PARK RIVER, N.D. — Sending a 4-H delegate to the organization’s National Congress or its National Conference is an honor few clubs experience even once.
But this year, Walsh County (North Dakota) 4-H has four delegates to one or the other event. In fact, those four make up half of the total number of North Dakota 4-Hers chosen to attend the upcoming events.
Marit Ellingson, Andrew Myrdal and Amilia Lillehaugen will be attending National 4-H Congress in Atlanta, Georgia, Nov. 24-29, and Hannah Myrdal is a delegate to National 4-H Conference in Washington D.C., on April 14-19, 2023.
“They cleaned house this year. They just had some really good applications,” said Rachalle Vettern, North Dakota State University Leadership and Volunteer Development Specialist.
The National 4-H Congress and National 4-H Conference selection committee looks at applicants’ civic engagement within 4-H and in the communities in which they live on the local, state and national levels, she said.
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- Higher education programs striving to recruit, train prospective agriculture education teachers
- Ag education teachers are in demand across North Dakota, South Dakota and Minnesota
- North Dakota State University's plan to reduce budget deficit includes cutting 5 ag professor positions
- FFA teaches skills that more real-world leaders need
- North Valley Career and Technology Center offers agriculture education across the northern Red River Valley
“They really shined in those areas,” Vettern said.
Meanwhile, the selection committee was impressed by the quality of the Walsh County 4-Hers’ written applications.
“Theirs were very well put together,” she said.
The North Dakota 4-H Foundation selection committee also chose Alex Lahlum, LaMoure County for 4-H Congress, and also chose Jack Kram, Cass County, Malory Kemp, Pembina County, and Michaela Mitchell, Stark County, as 4-H Conference delegates.
The selection committee typically strives to have representation to the Congress and Conference from across North Dakota, but this year four of the strongest applicants were from the same county, Vettern said.
“It’s very unusual” to have four of the eight delegates from the same county, she said. However, Walsh County 4-H has a history of having a strong 4-H tradition with support from NDSU Agriculture Extension and 4-H staff, leaders and parents, so it’s not surprising that it would have multiple delegates.
Ellingson is a freshman at the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks. Andrew Myrdal is a senior at Valley-Edinburg (North Dakota) School, and his sister Hannah Myrdal is a sophomore at Valley-Edinburg. Lillehaugen is a junior at Dakota Prairie (North Dakota) High School. All four are veteran 4-Hers with a combination of more than 30 years of club membership between them.
Andrew Myrdal, 17, and Hannah, 15, are following in their parents' 4-H footsteps. The brother and sister show a variety of livestock, including goats, hogs and chickens, and are involved in communication arts and crops and land judging.
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Andrew Myrdal also is a North Dakota State 4-H Ambassador, a position that has taught him a lot about leadership and community service.
“It’s a great program. The stuff you get to help out with is always very rewarding. You know you have an impact in 4-H, and the program that has given you so much, you can give back,” Myrdal said.
Lillehaugen appreciates the communications skills she learned in 4-H, something that has had a positive impact in her personal and school life.
“Before, I had a lot of social anxiety, and it’s helped a lot with that,” Lillehaugen said.
Honing leadership skills is another benefit of 4-H, the 4-Hers said.
Brad Brummond, NDSU Extension agriculture agent for Walsh County, is a key part of teaching 4-H members about leadership and his enthusiasm for the program is contagious, Ellingson said.
“He is the best Extension agent in the state. His dedication to 4-H and helping 4-Hers get to the highest level is unmatched by anyone I’ve ever come in contact with,” she said. “He’s really kind of set a spark for so many kids to get into 4-H and stay in 4-H.
The Walsh County 4-H members and their parents deserve the credit for sending four delegates to the national 4-H events, Brummond said.
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“It’s because of the quality of our youth and the quality of our parents. We have a really, really strong 4-H program here and we have a 4-H tradition and a 4-H culture,” he said.
An agricultural Extension agent in Walsh County for 31 years, Brummond is coaching the children of former 4-H members.
“It’s a passion of mine. The reason I’m a county agent is because I had a county agent that took time and interest in me,” he said. “That’s why I’m here today.”
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