array of career opportunities within agriculture while equipping them with essential workforce preparation skills. The club’s focus encompassed career-related activities such as résumé building, interview skills, networking, crafting elevator pitches, and more. Club meetings took place at various industry establishments including Nuhn Industries, Stonetown Cheese & Scenic Holsteins, Monteith Ritsma Phillips, Famme & Co., RBC Royal Bank, John Deere, Hoegy's Farm Supply, Wallenstein Feed & Supply, and Crawford Veterinary Services. During these meetings, youth toured the facilities while learning about the many different jobs and skills involved in running these businesses. 4-Hers involved in the club also stretched beyond their comfort zones and engaged in interviews with professionals selected by their club leaders which aligned with the participants' desired career paths. This year, Perth County 4-H Association also increased their community outreach by helping at the Mitchell Fall Fair serving breakfast to the public – who enjoyed many delicious pancakes – as well as serving ice cream at their 4-H booth! REGION 6 One of the major events in Region 6 was the first ever regional Pickle Club, organized and run by 4-H Elgin Association volunteer, organized by Craig Steven with help from other leaders. Held at the Gay Lea Dairy Museum and Co-operative Education Centre in Aylmer, 4-Hers in attendance learned how to make several kinds of pickles using old-fashioned glass jars and preserving methods. 4-H alumnus Craig Steven first learned to make pickles working with Debbie and Jeff McCallum at their preserve shop, In A Jam. It was in their kitchen that Craig caught the ‘pickling bug’ and went on to begin making his own bread and butter pickles, relish, and icicle pickles – a friend’s mom’s special recipe. Sadly, his friend’s mother passed, but Craig honoured her by entering her cherished pickle recipe in the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair. The recipe won Top Heritage Pickles, and his own mother’s recipe – bread and butter pickles – was submitted in her memory and placed as well. Craig always received compliments on his pickles and decided he would share this skill with 4-H youth participants – as pickling is one of those skills that not everyone has! He also noted that there weren’t many 4-H entries in the Royal from youth and wanted to change that. “Holding the club at a heritage site seemed the right thing to do, and it was an awesome way to get our feet wet and run through things,” he says. The youth participants had a great time making various types of pickles, and after the end of the weekend, they used their 4-H judging skills to send the best jars to the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, with several of the jars winning awards in the amateur and youth classes at the annual prestigious event. Craig said that he was so proud of the club attendees and their achievements, and he is looking forward to holding the club again next August, so stay tuned for more details! 49 Promotional Supplement Better Farming | May 2024 4-HOntario.ca Meet The 2024 4-H Ontario Ambassadors ® FS is a registered trademark of GROWMARK, Inc. Colin Ormiston Haleigh-Jo tePlate Rachael Simpson Abby Covert Beck Sommerville Kayla Emmerton Proud Supporters Of CONGRATULATIONS! 4-Hers learned how to preserve different types of pickles at the first ever overnight “pickle club.”
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