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It’s official. You are THE BEST!! Some of you are aware that UC 4-H participated in a program evaluation effort hosted by National 4-H Council. California was assigned a target number of 250 responses. Well, I am delighted to report that we exceeded our target with 378 responses! We are exceedingly grateful to all who participated and commit to sharing the results when we receive the final report for California 4-H. In the meantime, we are continuing to address known issues as we ramp up enrollment for the 2026-2027 program year.

Please allow me to share a bit more good news! Your diligence, commitment and collaboration this past program cycle resulted in a total enrollment increase to over 84,000 youth and thousands of projects completed.

Then, in the latter half of July, we hosted a very successful 4-H State Horse Classic, under the leadership of Dr. Erica Pettey, Animal Science CES in the State 4-H Office. More than 60 youth participated in a variety of horse show classes, competitions, recreational events, and social activities.

Group photo 2026 Horse Classic 

Two youth on horses 2026 Horse Classic

Youth Presenter 2026 Horse Classic

Next, a few of us from the state office participated in the first ever Ag Day at the State Fair, hosted by our phenomenal partners at the California Foundation for Ag in the Classroom. Over 300 youth and family members visited our booth, eating candy, waving hand-held fans for relief from the steamy hot temperatures, and learning more about all things 4-H, from location of the closest community club to the breadth of project types offered statewide. Below are a few photos from the State Fair as 4-H’ers competed in a range of competitions while we were there. UC ANR Vice President Dr. Glenda Humiston stole the attention with her very popular bold print 4-H shirt! Love it!

Youth at 2026 State Fair

Group photo 2026 Ag at State Fair

The month came to a very exciting end with our annual 4-H State Leadership Conference. We celebrated record enrollment of 200 youth with the introduction of our new academic tracks in the following subject areas: Animal Science & Agriculture, Healthy Living, Leadership & Civic Engagement, Shooting Sports, and STEM. Special thanks to the planning team leader, Ms. Jenna Colburn, in the State 4-H Office, the track leaders, Dr. Erica Pettey, Ms. Ally Lemmer, Mr. Ryan Cleland, Mr. Russell Hill, Mr. Nathaniel Caeton, Ms. Gemma Miner and the leaders of spectacular plenary sessions on Culture and Connection, Dr. Kaitlyn Murray and Stepha Velednitsky. Additional special thanks go to the many adult volunteers who coordinated speakers and served as chaperones, facilitators, program assistants and in other key roles. Their expertise helped make the SLC quite a successful event. We were also favored with the presence of members of the California 4-H Foundation Board, who held their summer meeting at the UC ANR Headquarters on Friday, July 24 and then traveled to the conference site to observe one of the sessions.

New additions to the 4-H Statewide Team:

• Aubrie Cortez, Administrative Assistant, Merced Co.
• Sabrina Dawson, Office Assistant, Napa Co.
• Sarah Sanchez, Office Assistant, Tulare Co.

Welcome aboard!

Volunteer Spotlights

We are delighted to highlight volunteers this month who are each leaving a legacy of service to the 4-H community.

Ms. Lynn Warren

Riverside County 4-H

After Lynn Warren attended the California 4-H State Horse Classic with her daughter in 2001, she was hooked. Each year since, Lynn has volunteered at Horse Classic to lead and train others to run the education contests of hippology, judging and horse bowl. The education contests qualify senior youth to represent California 4-H at the Western National Roundup in Denver, Colorado each January. “Once I started coming for the education and coaching the kids for state and nationals, I realized, ‘Oh man, this is where my passion is!’”

Lynn Warren at the 2026 Horse Classic

Lynn has coached the national team since 2005 and now helps the new coaches for the national team. She also recruits Equine Education leaders to run contests locally. Thanks to her support, California regularly places in the top three in the nation, winning overall state twice!

Lynn volunteers in many roles in her county. She is a club leader, 4-H Horse Project leader for horse shows, equine committee advisor for Riverside County, and on the Statewide Horse Classic planning committee. Along with her “posse,” Kim Martinez and Dr. Kristi Coulter, she runs the 4-H horse shows in Riverside County and an open benefit show at Yucaipa Equestrian Center to fund sending the California 4-H team to nationals. 

Ms. Anita Hatfield

Calaveras County

Our programs are built on the passion and dedication of volunteers who truly believe in the power of youth development. Today, we are honored to spotlight Ms. Anita Hatfield, whose lifelong commitment to 4-H serves as a beautiful example of how one person's dedication can shape generations.  

Left-right: Alicia Norman, Brenden T., Anita Hatfield 

Ms. Anita’s 4-H journey began in the 4th grade in Calaveras County, and she has remained a part of the program ever since. While her primary focus as a youth was sewing, she also participated in beef projects and served as a teen leader in cooking. This passion for mentorship carried into her professional life; after college, Ms. Anita spent her career as a teacher, working with youth within the juvenile detention system.

For over five decades, Ms. Anita has volunteered wherever needed, serving as a club and project leader for everything from sewing, crocheting, cooking, and swine, to arts, crafts, and more. When asked about her favorite part of 4-H, Ms. Anita shared:

“I love seeing youth get excited about learning new things. Many of them light up when they get to hold or feed a little animal, which sparks a deeper interest in learning about them. Simply taking a walk and noticing the various plants and animals can ignite a lifelong curiosity.”

Ms. Anita’s journey from a curious 4th grader to a dedicated mentor over five decades is a testament to the lasting impact of 4-H. We are deeply grateful for her wisdom, her patience, and the countless hours she has invested in our youth. Thank you, Ms. Anita, for your extraordinary service and for your heart for our community!

Art Contest

2026 California 4-H Art Contest: "Envisioning a Fire-adapted Future”

Calling all artists and creative thinkers! The UC ANR Fire Network is hosting an art contest for 4-H youth ages 9-18 to showcase your creative, well-informed solutions for reducing wildfire risk. 

Who can enter: 4-H members ages 9-18

Categories: Junior (ages 9-10); Intermediate (ages 11-13); Senior (ages 14-18)

Criteria: Originality, visual impact, message clarity and storytelling

All submissions will be displayed at the 2026 Beneficial Fire Summit being held in San Diego. Winning entries in the three age categories will receive a t-shirt with your artwork. T-shirts of the three winning entries will also be sold during the conference.

For updates and more information: please go to the California 4-H Art Contest webpage.

Teen Leader Essential Series

Teen Leader Essential Series: Setting Up for Success

Are you ready to grow as a leader, strengthen your team, and build skills you can use throughout your 4-H journey and beyond? The Teen Leader Essential Series: Setting Up for Success is designed to help teen leaders develop the knowledge, confidence, and practical tools needed to lead successful teams, create meaningful programs, and make a positive impact in their communities.

Hosted by the State Ambassador Team, this virtual series will guide participants through essential leadership topics, from building strong youth-adult partnerships and creating a plan of action to facilitating engaging workshops and adapting when plans change. Each session will include interactive learning opportunities, practical strategies, and tools that teen leaders can apply to their County Ambassador Program and other leadership roles.

Adult leaders and County Ambassador Coaches are encouraged to attend each session alongside their teen leadership teams. Participating together will help teams build a shared understanding of the concepts, strengthen youth-adult partnerships, and create opportunities to apply what they learn throughout the year.

September 16, 2026, | 6:30–8:30 p.m.

Youth-Adult Partnerships & Finding Your Niche as a Teen Leader

Using Hart’s Ladder of Participation, participants will explore the different levels of youth-adult partnerships and learn strategies for strengthening youth-adult relationships both within and beyond the County Ambassador Program. Teams will also participate in an activity designed to build their understanding of the 4-H Leadership Competencies and explore how they can use these competencies to grow and find their niche as teen leaders.

October 22, 2026, | 6:30–8:00 p.m.

Creating a Strong Plan of Action

Great ideas become meaningful experiences when they are supported by a strong plan. Participants will discover the key components of service-learning and practice transforming traditional community service activities into meaningful service-learning projects that connect service, learning, and community impact.

November 18, 2026, | 6:30–8:30 p.m.

Manage Your Goals and Consensus Building

Goal management and cooperative decision-making are key components of team success. This workshop will guide participants through selecting and managing goals while learning strategies for making decisions collaboratively and building consensus as a team.

December 17, 2026, | 6:30–8:00 p.m.

Anatomy of a Workshop

One important role of a teen leader is educating and engaging others. In this workshop, participants will learn how to design a cohesive, interactive, and fun educational workshop while incorporating meaningful learning outcomes. Teams will explore how to turn an idea into an engaging learning experience.

January 20, 2027, | 6:30–8:00 p.m.

The Art of Facilitation

After learning how to build a successful workshop, the next step is learning how to deliver it. Participants will explore the key elements of effective facilitation and develop skills to lead interactive, engaging, and meaningful learning experiences.

February 18, 2027, | 6:30–8:00 p.m.

Adapting Without Collapsing

What happens when things do not go as planned? Flexibility, creativity, and resourcefulness are essential leadership skills. Participants will learn how to anticipate challenges, develop backup plans, and adapt with confidence when circumstances change.

Whether you are new to a teen leadership role or looking to strengthen your existing skills, the Teen Leader Essential Series will provide tools and experiences to help you and your team succeed. Teen leaders, adult leaders, and County Ambassador Coaches are encouraged to attend together as a team so they can learn, collaborate, and put these leadership skills into action throughout the year.

Join us as we learn, grow, collaborate, and set ourselves up for success!

Farm Robotics Academy

Join the 2026–27 Farm Robotics Academy

Farm Robotics Challenge for 7th-12th Graders

Students in grades 7–12 can team up to tackle real-world agricultural needs through the Farm Robotics Challenge, the only student engineering design competition focused on solving on-farm problems, now expanded from its collegiate roots to include a dedicated secondary school division.

Through the Farm Robotics Academy, the Challenge’s education and outreach program, teams gain access to training, curriculum, and resources for students and volunteer leaders, bringing state-of-the-art agricultural technology education into classrooms and communities.

From the Career Technical Education Charter High School in Fresno, CA, the CTEC Titans developed autonomous tech for precision orchard monitoring and won two prizes in the 2026 Farm Robotics Challenge: Div III Excellence in Specialty Crops and, competing with 2-year colleges, Div II Excellence in Drone Applications.

Almond Robotics from Davis, CA, built a drone-robot collaborative system for pesticide-free weeding, winning the 2026 Farm Robotics Challenge Excellence in AI award for Div III.

Over the academic year, teams design, build, test, and evaluate their solutions with support from monthly virtual meetings and regional gatherings. Top teams earn global recognition and compete for awards and prizes. Limited funding may be available in select regions, including the Greater Bay Area and Southern Border areas, to support team equipment and materials.

Each team must include at least three students in grades 7–12 and one adult leader. Team leaders can learn more and register at farmroboticschallenge.ai.

The Farm Robotics Challenge is hosted by UC ANR Innovate.

Questions: Steven Worker, 4-H Youth Development Advisor

Email: smworker@ucanr.edu

Volunteer Engagement Survey

Watch Your Inbox: UC ANR Volunteer Engagement Survey

In the coming days, you'll receive an invitation to participate in the UC ANR Volunteer Engagement Survey. The email will come from mgevaluation@ucanr.edu with the subject line "UC ANR Volunteer Engagement Survey Invite." Please be sure to watch for it—and remember that the survey link is unique to you, so it should not be shared.

The survey takes about 10–15 minutes to complete and can be completed on your phone, tablet, or statewide. Your feedback will help UC ANR better understand the volunteer experience and identify ways to strengthen volunteer support and engagement across our programs.

Participation is completely voluntary, and everyone who completes the survey will be

entered into a drawing for one of 25 gift cards valued at $25 each. The survey will remain open through Friday, August 28, 2026.

Thank you for all you do as a UC ANR volunteer. We hope you'll take a few minutes to share your experiences.

Healthy Living Webinar

Join the Healthy Living Advisory & Program Committee for our first webinar of the program year!

September Topic: Physical Pulse Check: Power Up Your Day with Movement 

Learn about the many different benefits of movement and the various activities to support your physical well-being. Practice indoor and easy physical movements in a community setting and explore resources to bring back to your community. Healthy Living Club Officers will also be able to learn about different activities to include in monthly meetings. 

*First 20 people to register, attend and complete evaluation for September will receive a $10 gift card!

 Who: 4-H youth, volunteers and staff 

*this is a great opportunity for Healthy Living Club Officers! 

When: First Tuesday of each month from 6:30 - 7:30 pm 

Where: Zoom — please register for this first webinar and future ones. 

Why: Learn about different healthy living topics from physical activity and food preservation to mental health and more! Bring resources and activities back to your club and community to instill healthy habits. 

What previous attendees have said: 

• "I am a Healthy Living Officer but this was my first year being in this role so I wanted some help on ideas for this year."
• "I want to learn more about being healthy." 
• "I want to learn good habits and bring them to my club." 
• "I needed an idea for this month's newsletter."

Statewide Advisory & Program Committees

Apply to Statewide Advisory & Program Committees

Your Voice Matters!

Help improve 4-H opportunities and experiences.

The Statewide 4-H Program & Advisory Committees play an important role in improving the programs, processes, and opportunities in the University of California 4-H Youth Development Program. The Committees give leadership and offer insight, co-create statewide events and activities, and review and provide recommendations to the Statewide 4-H Director and Associate Director.

Program & Advisory Committees are a representative group of 4-H youth, adult volunteers, county and state 4-H staff and program partners. 

Applications for Statewide Program & Advisory Committees are open. The second review and acceptance cycle will close on October 1, 2026. Appointment notifications will be made by committee chairs in a rolling cycle as applications are received.

Learn more about the committees on the Resource Center.

Applications are open!

Reimagine Wool Poster Contest

Reimagine Wool Digital Poster Contest

September 1 to November 15, 2026

The Reimagine Wool Contest is an opportunity to gain recognition from leaders across the wool industry while showcasing your creativity and innovation to help shape the future of the wool industry. The contest focuses on finding viable, marketable uses for underutilized American wool greater than 25 microns while promoting wool’s unique properties and creating value for sheep producers.

Share your bold vision for the future of American wool:

• An innovative idea for a new wool product
• A fresh twist on an existing use
• A creative processing solution

Two divisions this year

This year the Contest features two divisions designed to encourage participation from a wide range of innovators.

• Academic Division - For college students, researchers, and others pursuing scholarly projects.
• Open Division - Anyone with a creative idea.

Whether your concept is grounded in research or inspired by practical application, there is a place for your vision.

Entries will be reviewed by a panel of wool processors, academic professionals, and members of the ASI Wool Council. In addition to competing for prizes, entrants can earn a place among the top 10 posters selected for display at the 2027 American Sheep Industry Convention.

Mark your calendar and start developing your idea now. The contest opens September 1, 2026 and closes November 15, 2026. For more information including rules, prize information and submission details, visit our website.

Sponsored by the American Sheep Industry Association (ASI) and Wool Council. 

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