New 4-H club to teach Franklin County children how to raise, market livestock, BDN reports
The Bangor Daily News reported on a new 4-H club being offered in Franklin County that will teach children the components that go into raising livestock for market. Supper on the Table was formed late last year by two mothers of children involved in 4-H clubs after recognizing there was a need to educate children on raising different types of animals for market, according to the article. In Maine, each county’s 4-H program is supported by the University of Maine Cooperative Extension. The overall goal of 4-H programming is to involve children in community service projects and leadership through a variety of agricultural clubs, ranging in topics from dairy to sheep to gardening, according to Judy Smith, community outreach assistant for Franklin County 4-H. While 4-H has strong roots within Franklin County’s agricultural families, Smith said with the new club offering an array of animal education, it could be a good introduction to raising market animals for children who do not come from a farming family. “They may not come from an agricultural background,” Smith said. “But they may end up in a farming career.