UNH Cooperative Extension is an equal opportunity employer and educator

University of New Hampshire, U.S. Department of Agriculture and N.H. counties cooperating

2010 NH 4-H Agricultural Career Trip - Summary

From August 10-13th

, a group of 27 youth

from Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, and

Massachusetts took part in the 2010 4-H

Agricultural Career Trip. The trip, which

traveled to the Finger Lakes region of New

York state was open to 4-H and non 4-H

members and was supervised by volunteer

leaders along with UNH Cooperative

Extension 4-H Youth Development Staff.

A Variety of Stops:

In an effort to expose trip participants to a

wide variety of career options, the trip’s

itinerary included visits with numerous

agricultural enterprises, food system

professionals, and industry events. Stops

included: The New York State FFA Chapter of

the Year where students and teachers are

active in the growth of biofuel crops and in the

production of maple syrup which they teach

about through their mobile maple exhibit;

Hemdale Farms, run by farmer, innovator, and

educator Dale Hemminger, a dairy and

cabbage producer that recently implemented a

fully robotic milking operation; Lakeview

Organic Grain, where successful organic

farming techniques are being matched with

growing demand for organic grain and food by

local farmers and New York City consumers;

an evening business-plan and finance

workshop facilitated by representatives from

Farm Credit East (who also served as

chaperones for the trip); The Peacework

Organic Farm which is run exclusively

through Community Supported Agriculture

shares; The Apple Shed, an apple orchard and

entrepreneurial cider producer that has

embraced value added food production as well

as agri-tourism; a Beef farm run by a former

USDA meat standards expert; and a highlight

for many, the Empire Farm Days, an

impressive trade show where the latest in

agricultural equipment and techniques were on

display.

Participant Learning:

When asked about the highlights of the

trip, the participants’ responses included:

� “I liked being able to have tours of

different farms with similar ideas but

different ways of putting that/those ideas

into action”

� “I really liked seeing the variety of

business technologies and plans that had

been successful and worked for people.”

� “I enjoyed getting to see all these different

careers many I wouldn’t have thought of.”

� “What a huge can of worms it opened for

me”

Valuable Support:

The trip was a good mix of fun,

exploration, and reflection, and was made

possible by the generous support of the New

Hampshire State 4-H Foundation, the

AgEnhancement Program, and Stonyfield

Yogurt. Like many other 4-H Youth

development projects, its success was due to

the hard work and generosity of parent leaders

and volunteers who took the time out of their

busy schedules to serve as chaperons, mentors,

and teachers during the trip. At the close of

the trip, one of these volunteers commented:

“I thoroughly enjoyed the trip and felt that it

exposed the group to a variety of agricultural

enterprises; the support we had along the way

from the teachers, farm staff and college

personnel was fantastic.”

To learn more about programs coordinated by New

Hampshire 4-H Youth development, visit the UNH

Cooperative Extension website: extension.unh.edu and

to learn more about New Hampshire programs focused

on exposing young people to agricultural careers, get

connected to the New Hampshire Agriculture and Food

Pioneers coalition nhagricultureandfoodpioneers.org.

UNH Cooperative Extension is an equal opportunity employer and educator

University of New Hampshire, U.S. Department of Agriculture and N.H. counties cooperating

2010 NH 4-H Agricultural Career Trip - Summary

Greg Palmer (in red hat) from Peacework Organic CSA in Newark, NY guides a group of Ag Career

Trip participants through one of his farm’s greenhouses

Chaperones Samantha Stoddard (left) and Brianna Bebee (right) from Farm Credit East, along with

trip participant Hannah Andritsakis (center), act as bank loan officers as they hear the business

proposals crafted by small groups of trip participants during an evening workshop.

UNH Cooperative Extension is an equal opportunity employer and educator

University of New Hampshire, U.S. Department of Agriculture and N.H. counties cooperating

2010 NH 4-H Agricultural Career Trip - Evaluation

The stated goals of the trip were: A) to explore agricultural career options in a hands-on manner with

participating youth, B) to facilitate on-site experiences at a variety of agricultural businesses and

organizations, and C) to provide an engaging, well managed, traveling experience.

I. Results from End-of-Trip Evaluation

A. Results from Multiple Choice Questions Agree or Strongly Agree with Statement

Statement Participants Chaperones

Total

(n=36)

The Trip was successful at exposing participants to a variety of Career

Options 84% 100% 89%

The Trip was successful at helping participants figure out the next steps

that they can take to prepare for a career in Agriculture 69% 90% 75%

The Trip was fun 69% 100% 78%

The Trip was well managed and Organized 73% 100% 81%

B. Results from Written Comments Chaperons and participants in general seemed to enjoy the trip and felt it was well run. A number of

respondents suggested more time be spent at the Empire Farm Days and that a visit to Cornell would have been

in order. Many felt the variety and pacing of the trip were excellent and that the basics of lodging, meals, and

transportation were more than adequate. As one participant summarized it:

“[I] got to see a variety of different farms, really enjoyed making a business plan, food was

great, bus was awesome, reflection times really helped.”

II. Results from Daily Assessments – Learning Outcomes

On each of the four days of the trip, each participant was asked to describe on a standardized form, their

current thoughts about: A) what possible career path they would choose if they decided to pursue work in

agriculture or food systems, and B) what steps they would need to take in order to prepare for that path.

When individuals’ responses are tracked over the four days, the following learning outcomes emerge:

1. Youth saw the educational worth of site visits and began incorporated them into their personal

career planning

2. Younger participants, specifically age 14, had their eyes opened to a variety of new career options

3. Specific activities or visits had relevant thought-changing impacts for certain trip participants

4. Youth developed new understandings of financial issues & business planning

5. A number of learners expanded their knowledge of organic certification & practices

6. For many, goals set regarding their career development became more concrete and specific over the

course of the trip

7. A number of older youth in particular, refined their goal of going to college to developing a strategy

for choosing the right college or university.