North Carolina 4-H traces its beginnings to 1909, when boys' agricultural clubs, known as Corn Clubs, were established to introduce young people to improved farming practices through hands-on learning. Girls' tomato canning and gardening clubs followed in 1911, helping lay the foundation for what would become North Carolina 4-H.
Over the following decades, the organization expanded beyond its agricultural roots to provide educational opportunities in leadership, citizenship, science, healthy living and other areas.
Today, North Carolina 4-H operates through North Carolina Cooperative Extension, a partnership involving NC State University, N.C. A&T State University and federal, state and local governments. Through programs in all 100 counties and the Qualla Boundary, 4-H provides young people with opportunities to develop skills, build confidence and make a difference in their communities.
Historical Milestones
Explore significant events and developments that have shaped North Carolina 4-H, from its beginnings in 1909 to the present day.
The Early Years (1909–1925)
- 1909 | North Carolina College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts, now NC State University, signs an agreement with the United States Department of Agriculture to establish boys' agricultural clubs, known as Corn Clubs. The first Corn Club is organized in Hertford County by Ira O. Schaub, the first director of the state's Corn Club program.
- 1911 | The first girls' tomato canning and gardening clubs are established. Jane S. McKimmon is appointed by I. O. Schaub as the state’s first home demonstration (now Family and Consumer Sciences) agent and assumes leadership of girls’ club work.
- 1912 | Corn Club members from Granville County attend a gathering at State College in Raleigh, laying the groundwork for the statewide Short Course that would eventually become North Carolina 4-H Congress.
- 1914 | Agricultural club work for African American boys begins in Sampson County under the leadership of G. W. Herring. The Smith-Lever Act establishes the Cooperative Extension System, providing a national framework for extending land-grant university research to communities.
- 1915 | The first statewide Short Course for white agricultural club members is held at State College in Raleigh, attended by 222 boys and one girl. John D. Wray becomes the first statewide agent for African American boys' agricultural clubs.
- 1919 | The first statewide Home Demonstration Short Course for white girls is held at the North Carolina College for Women. The first county 4-H camp is established in Warren County.
- 1920 | The first state officers are elected at the agricultural club Short Course, establishing an early tradition of statewide youth leadership.
- 1922 | Lera R. Harrill begins working with 4-H clubs in Buncombe County, becoming North Carolina’s first county 4-H agent.
- 1924 | The first district Short Courses for African American club members are held in Greensboro and Winton. For the first time, the statewide agricultural and Home Demonstration Short Courses for white boys and girls are held simultaneously.
Establishing North Carolina 4-H (1926–1945)
- 1926 | L. R. Harrill becomes North Carolina's first state 4-H club leader, helping bring boys' and girls' clubs under the 4-H name. The first statewide Short Course for African American club members is held at North Carolina A&T College in Greensboro.
- 1927 | North Carolina sends a delegation to the first National 4-H Camp in Washington, D.C.
- 1928 | The first campfire and candlelighting ceremony is held during the statewide 4-H Short Course, beginning a tradition that would become a part of every subsequent statewide Short Course.
- 1929 | Boys' and girls' clubs are formally brought together under the 4-H name. The first state 4-H camp opens in Swannanoa, and the Health Pageant is introduced at the statewide Short Course.
- 1931 | The North Carolina 4-H Honor Club is established by L. R. Harrill to recognize outstanding members and encourage continued leadership and service. The Dress Revue is introduced at the statewide 4-H Short Course for members to showcase their clothing and sewing projects.
- 1933 | The statewide 4-H Short Course is canceled because of the Great Depression.
- 1936 | African American 4-H membership reaches approximately 10,000. Robert E. Jones becomes the first full-time state leader coordinating 4-H work for African American youth.
- 1939 | 4-H programs for white youth have been established in all 100 North Carolina counties. Millstone 4-H Camp opens in Ellerbe, following construction supported by the Works Progress Administration.
- 1942–1945 | Statewide Short Courses are suspended during World War II. North Carolina 4-H members contribute to the war effort through food production, Victory Gardens, scrap metal drives and fundraising for military equipment.
Postwar Growth and Transformation (1946–1965)
- 1946 | North Carolina 4-H membership reaches 100,000. The statewide Short Course resumes under a new name, State 4-H Club Week.
- 1947 | The first North Carolina 4-H Electric Congress is held to promote rural electrification and electrical education.
- 1948 | North Carolina youth begin participating in the International Farm Youth Exchange program. State 4-H Club Week is canceled due to a polio outbreak.
- 1950 | The 4-H Club Foundation of North Carolina is established to raise funds for a statewide camp for African American youth.
- 1952 | North Carolina leads the nation in 4-H membership, with more than 140,000 members, representing approximately seven percent of national membership.
- 1956 | Camp J. W. Mitchell opens at Hammocks Beach in Onslow County as the first state 4-H camp for African American youth.
- 1959 | North Carolina 4-H celebrates its 50th anniversary, with more than 161,000 members in over 2,700 clubs. The 4-H Development Fund is established with the goal of raising $1 million to support camping, scholarships, awards and international exchanges.
- 1963 | L. R. Harrill, now widely known as “Mr. 4-H,” retires after 37 years as North Carolina’s first state 4-H club leader.
- 1964 | T. Carlton Blalock succeeds L. R. Harrill as state 4-H club leader. The Betsy-Jeff Penn 4-H Educational Center is established in Reidsville on land originally donated by the Penn family to the Consolidated University of North Carolina in 1959.
- 1965 | North Carolina 4-H officially desegregates at the state level, bringing previously separate programs together. Integration of local clubs continues in subsequent years.
Expansion and Evolution (1966–1999)
- 1968 | State 4-H Club Week is renamed State 4-H Congress, continuing the statewide gathering tradition established in 1915.
- 1969 | The North Carolina 4-H Development Fund reaches its original $1 million fundraising goal. The North Carolina Association of Extension 4-H Agents is founded to support 4-H professionals across the state.
- 1981 | The North Carolina 4-H Volunteer Leaders’ Association is established to provide a statewide support network for adult 4-H volunteers serving at the county, district and state levels.
- 1982 | The North Carolina 4-H Performing Arts Troupe is established, providing 4-H members with opportunities to develop their talents in theater, music and dance through original musical productions.
- 1984 | James W. Clark Jr. publishes Clover All Over: North Carolina 4-H in Action, a book documenting the history and development of North Carolina 4-H.
- 1989 | North Carolina 4-H launches a five-year fundraising campaign with a goal of raising $3 million to expand and improve 4-H programs across the state.
- 1993 | North Carolina hosts the 47th National Conference of 4-H Agents in Winston-Salem.
North Carolina 4-H in the 21st Century (2000–Present)
- 2001 | The Eastern 4-H Center opens in Columbia, expanding North Carolina 4-H camping opportunities to the northeastern region of the state.
- 2002 | The modern North Carolina 4-H Shooting Sports program is established to promote firearm safety, responsibility and skill development.
- 2005 | Marshall Stewart becomes state 4-H program leader and head of NC State University’s Department of 4-H Youth Development. NC State University Libraries receives a grant to launch Green ’N’ Growing, a digitization project preserving historical materials from North Carolina’s 4-H and Home Demonstration programs.
- 2006 | 4-H Youth Development and Family and Consumer Sciences are combined into one organizational unit within North Carolina Cooperative Extension.
- 2009 | North Carolina 4-H celebrates its 100th anniversary, commemorated in part by the creation of Campfire Delight, a special ice cream flavor developed with the NC State Howling Cow Creamery.
- 2010 | North Carolina A&T becomes the first 1890 land-grant university to develop a 4-H National Science Experiment. North Carolina 4-H begins developing a statewide curriculum development model to align educational materials with K–12 learning standards.
- 2011 | The State Employees' Credit Union Foundation gives $1 million to support construction of the SECU 4-H Learning Center at Millstone 4-H Camp, a centerpiece of the planned North Carolina 4-H History and Learning Center complex.
- 2013 | Swannanoa 4-H Camp closes after 84 years of operation, leaving Millstone as the state's oldest operating state 4-H camp.
- 2014 | Mike Yoder is appointed state 4-H program leader. The Department of 4-H Youth Development and Family and Consumer Sciences at NC State is renamed the Department of Youth, Family and Community Sciences, while statewide 4-H programming is separated from the academic department.
- 2016 | A ceremony is held to celebrate the opening of the new North Carolina 4-H History and Learning Center complex at Millstone 4-H Camp. The Department of Youth, Family and Community Sciences merges with the Department of Agricultural and Extension Education to form the Department of Agricultural and Human Sciences.
- 2020 | State 4-H Congress and 4-H summer camps are held virtually for the first time due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
- 2021 | The Dinah Gore 4-H Healthy Food Challenge is established through an endowment from the Gore family to promote nutrition, food preparation and healthy eating habits.
- 2022 | The first Member Engagement officers are elected to the State 4-H Council following constitutional amendments adopted in 2021.
- 2024 | The 4-H Beyond Ready initiative is introduced, emphasizing 4-H’s role in preparing young people with the skills needed to succeed in college, careers and life.
- 2025 | North Carolina 4-H participation surpasses pre-COVID-19 pandemic numbers, reaching more than 273,000 youth statewide following several years of recovery and growth.
- 2026 | Mike Yoder retires after 11 years as state 4-H program leader and Shannon McCollum is appointed interim state 4-H program leader. North Carolina 4-H formally joins the Department of Agricultural and Human Sciences. The Alexander County 4-H “Grill Billies” become the first team from North Carolina and the first from outside Texas to win the National 4-H Food Challenge.
North Carolina 4-H History and Learning Center
Located at Millstone 4-H Camp in Ellerbe, the North Carolina 4-H History and Learning Center preserves and shares the people, programs and traditions that have shaped 4-H across the state.
