't know that. Cobie Rutherford: Dang, I'd have left the tent there I suppose. Dr. John Long: Well, obviously you're saying these 4-H camps, they're not geared that way. It's actually kind of like a summer camp like you would imagine, that you see on "TV". Because I've never been to a summer camp or anything like that. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah, and I think most of these had dorm rooms, and air conditioned cafeterias. Dr. John Long: Have you ever been to Rock Eagle? Cobie Rutherford: Rock Eagle? I have not, no. Dr. John Long: It's beautiful. It's a beautiful place. And they've actually done more now. Rock Eagle is in Georgia, in Athens, Georgia. So big 4-H camp there. Cobie Rutherford: So, what about you? What was the part that you think that we might be missing out on? Something that just kind of stood out. Dr. John Long: You know, I really liked... Of course, I know we do have collaborations, but I was really impressed, I would really like to know more about the collaborations we have with individuals like... For instance, we went to the farm, they had a Docville Farm, in Chalmette. They had a, oh I don't know what you would say... Partnership. Let us just say a partnership with that County Club, and they've just gone above and beyond reaching out and assisting them in different projects. They had a, I wouldn't say it's a, well I guess it is kind of a reforestation of coastal wetlands and marshes that Docville Farms actually works with the 4-H clubs there in order to try to reclaim some of that coastal marshland, because it's eroding away so fast. Dr. John Long: And I thought that was really cool. I know we have partnerships like that in the state, but I'm not aware of who they are. And I that would be really cool, because those 4-H'ers get up there, we had two 4-H'ers get up there and they presented that whole presentation about how they went about putting the marsh, I'm just going to say grass because I can't remember, what was it? Cobie Rutherford: Mangrove trees. Dr. John Long: Mangrove tree. Yeah, I knew it. Okay. Mangrove trees. Kevin, my friend from Oklahoma, he thought they were saying... was that to you or was that... Cobie Rutherford: Oh that was me. Dr. John Long: That was you. Cobie Rutherford: I thought... well it may have been both of us. Dr. John Long: Mango. Mango. Cobie Rutherford: I thought, well then you can go out there and pick fruit when they're finished, but, Man Grove. Dr. John Long: I thought this is a dual purpose thing. But yeah. So mangrove trees and Cypress trees and things like that so that they got up and gave that whole presentation and, I think you'll agree with me, just knocked it out of the park. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah, they did really well. Dr. John Long: And I think that's a result of those cooperatives like that. Of course, you went on a cooperative tour this year too, but I just thought it was really neat to see that on a county level. So, I wouldn't say it was something that we're missing out on, it's probably because we're in a state office we're probably not as aware of them going on. So, that would be really cool to see even more that, you know? Cobie Rutherford: You know, one thing I think that we are doing very well compared to the other states is our Statewide leadership team. Dr. John Long: Oh yes. Yes. Cobie Rutherford: You know, there wasn't a whole lot of other states that I interacted with. I mean they might have had a president or a board, but it seems like ours is more engaged with what all we're doing than some of the other ones. Dr. John Long: Yeah, that's great for sure. I loved our interaction, you know, of course we had 1862 institutions and 1890 institutions there, and that was really cool to interact and work out how we could work more together on doing 4-H youth development. And seeing how the 1890s institutions do that. I thought it was really good. It was very educational for me. Cobie Rutherford: Yep. No doubt. Cobie Rutherford: You know, I think that just getting to interact with those other state program leaders was my favorite part bar none. Just learning more about them, learning about... There's some people in that room that I would consider to be new mentors for me. Dr. John Long: Right. I would too. Cobie Rutherford: That I'd never met before, and never even heard of before. And now I feel like if I had a question about a program that's going on in North Carolina that I want to come to Mississippi. Dr. John Long: That one stuck out to me too, yeah. Cobie Rutherford: You know, I could call Mitzi Downing and she would help me out with it. I mean just name dropped her, but there were a lot of other ones that would do the same thing I think. Dr. John Long: For sure. For sure. I will not lie, in all the acronyms that first day I felt, other than the main presentations, when we got into committees I was like, "Oh my goodness, I am totally lost." But the second day I felt like I was with family, because I'd kind of figured out where we were going with it. But of course a lot of that was last years reporting and stuff that we weren't privy to at that time. So, but yeah, it was really cool going and representing 4-H and Mississippi Extension, for sure. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah. You know that committee, they really embodied the four essential elements of 4-H. Dr. John Long: Yes. Cobie Rutherford: They made us feel like we belong to the group. I always felt included and... But then had that sense of independence as well. They were generous in sharing their other ideas and we got to experience how some of our colleagues, and maybe, I'm not going to speak for you, but maybe one day I'll have the chance to mastery some of those ideals and things that we're talking about. Dr. John Long: Right. Exactly. Cobie Rutherford: I don't feel anywhere close to a mastery on that. But, I feel like we were included within the masteries. Dr. John Long: Yes.Yes. We bow before their greatness. Cobie Rutherford: But I thought that was cool. Dr. John Long: Yeah. Cobie Rutherford: We had a good time and, I don't know, I got a blank John, where I was going with that? Dr. John Long: Food. Cobie Rutherford: Probably food. Dr. John Long: Now we go back to food. Cobie Rutherford: I didn't get any beignets, and I was disappointed on that. Dr. John Long: Well, we ate those blue crab beignets, those were good. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah, they were very good. I feel like I missed out on the sweet ones. Dr. John Long: Oh yeah, yeah again. They are. Cobie Rutherford: Then on the way home, we bought a king cake, and that king cake got ants in it. Dr. John Long: No! Cobie Rutherford: Yeah, so I got home and opened it up, there were ants all over it. Dr. John Long: Oh my goodness. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah. I tried to pick them off and then I'm like, "Eh, I don't know where them ants have been." Dr. John Long: You did not throw that king cake away did you? Cobie Rutherford: Well, it was infested. Dr. John Long: Really, that bad? Cobie Rutherford: Yeah. They were all over the place. Dr. John Long: Oh man, that's terrible. Cobie Rutherford: I know, I was disappointed on that. Dr. John Long: Oh we got petite fours the next day. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah, they were good. So, we did that. Dr. John Long: Well, that was an interesting time. And like I said, I would go back in a heartbeat. If I was asked to go back to PLN, I would definitely do it just because I felt like, professionally, it was very good professionally to go there. Cobie Rutherford: I'll tell you the one thing I didn't like. Dr. John Long: What was that? Cobie Rutherford: All right. So when we went around the room that day and we had these chairs, our superpower- Dr. John Long: You had to bring this up. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah, I did. Mine was awful. And yours was not that great. Dr. John Long: It was terrible. Yours was good. I liked yours. Cobie Rutherford: But ours was not the worst. Dr. John Long: No. No- Cobie Rutherford: There were ones that were worse than that. And then there was some people that took the easy way out and just copied the person in front them. Dr. John Long: That's what I should've done. Oh, I just wish I could take mine back. Ugh. Cobie Rutherford: So I'll share my superpower. Dr. John Long: I'm not. I'm not going to share mine. Cobie Rutherford: I don't remember what it was. Dr. John Long: Good. Maybe nobody else did. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah, mine was so corny, I said "I'm good with numbers and I have this ability to remember numbers from my old high school friends, or elementary school friends, and I can even remember my parents credit card number." And- Dr. John Long: Oh my god. But you got a laugh out of that though, it was good. Cobie Rutherford: I did. But then I thought, again, on the same side, they were like, "That guy is mid thirties, and he knows his parents' credit card number. That is shameful." Dr. John Long: Still. Cobie Rutherford: But I guess, shout out to my parents for keeping up with that card and all these years. Dr. John Long: That's right. That's right. Cobie Rutherford: I have to call them every once in a while when it bounces back and the expiration date change or the CVV changes. And that's kind of embarrassing, but, it's only in case of emergencies. Dr. John Long: I just don't like... I'm sorry, and this leads to what we had talked about before about introvert. I am a introvert, I do not like ice breakers. It is the hardest thing in the world for me to do, is to do that. I just want to state my name and what I do and move on, because I'm just not good at it. I don't know why, but I'm just not. Cobie Rutherford: I always try- Dr. John Long: You talk about hunting and I can do that, but- Cobie Rutherford: I always try to think of something really creative, and sometimes I'll nail it and then sometimes it comes out like, "What an idiot." Dr. John Long: Well I had stepped out of the room, and I came back into it. So I was really not, I don't know, I wasn't prepared. I wish I'd had at least another 10 minutes. I maybe should've just copied, like I said, I could've copied somebody else's, but I didn't, and wound up giving the dumbest answer I probably ever have. And, I don't know, I looked over to you and I don't if you were smiling because of my answer or were you still thinking of about yours? Cobie Rutherford: No, I was probably still thinking about mine, but anyway, I think they come out with knowing that those probably were not our true superpowers. Dr. John Long: No, I know. I know. Cobie Rutherford: But you know, you got a good shout out in for our podcast. Dr. John Long: Yeah, I did. I really did. And I think, you know, we had to give a state report so that, or I guess what did they call it? Cobie Rutherford: Yeah a state report. Dr. John Long: A state report. So, that was really cool. And I think that, when I said podcast, people kind of perked up. I don't think they're doing that. Cobie Rutherford: I don't think so either. Dr. John Long: We're all cutting edge. Cobie Rutherford: Another thing that made people perk up was the name change of shooting sports to safety. Dr. John Long: Yeah, it was. I think it was well received and, as I was explaining why, I saw a lot of people nodding their heads, so, yeah, it was really good. Cobie Rutherford: I think that was good. Dr. John Long: For sure. For sure. Well, we need to get down to... Oh, the Bulldogs are going to be in New Orleans this weekend too. Cobie Rutherford: Oh yeah? Dr. John Long: Yeah, they're going to be in a Super Dome, playing in the Super Dome. We should've just stayed down there. Maybe. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah, just taken two weeks and- Dr. John Long: Gosh. I wouldn't be able to fit in the door if I stayed down there and ate all that all the time. Cobie Rutherford: I think my phone would have blown up. Dr. John Long: Probably. Cobie Rutherford: I think it would have spontaneously combusted had I been out for two weeks. Dr. John Long: Yeah, I couldn't do that. I couldn't do that. Cobie Rutherford: I had plenty of voicemails. I think I still have some people I need to reach back out to from that week of being gone. Dr. John Long: Well, if you need to get up with Cobie, just call the main office. He'll be there, and you'll get him. Cobie Rutherford: That's right. Dr. John Long: Apologize for anything we've missed during this time. Cobie Rutherford: Exactly. Maybe I haven't missed anything. Dr. John Long: Maybe not. Maybe not. You're good. You did good. You're good. Hey, you'd heard from it by now, probably. Cobie Rutherford: That's true. That's true. Dr. John Long: Oh man. Well, all right. Well with that we're going to wrap up this podcast of 4-H-4-U-2. And if you're not already, go ahead and subscribe and kind of punch up our numbers. I wish we knew how many people were out there, but we don't and if you are, let us know. You can contact us through our emails, john.long@msstate.edu. Cobie Rutherford: Or cobie.rutherford@msstate.edu. Dr. John Long: And only kind comments only, please. We don't want any... No, we'll take constructive criticism I guess. Cobie Rutherford: That's right. Dr. John Long: And if you want to know more about 4-H and 4-H in your area, tell them where they can go, Cobie and learn more about Extension overall too. Cobie Rutherford: So you can visit the website at extension.msstate.edu or visit any of the local County Extension offices. Dr. John Long: And I will say this, if you still have questions and need them answered, please do not hesitate to call the 4-H office and we can point you in the right direction, who you need to talk to, and find out about where 4-H is and what they're doing in your area. Dr. John Long: So, with that, we're going to sign off for this edition of 4-H-4-U-2. Thanks for listening. Announcer: Thanks for joining us for 4-H-4-U-2. For more information please visit extension.msstate.edu and be sure to subscribe to our podcast. Announcer: 4-H-4-U-2 is produced by the Mississippi State University Extension Service, Office of Agricultural Communications.

Julie White sits down with Cobie and John to explain what's so fantastic about an activity she developed called Farmtastic! Transcription: Announcer: This is 4H4U2, a podcast from the Mississippi State University Extension Service, promoting 4-H programs and positive youth development. Here now, your hosts, Dr. John Long, and Cobie Rutherford. John Long: And welcome to another podcast of 4H4U2. I'm your host, John Long. Cobie Rutherford: And I'm Cobie Rutherford. John Long: And it is yet again one of my favorite times of the week, and that is to do this podcast, and we're talking about everything 4-H. We are joined with our special guest this week, Dr. Julie White. And Dr. White, did I do that right? Did I say that correctly? Julie White: It's Miss White. John Long: Oh, sorry, sorry. Julie White: Hopefully in the next year. John Long: Okay. All right, so we are working on it. All right. Julie White: That is true. John Long: That's good. All right, so we're going to get that taken care of, and then we'll formally call you doctor. Julie White: That is true. Yes, that's right. John Long: All right. Cobie Rutherford: That's right. John Long: So you're pre-doctor? That's the way I look at that. Julie White: That's right. Yeah, there we go. John Long: Okay, very good, very good. So, how are you? Julie White: Good. John Long: Good. Good, good. Cobie, so you had a good week so far? Cobie Rutherford: It's been a good week. John Long: Good. Yeah, I think it's been a pretty good one. Cobie Rutherford: A hot one. Julie White: Yeah, very hot. John Long: A hot one. Felt very blessed to be able to say that I could stay inside. Cobie Rutherford: No doubt. Julie White: That's right. Amen. John Long: Yeah. And I'm an outside person, so that's kind of tough. But anyway. Anyway, comme ci comme ca, we're going to move in to the program. And Julie ... I've been knowing Julie a long time, and Julie, tell us a little bit about yourself, where you're from, and how you got here, to where you are today. Julie White: Okay. John Long: And what you do, today. Julie White: All right. So I grew up in South Louisiana. I grew up in Livingston Parish, just outside of Baton Rouge, and grew up in 4-H there, showing livestock, was in the clothing project, which is one of those deep-known secrets that a lot of the 4-H agents find out. And you're like, "Really?" So I actually made my senior prom dress. So it was one of my projects. But I grew up on a dairy farm, and so ... But while I was in school, I met a Mississippi boy, and ended up in Starkville because of the Mississippi boy. So ... John Long: Isn't that a, I think that's a country song isn't it? Louisiana Woman, Mississippi Man. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah, that's it. Julie White: Mississippi man, sure is. John Long: So you just played that right out there. Julie White: Sure is, so ... John Long: Yeah, that's awesome. That's awesome. Julie White: So yeah. John Long: And got started, you said in, well you were a 4-H-er, and then you came to 4-H through here. Julie White: Yep, yep. John Long: So that's awesome. That's awesome. And a little-known fact, I always like saying a little-known fact. Julie and I are practically neighbors. Julie White: That is correct. John Long: Mm-hmm (affirmative). Cobie Rutherford: Wow, how about that. Julie White: Mm-hmm (affirmative). John Long: Yes, yes. We got to keep check on each other when we need to. Julie White: Technically I'm in the middle of you two. John Long: You are, you are. You really are. So ... Cobie Rutherford: How about that? John Long: If we need anything, just call, she can be there in a short amount of time. Julie White: That's right. Cobie Rutherford: That's a good deal. Julie White: That's exactly right. Cobie Rutherford: Now Julie, you started out your career in the county office here in Oktibbeha County, right? As a 4-H agent? Julie White: I started actually in a Attala County in 2000, and served there, and in Lowndes County, and Webster County before coming to Oktibbeha County as a County Agent. In Attala, Lowndes, and Webster, I was actually a 4-H Agent. So I spent 15 years on the county level before coming to the School of Human Sciences. John Long: Boy, time gets away, doesn't it? I just was always say that it's amazing how quickly that gets away from us. Julie White: Mm-hmm (affirmative). So, yeah. Cobie Rutherford: And now you've got one of the largest Extension projects in the whole state that you conduct. Tell us a little bit about that. Julie White: So I am an Extension associate over in the School of Human Sciences, but I focus on Agriculture Literacy. So I run a program called, Farmtastic, that I actually created back in 2012 as a way to teach kids. At that time I was the county agent here in Oktibbeha County, and I just wanted a way to teach kids about farming and agriculture. And when I would go to the schools they would say, "Tell me that chocolate milk came from a brown cow. Or that cotton comes from a sheep." And so I just wanted a hands-on way for us to be able to teach those kids about agriculture, and for them to experience it. And so- John Long: And these are legitimate answers that kids are giving. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah. Julie White: Yes. Yes. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah. Julie White: It's amazing how many adults will tell me that chocolate milk comes from a brown cow. And they really don't understand where cotton comes from, or anything like that. And so, there are as many adults that have that perception as kids. And so, this was just a way for us to really highlight county agriculture here in Starkville, but grew way faster than I had planned. John Long: That's what you get for being creative, Julie. Julie White: And so, in about a year and a half, we went from being just a county program to being a statewide program. John Long: That's awesome. That is awesome. And now, we talked about this on our last podcast we recorded, about that disconnect that people have with where everything comes from. And it's so hard to wrap your mind around it. Well, I grew up in an agricultural background. If you're around it, it's pretty easy to know where things come from. I never had those kind of questions. But it's really hard to believe that people really don't know where everything comes from, and what it takes, that production side and all of the things that are so big a part of our state for that matter. Julie White: Right, yes, very much so. John Long: So, with us being an agricultural state, to me that seems like an extremely important thing we need to do, especially in our state, is to continue doing that. Julie White: Yeah. Most of our kids these days are three to four generations removed from the farm. And so they just haven't been exposed to it like many of us were. And so, they just don't know. And so it's our job to show them what agriculture is about, and why it's important to them. John Long: Right, right. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah. And I even look at our statewide 4-H demographics, where only 6% of our 4-H-ers claim to live on the farm. So there's 94% of even the children that we're interacting with, John, that don't have that real farm experience. John Long: Background, that's right. And see how much that's changed. And I would think in a relatively short amount of time, too. I don't think it's been all that long since ... But then that's again, something that we have to adapt to, as far as the educational efforts for sure, I would say, so ... So Julie, exactly ... Walk through some of the activities. I know my kids have been, or one of them have been through it. Just tell us exactly what Farmtastic, how do you go about setting that up and going through them? Julie White: Okay. Yep. So Farmtastic is a traveling exhibit, and we travel across the state throughout the year. We set up in agri-centers across the state, and when we set up, it has five or six different focus areas depending on where we're set up. But basically the main ones that the kids will walk through, they'll all enter through our Barnyard Bonanza, which of course focuses on livestock and poultry. Then they'll move through to Mighty Crops, which focuses on agronomy, like cotton, soybeans, rice, corn, those kinds of things. Julie White: And then they'll move to Wonder Plants, which is horticulture, so it looks at gardening and things that they can do in their backyard, whether it's actually growing vegetables, or whether it's growing plants such as flowering plants to beautify their home. And then we also go to the Enchanted Forest, where we look at forestry and how big that industry is in our state, and how it relates to the things we do every day. We also go to Something Fishy, which has to do with aquaculture. And we look at the different things, the catfish industry here in this state. Unless I'm on the coast, and then of course on the coast we're looking at the seafood industry. Cobie Rutherford: You have to adapt for that, for sure. John Long: Mm-hmm (affirmative). Julie White: Yes. And that is a huge room when we're on the coast. And then the last room that they always go through is the Farm Village, which helps them to put together the things that they've seen that day dealing with agriculture, and how all that gets to their plate, or their home, or their clothes that they're wearing. And so that's a chance for us to kind of tie that whole farm-to-plate activity. But we also have many partners as we travel, such as the Soil and Water Conservation districts, the County Farm Bureaus, MDOT is a big partner of ours that comes in. And so, there's a lot of different activities that we add to the events, depending on where we are and what the local partners are. John Long: Right. Well that's great that you've got these local partners coming in and continuing to help to expand the program that you have. So that's important, too, as far as that support is concerned. Julie White: It's definitely a great benefit. John Long: Mm-hmm (affirmative). For sure. Cobie Rutherford: How many of these do you do a year? Julie White: Typically the last four years we have done anywhere from nine to twelve a year. When we set up, we come in on a Monday and set up, and then we run the event Tuesday through Friday. So bringing in local schools ... As an example, and most of them, this is how it works, like here at MSU when we host the one at the Horse Park, we attract 10 counties, and we're targeting second to fourth graders. And so it's a free field trip as far as coming in and being able to tour it, and experience it. All the kids go home with a backpack full of goodies they get to take. There's a lot of make-and-take activities as they go throughout the exhibit. They get to take that stuff with them. The teachers also get some information, an agriculture curriculum that they can use in their classroom. And so they get stuff, too, while they're at the event. John Long: Wow, that reminds me. I'm sure you remember this, you know when we used to have school days on the farm? Julie White: Yes. John Long: That's very similar to that. Julie White: It is. John Long: Except you're more mobile, instead of having to bus kids into the campus. That's great. So this program is, I'm obviously expanding through the years that you've been doing it, as you said, starting on the county level ... How many at each workshop or Farmtastic event that you have, on average, how many kids would you say that you're reaching out to at a time? Julie White: Each time it kind of depends on actually how many days the event is. But the average is about 12 to 1500 in those four days. So ... John Long: Wow. Sorry I just blew into the microphone, but that's mind-blowing. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah, that's a lot. Julie White: So we're seeing a good number of kids for us as a 4-H program. It's a great opportunity for us to show what we have, as 4-H, since everything we do doesn't necessarily have to do with farming. There are some other things that our kids can be involved in, and so it's a great time for us to market our 4-H program, too. John Long: Now Julie, I know that you're a hard worker, and I know that you don't back up from anything, but you have to have help for these things. Julie White: I do. John Long: Now how many people do you have helping you with this? Because it's tiring me out hearing you say all that. Julie White: Yeah, I run ... Usually I utilize about 40 volunteers a day, and that's to get through all of the stations that are in the different focus areas, and to make sure that the kids have the best experience possible. So we're using a lot of volunteer hours when we do Farmtastic. John Long: Yeah. Thank you volunteers. Julie White: Yes, very much. John Long: Thank you. We can't do a lot of stuff without you, and we really appreciate you. A little plug for our volunteers. Julie White: That's right. John Long: Now I have to ask this, do you have a favorite area that you work in? Julie White: Well ... John Long: Yeah, out of everything, the whole thing, out of everything. Julie White: I do. Actually, there's probably two. A, I'm a livestock person. And so, of course the livestock room is always my favorite. Because being raised on a farm, and we have a farm now, it's kind of my thing. And yeah, to see the kids all hold that baby chick in that room, it's a really cool moment, especially for those that have never seen it. My other favorite is the forestry room. John Long: Really? Julie White: They get to the bubble blowers in that room. John Long: Oh yeah, I saw that. Julie White: So if you haven't seen a bubble blower, it's an actual stick of red oak, and red oak is very porous, and so it allows us to be able to blow bubbles through it. So they get a piece of wood that they get to blow bubbles through. And just watching them experience that concept of how a tree utilizes water ... But for us, we're utilizing bubbles. But we get to have some fun with wood, so that's my other favorite. John Long: You get an aha moment of it anyway, don't you? Julie White: Yeah, so ... Cobie Rutherford: That's pretty cool. So I'm sure you've seen a lot of eureka moments, where the light just flicked on in the kid's mind. Do you have a favorite? Julie White: I think for me, one of the favorites, and it's more because of the way my volunteers act, is because the kids walk from the livestock room into the agronomy room. Well in the agronomy room we have a cotton gin going, and we're ginning cotton. Well, of course the first thing we ask is, "So where's cotton come from?" And they're like, "A sheep!" And we're like- John Long: Well it does look kind of like cotton. Julie White: Yeah, it does. But then they're like, "Oh, it really doesn't?" And so we really get to hone-in on that. "No, here are the plants it comes from, here's where it's grown." John Long: It's a plant, not an animal. Cobie Rutherford: Right, yeah. Julie White: And so that one is really neat. And to watch how the volunteers react to the kids' reaction has been really a neat thing for me. John Long: That's good. That's really good. Cobie Rutherford: I can almost see the volunteers getting as much out of this in some cases as the youth, because they kind of see firsthand that disconnect that we all see on a daily basis. And then I guess from an adult standpoint, that gives them an opportunity to say, "Well I tell them an agriculture story is important." Julie White: Yep. John Long: Right. That's exactly right. Julie White: It does. And we try to utilize a lot of volunteers that are farmers, or that are involved in different industries in agriculture when we're out traveling. Because then they're actually getting to see what their consumers are saying. And so it gives them that consumer perspective John Long: It may be more so now than when we went to school, but ... And I think this is what is so important about 4-H, kind of the key thing that we teach in 4-H, is that, learn by doing, and that hands-on activity is so important to that learning process. And every station you have is that way. So those kids are not sitting in a classroom trying to regurgitate information. They're actually learning by that tactile touch, and everything. Julie White: Yes, and that's one of the things I try to emphasize to our volunteers as I'm doing volunteer orientation for the events, is, look, it's okay that they're not just standing there listening to you. It's okay that they're moving around, and really in each room, there's like seven activities for them to do. And so there's a lot going on in that one room. And so, sometimes my teachers are like- John Long: Be still! Julie White: What do you mean they're not going to just stand still?" John Long: Right right. "We can't handle that." Julie White: They have trouble. Yeah, they have trouble more than my kids do. My kids love it. John Long: Very freeing. Yeah, so ... Julie White: Yeah. And so it's one of those that I kind of have to talk to the volunteers and the teachers, and just be like, "Hey, let them do what they want to do. And it's okay if they don't touch everything," but just letting them do how they want to do. So ... John Long: Right. Right, right. And giving them a little freedom as far as what they're interested in, yeah. Cobie Rutherford: I remember a couple of years, well, I guess it was last year when you had it here on campus, we took Reason. And Reason had been terrified of chickens- John Long: Reason being your son. Cobie Rutherford: Reason is my son, yeah. He was terrified of chickens up to this point. So we took him in, and he got to hold a chick for the first time. And that was the first time he had seen a chicken outside of a commercial grower. And he just, it blew his mind. He couldn't wrap his head around why this chick wasn't yellow, and in a house with 60,000 friends. Julie White: Right, yeah. John Long: "Where are all your friends?" Julie White: Yeah, they, that's probably ... And that's, like I told you, that's one of my favorite spots, is because that is an aha moment for most of them. And even though we have to tell them that that chicken's going to end up growing up to be probably a chicken nugget. John Long: Right, your chicken nuggets, yeah. Julie White: But that whole little fuzzy baby chick thing, and we actually have them hatch in there, so they're getting to see the whole process. The whole "chicken or the egg" thing. So it's- John Long: We discussed that last time, didn't we? Cobie Rutherford: Mm-hmm (affirmative). Julie White: Yeah, so it's kind of a neat thing for them. So ... John Long: Oh, that's good. Cobie Rutherford: It also works out really well that Julie and her husband have a farm, because I know they use their own animals sometimes at these events. John Long: Oh, wow. Julie White: Yes, especially here in Starkville. It's ... Cobie Rutherford: Easy to transport. Julie White: Yeah, it's easy, and it's easier for me because I spent so much time at the exhibit. When we're having to feed and stuff, it's just easier to have ours there. But we do utilize 4-H-ers as we travel across the state to utilize ... Whatever county we're in, typically that county's 4-H-ers provide the animals for the exhibit. John Long: Boy, that's great outreach for them as well. That opportunity to go out and show what they know, too, so that's really good. And it's giving back to what 4-H has given them. That's great. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah and I said, I guess I misspoke there, they're probably not Julie's animals, they're probably your children's animals who are 4-H-ers, too. Julie White: Yes, yes. And they spend as much time at Farmtastic as I do because they love it as much as I do. So ... John Long: Right. That's awesome. It's a family event. Julie White: Yeah. John Long: Yeah. Julie White: Yeah. Morgan asks me all the time if I'm going to keep doing this until she's old enough to do it. And I'm like, "I don't know about that." John Long: Well, you know, time moves on. Julie White: Yes. John Long: Well, now what do you see in the future for Farmtastic? What are your visions for the future? We're not going to hold you to those, but ... Julie White: Yeah. No, I would love for us to be able to continue to do Farmtastic across the state, because I see the importance of us as an agriculture state promoting what we do. And to be there to promote what our farmers are doing on a daily basis, because people need to understand where their food and clothes come from. Cobie Rutherford: Absolutely. Julie White: And so I'd love to see us maybe scale back a little from doing that whole 12 a year to maybe doing at least one a region across the state. And if not, just a couple more than that. But I would love to see us be able to continue the program for a while and expand it in certain areas. And change it up just a little. It gets changed pretty regular, more or less because I get bored, more than ... With the same activities all the time, but that also- John Long: Because you've got a new crop of kids coming in. Julie White: Right. And so it's fun to change things up and let them see something new. John Long: Sure, sure. And that's keeping you fresh too, right? Julie White: Yes, yes. John Long: Not losing your mind. So with that, that is, like you said, expanding and changing things is going to be important. And we have a lot of things that change agriculturally, and otherwise. So, yeah. Julie White: So yeah, our technologies are changing every day. So there's going to be a lot of new things coming down the pipe that we're going to be able to show. John Long: I saw a drone spraying a field the other day. I knew it was just a matter of time, so ... Julie White: Yep, yep. Cobie Rutherford: I heard about that. John Long: Mm-hmm (affirmative). Julie White: So most of our kids will have the opportunity to go to school to be a drone pilot. John Long: See, now that's ... Julie White: And that's something we would've never thought of. John Long: The big yellow bird will be replaced by that. That's an airplane for people that don't know. Julie White: That's right. John Long: But anyway, but anyway. Well Julie, we certainly thank you for coming in, and the time just flies by when we do these things. Julie White: It does. John Long: And we really appreciate it. Now where can they go, our listeners, if we have listeners, I think we've got listeners. I hope so. If you're listening, Where can they go to get more information? Julie White: Our website is farmtastic.msucares.com. John Long: Oh, that was snappy. I like that. That's good, and easy to remember. Julie White: There you go. John Long: Easy to remember. And Cobie, where can they go to learn about 4-H in their area? Cobie Rutherford: So to learn more about 4-H, you can visit any county Extension office across the state or visit our website at extension.msstate.edu. John Long: And I love our website, because if you're in your county, and you just look to the right, it'll say, "Select a county," and it automatically takes you to the people that you need to be in contact with. Julie White: That's right. John Long: So, that's awesome. Well thank you. And with that, we're going to wrap up this edition of 4H4U2. Be sure and subscribe if you're not a subscriber already, and join us next time. Take care. Announcer: Thanks for joining us for 44H4U2. For more information, please visit extension.msstate.edu. And be sure to subscribe to our podcast. 4H4U2 is produced by the Mississippi State University Extension Service Office of Agricultural Communications.

Dr. Jessica Wells visits the studio this week and discusses all things chicken related in the world of 4-H. Transcript: Announcer: This is 4-H-4-U-2, a podcast from the Mississippi State University Extension Service promoting 4-H programs and positive youth development. Here now, your host, Dr. John Long and Cobie Rutherford. John Long: And we are back on the air. This is 4-H-4-U-2 and I'm John Long, your host. Cobie Rutherford: And I'm Cobie Rutherford, I got a little quick there, John. John Long: No, it's fine. It's fine. We've had a lot of coffee. Well, not you, you don't drink coffee, do you? Cobie Rutherford: I don't. John Long: No. No, but we had donuts this morning, so- Cobie Rutherford: We did. John Long: We got our sugar rush going. We've got summer celebration here in the Extension Bost building today and it's a Friday. Cobie Rutherford: Most importantly. John Long: Most importantly. So, we're getting geared up for the weekend. We are so delighted to have Dr. Jessica Wells with us this morning. And how are you doing this morning? Jessica Wells: Doing good. John Long: We have been sitting here talking for like 30 minutes, it seems, and just trying to catch up on some stuff that's been going on. So, Jessica, tell us a little bit about yourself, where you're from and how you got to where you are now. Jessica Wells: Sure. So, I am originally from south Mississippi, Ellisville area. Yeah, Free State of Jones- John Long: Jones county. Jessica Wells: Yeah. John Long: That's right. That's right. Jessica Wells: I grew up there, graduate- John Long: Have you seen that movie by the way? Jessica Wells: You know I have not, I've seen- John Long: You need to. Jessica Wells: I've seen pieces of it but- John Long: Very good movie. Jessica Wells: I'm sure it is. No, I saw all the hype over it when it was being filmed, because, you know, being from there. John Long: Sure. And it was filmed. Jessica Wells: Yeah, everybody posted a picture with Matthew McConaughey because he came through town. Yeah. John Long: Sure, of course. Cobie Rutherford: You know, I've met a guy that was actually in that movie. He was an amputee. He was a veteran amputee and he's actually in the movie, well as a wounded person. So yeah. Jessica Wells: Yeah. The man that married me and my husband, he was in it, too. John Long: Oh really? Jessica Wells: Yeah. John Long: Well good. Jessica Wells: He had a few little snippets, you know he had to post those and he was famous. John Long: I'm sorry that we got sidetracked on Matthew McConaughey, but who wouldn't? Jessica Wells: Exactly. John Long: Right? I mean, he's a good actor. So, go ahead. I'm sorry. Jessica Wells: I graduated from there and I did my bachelor's and master's here at Mississippi State in poultry science. Kind of just fell into that department, I don't think many people grow up saying, "I want to be a poultry scientist." It's just not something at six years old you decide, but I was lucky that I was given the opportunity. It's been great. And- John Long: Well, what six-year-old doesn't like a chicken? Jessica Wells: Exactly, exactly. John Long: I mean, come on. Jessica Wells: But I finished that master's and got hired on in the poultry department in 2009 and I've been working with 4-H/FFA Youth Project since then. Along with other Extension activities, like Backyard is particularly what I focus in. And then I teach some classes on campus, as well. John Long: It sounds like you're really busy. Jessica Wells: I stay busy. John Long: Yeah, yeah. And you just recently finished your doctorate, right? Jessica Wells: I did. I finished my PhD this past May. So, work I'm sure is not going to change but... John Long: It may increase. Jessica Wells: But the titles different. Same person, different title. John Long: Give Cobie some advice, as he is going through the... Yeah, you got any questions? Cobie Rutherford: The dissertation writing. Jessica Wells: Yeah, I would suggest starting to figure out how to drink coffee, Cobie. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah, I need to- John Long: A lot of it. Cobie Rutherford: I need to do that. John Long: Copious amounts of coffee. Jessica Wells: Yeah. John Long: Black. Jessica Wells: Cry every now and then, it helps. Cobie Rutherford: Will that help, too? Jessica Wells: Yeah. John Long: If you don't cry, just use artificial tears. It worked, it's the same thing. Jessica Wells: Yeah. Cobie Rutherford: Good deal. John Long: Yeah, that's a big deal. And Cobie, I don't know if you know this or not, we are sitting in the room with a celebrity. Cobie Rutherford: Oh yeah. Jessica Wells: Oh, yeah. John Long: She was not in any movies, I don't think, but she just got an award. Jessica Wells: I did. John Long: Yeah. Jessica Wells: So, a little bit of what I do in our department is student recruitment and I'm the undergraduate coordinator, so I work with our students a lot. So I was nominated and awarded a national recruitment award through Poultry Science Association. Cobie Rutherford: Oh, very cool. John Long: That's awesome. Jessica Wells: Yeah, it was a nice honor, I got to go to Canada and accept that award. So- John Long: Do they say eh up there? Jessica Wells: They all spoke French, actually, where we were at. It was a little nerve wracking getting off the plane- John Long: What part of Canada? Jessica Wells: Montreal. John Long: Yeah, I was going to say if... Yeah. Jessica Wells: Yeah. Beautiful place though. It was real pretty. John Long: Yeah. Oh, I've heard it was. Jessica Wells: They all speak English, they just talk French to you until you go, "What'd you say?" And then they'll pick up in English then. Cobie Rutherford: That's funny. Well, I went to Canada last year for the animal science meetings. We went to Vancouver and it was perfect up there. Jessica Wells: Yes. Cobie Rutherford: Like, I love Canadian summers. Jessica Wells: Oh, I know. Cobie Rutherford: I don't think it want to be up there in the winter, though. Jessica Wells: Yeah, I totally agree. It was like 75, even on their hot days while we were up there. So, I mean sight-seeing was beautiful, but I agree, I'm not a snow person at all. Cobie Rutherford: But you mentioned- John Long: Fly south. Cobie Rutherford: That you do the recruiting. So, I guess 4-H plays a pretty important role in that. Jessica Wells: It does. I have different things that I do in our department, but they really all kind of mesh into one. So with 4-H and FFA, it's a huge recruiting tool for us. I also do a hatch out program in elementary schools and you know, in all honesty that's somewhat of a recruiting tool, as well. Even though those kids are in kindergarten, we make that impact. You give them baby chicks, they get to see that live animal and it's something that they remember from there on out. So when I do come into a school their junior year, they already have that trigger of, "Oh, I remember this activity. This was really cool." So all of those youth development type things that we do, we can really use them as recruitment tools to kind of prove to students that poultry science degrees doesn't mean that you're going to be working in a chicken house. It's actually a wonderful industry and hugely supports our state. And the job opportunities are endless in what you can do with it. John Long: I think that... And you kind of touched on something that I've always kind of thought... Or not thought, but know, that sometimes you feel like maybe what you're doing is not being effective as far as teaching a young person. But there you make an impact on a young child's life and obviously 4-H does this, they're providing experiences that they never forget. It doesn't matter what it is, I mean, as long as you're that. Jessica Wells: Right. Right, I agree. You know, it's not a fast turnaround, if I do a 4-H or FFA activity with a senior, I might see that student in in a year. But with kindergarten, you can't really turn that paperwork in to upper admin and say, "See, we're doing something. Look at the numbers." It takes a long time to see that develop, but it's definitely worth it. I can remember as a child, my granddad, who I was really close with, would let us pick out eggs in the Murray McMurray magazine. John Long: Oh really? Jessica Wells: Yeah. And we would hatch them and I'd go through there and pick out colorful pretty eggs- John Long: Well sure. Jessica Wells: We'd pick out turkeys, quail, ducks, chickens, whatever. And we would hatch them out, keep them in the living room for a couple of weeks, and then he'd turn them loose and I'm sure half of them got eaten- Cobie Rutherford: Become coyote bait. Coyotes, cats. Jessica Wells: Right. But it was still like a really cool experience. I remember as a kid, getting flashlights out and going hiding in a closet and looking at the eggs inside and it was... So when I did come into poultry science it was like, "Oh my gosh, I think I was geared for this from day one." I didn't realize it, but... So, little things like that are really important and it seems- John Long: It's my favorite thing that y'all do. Not the favorite, but is my favorite, it's the candling. I love that. I think it's just the coolest thing. Jessica Wells: Oh no, the little kids in kindergarten through third grade. I mean they love, you'd tap on that egg and the little embryo starts to move and they get so excited. It's so cute. And then if they start to pip but they haven't actually broken through the shell and you can hear them peeping, they think that's just the coolest thing in the world. John Long: That leads me to ask the question. What came first chicken or the egg? Jessica Wells: You know, that's a very valid question, but- John Long: Well, yeah, I know. We won't get into that. Jessica Wells: We'll say that both came at the same time. If you had a grown chicken, there's probably an egg inside of her. John Long: Hey, that is true. Cobie Rutherford: That's pretty valid. John Long: Didn't think about that. Jessica Wells: So it's a draw. John Long: Yeah. But we still don't know why the chicken crossed the road. That could be a lot of reasons. Jessica Wells: Yeah. Cobie Rutherford: So I used to work in the beef industry with Extension and then with the Cattle Association, and one thing I always had a challenge doing was making that connection from farm animal to a food product. Jessica Wells: Yes. Cobie Rutherford: And one of my... I can't say favorite questions, but one question that I got from a kindergarten one time was a sweet little girl in Kentucky, she raised your hand and said, "So when you get the hamburgers from the cow does it hurt them?" And it just baffled me that there's such a big disconnect between farm animals and food. Jessica Wells: Yeah. John Long: How old was that child? Cobie Rutherford: She was in kindergarten. John Long: Oh, you said kindergarten, yeah. Cobie Rutherford: So I'm like... How do you combat that because I'm sure you get some of those questions when you go to a kindergarten class. Jessica Wells: I do, and I will say that when it comes to those questions, kindergarten and first graders are way better at the questions. I mean, they really do logically think through those processes. And you can still kind of... If I go into a senior class and I talk about slaughtering an animal and us eating it, they're all, "Ooh, yuck." And when you talk to kindergarten or first grader, they've just got that innocence to them that's like, 'Well we've got to eat, I understand this." So it's actually a little easier to communicate with them, you wouldn't think it, but... That hatch out program that I mentioned is a lot... It's an easy way to talk to them about that. We bring live chicks, we talk about how cute they are, but the fact that we need them to survive and they serve a purpose and we go through the concept of... I usually ask them, how many of you like chicken nuggets? And they all raise their hands, everybody gets excited. And then we mentioned to them that chicken nuggets come from the chicken and that we have to slaughter this animal in order to utilize them but we have processes and methods in place that make it safe and less harmful for the animal. Jessica Wells: And you know, honestly, I've never had kindergarten and first grade students that aren't receptive of that concept and understand that. There is a huge disconnect though, I will agree with that, Cobie. A lot of kids don't put the connection together and it's never offered to them. I think a lot of us try to tread lightly with kids, when in reality, when you're honest and truthful with them the benefit is there, it's good for them. So being able to go into those classrooms with a program like the hatch out, that's fun and educational at the same time, helps to kind of dispel those myths, but also allow them to see that process firsthand, utilize that information in a positive way. John Long: And we don't do that education, then they are the adults that say, where do you get the milk from? They say the grocery store. Jessica Wells: Right, exactly. John Long: Have no idea. Cobie Rutherford: When that little girl asked me that question, it was around Thanksgiving time and I played it off with the pilgrims and the Indians and the Thanksgiving story about how the Indians taught the pilgrims how to hunt and how did they get the turkey? Well, the Indians showed them how to kill turkeys. It was the same purpose, they shot turkeys with bows and arrows and we eat chicken today. Jessica Wells: Right, right. And- John Long: Don't get to talking about turkeys, you'll get me all messed up. Jessica Wells: We'll get way off track, again. John Long: I'm already in the spring all of a sudden. Go ahead. I'm sorry. Jessica Wells: No, it is. It's fun. I get wild questions sometimes, some of them throw me way off guard with those kids, but a lot of them, I'm sitting there just in amazement of how they really start to piece those puzzles together. And you know, in all reality, I'm not just there teaching the students, a lot of times those parents and teachers that are in the room, too, have valid questions and a lot of questions that you wouldn't think that an adult would ask, but they're disconnected. Less than 3% of us actually have a connection with agriculture and farm. So you got to think most of these people have never even seen a baby chick and experienced that. John Long: I think that's so true, what you say, is that connection between the need or the... Well I don't know how to say that, that disconnect, that gap needs to be closed for sure, because people... And I've had people, they didn't want to talk about it. They know that chicken nuggets come from a chicken, but they don't want to talk about it and they don't want to know and I guess that's fine. At least they know where it comes from where a lot of people don't. Jessica Wells: Yeah, I would say that generally when you have people that are very timid of the process, if they have the opportunity to go in an actual processing plant and watch that process, they come out with a way better knowledge and it's almost like, wow, that wasn't bad at all. So that understanding, a lot of it is just not knowing and your head creates an image for you that really isn't the truth. John Long: Exactly. And it's like riding a roller coaster, it's normally worse than... I mean, you make it so. Jessica Wells: Right. Once you get on, it's like, wow, that was actually fun. John Long: I want to do that again, let's go to the chicken plant again. Jessica Wells: Yeah. John Long: No, I'm kidding. I've never been to one, I would love to go to one though. Jessica Wells: It's definitely something to see. It's so efficient and, I mean, you're just in amazement of how well it's operated and ran. And I mean you're talking 150 birds a minute are coming out of that plant process, it's so crazy. John Long: I went to school many years ago, but I still remember that in animal science, they were quoting those numbers and I was like, "You've got to be kidding me." And I'm sitting here and thinking, okay, how many we've gone through already. But yeah, it's crazy. But we need it, there's a demand for chicken. Jessica Wells: Exactly. Cobie Rutherford: And Mississippi ranks third or fourth in the nation? Jessica Wells: Yep, I think we're fourth or fifth actually now, I think. Cobie Rutherford: We're fourth or fifth, okay. Jessica Wells: North Carolina has put in some plants, Sanderson Farms has started developing up there. So they are on the map now. It's number one for our state, it brings in about $3.5 billion for our state in income and whatnot. So it's huge and we do rank in the top five nationwide. In the world, the US is number one for broiler production. So people don't realize, you can say you don't want it, you don't like it, but in reality- John Long: The demand is there. Jessica Wells: The demand is there, and it's a way to feed the world, you know? I mean, it's efficient. John Long: High protein. Jessica Wells: It is. It's sustainable. A lot of people don't match a commercial industry with sustainability, but if you really think about it, it's probably the most sustainable market we have. John Long: I had chicken last night in preparation for this interview. Jessica Wells: And it's good. John Long: And, oh, it was fantastic. Yeah, it was wonderful. Jessica Wells: Goes with everything. Cobie Rutherford: What other contests and activities do you help with? Jessica Wells: So, with 4-H and FFA, we have poultry judging, which those students will come to state competitions, they also have district competitions and they judge market products as well as live birds. Those we basically base off of industry standards. So most people don't realize it, but when you go buy those eggs or that meat in the grocery store, there's actually a grade on them. And that grade means something. You know, if you go and see that grade A on the top of a carton, that means that that's a good, top egg. Whereas you'd have an A, B, C or no grade. We don't actually buy B eggs or C eggs, they go for other things. Jessica Wells: But we teach those youth what those grades mean and how to judge those products on that factor, to say whether it's a good egg, a bad egg, mediocre egg, I guess. And then also the quality of that bird. So in our industry, I know a lot of people think we just hatch those eggs, put those birds in a house and see what we get in the end, we can't do that. A processing plant can't run efficiently if those birds aren't uniform, if they're not grown to the best of their ability, we lose profit. So there's characteristics we can look for in young hens and in broilers that we could either cull that out, so that genetic line doesn't move into future generations. And we teach those kids how to look for that. Pigmentation's an easy one to kind of use as example. If a hand has really yellow legs, that means she's probably not laying those yellow yolks. So she doesn't lay as many eggs. John Long: Really? Jessica Wells: Yeah. So she- John Long: Wow. Did you know that, Cobie? Cobie Rutherford: I did not. Jessica Wells: Yeah. John Long: Just learn something every day. Jessica Wells: I know. She actually, the food she consumes has xanthophylls in it, which is yellow pigment. And as she eats that, it turns her skin yellow. If she's laying eggs, she's utilizing that nutrient for that egg. So it will pull that color out of her body. So I could actually walk through a hen house of egg layers and I could tell you who's consuming feed and not giving me profit. And we would want to get rid of that bird because if I'm just feeding her and she's serving no purpose, you know, it's not useful for us. So they learn how to place those birds based on those characteristics. So, it's not just a fun activity, it's actually something that we do utilize in the industry. And our students in college actually take those courses and they compete and they will utilize that once they go into the industry. John Long: It seems to me, that there has been an increase in... Maybe not, but it seems like it to me, that there's been an increase in interest in growing your own chickens, growing your own eggs at home. Jessica Wells: There has. John Long: Especially in our area, I know for a fact. Jessica Wells: Right. John Long: Why do you think that is? Jessica Wells: You know, I think, this is just my opinion- John Long: You're entitled to it. Jessica Wells: Yeah, I think so. John Long: This is free radio. Jessica Wells: But I think as, Americans especially, but as a human population, we always want what we can't have. And you know when 90% of us lived on a farm, nobody wanted a spare chicken to play with, you know? Because we were all doing it day in and day out. And now that less than 3% of that population live on that farm, we want what we can't have. We don't actually grow our food, so you know what I think I can... I want to take that opportunity, I want to try it out because I've never done it before. So I think that's a lot of where that boom comes from. And social media, too, we see a lot on social media. It has a huge impact and a lot of that's in your face on do we really know where our food comes from? Do you know what those sources are? Whether it's true or false, we take it, we absorb it. And I think that it plays a part on people getting into that feel of wanting to grow their own and see if they can do it. John Long: And maybe it's in fact that they want to know where they're... I mean, how their food's being handled, too. I've heard that as a reason as why. Jessica Wells: Right. Most of the time when they do get that flock of birds, they realize real quick that it's a lot more convenient to go back into the grocery store. John Long: I had an old poultry science professor told me the same thing. He said, "Don't worry with it." Jessica Wells: It's a lot cheaper, too. I mean, don't get me wrong, it is a very fun hobby. And chicken of all the livestock is probably the best to prove to a child, it's something that they can maintain on their own. So it's a good one to use as a concept of you're not going to sink thousands of dollars into it, it's going to be pretty cheap. You don't have to have a lot of land for it. And they're able to take care of that, not knocking Cobie livestock over here with cattle and whatnot, but I'm not so sure I'd give my four-year-old a bucket and send them out into the pasture with bulls to feed. I would probably give a four-year-old a bucket to go feed some chickens. John Long: Yeah, they're pretty safe. Jessica Wells: Yeah, a little safer. John Long: Until they get spurs on them, I guess you get roosters over there. Jessica Wells: Yeah, don't get me wrong, they can hurt you, but I don't think it's going to be as bad as some other livestock. So, it's a good, fun project. Like I said, I don't think you're going to save money on it by doing it, but it does teach some really good qualities in youth. John Long: Educational value's there for sure. Jessica Wells: Right, right. But aside from that judging, we also have egg prep competition. So students come and give a 10-minute presentation. Those youth come up with some type of food product that they make and it has to have egg in it. And we get everything under the sun, deviled eggs, we get that. John Long: My favorite. Jessica Wells: Yes. But some of them will even make cheesecake because it has egg in it, it has to- Cobie Rutherford: I'm sorry. He was starting to say, "Oh really?" Jessica Wells: Yeah, you'd be amazed at what you can make with some egg. But they come and do a demonstration and they talk about that product and then they also do a taste test. So the judges will have... We'll have a panel of judges and they serve their product after their presentation and whoever has the best product, as far as flavor and presentation, ends up winning that competition. So that's one that's really fun and you don't have to necessarily get in there with live birds and whatnot, you still get that process. And then our main one, that big one, is the chain project. John Long: Oh, I love this. I love saying chicken chain. Jessica Wells: I saved it best for last, right? John Long: Yes, yes. Jessica Wells: That poultry chain is really fun, we do all ages, so Cloverbud all the way up to that Senior level 4-'er. They get chicks starting May 19th week, every year, and usually, we tell them to order around 20 because it gives you kind of a pool, but- John Long: And they go through that through you? Is that how they do that? I mean, through the poultry science. They say, "Hey-" Jessica Wells: Yes, yes. Their county agent would have all of the information and then, obviously, if they can't get what they need from that county office, then they can always call us and we can answer questions and whatnot. Any of those routes would work, we're probably going to direct them back to that county office, but we'll be glad to help. But those kids get those 20 chicks, or around 20... Obviously if you have six kids, I don't expect you to buy six times 20- John Long: That's a lot of chickens. Cobie Rutherford: That's too much. Jessica Wells: So we don't make it mandatory, but it's just a suggestion. But there're select breeds that they can choose from, they raise those birds for about 20 weeks. So they get them to, basically, sexual maturity and then they bring them to the state fair and they pick their top three to show. John Long: Wow. Jessica Wells: It's really been a pleasure to do that. We started that project about eight years ago, I think, and it's been a lot of fun. It's really rewarding. We usually have a pretty large group of kids that compete. We do give out monetary awards for that, so our grand champion gets $1,000, makes it worth it, you know? Cobie Rutherford: Yeah. John Long: I'm sorry. Jessica Wells: You want to compete now, John? John Long: No, I'm going to sign my vote. Jessica Wells: And then a reserve gets 500 and we give money to first through fifth place as well. And then there's a category in that, showmanship. So I came up with the showmanship after our first year, I had a little girl that kind of pulled my heartstrings. She was about 10 years old, came decked out, all the bells and whistles, just so excited to be there. She lived with her grandmother, her grandmother was a lot older and you could tell they didn't have a whole lot. But buddy, she was ready, she was excited. But you know, 85-year-old grandmother doesn't understand the concept of feed-in-a-bag feed and it having a nutritional value and whatnot. So she was free ranging some chickens and telling her have fun. So, obviously, she didn't place, her chickens weren't very good quality, but, I opened the cage, they looked at me, jumped in my arms, they weren't scared at all. You could tell the child had lived in that chicken pen. Jessica Wells: So, we developed the showmanship category to where those students actually take that chicken and they show it. It has to walk across a table for them, they have to position it in different positions and kind of show that bird. So it doesn't really matter the quality of the bird, but it proves that that kid took up time and effort with that animal. So it gives them the ability to place when maybe they don't have the means to place in other categories. So- Cobie Rutherford: That's awesome. Jessica Wells: Yeah. And they get a monetary award, as well. We placed first and second for showmanship. So- Cobie Rutherford: That is cool. Jessica Wells: It is really fun to watch these little kids make a chicken walk across the table, too. John Long: I was going to ask you- Jessica Wells: Yes? John Long: I'm not even going to go because my mind was thinking, okay, now how do you exactly show a chicken? Jessica Wells: I know, it's like any other animal. If you've ever seen kids show rabbits or sheep or anything- John Long: What do you do? Whistle and hold it in the air? Jessica Wells: You would be amazed. John Long: Really? Jessica Wells: So they'll train them with treats. John Long: Yeah, like a dog. Jessica Wells: Yeah, just like a dog. And they'll pretty much put their fingers in front of their face and kind of snap and that chicken will walk and- John Long: You are kidding? Jessica Wells: Yeah, and they'll stop them- John Long: I've got to... Have you seen this before, Cobie? Cobie Rutherford: I've seen the afterwards of a chicken show, but I've never watched the children's show their chickens. Jessica Wells: Yeah, it's pretty neat to watch. John Long: That is too cool. Jessica Wells: Now, occasionally- John Long: Now, when does this happen because I'm going to make plans. Jessica Wells: So we always do the second weekend of the state fair, we generally have that show on that Friday before. It's worth coming. John Long: So, that's the Friday before 4-H day, I guess. Cobie Rutherford: That's right. Jessica Wells: It is. John Long: Oh, I'll be there. Jessica Wells: It is, yeah, come on over. John Long: Oh, I've got to see this, this chicken walk [crosstalk 00:26:49]. Jessica Wells: Yeah. We're usually showing about five at a time from starting about 8:00, 8:30 until lunch. John Long: Where is that located? Is it in one of the barns? Jessica Wells: So it's usually where your dairy show is going on in the arena, we're usually right outside of that. John Long: A smaller ring. Jessica Wells: Yeah, yeah. John Long: In the little, smaller ring. Jessica Wells: Yeah. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah. Last year I walked through there after the show was over and I tried to buy some chickens from a 4-H'er and she priced those three chickens to me for 75 bucks. Jessica Wells: Hey, there's a lot of work that went into [crosstalk 00:27:18]. Cobie Rutherford: That's right, that's fine. John Long: If you won't Fifi, you're going to have to pay for it. Jessica Wells: Exactly. So we actually did do auctions a couple of years, but we kind of ran into that. A lot of those kids get attached and they just really don't want to get rid of them. John Long: Yeah. Now, I'm excited just to see the little arena. Jessica Wells: It's a show that's worth coming to see. John Long: And it's all hens, we don't have rooster? Jessica Wells: We do all hens. So they don't get... If they want to buy rooster they can, but we don't do roosters. I kind of like to get that concept across that we don't need a rooster to get our eggs and they don't serve a purpose unless you want chicks off of them. John Long: Right, more chicks. Jessica Wells: It's just a headache. They get aggressive and- John Long: They're so pretty, though. Jessica Wells: They are pretty. John Long: But pretty annoying. Jessica Wells: When your four-year-old walks in and they start attacking. John Long: Yeah. We don't want that to happen. Cobie Rutherford: So do y'all do anything with any other types of poultry? With ducks or geese or guineas- John Long: Turkeys. Jessica Wells: Yeah, so as far as youth projects, we don't, some other states do have turkey shows. The Turkey industry is nonexistent in Mississippi. John Long: Don't they have it in Arkansas. Jessica Wells: They do. John Long: I thought they did. Jessica Wells: They do. So neighboring states do have some turkeys, we're too hot for turkeys here in Mississippi. John Long: Okay. Jessica Wells: We're too hot for everything really. But- John Long: For us. Jessica Wells: Yeah, exactly. But we don't really have a whole lot of turkeys. Now, if a backyard enthusiast had turkeys or ducks or geese or whatever, then we're equipped to answer those questions and help them out as best we can. But we don't have any projects that focus around those other avian species. Cobie Rutherford: Gotcha. John Long: You just don't think about... Domestic turkeys, I guess. Wild turkeys live out and I guess they're tougher. Jessica Wells: Yeah. They're way different. John Long: Wait, wait, here we go, I'm getting sidetracked again. Better bring us back around. Jessica Wells: John, if you've ever been around commercial turkeys, you would- John Long: You'd know the difference. Jessica Wells: Yes, yes. John Long: Yeah, I bet there is. Jessica Wells: There's a big difference. They're hard to raise, too. They're not as smart as chicken. John Long: Really? Jessica Wells: Yeah. You kind of... With a baby chick, you hatch it out and you put feed and water out and they're good to go, give them some heat. But with a turkey, you generally... They imprint on that mother, so you have to kind of feed and give them reasons to go to the water and if you don't give them heat, they won't go and eat and drink and- John Long: Wow. Jessica Wells: They're way more finicky than a chicken. John Long: Labor-intensive. Jessica Wells: They are. They are. Cobie Rutherford: Sure didn't know that. Jessica Wells: Yeah. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah. When I grew up we had some backyard chickens and some of my fondest memories- John Long: I thought he was about to say turkeys. Cobie Rutherford: No, my grandparents never let me get turkeys because they said they roost in trees and they'll poop on the car and- John Long: Well, yeah. Cobie Rutherford: Their poop is acidic and it'd make the car rust. Jessica Wells: Mm-hmm (affirmative). John Long: That's true. Jessica Wells: Yeah. Cobie Rutherford: Is it? John Long: I mean I'm asking, I don't know. Jessica Wells: Yeah, it is. They basically excrete uric acid. John Long: Oh my. Jessica Wells: So, they're not like us. It is pretty nasty and- John Long: And we've scored some more points on something I didn't know. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah. John Long: That's crazy. Jessica Wells: Yeah, it's uric acid. Cobie Rutherford: So that was why I couldn't have turkeys, but we would always... Like, we would sell chickens at the local trade day and we'd get up before dawn go out there and catch the chickens while they were on the roast and then like take them to trade day and pedal them all day. John Long: Really? Cobie Rutherford: Yep. John Long: My wife won't let me have turkeys at the house. She says I gobble enough, so... Jessica Wells: I agree with her, they're a little bit of obnoxious. They're not real bright and they are a lot of maintenance. John Long: Yeah, I bet. Jessica Wells: They're way bigger bird, too. John Long: Everything after it, I'm sure, too. Jessica Wells: Yes, yes. John Long: Just like chickens. Jessica Wells: Yeah. I worked with them in my master's degree and I had my fair share of turkeys, the line that we worked with- John Long: That's good eating, too. I'm saying- Jessica Wells: It is. John Long: The protein and... Jessica Wells: Yes, it tastes really good. John Long: It tastes mighty good at any time. Jessica Wells: That would be one pro to having your own turkey, turkey's pretty expensive in the grocery store. John Long: Oh, you're not kidding. Meat, would you come out on top, growing your- Jessica Wells: Probably not- John Long: Probably not. Jessica Wells: You'd still have a lot of feed intake there, but- Cobie Rutherford: You know, my former boss in Kentucky, they had a little farm right outside of Lexington, and his wife grew turkeys and would sell them for 75 bucks a piece. Jessica Wells: Yes. John Long: Holy smokes. Cobie Rutherford: Processed at the farmer's market. Jessica Wells: And people will pay it. Yeah, people will definitely pay it. We do a fundraiser, occasionally we have in the past with our club, and people don't bat an eye at $50, $60 for a whole turkey. John Long: Wow. Jessica Wells: So I mean, especially if it's a fundraiser for- John Long: Well, yeah, sure. Sure, sure. Jessica Wells: Somebody, but we've done that in the past with our club and I try to not mention it too often because I end up being the one that's processing all those turkeys. And you process a couple of turkeys in you realize really quick, it's not fun. Cobie Rutherford: It's hard work. John Long: You did it with hot water? Jessica Wells: Do what? John Long: Do you do it with hot water? Jessica Wells: Yeah. We do use it... Well, we use our scalder and whatnot because we have our own processing plant. It's just that our automation is set for chickens, so we can't hang turkeys in it. So as far as like the cut-up process, everything past plucking we have to do by hand and even hanging a Turkey, their wings- John Long: Oh yeah. Jessica Wells: I mean if you're not careful, I could honestly see them break an arm on you if you let them get too crazy and start flocking around on you. John Long: I guarantee they will. I've got scars to prove it. Jessica Wells: Yeah, exactly. And you got to think your turkey that you're killing in the wild is not near the size of- John Long: No, no. Jessica Wells: A commercial turkey. John Long: I know, I know, they're more ferocious. Jessica Wells: Yeah. Those breeder turkeys can get up to 80, 90 pounds. John Long: You are kidding? Jessica Wells: No, they're big. Cobie Rutherford: Wow. John Long: Did know that? I did not know they were that large. Cobie Rutherford: I knew that the males were so big that they couldn't naturally service the hens. Jessica Wells: That's right. John Long: Wow. Jessica Wells: That's right. John Long: I'm just... This is a Friday learning experience for me. Jessica Wells: I know, the commercial industry actually artificially inseminates on turkeys. John Long: Geez, that is insane. I did not know that. Jessica Wells: Yeah. They don't have artificial insemination in turkeys and chickens, so they can actually store sperm, so you don't have to do it every day. John Long: Is that an ootheca? Jessica Wells: Do what? John Long: What's that called and isn't that an ootheca? Now, what's that called when they can store that because I've heard of that. Jessica Wells: You know, I don't know what the term is. John Long: I'm sorry. Jessica Wells: I should, they have sperm tubules, I know that. That's [crosstalk 00:33:18]- John Long: Yeah, that is pretty neat. I think that [crosstalk 00:33:20]- Cobie Rutherford: I didn't know that. John Long: So they can be serviced once, yeah. Jessica Wells: It's about a- John Long: It's a repository. Jessica Wells: A turkey can store almost about two months, approximately two months. So and then a chicken is about two weeks. Cobie Rutherford: Wow. Jessica Wells: Yeah, you're not in there but you know maybe once a month or something like that, it's not an everyday chore. John Long: I'd love to see an 80-pound Turkey coming through the woods, just once. Jessica Wells: Oh my gosh. John Long: Thing would look like a tank. Jessica Wells: Hunting season would be over-complete. John Long: Here you go, this is all the turkey's you get, right here. Well Jessica, we certainly appreciate you coming in and sitting down with us. It's been a lot of fun. Jessica Wells: I enjoyed it. John Long: And, again, we've learned a lot. So, Cobie, you got any other questions for her? This feel so educating. Cobie Rutherford: I do, too. It was a good Friday podcast. Jessica Wells: Good. John Long: Absolutely, absolutely. Then Jessica, you've talked about a lot of projects and a lot of things for 4-H'ers to be involved in. Where can they go and get more information on that. Jessica Wells: So, all of your county offices are, obviously, going to have that information. Also, you can visit our website, poultry.msstate.edu and even if you call our front office or anything, if you mention youth, you're going to end up getting in touch with me. Even if you don't remember a name, you don't know the face, anything like that. Everyone in that department is going to funnel you to me, so we can answer any questions and get you in touch with the right people in order to get active in those youth programs. I mean I do it if I had... I have kids and none of them are old enough yet, but I'm sure they'll be in all of those poultry projects. John Long: Do you have chickens at your house? Jessica Wells: I do not. Anytime they want to see chickens, they can come up to work. John Long: And an 80-pound turkey, apparently. Jessica Wells: That's right and they do. They get pretty aggravated when they come up to the building and I don't have chicks. They just don't understand why there's not chicks there. John Long: What a big letdown. Jessica Wells: Yeah, it is. John Long: Come on, come on. Jessica Wells: So, why did I come up here again? John Long: Yeah. Jessica Wells: But we don't have chickens at home. You know, I'll work with them enough. It's kind of a biosecurity issue, too, with us having a farm and I'm on that farm constantly. I would hate to think that my chickens gave some type of sickness to chickens that we're raising to research and whatnot, that are worth tons of money. John Long: Right, right, sure. That makes sense. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to throw a guilt trip over... Jessica Wells: No, it's fine. My kids can get all the chickens they want at work, they can see them anytime they need to. John Long: That's awesome. Awesome. Well Cobie, tell everybody where they can go as far as on the extension side, where they can go to get more information. Cobie Rutherford: So you can visit extension.msstate.edu or contact any of your local county offices. John Long: And we would love if you're hearing this podcast, please subscribe and I guess like, whatever, our podcast, because we're going to keep bringing it to you every week. So just a little word, too, is if you're interested on when these podcasts drop, that's the official term drop. Jessica Wells: I learned something today, now. John Long: Yeah, there you go, there you go. They drop on every Wednesday, so just keep up to speed on that. And you can also go to the extension webpage and just type in 4-H-4-U-2 and you will hear us talking about a variety of subjects. So with that, we're going to close out this podcast and thanks for listening. Announcer: Thanks for joining us for 4-H-4-U-2. For more information, please visit extension.msstate.edu and be sure to subscribe to our podcast. 4-H-4-U-2 is produced by the Mississippi State University Extension Service, Office of Agricultural Communications.

Natasha Haynes the host of The Food Factor satisfies our appetites with a discussion on how knowing what to eat helps everyone make healthy choices when we sit down to eat. Transcript: Announcer: This is 4H4U2, a podcast from the Mississippi State University Extension Service promoting 4-H programs and positive youth development. Here now your host, Dr. John Long and Cobie Rutherford. John Long: Well, if you're hearing that funky music, you know what it's time for. It is a time for another podcast of 4H4U2. I'm your host John Long. Cobie Rutherford: And I'm Cobie Rutherford. John Long: And I tell you what, we're laying down some tracks on this podcast. If I think I am correct, it will be our 21st episode. Cobie Rutherford: Wow. Time is flying, John. John Long: Yes it is. It is. We're having fun doing it, too. And we are so happy to have our guest with us today. And Cobie, I'm going to let you introduce our guest today. Cobie Rutherford: Well, our guest, I think, is one of Extension at Mississippi State celebrities. John Long: Yes. Cobie Rutherford: Miss Natasha, you all know her as a host of The Food Factor. And Natasha, what is your exact title? Natasha Haynes: Extension Agent 4, and I am in the Rankin County Extension Office. John Long: Shout out to Rankin County. Cobie Rutherford: They've had a big week. John Long: Yes. Natasha Haynes: We have had a big week. I saw on social media we won second place, National 4-H Forestry. John Long: That is awesome. Cobie Rutherford: That's really good. John Long: That is awesome. I've been to that 4H camp up there. And you ever been to Jackson's Mill? Y'all ever been there? Cobie Rutherford: I have not. Natasha Haynes: I have not. John Long: It is absolutely beautiful, absolutely beautiful. I've been there twice. Cobie Rutherford: So I guess Natasha is here today to talk to us about foods. John Long: Yes. Cobie Rutherford: I have watched all these, every single episode of The Food Factor. Natasha Haynes: Thank you! Cobie Rutherford: I'm a huge, huge fan. And Natasha, I know your favorite color is purple. Natasha Haynes: It is. Cobie Rutherford: And things you like to cook. Natasha Haynes: See I have my purple tennis shoes on. Cobie Rutherford: I see that. We never get to see those purple tennis shoes on Food Factor. Natasha Haynes: I know. I know. John Long: Her office is purple. Natasha Haynes: Is purple. Cobie Rutherford: Is it really? John Long: Yes. Natasha Haynes: Yes. It's all purple. Cobie Rutherford: How about that? John Long: It's cool. Cobie Rutherford: I feel like we're sitting with a celebrity. Natasha Haynes: Y'all are so kind. John Long: Yeah, I do, too. Cobie Rutherford: If we had Gary Bachman in here, I feel like we would have the duo of Extensions. John Long: I'm telling you. Natasha Haynes: Now, Gary is a celebrity. I've been out with him. Natasha Haynes: People recognize him everywhere we go. John Long: Every time I see The Food Factor, I don't care who's in the room, I say, "I know her. I work with her." Cobie Rutherford: Yeah. Natasha Haynes: Thank you. I appreciate that. Cobie Rutherford: Natasha, what is your most favorite part about your job? Natasha Haynes: I like the fact that it's so different. I mean, I have really enjoyed being the host of Food Factor, because so many people have recognized me and they've talked about different recipes they've tried. I know just working in the Extension Office has been fun, because no two days are truly alike, and it's just always something different. John Long: Right. And we're going to be talking about food today. When Cobie said that, I was like, well, if you could see both of us, Cobie and I, you know we love food. Cobie Rutherford: We do. Natasha Haynes: I love food. We've been eating it. We've been filming the last few days, so I have eaten a good bit. So, I have got to go to the gym tonight. John Long: What is your favorite thing to eat? Natasha Haynes: Wow. I would say sushi. John Long: I love sushi, yeah. Natasha Haynes: I love sushi. I am a rice-a-holic, and I'm trying to not eat as much sushi. No offense to the Rice Council. I love rice, so I'm not saying anything negative. John Long: Right, right. Natasha Haynes: I'm just trying to cut back on my intake. John Long: Everything in moderation. Natasha Haynes: Everything in moderation. John Long: Nothing wrong with that. Natasha Haynes: So, I love that. And of course I just love any kind of fruits. I'm really hung up on cherries right now, I guess, because they're on sale at the grocery store. But I've been eating like a bag of cherries in a couple of days. John Long: That's good. Natasha Haynes: Yes. John Long: That's good. Natasha Haynes: So, that's my second favorite. Cobie Rutherford: I like everything John Long: I do, too. Cobie Rutherford: ... except tomatoes. I will not eat a raw tomato. John Long: Are you the same way? Natasha Haynes: No! I love tomatoes. John Long: I do, too. Natasha Haynes: You put basil on them, and put any kind of balsamic vinegar, oh, man, that's the best little salad. No. John Long: We need to bring a hot plate in here, and we can just do our own little- Natasha Haynes: We can make our own food, right? John Long: If you hear the sizzling, that's us. Natasha Haynes: Right on the podcast. Cobie Rutherford: That'd be really good. Natasha Haynes: Then we need smell-a-vision. John Long: I know. Wouldn't it be so nice? Cobie Rutherford: You know, by the time we're retired it could happen. John Long: It could. Natasha Haynes: It can happen. John Long: Food Factor with smell-a-vision. Natasha Haynes: With smell-a-vision. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah. That'd be awesome. Natasha Haynes: We'll make that a app. John Long: See? Natasha Haynes: Extension has to get it. John Long: We always say that this is where the great ideas come from, right here. Natasha Haynes: It does. Cobie Rutherford: That's right. Natasha Haynes: It does. John Long: Yeah, that's true. That is very true. Cobie Rutherford: I like cooking, but I don't feel like I'm very good at it, because every time I do I mess up every single dish, and every single pan in my house. Natasha Haynes: I'm like that. I'm a messy cook. I pretty much have my kitchen all counter top full of different pots and pans and seasonings. But you know what? I look at this way, a messy cook is a good cook. John Long: That's what I've always heard. Yeah. Natasha Haynes: So I wouldn't even worry about that. It just means you're going to spend more time cleaning up the kitchen. Cobie Rutherford: Cleaning up. Natasha Haynes: But that's fine. John Long: Yeah, that's right. Natasha Haynes: That's not a big deal. Like I said, I love to cook. John Long: I don't mind making a mess, I just don't like cleaning. Cobie Rutherford: I'm the same way, John. Natasha Haynes: I know, I know. But see, if you have kids, then you just tell them come in the kitchen. I don't have children, so that doesn't work for me. I have to clean up my own mess, but if you have children you could probably say, "Hey, y'all go in there and clean up the kitchen." John Long: I am a neat freak, and I have learned, being a parent, to just let it go. Natasha Haynes: Yes. John Long: Let it go. There will be a time where I can be in control of that again. Natasha Haynes: You can't with kids. John Long: No. Natasha Haynes: If they're in the kitchen cooking, it's just going to get messy. John Long: Yeah, that's right. Natasha Haynes: And I have nieces and nephews, and when they're in the kitchen with me it is messy. John Long: I guarantee it. I guarantee it. Cobie Rutherford: I don't know if we've got enough soap in our house that I could trust my child to wash his hands with to get them clean enough to touch his food or a dish that I'm going to eat out of. A nasty little animal. John Long: Have another one and you won't care. Cobie Rutherford: I know, right? Natasha Haynes: How old is your child? Cobie Rutherford: He's two and a half. Natasha Haynes: Oh, he's little, yeah. No, it'll change. You'll be okay. You'll get past that phase. Cobie Rutherford: I have learned though, and partly from The Food Factor, is that one time Natasha did an episode on, that if you can get your kids to help prepare their food, that they're more likely to eat it. And I tried that one night, I think it was with a quesadilla, and my son's very picky eating, but I let him help build the quesadilla and he thought that was so much fun and he ate every bite of it. Natasha Haynes: Wow. Well, that's a great thing, because I think ... We just did a recipe for cauliflower tots that's going to come out in a couple of weeks. And that was one thing I encouraged parents is to let your kids make that with you, because cauliflower is something different, and kids kind of frown upon that. So that was a good thing to just encourage parents to participate in that. And then, to put cheese in it. If you put cheese in things, kids will try it. John Long: Yes, yes. Natasha Haynes: Unless you have a child, like my nephew, who doesn't eat cheese, which, I think, that's just crazy. John Long: Or dump sour cream on it. Natasha Haynes: Dump sour cream on it. Or ketchup. John Long: Yes. Natasha Haynes: Now, you get real creative what sauces the kids like. John Long: That's right. It's ironic you say cauliflower, because yesterday we were having a conversation and one of our local pizza places here has a cauliflower pizza crust. Natasha Haynes: Yes. John Long: I don't want to say the big deal, but I'm going to be ignorant. Why is cauliflower such a- Natasha Haynes: It's just a good, versatile vegetable that you can use in cooking, and it gives a good consistency. John Long: I got you. Natasha Haynes: So, for example, cauliflower rice is real popular, right now. John Long: I heard ... Yeah, we were talking about that. Natasha Haynes: You can buy it in the grocery store. It's real inexpensive. It cooks well. It doesn't have a strong flavor, so you can put food with it and it takes on the flavor of the other foods. John Long: Okay. Natasha Haynes: So that's one good thing. John Long: Yeah, because they said that you really can't taste the cauliflower so much in them. Natasha Haynes: You can't, because I cook with cauliflower rice a good bit, and I usually just put whatever kind of meat on top and the sauce and it's fine. Cobie Rutherford: Cool. John Long: Yeah. That's awesome. Cobie Rutherford: I have not tried cooking with cauliflower. I've tried mashed cauliflower before. John Long: Now, that sounds like a good show. Natasha Haynes: Cooking with Cauliflower. Well, actually, we've done a segment on that. John Long: Really? Natasha Haynes: Go take a look. John Long: Okay. Cobie Rutherford: How about that? John Long: I've been on Food Factor. Natasha Haynes: You have. John Long: Yes. Cobie Rutherford: What did you cook? John Long: Well, I didn't cook anything. Natasha Haynes: No. John Long: It was my hands, when I was getting cereal off the shelf for something. Natasha Haynes: Yes, you were getting cereal off the shelf. John Long: These are famous hands. Natasha Haynes: We've used people in Bost a lot. Cobie Rutherford: Yes. Hand model. Natasha Haynes: Particularly on the fourth floor. John Long: I don't think I had a beard then. Cobie Rutherford: Oh, yeah? John Long: Probably not. Natasha Haynes: No, I don't think you did. Yeah, you look totally different, because that's been several years ago. Cobie Rutherford: You know. One thing, Natasha, that I got tickled at last year is when we were all at the state fair and we'd set up all the exhibits, and Natasha had the opportunity, and I'll say opportunity very loosely, to judge all the baked goods. And I remember just some of them had been in those bags probably for a few days. Natasha Haynes: That was an interesting contest to do. But it's always fun to see the chocolate chip cookies, and of course the yeast breads, and it can get really interesting as a nice way to just judge everything. But I do like that, because it's always great to see what kids are cooking. John Long: That's true. Cobie Rutherford: I got my start in 4-H with the Cookie Cook-Off in fifth grade. So, a lot of people say, well, Cobie is livestock all the way. But- Natasha Haynes: Yeah, because I thought you were a livestock agent. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah, and if it hadn't been for cookies, I would've never, probably, went on with the 4H program, because I- Natasha Haynes: And look at you now. Cobie Rutherford: I know, right? Natasha Haynes: Who would've thought? Cobie Rutherford: Yeah. I had to give a presentation. We had to bake six cookies, and then stand up in front of the whole classroom to give our presentation on our cookies. I was- Natasha Haynes: What kind of cookies did you make? Cobie Rutherford: So I made yellow cake mix cookies with chocolate chips, and they were fantastic. John Long: And they were cauliflower. Cobie Rutherford: No. I didn't- Natasha Haynes: No, no cauliflower in those. Natasha Haynes: They should have been really good. Cobie Rutherford: They were very good. And then, I won the school contest and then went on to county. So that was my first real interaction with other people from around the county. It was so much fun. John Long: Mm-hmm (affirmative). Natasha Haynes: So then did you go on to the district or to state? Cobie Rutherford: Well, I was just a junior, so we didn't- Natasha Haynes: You didn't go all the way. Cobie Rutherford: I didn't go on all the way. I don't think I won the county contest. But I do remember, one time ... So my wife was really big in foods, and she did a a dairy demonstration at the district show, and I went and watched her give it. John Long: Is this when y'all met? Cobie Rutherford: Well, I had met her before, but I went ... I just saw the program, saw who was doing different contests, and I went and stalked her so I could be a fan. John Long: Oh, my. So this is the first time you stalked her. Natasha Haynes: And that's when you met your wife. Cobie Rutherford: That's right. John Long: Stalking her. Natasha Haynes: Stalking her at a 4-H event. John Long: And this is 4H4U2. Cobie Rutherford: And I told her- Natasha Haynes: You may not want to tell people that. John Long: That's right. Cobie Rutherford: That's probably a good thing. John Long: We'll edit that part out. Cobie Rutherford: But you know what she did make? And your purple purse reminded me, she made grape ice cream. John Long: I haven't had that. Cobie Rutherford: And she started out with this little poem about the Purple Cow. Natasha Haynes: Yes. Cobie Rutherford: I told her, when we started dating several years later, I'm like, "You know, I remember that." And she's like, "Oh my gosh, you're such a weirdo." John Long: The truth comes out. Cobie Rutherford: I know, I know. That's a good key point, though. Persistence pays off. John Long: Right. Natasha Haynes: It does. John Long: I guarantee it does. Natasha Haynes: It will pay off. John Long: I guarantee it does. Natasha Haynes: And I bet y'all probably make Purple Cows for your anniversary, don't you? Cobie Rutherford: No, we don't. I don't think she really liked that recipe for some reason. I've asked her to make one before and she just won't oblige. Natasha Haynes: That's no fun. John Long: How do you make purple ice cream? Cobie Rutherford: She did it with Kool-Aid and I don't know what else she put in it. Natasha Haynes: Maybe a juice, I think. I know there's a fun punch that's called a Purple Cow, and it's got grape juice and ice cream and other things in it. It's kind of like a float. John Long: Float. That's what I was thinking. Yeah, and it's kind of light. Or not light but kind of foamy. Natasha Haynes: Mm-hmm (affirmative). More like a float. John Long: Yeah, kind of. Natasha Haynes: Foamy at the top. Cobie Rutherford: So, Natasha, I know that you helped with the contest at the Project Achievement Day, can you tell us a little bit about those contests? Natasha Haynes: I have helped in the past with the food and nutrition, visual presentation contest, and then in the afternoon I'm helped with food and nutrition judging contests. So, the food and nutrition visual presentation, I always enjoy that because kids come up with great topics. I think this year we had a person talk about okra, which I thought that was totally different. But usually there is a presentation. They stand, they give a PowerPoint or there's a visual. And I just think they have so many wonderful topics. Natasha Haynes: And then in the afternoon we have of course the judging contest. And in that we'll have them to identify different types of kitchen equipment as far as how to learn how to measure properly, if they're doing those techniques. And then we may even have a few menus to kind of see where their knowledge is as far as can they judge a menu from the standpoint of is it a good menu, is it a okay menu, or is it the best menu to make for your family? So we do a variety of things in the judging contest. Cobie Rutherford: That's an incredible skill for a kid to learn about the balanced diet, and being able to pick foods that kind of go together and stuff. I think that that's something that I'm not good at myself. I might make a meal that has four starches in it and be perfectly fine, but my wife's like, "Well, where's the vegetables?" Natasha Haynes: No. You have got to have a variety. And we do a Kids In The Kitchen in the summer time. A lot of extension offices provide that. And I think that's one way where we teach the kids about just how to have variety in your menu, and just showing them the skills of being in the kitchen, kitchen safety, how to use equipment. So that's a fun thing to do. John Long: I'm glad that you talked about the contest, because I've never ... The visual presentations, obviously. I'm like you, I'm always impressed with the visual presentations, but I didn't know about the judging. That's really cool. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah, I didn't know about that either. I knew that we had the contest, and we had different levels to it, but, I think, when we go to Project Achievement Day in Congress, we're always running around. John Long: Right. Natasha Haynes: I don't get a chance to see the contest. Y'all are so busy. John Long: No, we don't. Cobie Rutherford: We don't get to see them. John Long: Unless we just so happened to be. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah. Natasha Haynes: Yeah. Cobie Rutherford: So I think that's pretty cool. I think that menu part really intrigues me. So, do you give them a restaurant menu, too, sometimes and let them look at that? Natasha Haynes: It will vary depending on what level they're on, but we usually will do a home menu where someone was cooking and perhaps they had too much of, say, too many starchy items. Or we may say here's two fast food menus, can you make a meal out of one of the menus? So it varies. John Long: Yeah. That's cool. Cobie Rutherford: That is cool. I know a lot of schools are dropping their family consumer science programs. I know in my hometown, where I grew up in North Alabama, our school dropped theirs. Do you see Extension in 4-H kind of fill in that void that some of those kids might be missing out with that FACS Ed used to reach? Natasha Haynes: Yes, I think so, because when you think about family, consumer science, we provide programs in food and nutrition, child development, money management. Those are all life skills that everyone needs. That's for male or female. That's across the board. So, I think a lot of times when people hear family consumer science, they're thinking it's only for the girls, but it's definitely something that all kids can participate in. Cobie Rutherford: I think that's so important, too. When I was in high school ... So I was a seventh grader and they made all the boys take Ag and all the young ladies take Natasha Haynes: Home Ec. Cobie Rutherford: ... Home Ec. And I always thought, I was so jealous of the girls in Home Ec, because they were doing things like Natasha Haynes: Cooking. Cobie Rutherford: ... cooking and- John Long: Going back to food. Natasha Haynes: Yeah. Cobie Rutherford: Going back to food. Natasha Haynes: Going back to food. Cobie Rutherford: And they'd be sitting out on the patio eating what they'd made for the day, and they weren't willing to share with us most of the time. Natasha Haynes: And then, see, I thought the opposite. I was kind jealous because I was like, the boys out there in shop, they're making stuff, all kinds of wood equipment. And so, I was thinking, who wants to be in the kitchen cooking when you can make something like a wood equipment. John Long: I saw an episode of Petticoat Junction. I don't know if y'all know what I'm talking about, but it was an old show back in the day. And they had a Home Ec class they were showing then, and I told my daughter, and I said, "They used to have a Home Ec course that they were teaching young ladies how to cook at that time." Times have changed for sure. It's not the way that that it happens now. So a lot of that education is being missed. Natasha Haynes: It's gone. Mm-hmm (affirmative). In my Home Ec class we had to plan a wedding. John Long: Did you really? Natasha Haynes: From beginning to end. John Long: Wow. Natasha Haynes: We had to have a whole notebook to show everything from your engagement all the way down to the dress you were wearing, the reception. John Long: Really? Natasha Haynes: You had a budget, you had to show how much money you were spending on the wedding. John Long: Wow. Natasha Haynes: It was really in depth. John Long: I did not know that they did that. Cobie Rutherford: In our economics class in high school we had to pretend we were a family, and the teacher matched us up with ... I was matched up with one of my friends, Amy, and- Natasha Haynes: Did you have a baby? Cobie Rutherford: We had a baby. Natasha Haynes: Did y'all have the egg? Cobie Rutherford: Yep. John Long: Oh, yeah. Natasha Haynes: We had the egg. We did that. John Long: You had to take care of the egg. Natasha Haynes: Yeah. And then did she follow you around? Did the teacher follow you around, and make sure you had the egg? Because I know a lot of my friends were putting them in the locker. John Long: Oh, really? Natasha Haynes: And then the teacher was like, "You're killing the child." So, you had to keep the baby, I think, what was it? A week? I know- Cobie Rutherford: No. John Long: Yeah. Cobie Rutherford: We didn't have to get that in depth. Natasha Haynes: Yeah, we had to take it everywhere, and then you had to have a journal to show when the baby was sleeping, what did you do after school with the child. We had to write down so much about it. Cobie Rutherford: That is intense. John Long: It sounds like fun. Natasha Haynes: It was fun, but you know- John Long: Toting an egg around. Natasha Haynes: Around day three you're tired of this egg. You're kind of like, let's just drop it and move on. John Long: Okay. He wants scrambled eggs or fried. Natasha Haynes: Right. That's pretty much how you felt by day three. John Long: Yeah. Cobie Rutherford: Can I drop this egg and still have to be in the class. Natasha Haynes: Right. John Long: Yeah, right. Right, exactly. Natasha Haynes: Right. Hey, what happens if the egg is cracked? John Long: Right, right. There's all these different ways to play it, I guess. Natasha Haynes: Well, and now in Family Consumer Science classes, they have dolls. John Long: Yeah, right. Natasha Haynes: Have y'all seen those? John Long: Oh, yeah. Natasha Haynes: They're really cool, too, because they can program them to cry at different times, and they're just not happy. So, I think that's neat. John Long: I saw that on a TV show one time. They had one and this girl, boy, she got irate having to get up in the middle of the night and make it stop crying. Natasha Haynes: But I mean, that's a great way to teach kids about what John Long: Yeah, I guarantee it is. Natasha Haynes: ... it means to be a parent. John Long: That's right. Cobie Rutherford: That's true. John Long: That's life. Natasha Haynes: That's true life. John Long: That is life. Natasha Haynes: Nobody wants to get up at 2:00 in the morning with a baby, but if you're a parent you get up because you love that baby. John Long: That's exactly right. Cobie Rutherford: That's funny. John Long: So talking about meal planning, clarify me on this, because I know that there used to be a food pyramid. Natasha Haynes: There is now a plate. John Long: Plate. Natasha Haynes: It's called Choose My Plate. John Long: Yeah, how does that work? Natasha Haynes: So just think about a plate in your mind. It's round and divided into fours. So then that's pretty much your four food groups with the exception of dairy is on the outside of the plate. So now you've got grains, you have fruits, vegetables, protein, which is, of course, mainly your meat, but it could be something like eggs or peanuts. And then your grains are more your complex carbohydrates like rice, pasta, tortillas, those things fit in that group. And then on the outside of the plate now is a cup and that represents dairy. So that of course would be your milk or cheese group. John Long: Right. I had found that when counting calories, and especially with these apps that we have now, if you go to look at the breakdown of carbs, of course, your carbs are going to be a little bit more, and then the fats and the proteins, it's really hard to eat a low carb or lower carb. It seems like you just get a lot of ... Especially from stuff I eat, I guess, but it's either a large amount of carbs or a large amount of fats, and it's hard to get the protein. Natasha Haynes: Well, what I try to tell people is, remember this, that everything in moderation. So I think a lot of times we get kind of hung up on, should I eat this? Should I not eat that? But it's all in moderation. You're trying to eat the the plate as often as possible, which is 2000 calories or less. It depends on where you are as far as fitness, your age, your sex, all those things are going to determine how many calories you really need. John Long: Right. Natasha Haynes: So I would just tell people to really just pay more attention to getting all of the fruits and vegetables and everything that's on the plate. John Long: Right. And I told somebody, I said, like you said, in moderation, that it's okay to eat the fries. I'll just use it as an example. Maybe not all right to eat the fries, but you don't have to eat the whole serving of it. Natasha Haynes: Or get the kid's size. John Long: Right. Natasha Haynes: You don't have to get the super-size. John Long: Right, exactly. Natasha Haynes: A lot of times- John Long: It's so tempting, too, though. Natasha Haynes: It is tempting, because when you're going through the drive through, and they say, "Hey, it's 39 cents." And you say, "What? Sure. 39 more cents, yeah, I can super-size. Yeah." John Long: Why not? Natasha Haynes: But that pays off in the end. 39 cents today is 15 pounds later. John Long: Right, exactly. Exactly. Natasha Haynes: Is it worth that? No. John Long: Right, no. Natasha Haynes: No. Cobie Rutherford: Crazy how those things add up. Natasha Haynes: They do. John Long: Real quick. Natasha Haynes: All in moderation. John Long: And the way they're putting the calories on everything now that you read. Natasha Haynes: And there's a new label coming out. John Long: Oh, really? Natasha Haynes: It is, and it's going to be broken down more into what a true portion size is. So that will help, because I think a lot of times when people read the label now they're kind of confused as far as what's a portion? John Long: Right. Natasha Haynes: What's a true serving size. John Long: Right, right. Natasha Haynes: So that will help, and it will highlight fat and sugar and sodium. John Long: So when is that coming out? Natasha Haynes: I think it's going to come out completely 2020, but you should see it now. I've seen it on several different foods already slowly making a move. But I think 2020, it has to be completely on everything. John Long: What prompted that? Natasha Haynes: I think just the fact that we're just realizing that Americans, we need to pay more attention to how to eat better. John Long: Right. Natasha Haynes: We're always tweaking things to learn more and do better. John Long: That's right. That's exactly right. Yeah, I guess the way we ate before is not the way we should eat now, right? I mean, back in the day everybody was eating fried food and not worried about it as much [crosstalk 00:21:38]. Natasha Haynes: Well, that's true, but something that I tell people all the time whenever I'm doing a food program is people always say, "I remember we left food out all day long, and it wasn't a problem." Well, food is different now. Our bodies are different now, so we have to change to fit that, and that's something that we all have to do. John Long: Right. That's exactly right. Cobie Rutherford: It's good advice. John Long: That's a good take home message right there. Cobie Rutherford: It sure is. John Long: For sure. Well, I have really, thoroughly enjoyed our conversation this afternoon, Natasha. And let me just say this, I have to say this about Natasha, she has the most infectious smile. Natasha Haynes: Thank you. John Long: I always love talking with her, and she always makes me feel like I'm having a great day when I've been around her. Natasha Haynes: Thank you, thank you. John Long: I'm not saying that just because you're here. Natasha Haynes: I appreciate that. Thank you. John Long: But it's true. I've always wanted to tell you that. Natasha Haynes: Thank you. John Long: But anyway- Natasha Haynes: I'm going to give you a air hug. John Long: We're getting an air hug over the radio. Natasha Haynes: Getting an air hug. John Long: Yeah. So, with that we're going to get ... And Natasha, do you have any media such as webpage or anything that you would like to plug while we're here? Do you have anywhere we can go to get more information on Food Factor or where that is and- Natasha Haynes: Please like our Food Factor page. It is @foodfactorms, and then that is also on Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube. John Long: She is all over the social media. Cobie Rutherford: That's right. Natasha Haynes: Yes. John Long: Yeah, she is a celebrity. Get her autograph. John Long: Well, with that, too, is we'll also plug and say please like our 4H4U2 podcast, and subscribe, and tell everybody you know about it. And Cobie, where can we go get more information about Extension in our Extinction and 4-H in the particular counties of our state? Cobie Rutherford: So you can find out more about Extension or the 4H program by visiting your local county Extension Office or visiting us on the web at extension.msstate.edu. John Long: And with that, we're going to wrap up this section, and hope you enjoyed it, and we will be talking to you next time. Have a great day. Announcer: Thanks for joining us for 4H4U2. For more information, please visit extension.msstate.edu, and be sure to subscribe to our podcast. Announcer: 4H4U2 is produced by the Mississippi State University Extension Service, Office of Agricultural Communications.  

Ellen Graves is back in the 4-H-4-U-2 studio to talk about the powerful positive impact that 4-H and Social Media has on the youth of today. Transcript: Announcer: This is 4-H-4-U-2, a podcast from the Mississippi State University Extension Service promoting 4-H programs and positive youth development. Here now, your hosts, Dr. John Long and Cobie Rutherford. John Long: And welcome back to another podcast of 4-H-4-U-2. I'm your host, John Long. Cobie Rutherford: And I'm Cobie Rutherford. John Long: Cobie, we have been sitting here talking for seemingly like an hour to our next guest as a precursor to our show. This is our second podcast with Ellen Graves. How you doing today, Ellen? Ellen Graves: Doing good. John Long: Same as you were about 10 minutes ago, I guess. Ellen Graves: That's right. John Long: We pretend like there's been some lack in time, anyway. So yeah. Cobie Rutherford: I wish we'd been recording the whole time. We had some- Ellen Graves: That's not for people to hear. John Long: It wasn't anything bad, but it was just like, so not on topic with what we're going to talk about today. Ellen Graves: Right. Cobie Rutherford: It wasn't research based... Ellen Graves: But y'all were helping make the guest comfortable, right? So that's part of it. John Long: That's right. Just setting up the whole thing. Cobie Rutherford: That's right. Celebrities, and favorite people, and movies. John Long: Movies, yeah. Ellen Graves: Movies, yeah. Cobie Rutherford: All good stuff for sure. Ellen Graves: Yeah, for sure. John Long: But you made mention of one thing I guess we could lead in with, is about your end course. In the South, we say daddy. So your daddy, go ahead and tell us today cause I thought that was really cool 4-H connection. Ellen Graves: Okay, yeah. Yeah. So I was telling y'all that in this job I figured out that 4-H is such a great organization to be a part of and I wish I had done it when I was growing up. I was not, unfortunately, in 4-H and I totally wish I had been. But when I got this job, my dad started to regale us of stories when he was in 4-H back in the 60s and early 70s, and because of 4-H he was able to get on his first plane ride ever and go to national 4-H convention in Chicago, maybe. And so, 4-H gave him that first opportunity in his life to get on a plane. And so he's always remembered that. And he won a lot of contests in forestry especially in 4-H and he just loved it so much. And so I think it's cool that I get to work with 4-H now. John Long: And I said the same thing on an earlier podcast. I was not in 4-H, I really wish I had been. Ellen Graves: Yeah, I mean I don't think people realize, and I know when I got this job, I think I thought like a lot of people did that, "Oh, it's for kids like showing pigs or cows, horses maybe, but I'm not really into that." John Long: Which we do, which we do. Ellen Graves: Right. And that's a very important part of 4-H. You can learn so much through that. But for 4-H has something literally for everybody. And I think one of the biggest things that I think of now is the leadership skills that it gives you, public speaking. Those are things I wish I had done when I was growing up and I wish I had been in 4-H for those things. John Long: Yeah, for sure. Cobie Rutherford: So we do a lot of promotional social media with 4-H contests with 4-H different events. Do you think that one day these 4-H’ers will use social media platforms as almost a resume builder to go back and say this is what all I've done? Ellen Graves: I think that's a cool idea. I've actually never even thought about it that way, but... John Long: See, here we go again. Ellen Graves: I know, look at y'all. But yeah... John Long: Write all this stuff down. Ellen Graves: I know, these are good ideas. A lot of 4-H’ers I think do use that because you can scroll back to two years ago if you'd been on there long enough and you can see all those posts you did, whether you were at Club Congress or at the state fair, Dixie National, and you really preserve those memories. And I think the cool part about social media is that you preserve the memories and that emotion that you were feeling at that time in your life. You know, looking back years later, you might feel different about it. But the cool thing is when you scroll back, you remember how you felt right in that moment. And I think that's a really cool thing. John Long: And a few things. If you think life doesn't move fast... Ellen Graves: Yeah, it does. John Long: Hey, scroll back... Ellen Graves: That's right. Preach it. Yeah. John Long: Yep, that's right. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah. I think you was just talking about your dad when he was on the plane taking that trip to National 4-H Congress and yeah, I thought, "Well, what was going through his mind if he'd been able to capture that on social media?" Ellen Graves: Right. Cobie Rutherford: That'd have been huge to go back and look at. Ellen Graves: Oh, I know. John Long: We had a lady, I can't remember her name, I'm sorry. But anyway, she got to go to DC when she was just a young girl on a train. And that was a big deal for her. Ellen Graves: Yeah. John Long: So it's similar to, you know. Ellen Graves: Right. Well, and I think too, like we're talking about my dad back in the 60s but even nowadays I mean, kids in 4-H get so many opportunities to go out of the state, see other parts of the world, meet other kids their age from all over. And you're doing that through an organization that you know, and love, and trust. John Long: That's right. Ellen Graves: And so I think just the opportunities alone for travel is something that a lot of other organizations for youth cannot offer. John Long: That's exactly right, exactly right. Cobie Rutherford: And I think a lot of youth that are going to the national contest right now, all over the country, I think about what kind of experience they're getting. You know, they competed at our State Congress and horticulture judging or consumer judging or whatever it was. And now they're getting to go to a national trip that I mean even John, you mentioned shooting sports on an earlier podcast. John Long: Right. Cobie Rutherford: What else would take you to Grand Island, Nebraska and have a chance to see that part of the world. John Long: Exactly. Cobie Rutherford: Other than shooting sports or, you know maybe livestock. John Long: Livestock, yeah, for sure. Ellen Graves: Yeah, and I mean those 4-H'ers that get to go on those trips, it helps them understand there's a whole world out there. John Long: Right. Ellen Graves: There's so many opportunities and possibilities for their lives that maybe they just hadn't thought of yet. John Long: Right. Ellen Graves: And so, I mean, you can't put a price on that. 4-H does that for kids. So I think, I don't know, it's just awesome. John Long: And I think that's important too, to remember the actual experience because, and we'll go back to the podcast we had, part one of Ellen Graves, but when information is so readily available, I mean, look, you don't have to climb to the top of Everest. They got a 360 degree view of Everest, whatever you want to call it. Everything is right there. But if you're not there, if you don't sit there and are able to look at the Grand Canyon face to face, you can't really appreciate it from that standpoint. And I think that goes the same for these trips and everything, you know what I'm saying? Ellen Graves: Oh yeah, for sure. John Long: Social media takes us to certain places, but it will never- Ellen Graves: It can only take you so far. John Long: That's correct. Yeah. Cobie Rutherford: Ellen, I like how you mentioned a while ago that social media allows us to capture memory but also an emotion. Can you elaborate some more on that? John Long: Yeah, I wish she would, because I did this, which I'm combing through my beard right now. Go ahead. Ellen Graves: Yeah. So, I think I get the unique opportunity to see a lot of posts out there about 4-H from our 4-H'ers, from our volunteers, from their parents. And I think one post in particular really sticks out to me, is we have a 4-H'er named Savannah and her mother, we follow her mother, her mother posted a collage picture of Savannah when she was just a kiddo, going to Project Achievement Day. And then she posted a picture from years after that where Savannah was wearing a green jacket and was there as a State Council Officer. And so just look at that post visually and then see in the caption that mother described the transformation that her daughter had gone through and the confidence that she had gained. I mean, makes me look at 4-H and I appreciate my job through their eyes. John Long: Right. Ellen Graves: You know, cause I look at a lot of stuff obviously from my angle, from a professional angle, from my work angle, but to see that emotion and that memory through a parent's eyes of her child growing and becoming a great young lady, that's something that I was able to think about because of social media. John Long: Right. Ellen Graves: And so I think that's one example. Was that a good answer? John Long: That is very good. Cobie Rutherford: That was really good. John Long: I was going to say it's a virtual record book. Ellen Graves: Yeah, yeah. John Long: You know, like a 4-H record book. I mean, you see that progression. Ellen Graves: Right. And I mean I think 4-H has done a really good job of trying to meet our folks where they're at on social media. So like one of the new things that we've done lately is create a Facebook group for 4-H volunteers. And so they have a space underneath our Facebook page where they can discuss internally what their plans are, updates about different things. So it's a virtual gathering space because as y'all know, our volunteers are stretched throughout the state. So this is a place where we can use technology to help kind of fill in those gaps. John Long: Yeah. And we did that on the national team this year too. Ellen Graves: Oh, that's cool. John Long: There's a Facebook page that a parent had started just for a means of saying, "Hey, this is where we're at and this is what we're doing." Ellen Graves: Right. That's right. John Long: So yeah, that makes perfect sense for sure. Cobie Rutherford: And I like all the new components of social media, like on Facebook or Instagram where you can almost go live, well you can go live, at any place you're at and share your experiences of what you're doing in that moment. John Long: Yeah. Ellen Graves: Yes, yes. And Cobie, give a shout out to him, he is like a master at going Facebook live, Instagram live. He's like so confident about it. So shout out to you. Cobie Rutherford: Oh my gosh. The first time I did that, I was live at the livestock show going around and talking to the people before- Ellen Graves: It's that adrenaline rush, isn't it?. Cobie Rutherford: It is. It was before they walked into the ring for the championship drive at Dixie or State Fair one. And then all of a sudden this calf kicked this kid. John Long: Oh no. Ellen Graves: Oh no. Drama. John Long: No music track. Ellen Graves: Yeah. Cobie Rutherford: And then someone let out a descriptive word at that calf. John Long: Oh. Ellen Graves: Yeah. Cobie Rutherford: That was probably not social media... Ellen Graves: Right. Appropriate. Yeah. Cobie Rutherford: So I quickly deleted that. Ellen Graves: Yeah. Cobie Rutherford: And did not share and then started over again. Ellen Graves: Right. You got to have fast fingers, sometimes on social media. John Long: Yeah, for sure. Ellen Graves: But I do think Facebook live, Instagram live, just going live in general and gives us the opportunity to be authentic in a way that we've never been able to do before. John Long: Yeah, yeah. Ellen Graves: Because when you think about it, that's just the structure of media. People obviously place so much emphasis on television because they had the ability to go live. Cobie Rutherford: Right. Ellen Graves: Whereas now that power is also in the hands of everyday people. And we can argue whether that's good or bad, but I know in 4-H we're using it for good. John Long: Yeah. Ellen Graves: And so I think being able to open up that window to people, being really transparent with them, is a great tool for us. John Long: I've only been Facebook live one time. Ellen Graves: Yeah. John Long: And it was that... Ellen Graves: I worry about you sometimes, John. That's all we can do, one time. John Long: I'm just like, "Oh no, let me get my finger up here." Arthritis. But I was in a tree stand and I just said, "I'm going to try this." And it was like, "Okay well here I am, what do I do now?" Ellen Graves: Some people are more natural at it than others. John Long: Yeah, yeah. I guess I'd like it if I did it more but I don't. Ellen Graves: Practice makes perfect. Cobie Rutherford: I feel like I need to do a real enthusiastic voice when I do Facebook live. I'm like, "Hey y'all!" John Long: Trying to drum up some excitement. Cobie Rutherford: I know. John Long: "This is Cobie Rutherford." Ellen Graves: Well that's why I like being behind the camera because y'all know my philosophy with the accounts that I manage is like, I never want to make it about me, you know like ever, even though I'm the person behind it kind of operating it. John Long: Yeah. Ellen Graves: But that's the funny part, I think, about working with 4-H'ers is that these kids are so naturally inclined to be not nervous in front of the camera. Ellen Graves: Whereas people, even my age, y'all's age, have kind of a nerve nervous element to going live or getting on video. And so these 4-H'ers have really just embraced it because it's all they've ever known. John Long: Right. Ellen Graves: And so that makes for great social media, so that's good for me. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah. John Long: Yeah. And I think it helps them kind of watch their actions too. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah. Ellen Graves: Right. John Long: Because now they know that if they do something down the line that anybody anywhere can flip up a camera and video them. Ellen Graves: That's right. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah, and I think... John Long: And it is all over the place. Cobie Rutherford: Right. And that's, yeah. Like you said, because if something happens or, you know what I mean? John Long: Right. Cobie Rutherford: It's a different, I don't know, I don't want to say media, but it's a different... Ellen Graves: But it's a different world because people have the technology at their fingertips to record anything, so- John Long: Isn't that crazy? Ellen Graves: Yeah. John Long: And I remember wanting a video camera. Ellen Graves: Yeah. John Long: That thing was huge as, you know, and now it's in the palm of your hand. Ellen Graves: Your hand. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah. John Long: And take just as good video. Ellen Graves: It does. Cobie Rutherford: What I see is like, and Ellen, please comment on this. Do you see a lot of youth when they're trying to create content, they're trying to put things out there to get likes or make impressions. How important are those to a lot of youth and do a lot of youth take them more serious than they should? Ellen Graves: So I think that's a great point to bring up. And honestly, when you think about it, we're still really young in the progression of social media. So I know there's a lot of research that has been done, that's going to continue to be done about the effect mentally that social media has on young people and even people our age. And I mean just from, this is Ellen's opinion, my viewpoint on it is that yeah, I think people do take stock in how many likes a picture gets. Because I always tell 4-H'ers in my workshops I do with them is that whether you know it or not, you are a social media strategist. Because like for example, on Instagram, you're thinking about, "Okay, what picture do I want to put up from my camera roll? What filter do I want to use? What kind of caption should it be? This kind of caption or should I make it funny? What hashtag should I put? What emoji should I put with it?" You know, so people are going through the same thought process because they want that post to succeed. Right? John Long: And if anybody heard the first one, it's called clout. Ellen Graves: Oh yeah. John Long: I don't even know what that means. Ellen Graves: You're becoming a social media strategist. John Long: I'm sorry, I'm sorry to interrupt you, I had to throw that in there. Ellen Graves: No, it's fine. No, it's fine. And so, I do think that whether young people admit it or not, they do think about that. And it's funny you should bring this up. I actually saw a headline the other day that Instagram is starting to test and roll out a feature where the likes are hidden from public view. So if you put up a picture of yourself, you can see, "Okay, I got 50 likes on it." But someone looking at it from the public's perspective would not know how many likes, and that's an interesting thought because they saying they're basically eliminating the peer pressure of like, "Oh, well 100 people have liked this, so I should too." Or, "Only 20 people liked it, so I'm not going to like it, that's lame." You know? And so I think that's going to be really interesting to see if that actually does come to pass or if it's just something they're testing. So, yeah. John Long: So it kind of gives them an idea of like making an informed decision instead of a snap decision based on what everybody else has done. Ellen Graves: Right. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah. And it's kind of like you judge yourself against others. John Long: Yeah. Oh yeah. Cobie Rutherford: You know, I can put a picture of me and one of my cows or, I'm just being facetious here, but you know somebody else could. And I'm like, "Wow, they got more likes with their cow than I did with mine." Ellen Graves: Right, right. John Long: Right. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah. John Long: And I think that happens more times than not. You know, you see that a lot. And it's almost like, I know I catch myself, and I don't know if y'all ever do, but I catch myself saying, "What is the purpose of this other than your glorification?" Ellen Graves: Yeah, yeah. John Long: You know what I'm saying? It's like, "Look what I can do." Ellen Graves: Well, and it's like a weird line for me because professionally I very much care about analytics and it tells me certain things about our audience and about how I can be changing our content to meet the needs of our audience by paying attention to analytics. But then on the personal side of things, I try to not take that with me. John Long: Right. Ellen Graves: I try not to like over analyze my own personal presence on social media. Cobie Rutherford: Right. Ellen Graves: But for professional it is really important in my job to understand those things. John Long: Yeah, I bet it is. Cobie Rutherford: So how many accounts do you monitor? Ellen Graves: I told you I wasn't good at math, Cobie. Cobie Rutherford: I will give you a piece of paper. Ellen Graves: I know. I don't know. I would say like a rough estimate is that, like I have my hands on probably about 20 accounts. Managing day to day consistently, it's probably about 10. But I have my hands just in a lot of pots I guess would be the best way to describe it. I generally tell people, someone actually asked me this in Sunday school the other day like, "What do you do?" Because I think a lot of times in Extension our job titles can not be very... Some people just don't understand what that means. John Long: Right. Ellen Graves: And so I told the person, I think about my role in Extension as I create content and then I also manage accounts and then I also train people in Extension about how to best use social media. So that's kind of the way I think about it. So, yeah, I'm looking at social media every day. John Long: So let me ask you this, it's a good lead into my next question. Does Ellen Graves ever unplug totally? Ellen Graves: Oh, there's some days where I wish I could just throw my phone in a river, but then I know I would just jump in right after it. John Long: Right, right. Ellen Graves: But it's hard for me to completely unplug. I do try on Sundays not to look at our work accounts and then the only time I can really unplug for an extended amount of time is during our Christmas break because that's the only time long enough where I'm physically not at work. John Long: Right. Ellen Graves: That I don't have to worry about it as much. John Long: Right. Ellen Graves: But you know, the thing I tell folks a lot of times, I feel like in this job in particular, but we all have aspects like this in our own jobs. I don't want to sound like I'm the only one like this. But you know, even when I go home, if someone sends us like a question on our 4-H Facebook page at 8:00 PM, I'm looking at it. John Long: Right. Ellen Graves: You know I'm answering it. John Long: Right. Sure. Ellen Graves: And so it's kind of like with my job, you can take it with you wherever you go. John Long: Right. Ellen Graves: And so I do have to try to step back at times. As we've said before, I did graduate from Ole Miss. There was one time during where we really lost an Egg Bowl real bad to State and I had to put my phone in a drawer. John Long: Oh wow, it was blowing up that bad? Ellen Graves: Yeah. John Long: Oh wow. Ellen Graves: It was bad. And so but I do try to unplug around the holidays. But I'm pretty much plugged in all the time. John Long: Well I think, and you said it is part of your job. What advice would you give to a young person in order to get a healthy balance? Because I just, I mean people are with their heads down. Ellen Graves: Yeah, yeah. John Long: I think they're just going to eventually just get a crick in their neck and never going to look up and look around at the world. Ellen Graves: Right, look at the sunshine. Right. John Long: Right, exactly. So how does the person do that when it's just so available. I'm not saying it's bad, I'm just saying that we need to- Ellen Graves: Have a good balance. John Long: Yeah, you're not going to see a sunrise if you're trying to Google one, you know? Ellen Graves: Right. Well, I think I've been really fortunate to have lived before there was social media, so I had a childhood that was free of a screen, that was free of social media, and I'm really thankful for that. But at the same time, nowadays that's just the world we live in, right? John Long: Right. Ellen Graves: That stuff is available to kids. And so I think having that balance of having times in your life during just your normal weekly routine of like, "Okay, the phone, it goes on the dresser drawer at 8:00 PM and I'm not going to look at it after that." You know? And I think honestly, when you're talking about teenagers and kids, you're talking about their parents, right? Because those are the folks who would be obviously setting the rules in the house. And so I think as a parent you have to say, "What are our digital guidelines as a family?" John Long: Right. Ellen Graves: And you're setting an example for your children. John Long: Right. Ellen Graves: And I think adults have to think about that. But I did talk with our 4-H'ers at Co-op and we just kind of had just a time where we just kind of talked with each other about what social media is to them. And I told them, I said, "You know, a lot of adults think that y'all cannot communicate face to face. They think teenagers can't look another adult in the eyeballs and talk to them." John Long: Right. Ellen Graves: And that they just, phones and social media have put up a barrier. And the kids really pushed back on that. They said, "We feel very confident about looking people in the eyes and talking to them." And that might be because they're 4-H'ers, right? John Long: Right, right. I was thinking that. Ellen Graves: They have the skill set to do that, right. But the other point too they brought up with me is, and I agree with this, is that teenagers and kids in their mind, when they're texting someone when they're Snapchatting someone, that is a friendship. John Long: Right. Ellen Graves: That is relationship. It's just in a different way than their parents experienced friendship. John Long: Right, right. Ellen Graves: And so it's not that they're just in a world all by themselves. A lot of times they're communicating with their friends through those methods. John Long: Right. Ellen Graves: And so. But to boil it down, I kind of had a rambling answer. John Long: No, I- Ellen Graves: You do have to have a balance. John Long: Right. Ellen Graves: And I think with anything in life, you have to have a balance. John Long: One thing that I'm seeing more and more of late is the ease, and I'm speaking for myself, the ease of parents. Did you just give a device to a child for a pacifier, for lack of a better words, you know? And then it just becomes such an addiction to where that child, and again moderation in all things, but it becomes just like this, "I got to have, I got to have it, I got to have it." And I think that is a danger for sure. Ellen Graves: And I think I'm not as well versed in that kind of stuff. I don't have kids myself. And so I haven't had to experience that. But I think the research that folks are doing out there from this generation that's grown up like this will tell us things eventually- John Long: Right, I agree. Ellen Graves: About how that's affected them and adulthood and all that. John Long: Sure. Ellen Graves: And we'll have to look at what that says. But what I do encourage, parents out there, especially 4-H parents, is that we will definitely want you to post about 4-H- John Long: Absolutely, absolutely. Ellen Graves: And about your kids having a great time in 4-H. John Long: That's right. Ellen Graves: Because it's always better. We can shout from the rooftops on our 4-H accounts that we have, but it's going to be way more authentic coming from y'all. John Long: Absolutely. Ellen Graves: For sure. John Long: The youth tell the story. Ellen Graves: That's right. Cobie Rutherford: And how important is it for them to use the hashtag so you can see what they're talking about? Ellen Graves: Yeah. Yes. Thank you, Cobie. John Long: Ellen always has to remind me during annual conference what the hashtag is. Ellen Graves: I know. It's all right. John Long: Go ahead, I'm sorry. Ellen Graves: That was part of my job. So #MS4H no dash, just all put together. And then for Extension it's #MSUEXT. And you might say, why is this important for me to use this hashtag? One of the reasons that I've seen is that a lot of 4-H'ers, or even volunteers and parents, will post something about an activity they've done through 4-H but not actually mentioned in the caption that it's 4-H. John Long: Right. Ellen Graves: And so there's this misconception that it's another youth organization out there. And so if you put up your caption and then at the very end just put #MS4H, you're getting that point across to your friends and family that this was done through 4-H. And so that helps our brand grow, just from doing that tiny thing. And then also just from my perspective professionally, it helps me be able to see the amount of posts out there about Mississippi 4-H because- John Long: ...going back to analytics again. Ellen Graves: That's right. It gives me a way to aggregate the content that's out there so I can understand what is our audience talking about, what concerns do they have? And I want to make sure that I interact with our 4-H audience through our Mississippi 4-H account. So when you put up a post describing a 4-H experience, I want to like that. I want to, from our 4-H account, I want to say, "Great job. Thank you so much." John Long: Right. Ellen Graves: So I want to continue those lines of communication with y'all and I can only see those posts unless we follow you. And unless you're using those hashtags. John Long: Yeah, that was a good and a plug for me. Cobie Rutherford: Yep, that's right. Ellen Graves: I practice it a couple of times. John Long: Just use the pound sign. Ellen Graves: You know, that tic-tac-toe, right? John Long: Yeah, that's right. You know, you got the square and then you got the X and the Os. Ellen Graves: Right. John Long: But yeah, thank you so much for that. And Ellen, we thank you for, again, for coming in and being with us today and like I did in the last podcast and we'll let you tell us where we can go to get our information on 4-H and Extension in your area. Ellen Graves: Thank you, John Long. So everyone please make sure to follow Mississippi 4-H on social media. You can find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat. And then of course you can also follow MSU Extension Service, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, and Pinterest. And then we already talked about the hashtags. John Long: Yes. Ellen Graves: So use those. And then of course you can look at our website, extension.msstate.edu. John Long: We need to bring her in every- Cobie Rutherford: I know. John Long: Can we record that? Cobie Rutherford: We should record that. Ellen Graves: Yeah, just make a standard. John Long: No stipend or royalties... Ellen Graves: Right, right. John Long: Alright, well with that, that is another week of 4-H-4-U-2, and I'm your host, John Long. Cobie Rutherford: And I'm Cobie. John Long: And we will be back next time with who knows what we're going to be talking about, but we're going to be talking about 4-H and 4-H youth development for sure. Y'all have a good one. Announcer: Thanks for joining us for 4-H-4-U-2. For more information, please visit extension.msstate.edu and be sure to subscribe to our podcast. 4-H-4-U-2 is produced by the Mississippi State University Extension Service, Office of Agricultural Communications.

Ellen Graves, Social Media Guru, spreads the word on the do's and don'ts of the social media world. Transcript: Announcer: This is 4-H-4-U-2, a podcast from the Mississippi state university extension service promoting 4-H programs and positive youth development. Here now your host, Dr. John Long and Cobie Rutherford. John Long: And welcome to another edition of 4-H-4-U-2 podcast. I'm your host John Long. Cobie Rutherford: And I'm Cobie Rutherford. John Long: And Cobie, how are you doing? Cobie Rutherford: Doing fine, John. John Long: Great, great. Cobie Rutherford: We have survived summer. John Long: Yes we have. And we still got a ways to go as far as it getting cooler. But yeah, we have survived. So we're moving on, looking into next year and we are so excited to have our guest with us today. Miss Ellen Graves is with us. Hello Ellen. Ellen Graves: Hey y'all. John Long: We're just so proud to have her here. It's one of those things where we feel honored to have you here. Ellen Graves: No, I'm honored. No, I'm honored, really. Cobie Rutherford: I feel like we're in the midst of a celebrity because everyone knows- Ellen Graves: No, no. This is a milestone in my career, honestly, to be here with y'all today. So. John Long: So Ellen, tell us a little bit about yourself, where you're from, and how you got to where you are right now. Ellen Graves: That's a great question. John. John Long: Your stardom. You're a star dumb. Ellen Graves: Yeah, right. Oh, so I was raised in Ackerman, Mississippi. John Long: Whoop-whoop. Ellen Graves: And I actually went to Ole Miss, which might be surprising to some people since I wound up at State. John Long: Look, I'm not offended by that. Ellen Graves: Thank God. John Long: And I'll say that right now because there's some great doctors up there. Ellen Graves: That's right. And lawyers, you know, we got them. So I went to Ole Miss, and I got my degree in journalism. I actually got it in print journalism, and after I graduated I was really interested in doing something with social media. So all throughout college social media was starting to become a real thing. And I could tell that businesses and organizations did not understand how to use it. They needed someone who did. And so I made, every chance I could, I made in college to actually incorporate social media, whether it was into my thesis for the Honors College, or into jobs, internships. Ellen Graves: And so when I got out of school, this job came open, Social Media Strategist with Ag. Communications. John Long: Wow, so right out- Ellen Graves: Yes. John Long: Off the bat. I didn't realize that. Ellen Graves: So I graduated in May, 2013 and I started this job August, 2013, so I was just a baby. John Long: Gosh, you've been here that long? Ellen Graves: Yeah, six years. John Long: Wow. It doesn't' seem like that. Ellen Graves: I know. Time flies when you're having fun. John Long: Yeah. We like that though. Ellen Graves: So I applied for this job, and it's exactly what I wanted to do. I was surprised it was at Mississippi State because being an Ole Miss graduate. I wasn't necessarily looking for a job like this, but I said this is ... When I read the description, it's what I wanted to do. And so I applied, and went through a rigorous interview process, and here I am. John Long: We're so glad to have you for sure. And Cobie, if you want to know where Ellen lived when she grew up. I think her house is the only one in Ackerman that has a cupola. However you pronounce it. Ellen Graves: Yeah, some people think that it was going to be a KFC because it has a similar look. John Long: It's an off the road KFC. Ellen Graves: Right, right, right. No chickens, we have cows. John Long: It's a beautiful place by the way. Ellen Graves: Thank you. John Long: No, I had to say that because it is a pretty cool house. So do you ever get up, go back to the school up North? Ellen Graves: Oh yeah. Oh yeah. Every chance I get I try and get back up there. I tried to not be too overwhelmingly Rebel here at State because I know where I'm at. But yeah, I love where I came from. John Long: It's all right to claim where you're from. Ellen Graves: That's right. That's right. John Long: Nothing wrong with that. Just like we do. Ellen Graves: That's right. Cobie Rutherford: Exactly. Ellen Graves: That's right. John Long: So we're going to be talking today about the big time thing that it's just blown up, and that is social media, which is what you do. So what exactly, how do you define social media because it's just got so many different branches now than when ... I just remember, I can't remember what the first thing was. What was the first thing? Give us a little history of social media if you don't mind, because I don't really know a whole bunch myself. Ellen Graves: Sure. So Myspace was probably one of the first platforms that was used by the mass public. And that was actually before my time. I was never on Myspace because I was too young. But Facebook, of course, was after that. Instagram. John Long: And it had a similar platform, right? Ellen Graves: Yes. John Long: Myspace did? Ellen Graves: Myspace did. I think Facebook probably figured out how to do it better than Myspace, and so of course they survived and Myspace did not. But I got Facebook when I was a 10th grader in high school, so that was back in about 2007. And so that was my first introduction to it. And I think what's really helped me, even though I'm technically one of like the younger employees in Extension, but in social media I've seen how it's grown, because I've been on Facebook since I was a 10th grader. Ellen Graves: And so whenever I was on Facebook for the first time, I had to be invited by a friend. I still remember getting an email saying like, "Kristen has invited you to join Facebook." And so I've seen how it's progressed from like that to where it is today. And so I think just being able to observe that as a professional, it helps me make decisions about what platforms we use, and how we use it, and all that kind of stuff. John Long: So you've got a great base for that? Ellen Graves: Yeah. Yeah. Cobie Rutherford: I think about when the way Facebook has evolved in my eyes. So I joined in 2004 when I was an undergrad at Auburn University. And then we were still using flip phones, and we would have to physically log into a computer. And if we wanted to upload pictures, we would have to get pictures from our disposable camera or our other type of camera, take them to Walmart, put them on a CD, put the CD in the computer, upload the pictures. Which in my mind, that was fantastic because it got us accustomed to social media before we learned how to use a smart phone or before smart phone technology became available, and before if there was instantaneous. So we had some decision making time incorporated into those decisions. But to me it's a great tool for young people but also can be a a risk as well. What do you think about that? Ellen Graves: I agree with that. And I actually just did a workshop at co-op for, for 4-H-ers this summer. And that was one of our topics we talked about is that we have to be smart using social media. You need to be safe using social media. In my mind, there's right and wrong in this world and that still applies to social media. So it's all about making good decisions, whether it's on social media or just in day to day life. And so I really did encourage them to think before you post, because what you post now as a teenager can affect you the rest of your life. Ellen Graves: And I think that's something, looking back, growing up I had to wait until I was a 10th grader, right? So I was at least a little bit more mature than some of these kids who are getting on social media when they're in junior high or even younger. So I think parents, even though they might not feel like they know as much about the platforms as they do, as the children do. The parents though are responsible for teaching kids right and wrong. And I think that still applies on social. John Long: Yeah. Be smart with your smart phone. Ellen Graves: That's right. I love that. Did you invent that? John Long: You can take that. Ellen Graves: That was good. John Long: Right here. Right now. Ellen Graves: Boom. Get that trademarked. John Long: This is what happens right in here. Ellen Graves: I can tell. This is where the magic happens. John Long: This is where the magic happens. And I totally agree with you on that. I had a discussion with my nephew, not really a discussion, we were playing UNO, so I don't know what kind of discussion that was. Ellen Graves: Serious discussion. John Long: Really. To play with them. I mean it's just like ... Yeah, I don't know. It's very irritating. Sorry. Sorry, Mike and Patrick. Ellen Graves: Did you lose? John Long: Yeah. It's not that I lost. It's the way that they were like, every time they'd throw a card down- Ellen Graves: You're not bitter, are you? John Long: They were like, "Ohhhhh." I'm like, "Come on guys, just chill." But I'm not 11 anymore. Ellen Graves: Right, right. John Long: So anyway. But they were talking, do you know what, what clout is on on Instagram? Ellen Graves: I've heard of that term. John Long: It's talking about if you have a certain backpack, then you get so many clout points. I don't know. It was strange. I just said, "Back in my day..." Ellen Graves: Yeah, right. I'm starting to reach the age where I have to Google some of the terms that people are using. They're real popular now. John Long: And you have to stay up with that in your job for sure. Ellen Graves: I do. That's very true. John Long: The readily availability of information is something that just is amazing to me and the "necessity" that we have to be connected. And the fact that I think, I don't want to say anonymity, but people seem to be more free with what they say or what they post on Facebook, and why do you think that is? Not Facebook, any social media for that matter. Why do you think that is? Ellen Graves: Well, I think part of it is because the folks who are mostly doing that have grown up sharing about their lives and so it's not unnatural for them. Whereas for me and you and we have lived in a time where we didn't share stuff all the time on a website. John Long: Didn't want people to know. Ellen Graves: Right, right. It's a little bit more, I think, unnatural for us. But I think people in their heads are talking with their friends, right? It's just through a screen. And so they feel comfortable with that. They don't mind sharing about their lives, but I just still think that some people obviously need to take a step back sometimes and think about, "Did I need to share that? Did the world need to know that," because you might think you're sharing it with your friends and your family, but no telling who's looking at it. So, yeah. Cobie Rutherford: So do you think this information that's posted and shared on these social media platforms ever really goes away regardless if you delete it yourself or... Ellen Graves: I think it's always out there. And one of the reasons I told our 4-H-ers the other week at co-op is that people can take a screenshot of anything whether you choose to delete it. If they get a screenshot of it before you delete it, it's out there. And really, one of the things I encouraged our 4-H-ers to think about is when someone looks at your account for the first time, what kind of impression do you leave them with? And I feel like as people we should look at our own accounts ourselves and say what is this showing the outside world about myself. Is this an accurate portrait of myself? And I even encouraged them maybe every year around your birthday, go back through your accounts and just do a self cleanse and say, "Is this post, is that something I'm wanting to leave up here or should I delete it?" Ellen Graves: Was that a post that was smart to make because eventually when you think about deleting stuff, you might start thinking about that when you're like applying for jobs, and you have decades of content to go through and pictures and videos that it's better to do it on a yearly basis. Just that self cleanse on your own social media posts. John Long: I actually saw an employer post that yesterday. It was like, "Check your social media accounts before you come apply for a job for me." Ellen Graves: Oh for sure. I mean, that's the first thing that we look at when someone applies for a job. I've been on several hiring committees, and I'm a Social Media Strategist so I can find some stuff about you if it's out there if I really want to, right? So. John Long: Please don't. Ellen Graves: Yeah, I know. I'll never look you up John. You're safe. John Long: Thank you very much. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah, I was thinking about that the other day. I had a former person that I'd run into that had applied for an internship with this company, and they got on her social media account, and she had posted something that was scientifically based but it didn't match his values as an employer. And he basically said, "I can't offer you this internship because our views don't align because you posted this on this date and this on this date." And to her that was a huge wake up call because she first of all didn't realize that he would even look at her social media account. And second she didn't see anything wrong with what she posted because it was science based, but had a political innuendo behind it, I guess. Ellen Graves: Yeah, it can happen. I mean, I don't want to scare people out there because overall I do think social media is a force for good, and it's all about ... You can make the most of your own social media accounts by who you follow, right? So if you look at your newsfeed one day, and you're like, "Ugh, this is terrible." Well look at who you're following. Weed out the folks that are making your social media account not fun. But yeah, I mean you have to be careful about what you post about even with stuff that you think is not a problem at all. It might be a problem to somebody else. John Long: Somebody else, yeah. For sure. Ellen Graves: Yeah. And too, I mean honestly Cobie, the way I think about that is that, if that person, that employer didn't want her working for him because of that, but she still really believed what she posted about then that probably wasn't the best fit for her anyway. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah. That's probably... Yeah. You're probably right, that definitely could have played both ways. One thing I also worry about as a parent, I will share pictures and things that my little boy does on Facebook and then all of a sudden I'm like, "What happens when he gets 14, 15 and then becomes aware of all this stuff that I've shared" or I could've shared. So I think about that, does he really won't a picture of himself in his diaper chasing his dog with a water hose? John Long: Nobody does. But it always comes back to haunt you. Cobie Rutherford: It always comes back. John Long: They did that with Polaroids. Ellen Graves: Right. Cobie Rutherford: That's right. Ellen Graves: See now it's really, I think of it as a digital scrapbook. Our moms and dads were doing pictures of us like that, but they were in a book in the shelf at the house. But now it's a digital way for people to put that together. And I think each parent just has to look at their own situation. Everyone has their own views about how comfortable they are with sharing certain aspects of their life. And I just think it pays off to be smart about it, but at the same time you want your friends and family to know about your kid. So it's just a balance. And I think maybe when that child gets old enough, hopefully they'll look back and appreciate maybe some of the fun memories, and that you were able to share it with friends and family. But any kid's going to be embarrassed by some pictures. Right? Cobie Rutherford: Yeah absolutely. Absolutely. John Long: I saw a Law and Order episode one time that talked about how readily available images were through that too. And of course there's always been people that are trying to do bad things, but the readily availability of images and things like that of young people, and that is always in the back of my mind. But then again, it's kind kind of hard to ... you want to share things with your family, but then you have to realize that that's a risk you run when you put it out there. Ellen Graves: One of the things I talked about with our 4-H-ers the other week was just even when you think you've taken the precautions, like on Instagram for example, if you have a private account on Instagram and you're like, "Okay, I'm being safe with that." But in your bio section you have maybe that you're 16 years old, you're a cheerleader at West Jones high school. Then anybody could say, "Okay, well I know where she's at on a Friday night." So I try to bring up some of those points maybe that our 4-H-ers had not thought about, and that you have to keep in mind those nuances of the platforms where people from the outside that you don't think are actually following you can still see your information. John Long: Right. And that brings up something too, because we just went on vacation. And well, it wasn't a vacation really, but it was a couple of days. But anyway, I never post any of my, where I am currently because I don't want people to know that I'm not at home. Ellen Graves: They could rob you, right. John Long: I want to keep them guessing. Ellen Graves: Right. I understand that. John Long: But then when you get back, of course, I always frame it from the standpoint had a great weekend. Ellen Graves: Right. Right. Look at you being a social media strategist. John Long: I'm just trying to be responsible, Ellen. Come on. I'm learning something. Ellen Graves: You are. John Long: So let me ask you this. In Ellen's opinion, is social media here to stay or is it something, do you think that will eventually fade away and become something else? Ellen Graves: So that's a great question. John Long: Well that's what I ask, is a great question, frankly. Ellen Graves: You do. You do. John Long: I'm kidding. Ellen Graves: I know. You're doing good at this pod. You might take this thing full time. I don't know. John Long: I'm telling you, we're taking it on the road. Ellen Graves: Right? John Long: Yeah. Ellen Graves: That would be awesome. Do we have the budget for that? John Long: No, no. We'll be taking nitro. Ellen Graves: Right? Right. Pay for your own gas. John Long: Right, right. We'll just put a clover on the side of it. Ellen Graves: People can donate food. John Long: Start a my fund me account, or something. Or fund me, whatever it is. Ellen Graves: GoFundMe. John Long: Yeah, GoFundMe, yeah, yeah. Ellen Graves: But yeah, so to your question, in Ellen's opinion, it is around to stay. I think it will continue to evolve, and what is social media now might not be what social media is in 10 years. John Long: Right, like you said earlier. Ellen Graves: That's right. And so it will continue to evolve, but I think organizations like Extension and 4-H have a duty to be on social media because we need to meet our clients and our 4-H-ers where they are. John Long: Absolutely. Ellen Graves: So if they're on social media, we have to find a way to be there, and that's what they did when they hired me. They found a way to get us on there. So I think they were smart and very forward thinking to implement someone like me in our department. John Long: And with Extension being what it is and why it served that purpose was to get information from the University out to the people. The quicker we can do that, the more ... And with reliable information on top of that, not just some Joe Blow out there. Ellen Graves: That's right. John Long: Spitting information out. Ellen Graves: Let me take a point there too. John Long: Go ahead. Ellen Graves: That's one of the things that I've really been emphasizing with folks lately is that Extension and 4-H can fill a void on social media because I'll be the first to admit, so much content on social media is garbage. It is not true, it is not based in fact, it is opinion based, and what Extension has is the exact opposite. It is truthful, it is research based, it is information that you can trust to help your family. Ellen Graves: And so I think that's why it's important for us to be on there because we can combat all the other falsehoods that are out there with the truth. And so that's one of the things I think about with my job. Not that I'm Captain America or anything, but in our small way- John Long: Captain Marvel. Are you saying that? Ellen Graves: Yeah, that's such a good movie. John Long: It was a great movie. Ellen Graves: I loved it. John Long: Shameless plug. Captain Marvel. Ellen Graves: That's right. Maybe they could sponsor us. John Long: That's right. We'll put Captain Marvel on the back of the truck. Ellen Graves: That's right. But I think in our own small way, I'm hoping that we're helping that issue on social media about providing good information. John Long: You did tell people that Google is not- Ellen Graves: Right. John Long: You mean, you wind up saying what is this insect? And a lot of times you can find it, but it's not necessarily a hundred percent on everything. Ellen Graves: That's right. We're a free resource. Why not get it from Mississippi folks that you know and love, right? John Long: And we have fact based information is what you're saying too. Ellen Graves: That's right. Cobie Rutherford: Good deal. I mean, another thing I think about it is that it increases brand awareness. And when I see our post on Extension Facebook page or Extension, whatever platform it is, it tells people what we're doing here at Mississippi State, whether it's through the 4-H, or through crops, or all those different platforms. So I think it helps spread the positive message as well. Ellen Graves: Oh, for sure. John Long: Yeah. I have a friend that says that, of course he floats this, that there's nothing new under the sun. And he and I often argue that really there's nothing has really changed. It's just the method in which we do it. There's always been travel, travel's just changed. Well, exchange of information has always been there, it's just ... So I agree with you. I think that in the future, it will not make the same as what we're seeing now. And it's just a steady progression and evolution that's going to continue and continue. And I don't know if it's going to get better or worse, but we hope it's for the better. Ellen Graves: Hope so. John Long: Like you said, it's a tool for good and great. Ellen Graves: That's right. John Long: The superhero. Ellen Graves: That's right. John Long: See, there you go. Cobie Rutherford: Well, John, I think that's about time for our first episode- John Long: Yes, Ellen- Cobie Rutherford: ... on social media. John Long: Part two. So- Ellen Graves: I know. John Long: The sequel. Let's hope the sequel's as good as the original. Ellen Graves: I hope so. I feel the pressure. John Long: It's always a struggle to do the sequel better, right? Ellen Graves: It is. I agree. John Long: Yeah. Cobie Rutherford: So we'll do a to be continued? John Long: Yes, to be continued. Now I'm going to let Ellen fill us in. Ellen you tell us ... Not tell us because we know. Tell those listening exactly where can we go to get more information about Mississippi State Extension and 4-H program because you do it all. So tell us about that. Ellen Graves: So of course, I would not be doing my job if I didn't give a shameless plug to follow us on social media. So you can find the Mississippi State University Extension service on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat and Pinterest. And you can follow Mississippi 4-H on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat as well. So we're pretty easy to find just look for the maroon logo or the Mississippi 4-H clover. We'd love to have you, because we do a pretty good job. I'm biased, but we do a pretty good job of posting consistently on those platforms. John Long: Awesome. Awesome. And I'll go and do ... Did you say the webpage? Ellen Graves: Oh extension.msstate.edu. John Long: Yeah, that's what I thought. I don't do WWW anymore. Ellen Graves: Yeah. Yeah. People just know it. Yeah, right. John Long: It's automatically assumed. Ellen Graves: Right, right. John Long: Well with that, and we can't wait to have you back again, Ellen. Ellen Graves: Thank you. John Long: And we're going to ... Appreciate you coming in today. And with that, that is our 4-H-4-U-2 podcast for the week. I'm John Long. Cobie Rutherford: And I'm Cobie. John Long: And we'll talk to you next time. Announcer: Thanks for joining us for 4-H-4-U-2. For more information, please visit extension.msstate.edu and be sure to subscribe to our podcast. 4-H-4-U-2 is produced by the Mississippi State University Extension Service, Office of Agricultural Communications.

Cobie and John reflect on the many events that have taken place during "The Summer of 4-H" and even hint on the things yet to come! Transcript: Announcer: This is 4H4U2, a podcast from the Mississippi State University Extension Service promoting 4-H programs and positive youth development. Here now your hosts, Dr. John Long and Cobie Rutherford. John Long: Hey and welcome back to another podcast of 4H4U2. I'm your host, John Long. Cobie Rutherford: And I'm Cobie Rutherford. John Long: Cobie, let's just take a moment and breathe in. Yes, we have almost made it through the summer, haven't we? Cobie Rutherford: Yeah, it's been a fun but busy summer. John Long: Very busy. We were talking about that this morning, about all the things that we've had going on and you've heard if you've been listening to different podcasts, you know that we've had several activities over the course of this summer and we're going to talk about a few of those today and give a little recap, I guess you could say, and talk about that and talk about some other things that are potentially coming up and onboard for that. So with that, I guess what we started with was what, Cobie? Let's go back and think, just go back to the Wayback Machine, Wayback Machine, Wayback Machine ... Cobie Rutherford: So if we start back, Congress, we talked about Congress on several podcasts. John Long: Yes we have. Cobie Rutherford: We recapped that. But since Congress, there's been State 4-H Horse Show that Dr. Jousan talked about some. We've had all of our project achievement days in all four regions, which I think were pretty successful. And then we had the co-op trip. State shooting sports, or S.A.F.E.T.Y. John Long: S.A.F.E.T.Y. Cobie Rutherford: And what else did we have? There was something else. I can't remember at this point, but it's- John Long: It's all mixed in there together. Cobie Rutherford: They all ran together. What was your favorite? John Long: Oh I know, the national championship. Cobie Rutherford: Oh yeah, that's right. John Long: Shooting sports national championship. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah, in Grand Island. John Long: In grand Island. Yeah. So I should know that. I stayed out there for a week. Cobie Rutherford: Now of all those which is your favorite? John Long: Oh, that's tough. That is really, really tough. I love the national invitational. I just love the excitement of it and I get to see a lot of people that I see every year from different States, and we always joke say it's a family reunion. Which it is. Because that's the only other time we really get to see each other unless it's own computer sometime. But I liked that and I liked the seeing the youth that we take out there really getting to be exposed to other youth around the country. That's a lot of fun. I really like ... I don't know. It's hard to choose. I don't know. I like project achievement days. I love project achievement days. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah, those are fun. I also remember the other event was the cookouts. Those probably my favorite. John Long: Yes. Cookouts, I never have been to cookouts nor co-op. Cobie Rutherford: Those were really good. And now co-op, we just finished that last week and that was a blast. Of course we had the most elite 4-Hers in the state, I think here, the 4-Hers who had won contest at Congress or they were part of the ambassador or leadership team. So they were really an elite bunch. But that was a pretty fun four days. John Long: So with that, and again, I've never been to co-op, and I know y'all talked about that on another podcast, but I'm going to rob a question from it I guess. But during that time, I know they do several activities and go around and see different I guess businesses and things like that. So what was your favorite part of that? Cobie Rutherford: So my favorite part of the whole cooperative leadership conference was probably the last night we had leadership Olympics. And we divided the youth up on different teams. We had eight different teams of, some kids on the team knew one another, but most of it was pretty random. And we had them do activities that were team-building and it really brought the kids close together and it made them work together. It made them get out of their comfort zone, made them learn more about each other and it was pretty cool deal. John Long: So I do have a question in regard to that because I was bringing something in the [Bill and B 00:00:04:28], Bost [Bill and B 00:04:28], while you were doing something with the youth at co-op. And I have to ask this because it's just, not worried me, but I've been curious ever since. It was something you were walking around and saying you're invited to the party. You're like ... Tell me about that. Because I did not know what in the heck was going on. Cobie Rutherford: So on the very first day we had some breakout sessions and the breakout sessions, one was the youth were learning how to be a part of the media corp or the reflections corp. And basically those were the groups that were taking the pictures, doing all the social media, putting together the video for the end of conference. So they were the media team I guess. Well the other team was called the hospitality corps, and that was just a small group of youth. And what their jobs were to do was to make everyone feel comfortable at the co-op and try to meet people, when we'd go to the tours, greet everybody, shake hands. Cobie Rutherford: So the first part of that breakout session, we did a handshaking demonstration. Which to me handshaking is pretty universal when you go to meet somebody. And we talked about some different strategies that people use to shake hands and ... John Long: Because there's a right way and a wrong way. Cobie Rutherford: There is a right way and wrong way. And we talked about how when you shake someone's hand, always make eye to eye contact and go in as an equal. And that's not offensive to anybody. And we talked about you never want to shake hands and be like a limp rag. No one wants that- John Long: No I hate that. I'm sorry. I hate to use the word hate, but that's the worst kind. Cobie Rutherford: Yes. We talked about sitting down to shake hands, when someone is standing up and greets you, you should always stand and just some basic hand shaking etiquette. Cobie Rutherford: Well then we had some time leftover and I wanted everybody to learn each other's names. So one thing we did when I was a 4-Her was learn about this, on bus trips we'd play this game, I'm coming to a party. And basically the way that worked out is people would start saying they're coming to a party and I'm bringing two things. So if I was going to party, I say I'm Cobie Rutherford, and I'm bringing a cat and a rabbit to the party. So it just goes around and folks finally start associating the items you're bringing with the initials of your first and last name. John Long: I got you. I got you. Cobie Rutherford: So it takes a while for them to start recognizing that. And then once they catch on, it's kind of fun. John Long: Yeah. I ... Excuse me. I played something similar to that, but it's a really good way to learn people's names by association. And it's so funny. The first time I guess I did it was at a national shooting sports training and we had an animal, he had to associate an animal with our names. And to this day, everybody that was in that class still knows everybody's animal. So we'll call Moose Mike, Moose Mike or whatever. Cobie Rutherford: How about that? John Long: Yeah, that is cool. So now the mystery has been solved. Cobie Rutherford: It has been. Yeah. So we'll have to come up with something new for next year. But that was fun. John Long: I always want to say that, and of course you and I talked about this at lunch, but I always wanted to see the hot dog fry at the four County thing when they electrocute the hot dog. I never have seen that in person. I always wanted to see that in person. It's pretty- Cobie Rutherford: That was pretty cool. John Long: It's impressive. Yeah. Cobie Rutherford: Shows you how powerful electricity is. But I think as far as the stops go, that was a really good stop for our 4-Hers because they showed this really informative video that demonstrated that electricity is still pretty new. A lot of these youth's grandparents and great grandparents may not have had electricity. And how four County for instance, was a group of people in this area that just decided that they were tired of not having ... John Long: Lights. Cobie Rutherford: Lights, the electricity that people in the city had. They just got together and formed a cooperative and made it happen. So to me, and I hope that the youth that attended co-op got the big picture of this, is that having a small idea or an idea like that, if you've got the rat team and you're willing to work hard to reach that goal, that you can basically do anything even if it's provide lights and power to the four county area. John Long: Yeah, just a thing like lights and power. No big deal. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah exactly, right. John Long: Which we take for so granted now, just to walk in and flip the switch. It's amazing. Cobie Rutherford: And they were talking about that too. They said, we feel like we're inconvenienced when the power goes out for a few minutes and we can't charge our cell phones or we can't play our games or whatever it is that the youth are doing. But when the power goes out, it's usually stormy, bad weather, and we ask a lineman to go out and take care of that problem for us, and it's so dangerous and we don't even think about it. John Long: Yeah. You don't know what it's like until you don't have lights and then it's dark. You better be prepared. Cobie Rutherford: That's right. John Long: We had that happened not too long ago. So what about you? I know this is kind of your first full summer through, what was your favorite thing we've done so far? Cobie Rutherford: So I guess my favorite thing would have been, I really liked the PADs. Those were fun. You see the energy from those young 4-Hers, they're just starting their 4-H career. That's kind of enthusiastic, and see them have some zeal and spunk about 4-H really reinvigorates you a little bit. John Long: And we are so blessed to have so many talented young people in our state. It's amazing. And that's just a small example of what we have out there. It was really great because there's just so many variety of things that they do or they can do, they compete in, they do the talent shows and things like that, share the fun. And to see them be able to get up there and perform at such a young age. I think that's probably, I think that impresses me the most. I had one little story, and give a shout out to my young lady in Northwest district, she did a great presentation on river otters, and she came up there and she gave this great presentation. And afterwards we were getting ready to leave. I don't know if I told you this or not. Cobie Rutherford: I haven't heard this story. John Long: Anyway ... No because you had to, we separated once you left. Anyway, so I was getting ready to go get on the van, come back home and she stopped me and she said, "I just want to tell you that I really appreciate what you said", because I was really bragging on her presentation, she even got the award and I was telling people, I said, "If you want to know about river otters you need to talk to her because she knows her stuff". John Long: But she caught me right before I was about to leave. She said, "I really want to tell you how much I appreciate what you said", she said, "Because I was really, really nervous giving that presentation". And I said, "Let me tell you something". I said, "I couldn't tell that you were nervous. You did just a really good job". John Long: So we don't even think about those small things that young people have to go through. You and I may not think about getting up and talking in front of people, but for a younger 4-Her or a young person, that's a big challenge. And to overcome that fear and to say, "Hey, I can do that", and move on, that to me was probably the most impressive thing I heard at PAD for sure. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah, that's pretty cool. My favorite- John Long: Maybe that's that appeal to it, I guess. I don't know. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah. So I had some similar experiences at PAD. The one that I enjoyed the most was actually a failure on our part as specialists. John Long: Okay, I- Cobie Rutherford: So at the southwest PAD we had the little robotics competition. And putting that on, there was one team of three children and we didn't have a robotics mat. And so, which could have been a big deal, we had a lot of teams and didn't have that. So we improvised and I think that one thing I've learned this summer is that you better be able to think on your feet fast and improvise in a situation. John Long: Right, right. That's right. Cobie Rutherford: So we got together and we had these youth that were on this robotics team to demonstrate the robot, tell about how it worked, all the parts, all the pieces, everything they used to control it. And then we asked them to set up a situation similar to what the mat was. And just to put it into perspective, these robot mats, the 4-Hers control this robot to do different activities on a mat. And this year the theme was a beehive. So in the middle of it you had your honeycomb where the queen bee lived, and you had to take her food, which was pollen, little styrofoam cotton ball like things, or take her water, which was little blue rocks. And then there was several insects around the honeycomb. You had to move them out. So the robots were trained to go collect pollen, collect the water, and then run over all the insects to get them out. So some of them were pretty- John Long: Over the honey bees? Cobie Rutherford: Yeah. Or no- John Long: Aren't they our friends? Cobie Rutherford: Well no, it wasn't the honeybees, these were intrusive insects that were trying to break into the hive. John Long: Oh, okay. If they're pests then I'm good with that. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah, they were pests. John Long: Okay. Cobie Rutherford: So all to save the queen. John Long: Get my entomology ire up. Cobie Rutherford: That's right. So basically these robots were programmed and then the youth would just set them, hit different buttons, make them go. Well when you don't have a mat and nothing's at scale, that just messes up the whole- John Long: That throws you off doesn't it? Cobie Rutherford: ... Thing, well these children set up their mat or set up the room so specific that the robot was still able to do exactly what they wanted it to. John Long: Wow. Wow. Cobie Rutherford: And they demonstrated all these things and we talked about it. Then they gave a presentation on how they programmed it, and they did a great job. And then actually they were very happy with the way the contest worked. They all got their blue ribbons, they all got trophies. But that could have been bad really quick. And those kids were just grateful for the chance to compete. And I thought that was pretty special. They could have been woe is me, the mat's not here and ... Disclaimer, part of the rules is that you should bring a mat to practice with prior to the contest. You had that opportunity. But sometimes you just, well somebody else will bring it, and I'm leaving my home and ... John Long: Right. Well they learned to improvise as well didn't they? Cobie Rutherford: They did. They absolutely did. So it was a good win-win. John Long: Well, we just wrapped up this past weekend with the state invitation, 4-H S.A.F.E.T.Y. state invitational. And have to give a big shout out to, and a expression of appreciation, to my cohost Cobie Rutherford as this was his first one and he was invaluable. I appreciate all the work you did. I think you were kind of thrown into a few things, but yeah, I really do appreciate it. Cobie Rutherford: It was good. John Long: Yeah, it was good. Cobie Rutherford: Other than getting the truck stuck. John Long: Other than getting the truck stuck. But we got that over with. Cobie Rutherford: That was an obstacle that we just overcome. John Long: Improvised, we tried to improvise, but a wrecker worked better. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah, it was fine. John Long: But that's okay. Cobie Rutherford: That's okay. John Long: Lost the keys to the box truck, we got through that. You talking about sweat and that was the one where Friday morning and all my archery stuff's still locked up in the truck and I have no key. So thank you BJ McClinton for your trusty bolt cutters. We got through it, that was one of those things. And we had I'm thinking probably close to, I don't know shotgun numbers exactly yet, but we had 152 kids shooting everything but shotgun. So it was probably close to 300, over 300 kids this past weekend. So yeah, it was a good event. Hot. But it was a good event. Cobie Rutherford: It was hot. Do it really exceeded most of my expectations. John Long: Really? Cobie Rutherford: Because I thought it was going to be loud. I thought it was just going to be bang, bang, bang, bang. It really wasn't. John Long: Now it's relaxing. Cobie Rutherford: It was ... Yeah, it was relaxing and planned out and just had a rhythm to it. John Long: Right. It was pretty smooth transitions. When you have to, especially jocking around ranges, it has to be a little bit of a timing deal there. But yeah, it was fairly seamless I thought. And I think the kids had a good time. Cobie Rutherford: I think so too. John Long: Yeah. And thank the Lord that the rain held off. I was glad of that. Mercy. Cobie Rutherford: Well we just missed it. John Long: Yeah, we sure did. That was so weird too. Because right as archery was finishing up and that cloud was building in the west, I'm thinking, "They're going to get a rain delay right here at the end". They pull their arrows, walked back to the line, and it thundered. And I said, no, that's good. They're done. Cobie Rutherford: They're done. John Long: They're done, so ... But yeah, I really do appreciate that. And I'll give a shout out to all the agents, parents, volunteers. I got to say, thanks to support of the extension and without all of these people that wouldn't be possible. Brad. You know what I'm talking about, Brad stayed. And appreciate your help too. So you did a great job helping with that and getting everything ready. So- Cobie Rutherford: Facilities looked good. John Long: Yeah, it did. It just takes a lot. It takes a lot to get stuff done, but when it's done, hey, it's a good thing. I tell you, we had some really good scores turned in this year, so I'm excited about the national team we've got coming up, I think they're going to be really good. So ... Cobie Rutherford: So I helped out in the score room some and saw all those targets as they were shooting at, and it amazed me how some were so precise. And there was one John, we looked at, that we couldn't tell how many holes it had. Basically the child shot through the same hole multiple times. It was so close to center point. And we finally got looking, turned it over and got a light and showed, you could see where there was three different [indentions 00:00:19:22], kind of like Mickey mouse head. It was very cool. But [crosstalk 00:00:19:29]. John Long: I had a recurve archer score I believe as high as I've ever seen a ... I can't even talk. Recurve Archer. I don't think I've ever had a score that high. Cobie Rutherford: Really? John Long: Yeah. That was unbelievable. I'm still amazed at that, I've just never seen a recurrent score that high. So that was an eye opener for sure. But we had some really good, I know air rifle was really tight, the scores were really tight in air rifle. Had a good turnout in .22 rifle and .22 pistol and got even a really great turnout in shotgun. So ... Cobie Rutherford: How many kids did the hunting exercise? John Long: Hunting had three this year. Cobie Rutherford: See, I think if I was 4-Her that's something I would love to do. John Long: I know, and I wish [crosstalk 00:20:16]. Cobie Rutherford: That had so many different parts to it. You could probably be a mediocre shot and be able to do the other parts really well, do okay in that contest. John Long: Right. And I think that if more people really got into it and realized how multifaceted this one is, it'd probably be more people that participated in it. And I'll give a encouragement if you're out there in the county and want to take on the hunting discipline, I think you'd be surprised at it, for sure. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah, I think it'd be fun. With that compass, and what were those other components? Compass [crosstalk 00:20:48]. John Long: Okay, so they had a compass, and then they had a test, and then they had ... Almost said insect ID. I'm still on PA day. Animal ID, or wildlife identification, and then the two shooting components, which is seniors only that had the shooting component and it's only at the state invitational. It's archery. They shoot the archery course and then they shoot paper targets at varying distances, but there's a deer, a fox, and a squirrel. These are all paper. No animals are harmed in this discipline. But anyway, they shoot that at three different distances. Deer's at 50, and I can't remember the other two distances. One's at 25, I think it's the squirrel. But anyway, so they have to exercise that prowess as well. So ... Cobie Rutherford: Good deal. Fun, fun month. John Long: Oh yeah. It's a blast. And you know, the year's not over. We still got things coming on down the line and we're looking forward to that too. What is something that we have coming up? I had it my mind just a while ago and I thought, man, we need to talk about that. Cobie Rutherford: Well, we've got, there are several counties that are starting the County fairs and doing workshops, getting ready for exhibits at those fairs. John Long: North and south volunteer leaders forum. Cobie Rutherford: North and south volunteer leaders forum are big. They're coming up soon. Dr. Jousan has got a contest coming up in August with a heifer development contest. So lots of stuff. John Long: Yeah. It's not over with yet, but I think the bulk of our time is, it's never over with, but I'm just saying the intensity I guess is maybe a little reduced on us anyway. Cobie Rutherford: I hope this doesn't mean ... I suspect this means that more office work coming up soon. John Long: Oh yeah, that's exactly what it means. Cobie Rutherford: Trying to get all this paperwork ready for next year, right? John Long: Yep. That's what it means. Just get started and turned around and head back in this same direction we're in now. So ... Cobie Rutherford: That's right. It goes by fast. John Long: It does. It does. And so does our time today. If you want to learn more about 4-H in your area, go to your local extension office. Or you can go where Cobie? Cobie Rutherford: To extension.msstate.edu. John Long: You say that so well. I would still be saying W-W-W dot extension dot MS State ... But anyway, thank you very much for all y'all listening. And please, what do you do? You like, subscribe? What do you do on a podcast? Cobie Rutherford: You subscribe. John Long: Subscribe. Cobie Rutherford: Share with your friends. John Long: And share with your friends. So until next time, I'm John. Cobie Rutherford: And I'm Cobie. John Long: Take care. Announcer: Thanks for joining us for 4H4U2. For more information, please visit extension.msstate.edu and be sure to subscribe to our podcast. 4H4U2 is produced by the Mississippi State University Extension Service, Office of Agricultural Communications.

Cobie and John discuss the details for the 4-H Village exhibits for the upcoming Mississippi State Fair. Transcript: Announcer: This is 4-H-4-U-2, a podcast from the Mississippi State University Extension Service promoting 4-H programs and positive youth development. Here now are your hosts, Dr. John Long and Cobie Rutherford. John Long: Welcome back 4-H-4-U-2, and I am one of your hosts, John Long. Cobie Rutherford: And I'm Cobie Rutherford. John Long: All right. Cobie, we just literally got back yesterday from our trip to the Southern Regional Professional Leaders Network. Is that right? Did I say that right? Cobie Rutherford: Yeah, I think that's right. It was a conference of acronyms. John Long: Yes it was, for sure. We needed a catalog of the acronyms because I was lost. That was our first time there, but I had a good time. It was in New Orleans, so that's always a big time. Cobie Rutherford: The Big Easy. John Long: Yes. The Big Easy. What was your favorite thing? Of course you can't say New Orleans without, or New Orleans without saying something about the food. So what was your favorite? We did not eat beignets, I will say that. So go ahead and we can scratch that from everybody's minds, but what was your favorite thing we ate there? Cobie Rutherford: The favorite thing I think was, gosh so many good foods, but probably the crawfish etouffée. John Long: That was really good, wasn't it? Cobie Rutherford: That was a fantastic. John Long: Mine was the oysters Rockefeller. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah, they were good, too. John Long: I've never had that before and it was amazing. Absolutely amazing. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah. I'm ready to go back. John Long: I am, too. I am, too. Cobie Rutherford: Just do a tour of food. Go buy some pants that are a couple sizes too big and just grow into them. John Long: Grow into them. Yeah, you can do it down there for sure. Cobie Rutherford: Without a doubt. John Long: Yeah. Great atmosphere. And that was your first time going. Cobie Rutherford: It was good. It was good. I got to meet several people from across the south and learn what they're doing to make their 4-H program successful in their state, so maybe we can bring some of that back to Mississippi. John Long: Yeah, I definitely think we've got some things we can brainstorm on for sure. So, that was really good. But we're not talking about that today. We're going to be talking about what's upcoming in our world and hey, everybody else for that matter is one of the greatest things we have in our state and brings people from all over, And that's the a Mississippi State Fair. Cobie Rutherford: That's right. John Long: And 4-H has a role in that, so let's talk about that. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah, I think that sounds good. You know, growing up the State Fair was always fun to me for livestock projects. But as we would go there and see all the other things that the 4-H'ers from around the state were doing, it was kind of neat to put all that stuff together and have it in one location. John Long: We never went to the state fair. Cobie Rutherford: Really? John Long: No. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah, I guess the only reason we went in Alabama was because of the livestock. You go out to the Midwest and it's like a huge thing. Everyone goes to State Fair. John Long: Right, Iowa State Fair. Cobie Rutherford: Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, it was- John Long: Nebraska. Cobie Rutherford: Yep, Nebraska. Big, big events. And Mississippi kind of almost has a Midwestern feel to it. It seems like a lot of people from all across the state go down to State Fair. John Long: Right. Well I know we've made it our family tradition, and I wouldn't want to stop it now for anything because it is a lot of fun, especially out there on that midway. John Long: We do have some 4-H related activities other than the livestock and different things, so what is it exactly we're going to be talking about today 4-H related? Cobie Rutherford: So, the main point of today's podcast is going to be the 4-H Village. Last year was my first 4-H Village experience and last year- John Long: Was no bloodshed. Cobie Rutherford: There was no bloodshed. It was fantastic. We set up all these different shops in the Trade Mart Arena. Now I understand we're going to be in a different location this year and hadn't got all those details worked out. John Long: Right. Cobie Rutherford: So we're going to do a few things different, but basically this is a chance for 4-H'ers from across the state to enter their exhibits that they've already competed with on a county or district level, and have them judge on a statewide basis. It brings awareness to our programs, to what our volunteers are teaching our youth, and it's a really neat thing. All exhibits from produce, fruits and vegetables grown in the 4-H'ers gardens, all the way to a creative arts exhibit. John Long: Right. You know, we heard that term this week when we were at that meeting being the best kept secret. And you know, it's strange to think because we're so involved in 4-H and we know what 4-H has to offer, but there are so many people out there that really don't know what 4-H does and it's a perfect opportunity for that, right? Cobie Rutherford: That's right. And you know, besides the recognition of coming down and competing in a statewide event, like you said, it's a great public relations piece for us because it showcases our 4-H'ers. Wow, they did that through a 4-H Club? And just kind of opens up those doors of opportunity. John Long: Right. This is actually probably one of my favorite times of year, is State Fair, and it's because we get to see these exhibits that these young people put out. It's a really amazing, some of the creativity, and I always step away thinking, really they use that ... I do the environmental shop or help with environmental shop, and it's amazing what kids can take an item, a recycle item or something like that, and make something of use out of it, you know? Cobie Rutherford: Yeah. My favorite last year were the gallon jugs that the children painted pink and made- John Long: Pigs. Cobie Rutherford: Pigs out of them. John Long: Yeah, the pigs. Cobie Rutherford: And what were those, planters? Or were they piggy banks, or what? John Long: I can't remember. Wasn't they planters? Cobie Rutherford: I think there were planters, yeah. And then, I mean just all kinds of things. John Long: You know what my favorite one was? Cobie Rutherford: Which one? John Long: The wind driven car. Cobie Rutherford: Oh yeah, yeah. I do remember that. I tell you the one that I remember most, I'm not going to say the least favorite, but the one that stands out to me was the creative arts division, those children were making the door wreaths and one had made a clown for Halloween. John Long: Oh, I remember that. Cobie Rutherford: Do you remember that orange wreath? John Long: It was like Pennywise, yeah. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah, it was definitely a good decoration for the Halloween holiday. John Long: Right, right. It was kind of creepy though, looking at it in the shop every time I walked by. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah, it was like looking at you. But what I thought was- John Long: Wherever angle you were at. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah, the eyes were kind of creepy. But it was kind of neat, especially in that creative art shop, is how many of those items could go towards like an entrepreneurship. Kids selling those to make money for field trips or whatever. I mean, there was a lot of legitimate items in there that I would buy as a consumer. John Long: That's right. Cobie Rutherford: And even that the kids made it, it was that much more appealing. John Long: Absolutely. They do put a lot of work into those exhibits, for sure. But what other, I guess when we're talking about the village and us judging the exhibits, and of course we have our judging day, but what's our main, I guess, day that we have that's 4-H day? What we call 4-H day. We want to talk a little bit about that too, obviously, because when we talk about showcasing 4-H, that gives us at least a one day or a morning to where we have activities for the young people that might not even be in 4-H, but as an outreach to those that are or are not. What are some of those things that we do during that time? Cobie Rutherford: So first of all, I guess 4-H day is going to be held on Saturday, October 12th. John Long: It's good to know what day it's on. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah, that's a key thing when you start mentioning that, "Oh my gosh, I better get my calendar in front of me." John Long: Yeah, right. Let's pull it back up. Cobie Rutherford: So, 4-H day at the fair is just a plethora of a lot of different activities. So we have, of course, all the items on display, all the exhibits that have been judged already with the ribbons hanging up, but we also have several other events and contests are taking place. So the one I kind of host is the 4-H public speaking contest at the fair that's held at the Mississippi Cattleman's Association building right there on Monroe Street, and that was a great time last year. I know that we have also the fashion review, which is a lot of fun. I don't really know, I think that's where the children select an item of clothing and model it, or do they make their own, or is there two divisions? John Long: I think there's two divisions on that. Cobie Rutherford: I think you're right. One is homemade and then one is selected. John Long: That's correct. I think that is correct. Cobie Rutherford: So, that was a lot of fun last year. Kind of watch the kids model their garments was kind of cool. Also, you had quite a few safety activities last year, right? John Long: I did, yeah. The caveman skeet was a big hit again, and that was, of course, trying to break the clay targets. I don't know, based on where we're going to be, if we're going to be able to do that, and it's not a firearm related activity, by the way. Cobie Rutherford: It's a cave man. John Long: Yeah, a cave man. We did not have firearms day. But we're taking basically a sock filled with beans and throwing it, trying to break a clay target that's set up. But that was a lot of fun. Of course we had making hand turkeys. That's always a big favorite. Face painting. We had some really good face painting going on. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah, I do remember that. Somebody painted up our boy, didn't they? John Long: Yes, they did. Cobie Rutherford: What was he, a tiger? John Long: Yeah, it was a tiger. Cobie Rutherford: I thought I remembered that. John Long: Did you remember the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles? Cobie Rutherford: Uh-uh (negative). I don't remember that. John Long: I've got pictures. I have to show you that. The clown was creepy. It was just then the process. It turned out really good though. Cobie Rutherford: Huh. And those activities were done by our ambassadors and council officers, right? John Long: Yeah. Jaylin was actually was at one station. Jaylin being Jaylin, our president. Our former state president, I should say, we've had on the podcast. Cobie Rutherford: Oh yeah. John Long: But she did that. And I can't remember who else was helping her, but anyway. Cobie Rutherford: That's going to be a fun day for sure. John Long: Yep. Cobie Rutherford: What I'm looking forward to, and I messed up this year. John Long: What'd you do? Cobie Rutherford: I was doing the work assignments and sending those out to the agents, trying to line up judges and all that kind of stuff for the activities, and I had made a mental note to myself to make sure that I judged the culinary arts division at the fair. John Long: Oh, yeah. Cobie Rutherford: And for some reason I forgot about it when I was doing those assignments. So, totally jealous of those- John Long: You have the power to change that though. Cobie Rutherford: I've already sent it out, so once you hit that send button it's kind of done. John Long: Oh, okay. That's right, it's out there. Cobie Rutherford: But all those cookies and cakes and breads and things those 4-H'ers turned in last year, they looked fantastic. John Long: They did. They really did. I try to stay as far away from that as I can because I know the midway's coming. Cobie Rutherford: Oh, yeah. But you know, the midway is costly. John Long: Ah, you're not kidding. Cobie Rutherford: If you're serving as a judge, you get to sample all that goodness for free. John Long: True. For free, yes. Free is good. Free is good. I'm sorry, we're going to have to have a sidebar. What's your favorite fair food? Cobie Rutherford: My favorite fair food is probably funnel cakes. John Long: Yeah, those are good. Cobie Rutherford: Those are my favorite. Messy, but good. John Long: I have a thing that I try something different every year. I've done the fried Twinkie. I think I did the fried Snicker bar. I don't know what I'm going to try this year. Cobie Rutherford: So bar none, my favorite fair food I ever had was at the Kentucky State Fair, and it was a Krispy Kreme hamburger. John Long: Really? Cobie Rutherford: It was so good. And I mean, I got it fully loaded with the cheese and ketchup and mustard. I didn't get lettuce or tomatoes or anything like that on it, or onion. John Long: Right. Was it basically two donuts- Cobie Rutherford: Two donuts. John Long: With meat? Cobie Rutherford: With meat. John Long: Heck, you could try that at the house. Cobie Rutherford: Well, I don't know what it is about fair food, but everything's always better at the fair. John Long: Oh, I know. Cobie Rutherford: I think it would be disgusting trying that at the house. John Long: Maybe. Maybe. Cobie Rutherford: So, I don't know, maybe those hamburgers were cooked in donut grease or something. John Long: Probably. Probably. I want to try the, what is it called? The meat Sunday or something like that. I never had that. Cobie Rutherford: Oh, the hot beef Sunday. John Long: Yeah, I've always- Cobie Rutherford: You know, I don't know that they still do those. John Long: Oh really? Okay. I missed my chance. Cobie Rutherford: They used to do those, but that's something we make it home. John Long: Oh, okay. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah, just get some mashed potatoes and put some roast beef and gravy over it with cheese. That's really good. And if you like tomatoes, put a cherry tomato on top. John Long: You can tell it's getting close to the lunchtime here while we're recording this. Cobie Rutherford: I know. That's the- John Long: Okay, so we really got off track and I'm sorry about that. Cobie Rutherford: Oh, that's fine. John Long: Well, it was all fair related. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah, that's right. We were okay. John Long: Yeah, but anyway. Cobie Rutherford: Other division that ... John talked about the shops while ago, and we have the agribusiness shop, and that was cool last year. We had opportunities for kids to turn in different projects they had done within the animal sciences or plant sciences systems. Some of them who grew up on cotton or corn farms actually brought produce from their family's farms to be exhibited and judged. We had kids that made rope halters for goats and sheep or whatever they wanted to use them on, but I think of all the shops, I'm most envious of your environmental shop. John Long: I love it. I feel so fortunate to be in that one. Cobie Rutherford: The recycled items were probably by far most creative, but putting together those tackle boxes, those things are really useful. John Long: They are. They really are. We go back to the creativity, but then there's the functionality exhibits that we have, as well. I really think it teaches a lot, as far as you think, "Oh, we're putting together tackle box," but you really need to make sure that you have everything in there. You know what I mean? It's laid out and it's very specific and it's very functional. One time I will say though, I had somebody that had this catfish stink bait and it looked like it was about 30 years old. Cobie Rutherford: Oh, geez. John Long: Oh, yes. So when I opened the tackle box, yeah, it was disgusting. It was. Fish may like it, but it was pretty gross. Cobie Rutherford: It'd probably bring them out, I guess. John Long: Yeah, make sure you got fresh supplies. Cobie Rutherford: You know, one thing that I kind of- John Long: They haven't found live worms yet though, so that's good. Cobie Rutherford: Oh, that'd be fun. John Long: Yeah. Cobie Rutherford: The thing that I was surprised that more people didn't enter last year was making the first aid kits. John Long: Yes, I know. Cobie Rutherford: I only had like four of those last year. John Long: I know. I know. Cobie Rutherford: And something that would be pretty useful. John Long: Oh yeah. Yeah, definitely, for sure. For sure. Birdhouses, I think were a number of birdhouses. We always have a good number of birdhouses. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah. John Long: I always liked, and I'm going to reveal something, I love when somebody ... Of course this is going out fast, but the DVDs or the CDs that they make for coasters. I've seen some really nice coasters made out of CDs. Cobie Rutherford: Oh, that's interesting. John Long: Yeah. That's compact disc for those younger listeners. Cobie Rutherford: Oh yeah. John Long: Before we had- Cobie Rutherford: When we get ready to retire somebody will have our archaic iPhone and make birdhouses out of them. John Long: That's right. Cobie Rutherford: Birdhouses with WiFi. John Long: That's right. That's right. Cobie Rutherford: You know, the other shot that we hadn't mentioned much is the fashion shop. John Long: Yes. Yeah, that's true. Well, we kind of touched on it in fashion review. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah, that's true. John Long: Yeah. Cobie Rutherford: The fashion shop, I was overwhelmed at some of the things that they came up with last year and how good of seamstress- John Long: Oh, yeah. Cobie Rutherford: I guess is seamstress gender neutral, I think. John Long: Yeah, that's correct. Yeah. Cobie Rutherford: I think that's the right word. So, I don't know. Young men are getting- John Long: Taylor. Cobie Rutherford: Taylor, maybe. They put together some of those garments that were really, really good, from apron's to I remember one pretty exquisite dress that somebody had done last year that was really neat. Cobie Rutherford: The other shop is the horticulture shop, and that was pretty fun to judge because that's where the youth had brought in items from their gardens. Maybe three tomatoes or basket of green beans or three apples. That got to be pretty interesting. You'd think, well some of those things may not be in season, but however they plan their garden to make them be in season for State Fair took a lot of planning and prep. John Long: Right. And then they get to replace that later, right? They stay out on display and then they get them ... How does that work? I haven't judged that shop, so I don't know. Cobie Rutherford: So, there are two different entry days that they can turn them in on. The first would be that Tuesday, October 2nd, or they can submit them the following week on the Tuesday and have it out. John Long: Okay, okay, okay. Cobie Rutherford: So we have Marcus Davis takes care of that, of course, on the second day. John Long: Okay, cool. Yeah. Thank you, Marcus. Shout out to Marcus. He's awesome. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah, so that's a pretty neat shop. I thought, well if you wanted to, if you went the grocery store and bought them items, put them together, but really, there's no financial incentive to do that. So, we know our 4-H'ers are growing these products themselves, because if you win a blue ribbon that's not probably going to cover the cost of buying that thing at the grocery store. John Long: Right. Exactly. What's the point? Cobie Rutherford: Yeah, it really makes that negligible, I guess. John Long: Right. It does. It does. Cobie Rutherford: What is the other shop? So, safety- John Long: Oh, Clover. Cobie Rutherford: Oh, Clover. John Long: Oh, I love that shop. I love that. Cobie Rutherford: Do you remember they a toilet paper snowman? John Long: Cloverleaf. Huh? Cobie Rutherford: The toilet paper snowman over in that shop last year. John Long: Oh, yeah. I remember that well. Cobie Rutherford: That was pretty cool. John Long: Yeah. Cobie Rutherford: One county did Christmas decorations with their clover leaves or clover bud kits, and they- John Long: The Clover Shop. Cobie Rutherford: The Clover Shop. John Long: Just say it's the Clover Shop. Cobie Rutherford: So these are kids under 4-HH, so five to seven generally. John Long: Right. Right, right. Cobie Rutherford: Well, they stacked up rolls of toilet tissue and then put two beady eyes and drew some decorations on them, made snowmen for decorations. John Long: I'm not laughing at the exhibit, I'm laughing because I'm remembering how cute it was for sure. Cobie Rutherford: And, they were all good. John Long: Oh, every one of them. Cobie Rutherford: And the agent brought up like 15 of them at the State Fair. I just thought- John Long: If you do one, you're going to do 15. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah, I just thought to myself how funny they were all stacked in their car driving down the road, beady eyes shaking. That was pretty cute. John Long: That is. That is nice. Cobie Rutherford: I don't know, there were some real creative ... That's just the one that stood out. John Long: What was that other one? Yeah, I don't remember nothing else. You got my mind on the snowmen or the toilet paper snowmen. John Long: What's the shop, I'm just going to say it for Cobie, because some people may not even know what we're talking about, but to the left of that? What's the name of that? That's where they do a safety poster or- Cobie Rutherford: I think that is the health and safety shop. John Long: It is health and safety. Yeah, that's exactly what it is. Like say no to drugs posters and things like that. Cobie Rutherford: Right, and that's where we had the first aid kits. They were a part of that shop. John Long: Yeah, that's right. That's right. That's right. Cobie Rutherford: There were quite a few posters in that shop. This year I think our poster theme for that shop is how 4-H inspires youth to think. So, kind of continuing on with that theme. John Long: That's right. That's good. Cobie Rutherford: and at Congress. John Long: And then, of course, we get the photos that were at Congress that are going to be displayed there. We do that every year. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah, that'll be- John Long: Those were from Congress, right? Cobie Rutherford: That's right. They submit them at Congress. They were judged sometime this summer, and then we'll display them there. John Long: Cool. Cobie Rutherford: We've got a lot to do between now and then, John. John Long: We do, but it's going to be fun. Now last year, I don't know, we had some other activities for the 4-H day. I know that my son did Lego's. I don't think we're going to be doing that this year. Cobie Rutherford: No, I don't know. Dr. Morgan's going to, she said, come up with something. John Long: Okay, cool. Cobie Rutherford: But you know- John Long: She's creative. Cobie Rutherford: No doubt. Oh my gosh. John Long: Listen to that podcast we had her on. Cobie Rutherford: She has got it figured out. All those STEM activities she puts on. John Long: Yeah. Cobie Rutherford: I know she'll come up with something good. John Long: Great educator for sure. Cobie Rutherford: I know 30,000 Lego's in a tent can be hard to keep up with. John Long: Yeah. Yeah. Cobie Rutherford: So, I'm not sure how we'll do that. John Long: So, we're going to be in a tent this year. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah. It's going to be outside of the livestock barns. They told us it's going to be really nice. John Long: That's good. Cobie Rutherford: Air conditioning and 24 hour security out there to protect the exhibits. John Long: So, don't worry about the exhibits. Go ahead and throw that out there. It'll be okay. Cobie Rutherford: And it should increase visibility. I mean, everybody is going to be walking through looking at things. John Long: True. Cobie Rutherford: We've got some pretty cool decorations we're going to use. John Long: Good. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah. Rest in peace to the village. John Long: We'll have a moment of silence. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah. John Long: Yeah. I don't know, it won't be much moment of silence. Cobie Rutherford: It aint going to be much. I don't know what's left of it. John Long: Ah, well we always seem to pull it together every year, but this year you don't have to worry about getting ... The blood letting may be less. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah. John Long: Anybody that's set up fair knows exactly what we're talking about. Cobie Rutherford: That was a lot of work, but it was a lot of fun, the comradery last year. John Long: Absolutely. Absolutely. Cobie Rutherford: So Larry's gone, the village is gone. What have we done to 4-H, John? John Long: We're still here. We're still here. We're still green. But anyway, but yeah, it's a good change I think. It's like you said, I think it's going to get a lot more visibility for sure. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah, I think so, too. John Long: Yeah. Thanks to everybody that's making that happen, too. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah, no doubt. We're going to be sending out a lot of information over the next few day through social media venues. We've also got National 4-H Week coming up pretty soon. John Long: Oh, yeah we do, don't we? Wow. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah. That'll be going on simultaneously with the fair, so we've got to come up with some cool things to do during that week. I know the county agents are getting all the information today. John Long: Oh, well be sure and check your inbox, I guess, for that. Cobie Rutherford: That's right. John Long: Well, that's awesome. Oh, and fall's going to be in the air. I found out that apparently the first week in September we're supposed to have a cool front move in, so it's going to be more seasonal. Cobie Rutherford: Oh, good. Nice. John Long: So it's going to get everybody in the mood for fair, for sure. Cobie Rutherford: And Starbucks is bringing back the pumpkin spice latte. I saw that. John Long: Do you partake? Cobie Rutherford: You know, I'm not a big coffee person. John Long: Right. Cobie Rutherford: But I do like those. John Long: Yeah. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah, I will drink a pumpkin spice latte. John Long: I sin, because I drink my coffee black, but I do at least once in October will drink a pumpkin spice latte. So, I know that's shocking. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah, that shocks me. John Long: Yeah. But I do love those pumpkin spice. Cobie Rutherford: Yep, it's that time of year. John Long: I can't wait. I thought my pumpkins we're not going to make it this year, but I think my pumpkin patch is going to make it, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed. Cobie Rutherford: Good. John Long: Well all right, all things green, and we've got plenty of 4-H still left in the year and to come. And Cobie, information's going to be sent out, as you said, to the extension offices, but we'll also have it posted on our web page which is- Cobie Rutherford: On the web page and all social media venues. You can find on the website at extension.msstate.edu. John Long: Right, and we've got all kinds of Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and everything else. Be sure and check us out there. And with that, we're going to wrap up this episode of 4-H-4-U-2. Thanks for listening. Announcer: Thanks for joining us for 4-H-4-U-2. For more information please visit extension.msstate.edu, and be sure to subscribe to our podcast. 4-H-4-U-2 is produced by the Mississippi State University Extension Service, Office of Agricultural Communications.

John and Cobie discuss hitting the road and traveling on the 4-H Project Achievement Day road trip! Transcript: Announcer: This is 4H4U2, a podcast from the Mississippi State University Extension Service promoting forage programs and positive youth development. Here, now, your host, Dr. John Long and Cobie Rutherford. John Long: Okay, well, it is that time again for another edition of the podcast, 4H4U2. We are so glad that you have tuned in, and if you have not, you need to subscribe to this podcast because we are going to be talking about everything 4-H as it relates to Mississippi and beyond. And this week, we're going to be talking about our upcoming project achievement days. And I'm your host John Long. Cobie Rutherford: And I'm Cobie Rutherford. John Long: Cobie, I feel like I see over here, of course, nobody else can, but I can see you have your mixed purified drinking water over here. Cobie Rutherford: Oh yeah. John Long: And I have a bottle of water over here behind me as long as a cup of coffee, so I feel like we're maybe gaining some legitimacy here as far as podcasts are concerned. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah, maybe so. I know my bottle of water here is filled with artificial flavors and caffeine, so hopefully it'll be enough to get me through today. John Long: Yeah, yeah. Well, we've got a busy day on the day of this recording. We're going to be working with judge record books. I've never done that before, so this is going to be a new new experience for me. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah, I'm pretty impressed by the record books. This will be my first time to go through this cycle, too, and it has some pretty intense labor that's put into those things. John Long: Really, yeah. Cobie Rutherford: I just flipped through a few of them earlier, and it seems like they build on each other. So, you start off as a young child, and then every year you add more stuff to your record book within your project area. And it's pretty fascinating. I can't wait to dig into them a little bit. John Long: I can't either. Cobie Rutherford: I don't know how we're going to judge them. I mean, because they all look pretty good, but- John Long: It's going to be tough. I have no doubt it's going to be tough. Cobie Rutherford: So, with these record books, I understand that the first place winners get to go to National 4-H Conference in Atlanta. John Long: Yeah. And you're going to that, too, aren't you? Cobie Rutherford: I am, yeah. I'm excited about that. John Long: That's cool. Cobie Rutherford: It's starts on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, so yeah, we go home, eat some Turkey, spend some time with family, then hit the road to the ATL. John Long: There you go. THere you go. The big ATL. Yeah, it's always a fun time going there, for sure. Cobie Rutherford: Have you ever been? John Long: I have, obviously, been to Atlanta. Never been to the National- Cobie Rutherford: Yeah. But never been to the National- John Long: No, no, no, no. I have not. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah, I'm looking forward to it. We're taking, I think, 20 to 25 for 4-Hers depending on how many come through the record boot process today, so it should be a big time. John Long: Yeah, that's awesome. That's awesome. So, you and I are about to hit the road here next week, and we're going to be on this road trip. I always call it the 4-H road trip because we're leaving on Monday, and then we're going to be not coming back home until Thursday. Cobie Rutherford: Thursday. John Long: So, most of us are not going to come home until Thursday. But anyway, and we're going to be doing the Project Achievement Day road trip, so tell us a little bit about that. Cobie Rutherford: So, I am super pumped about this Project Achievement Day. John Long: I am too. Cobie Rutherford: After the first one in the Northeast at [inaudible 00:03:39] I've been waiting on these others to happen. John Long: Yeah, you're jonesing for another PA day. Cobie Rutherford: It seems like it's taken forever for them to get here. So, we'll start next week in Laurel on Tuesday, then we'll go to Raymond on Wednesday, and then Moorhead on Thursday. But basically, this is our chance to showcase our junior 4-Hers within their districts and give them a taste of what State Forest Congress will be like. John Long: It's like a mini Congress, basically, for the juniors, so I guess they get a lot of little aspects of what Congress's like. Wouldn't you say based on what we've got there? Cobie Rutherford: It's a lot of fun for them, best I can tell. Anytime I looked up at the Northeast PAD, they had some music going, the kids were dancing and just having a good time. John Long: Yeah. I like it because it's an intense day because when you get started everybody gets... And like you said, it's an energy level that keeps going, and it's really cool because you turn around and it's like, "What do you mean we're ready to go to the next one?" But I like it because of the younger 4-Hers get to see the excitement in those younger 4-Hers just getting started, and they are just amazed at everything that's going on. And I guess, you can remember, too, what it was like to look up to somebody and see those leadership team members up there on the stage and they're introducing these young clover leaf exhibitors, things like that. That I'm sure they look at those green jackets and say, "Wow, they must be old, like 20 something." You know what I'm saying. But a mentor to look up to, I guess. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah, I think that's always cool. I remember going to our district events in Alabama and how fun they were and seeing those green... Well, they had green jackets over there, too. John Long: Did they? Cobie Rutherford: It was a cool deal. John Long: I wonder if the green jacket's everywhere. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah, I don't know. John Long: I don't know either. Cobie Rutherford: Just seeing some pictures from Nationals, it seemed like several states have green jackets. John Long: Oh, okay, cool. Cobie Rutherford: But I know they sure stand out in the crowd here and along with our purple shirts. John Long: Oh you better believe it. You better believe... We need to coordinate. I think that's what we need to do. We need to coordinate what shirts we're going to wear for the Project Achievement Day. I like that. I always like that because you know who's... You can look across and see who's the state staff member with the shirt on. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah. John Long: But anyway- Cobie Rutherford: That's probably something I think about. John Long: Yeah, we'll work on that. I think that's the least of our... No, we don't have worries, but- Cobie Rutherford: Yeah, that's probably number 15 on the list. Maybe 20. John Long: Get the van, get it loaded up, and we'll go from there. Cobie Rutherford: Now, one thing I've got to remember is I've got a whole box of ribbons in my car from the- John Long: Don't forget those [inaudible 00:06:35]. Cobie Rutherford: I know. That'd be huge. John Long: Yeah. Cobie Rutherford: So, I took them down to the cookout last week, which was a lot of fun. John Long: Oh yeah, I forgot that y'all did that while I was gone. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah. Maybe that's a another podcast. John Long: Oh, I can't wait to- Cobie Rutherford: We're about to talk about the cookout. John Long: With no smell-a-vision or... No, we can't. I don't know how it works. Cobie Rutherford: I'm salivating thinking about the pork chop that I had. John Long: Well, it is close to lunch. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah, you're right. But, man, so much fun. I don't understand why every single kid in the state don't do it, participate in the cookout, because these kids, honest to goodness, had a blast. John Long: That's good. Cobie Rutherford: Now, there may or may not have been some close to fire hazards. John Long: Right, right. Cobie Rutherford: The kid that dumped half of his lighter fluid onto his charcoal grill. John Long: I think, invariably, that's going to happen, right? Cobie Rutherford: I think you plan for it. I was like, "Oh, wait! Fire!" But everybody was else like, "That first fire of the year, check that off." So, that was fun. But these kids can cook, and I think that's part of our culture. They grow up watching Food Network now and seeing all these different ideas. But yeah, we need a whole podcast for that. John Long: Yeah, we'll definitely do that. Cobie Rutherford: Project Achievement Days, though- John Long: Are we going to have a taste test and everything? Cobie Rutherford: We got to sample some things at ... John Long: I'm talking about in here. Cobie Rutherford: Oh, we should. We need to invite ... John Long: There may be need for a remote recording. Cobie Rutherford: I would say, maybe go live, too. John Long: Yeah, exactly. Exactly. I'm sorry I interrupted you. Go ahead. Cobie Rutherford: You know , though, at PAD in Northeast, they had these foods and nutrition demonstrations, and I got to try one of the winner's guacamole that they made with mango and pineapple. Did you try that? John Long: Yes, I did. I got the recipe, too. Cobie Rutherford: Man! John Long: Perfect summer guac. Cobie Rutherford: It was so good. I don't even know how the 4-Her came up with that. John Long: I don't either. Cobie Rutherford: But I think she made the recipe herself. John Long: Wow. Cobie Rutherford: Just went with it. John Long: Hey, whatever you like, put it in there, mix it up, I guess. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah. John Long: Yeah. It was good. Cobie Rutherford: It was good. Now, I wonder, I hadn't heard a lot about the South PADs, but they'll have workshops I suspect for the juniors to participate in. John Long: Yeah, it's the same. It's the same across each one of them. But each one of them has their own little different spin or taste. I mean, each district is unique, I think, in the way that Project... Obviously, we have the same framework for each one of them, but- Cobie Rutherford: Same contest. John Long: Yeah. But each district adds in their little bit of flare to it for that area. Oh, yeah. Cobie Rutherford: I thought it was cool with the Northeast, they had that dog trainer there, and they had dog training workshops. And then, they also had a fishing tournament. John Long: I heard about that. I didn't get over there to see that. Cobie Rutherford: I saw a lot of kids bring their brand new fishing poles. John Long: Yeah, I saw the poles. Yeah. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah, they [inaudible 00:09:33] have to big time. John Long: That's cool. That's cool. Cobie Rutherford: I'm anxious to see what the other districts offer. John Long: Yeah, that'll be neat. That'll be neat. We are going on... I have to lay the map out. We're, like you said, we're going to the Southeast on Tuesday, and then we're going to the Southwest and then cutting across to the Northwest. And I think, well, the Southeast, this'll be the second time it's been a different location. And then, Southwest is, as far as I can remember... Well, no, it's been at Hines Community College. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah. John Long: Where is Southeast again? Not Laurel Middle School, it's Jones. Cobie Rutherford: West Jones High School. John Long: West Jones High School. That's right. Then we go to Hines Community College in Raymond, which coincidentally my wife used to work there. Cobie Rutherford: Really? John Long: Yeah. She got all the ins and outs going into the metropolis of Raymond. But then we go to Moorhead, and I love going to Moorhead. I don't know what it is about that campus, but I love going. I guess because I've worked so much in the Delta, I just love going to the Delta every year. Cobie Rutherford: I'm excited about that, too. I think they're feeding us catfish over there. John Long: Really? Cobie Rutherford: I think so. Maybe I just dreamed that up or maybe that's what's, maybe, I want for lunch. John Long: Maybe that's what you want to eat. Yeah. Cobie Rutherford: I'm excited about that. John Long: Yeah, that'll be good. Cobie Rutherford: What about- John Long: That's an important thing about extension, you've got to know where all the good eating is. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah. I think we've talked about that as much as we have anything. John Long: Yeah. That's right. Food is important. Go ahead, I'm sorry. Cobie Rutherford: It's, obviously, close to lunch because that's what I'm thinking about. John Long: What are we going to eat for lunch? We got to get back here and start judging record books before too long. Cobie Rutherford: I'm hungry already. John Long: I am too. Cobie Rutherford: But after PADs we've got co-op starting that Monday, all week. John Long: Yeah. Cobie Rutherford: You're on campus. John Long: Yep. Cobie Rutherford: So, we'll get to go back to the Delta again for that. John Long: Right, right. Cobie Rutherford: Man, I was hoping we'd eat catfish again. John Long: Well, you might. You never can tell. No, I'm kidding. Cobie Rutherford: No, I don't think we will that week. We're going to have Subway for ... John Long: Yeah, y'all don't have time to stop munch on that schedule that I saw, for sure. Cobie Rutherford: No. My goodness, those wheels are barely going to stop for us to run into Subway, I think. John Long: True. And then, co-op runs right into the State Invitational. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah. John Long: That weekend. Cobie Rutherford: Then July is over almost. John Long: Then July is over and then- Cobie Rutherford: It'll be the 20th. John Long: ... school starts back and... Crazy. That's always crazy. Cobie Rutherford: Man, it gets away. It's so much fun, though. John Long: Yeah, it is. Because, like we had said earlier on another podcast, I mean you used to think summer used to drag, and then you get a job where it just flies by. So, it is beneficial in that respect, and we enjoy being able to interact with the kids and getting to see how 4-H is changing lives and for the better. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah. I was thinking about even fall. This week I finished up the the fair book, so I've got to get the final approval done on it. But holy smokes, before we know it, I'm going to have a whole year of 4-H under my belt. John Long: That's right. Cobie Rutherford: Because last year we started on September one. John Long: September, yeah. Cobie Rutherford: We opened for fair that month, and then... Man, it's just gotten away from me. John Long: Oh, I love State Fair. I cannot wait. I love State Fair. Midway and food. Here we go again. Cobie Rutherford: I know. John Long: I'm sorry. But anytime you talk about State Fair, I'm thinking Midway food, which is probably not the best for your health, but good gracious, it's so good. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah. That's my favorite time of year is the State Fair bar none. John Long: I think we need to get Dr. Brent Fountain in here to talk about nutrition and his nutrition program. It's probably what we need more than anything. Cobie Rutherford: He probably lay it out that you probably should- John Long: Probably not be eating a bunch of- Cobie Rutherford: ... drink those artificial flavors and that water and that high dose of caffeine. John Long: Yeah, way too much coffee. Way too much coffee. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah. I think we'd probably get, I'll scrutinize for that. John had a birthday last week. John Long: Oh, that's right. Yeah. Cobie Rutherford: So, we've had a- John Long: 25. Cobie Rutherford: ... birthday cake this week. John Long: Oh, that was awesome yesterday. Yeah, that was good. Cobie Rutherford: I had donuts last week. We've been needing a lot of fuel. John Long: And yeah, I guess so. But it's interesting, going back, I was at Nationals during my birthday, and there's only been one National since I started working, that I was actually home for my birthday. But I don't think you could ask for a better present than to get to smell gunpowder and watch arrows fly on your birthday. That's a pretty good birthday present. Then I got to celebrate with my family when I got back. But yeah, I sure did. Turned 25, almost for the second time. Cobie Rutherford: Fun. John Long: It'll be fun. Yeah. Yeah. Always is. Cobie Rutherford: So, with the Project Achievement Days, we got those. I've almost counted those as being finished right now even though we've got lots to do. There's been so much prep work going into those from the ordering the trophies, getting the packets ready, and the ribbons, and people signed up. John Long: [inaudible 00:14:49] that excitement. Yep. Cobie Rutherford: The event's just the icing on the cake. John Long: That's right. Cobie Rutherford: It works over. John Long: The work's done, and that's the way I look at State Invitational is once we get to that point, the week before, I'm already looking into August. And we move into, like you said, getting ready for State Fair and other stuff. But yeah, it is. And the icing on the cake is being able to see those young people walk up on that stage and get those awards and to see the smile on their face and the feeling of accomplishment from even from the bottom up or the top down, whatever way you want to look at it. And I love being able to work with the specialist and being able to be out there with the agents and see the hard work that they've put into these young people and the investment that they put in these young people, along with our parents, and just all the people that make it possible for them to be able to be successful, which is all of us. And I think that that's key to remember. It's not just one person, and it should never be. It should be a multitude of people that help develop that child and help teach them these life skills that they need for the rest of their life. Cobie Rutherford: That's right. And it takes a village, literally. John Long: Absolutely. Absolutely. Cobie Rutherford: And celebrations are free. John Long: You better believe it. Cobie Rutherford: It does not take us any talent or time or money to pat someone on the back or clap our hands for somebody and help them celebrate their accomplish. John Long: Absolutely. Everybody needs that. Cobie Rutherford: I think that's what I love about 4-H most is that the round of applause, the congratulations, the "You got this" encouragement. John Long: That's right. That's right. Cobie Rutherford: I think that's what sets us apart from other youth activities. Because sometimes I think in, maybe athletics, you're scrutinized a lot more than you are in 4-H. Maybe you miss a ball or you strikeout and maybe you don't get the applause and the congratulations for those things, but in 4-H, someone is always there to be like, "You get it next time. You got this." John Long: Oh, can I tell you a funny story? Cobie Rutherford: Yeah go ahead... John Long: It may not be funny to anybody, but it was to me because we were at a softball game, my daughter's softball game, last weekend and I was sitting there and they were wrapping their game up. And of course, behind us was another field, and there was another game going. And all of a sudden, behind me, I hear this guy with the most, deepest... He needs to be on the podcast. He would have a much better radio voice. Very deep, very pronounced, annunciated voice says, "What are you doing? You need to be running!" And it was just like, I remember thinking, maybe they need to get their head in the game, but it was seemingly more derogatory than it was encouraging. You know what I'm saying? Cobie Rutherford: Yeah. John Long: So, I thought, "Man, I wouldn't think I'd want to be on that team with them." But anyway. Cobie Rutherford: That's funny. John Long: Yeah. Cobie Rutherford: I remember back to my athletic days, I think I got a lot of this kind of encouragement. "Quit lollygagging." John Long: "Quit lollygagging." Yep. For sure, for sure. Cobie Rutherford: "You're not going to find the baseball in the dirt." John Long: Well, and I think it is, too. It is. I mean, especially if you're a parent. I think you do want, obviously, want your child to do well because you feel like they are a reflection of you, but we need to remember that they are an individual, as well, so we need to treat them as such. Cobie Rutherford: Oh gosh. I keep thinking about my experiences in athletics, and I was not athletic at all. I was probably the worst ball player that ever went through my youth league program. I think about what I won't do as a parent when... "Oh yeah, I want you to play sports, but-" John Long: "Oh, I'll never do that. Never do that." Cobie Rutherford: Yeah, I'll never do that. Yeah. John Long: Yeah. Watch what you never say you'll never do. Cobie Rutherford: Exactly. John Long: Yep, yep. Cobie Rutherford: With the PADs and... I'll look at that as a great opportunity to introduce these kids to something that they never thought they'd do. John Long: That's right. Cobie Rutherford: I think most agents are making their children do one contest in the morning and then one in the afternoon, so if they have a project area, let's say an entomology, and do a visual presentation in the morning, well they might can pick out something totally different that they don't know anything about and learning about it for the afternoon contest. John Long: Sure, absolutely. That catalog of things that they can do is just so diverse. It really allows people, or youth, to experiment and to find what they really love doing. And I've seen some of those 4-Hers that I routinely see it at PAD through the years, or have seen them through the years and then seeing them move into seniors, they do that. But then, when they find their niche that they... Oh, they know it and they, I mean, they are passionate about it. Absolutely passionate about it. Cobie Rutherford: That's really neat. I can't wait to get these three here and see what all happens. John Long: Oh yeah. Yeah. That'll be awesome. That'll be awesome. Cobie Rutherford: Without a doubt. John Long: All right, well, if you don't know anything about 4-H or wanting to know more about 4-H or Extension in general, Cobie, tell them where they can go and learn more about them. Cobie Rutherford: Go to your Extension website at Extension.msstate.edu or you can contact your County office, and you can find all that information on the website, as well, John. John Long: That's right. And if you can't do that, just give us a holler at the state office, and we cam point you in the right direction as well, too. So, you can reach us at 662-325-3350. And that's going to wrap us up for another edition of 4H4U2. If you haven't subscribed to this podcast, please do so and tell all your friends about it, because the more people that we can touch and teach about 4-H, the better. So, with that, we're going to wrap it up for this podcast. I'm your host John Long. Cobie Rutherford: And I'm Cobie Rutherford. John Long: Take care. Announcer: Thanks for joining us for 4H4U2. For more information, please visit Extension.msstate.edu, and be sure to subscribe to our podcast. 4H4U2 is produced by the Mississippi State University Extension Service Office of Agricultural Communications.  

John is back from Grand Island, NE to report on another successful 4-H Shooting Sports National Championship. Transcript: Announcer: This is 4H4U2, a podcast from the Mississippi State University Extension Service promoting 4H programs and positive youth development. Here now your host, Dr. John Long and Cobie Rutherford. John Long: All right, and with that funky beat, I guess you all know what time it is. It is another episode of 4H4U2. I'm your host, John Long. Cobie Rutherford: And I'm Cobie Rutherford. John Long: Cobie, it's raining outside today, and at the time of this recording, it's the Wednesday before ... 4H. I've got 4H on my mind, but it's actually July 4th. It's coming up tomorrow. Hopefully, all this is going to clear out, but have y'all got any plans for the 4th of July weekend? Cobie Rutherford: We don't have anything big planned. I think we're going home, spend some time with the family, and watch some fireworks. Maybe go out to the lake some, but I think a lot of my time will be a setting in the office writing this dissertation. John Long: I remember those days. It is tough to do, and especially I know you've got a young family, too, so that's really hard to be away from them, too. But it all comes out in the wash in the end, and you'll be through it, and look back, and it'll be six years later, 10 years later, and you're like, "Well, I'm glad that is done. Done and done." Cobie Rutherford: I think I'm through school after this. John Long: Definitely. I remember walking out of that last class thinking "That is the last class I have to take for the rest of my life," and that felt good. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah. I'm all about like continuing education, and continuing to learn things, but no more formal education. John Long: I understand that for sure. Cobie Rutherford: I need a piece of paper, and then we'll go on. John Long: That's right. That's right. Cobie Rutherford: So what have you been up to? John Long: Well, I've been very busy myself. We just got back from ... I say "we" as when I say that my wife says, "Who's we? You and the mouse in your pocket?" I said, "Yeah, I guess so." But I just got back from nationals, National 4H Shooting Sports Championship in Grand Island, Nebraska. And they had that starting ... Basically, check-in was on June the 23rd, and it went through the 28th. And we ... Here I go with "we" again. See, that's the difference. When I go out there, I feel like I'm part of the team, so I say "we" all the time, but it's really the kids that do all the work, along with the volunteers and the parents. But, anyway, they let me tag along. How about that? John Long: But anyway, we did really good. I think the young people had a really good time. National Committee does an excellent job on organizing different events just to keep them not occupied, but entertained and occupied, and really try to tell people that's part of the experience is being able to get out there and meet other youth across the country that they would otherwise never meet. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah, that's part of the big deal. Networking. John Long: You're right. Exactly. And it was a really good turnout, too. We had 661 participants from 36 states. Cobie Rutherford: Wow. John Long: So not a record on the number of states that came in, but but only shy by equaling the record by one state. It was only four that didn't show up this year, if I'm correct, out of the country that have shooting sports programs. It's very good. It's a very good place. Grand Island is an awesome place to have the event. They have great facilities there. John Long: And, like I said, one night we had teen social for the kids. State coordinators actually got to get up and be together. And then we had another night where ... Oh, gosh, I'm drawing a ... Oh, where they went to the water park, which is right behind the event center. So it's really good. Really, really good time. And the food is not too bad either out there. Cobie Rutherford: That does sound good. John Long: Yeah. I'm always about the food. Cobie Rutherford: Do most of our neighboring states have teams represented at Nationals? John Long: Yes, they did. In fact, I'm good friends with the Arkansas coordinator, and he had a really good group there this year. Numbers wise, they had a really good group, and put up some awards this year. So he's kind of, I say, fairly new to the job. I think he started about maybe two years ago, but he did really well. John Long: Louisiana came in number one overall in the sweepstakes. Alabama, I think they had the air team and a shotgun team, I think. I think there was just two of them. Alabama, don't get onto me for messing that up if anybody's listening, but I met the guy that was there helping out with their team. I'd made him a few years ago when he first started, but anyway, they brought one. John Long: Tennessee, which is really cool. I actually saw a couple of young people that I worked with on the NWTF Convention that help out at the NWTF Convention that's in Nashville. Youth that are from Tennessee. And they saw me, and they came running up to me. I didn't even know they were going to be there. But anyway, that was really cool to see them, and their parents, and get to fellowship with them some, too. John Long: But weather's fantastic out there right now. Cobie Rutherford: I bet it is. John Long: Oh, it was hard. It was just so hard to ... No humidity. Cobie Rutherford: No humidity. John Long: Oh, no, no, no, no, no. Cobie Rutherford: I went to National Conference a few years ago in Kansas. Well, it was about third week of July, and I remember out there, everybody was sweating because it was about a hundred degrees, and all of us from the Southeast, we thought, "Oh my gosh, this is fantastic," because no humidity. They're like, "How are y'all doing this? How are you all not just dying out here?" Well, we're heat tolerant, I guess. Cobie Rutherford: But I always thought those national contests and things like that were a lot of fun as a 4H-er because it gave me a chance to network and meet people from other states. Most importantly. John Long: Absolutely. Cobie Rutherford: I thought it was cool when you lose contact with folks when I was growing up because there wasn't social media or neat interactive ways to text or communicate. So we'd write letters, and then you'd all of a sudden wind up at college or a conference down the road, and see somebody you met three or four years ago, and you make that reconnection pretty fast. Cobie Rutherford: I remember actually one of my first days here on faculty at Mississippi State, I met a person who I had grown up showing cattle with. Lady came by my office, and she's like, "Whoa, what are you doing here?" It was cool because we'd lost connection for almost 10 years. But it was neat. John Long: Yeah. And that was funny you say that, because at the opening ceremony, there was a a man there, and I think he said this was the third year he's been representing Federal Ammunition, or as it's formerly known, ATK Federal Ammunition, named John Zinnel. And John was actually a 4H shootings sports participant. He was an ambassador, and now he's actually working in the outdoor industry, so to speak. And he was up there speaking to those young people. So to see somebody as successful as him to get up and represent 4H, and to say, "Hey, I was there, and see what I'm doing now," that was really, really cool. John Long: And he's a very good representative, and we really appreciate shameless plug or support for a shooting sports across the country, because they're really awesome. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah, that is pretty cool, to somebody full circle. John Long: Absolutely. Cobie Rutherford: What I think is good about your program, John, is that you just finished Nationals, and now in two weeks you're getting ready for the State Invitational. If I mispronounced this or misunderstand it, correct me, but it's almost like the people that win states shooting sports have a whole year to prepare for the national contest if they're eligible to go. John Long: Right. And I always either laugh out loud or smile inside. I don't know, either one, but ... I don't know. Like you said, once we get back from Nationals, it's a short turnaround to where we're at State, and it just seems so far off to Nationals since. And here we are going to select another national team, so it's just like this never ending cycle. It's great. I'm not knocking that because I really think that a year out is a great idea because it gives them time to fund raise and to practice, because it is a different experience, for sure. John Long: One of the things I tell young people that are on the national team, especially on archery, but all disciplines with the exception of air, because they're inside, is any day that you get to practice when the wind's blowing, you better be practicing, because the wind out there invariably is going to be blowing strong while we're out there. And experiencing shooting archery in that type of environment, I jokingly say that would be a great engineering project for Mississippi State is build this wind tunnel, and then we could do archery shooting, and see how it affects arrow flight at different wind speeds. But I don't know if that'll happen or not, but it would be good for our team. Cobie Rutherford: Just a good physics lesson, right? John Long: Yeah. Really good. STEM. STEM. Cobie Rutherford: That's right. John Long: You know, STEM. Cobie Rutherford: Go ahead and get on that. John Long: Yeah, for sure. Cobie Rutherford: I think that when I went out there to Kansas, I didn't think about the wind, but I thought the first time I got out of my hotel room that it's about storm. Likewise, it hardly ever is windy here unless it is storming. John Long: Consistently windy anyway, right? Cobie Rutherford: I bet that does make a difference with arrows and stuff. John Long: Yeah. And it does, and shotgun, too, is really ... Have you ever shot skeet? Cobie Rutherford: I have not. John Long: Okay. So let me just tell you how it's set up. There's what's called a high house and the low house, which is these towers. So one's obviously high, the other one's low, and I was watching one of our team members shoot skeet, and it was amazing. Of course, it's an equalizer because everybody has shoot in it. But they would throw a target out of one of those houses, and that sucker would be going straight, and then all of a sudden it'd just turn and go straight up. The wind is just crazy. But anyway, that that's neither here nor there. We had a really good time. John Long: And I try to tell young people this when they get ready, and I try to emphasize this, and I can't emphasize it enough. You need to go. There's nothing wrong with being competitive, and I encourage you to be competitive. I encourage you to practice. I encourage you to make every shot count, but don't get so wrapped up in a competition that you miss the experience, because a lot of these young people that go to these events, and I'm not talking about specifically our kids, I'm talking about kids from across the country, is that when they embrace the experience, you can tell who is having the best time. Because they're going to that teen social, they're going to that water park, they're meeting other people. John Long: One of the biggest things that we have out there, and I don't know if they have this in livestock or anything like that, but trading pins. State pins is a big deal, and everybody's out there swapping pins, and you want to get all 36 of them. So it's a competition within itself, but guess what? When you go to doing that, you're interacting with other people, and you're making connections with other young people. Shooting sports is something that's so different. I say "so different," but it can vary on to how they do their programs, and it's really cool that we all come together. 661 kids, and no accidents. That speaks volumes. Cobie Rutherford: Somebody is doing something right. John Long: Something is being done right. Those life skills are being taught. Those young people are being taught respect, and I really wish more people understood that side of it is the fact that ... When can you have that many people together? And you know what I'm saying? It's just an amazing thing. I wish everybody could go to Nationals and just see it. Cobie Rutherford: So do the children take their own guns and their own bows and arrows there? John Long: Yes, they do. Yeah. Cobie Rutherford: I bet that's traveling nightmare. How do you travel with guns? John Long: Not really. The first time I traveled with a firearm, I thought, "Oh, my gosh, this is going to be horrendous." Oh, no. You just walk up there. They open it up, look at it, put it back. And I've had no problems. With myself personally going on hunting trips, I've never had a problem carrying a firearm. It was almost just like checking any other bag, and you would think that, especially with today's security, but apparently they have it down to a science obviously. So it's really not that bad if you're flying. Obviously, traveling in a car ... John Long: The one thing that I will say is the one thing you don't want to do, and if anybody's listening to this getting ready for Nationals, do not take white shoe polish and put 4H Shooting Sports Championship or Bust, or 22 Rifle Team On Board, because what that does is that says "We've got guns in here. Come break out our window." Cobie Rutherford: It makes you a target. John Long: Correct. Hey, that's a good pun there. Pardon the pun. John Long: And I try to emphasize that. Don't do that, but that is the one thing that would be primarily is thefts. You need to make sure if you're stopping overnight that you're taking those firearms out of the vehicle, or any equipment, for that matter. Don't make yourself a target. Cobie Rutherford: That's right. I just can't wrap my head around this. I'm looking forward to the State Invitational, because I've never been to a match such as this, where people are bringing firearms and not lost dogs. John Long: Right, right, right, right. Cobie Rutherford: I imagine it's kind of similar type situations where you have a massive check-in, a lot of different things going on at one time. John Long: Yes, absolutely. Cobie Rutherford: You're probably running around trying to multitask a million things, and there's a million questions at the same time. John Long: I had a guy one time, he would joke with me, and he was just a ... I say "just." He was the guy that actually was over the range at the time where we were shooting, and he would get tickled because everybody would say, "Hey, John. Hey, John." So throughout the day he would say, "Hey, John," just to get me to turn around. Cobie Rutherford: That's funny. John Long: So, yeah, it's like a Pavlov-ic response to that. But, yeah, and usually I talk myself pretty hoarse. But it's a good time. It's a lot of work. I'm not going to lie to you, it is, but it's very rewarding, and it's always been my goal to make sure that we have the best event that we possibly can have because I want those young people to get just a taste of what ... And it is different. State is so much different than what they see on the district level, and I want them to have a a positive experience. I want them to enjoy themselves in preparation for going to that national event because it's really cool when I look out over the crowd, and go by those firing lines at State Invitational. I know that within that group there is going to be the next national team. And hopefully I'm going to get to know them better, and I'm going to get to know their families more, and get to share in that experience. In fact, I sent out a message to everyone when we got back, and I said, "I just want to thank you for allowing me a just for a small moment to be a part of a lifelong memory that you've made with your child." And that's a very important thing is if you don't take advantage of those moments, then they're gone, and you don't get them back. Cobie Rutherford: That's very, very true. So the state contest is mirrored to prepare the kids, the youth, for the national contest. And so it's kind of a continuum. Districts are prepared for state, state prepares for nationals. John Long: All part of that youth development component that we have. And a lot of people get wrapped up in the fact of State, saying, "Oh, well, it's for the national team." No, not. It's not. Primarily, it is an additional advancement competition for seniors. Just so happens that we use that as an instrument for selecting national team. Way more kids will come to State Invitational that will not go to Nationals than those that do, so we've got right now is a 176 that were signed up for shotgun. We've got, I think, 56 for 22 rifle. 56, 57 for 22 rifle. So there's a lot. And you're only picking four. So way more people are coming to compete for that very reason of being able to just experience a different type of environment. And hopefully get to go to Nationals. I encourage everybody, like I said. I think it's a great experience, and I wish everybody could go. Cobie Rutherford: Now, can you go to Nationals more than one year? John Long: Oh, you can, but you can't go in the same discipline twice. Cobie Rutherford: Got you. John Long: You can. In fact, in my tenure, I've had three individuals that have gone five times, four times. Four to five times. Very few that'll go that much, but they were diversified enough in their disciplines that they would go a repeated number of times. In fact, I had a Facebook memory come up of a couple of young men that nine years ago, we were at Nationals in Kerrville, Texas, and now one of them is a game board with the Mississippi Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, and the other one is serving in the Air Force. That was really cool to see that, how much change happens in nine years, and how fast it goes by for sure. Cobie Rutherford: Without a doubt. John Long: Yep. John Long: I got to give a little shout out for my teams, too, if I could. All in all, when we finished up at Nationals, we had the number two 22 pistol team in the nation. Air pistol was number eight. Muzzleloader was number 11. Air rifle was number 14. No, yeah, that's right. And compound archery was number seven. Shotgun was number eight. I wrote air rifle down twice, and then we had recurve. I had one recurve shooter, and he did very well by himself. And he had a blast, too, so I got to be with him and his daddy some. John Long: But what was really cool was air pistol came out number eight, and that was where the three person team. That was without a drop score each day, so they did really good. Oh, and I have to say that 22 pistol, this is the very first time that I can remember, and if anybody can remember any different, shoot me an email, but I do believe this is the first time that 22 pistol has ever being number one when shooting metal silhouettes. So I was really proud of them for that. I'm proud of all of the young people that participated, and they really represented the state of Mississippi well. Very proud of them, each and all, and thanks so much for those that served as coaches, and everybody that helped them get to that point, for sure. Cobie Rutherford: Well, good deal. It sounds like y'all sure had a good time, and a lot of good things going on with safety in the state. John Long: We did. Cobie Rutherford: So, congratulations, John. John Long: Thank you. It's not me, it's them. Yep. John Long: All right. And I guess with that, we're going to wind up this edition of 4H4U2. If you want to have any information or more information on extension in your area and don't know where to go to, Cobie, where can they go? Cobie Rutherford: They can go to the website, extension.msstate.edu, or contact your local county office. John Long: That's right. And if you don't know where your county office is located, or who to talk to, that's a really cool little thing because, aside says by county. If you pull down that little pull down menu, you can see your county, and it'll pull up all of those smiling extension faces that'll be more than happy to help you with any questions you have. John Long: And with that, we're going to end up this edition of 4H4U2. I'm your host John. Cobie Rutherford: And I'm Cobie. John Long: And we'll talk to you next time. Cobie Rutherford: Have a good one. John Long: See you. Announcer: Thanks for joining us for 4H4U2. For more information, please visit extension.msstate.edu, and be sure to subscribe to our podcast. 4H4U2 is produced by the Mississippi State University Extension Service, Office of Agricultural Communications.  

In the first of 2 parts, Cobie and John sit down with Mr. Larry Alexander to reflect on his 38 years of working in 4-H, and what his plans are in retirement. Transcript: Announcer: This is 4-H-4-U-2, a podcast from the Mississippi State University Extension Service promoting 4-H programs and positive youth development. Here now, your host, Dr. John Long and Cobie Rutherford. John Long: And we are back again. Welcome to another edition, podcast if you will, broadcasting from Bost Extension Center. This is 4-H-4-U-2. I'm your host, John Long. Cobie Rutherford: And I'm Cobie Rutherford. John Long: And we are back at it again, Cobie. Cobie Rutherford: Yes we are, John. It's been a crazy week here on campus. John Long: Yeah. It's summertime. Cobie Rutherford: The students are starting to come back for orientation. There's football camps everywhere. It's an exciting time to be on campus. John Long: I'm excited to be here today. Of course, I'm always excited to do these podcasts. I mean, it's kind of like the highlight of my week so far. It's just like I can't wait for them to be here. So I'm pumped up about this. I'm also pumped up about our guest today. We have Mr. Larry Alexander and he's also known as Mr. 4-H. And we are going to talk to him today about his career. And Larry, tell everybody, how long have you been in 4-H? Larry Alexander: So, I've been in 4-H exactly, this past June 1st, 38 years. John Long: 38 years. Almost as old as I am. Larry Alexander: That's right. Cobie Rutherford: Wow. John Long: No, it's not, though. It's not that long. Larry Alexander: You're dating me, John. John Long: No, no, no. I'm a young man. I'm a young man. So Larry, tell us a little bit about yourself, where you were born and raised and just a little bit of background about you. Larry Alexander: Okay. So I'm really old Delta country boy. Grew up in a little small town of Ruleville, Mississippi. And of course, when I'm away from Ruleville, I have to tell everybody I'm from either Greenwood or Cleveland, because they'd never heard of Ruleville before. But got my start in, kind of on a farm. And then we finally moved to the city limits of Ruleville. But came up on the farm and Ruleville has been my stomping ground for a long time. John Long: Yeah. Yeah. And it's, Ruleville's like you can't get to Cleveland if you don't, from the- Larry Alexander: That's correct. John Long: I mean, I guess you could, but you have to go through it to get to Cleveland sometimes. So that's awesome. And I got tickled once I found out where Larry lived. And where his daddy still lives. Larry Alexander: That's correct. John Long: I drove by his house my whole life and never even knew it and I was like, oh really, that's your house? Anyway, that's neither here nor there. So from the Delta, what's your educational background? Larry Alexander: My undergrad degree is agriculture education with an emphasis in biological science. Then of course my master's degree is in AIS, which most of ... Started a few classes toward the PhD but didn't quite get there so. But that is my educational background. John Long: That's awesome. And you went to school? Larry Alexander: Alcorn State University for my undergrad and then my graduate work was here at Mississippi State University. John Long: And that's a pretty good little ways from my home, I would say at that time, right? I mean- Larry Alexander: Roughly about three, three and a half hours and never being away from home before going that far, it seemed like forever to get there. Yeah. John Long: It's a little homesickness at first, probably? Larry Alexander: Yeah, first few weeks. You know, as a matter of fact, a little bit of funny, I had a friend of mine that we majored in the same thing, went to school together and when we went for freshman orientation, we didn't go. I have a sister that lives in Vidalia, Louisiana, which is just across the bridge or Natchez. So on about, we went down on Monday and freshman orientation was Monday through Wednesday. And so by Wednesday my sister finally asked me, she said, have y'all got your classes and all of that? And we looked at each other and we didn't have a clue. So we had to beat it back to Alcorn to get registered because we didn't know any difference. John Long: Otherwise you'd just been walking around campus having a good time. Larry Alexander: That's right, just having a good time. John Long: That's right, that's right. Living that college life. Cobie Rutherford: So what are some of the things at Alcorn Mr. Larry, Or experiences you had growing up that kind of led you to a career in agriculture and in service, really? Larry Alexander: Well, Cobie, it's funny you ask that question because when I first went to Alcorn, I did have an idea that I wanted to do something in agriculture, I just didn't know what that was at the time. So it took me a semester, or a year, to kind of decide that I wanted to do something in the Ag Education arena. But my first thought was possibly being a Vocational Agriculture teacher. Cobie Rutherford: Oh, yeah. Larry Alexander: Because actually the gentleman that directed me to Alcorn was Bobby Boone, was our Vocational Ag educator, and he kind of talked us into going to Alcorn sort of. But I had a sister and a brother that both went there, but then he helped me kind of decide which direction I wanted to go. But I had not heard of the Extension program within the first year being there. So that came a little later, yeah. Cobie Rutherford: Right, right, right. John Long: So you mentioned him or some other people that kind of influenced your educational direction, didn't it? Larry Alexander: Well, my oldest sister, been in education forever, seems like, but over 40 years. She coached me a lot along the way. But my old dad had always thought that I would be doing something in the Ag field, just didn't know what it was. And with him not having a college degree, he didn't know all the ins and outs and details of what you could major in and all. But he kind of kept me focused on Ag because he said it seemed like I got a joy out of doing something in the Ag field, so. John Long: Right. Larry Alexander: But Mr. Bobby Boone really enlightened us on the ins and outs of Ag, so. John Long: That's cool. And then actually working on the farm- Larry Alexander: That's correct. John Long: I mean, you had that background, so. Larry Alexander: That's really all we knew at the time, yeah. John Long: Right, right. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah, it's kind of cool looking back and thinking about the experiences that you provide to so many 4-H'ers about teaching them about careers and different STEM and agricultural areas in the career field. And you know, there's a lot of things that kids don't know about till they actually come to the university. John Long: That's right. I didn't know what I wanted to do either. Larry Alexander: Well, I think a lot of people are like that. And I think I took that with me as I started my career, especially in 4-H because I got to work with a lot of children in Marshall County, which is where I got my start in Extension. They would go to school every day, but they really never thought about what it was they wanted to do. And when we started talking about all of the opportunities that agriculture had to offer and the Extension Service had to offer, you kind of channel young people in at an early stage in their education to figure it out early so you don't wait till you're a sophomore in college to decide what you want to do. John Long: That's right. And it kind of forces you to make it a lifetime career decision that's in a rush. Larry Alexander: That's correct. John Long: But yeah, that's great. I was always envious of people that knew what they wanted to do right off the bat. You know, but sometimes that's really, I guess, not the best. But I would have liked to have known maybe a little bit sooner. So you mentioned that, I guess your first introduction to 4-H was in Marshall County. Larry Alexander: That is correct. John Long: When was that? Larry Alexander: Actually, in 1981. John Long: Okay. Larry Alexander: It was when I went to my first job there in Marshall County. And another little story about that, I went on June 1st, which was a Monday. And that was the start, so Ronnie Jones was the County Ag Agent there. He was supposed to take me over to meet the board and the board would approve the position and we would go forward. Well, the board didn't approve that position. So Ronnie didn't know what to do and he said, well Lar, I'll tell you what, you just go on back home and I'll get this all straightened out and we'll call you back. Well, I went home, but I was trying to get, I'm into cars a little bit and so my daddy worked with a big dealership in Illinois, so I called him and said, hey, I'm on my way. And he said, no, you just go back home. They got something mixed up. But I almost missed my calling- John Long: Wow. Larry Alexander: ... in the extension arena because if he had said, come on, I probably wouldn't have got a second chance- John Long: Really? Larry Alexander: ... to go for that job. But the job had already been approved, the board just, they paid me $25 a month. John Long: Wow. Oh my gosh. Larry Alexander: That was the percentage that they paid of my salary a month. John Long: Oh, wow. Larry Alexander: But they couldn't come to an agreement on whether they needed the position because they had not had a 4-H Youth Agent for about seven or eight years before. John Long: Wow, that big of a gap. Larry Alexander: It was. John Long: Man. Cobie Rutherford: Wow. John Long: That is insane. So how long was it before he called you back? Larry Alexander: Well, Mr. Leonard Turner, I'll never forget him, he was a District Agent for that region and he called me, actually Tuesday morning, and he asked me where was I at? And he said, you supposed to be in Holly Springs. He said, I don't care what the board said, you go to work. John Long: Right. Larry Alexander: But he then realized, I had kind of went on a wild goose chase. He said, I tell you what, you just go back Monday. And he said, you start the work then and if the board says they're not going to pay, I'll pay you the $25 a month. So he kind of made a- John Long: It was going to come from somewhere. Larry Alexander: Yeah, it was going to come from somewhere. That's what he was saying, yeah. Cobie Rutherford: Wow. That's pretty cool. So from the office in Marshall County, then kind of what path did you take to get here to the state 4-H office? Larry Alexander: Well, it's kind of funny how my career track's landed. When I went to Marshall County, really didn't know anybody in that area. But then after I started doing some 4-H programming, the trend back then was you get into the Extension program at an entry level through 4-H. Then everybody would say, oh, you want to become a Home Economist or become an Ag Agent. Well, I had an opportunity probably five years into my 4-H Youth Agent position to take on a County Ag position in Benton County, which was the next county over. But something about the 4-H youth development work just gave me a lot of joy in helping young people. And I decided back then, that's where I wanted to make my career was in youth development. John Long: Wow. Larry Alexander: And so I turned that position down and stayed in Marshall County for another, for about 11 years. And a gentleman here at the state 4-H office by the name of Mr. Holly Ford was retiring and they were going to fill the position and he called me and just said, hey, would you be interested in applying for a position at the state office? And I instantly told him, no, because my wife was from Holly Springs, big family, and I knew it was going to be real hard to move her from Holly Springs to Starkville, Mississippi. But after the interview, seminar and all of that, I really just blew it off because I figured I wouldn't have a chance. Then I got that phone call. John Long: Wow. So did you have children at that time, when y'all made that move? Larry Alexander: We did. John Long: Okay. Larry Alexander: Actually, I had two children. My son was, right then, he was in the third grade and Leanne was like two or three years old. John Long: So she really didn't have a- Larry Alexander: No, not much in Holly Springs. John Long: How do Trey take it when you said, we're going to Starkville. Larry Alexander: Trey had some friends that lived right there in our little community. It was kind of, he was okay with it, but he realized he wouldn't be seeing his closest friends every day. But my biggest chore was getting my wife to say, yes. John Long: I bet. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah. Larry Alexander: It put a little strain on the marriage there. But you know, her mother really talked to her and told her that, you know, being the baby girl of that family, of nine, the only way for her to really grow was to get away from her brothers and sisters for a little while. John Long: Right. Larry Alexander: And that kind of resonated with her, but it took about two years or so to really make her realize that it was a good move for her, personally. John Long: Right, right, right, right. That's always tough leaving family. Larry Alexander: It is, it is. John Long: For sure. Especially one that's a large one. Cobie Rutherford: That's for sure. Larry Alexander: Kind of uprooting and going to somewhere new. That's always tough. Cobie Rutherford: That is so true. Larry Alexander: For sure. John Long: Would you, I had to ask this because I forgot to earlier, but do you remember your very first day at Marshall County? Like official, like I went to the office and actually made some phone calls? Larry Alexander: John, I really can say that I do because the secretary that was there, Ms. Nilah Moore, I won't ever forget her. When I came in that that day, actually to work, not the first day I went and had to come back. John Long: Right. Larry Alexander: But the first day I went into work, she brought two messages to me and said here, this is for you, deal with it. And it was just- John Long: It was a disgruntled parent. Larry Alexander: That's right. But no, it was a teacher who had called, somehow they got the word or it was put in newspaper that a person was starting in the 4-H position in the county. John Long: Oh. Larry Alexander: And it was actually a lady who had been a volunteer in Marshall County and she wanted to start a club in the school there. John Long: Wow. Larry Alexander: So it was a good experience then, for that first call and to actually talk to somebody and then how to advise them because I didn't know much. John Long: Right. Larry Alexander: We hadn't even had orientation. But after about, I guess it was about four to six months on the job, we had orientation one. John Long: Which was here? Larry Alexander: Which was here on campus. Came back for a week, week long. John Long: Wow. Larry Alexander: And they gave you a lot of the, one-two-three's and A-B-C's of 4-H, which was really, really good training. And then you went back to your county and worked a few months and they brought you back for an orientation two. John Long: Oh. Larry Alexander: And it was about three and a half days. John Long: So what was the part two? I can imagine part one was really ground level 4-H. Larry Alexander: So the first part was really dealing with the paperwork that you had to do with the Extension Service. John Long: Okay. Larry Alexander: Like our monthly report. John Long: Right. Larry Alexander: So when they're due. What the pecking order was as far as a protocol. But then the orientation two really got more into the subject matter of youth development in 4-H. John Long: Oh, okay. Larry Alexander: So about the clubs and different types of delivery modes and all of that. But they really had a great way of introducing new people to Extension positions back then. I think that's, as an old head now, I think that's one of the things that we could learn something from, because right now we're hiring people and we're just putting them in there to do a job and we really haven't given them all the tools that they really need. John Long: Right. Larry Alexander: So if I could encourage our administration now to to look at that, that would be one thing I would encourage that would be beneficial to a lot of people. John Long: Right. Larry Alexander: Especially in 4-H. John Long: Do you remember how big your class was? Larry Alexander: Yeah, as a matter of fact, I can just about mention the ones that were in there, but we had about 10 to 11 people. John Long: Okay, okay. Larry Alexander: It was not huge and they gave us a lot of personal instructions because we were not that large. But out of the group that started with me, probably three or four did not stay in Extension. John Long: Oh really? Larry Alexander: Yeah. They left to go do something else. John Long: They didn't say long at all? Or they just didn't- Larry Alexander: No, they didn't make it to orientation two. John Long: Really, wow. Larry Alexander: Some of it, as a matter of fact, [Sierra Brantley 00:16:27] is one young lady that I remember, she went into education, to start teaching school. So some people discovered early on that 4-H wasn't really for them. John Long: For them. Yeah. Larry Alexander: It required a lot of time and effort. Cobie Rutherford: Well, I think today, looking at how busy our agents are and looking at how many different clubs and stuff to balance, it would be pretty daunting for a young person to take on that responsibility. John Long: Right. Cobie Rutherford: You'd have to almost share that passion for youth development that Mr. Larry mentioned earlier- John Long: Right, absolutely. Cobie Rutherford: ... to do a good job at it. John Long: Of course it's easier now, you mentioned getting your master's degree. You actually had to travel to Starkville, didn't you? For- Larry Alexander: That is exactly right. John Long: Or Mississippi State, I'm sorry. Larry Alexander: That's right. You could take, I think they allowed professional staff then, six hours. Three could be during the day, three hour class. And then three after five. And so they had the Ag Information Science Department kind of set up where they made it really easy, but we were two and a half hours that we had to drive, mostly on Monday nights. John Long: Wow. Larry Alexander: From six to nine. John Long: Then turn around and go back. Larry Alexander: That's right. That's exactly right. John Long: Then get up and go to work. Larry Alexander: That's exactly right. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah. Larry Alexander: And back in those days, a lot of the people that were managing the offices, they expected, they didn't care whether you worked on the weekend or you had something else, they wanted you to be there that morning. John Long: Right. Larry Alexander: If you left later, they understood that. John Long: Right, right. Larry Alexander: But a little different values and all back then. John Long: Boy, that makes you appreciate technology a little bit more. Larry Alexander: It does. It really does. John Long: For sure. That's right. Yep. Cobie Rutherford: It would've probably been nice though, to not have been constantly dialed into your email and constantly checking email emails and texts and all that stuff. John Long: I don't know what we would do if we didn't have email. Just think, I guess you sit there and open mail or twiddle your thumbs until something, till the phone rang, I guess. I don't know. Larry Alexander: You know John, it's funny you mention opening mail because everything we got, back to my county days, it came in hard copy stuff. John Long: Right. Larry Alexander: And you would spend, literally, when you had something going on like you had county contests or whatever, you'd have tons of mail coming in that you had to take time to just open and look at every piece. John Long: Make sure it was all there. Larry Alexander: That's correct. John Long: Wow. Cobie Rutherford: Read it from top to bottom and- John Long: My how times have changed. Cobie Rutherford: Probably less things were missed back then. John Long: That's true. Cobie Rutherford: Because there was probably a system that you had to sign off on to open the letters and who opened them and all that stuff. Larry Alexander: You're right on target. Cobie Rutherford: Wow, goodness. Larry Alexander: Technology has, as you all know, it has its ups and downs. It's very easy for someone to say, well I didn't get that email or I missed it. But usually when that hard copy comes in, either a secretary or somebody was going to open that piece of mail and let you know what was going on. John Long: Make you a little more conscientious of- Larry Alexander: It does. John Long: ... what you're sending out, I guess. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah, that's true. John Long: That's awesome. Well, go ahead, Cobie, I'm sorry. Cobie Rutherford: Oh, I was just thinking about, somebody told me one time about writing a letter that it was always a good practice to write the letter before you go to bed and leave it on your counter to decide whether or not you wanted to mail it out the next morning. A lot of times I think people are fast behind their emails and just type something hastily and click send. I shouldn't have said that. Larry Alexander: I've had a few instances like that. John Long: Texts too. You better watch your texts. And predictive text is even worse. Cobie Rutherford: Oh, I know. John Long: You better make sure you're checking that. Larry Alexander: That's right. John Long: So I think that right now we're just going to stop right here and we're going to make this a two part series, I think. We've spent basically this first half talking about Mr. Larry's first part of his career. We're going to talk about the second stage of his career in part two. So y'all join us on 4-H-4-U-2. And if you want more information on the 4-H in your area, go to extension.msstate.edu and click on the 4-H tab at the top of the page. And with that, I'm John Long. Cobie Rutherford: And I'm Cobie Rutherford. John Long: And we'll see you next time. Announcer: Thanks for joining us for 4-H-4-U-2. For more information, please visit extension.msstate.edu and be sure to subscribe to our podcast. 4-H-4-U-2 is produced by the Mississippi State University Extension Service, Office of Agricultural Communications.  

Special guest, State 4-H staff member Ms. Debra Lloyd sits down with Cobie and John to talk about the 4-H State Ambassador Program. Transcript: Announcer: This is 4-H-4-U-2, a podcast from the Mississippi State University Extension Service promoting 4-H programs and positive youth development. Here now your host, Dr. John Long and Cobie Rutherford. John Long: All right. This is 4-H-4-U-2, and I'm your host, John Long, and who is that sitting over there? Cobie Rutherford: This is Cobie Rutherford. John Long: Yeah, always. Cobie Rutherford: I'm in a different seat today. John Long: Yes, you are. Cobie Rutherford: We've got a special guest. John Long: Like you're way over there. Cobie Rutherford: I know. Hey, John. John Long: Hey, Cobie. Yeah, we do have a special guest today and it is Ms. Debra Lloyd, and she is in the State 4-H office. And Debra, how are you doing today? Debra Lloyd: I'm doing great. John Long: Good. Debra Lloyd: Thank y'all for having me. John Long: Oh, we are so excited. It's like I'm kind of sandwiched between Debra and Cobie office-wise. We talked about office space. Well, I'm right in the middle of them so I can holler for one and then holler for the other one, so I feel very privileged to do so. And Debra, to me is... Debra, you started, you and Cobie started in the state office the same time, right? It was in the same- Debra Lloyd: Yeah, we started September of last year, September 5th as a matter of fact. John Long: Wow, almost a year. Debra Lloyd: Right. Cobie Rutherford: And I feel like we've worked together forever, Debra. I don't know about you but- Debra Lloyd: Right. So sitting here with this sandwiched in, it's just more like family just getting us all together. John Long: There you go. Debra Lloyd: Yeah. Cobie Rutherford: It's been fun. John Long: And, and Debra and I actually worked together, Debra when was it? We were talking about this the other day. When was it that you worked in the 4-H department before? Debra Lloyd: I came toward the end of 2006 through 2009. John Long: Okay. Okay. Debra Lloyd: And I left there, I left here, then and went to center for Continuing Ed. John Long: Okay. Debra Lloyd: And just feel good to be back here with 4-H, just great to get home. John Long: Yeah. So you and I worked together about two years and before you went to Continuing Ed, you said? Debra Lloyd: Right. Right. John Long: Yeah. And so I've got some, I don't know if they going to be funny, maybe funny to me, I guess. But Debra Lloyd stories, you want to hear them? Debra Lloyd: Yes. Please. John Long: Okay. Debra Lloyd: Let's hear them. John Long: So, now it's not funny. It's more of a Debra Lloyd memory. I'll say it that way. But anyway, it's probably, it isn't probably my first, I think it was my first state invitational that we had with 4-H safety. And she's laughing because she knows, I think she knows what she's doing. So she's coming down to the event. She had asked me, she said, is anything I can do? I said, sure. Yeah, we'll go on the archery range. So anyway, I realize once we get started that I don't have enough pencils, or wait a minute. No, I had plenty of pencils. I just had nothing to sharpen them with. And so Debra is on her way down and I just panicked and said, Debra, can you please stop and get some pencils? Sharpeners. John Long: But Debra did not spare any expense. She bought, she didn't buy it just those little screw types. She brought electric pencil sharpeners to the van. So we were sitting there and just, yeah, so and battery, she even bought extra batteries. Cobie Rutherford: That's awesome. John Long: Always prepared, always prepared. Debra Lloyd: That was that 4-H instinct. Always be prepared. John Long: Always be- Debra Lloyd: Have enough. John Long: Right. Even though I wasn't, yeah, I've found myself lacking on that. But, but yeah, I do remember that. And there was another time, it was right after, I guess in right after you had left 4-H the first time. Cobie, I went to the doctor's office and I was sitting there and I was sitting in the room, and all of a sudden Debra Lloyd walks and she's going to take my blood pressure. I was like, well, this is kind of a shock. I said well hey Debra. So, so yeah, you've had a quite extensive career in a lot of things, haven't you? Debra Lloyd: Oh, absolutely. Variety for me is just key. John Long: There you go. There you go. Well- Cobie Rutherford: Lot of skill sets. John Long: Yeah, absolutely. Well, tell us a little bit about yourself Debra. Where are you from and how did you come to be where you are now? Debra Lloyd: Okay, I'm Debra Lloyd, I'm from Indianola, Mississippi. Born and bred. I lived in Greenville for a number of years and then moved to Starkville. I have an undergrad in medical technology to talk about some of the skill sets. And I worked as a medical technologist for about nine years in the Mississippi Delta, starting at Delta Regional and King Daughters hospital. I left there, I travel some to Mount Bayou and worked there, got some training and took those skills back to Greenville. We opened up a satellite clinic. And so I kind of spearheaded that clinic in the layup. For me, when I just said variety is so key, after doing that for a number of years, I just kind of wanted to do something different. So one day I walked over to the courthouse and I saw all these cars out there and I was looking for a different role. And so the young lady told me I heard of extension service, but I didn't know exactly what all they did. Debra Lloyd: So the young lady at the courthouse, she said, I think they're hiring over at the extension center. So I went over and at that time they had a lady named Debbie Graham. She was working with a program called Bright Futures. So with Bright Futures program, they gave me an application. They had two positions, one as an educator and the other one was called early identification worker. So guess what I asked? John Long: What? Debra Lloyd: I said, "I would like to apply for the one with least paperwork." So she said, "That's the early identification work." So I applied for that job. John Long: Smart. That was very smart. Debra Lloyd: Right. John Long: Very smart. Debra Lloyd: So needless to say, I got the job, it was a grant funded position. It lasted for five years. John Long: Wow. Debra Lloyd: However, I went home and I told everybody, I said, "Oh y'all, I'm going to be working at the sheriff department." And for those of you who've gone over and nowhere, Washington County extension office is, is right next door to the sheriff department. John Long: Yes it is. Debra Lloyd: All the sheriff cars were there. So I thought I was working at sheriff department. Okay. So they'll- John Long: Well, close enough to it. Debra Lloyd: Right. So that was a great entry into learning what extension is and all about community around there. John Long: Do you know, that's one of my favorite extension offices in the state? Debra Lloyd: Oh really? John Long: I've been to a lot of them and I cannot, I don't know why, but I always loved going to that extension office. Debra Lloyd: Yeah. John Long: I've been there several times. Debra Lloyd: Great people there. John Long: It is. Debra Lloyd: Great work experience. John Long: Very good. Very good. Debra Lloyd: So well- John Long: Not that all of them aren't special. I'm just saying, I'm just throw that in there. Go ahead. I'm sorry. Debra Lloyd: So how did I get here with you guys? Okay. John Long: Yeah, that's a story. Debra Lloyd: That's another story, I was working with a program, a lot of grant funded program. So this one was Operation Military Keys. John Long: Oh I love this one. Debra Lloyd: Oh I love that program. John Long: I remember. Debra Lloyd: Because it was a giving opportunity, John Long: Very much so. Debra Lloyd: Give back and working with military youth. So because I was volunteering for that program, the director at that time said they needed a coordinator for the position. And with my kids being grown or nearly grown, my daughter, I said, "Okay, I'll take it." So I moved here. John Long: Right. Debra Lloyd: And coming here with the understanding that it was a grant program again and it was for three years, and they said contingent on the availability of funds. So when the funds run out, then the job would end. John Long: Right. Debra Lloyd: And so, but I'm so adventurous. I was just going to try it, and I did. And I moved to Starkville. So wow. Here I am. John Long: I love military kids because they make backpacks and stuff like that. I love that. Debra Lloyd: We did that. John Long: I love that. Debra Lloyd: I got to travel all over the state of Mississippi at each deployment, and so that was great. John Long: That's awesome. That's awesome. Cobie Rutherford: That is pretty cool. I hate that we don't have that program now. John Long: Is it still going anywhere? Debra Lloyd: It is. John Long: Okay. Debra Lloyd: Some States still have it. It's so needed. I wish we did have it here in Mississippi because just coming up from today, from a program where there were over 67 kids and to just see these young people, how they get excited about the little things that we do. John Long: Right. Debra Lloyd: And when you talk about Mississippi State, I did some encouraging words as well as passed out the certificates that had Mississippi State University. And so they are so proud to get that. So anything coming from Mississippi State University to young people into the community as a whole, it just set the stage. John Long: Right. Debra Lloyd: It does wonders. John Long: Yeah, that's awesome. Cobie Rutherford: That is awesome. John Long: So going from military kids, and then after that left and you went elsewhere and then coming back, what now is your, what capacity are you working as far as in the 4-H department now? Debra Lloyd: Okay. I just like to start by saying I'm excited that Mississippi State University 4-H youth development has a leadership program. John Long: Right. Debra Lloyd: And so I am working with the leadership team. The youth leaders are so vital and that they become adult leaders. John Long: Right. And if they don't know who the ambassadors are in these leadership positions in the specific areas, they use, those that are listening that are familiar with 4-H, those are the green jackets that you say. Debra Lloyd: Those are the green jackets, yeah. John Long: Yeah, they stick out. They stick out. But anyway, I'm sorry I interrupted you, but I wanted to throw that in there. Debra Lloyd: Yeah. So just talking about leadership as a whole, I'd say what better way to be influenced and develop these young people's skills and their styles and their practices is through 4-H. John Long: That's right. Debra Lloyd: And through the leadership team. John Long: Right. Debra Lloyd: Now you asked me about the ambassadors. Ambassadors fall under the leadership citizenship umbrella. John Long: Right. I guess I was getting ahead of myself a little bit, but go ahead. Yes. Debra Lloyd: Okay. So ambassadors, they are self motivated young people between the ages of 15 and 19. John Long: Senior quote unquote senior. Debra Lloyd: Right. John Long: Checking. Debra Lloyd: Absolutely. They're enthusiastic leaders who promote 4-H using the skills, using the knowledge, using the leadership abilities that they acquire through 4-H, and so being a 4-H, sure. I didn't grow up as a 4-H but these 4-H members, they have lots and lots of opportunities. John Long: Right. Debra Lloyd: Through the residents, through the community leaders, through elected officials and through non 4-H members. Another thing I say, 4-H ambassadors, they serve to strengthen, they serve to strengthen other youth. John Long: Right. Debra Lloyd: And they're mentors of other youth, they're the voice of 4-H members of Mississippi. Yeah. Cobie Rutherford: So I think that that's just a great program. And for me, looking from the outside in at the ambassadors and what all they bring to the table, they're all always just so willing to jump in and help out with things. It seems like Debra, when you ask them to, who would be willing to come and do this or that, it seems like that you always have a good positive response, and it just they're eager to help out. Debra Lloyd: Right. You're so correct in that Cobie, they are eager. Again, they're enthusiastic and I think that's one of the reasons I like working with these youth because they bring a certain amount of energy- John Long: They do. Debra Lloyd: To the table. John Long: Yeah. Cobie Rutherford: For sure. Debra Lloyd: And I definitely won't say my age here, sitting among all of you and because- John Long: You're so much younger than us, that's why. Debra Lloyd: Oh, thank you. I like that. But yeah, they bring that extra energy and help to make us feel vibrant and useful. And so that's so needed, too. John Long: I agree with you. Anytime I get to work with any of the leadership or say ambassadors, I still get that leadership team stuck in my brain. Debra Lloyd: Me too. John Long: But it's ambassadors, anytime I get to work with them, I just feel kind of energized around them because I don't know, it just, I love working with them. There's so much fun because of what Cobie said. They're very passionate about what they do and they give it their all. Debra Lloyd: And you know what else I think is cool is how they're peer role models for the younger children. Younger kids come to 4-H Congress, they see those green jackets, and they see the youth who are helping out with workshops and contest and yeah, I think they set a really good example for them younger ones. John Long: They sure do, that's for sure. And to see them judge the exhibits at project achievement day. I know they do a lot of that. Debra Lloyd: Yeah, this is going to be a new experience for me. Speaking of that tomorrow working with the project achievement day. John Long: Yes. Debra Lloyd: Yeah. John Long: Northeast project achievement day is going to be tomorrow. Turn in. Debra Lloyd: Well, another thing about the ambassadors and the green jackets that you mentioned, it's not just something they just hand you. They are requirements to become an ambassador. John Long: Why don't you tell us what those requirements are. Debra Lloyd: Okay. Some of the qualifications are you must be enrolled as a 4-H member. Okay. You must be at least 15 years of age and they say by January 1 of that current starting member year, they should be high school in that range that you mentioned earlier, John, sophomore, junior, or senior year. They must have completed at least a full year as an active 4-H member. And some other qualifications, they must have participated or demonstrated some leadership abilities through developmental activities. Then two, they should have a diverse knowledge of total what 4-H is all about and in that you have an application process. They fill out like a five or six page application talking about these experiences and they go through an interview process, and that's held during Club Congress. So some benefits, they get the opportunity to develop their leadership and communication skills. They get to travel, they get to interact with other 4-H'ers from all over the state Mississippi. John Long: They just do a lot of stuff. Debra Lloyd: They really do. Cobie Rutherford: They do a lot of stuff. John Long: I got to be, excuse me, I got to be a part of the helping you with the interviews, which was kind of year or two for me doing that and I just love it. I love to see them come in with their enthusiasm and even maybe sometimes a little nerves, but they go into that and you know that that's teaching them a very valuable experience about being in front of people like we'd spoken about earlier in another podcast. The fact of the matter is that that's life and that's what they're going to be faced with is for job interviews and from here on out, this is going to be some very good life skills that they're learning as an ambassador that they're going to take with them for the rest of their life for sure. Debra Lloyd: Oh absolutely. I agree with you. One other thing with the, you have officers too under the leadership, president, vice president, secretary and different roles and they are elected just like other elected officials. John Long: Right. Debra Lloyd: So they don't go through the interview process. They are elected among their peers. John Long: And right. And that's a very neat process to even see it during Congress too, we were talking about it in our State Congress. Well Debra, tell us now, if a young person is interested in becoming an ambassador team member, how exact, where do they need to go to find information on that? Debra Lloyd: Yeah, they should go to their local extension office. They are 82 counties and all counties have a office and the agent, be it a 4-H agent, ag agent, counter director. They could help those young people because the information we have here, it's sent to the county offices. John Long: Right. Debra Lloyd: And so they have direct contact with us. They can either call here or mainly go through their agent and volunteers in their perspective county. John Long: And we also have something on our website too, don't we? Debra Lloyd: Of course we do. John Long: Yeah, and that's extension.msstate.edu. Debra Lloyd: Correct. John Long: And you can go and we actually have a leadership tab. If you go into 4-H, don't we? Debra Lloyd: Oh yes, please go to 4-H, scroll down, go to leadership citizenship, click on that. Then it will show you 4-H ambassadors. John Long: That's one of them. Debra Lloyd: And once they do that, you have the application process. We have a manual. So the information is out there. If not, give us a call at the extension State's office or go to Debralloyddpl4@msstate.edu. John Long: Well I can guarantee you one thing, and I say this, and I feel so fortunate to be able to work with Debra because Debra, if you can't tell it, she is always smiling and I never see her down. So it's always good to come into an office where I can get a smile every day. Debra Lloyd: I don't know if you can- John Long: Thank you. Debra Lloyd: I don't know if you can detect that in my voice today because I have some nerves all down my spine. John Long: No, you've done fine. You've done fine. Cobie Rutherford: This was fun. John Long: But yeah, we appreciate you coming in so much, Debra and taking the time to talk to us about ambassadors. Young people are our future and they're our investment. And I think the ambassador program is just one of those examples of how 4-H can take a young person and transform them into a confident, caring adult for our future and we're giving the future to them. So I think you're doing a great job and keep up the good work. Debra Lloyd: Well, I appreciate you so much. Thank you for having me. And I just hope the word get out there to all these young people. John Long: Absolutely. Debra Lloyd: Keep up the good work. John Long: abs . Cobie Rutherford: Thanks a lot, Debra. John Long: Yeah. Debra Lloyd: You're welcome. John Long: Thank you so much. Debra Lloyd: Thank you. John Long: Well, thank you all for tuning in to 4-H4U2 this week. We hope you'll come back next episode and visit with us. And until then, I'm John Long. Debra Lloyd: And I'm Cobie. John Long: And we'll talk to you later. Announcer: This is 4-H4U2, a podcast from the Mississippi State University extension service promoting 4-H programs and positive youth development. Here now, your host, Dr. John Long and Cobie Rutherford.

Cobie and John take a deep breath and talk about the 2019 State Congress Highlights, and favorite moments. Transcript: Announcer: This is 4-H-4-U-2, a podcast from the Mississippi State University Extension Service promoting 4-H programs and positive youth development. Here now your host, Dr. John Long and Coby Rutherford. John Long: And welcome back to another podcast of 4-H-4-U-2. I am John Long. Coby Rutherford: And I am Cobie Rutherford. John Long: Cobie, let's just take a, inhale deeply, and exhale. Cobie Rutherford: It has been a week. John Long: It has been a week, and we're here to talk about that- Cobie Rutherford: What a fun week. John Long: What did you ... Well, we'll talk about that later. Tell us what's been going on in the world of 4-H. Cobie Rutherford: So this past week we had our state 4-H Congress, where we brought over 600 youth from around the state in to compete in about 80 different contests. They went to workshops where they increased their leadership ability. They learned new life skills, and I think just overall had an outstanding time. John Long: Yeah, I know that for us on Tuesday we had some ambassadors kind of trickle in and they were going to go over some scripts and we ate some pizza. So that was kind of a good way to ease into to the week. And then of course Wednesday morning when registration opened up, it was awesome just to see everybody excited about moving into the dorms. It was just... It's the frenzy of activity. I guess I love that the most. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah, as those youth were unpacking their cars and coming into the dorm for the first time I thought, "Oh gosh, are some of these kids going to stay forever." John Long: Some of them probably wanted to. Cobie Rutherford: They brought so many clothes. And I guess they had to bring a lot, because they had to bring their bedding- John Long: Yeah that's true. Cobie Rutherford: ... and their pillows and stuff. But- John Long: Yeah, that's true. Cobie Rutherford: Gosh, I think that just the excitement that day kind of set the stage for the rest of the week. John Long: Absolutely. Cobie Rutherford: It was a lot of energy, a lot of enthusiasm. I remember thinking that day, I thought, well as we were checking folks in, I had the opportunity to check in the pictures and the help with the posters and that kind of stuff. John Long: Yeah. Cobie Rutherford: Well this is going really, really good. It seemed to fly. John Long: Yeah. Cobie Rutherford: Is this going to set the stage for a hit? And it did- John Long: It really did. Cobie Rutherford: Everything went by so fast last week. John Long: Yup. Cobie Rutherford: Then the time just got away from it. John Long: I don't know why, but it seemed like for this Congress it just seemed to fly by faster than others for sure. But I guess it's what happens when you're just constantly moving and constantly... We were in state of motion for pretty much the whole time I guess. Cobie Rutherford: It's almost the whole campus were- John Long: Yeah. Cobie Rutherford: Everybody here that was with 4-H Congress was in a state of motion. John Long: Yes. Cobie Rutherford: The agents trying to get the kids from contest to contest. Youths trying to get from their dorms to the contest locations, to workshops. It was just a lot of movement, a lot of activity. John Long: Cobie, give us a little overview of what exactly Wednesday consisted of. What did we do on Wednesday? I know what we did, but you tell everybody else what we did. Cobie Rutherford: So Wednesday we started with check-in, most of the kids and their agents and volunteers who came in on Wednesday morning. So we had all the check-ins, they got their t-shirts, they entered in their different inset collections, their posters, their photos, photography exhibits. I guess what I was trying to say. Cobie Rutherford: And then they went into their visual presentations on Wednesday afternoon and John I think they had 15 or so different options to enter in the visuals. Anything from Veterinary, Science, Pet Care, Visual Presentation, all the way to the Plant Soil Science and even Clothing Selection Visuals. John Long: Yeah. Yeah. Cobie Rutherford: It was pretty neat to see the whole range of activities that they could participate in, in those Visual Presentations John Long: Yeah, it is amazing the topics that they do come up with and how well they do those. So one of my favorite parts of Congress always has been the campaigning. I love to see the different approaches that the candidates have, that are running for office. And that normally occurs around, I think it was about twelve to one, I think on Wednesday. Cobie Rutherford: Mm-hmm (affirmative). John Long: And they set up out here embossed outside building B. And I saw some really good creative candidates out there. One was the Yellow Brick Road. Did you see the Yellow Brick Road? Cobie Rutherford: I did. John Long: I loved that one. Cobie Rutherford: I saw that, that was pretty good. John Long: Yeah. Cobie Rutherford: And then Go bananas for Savannah. John Long: Go bananas for Savannah was a good one. Cobie Rutherford: Shout out to Savannah, our new Vice President. John Long: Yeah, there you go. Cobie Rutherford: That was cool. When- John Long: We're proud of all of you by the way. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah. John Long: We can't single anybody. Cobie Rutherford: That's true. John Long: We all are good. Cobie Rutherford: We are proud. John Long: Yes. Cobie Rutherford: When I was in 4-H that was a big part of it too. And I never did run for state 4-H officer, but I'd campaign for several things at school. And I thought when we had our first child that we should name him something that have a funny campaign slogan. So we named our little boy Reason, which is a family name. But I also thought that when he runs for office one day, if he chooses, like the season for reason. John Long: Season and for reason- Cobie Rutherford: So- John Long: ... the reason to vote for me. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah, so I think that's pretty cool. John Long: Yeah. Cobie Rutherford: But that was a fun experience. The kids were handing out candy and doing everything they could to sway the votes, so that was cool. John Long: Yeah, it was cool. Then we had a lot of... We had some, like I said, I guess not out of the box, but we had some new things that the kids were exposed to this year. One of them being the... Oh gosh, and what was damn session. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah, that was really neat. John Long: Yeah, Tell us about that. Cobie Rutherford: So I really didn't know a whole lot about it going in, but that was led by Dr. Lacey, who is the extension coordinator for the Delta region. And he had basically gotten up this group of youth. They had brought their instruments and basically they just got in the Boston auditorium and saying and learn different instruments and just learn from one another. It was fantastic. I walked in and they were singing, "We Will Rock You" and I love that. John Long: Oh, wow. Cobie Rutherford: I Mean just rocking the whole place. John Long: With music? Cobie Rutherford: With music. And they had their electric guitars or drums. It was really, really good. John Long: Well, and by the way, if somebody is missing a drum stick, we have it here in the state office. Cobie Rutherford: Oh, wow. John Long: Yeah, whoever lost it, I may keep it and put it in a shadow box. It might be famous one day I guess. Cobie Rutherford: I wouldn't doubt it. John Long: I know. Cobie Rutherford: With the amount of talent that was showcased here last week, there's some of these children who will be famous- John Long: That's awesome. Cobie Rutherford: ... is inevitable. John Long: That's awesome. Cobie Rutherford: They also had Dr. Linda Mitchell led an improv session where the youth were learning how to be dramatic plays and things and how to think on their feet and how to put those improv comedy or improv drama. I thought that was pretty neat. You don't think of that necessarily when you think of traditional 4-H, but gosh we got to start thinking out of the box and get these non traditional youth involved in 4-H because that's kind of our catalyst to get them involved in other contests, other activities and the whole youth development. John Long: Teaching those life skills. We never can say that enough and that's what we're about. Cobie Rutherford: That's right. Moving on to Thursday. John Long: Yeah, Thursday is really the big day I guess you could say. And- Cobie Rutherford: It seems like Thursday started at 6:00 AM- John Long: Yes. John Long: ... and ended at 6:00 AM the next morning- Cobie Rutherford: Yeah. John Long: ... Almost. It was a long day but it was so much fun. The judging contest for the most part took place on Thursday morning. And we offered everything from a Judging cont. Are judging contest, mis-judging to, consumer judging. There was really something for everybody. And those judging contest had those contests like the automotive drive and then tractor driving and welding contest, Mississippi cook-off. Now what surprised me that as popular as cooking shows are right now, there were only two teams- John Long: Really? Cobie Rutherford: Involved in the cookout, I thought there would be... Everybody would want to participate now. John Long: Is that the one that's kind of... It's like iron chef. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah. John Long: Its only two teams? Cobie Rutherford: Only two teams. John Long: Wow, that's surprising. Cobie Rutherford: And I think this winning team, if they cooked a seafood dish, get to go to national context. John Long: Really? Cobie Rutherford: So that was pretty cool. John Long: Opportunities abound. Cobie Rutherford: Another shout out to AMEA County. John Long: Hey. Cobie Rutherford: Amy Walsh and Randy Mack. And- John Long: South Whales District. Cobie Rutherford: Yes, So they've rocked that contest. John Long: That's cool. Cobie Rutherford: I wanted to go over there to that, but I was tied up at the computer tapping into scores and it seemed like all day Thursday. John Long: Yeah sure. Cobie Rutherford: Until time for the dance. John Long: Time for the dance thats right. Cobie Rutherford: Oh Mercy, that was a... They had a lot of fun at the dance. John Long: I guarantee. I'm in the game room, in the doghouse in the game... Well I'm not in the dog... Well I guess I am in a dog house a majority of the time but anyway, so I felt comfortable there. But in the doghouse in first floor of the union and we have games and stuff and we got, let me tell you what, and that was the most kids I've ever had on game night and we got a shout out to Dr. Joy Anderson. She was awesome, she brought a super awesome deck of UNO cards and I bet at one time or another we had at least 10 people play a UNO at one time. And I learned a new UNO game. Well have you ever done a stack? Have You played an UNO stack? Cobie Rutherford: Is that where you, like if I had to draw four and then you had draw four, you just keep playing them on top of each other, then somebody has to draw? John Long: Yes, Right, and I got stuck with 16. Cobie Rutherford: Oh my God. John Long: So thank you to my partner on the right for... I can't remember his name, but they stuck me bad. Cobie Rutherford: That's the way we always played. John Long: Really? Cobie Rutherford: But I didn't realize that that wasn't a rule in UNO until- John Long: Yeah, I don't think it is. Cobie Rutherford: It's just kind of make up as you go. John Long: Yes. Cobie Rutherford: That's funny. John Long: Anyway, that was my learning experience, but Thursday I actually also participate in helping with the ambassador interviews and things like that. Cobie Rutherford: How did that go? Announcer:It went really well. We had quite a few first-timers and they did a really good job. Each and every one of them did a really good job and then we had some returning ambassadors that we're coming back. Let's see if that gets selected again. And of course we had National Congress delegates that we had to enter or interviewed through committee. So it was exciting. It's an all day thing. In fact, I was helping Deborah Lloyd who works in our office and I told her about noon, "I said, Deborah just think about it. We've got 10 more hours yet to go. Announcer:So it is a long day but, but yeah, to culminate in the dance and the game show, I mean the game, the game room, that was, that was a lot. I always look forward to that. It is a long day, but we always look forward to that too." And then, but of course then we had to turn around and be back up here. Hello, I was up here at like 6:30 the next morning after I got home at midnight and then 6:30 the next morning up here, getting ready for the award ceremony. We had a lot of awards to handout. Cobie Rutherford: Yes we did. John Long: How many did we hand out do you remember? Cobie Rutherford: I think that we ordered, I want to say it was 121 plus. John Long: Yeah, that's right. Cobie Rutherford: That's A lot. My favorite part of the whole Congress I'll say was something that I was the only person that had the opportunity to do this. John Long: Okay. Cobie Rutherford: I hate to even share it with you cause I know you're going to be jealous. John Long: I will be. Cobie Rutherford: But I got to be the person who facilitated the announcement of the new state, 4-H officers. John Long: No way. Cobie Rutherford: So at the dance, the results were emailed to me. So I got to go up on the stage with our president at the time, Jaylin who we've had in here for podcast before, and she announced the winners. So I was holding my phone up in the dark while she read those. But what I had the chance to see is the facial expressions and the celebrations of those children who won those officer candidates. John Long: Right. Cobie Rutherford: And just to see their face and then see their friends and the people around that embrace them and kind of put them up on a pedestal. Man, that was awesome. That was so good just to see that. And I thought, you know, this is really what one of the things 4-H teaches us, that we don't realize what we're being told is how to celebrate others and celebrate small victories such as that or big victories, either one and celebrations cost absolutely nothing, to be happy for your friend. John Long: Right, exactly. Cobie Rutherford: I thought, you know this pretty cool skill. And to see the candidates often standing by one beside one another, they're both reining for the same exact position and then for them to embrace and hug each other and put each other on their shoulders, it was really awesome. John Long: I think that's proof that 4-H really does what it's supposed to do and which is exactly what you said is. We promote good sportsmanship and things like that. We're doing a great job. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah, definitely. You know that- John Long: Well we're not, but the program. Cobie Rutherford: ... the program is. John Long: Yes, that's right. Cobie Rutherford: And that was just a total validation of that. That we're doing great in that case. John Long: Right, exactly. Cobie Rutherford: But I'm excited about the new panel of leaders that we've got coming up. There's a lot of good ideas in these youth and I think that these youth really won't take ownership of their program and kind of drive the programmatic areas that we go to. So if you- John Long: If he wanted to see a snippet of exactly what Congress is like, I don't know if they've got it loaded yet or not, but they will have a Congress. Well Like a wrap up video that the agricultural communications put together and just look for it on our YouTube channel coming up, Missy before each YouTube channel coming up. And that'll show you... And that's actually one of those parts on that video is where they announce there are new president. Cobie Rutherford: ... yeah, that was really neat, really good. John Long: But you'll see the reaction that you were talking about, which is really cool. Cobie Rutherford: Yep. I definitely had the best seat in the house for that deal. John Long: I am jealous. Cobie Rutherford: That was kind of just a fluke that we got to announce those at the dance anyway. John Long: How did that come about by the way. I don't think we've ever done that before. Cobie Rutherford: It was kind of, I had to run off election and some kind of odd things happened with our ballots so we had to vote later than we planned down and- John Long: Just a bump on a road, no big deal. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah, it set up that perfect opportunity and then everyone was at the dancer or in the union at that time. So there's kind of a good chance to announce. John Long: That's good, that's really good. Cobie Rutherford: So that little snafu actually resulted something better, I think. John Long: Okay you do. Cobie Rutherford: We also had on Friday, we did that surface learning project where kids- John Long: Oh, yeah. Cobie Rutherford: ... in counties brought different items for cleanup Mississippi. So we thought these items could help with a flood cleanup or maybe even some of the tornado cleanup. So they brought everything from brooms and mops to- John Long: Buckets. Cobie Rutherford: Buckets and cleaning supplies. John Long: We're thankful you brought buckets with stuff in it because it's a lot easier to move that, right? Cobie Rutherford: Yes it was. And then we had the opportunity John to go drop that outfit, the Red Cross in Columbus. John Long: Let me tell you what, that was a highlight for me because I'd never been to the Red Cross in Columbus and to see that and to, and to deliver that, that really kind of was a good wrap up for Congress for me, you know? Cobie Rutherford: Yeah. And they were so grateful to get those supplies and I know they'll be put to great use. John Long: Absolutely. We thank everybody that brought to that service project because that's what 4-H is about, about giving back. And I don't have to tell anybody out there that, Oh, there's been a lot of people hurting this year with all the rain we've had and flooding and just tornadoes and things like that. So being able to provide, even if it's just a little bit of relief to somebody was much appreciated. And I can tell you red cross was very appreciative of it when we dropped it off, that's for sure. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah, those donations will definitely help a lot of families around the State and they'll stay local too. John Long: That's right, That's exactly right. Cobie Rutherford: Pretty cool. John Long: Yup. Cobie Rutherford: You know, I keep thinking about back to highlights during the week and think about celebrations and think about seeing those kids win their awards at the awards ceremony. I think that was pretty cool. They all got to walk up on stage, shake hands with the specialist. I wonder how many, it will need one to go back and look and say, Oh that kid won first place in clothing, visual, they pursue a career in the clothing industry or just so how many of those kids actually go into those groups? John Long: Do you know, we really had a great keynote speaker. Not that we don't always have a great keynotes figure, but saying that our keynote speaker this year was a former leadership ambassador team member and who has become a medical doctor. And she came back and spoke and that was really cool to see how, she had just gave us her basically her biography of her life and how she went through her 4-H career and where she's at now. She's a- Cobie Rutherford: That's neat. John Long: ... pediatrician. Cobie Rutherford: That's neat. Yeah. John Long: Yeah. Cobie Rutherford: That definitely goes to speak for the hands for larger service stuff- John Long: Yeah. Absolutely. Absolutely. Cobie Rutherford: I just caught the tail end of her toe, but it sounded like it was very, very good. John Long: Yeah, it was good. And you talking about... I'm seeing her grow up as a 4-H. I can't remember and I apologize, but I knew that her maiden name is Newman. I can't think of her last name. Cobie Rutherford: Livingston. John Long: Livingston. So it's Aaron Newman Livingston, Dr. Aaron Newman Livingston. And she's a pediatrician and she did a great job delivering our keynote or being our keynote speaker this year. And that was just proof positive and a great example of where 4-H can take you, you know, and how important it is in part of your life or it can be a part of your life. So let me ask you this first time, we've talked about this on our pre-Congress podcasts, first time state staff, Congress. What was your, the your most favorite part? Cobie Rutherford: Ooh, my most favorite part. I think just seeing celebrations. John Long: Mm-hmm- Cobie Rutherford: Seeing whether it's a kid celebrating their own performance and having the courage to step up and give a visual presentation in front of a statewide specialist and experts or seeing kids when the, when their awards are celebrate one another. Just celebrate being here and being on the beautiful campus, Mississippi State University. John Long: Absolutely. Cobie Rutherford: I think that was my favorite part. Just to take in and reflect on them. John Long: Yeah. Their enthusiasm's always addictive to me. It really is. Cobie Rutherford: And I think that Congress justifies, in my mind what we do is stay for each staff. John Long: Yeah. Cobie Rutherford: First and foremost it provides an opportunity for these youth to express themselves- John Long: Mm-hmm (affirmative). Cobie Rutherford: ... and develop an interest or passion in something that can lead to a career, lead to life skill that's very impactful. John Long: I always like saying Mississippi State University campus covered in a sea of grain. And that's exactly what we had last week for sure. Cobie Rutherford: That's right. John Long: Well with that, I guess we're going to close out this podcast and I hope that in some way if you heard podcast and are interested in getting into 4H so that you'll go to extension.msstate.edu. I think you don't even have to say www anymore because it's pretty much assumed. But if you can click on that 4-H tab and you will get a lot of information on where to go. You can also, if you don't know where your County office is or who is actually in your County extension office, you can also find a directory there that can point you in the right direction. John Long: So we would love to have you get into 4-H and we hope to see you come to 4-H Congress one day. And if you did hear this podcast as a young 4-H, come up to us and tell us about it because they'd love to hear your story. So with that, I'm John Long. Cobie Rutherford: And I'm Cobie Rutherford. John Long: And this has been 4H4U2. We'll see you next time. Announcer: Thanks for joining us for 4H4U2. For more permission, please visit extension.msstate.edu and be sure to subscribe to our podcast. 4H4U2 is produced by the Mississippi State University extension service, office of Agricultural Communications.

John and Cobie speak with Jaylen Smith 4-H Statewide President on her 4-H Career and what it has meant to her. Jaylen also shares some memories and the importance of being a positive role model to youth. Transcript: Announcer: This is 4-H-4-U-2, a podcast from the Mississippi State University Extension Service promoting 4-H programs and positive youth development. Here now your host, Dr. John Long and Cobie Rutherford. John Long: And welcome to another edition of 4-H-4-U-2. I'm your host, John Long. Cobie Rutherford: And I'm Cobie Rutherford. John Long: And we have a very, very special guest with us today. Cobie, I'm going to let you introduce her. Cobie Rutherford: So today we are very happy to have Miss Jaylen R. Smith from Leflore County with us, and she happens to be our State Council 4-H President. John Long: Wonderful, and I'm sure it is bone dry in Leflore County right now, isn't it? Jaylen Smith: It is. It is. Cobie Rutherford: Right, whatever. John Long: Water, water everywhere, so... Well that's great and we're so glad to have you with us this morning, and I appreciate you carving out a little time for us because I know we're all running in different directions since Congress 2019... Congress is well underway. Cobie Rutherford: Yes. Here, here. Inspire kids to do. John Long: That's right. That's right. So let me ask you this, Jaylen. What number congress is this for you? Jaylen Smith: This is my third Congress. John Long: Third Congress, okay. And when did you get involved in 4-H? Jaylen Smith: I got involved my junior year of high school. So I didn't know about 4-H before I actually got into it. I thought it was an organization that you had to pay a lot of money to join. And so I talked to Ms. Christina, my agent, she was like, "No, baby, just come on, just come." We have so many different organizations and clubs that you can be and within the organization itself, and so I've loved it ever since. John Long: Do you remember your first club meeting? Jaylen Smith: I do. It was like an interview, kind of, to see if we could get into the meeting. It was like an open interview, and she would just ask questions about what we thought diversity meant and the importance of diversity. I love speaking, so I kind of... I felt bad because I think I dominated most of the conversation, but I just... I love diversity. That's one of the things I want to do with math communications, and so I was like, "Yeah, I'm definitely coming back." Cobie Rutherford: I think that's what's so neat about 4-H because it appeals to... Every kid can find their niche within this organization. John Long: Sure. Jaylen Smith: Definitely. Cobie Rutherford: And gosh, Jaylen, I think my favorite memory of your 4-H career so far has been when you gave a speech at the state Senate this year for Legislative Day. Jaylen Smith: Oh, yeah. Cobie Rutherford: I had chills listening to it. And John, she got a standing ovation from those Senators from Mississippi. John Long: I am so jealous because I have never been able to be over there and hear that, so I'm glad to hear that. That's awesome. Maybe one day? Cobie Rutherford: Yeah. John Long: Maybe one day. Cobie Rutherford: I don't know that I'll want to hear another one because it was... I don't know how anybody will ever live up to what she did do it. It was so good. John Long: She's a good communicator, that's for sure. Cobie Rutherford: Very much so. John Long: Very well spoken, for sure. Cobie Rutherford: So what was your project area, Jaylen, in 4-H? Jaylen Smith: I mostly did public speaking. Another thing that I did was our club itself was PRIDE, which is Potential Realize In Diverse Environments, so a lot of the things that we did were to bring different communities and just people from different backgrounds together. I really just enjoyed that, being able to learn different people's cultures, teaching people my culture, and just learning from each other. John Long: I think that's really cool because a lot of people just get to a point in life and they just feel like, "Well, this is it. I'm just not..." They just get in this rat race, and the same old, same old, and they forget that there's so much yet to learn. Jaylen Smith: Definitely, definitely. John Long: And I think that's always important to remember is that you can always learn from different people. I'm always anxious to want to hear more or to learn more about this. Jaylen Smith: Yeah. John Long: That's great. That's great. So what do you feel like one of the main things at 4-H has taught you in your career? Jaylen Smith: Even though I've had a lot of leadership roles in 4-H, it's definitely taught me how to follow others, just to kind of let go sometimes and not always be on the front stage. John Long: Right. Jaylen Smith: But to learn from others by following them. John Long: Right. Jaylen Smith: And so also by serving others, I learned leadership skills, things like teamwork and just depending on others to be there for me, and learning how to delegate and be delegated to. So definitely followership has taught me how to be a better leader. John Long: That's awesome. I've always heard a good leader is a good follower. Jaylen Smith: Yeah. John Long: I don't know if that's true, but I believe it. I believe it. Cobie Rutherford: Well it kind of goes back to what we were telling him about a couple of weeks ago on the leadership podcast, and how the top tier of leadership is going back to a servant leadership position. Jaylen Smith: Definitely. Cobie Rutherford: So it seems like Jaylen's had a chance to go full circle in this organization- John Long: Absolutely. Cobie Rutherford: And developed that servant attitude. That's cool. John Long: I think it's an awesome opportunity, and I said that during our leadership podcast, was the fact that we we are given a very unique opportunity to serve others that a lot of people don't get that opportunity to do, or they don't take advantage of it, for sure. Jaylen Smith: I completely agree. John Long: So I think that's one of the products, for sure, of the program and teaching those life skills. So as far as, and I really think you are, and I'm not just saying that because you're sitting here, but I really think that you are a very positive role model for a lot of our younger 4-Hers, and I've seen them looking up to you when we've been to various events. How important is that, and what do you... Obviously it's important to you, but how do you feel like, or what do you feel like is most important as far as allowing youth, or what you can give to youth in order to encourage them and instill those things that 4-H has given you? Jaylen Smith: One of the major things that 4-H has given me is learning to be tenacious and just learning to persevere through all obstacles, and so that's what I really want to give off to younger 4-Her's is that whatever you want in life, it's yours. But if you work for it and if you work through whatever obstacles that are stopping you from doing that, you can get to it. People tell me that they look up to me and it's crazy because I look up to so many 4-Her's, and it's crazy to me how so many people look up to me and I just... I'm like, "Y'all are my heroes." Cobie Rutherford: Yeah, that's funny. Jaylen Smith: Can I get your autograph? John Long: Nobody wants my autograph. Jaylen Smith: I want your autograph. John Long: Okay, I'll give it to you after this. Cobie Rutherford: That's funny. John Long: Well that's great. Yeah. That's awesome. Cobie Rutherford: So what do you think... Who is someone that's inspired you to take these steps and become a leader in your community and in 4-H, or just someone who inspires you in general? Jaylen Smith: I definitely have to say my mom and my grandma inspire me. They raised me, and so just seeing two strong black women raise me to be a strong black woman has just made me want to make change for my community. I've definitely had to go through struggles in life, but seeing the way that they go through those struggles graciously has encouraged me and instilled in me those same values. And so another thing, is just a love for Mississippi. I've also learned that through 4-H because it teaches so many different aspects of Mississippi, which other states don't have, and just the richness of our culture. And yes, we have been disenfranchised in the past and we're still working on that, but it's not like I can't love my state and work on its problems. John Long: Right. Cobie Rutherford: That's right. John Long: Absolutely. Cobie Rutherford: I think that's very cool that you had that perspective, and I also think that it's cool that you have a love for Mississippi, because I see a lot of kids that are talented like you that say, "Okay, I've been successful in high school. I'm having a successful career in college. I'm moving out of Mississippi," or "I'm moving out of the South." And I think that your ideal of Mississippi, that you want to make a change in your community and in our state, is just so refreshing to hear. Jaylen Smith: Yeah. John Long: Absolutely. Jaylen Smith: I was always taught to clean my own house before I try to tackle anybody else's. Cobie Rutherford: Right. Jaylen Smith: So I've never been taught to let anybody clean up my own mess when I have a broom in my hand. Cobie Rutherford: Right. Jaylen Smith: So yeah, I definitely want to fix Mississippi for the better. John Long: You need to write a book. You've got some great quotes. I wish I could think of stuff like that. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah, and one of her quotes that she gave at the Statehouse this year was that kind of impactful, and I think that's why she's so talented. Jaylen, do you remember any parts of that speech that kind of stood out? I remember a lot of Senators followed her out of the hall, out of the chamber, and were talking to her and basically probably offered her a job and everything else. Yeah, I hope you run for Senate one day. John Long: Don't forget us when you hit the big time. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah, exactly. Jaylen Smith: I could never figure you all. Cobie Rutherford: Do you remember anything that was said to you that day or something you may have said that impacted those Senators? Jaylen Smith: I think that it was towards the end and what I basically wanted to tell them was that it's not only Mississippi 4-H's job, but it's also your job as the people that we elect, to... I said, "to speak for those who do not have voices, to stand for those who cannot stand for themselves, and..." It was something else that I said. I just remember that little part. I think that that's so important because we have to be leaders for those who cannot do for themselves. I've always believed in helping people and serving others so that they can serve themselves. Some people need a boost in life. Cobie Rutherford: That's right. Jaylen Smith: And it's our job, our responsibility as fellow Mississippians, as humans, regardless of your color, your creed, your size, your gender, whatever, it's our job to help each other and to move towards the top to be the best that we can be. We can't be the best at we're crumb snatchers. Cobie Rutherford: Right. Jaylen Smith: Trying to get all the opportunities for ourselves when there's enough to go around. John Long: Right, right. We are richly blessed, but when we lose empathy for someone, we lose a part of humanity. Jaylen Smith: Exactly. John Long: Hey, that sounding pretty good. Don't steal that. Jaylen Smith: I won't, I won't. John Long: But it is true because, yeah... I mean, it's scary, I guess you could say, when you look at the world and people are becoming more and more... I guess, anyway. It's the way it seems to me is that people are just getting more and more self-centered and we're losing that empathy for one another. And when you do that, how in the world are you going to make change because you're always focusing in on yourself and what you want, not what other people want. That's a perfect, perfect. Jaylen Smith: I definitely agree. John Long: Yeah. Perfect. Yeah. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah, that's pretty deep, John. John Long: See, it's just being in her presence. Jaylen Smith: Ah, no, no. Don't give me all the credit. Don't give me all the credit. Cobie Rutherford: Yep. John Long: So we're... Congress kicked off this morning. Jaylen Smith: Yes. John Long: And so we... I know you've got a lot of stuff that you've got going on. I've got to ask this, since this. What is your favorite Congress memory? Jaylen Smith: Oh- John Long: Or, do you have one? And don't cop out and say, "Well, they're all my favorite." Jaylen Smith: There are so many. Definitely, the dance is one of my favorite ones. I learned how to do the dance off of Grease, or something. John Long: Yes. Yeah,sure. Jaylen Smith: I learned how to do that a little bit. And the Sanderson Center, playing basketball, I'm not good at it, but you know, I was doing my best. John Long: Hey, that's all you can ask for. Jaylen Smith: And just the conversations that I have with 4-Her's, and just the connections that we made. I have friends who I talk to outside of Congress. We're friends on social media. We text each other, and so that just... Knowing that I have a lifelong friend and knowing how we became friends through such a great organization, it just... It makes me not want to age out, and I'll be back next year. I'm just going to be in the back. John Long: There you go, there you go, and then you get to volunteer. Cobie Rutherford: That's right. Jaylen Smith: Definitely. Cobie Rutherford: And you know, I tell a lot of 4-Her's this, is that we think that, and I thought this is a 4-Her, is that the best time of my life was happening right now. But when you get the opportunity to leave your legacy in the organization and come back as a volunteer, maybe hopefully come back as an extension agent or a state administrator in Jaylen's case, or even even in our cases, John, that legacy that we're able to leave is so much more, I'm not going to say better, but it's kind of like a building block. It's really cool to have that experience. John Long: Absolutely. Absolutely. My favorite part... May I share what my favorite part? Jaylen Smith: Most definitely. John Long: I love the games, because see that's where I am. I'm in the dog house during the dance, but I can never get anybody to play UNO with me. Cobie Rutherford: Really? John Long: So if there's anybody listening, next year, please reach out to me. I'll be the little sad person in the corner an UNO deck. Cobie Rutherford: My favorite part of Congress was the same as Jaylen's. I loved going to the dance because I was from a really small rural school. So I would go to state 4-H Congress over the summer, learn all these dance moves, take them back to my high school, and then be like, "Hey, look what I learned in 4-H." Jaylen Smith: That's right. Cobie Rutherford: Most people might [inaudible 00:13:26] sinful, but it was good. John Long: That's awesome. Jaylen Smith: And also, you have to have a 4-H playlist for the 4-H van. That's vital to Congress. John Long: Yes, absolutely. Absolutely. And I do, I loved going into the dance. It is some energy going on. Jaylen Smith: Yeah, definitely. John Long: That's all I'm saying. I'm envious, because I never had those dance moves, but anyway, maybe one day. It's not over with. Cobie Rutherford: That's funny. You mentioned the van, too. That's been kind of a long standing tradition in my home county. We would play these games, and that was before cell phones and before MP3s, so maybe you had a mixed CD. John Long: Jaylen does not remember that, do you? Jaylen Smith: I remember CDs. John Long: Oh, okay. Okay. Jaylen Smith: I remember CDs. John Long: Just not without cell phones? Jaylen Smith: True. Cobie Rutherford: We would make mixed tapes, and we'd sit by the radio station and listen for our favorite songs to come on, and to hit record and as soon as it hit off, it'd stop. So we might do that for four or five hours to make it that perfect mixed tape. John Long: We did that. We did that here. Cobie Rutherford: Really? John Long: Yes. Lord, have mercy. Yeah. I was saying that... Well, I was saying that this weekend. Y'all just don't know how good technology is because we just struggled to get that kind of stuff. But anyway, it is a changing world, and it is so refreshing to have Jaylen with us today. And you know, it's just one of those things that as I've said before, Congress, 4-H, whatever... And Jaylen touched on this too, is that it's like a coming together. It's kind of like a family reunion and it's really kind of, I don't know, I don't want to say sad, but a lot of times when you watch a 4-Her grow up and you realize, "Man, this is their last year." They won't be coming back as a 4-Her. I may see them later or something, as a volunteer, whatever, but it is something. Then of course we have that Congress video at the end, and that always kind of makes me a little sad because it's over with. But, I know there's- Jaylen Smith: One thing I can say is that I have been the end of the Congress video for the past two years and so hopefully, Ellen, if you're listening, you can put me at the end again because I've- John Long: We'll put it in a good word for you. Jaylen Smith: Thank you. John Long: We do have connections. Jaylen Smith: Okay. Cobie Rutherford: I can't wait to see this Congress video. John Long: I know. It's good. Cobie Rutherford: Good. John Long: Yeah, I think it's just getting better and better through the year. And personally, I think I've enjoyed them, but yeah, that's awesome. Well we won't take up any more of your time. Thank you so much for coming in and being with us today. And, who knows, we may get another opportunity to join us on 4-H-4-U-2. Jaylen Smith: I would love to. Thank you for having me. John Long: Yes, and I don't... I asked... Oh, I kind of want to tell you this. I asked somebody last night when we had the ambassador little meeting you were presiding over, and I went down to the front and I said, "So how many of y'all listen to podcasts?" And, one guy raised his hand. So we're hoping we'll spread the word. So subscribe and tell everybody about us, and we'll get the word spread. So... Jaylen Smith: I will. John Long: All right, well we're going to keep on keeping on, on 4-H-4-U-2. If you want to know more about 4-H, you can go to the extension.msstate.edu website, and as I said, go and subscribe to 4-H-4-U-2, and we're going to keep bringing you up-to-date information on what 4-H is doing for youth and what it is doing for your state as a whole. So with that, I'm John Long- Cobie Rutherford: And I'm Cobie Rutherford. John Long: And we will see you next time. Announcer: Thanks for joining us for 4-H-4-U-2. For more information, please visit extension.msstate.edu, and be sure to subscribe to our podcast. 4-H-4-U-2 is produced by the Mississippi State University Extension Service Office of Agricultural Communications.  

Mary Audrey Long sits down with John (her father) and Cobie to discuss the life skills learned and relationships developed through the first years in 4-H. Transcript: Announcer: This is 4-H-4-U-2, a podcast from the Mississippi State University Extension Service promoting 4-H programs and positive youth development. Here now your host, Dr. John Long and Cobie Rutherford. John Long: All right and welcome to another podcast of 4-H-4-U-2. I'm your host, John Long. Cobie Rutherford: And I'm Cobie Rutherford. John Long: And we are broadcasting live from Mississippi State University in the wonderful podcast room in Bost Extension Center here. Cobie Rutherford: Yes sir. John Long: Excited to be here and even more excited about the guest that we have on today, and that is Mary Audrey Long. She is joining us in the studio. Mary Audrey, how are you doing today? Mary Audrey Long: I'm doing good. John Long: Good, good, good. What have you been up to? Mary Audrey Long: Enjoying the first full day of summer. John Long: That's good, that's good. Cobie Rutherford: Oh, I remember those days. Summer was always something to look forward to. John Long: And it seemed like as a kid, I don't know, Cobie, do you feel like that summers are just much shorter now than they were when we were kids? Cobie Rutherford: It does. It seems way shorter. John Long: Yeah. Cobie Rutherford: And I always looked forward to spring break and summer, and there for a while, I always tried to take spring break, but it seems like the older I've gotten, the less that's happened. John Long: Yeah, that's true. That is true. I've had folks actually say, "Are y'all off all for spring break?" I said, "No, we're working." Cobie Rutherford: Yeah. John Long: I mean we've got things to do. We've got a lot of stuff to get ready for, and one of them being one that's coming up next week, which is Congress. Cobie Rutherford: That's right. It'll be here, 600 4-Hers across the state will be here on Mississippi State's campus. John Long: That's a lot, that is a lot, and it is a lot of fun too. Cobie Rutherford: No doubt. John Long: Yeah. We get to see a lot of different contests and workshops and get to see some really good talent too. Cobie Rutherford: So Mary Audrey, you're probably too young to come to Congress, but I know you're probably looking forward to that one day. Mary Audrey Long: I really am. I've heard so much about it and I've just been looking forward to it. John Long: So good. How long have you been in 4-H Mary Audrey? Mary Audrey Long: I think ... What's the age limit for it? John Long: It's eight. Mary Audrey Long: Eight, I did club and that was when I was about five. John Long: Yeah, that's about right, when you did Cloverbuds. Mary Audrey Long: Cloverbuds, and then I did archery, the shooting sports, it kind of hooks onto 4-H too and I've done that since I was old enough to and love it and it is the best thing. John Long: That's awesome. Mary Audrey Long: We've just had District too. John Long: That's good, that's good. How did you do at District? Mary Audrey Long: I actually got first place. It said in the bracket I got second but on my certificate it said first. John Long: Actually that was last year certificate I'm sorry to disappoint you. Cobie Rutherford: Wow. John Long: Dead air. Mary Audrey Long: Are you kidding me? John Long: Oh me. We are really winging this today and reason we're winging it is because we don't have our sound or our chief engineer, Art Shirley with us. We are going to get through this. Dead air or not, we're going to do it. But anyway you are saying ... Now let me ask you this. Why did you choose archery as far as being in the safety program? Why did you choose archery? And don't say it because I made you do it. Mary Audrey Long: Well, I chose archery because I had been doing archery since I was ... I don't know what, four? John Long: Yeah, probably. Mary Audrey Long: Four, maybe three, three, four. I don't know. John Long: Yeah, I got you a really little bow when you were little. I mean, little, little. Yeah, probably four. Mary Audrey Long: Yeah, but I have shot it since the day I can pick up a bow and I have loved it ever since. John Long: Good. Mary Audrey Long: [inaudible 00:03:56] So happy, when I found out that I could do it. Cobie Rutherford: Now I don't really know how a lot about safety programs and shooting sports programs. I didn't grow up a hunter, didn't participate in 4-H, but I know a few things about a bow and what is it when you pull back on on the string, if there's not an arrow on it, you shouldn't do that, right? If there's not arrow loaded on the bow? Mary Audrey Long: You should really not do that, it'll break the bow basically. I did that once, I forgot about the arrow not being in my bow and it just broke. What was the daddy? Was it my peeps? Did my peeps come off? John Long: Yeah, it was a lot of stuff came off. Mary Audrey Long: Yeah, it's a really bad thing. John Long: It's called dry fire. Cobie Rutherford: And see, that amazes me because I learned that in physics class- John Long: Oh, really? Cobie Rutherford: In college actually. It's like Mary Audrey's already got a jump on some physics and different mechanisms of bow and arrows before she even gets to that upper level sides. That's pretty cool. Mary Audrey Long: You can learn a lot in 4-H, especially shooting sports, a lot of science, physics. John Long: Yeah it is, it takes a lot of that. Cobie Rutherford: And the other thing we learned was how you have to ... If you're shooting far away, have to adjust for the wind and you may have to aim a little bit higher than you wanted to because it might drop. Do you use all that kind of in your strategy when you're competing? Mary Audrey Long: I actually ... Before competition were not allowed to move anything during competition unless we're senior at State, but we can only adjust it before competition. We can't do it while we're shooting. I always shoot before my competition to find out where I'm needed to aim and all that and where my site needs to be. And then that's just how I kind of get ready for competition since we can't move it. Cobie Rutherford: That's cool. Mary Audrey Long: When I'm a senior at State or District, isn't it District you can do that daddy? John Long: It's at State what you're telling him about. Mary Audrey Long: Yeah, at State you can only move it while you're competing. John Long: Right, right. When you have an archery practice- Mary Audrey Long: I do. John Long: ... How does that work exactly? What do you do during that practice? Mary Audrey Long: Basically what you do is we have the whole team from our County, [inaudible 00:06:24] County, and we have a coach named Johnny Thompson. I think a lot of people know him from horse riding and all that. What we have to do is at the beginning of the year, we make a line and we lay out targets. And then all the people from [inaudible 00:06:44] County, they come and we will all shoot, well we go in rounds like you would at District or State or whatever. John Long: Right. Mary Audrey Long: And the junior will shoot inside, since we had to switch facilities and the seniors will shoot outside. John Long: Okay. Mary Audrey Long: If there aren't enough kids to go on the line, then we'll have sections that you do at District or State, which will have one round of kids and then another round, like morning one, two and three. John Long: That kind of prepares you for going to a District event, really. Mary Audrey Long: It really does because you can fit in people at certain times if people aren't there, so that's a good thing that we use in practice. Cobie Rutherford: That's pretty interesting. What about with the firearms? What do you participate in that side of the safety program as well? Mary Audrey Long: Well, we actually have to get them checked at District and stuff like that and State too. Cobie Rutherford: Do you shoot a pistol or a .22 rifle or any of that stuff? Mary Audrey Long: I do not, but I really kind of want to shoot .22 rifle next year. Cobie Rutherford: Okay, good deal. John Long: Yeah, because you'd be old enough to do it at that point. Yeah. What do you feel like ... Like you mentioned you've been in different parts of 4-H and the club level. Like I said, pretty much and grown up in 4-H, what do you think is one of the main things that you have learned while you've been in 4-H? Mary Audrey Long: I think it's being more responsible and being more careful because before I went to the club and before I went to doing archery and shooting sports, I was not as responsible I should have been with firearms. I had a BB gun when I was little, I was not as responsible I should have been with that. John Long: Yeah, I know. Mary Audrey Long: Thank you. Cobie Rutherford: Sounds like you've got a story behind that. John Long: We're not telling anything no, but go ahead. I'm sorry I interrupted you. Mary Audrey Long: And I was not as responsible I should've been. I'm more careful with how I shoot and what is around me while I'm shooting and that has just changed me a lot and it actually helped me be more comfortable shooting stuff. John Long: Right. Mary Audrey Long: Because since my dad's one of the ... We'll have to go Nationals and stuff like that when I was a baby, I basically grew up around guns and stuff like that since I hunt too. John Long: Right. Mary Audrey Long: And that's just helped me want to shoot more. John Long: Right. Mary Audrey Long: Actually shot my first Clyde in December and busted it and I was crying. Cobie Rutherford: That's cool. John Long: Yeah, it was pretty awesome right there. When she shot, I turned around and she was crying, I thought she was crying because of the gun- Cobie Rutherford: Because it kicked her. John Long: ... Right, but it wasn't, I said, "Are you okay?" She's like, "Yes." And I said, "What's wrong?" She's like, "I'm just happy." Cobie Rutherford: I'm just happy. John Long: But anyway, that was pretty cool too. Mary Audrey Long: I had ate three waffles that morning. Dominic, the guy we were hunting with, we're actually duck hunting. He was like, "I guess it was because of those waffles.?" John Long: Yeah, that's right, it's the waffles that'll get you. I don't know if that's good advice, eat waffles before you get out of line, but hey, it might work for some people I guess. Mary Audrey Long: Oh, I don't know. John Long: Yeah, I don't know either. Cobie Rutherford: That's funny. John Long: You mentioned safety and I think safety first and foremost, and we preach that all the time, don't we? And even around guns. What is one of the main things I tell you to do when you're handling a firearm? What's the first thing you do once you have it in your hands? Mary Audrey Long: Check it because you have no clue, you might've forgotten if you have a ...What do you call it? John Long: A bullet or a shale or something like that. Mary Audrey Long: What do you call it? One of them things, you know how you stick in your rifle? A magazine. John Long: Yeah, a magazine. Mary Audrey Long: Might have a magazine and left a shell in there or something, and that safety might be off. I mean, and you could be aiming it and then you know how you can kind of click it? John Long: Yeah, we don't want to do that first thing. Mary Audrey Long: No, the gun might go off. You just always want to be safe and make sure that that gun is not loaded, so something bad could happen- John Long: Exactly. Mary Audrey Long: ... It always can. I mean there's a 99.9% of it happening. 50, 50, whatever. John Long: You don't know unless you check it. Mary Audrey Long: Exactly. John Long: And all guns are to be treated as if ... Mary Audrey Long: They are a person. John Long: They are loaded. Mary Audrey Long: Same thing. John Long: But do you ... Yeah, right. I guess some people are loaded, I don't know. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah, that's one thing that my grandpa taught me. He was a hunter and he told me to never ever point a gun at anything unless you intended to shoot it. John Long: Shoot it, yeah, that's right. That's exactly right. Same for a target. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah. John Long: I mean, you don't want to ever point a barrel at anything that you're not ... You want to keep it in a safe direction, and another thing is too, is that that goes for archery as well. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah. Mary Audrey Long: It really does. John Long: For sure. Mary Audrey Long: You just need to be careful because that end on that arrow could kill somebody right when it hits them, you always need to make sure what is around you and what could be coming through the area that you're shooting. John Long: Target, that's right, and always be careful to be aware of- Mary Audrey Long: Your surrounding- John Long: Who's behind you too. Mary Audrey Long: Yeah. John Long: You want to make sure, you don't want to jab. Mary Audrey Long: And you don't want animals outside while you are shooting. John Long: Yes, that's right. That's exactly right. I think that goes to the fact that we preach safety, safety, safety, and I think that goes a very well for the safety record that we do have in shooting sports. I think that one of the things that emphasis goes just is always at the forefront and it always should be at forefront, but what do you feel like you as a person ... How do you think you as a person, what do you think one particular thing in four H safety that has taught you responsibility or good sportsmanship? Can you think of any moment in 4-H Safety that really was memorable and was kind of a learning experience for you? Mary Audrey Long: Last year. Basically last year I was not shooting my best at all, it was a learning experience to listen what other people had to tell me about getting better. And that was a really learning experience because at the beginning of this year I was not shooting my best, but as it went on, I kept getting better because I would listen to people's advice for me and that was a really good learning experience and stuff like that. The first year I shot the first ever shot I shot all in the practice line was in the bullseye and that was a really fun moment for me. John Long: That's good, that's really good. What about friendships? Because I know that we have friends at school and then we have friends in sometimes those in 4-H Safety and sometimes those actually overlap. But do you feel like you've made new friendships with people in 4-H and how has that been for you as far as that experience? Mary Audrey Long: Yes. I've made so many more friends and I love it because they can help me get better and I can help and give them good advice and they can help me and give me good advice and I love making all these new friends because they're are so nice. And I mean, I just loved it. John Long: That's good. Cobie Rutherford: You probably have a chance to meet people from outside of your club and your County too, don't you? Mary Audrey Long: I do actually. I stood on the line this year at District with this girl and she was actually from ... What's Columbus County? John Long: Lowndes County. Mary Audrey Long: Lowndes County, she's from Lowndes County. John Long: Shout out to Lowndes County 4-H. Mary Audrey Long: Yep, and she was really nice and we talked every time we got off the line and it was just fun, I love standing by people I don't know. And because I always don't want to get by people I know, even though sometimes I do- John Long: Right. Mary Audrey Long: ... Because then they'll keep talking to me while I'm shooting, shout to that other dude. John Long: To Trey. That's who you're talking about, who's on the line. Mary Audrey Long: I'm talking about that dude who would not shut his- John Long: No, no, no. We're not talking about that. Cobie Rutherford: That talked a lot. John Long: Yeah, yeah. You can't be too talky. Cobie Rutherford: That would be distracting I think, shooting beside chatty Cathy. You pull back your bow and then she gets loud or something, then you might shoot up in a tree. John Long: No, that's exactly it. You don't want to do that. For sure. Mary Audrey Long: But it's good to not get by people who you don't know, it'll keep you from talking to them, but you also need to learn how to keep that stuff out of your head- John Long: Right, right. Mary Audrey Long: ... Which I did not have good handle over. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah, because that's probably part of the strategy. If you're beside somebody that was really, really good and you're like, well I'm going to try to get them off their game. That's not very good sportsmanship- John Long: Right. Mary Audrey Long: No, it's not. Cobie Rutherford: But it's kind of probably a fine line between being friendly and aggravating. John Long: That's right, that's right. Mary Audrey Long: And I'm pretty competitive, so it's hard to ... John Long: I've told her before that when you get on the line, it's only you in the target and you are the only thing that's in control of that moment and once that arrows gone, you can't take it back. So you have focused on the next arrow Mary Audrey Long: Yeah, I've always kind of learned from that and it's been good. John Long: That's good, that's good. What do you feel like ... You said you think you might try .22 next year, that'll be good. Mary Audrey Long: Yes. I basically got it from Santa Clause, I got a .22 rifle, and I've been shooting it forever. John Long: Yeah, you've been going through my bullets pretty quick too. Mary Audrey Long: Well at least I'm shooting. John Long: Well, I said that that I would buy all the bullets you needed. Cobie Rutherford: Wow. Mary Audrey Long: And I've loved it. It's been one of those little Crickett ones and it's camo, which I love, and it has a side arm, this .22 rifle. John Long: It has a little scope on it too. Cobie Rutherford: It fits you. John Long: What do you think is one of the things that if you had a young person that would be interested in the 4-H safety program, what would you suggest that they do? How do you think they should get into it? Mary Audrey Long: Well, it would have to depend on what they would want to do, I guess, because I mean, I might don't want to make the decision for them- John Long: Right. Mary Audrey Long: Because they might have an interest in stuff, but it would probably be archery, shotgun or .22 rifle. John Long: Yeah, and probably a little bit biased on archery, I would guess, because that's what you're doing, right now. Mary Audrey Long: Yeah, yeah. John Long: That's good, that's good. Well, Mary Audrey, we thank you so much that take a just a few moments out of your busy schedule. Mary Audrey Long: Oh, so busy, so, so busy. John Long: So, so busy. Cobie Rutherford: On the first day of summer. John Long: First day of summer, that's right. Mary Audrey Long: So busy. John Long: For you. Thank you for coming in and sitting down with us, we appreciate it. Mary Audrey Long: You're welcome, I really liked it. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah. Good deal. You did a good job. John Long: Yeah, popsicles on me. Mary Audrey Long: Yay. John Long: All right. Well, this has been 4-H-4-U-2, and for more information on 4-H in your area, go to extension.msstate.edu and please go to our podcast and subscribe and Cobie, you got anything else before we go? Cobie Rutherford: I don't hope everybody has a good rest of the week- John Long: That's right. Cobie Rutherford: ... And hopefully see you at Congress. John Long: All right, we'll see you then, we're going to keep it green from here on out. Mary Audrey Long: Oh, yes. John Long: Oh, yes. All right. Thanks for listening. Announcer: Thanks for joining us for 4-H-4-U-2. For more information, please visit extension.msstate.edu and be sure to subscribe to our podcast. 4-H-4-U-2 is produced by the Mississippi State University Extension Service, Office of Agricultural Communications.  

Dr. John Long and Cobie Rutherford take a look at the 4-H Leadership program Transcript: Announcer: This is 4-H-4-U-2, a podcast from the Mississippi State University extension service promoting forage programs and positive youth development. Here now, your host, Dr. John Long and Cobie Rutherford. John Long: All right, well welcome to 4-H-4-U-2, again, and Cobie, how are you today? Cobie Rutherford: Doing fantastic John. It's been a busy, fast week. Gosh. John Long: It's like you'd kicked an ant bed in the 4-H office, right? Cobie Rutherford: I know, we go the whole month with the phone ringing like twice a day to now twice every five minutes. It's been insane. John Long: We're a hot item. That's for sure. Cobie Rutherford: That's right. John Long: That's right. Well we got a lot of stuff going on, of course. You know, summer is on top of us and the Mississippi homemaker volunteers are going to be on campus next week. And then the weekend after that is Congress. So we've got a lot going on for sure. And then what really got me was I had a national shooting sports committee meeting yesterday and somebody said, "How many weeks are we out now from the national championship?" And somebody said, "Five." And I thought, oh my goodness, five weeks until the end of June. Then we're looking at state invitationals, so it's a lot of stuff going on in a short amount of time. Co-op, we got co-op. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah, co-op. John Long: Yep. Cobie Rutherford: Then just so many events going on this summer. My wife and I were trying to look at some dates for a possible vacation and John, I don't know that it's going to happen this year. It is wild. John Long: I don't know who we had a vacation last. It's rough. You know, the corporate guy, he didn't even say anything about PADs. We'll be on the road with PADs, too. Cobie Rutherford: Yep. That's going to be fun. John Long: Yeah, it will. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah. All of our... And that ties into what we're talking about today, all times management, leadership, all these things kind of go hand in hand together. And I'm kind of excited about our topic today. John Long: Yeah, me too. Me too. Cobie Rutherford: The past couple of podcasts or past three or four, however many we've done now, we've talked about kind of content area. We talked about safety, we talked about the youth livestock programs, we've talked about ATV safety. And now we're kind of getting into the youth development content. I think leadership's one of the best skills that we teach 4-H'ers. John Long: So when we're talking about leadership, when it's with 4-H, what does that really mean to you? How do you see that? Cobie Rutherford: Well, I think when I think about leadership, my favorite leadership quote just really defines the whole concept of leadership and leaders very well. And it's by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and it's, "A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus, but a molder of consensus." Trying to get everybody on the same page, being an influencer, being someone who others look up to, but kind of keeping your power in check, I think. John Long: Right, right. And that's very important because a lot of times, you know, adults have that problem, right? Keeping a lot of things in check. But I think to me one of the things that 4-H teaches, the young people to give back. I'll use a big word, contributory skill. And giving back to what's been given to them is really an awesome thing in my opinion. And I've seen young people start from very young age in 4-H and go all the way through, and to see them take leadership roles... And not necessarily in this terminal part of their 4-H career, it's supposed to go with them forever and even through the program. So you can see a lot of young people at a young age exhibiting leadership skills for sure. Cobie Rutherford: That's exactly right. And I think about stages of leadership and think about where we want people to be through the 4-H program. You and I as extension educators, we want to make an impact on those children's lives and teach them, like you said, how to give back. But I think it's important as we talk about leadership to these kids that we teach them about leaving a legacy. What do you want to be remembered as? Even after, post 4-H, into adulthood, into your senior citizen years and even posthumously, what is going to be that thing that people remember about you? And I think that's where really good leaders stand apart from people who don't take leadership roles. And I think that's also another misconception. I think that everybody has a potential to be a leader, just because you're not in the forefront of something or a project, you still have an ability to provide leadership to a certain aspect of a team or to a certain aspect of a contest or something like that. So I think it's pretty cool. John Long: Yeah, I agree. You was talking about quotes, I wish I'd have brought... It's on my wall in my office and it's by... And I'm going to really slaughter this, but it was from General MacArthur and he said that a soldier's job is not to destroy, but to rebuild. And that when he... And, again, I'm slaughtering this and I'm going to get to the point in a minute. But he said that he didn't really want to be remembered by his son for all of the achievements that he made in his military career, what he wanted his son to remember was the time that he spent with him. And I thought that was just so powerful and such a... I don't know, it brought it all into context about what a great leader really focuses on as the important things and doesn't let the small things get them drugged down, or defeats. There's another one I have, excuse me, on my wall that's by Winston Churchill that says, "Success is defined by repeatedly being defeated, yet not losing enthusiasm." And I think a good leader does that for sure, too. Because it can't be downtrodden by no means for that. But- Cobie Rutherford: That's exactly right. You know, even in these 4-H contests we've talked about so many times, we talk about in all contests we applaud participation first of all. You get up there and you participate, you do the public speech, you do the demonstration, whatever it is, you're a winner just by getting up there and competing because most people don't. But at the end of the day, there's always a first prize winner, a second place winner and third place winner. And where I think that the whole leadership development really begins is when you don't win first place, going back and competing again and trying it again the next year or trying to improve your skills. To me leadership is not something you're born with it or it's not really something that is inherited, it's your ability to get back up when you fall down. And as, almost, a road of continuous improvement. You don't, I don't think, ever reach a pinnacle in your leadership development. You keep working harder, you try to become a different leader. You try to motivate and inspire people in different ways as you get older. John Long: Well, I've got to tell you this little factoid that I heard when I was listening to another podcast and actually today, and it was on United States presidents. And I'm a big history buff, I did not know this at all. But that George Washington's mother was a loyalist. Cobie Rutherford: How about that? John Long: And could you imagine that household with him trying to create a country, be a leader, and having to face that difficulty, you see. So that's very true. That's very true. And I think that it's important to learn that you're not going to please everybody. I think that's another thing a leader has to realize is that... What was Lincoln's favorite quote? We're doing a quote of quotes today. Cobie Rutherford: I know. John Long: What you can't please all the people some of the time or something like that, you know? But the fact is is you're not going to be able to make everybody happy. Cobie Rutherford: That's right. John Long: And learning that is another good quality, I think, of a leader. Cobie Rutherford: Absolutely. And I think that's where a lot of people with different personalities struggle with things. If you're taking the Myers Briggs test and trying to figure out what type of personality you have or what [crosstalk 00:08:58]- John Long: That's what I did my PhD on. Cobie Rutherford: Is it really? John Long: Mm-hmm (affirmative). Cobie Rutherford: How about that? John Long: Yeah. Cobie Rutherford: Well so I- John Long: That and other things, but... Cobie Rutherford: I've taken that test probably four or five times now and you know, surprisingly... Well, you're probably not surprised. I'm two standard deviations above the mean for an extroversive, being an extrovert. And then so really one thing I've had to work on since high school, really, is toning it back, dialing it in some, trying to be more introverted when I'm just dying to yell out. John Long: Right, right. Cobie Rutherford: And I think that that self awareness is a big part of leadership, knowing what your abilities are, knowing that for me it's being too much for people to handle sometimes. Because I like to chat, I like to talk, I can get distracted very easily, I can get others distracted easily. And a lot of people don't really operate well under that type of leadership. So I've had to try to dial that in some. John Long: What do you think I am, an extrovert or an introvert? Cobie Rutherford: I would say you're extroverted. John Long: You would be incorrect. Cobie Rutherford: Really? John Long: I have test introverted every time. Cobie Rutherford: How about that? John Long: And that was one of the things I think too, that you don't really know because a lot of, I would say, 4-H'ers that I have seen that were through the years, like I was saying, that we're introverts. How they, through public speaking and different projects where they were... And not to say forced, but when they put themselves in that situation, they really found out that they could actually get up and speak in front of people. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah, exactly. John Long: And that's a testimony to what 4-H does for young people, in my opinion. I mean that's... The proof is in the pudding when you do that. Cobie Rutherford: You know, when you can change your personality, they call that emotional intelligence. John Long: Oh really? Cobie Rutherford: So for you, me thinking that you're an extrovert, that must indicate that you have a high level of emotional intelligence. That you're very intone with what your personality is and how you can overcome that. John Long: Nah, it's been a struggle. It's been a struggle. But I think I have gotten a little bit better through the years. I definitely... I remember it, and this is crazy, believe it or not, it was really a struggle to even talk on the telephone. I called people that I didn't know, I could not stand it. So big secret is, is John is an introvert, but, again, I can function and I think that that's part of it. I mean, it's not a bad thing. Cobie Rutherford: No, absolutely not. John Long: And I think, kids get hung up, especially with the fact of being during those formative years, that common thread that runs through those ages is that they're prone to periods of low self esteem. And when they have those moments, it's almost like saying, "Well, you know, it must be something wrong with me." No, it's just who you are and it's not anything to be ashamed of, you just have to learn who you are and be who you are and by that you are who you are. And now let me ask you this. Do you think every person is a leader? Cobie Rutherford: So I think that that's a tough one because I- John Long: We're bordering on opinion here, I know. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah. So I think that, in theory, everyone can take on a leadership role if they choose to. So in whatever it is, I think that some people are better at being a follower than a leader. And Lord knows we need people, the worker bees, that can take direction that don't necessarily want the spotlight or be in the the center of everything. So, you know, I think that's kind of a loaded question. I think people can be if they want to be, but if not, there's more room for followers than there are leaders, I guess. John Long: Right. And we'll give you that. You know, I talked about being a history buff. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah. John Long: Did you know that Napoleon, when he was retreating from Russia, he got out of his carriage and was walking beside his men and his men were totally just angry. They did not think he was supposed to be, a man of his position should not be out there. And he was walking with a common soldier. That's strange when you think of him. But I don't know, I think it's like you said, it's important that we have those that are willing to do the work. But you know a really good quality that I think a leader exhibits, is being able to get down in the trenches with the worker bees, or whatever you want to call [inaudible 00:13:44] and doing the same thing. Cobie Rutherford: Oh, absolutely. John Long: I always thought that if you felt like that you were... I would never ask somebody to do something I wouldn't do myself, you know, that kind of thing? Cobie Rutherford: Yeah, I agree. John Long: But yeah, I don't know. It's kind of like that question I ask, is who hunts? And I say, who hunts, raise your hand, and you may have half the class raised their hand and others saying, "No, I don't hunt. I never been hunting." And I said, well what happens when you get hungry? You go to hunting a hamburger- Cobie Rutherford: Yeah, sure. John Long: Or you go to hunt for a sale at a store. So can everybody be a good leader? I agree with you, I think that the ability to lead in some capacity is there, but it may not... It may be like Myers-Briggs, it may be stronger on one end than it is the other, for sure. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah, that's right. And I think a lot of it's based on your own drives and your own motivations and ambitions. I think about what 4-H help... I consider myself to be a leader, I guess. And I think I really got my start in being interested leadership through 4-H in my elementary school program, in fifth grade. I was elected the club president in my fifth grade class, Ms. Anderson's homeroom. So that's kind of the- John Long: Shout to Ms. Anderson. Cobie Rutherford: Yes, shout out to Ms. Ruth Anderson I had in elementary school. But you know that was my first interaction with leadership and then from there, after that, it was kind of expected that I was going to run for 4-H president because I kind of liked it, I kind of liked leading the meetings. And with my project, livestock, we talked about that a lot. You know sometimes cows, steers, whatever they are, can be the dumbest animals in the whole world and teaching them how to do what you want them to in the show ring, you're actually practicing a leadership skill without even knowing it. And it's patient, compassion, understanding, all those different things that you learned from that dumb hamburger on legs, walking burger, I guess. And it's kind of cool how that stuff all comes back into play. How do shooting sports or safety promote leadership? John Long: Well, I think that it's... And again, like we've talked before, 4-H is 4-H, it's youth development by teaching life skills. We developed that child by teaching life skills. It does not matter if it is a cow or a firearm or a bow and arrow. The thing that we have to remember is, is that is only the instrument used to teach the life skill. It is all headed in the same direction. We're all teaching the same thing, just the method may be a little different based on the instrument or tool that's used. So I would say in 4-H safety, leadership really... I tell you what is really cool and I love it and I've seen it more than once, is to see somebody, a young person, that might be struggling on the line and another young person sees that and steps up and says, "Hey, let me see if I can help you." John Long: And, I mean, it's pretty moving to see that because you just... I don't know if we just get stuck in this stereotype that kids are just selfish and they only think about themselves and... But they're not like that, you know? And, again, I think that's a testimony to the program. There's just something different about 4-H, and that sounds vague but it's not, but you can tell a difference when a young person has been exposed to a positive learning environment like 4-H does. I think that provides an opportunity for those leadership characteristics to really grow because that's the ground, that positive experience that we give them with something that they're interested in. I think that just provides that real fertile environment for them to grow. John Long: And the result of that is you're going to see those opportunities to lead. Other times I've seen, of course, with the 4-H safety ambassador program, with a child that goes through that, they want to be an ambassador. They want to be at the forefront of promoting 4-H safety. And I've seen them reach out to other young people, as well as adults, and assist them. So there's just a lot about 4-H that when we talk about citizenship, we talk about leadership and things like that, where these young people are actually giving back to the community. That is just... It's absolutely amazing. And I know I've probably [inaudible 00:18:44] I need a jar for every time I've said amazing, but I'll put a quarter in it and go buy a hamburger. But it's the truth. It really- Cobie Rutherford: Yeah, no doubt. I totally agree. I think that these 4-H'ers are getting so many skills and there's no value on that. I mean, it's something we can't measure very effectively, but we know we're making a difference. John Long: You know what's exciting to me, is the fact that what an awesome opportunity. And I am kind of jealous because we do have interaction with young people, in certain circumstances we do. We get to deal with Congress, like we've got coming up, or we may be at a 4-H safety event or PAD. We do have a little interaction with young people, but those volunteers and agents that are out there on the ground with them, doing the program, they have such an awesome opportunity that I am jealous of at times because they get to see the full effect of it. They get to see that child change. They are a change agent in that young person's life. Cobie Rutherford: They're the catalyst. John Long: That's the cat... Hey that's good. Isn't that like the triangle or no, that's the... What is that in the heat, in chemistry? You know what I'm talking about? Cobie Rutherford: Oh, yeah... John Long: Yeah, it's- Cobie Rutherford: I'm removed from that. John Long: Yeah, now you've got me off on topic now. It's getting close to my coffee time. But yeah, and they get to see that part of the process and see that young person grow. It is an awesome, awesome opportunity. And I wish more people would get involved. And if you are to be that competent, caring adult in that young person's life, you change that person. It's like you can... I guarantee you... Like you just mentioned your teacher, we all have teachers that we remember for good things and it's because they invested in our life. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah, exactly. John Long: And it's life changing. We never forget them. So if you want a monument to your life, you be a teacher of some type or a person that is a mentor or involved with a young person in a positive way. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah, no doubt. Well, yeah, there's... I wonder what we're going to talk about next, John? This leadership thing, this time flew. John Long: I know. Cobie Rutherford: We've already talked 20 minutes and I think we just barely skimmed the surface of- John Long: We may have to do a part two or something. Cobie Rutherford: We may have to, to be continued. John Long: That's right. Well, we may have an opportunity to have a young person in here and they can tell us by their own mouth what 4-H has done for them and how it's changed their life, too. Cobie Rutherford: I think that sounds like a great opportunity for us to bring in at 4-H Congress next week. John Long: Absolutely. Absolutely. Well we are going to be seeing everybody there and having a big time and we look forward to if anybody hears this by the time Congress rolls around. We'll see you on the grounds and out and about, but if we don't, we'll see you next year. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah, no doubt. If you're listening to our podcast and want to give John or I a shout out, we'd be appreciative of that. See if people are listening. My email address is cobie.rutherford@msstate.edu and John's is- John Long: Same as his, same as Cobie's. Cobie Rutherford: First and last name... john.long. John Long: You can send on the bad email to Cobie- Cobie Rutherford: Yeah. John Long: And he doesn't have to show it to me. Cobie Rutherford: So that sounds good. Well tune in next time to 4-H-4-U-2, and always look forward hearing from you. John Long: Oh yeah. Announcer: Thanks for joining us for 2-H-4-U-2. For more information, please visit extension.msstate.edu and be sure to subscribe to our podcast. 4-H-4-U-2 is produced by the Mississippi State University extension service, office of agricultural communications.  

Mississippi State Extension 4-H Specialists, Dr. John Long and Cobie Rutherford discuss 4-H State Congress. Transcript: Announcer: This is 4-H-4-U-2, a podcast from the Mississippi State University Extension Service promoting 4-H programs and positive youth development. Here, now, your host, Dr. John Long and Cobie Rutherford. John Long: All right, well welcome back to 4-H-4-U-2, and how's it going Cobie? Cobie Rutherford: Doing good, John. Episode three. John Long: Yeah. Cobie Rutherford: Already. John Long: We're racking them up. Cobie Rutherford: We are, yes sir. It's good to be here today. It's such a nice day outside. John Long: Oh, it's beautiful. And, you know, I think it's so dry. I think we need some more rain. And it's coming. Cobie Rutherford: It looks like four inches this weekend... John Long: Oh yeah, it's going to be quite a deluge. I'm never going to get my garden planted. Cobie Rutherford: I know every time we get a day off on Saturday or Sunday here lately it's been raining. John Long: Invariably. And my yard looks like it, too. Cobie Rutherford: And inevitably everyday we're in the office, it's beautiful outside. John Long: Never fail, never fails. Cobie Rutherford: Gosh, we got a lot going on. John Long: Yes. Cobie Rutherford: It's definitely the time to be in the office as we get ready for State Congress and all the different happenings in the 4-H world. John Long: Pretty much looks like you kicked an ant bed. Cobie Rutherford: It does, yeah. So we've got State Congress coming up and as a first time staff member, I am super excited about this event. The last week in May here on campus bringing, they said 600 to 700 4-H'ers. John Long: That's right. Cobie Rutherford: From all around the state are going to be here on our campus at Mississippi State. So I'm excited about that. I know you've been with 4-H for awhile. What are some of your favorite State Congress memories? John Long: Well, you know, I've got a lot. I like the interaction that I get to have with the kids and one of the things that I really enjoyed was doing the Congress media. Was doing a lot of, you know, doing photography, doing filming. We would do the pre-Congress media, the promotional video and stuff like that. I really enjoyed that and did that for several years. Last year I got the opportunity to assist with the ambassador interviews, not as a judge, but just as a co-coordinator, I guess you could say. Basically that sounds like a real high job, but it really wasn't. It was basically making sure that everybody was where they were supposed to be at a certain time. But I really thoroughly enjoyed that. Of course, the dance is always, you know, it's always fun too. John Long: But, yeah, it's a whole collection. I think this is my 12th or 13th one, so I've got a lot of good memories and we just have a good time. It's long. It is ... Cobie Rutherford: Hot. John Long: Hot and long days and hot. Oh, I will say I haven't got my ... I know what my favorite memory is. Can I share it now? It just hit me. Cobie Rutherford: I can't wait to hear it. John Long: Okay, so my favorite memory is, I'm sorry, I got a little excited when I realized. Okay, so saying that it's long days made me remember this. So we were ... This was actually my first Congress. We had a ice cream freezer, and I'm talking about like you would go in a drugstore, and open the thing up and get you ice cream. And they said, "Well we can't leave it out overnight, would you take it home and plug it up?" I said, "Sure, no problem." So we loaded up in the back of my truck, and this is midnight or afterwards, and I pull out of Bost building and all of a sudden this vehicle comes flying up behind me and flashing their lights, flashing. I'm like, Lord, what is happening? Is this thing about to fall out? Or, you know, something's wrong. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah. John Long: And so I pull over and guy jumps out and he runs up to the truck, he says ... And come to find out it was our photographer at the time, for Extension photography. He jumped out and he says, "Hold on John, hold on." He said, "I just wanted to get some ice cream." And I thought, Oh my goodness. Cobie Rutherford: Chasing the truck... John Long: He's chasing the truck down for ice cream. Cobie Rutherford: Hey, I would too for some muscadine ripple. John Long: Oh, I know, I know. And, by the way, I felt very fortunate that I could have that at my house, but I did, I ran an extension cord from my, the side of the house out, and crawled in bed for about two hours and got back up and did it all over again. So yeah, that's one. That's the funnier ones that I can remember. Cobie Rutherford: I can't wait. I've been, when I was in over in animal science, I help Doctor Joe [Samson 00:04:49] with the visual presentations and always amazed me at the talent that these kids would have when they came to present with whatever they're talking about. They would give presentations on anything from a cattle management scheme to sheep or goat disease. So it was really cool seeing that. And I think about how important the skill of being able to present a visual presentation is today. And, gosh, we're getting these kids off to a really good headstart by providing them with opportunity. John Long: Yeah, for sure. Cobie Rutherford: To compete. John Long: I like, was one other thing too is, I like the ... We used to have Linnaean Games, I don't know ... That used to be like a County deal, you rocked your County team and we would do Linnaean Games, which was entomology contest game. That was a lot of fun. It was kind of like Citizenship Bowl, but with insects. And that, I do remember that being ... I always wanted to make sure I was there when it was going on because it's so much fun to see that. Of course I love insects anyway, but yeah, that's another one too, that I enjoyed. Cobie Rutherford: The contest I always liked being a part of was the dairy products judging team, or the team contest. And Doctor Joe Samson would go to the grocery store and buy all these different samples of different ice creams, and I'm like, "Well, Doctor Joe," I said, "I can't taste the difference between these brands." And he's like, "Well if you really start thinking about the flavor, you might taste more of a metallic flavor in this brand versus this brand, or more of an acidic or the aftertaste may be like this." I'm like, how can eating ice cream be so complicated? John Long: Right, right, right. Cobie Rutherford: But these kids are excelling at it and, I mean, definitely changing their lives and the preferences on their ice cream choices later on, but it's kind of interesting to see. And- John Long: I think that, you know, again, you actually enjoy eating ice cream if you're not tasting metallic taste. I don't know. I just want to eat it and get it over with. Cobie Rutherford: Well, there was one particular brand of ice cream that I always enjoyed and Doctor Joe said, I said, "Well, how'd that place in the contest?" He said, "Well, that was third because it has a strong metallic taste in that particular flavor." My wife purchased that particular flavor, that brand of ice cream a few weeks after that- John Long: Was that specifically to see if y ou can taste it. Cobie Rutherford: No, it's the kind that we had eaten before and I'm like, why don't you buy that? It has that metallic. John Long: See it did, oh, I'm sorry. It ruined you for the... Cobie Rutherford: It absolutely did. Which is sad, but I guess saving some calories here, but, who knows? But I also, these judging contests have always intrigued me. And one of the first things I participated in 4-H was live stock judging as a young child. You think, well I'm just trying to place these animals from one to four or whatever judging contest you're in, you're like, I'm ranking something how hard is that? But what those judging contests give you as an opportunity to have a chance to make a decision quickly, and you have a certain time frame and you've got to make a justification for that placing in your mind and then oftentimes give a set of reasons on defending your placings. And I think about all the times in my life that that skill's kind of came in handy. Even justifying why I deserve a a job or why I did what I did to keep from getting in trouble, maybe. There's a lot of reasons that those skills are good to have. John Long: Absolutely. So what are you, let me ask you this, what is your expectations? I know, and see that's a benefit you have. You've seen Congress from both sides. So you've seen it as a 4-H'er and then now you're about to experience it as a staff member. How do you, what are you thoughts on it? Like, what do you think that's going to be different or going to be the same? Cobie Rutherford: So I'm expecting three days of fun and not really organized fun, not pandemonium, but just a lot of things going on. A lot of different things. As a 4-H'er I always enjoyed to go into watch other 4-H'ers compete in contents. And one of my favorite memories was, I had went to State Congress to compete in a public speaking contest and there was this girl from a neighboring County that I knew through showing cattle that was competing in the dairy foods demonstration contest. And I went to watch her contest and who would've known, I guess it was 10 years later, she and I married. And I still remember her contest. She gave a dairy demonstration about making grape ice cream. [crosstalk 00:09:28] she was talking about a purple cow and this rhyme, and afterwards I thought, I'll make fun of her, that was so stupid. Why would you ever say that? Cobie Rutherford: Of course she was the state winner, of course, and then that kind of just stuck with me. How weird is that, that I wound up marrying her? John Long: Hey, you never can tell. I met my wife, not so glamorously, in stats class. Cobie Rutherford: Oh wow. John Long: Yeah. Yeah. I couldn't stand her. Cobie Rutherford: Oh yeah? John Long: Yeah, yeah. If you ever see her, ask her what she made on the second stats test. Cobie Rutherford: Really? John Long: And then I can tell you what I made on it. it's still a sore subject in our house. Cobie Rutherford: Is it really? John Long: Oh yeah. Cobie Rutherford: We have some memories like that. We went on to Auburn together and did some different things, but, yeah, I thought that was just kind of the driving thing. I'm like, well, I need to go watch that dairy foods contest because that Hill girl from the opposite County from me is competing in that. I want to see her do her dairy foods demonstration. But what fun. And then also, I remember a kid from our County went with us to compete in the barbecue chicken cook-off contest. It was called the Alabama 4-H Chicken Q. And his name was Shontay, and he had a disaster of a contest and he basically blew up his grill. John Long: Oh my goodness. Cobie Rutherford: He did not follow safety protocols and squirted the lighter fluid directly on his charcoals. And the thing just went up in smoke. John Long: Well you know, Dean gave a demonstration one, Dean Jousan, everybody, gave a demonstration on what not to do. It was so funny because it was, he was like live video from the horse park and he was like, "All right, I'm going to show everybody what not to do now," and he had his fire and he shot the lighter fluid on it, and it just went [explosion sound]. And everybody watching was like, holy smokes. But it's true, yeah. Cobie Rutherford: We had our County eliminations and this chicken was honestly the best chicken I've ever had. And it just, Shontay was the nicest guy. Just so funny. And we had our County meeting that night after the contest. I'm like, "Shontay, you how'd you do?" Because we were all expecting him to be the first place winner in the state. He said, "Y'all I burnt that chicken up." He said the whole thing went up in smoke, but it was so much fun. We would swim and dance and compete. My very last Congress, I was the state runner up in public speaking and I thought that was pretty cool. Always held that pretty close as one of my favorite awards. John Long: Well that's cool. It was something I was going to ask you. About the a service project. Why don't you talk a little bit about service project we've got going on this year too. Cobie Rutherford: Oh yeah. That's going to be pretty neat. You know Mississippi has had a lot of bad weather and inclement weather... John Long: Close by us, too. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah, definitely. Even here on campus with South Farm, but tornadoes to flooding, we kind of got together and came up with a Cleanup Mississippi idea. And basically we're having a cleaning supply drive for the American Red Cross. So we're asking our 4-H'ers to bring anything that might be associated with cleaning. So anything from gloves to disinfectant wipes to floor cleaners, mops, brooms, buckets, whatever might be useful. Sponges, magic erasers, you name it. And then we're going to donate all of those products to the American Red Cross. And I think that, the folks I've talked to at Red Cross, they've used quite a bit of their supply inventory, so this is going to help replenish that. And then from the flooding in the Delta, there's still quite a bit of cleanup to do, so they can disperse these products out to the communities in need. And I think it's going to be a good way for our 4-H'ers to give back. John Long: Yeah, I always liked to service projects. Seems like they always, it's going toward and it's giving back to the community, which is important for sure. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah. And I think that's, when we start ... When we all think about all these things we offer in 4-H and how wonderful this Congress is going to be, part of this project is ... Or part of 4-H, I think, is leaving a legacy. And how you give back and contribute to your community or your society. I think all that's important and that's the big picture that we hope these kids go home with. John Long: Yeah. And it's always, you know, when you see that ... It's moving to see a young person contribute and to take the time for somebody else because we're so ... seemingly so busy and everybody's rush, rush, rush, and it's kind of like we're in our own little world. But then when somebody stops and says, "Hey, I see somebody in need and I'm going to fill that need," that's an awesome thing. And 4-H is great at doing that, I think. It's great at teaching a young person, hey, life is not about give me, give me, give me, it's about giving back, giving back, giving back. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah, that's right. I heard a quote one time, you saying that made me think about it, is that what separates humans from animals and all the other spaces of living organisms on the face of this planet is our ability to care for others. John Long: Yeah, empathy. Cobie Rutherford: And I think care for others we don't know is what the quote said, and I think about, you know, from a livestock perspective or any other animal species perspective, that really is what sets us apart. Being able to care for people we've never met and have feelings for them. John Long: That's exactly right. Cobie Rutherford: I think that could be another topic for another day, but ... John Long: We may have to have like a guest come in for that one. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah, that would be good, that'd be good. John Long: What about, I'm sorry. Cobie Rutherford: No, go ahead. John Long: The one thing that I'm really excited about, and it's new to this year, is the ... I don't know, how do you ... I don't know what the correct term for it is. It's the one that Doctor Lacy and Dr. Mitchell are doing. It's... Cobie Rutherford: Oh the Jam Session. John Long: Jam Session. It's a little bit of everything. What is that exactly? Cobie Rutherford: So this was an opportunity for our 4-H'ers who are interested in creative arts to come and showcase, I guess, their talents. So we're going to have youth come in that play the guitar, piano, maybe any other kind of instrument. Maybe interpretive dance. John Long: And Doctor Lacey's doing stand up? Cobie Rutherford: I don't know. I'm sure not going to speak for ... John Long: I think I'm kidding, Doctor Lacy. Cobie Rutherford: I think he's going to bring his guitar and do some picking and grinning, perhaps. So I'm really excited about that. And then the Share the Fun contest that Doctor Mitchell does. I mean that seems like the ultimate talent show for a Mississippian. John Long: Right, and that's separate. That's separate from this, what we're talking about. Even though it's similar, I guess you could say. The Jam Session is ... Jam Session is for fun, right? I mean, not that everything's not for fun, but ... Cobie Rutherford: Well, the Jam Session, I think it's more of a workshop and kind of a ... it's not necessarily a talent showcase, it's to where you may can go participate and learn something about how to play the guitar. Maybe you go into the Jam Session and you are, you can play the piano. Well maybe you have a chance to showcase that ability and then you say, "Hey, let me borrow this guitar," and learn from each other. John Long: Oh that's good. Cobie Rutherford: So I think it can be pretty neat. John Long: Yeah. I'm looking forward to that. Cobie Rutherford: Maybe some drama type contest, or not really contest, but drama showcases. So a kid, they may have some scripts and get to practice being an actor or actress. So, yeah, it can be very cool. John Long: That'll be fun. Do we have anything else that's not our normal standard fare? Oh, talk about where we're going to be staying. Do we know where, the dorms? Where we're going to be located, and where registration is going to be and everything. You know that off hand? Cobie Rutherford: Yeah. I think we're going to have most of our registration and activities in Hearst, but most of our events are going to take place in the Union and surrounding buildings here, to Bost. Of course, all our general sessions will be in the Bost Auditorium, I think. And so they'll be pretty local. But just a lot going on for sure. I'm looking forward to seeing the bicycle contest. John Long: Yeah, always try to get over and see that. Cobie Rutherford: You know, that was something that I never got to go to state in, and I competed in that contest every year from the time I was nine to 18. And the last year, I'm pretty awful at riding bicycles, and our state representative was judging the contest and I ran over his foot. I still remember that. Every time I see him, "Sorry, Representative Campbell." John Long: I'm the guy that ran over your foot. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah, but we ever came that. John Long: That's good. He didn't hold it against you? Cobie Rutherford: Well, I didn't win. John Long: Oh, he may have. Cobie Rutherford: I think you did, actually. I ran out of the way. But, that was fun. Tractor driving, I had a funny incident with that too. John Long: Oh yeah, you told me that. Cobie Rutherford: I tore up the whole course at state contest. I didn't realize the tractor had a wagon hooked up to it. John Long: Now listen, young people that are listening, this is not a license to tear the course up. Just because Cobie did, you're not allowed to do that. Cobie Rutherford: Exactly. It was was so embarrassing because I was this farm kid, I knew how to drive tractor, but I had not ever practiced with a 16 foot wagon. And it was a disaster and embarrassing, but, needless to say I didn't get called up on stage for that contest. John Long: Did you ever do automotive? Cobie Rutherford: We didn't have that contest. No, I never did. I did plant cell science exhibit one time, and my dad and I, we built this container and I planted all of these different row crops in it. We didn't plant it correctly though, so we had to replant two or three times because our corn got four foot tall and we had to transport it to the state contest. It just wasn't feasible. So it was a fun contest. I think I placed in the state in that, but, I don't know. Wasn't something that was easy, for sure. John Long: Right, right, right. Cobie Rutherford: We didn't volunteer to do that again. But I'm looking forward to, it's going to be a fun three days. John Long: We've got some good workshops and things, other tours and things like that. Of course that information is out there as well. So, yeah, I'm looking forward to it. And, you know, after that we start looking at the next thing. Cobie Rutherford: It'll be Project Achievement Days for our younger 4-H youth coming up. John Long: We can talk about that at a later date because that's, basically what that amounts to is a mini, M-I-N-I, Congress for younger people. So, I enjoy that too, because we get out on the road and go to these different places and that's a lot of fun as well. Cobie Rutherford: They're in each of the four districts. John Long: Yeah, that's right. And first one coming up is Northeast, so that'll be in June. So we'll take one day at a time and go from there, I guess. Cobie Rutherford: That's right. Well we thank you all for listening today. I think that kind of wraps up our talk on 4-H State Congress. And thank you for tuning into 4-H-4-U-2. This is Cobie Rutherford. John Long: And I'm John Long, and if you need anything, just give us a holler. Cobie Rutherford: Thanks a bunch. Announcer: Thanks for joining us for 4-H-4-U-2. For more information, please visit extension.msstate.edu and be sure to subscribe to our podcast. 4-H-4-U-2 is produced by the Mississippi State University Extension Service, Office of Agricultural Communications.  

Mississippi State Extension 4-H Specialists, Dr. John Long and Cobie Rutherford discuss Mississippi State 4-H's S.A.F.E.T.Y. program. Transcript: Announcer: This is 4-H4U2, a podcast from the Mississippi State University Extension Service promoting 4-H programs and positive youth development here. Now your host, Dr. John Long and Cobie Rutherford. John Long: All right Cobie, well the long awaited day that I've been excited about for ever since we did our actual first podcasts, which was, I don't know how long ago was that? Cobie Rutherford: Gosh, I guess it's been about three or four weeks. John Long: Yeah, three or four, almost a month I guess. And in that podcast we talked a little bit about ourselves, but today we're going to be talking about two different topics I guess, and its relation to a 4-H. So what are we actually going to be talking about today? Cobie Rutherford: Well I think the first topic that we should discuss would be your programs and what you do with the state for each office, and that's with the S.A.F.E.T.Y. program. And then I think in the next podcast we could probably visit some of the things that I'm doing with the state 4-H Congress, and the other staff members. John Long: I think that's good because both of them are either have been going and are going to continue on and and or coming up. So we've got a lot to cover for sure. And this is actually going to be in two separate podcasts, so we're pretty excited about it. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah. With all the stuff going on in our office, it seems like we're all scrambling working on a lot of different things at once, and if we don't stay up on these things, they'll fall by the wayside pretty fast. We'll get behind. So I guess when I grew up in 4-H, S.A.F.E.T.Y. programs were around but they weren't as popular as they are now. John, describe the S.A.F.E.T.Y. program to our audience and what it really entails here at MSU. John Long: I have to do it a little sidebar when you said that about 4-H. I can't remember which one of my children asked me, he says, you know, did you participate in S.A.F.E.T.Y., which was formally known as shooting sports, as a child? And I said, no. I said I knew about 4-H but I said I knew absolutely nothing about the S.A.F.E.T.Y. program or otherwise I would have been in it, because I was actually doing all those things that our young people are doing in it today. It was a lot of fun for them. So S.A.F.E.T.Y. is basically what it was before, it was a shooting sports, it was known as shooting sports. And then prior to that it was known as field and stream. So now we've made a name change again. And S.A.F.E.T.Y. is an acronym that stands for safe archery and firearms education and training for youth. Cobie Rutherford: So it sounds like to me that encompasses a whole lot more than just what the shooting sports and field and stream did. John Long: Yeah, for sure. And I think that what it's done has really made it even more marketable. Because instead of just saying 4-H shootings sports, and you might have some people scratching their heads because they don't really know what shooting sports encompasses, and we're just so much more than just shooting. It might be something, if you heard shooting sports, you may think, well shotgun, that's all they do or whatever. But it really is to expound on exactly the whole program itself. And we want to emphasize the fact that we're educating youth too, because it's all about youth development, teaching life skills. Cobie Rutherford: So this name change came across from a number of different reasons and it wasn't just to be more PC in today's climate. It really, S.A.F.E.T.Y. describes the program very well. John Long: That's exactly right. And first and foremost is what we teach is safety. And I've always said, and anybody listening to this that's ever been to a volunteer training or a volunteer certification or instructor certification that's to say, I always make this comment. I said if we save one person's life from what we taught in the program, then everything else is worth it because we put that much emphasis on safety when we teach young people, Cobie Rutherford: No doubt. So what all contest are within this program under the S.A.F.E.T.Y. umbrella? What other disciplines? I know you mentioned shotgun, rifle ... John Long: Right. And let me clarify. When we talk about a discipline, that's the actually the activity like you said. So it's shotgun, muzzle loader, air pistol, air rifle, .22 rifle, .22 pistol. That's the hunting, we actually have hunting. And I'm trying to ... Archery, we do compound and recurve. And a lot of those disciplines have, and I'm sorry if I forgot something, don't want my level two instructors call me and say, well you forgot this discipline. But I think I got all of them. John Long: But anyway, a lot of those disciplines have sub categories just based on equipment. I won't bore you with that because you really needed to get into the details of that. You need to get the actual event handbook and see exactly, the rule books and see exactly what I'm talking about. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah, I think all those things sound so interesting to me. When I grew up in 4-H, I don't know that our County had a shooting sports program. But I had a Hunter safety education class within my ag class. And I remember how terrible I was at shooting any type of firearm. And one day our teacher gave us a big poster board of a Turkey and said blast it with a shotgun. I don't think I hit the poster. I don't know how far it was away, but I aimed that gun and I don't know where those bullets went. John Long: I've had that same thing happen on real turkeys. Cobie Rutherford: Really? John Long: Yeah. And it's not a good feeling walking out of the woods empty handed for sure. So at least the paper ones don't move on you, so I can't make an excuse for you. Cobie Rutherford: I can't either. But it was a pretty sad moment in educational career that stuck with me. And as the saying goes, you couldn't hit the broad side of a barn. John Long: Barn, yeah. Yeah, and I understand that for sure. Cobie Rutherford: Really came to life with me. So I've seen a lot of pictures and videos of the shooting sport events and it seems like it is first and foremost a lot of fun for those kids and families. But what are they getting out of that? Why is it important to teach them about this skill and what kind of youth development skills do you think they're getting? John Long: Well, two weeks ago I was privileged to go to the Northeast district match, and I will say this, there were over 500 young people at that event and all shooting, and they had zero incidences of mishaps. And I think a lot of that, if not all of it, is due to the diligence and then the emphasis that we put on safety. A lot of times when you hear about young people and firearms, it's bad thing. But that was just a really, you think about getting 500 young people together to have a contest and to have that event pull off as it did, it is an amazing thing. John Long: What they're learning in this program as I said, of course you know this, 4-H is about youth development, and it's teaching life skills. And those skills that those young people are going to learn they're going to take with them for the rest of their life. So what we want to do is just get them into the program and that program, each program in 4-H has a certain hook to it. It could be horse, it could be livestock, shooting sports. And it's to appeal to a wide audience, and that's why we do that, is to get them involved in something that they enjoy so we can get them into the educational process that 4-H has. Cobie Rutherford: And I think this is one of those unique programs in 4-H that is appealing to both a rural and an urban audience, that they can go to their County shooting range and participate in it without having to own land or having to own livestock, or ... It's just opened up to everyone it seems like. Are there any age restrictions on any of those specifics? John Long: Yep. You have to be at least eight years old by January the first in order to participate. And then you you can't have passed your 18th birthday as of January one in order to remain a senior level participant. So yes, there are age restrictions for that. And for that matter, when we go back to talking about the disciplines, we have a progressional phase of starting out a young person on an air gun, and then moving them up to where they get to 10 years old and they can start doing more disciplines other than just air. And then we have a certain restriction on ..22 pistol where you have to be 14 before you can even do that one. So it is a progressional thing. I look at it like a funnel, you just start out up here and try to get them down to where they're more specified in a discipline, if that makes any sense. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah. That does. You just keep progressing and moving on up the chain. About the kids, I think about in my own home and think about, I'm leery of having a firearm in my home at times, or if I do, I want it locked up away from where my children can access it. But I think back to this training all these kids are receiving about how to know what to do with that firearm, how to respect that gun. Don't you think that's a pretty important that we as well? John Long: Yeah. And as I said, I was not in 4-H S.A.F.E.T.Y. when I was young. I was fortunate, I had my dad and my uncle are very avid outdoorsmen, and they taught me the value of respecting a firearm. And mine was shoot a Coke can and look at it, and I'll never forget my uncle doing that. And he said, you see what that does to you? Or if you shot a squirrel, he said, that'll do the same thing to you, so you better respect it. And that went for a three wheeler or whatever. If you lost respect for something that's when it would hurt you. So, and that is absolutely important, and it's critical. And our instructors again, emphasize that over and over again. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah. So you keep mentioning instructors. Are these instructors, are they volunteers or how do y'all find instructors for this course? John Long: Well, volunteers and extension agents take on that role as well. We have a training that is pretty intense and they're taught how to basically ... And let me back up. I've had a lot of questions from people that were interested in volunteering and they say, Oh, I want to be an instructor, but I know absolutely nothing about firearms. I said, don't worry about it. I say, do you have a passion for teaching youth? And they'll say, Oh yes. I said, well, don't worry about that. We'll teach you everything else you need to know. We're going to teach you to be safe and we're going to teach you how to interact with a young person. John Long: One of the things that the instructor is, and sometimes you'll hear them referred to as coaches, but one thing that an instructor is, is basically a mentor or a caring, responsible adult in order to instruct that person. So what you're going to find out is if you're an instructor, these young people are, or you're going to learn from them maybe what kind of home they come from, what kind of background they have, and you being that mentor, that positive caring adult, is going to be a positive influence in their life. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah, I think that's of the utmost importance for sure. What about when the child signs up to compete in a S.A.F.E.T.Y. event? Are they responsible for bringing their own firearms or their own bow and arrow? John Long: Yes. Cobie Rutherford: Their own bullets? John Long: Yes. They are responsible for bringing any type of whatever equipment that they're going to need. They need to bring it. Cobie Rutherford: I got you, sure. So I think that's good in itself. Just learning how to safely transport firearms. John Long: Oh yeah, absolutely. Yeah. I'd say that it's one of the life skills you're going to learn is, you don't take your shotgun if it's been raining and you just don't throw it in a case, or put it in a gun cabinet with it wet. You learn the responsibility of keeping your firearm clean. I had somebody say something the other day, they said, Oh, I haven't cleaned my gun in years. I said, you better clean it. I said, because you take care of your gun, the gun will take care of you, and it'll perform the job what you want it to do as long as you take care of it. So yeah, that's definitely something that you learn. Cobie Rutherford: So what events are coming up with S.A.F.E.T.Y.? I know you've got a pretty busy calendar for the next few months. John Long: Yes, lordy. We are rolling, rolling, rolling. We had the last ... Well first of all, when it's not raining or when it wasn't raining, which was hard to do, right? The counties were having multi-County matches in order to qualify for the district events. And over the past two weekends we've had, we had the first three districts on the last weekend in April. And then we had, like I said earlier, we had the last district, Northwest district, had their event last Saturday. So we've wrapped up the district events. Now those senior age participants that qualified for a state invitational will actually have an opportunity to go. Now they don't have to go, but they will have an opportunity to participate at the state invitational and that is going be July the 19th through the 20th, and more information will come out on that. You just have to keep watching the website and keep in contact with your extension agent and they'll keep you informed on what you need in order to do that. John Long: One of the exciting things that I enjoy doing is going to grand Island Nebraska every year, and that's going to be June the 23rd through the 28th. And that's where the national championship is held. Cobie Rutherford: Oh, neat. John Long: We've got a pretty good number of young people that's going to be participating in that and they have participation in all disciplines with the exception of hunting. And so we always have a good time and it's awesome. I think it's really important that young people in our state, they get exposed to a portion of the country that a lot of them have never seen before. And they get to interact with young people that they've never seen before. And some of them make lifelong friends from being there. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah. And what better reason to go to Nebraska? John Long: Right, exactly. Exactly. Cobie Rutherford: You get to see part ... There's really ... John Long: Well it's funny that ... Yeah, Grand Island Nebraska is home to Hornady Ammunition. I don't know if I can say that or not, but they are. And it's really cool to see how such a ... Of course you can go into any sporting goods store and see that ammunition. And I think, I've been in that building, I've seen them making those bullets. So that's really, really cool. So they have those attractions and Grant Allen is a great, great town. They are very welcoming to us. And I will say this, I was checking out of the hotel last year and the woman at the front desk, she said, this was four o'clock in the morning too, she said, "I just want you to know something". She said, "We are so happy when y'all come to town", she said, "Because we don't have to hire a security guard to walk around the halls". She says, "We have a lot of large softball tournaments and things that come in here and the young people just do not act appropriately", and so much they have to hire security to walk the halls all night long. So she said, "Your kids are some great", when I say, "yours", you know what I mean. I'm talking about 4-H overall. Said that, "They are so well behaved we don't have to worry about that". And I think that's a testament to what 4-H does to young people. Cobie Rutherford: Yeah, good compliment for sure. Good deal. I'm excited to participate in my first S.A.F.E.T.Y. events coming up as a 4-H staff members, seeing what it's all about. John Long: You will be amazed. Cobie Rutherford: I'm sure I will. I probably never been in a location with that many firearms around at one time. So that's going to be pretty neat to see. John Long: Yeah, it's a lot of fun. And it's one of those things that, yes, it is a lot of work to get ready for, but once it's underway and everybody you know is enjoying themselves and having a good time, and you just say the interaction that families have with their young people, it's a lot of ... I don't know how to say this, but it is a moving thing to see young people come together with a mutual interest, have a good time, and go home and ... One of the things, I will say this, I'm getting a little stammered, but one of the things that I always think of is every child I look at, I said one of those is the next national team member, one of those could be. And I'm going to get to know that individual. So, but it is fun. Yeah, you're going to enjoy it I think. Cobie Rutherford: That's cool. It's like to go into the contest with their eye on the target, and hopefully come out with a prize. John Long: That's right. That's right. Cobie Rutherford: Very good. John Long: And make sure to drink lots of water because you can imagine July. Cobie Rutherford: It's going to be hot. John Long: Yeah, July 19th or the 20th, I've only had one year that it was cool. It was a 2008 and it was, oh my goodness. It was like a spring day and I have never had that again. Cobie Rutherford: I bet not. John Long: I'm not living right I don't guess. Cobie Rutherford: I got you. Well good deal. Well, I guess John, if you don't have anything else to add about the shooting sports S.A.F.E.T.Y. program, I've enjoyed learning about today. John Long: Yes, I have too. Look, if you want to know more about the the 4-H S.A.F.E.T.Y. program, go to your local extension office. If you don't know how to do that, just do a Google on the Mississippi State University extension. Go to the webpage and you can pull up your County and found out that County officer. You can call our state 4-H office, (662)325-3350, or send me an email at John, J-O-H-N dot L-O-N-G at M-S-S-T-A-T-E dot E-D-U. Was that a good radio voice I did? Yeah, I thought so. Cobie Rutherford: Sounds awesome. John Long: That's all I got. Cobie Rutherford: And y'all be sure to join us next time for episode three, where we'll be talking about the upcoming 2019 State 4-H Congress. John Long: Oh yeah. Announcer:   Thanks for joining us for 4-H4U2. For more information, please visit extension.msstate.edu, And be sure to subscribe to our podcast. 4-H4U2 is produced by the Mississippi State University Extension Service, Office of Agricultural Communications.