C2-Lancast«r Farming, Saturday, March 15,1986
Dan Cochran
is reaching for more
and
BY MARTHA J. GEHRINGER
TRAPPE Most kids would be
content to be active in one 4-H club,
but not Dan Cochran. Currently he
is involved in four clubs and
continues to reach for more 4-H
activities.
One could easily describe Dan as
an ideal 4-Her because of his en
thusiasm and excitement about
everything the 4-H program offers.
Dan, 15, the son of Gary and
Alice Cochran, started his 4-H
story in 1961 when a variety of
influences came together.
Dan was familier with pigs since
his family had always raised a few
pigs for meat. Yet, one year when
he attended the Farm Show he
Dan holds a runt that he is raising. A neighbor farmer gave
the pig to Dan so it would have a chance to survive.
Toastmaster's Youth Program teaches 4-H'ers leadership, speaking skills
BY SALLY BAIR
Staff Correspondent
LANCASTER - Leadership is
an elusive quality often referred to
as the “stuff” of which successful
4-H’ers is made. It is difficult to
define and more difficult still to
explain how 4-H’ers build on this
important characteristic to
become leaders.
There is one small, dedicated
group of 4-H’ers determined to
enhance their leadership abilities,
and each Saturday morning for.
eight weeks they leave the coziness
These are.some of the participants in the Youth Leadership Program sponsored by
Conestoga Toastmasters. From left are: Melissa Harris, Mark Robertson, Kim Kettering,
Michelle Harris, Amy Harris, and Jack Fish, program coordinator.
involved
is
found the pigs and pig show
fascinating, and spent a great deal
of time in that area.
He learned about the fun things a
4-H club offers from his mother, a
former 4-Her, who also told him
about the education she gained
from her beef project.
Dan thought about the farm
show, his mother’s stories and the
pigs out in the bam. Then he made
the decision to give 4-H a try
because he “thought it would be
neat to start raising pigs.”
He didn’t wait for someone to
come-to him, once he decided, Dan
contacted the Montgomery County
Extension and found out when the
next livestock club meeting was.
of their beds to be a part of the
Youth Leadership program being
led by the Conestoga Toast
masters. Seventeen 4-H’ers are
enrolled in the program, and
program coordinator Jack Fish
acknowledges that he is pleased
with their attitude, calling it “very
unusual.”'
According to Fish, the program
“deals with leadership in
general.” He explained that the
Toastmasters’ philosophy is
adiieved through effective
speaking, both impromptu and
4-H
4-H
in four,
of whot
At this point it was mid-year and
too late to begin a project. Dan
decided to attend the meetings to
make sure he wanted to pursue this
project without the commitment of
purchasing pigs.
This year was important, Dan
explained since he learned a lot
about grooming and showing and
what the club was all about. He
also realized that he wanted to
start a pig project.
In April 1982 he purchased two
purebred Duroc pigs from a Duroc
breeder in nearby Telford. Dan
based his criteria for selecting this
breed on what the judges were
picking in the showring. At that
time the Duroc breed was winning
many market hog classes.
The second year he raised
purebred Spots and showed them
to the reserve champion position.
Dan contends, however, that he
likes the Duroc breed best, either
purebred or crossed with Hamp
shires.
Finding the showring to be in
fectious, Dan entered his pigs in
the Farm Show this past year.
Although he didn’t place very high,
he greatly enjoyed it, and plans are
already in place for a return
engagement next year.
The Livestock club that Dan
belongs to encourages its members
to market or promote their project
to prospective buyers. This can be
accomplished by writing to in
dividual buyers and letting them
know when and where the 4-H
project will be sold.
Dan’s success in promoting his
project is witnessed regularly in
the prices he receives. His projects
consistently bring more per pound
since he has more buyers bidding.
Successes are partially
responsible for keeping his interest
in 4-H. Even more important are
the friendships he has gained.
These friends, many of whom he
knows will be lifelong, kept en
couraging him to try something
new and spurred him on to new
prepared.
He notes, however, that giving
speeches is only one part of the
course. “They also leam to run a
meeting, and just as important,
they learn how to be a participant
in a meeting.” He said this may be
the only opportunity for some
people to actually be taught the
basics of participating in a
meeting.
Fish said these 4-H’ers will learn
not just to give speeches, but also
how to react in all speaking
situations. Fish said, “In Toast-
dubs
offers
Dan poses with the Hampshire lamb he will be showing at
the Montgomery County 4-H Fair this summer.
levels of achievement. judging team and developing his
Enrollment in the sheep project judging skills even further this
was the result of his 4-H friends year with the team’s new coach,
motivation. After some con- Steve Ledoux.
siderations he entered the sheep For his third club, Dan reached
club last year. The purebred beyond livestock and found the
Hampshire project he chose took exchange club. Dan discovered
champion honors in the lightweight this club through his friends. “We
class. have a great time there, all my
These achievements have not friends are in it,” he explained,
gone unnoticed. Last year he won Last year the club made a trip to
the Farm Credit awards for sheep North Carolina and Virginia
and swine. Beach. While down south, Dan had
In addition to preparing a the unique opportunity to work on a
project, he is also the current pig and tobacco farm. He waS l
president of the livestock club and actually able to help harvest the
the treasurer of the sheep clyb: tobacco, an experience he
His interest in livestock describes as “really great.”
stop with the show ring.' The past ' Dan is equally excited about thiff
two years he has been learning year when the 4-Hers they visited
about type and confirmation by make the trip up here. He is
participating on the county anxious to show them everything
livestock judging team that at- we have to offer.'
tended the State Achievement __ The Toastmasters International
Days. ' Club is the fourth club Dqji has
Dan is looking forward to a good (Turn to Page C 6)
masters we have housewives,
executives, engineers and all
walks of life represented. What
they have in common is that they
have not accomplished anything
until they have communicated.”
Fish himself has been a member
of Toastmasters since 1958, when,
he said, “I recognized the need to
speak more effectively.” A plant
engineering manager at Sperry
New Holland, Fish said that he
enjoys his continuing association
with Toastmasters because it
keeps you “constantly in shape.”
The current group of 4-H’ers in
Youth Leadership ranges in age
from 11 to 17, a factor which
concerned Fish at first, but he
admits that the group has been
quite cohesive. “The fact that they
are all 4-H’ers is very important,
because they have something in
common. We’re all very impressed
with these kids.” One of the other
adults working with the group
noted his satisfaction in watching
individual members of the group
grow through the eight-week
course.
Fish adds, “Most of us enjoy
working with children it is very
interesting.” He notes that 4-H is a
natural organization for them to
work with because of its leadership
opportunities, but added that they
are willing to work with any kind of
group with an interest in leader
ship.
Throughout the program Fish
notes that 4-H’ers receive “many,
many speaking opportunities.”
Beyond that, they elect a
president, vice-president and
secretary at each meeting to give
them a chance for that sort of
decisionmaking.
Each participant has been given
a handbook, which has a complete
Roberts Rules of Order, plus many
suggested fundamentals for
preparing and giving speeches, to
be used in any situation. Fish noted
that “Youth Leadership” is a
copywrited program of Toast
masters International. Another
important element of the program
is teaching the 4-H’ers to be ef
fective listeners, something else
which Fish believes no one is
teaching. “Listening is every bit as
important as speaking,” he says.
About the Saturday meetings,
Fish says, “We try to create an
atmosphere of helpfulness. We are
not critics; we are evaluators.
When we evaluate the emphasis is
on helpfulness. We give them
immediate feedback through
evaluation.”
Fish says, “Speaking is not a
science it is an art. We cannot
change the person, but we can add
to their strengths.”
Zoann Parker, 4-H Agent m
Lancaster County comments,
“This is one of the best leadership
Programs I have seen. It helps
icm leam to run meetings and
make decisions, and also teaches
them the ability to think on their
Beet, which is one of the most
valuable skills.”
1‘ This course is the first offered by
Conestoga Toastmasters, but last
year Lancaster Toastmasters
offered a similar course, and
Zoann has had the opportunity to
see results from that program. She
(Turn to Page C 3)