Justin Crowe, 4-H Director and State Program Leader

On Thursday, May 6, 103 4-H professionals gathered at the Rutherford County Extension Office for a one-day Tennessee Association of Extension 4-H Workers conference hosted by the TAE4-HW Specialist Region. Professionals were engaged in three hours of educational workshops ranging from Dancing Fitness to Livestock Activities to STEM Laboratory where they could learn new material to take back to their 4-H’ers.

Representatives from Farm Bureau, Co-op, Tennessee Beef Council, and the Tennessee Wildlife Federation joined us for the day. Our lunch keynote speaker was Dr. Ashley Stokes who provided encouraging words for the group. Dr. Stokes shared she always starts her day by making a plan for what she will accomplish because “if you don’t plan your day, someone or something else will.” Dr. Stokes spent her day with us, which was also her birthday, so we surprised her with “happy birthday” and cupcakes.

It was a great day to gather in a face-to-face setting with our 4-H professionals who are so passionate about their work. You could sense the excitement from everyone who had the opportunity to interact with each other at “a real live event”.