Oklahoma 4-H celebrates 100 years

Oklahoma 4-H has been celebrating its centennial all year, but the officially-designated birthday is October 10. To celebrate, 4-H'ers from around the state will gather for a day of activities at this corn maze—carved into a 7-acre corn field at P_Bar Farms in honor of Oklahoma 4-H. The maze is open to the public through November 14. Hours are listed on the P_Bar Farms website.

The maze is is a 7-foot-high puzzle containing more than 95 decision points along the 3.5 mile maze. Most maze-goers will require about one hour to discover the one exit, though the correct pathway can be walked perfectly in only 20 minutes.

P_Bar Farms is located on I-40 between Hydro and Weatherford, Exit 84 (from West) or Exit 88 (from East) and follow Route 66 (North access road) for approximately 3 miles. Look for red barns.

In 1909, researchers at Oklahoma's ag school (now OSU) had found that youth were more likely than adults to experiment with the new agricultural discoveries coming out of the ag research stations. The youth would then share their experiences and successes with the adults. All of Oklahoma’s 77 counties had 4-H by 1937.

In 1944, President Roosevelt asked rural boys and girls to help support troops fighting in World War II. Four-H’ers produced enough food to care for one million soldiers for three years.

Today, Oklahoma 4-H has more than 158,000 members who continue to volunteer their time and efforts to Oklahoma through projects including agriculture, citizenship, healthy living, science and technology, food science, and environmental education.  As 4-H’ers celebrate National 4-H Week and Oklahoma 4-H Month during October, they will begin a new century of keeping it green as they raise awareness about environmental issues and make a difference for Oklahoma’s future.

For information about 4-H in your area, contact OSU Cooperative Extension Service in your county.

More about Oklahoma 4-H centennial celebration activities here.

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Oklahoma Ag in the Classroom is a program of the Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service, the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry and the Oklahoma State Department of Education