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Lawmakers, UC ANR leadership recognize club’s history of community service
The story of this 4-H club starts with pigs. In 1925, boys and girls from the Edna Valley – a region tucked between San Luis Obispo and Arroyo Grande – raised a litter of swine together under the supervision of local ranchers and a University of California Cooperative Extension agricultural advisor.
That humble effort transformed into Edna 4-H, the longest-running 4-H club in San Luis Obispo County, now celebrating its 100-year anniversary. Over that time, dedicated adult volunteers have guided youth through all sorts of projects centered on building life and leadership skills.
Richard Enfield served as the 4-H youth development advisor for the San Luis Obispo County UC Cooperative Extension for a third of the club’s history, from 1980 to 2013. Enfield noted that Edna 4-H has been through a lot over the years; when the club started, the local economy was almost entirely agricultural, and the first members graduated right into the Great Depression.
“It was hard times, and it became harder times, but the Edna 4-H club stayed active and actually grew during that time,” Enfield said. “It’s just wonderful the club was able to pull through that.”
He credits the club’s longevity to its deep roots in the community, with families tracing their participation across multiple generations, and its ability to continually evolve.
“One of the reasons Edna 4-H has been so successful for a hundred years is because of its openness to new ideas,” Enfield said.
Since the 1920s, the club has expanded its offerings far beyond pigs, to include other agricultural and livestock projects, as well as food, textile, community service, environmental and other science projects. Current activities include mountain biking and beekeeping.
Time spent with friends and animals
This month, Enfield helped organize a celebration at La Lomita Ranch in the Edna Valley to honor the club’s hundred-year milestone. The response was overwhelming – 312 people signed up to attend, reaching capacity for the venue.
Edna 4-H members active in the 1940s turned out for the event, including descendants of the club’s very first president. Current members, ranging from 8 to 18 years old, lent their hands to hosting by serving appetizers, collecting trash and introducing guest speakers.
Local lawmakers and Farm Bureau leadership presented awards of recognition to the club. In attendance were San Luis Obispo County Supervisor Dawn Ortiz-Legg, as well as representatives for State Senator John Laird and Assemblymember Dawn Addis. Statewide 4-H director Kimberly Holmes from University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources also delivered a speech, and met with young club members afterward.
UC Vice President for Agriculture and Natural Resources Glenda Humiston, a 4-H’er herself, was in attendance, and shared her admiration for Edna 4-H.
“There’s a reason a club like this stays vital for a hundred years,” Humiston said. “We would not be able to deliver these programs without our volunteers.”
Club members of all ages took the mic to reflect on the impact of Edna 4-H. One person gave a shoutout to someone who helped care for her injured chicken. Another thanked the group for supporting a member’s mother when she was diagnosed with cancer. Others disclosed hijinks from county fairs of yore.
One young 4-H member, Hazel, encapsulated her feelings about Edna 4-H simply: “I like to be able to spend time with my friends and be able to spend time with my animals.”
Several people mentioned Edna 4-H’s commitment to community service – from the club’s first project constructing a fence around a local farm center, to later projects collecting coats for homeless people, raising funds for cancer research and organizing countless toy drives over the years.
The event was chaired and emceed by Edna 4-H beef project leader Kristin Beljean, who welcomed attendees and even led the audience in several 4-H camp songs.
“What I feel is most important is the memories it brought back to the people there, and the memories it made,” Beljean said. “It was just good, wholesome, family fun.”
The club’s history is recorded in reporters’ books dating back to the 1920s, which were on display at the barbecue. Prior to the anniversary celebration, those handcrafted wood and leather bound books had been stored in tack boxes in barns. Now, they’re getting the treatment they deserve, as the newest artifacts to be added and preserved indefinitely at the History Center of San Luis Obispo.
Life lessons, from chickens
One of the headlining speakers at the anniversary celebration was Aria Olsen, who served as club president before her recent graduation from high school. She traces her memory of Edna 4-H back to when she was 9 years old at a local farmer’s market. That’s where she spotted young people in green uniforms.
“At first I thought they were Girl Scouts, and where there are Girl Scouts, there’s usually cookies, right?” Olsen recalled. “So I went to investigate and there were no cookies, but there were a lot of interesting projects.”
As it turned out, they were Edna 4-H members. With some encouragement from her parents, Olsen got involved, and wound up caring for two miniature pure-bred Bantam Wyandotte chickens named Polka and Dot.
“I thought I was getting the short end of the deal because I didn’t get a dog, but they really grew on me,” Olsen said.
Over her time in the club, that flock included other hens: Pip Squeak, Pepper and Chichi. Showing those chickens at the California Mid-State Fair taught Olsen all kinds of life lessons. “Stuff happens and it’s just good to have an extra backup chicken,” Olsen said.
Other takeaways had broader application. “4-H teaches you skills about being an adult, being mature in the world and being able to speak up for what you believe in,” she said.
This fall Olsen will attend UC Berkeley, where she plans to major in ethnic studies and pursue a career in law.
“Even if agriculture isn’t necessarily what I want to go into, it was still an invaluable experience,” Olsen said. “Trying to represent historically marginalized communities and be a good advocate for other people – those skills of leadership and communication were built through 4-H.”
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