4-H: The Start of Agriculture

Many students' love for agriculture begins in the fourth grade when they join their school’s 4-H club for the first time. 4-H sparks many students’ interest in agriculture and can even influence what major they pick in college.

Two 4-H agents offer their advice for anyone wanting to get into being an extension agent. They also give an insight into the ups and downs of their careers. Landon Marks is the regional extension agent for animal science and forages in Northeast and Northwest Alabama, and Audrey Jones is the regional extension agent for 4-H in Marshall County, Alabama.

There are challenges to being an extension agent including non-competitive salaries. "As state employees, salaries are not competitive with industry and we lose great colleagues to industry positions," said Landon.

Another challenge extension agents are faced with is the long hours, “The night time programs and travel across a large region can get tough sometimes, especially when you are trying to balance work and personal time,” said Landon. These things may be hard when it comes to his job, but it does not stop him from having rewarding things happen in his line of work.

“Getting to help people wanting to improve the efficiency of their farming operation. Working with 4-H’ers and teaching them where their food comes from with livestock projects. I love seeing young people work with their livestock projects,” said Landon.

Speaking about what comes easiest when it comes to his line of work, “Working with rural Alabamians comes natural to me because I am one of them. Helping people be better stewards of the resources we have available is a very rewarding part of the job.” said Landon.

Landon finished off the interview by giving advice to anyone wanting to get into the same career path, “Sign up for internships and take jobs with professionals in the agriculture field to get a diverse experience. You never know what you might enjoy.”

Landon Marks has a background in Agriculture, getting a bachelor's degree at Auburn University in animal sciences, a master’s degree at Mississippi State University in animal breeding and genetics, and a PhD at Auburn University in beef and forage systems. Other certifications he has that help with his career is being certified in cattle artificial insemination, YQCA trainer, and beef and pork quality assurance trainer.

COVID-19 made things difficult when it came to being an extension agent, “Things were hard during and directly after Covid. Since we do most of our 4-H meetings at schools during the day and most schools had to be virtual that caused huge changes for how we could deliver programming. We are still building back from that even years later,” Audrey said.

Time management is also a skill you need to be able to complete the job. “There are so many different things all going on at once in 4-H from animal projects to state contests and events to just normal monthly meetings. You have to stay organized to stay on top of it all,” said Audrey.

The easiest part of being an extension agent though for Audrey is interacting with 4-H members. “Anytime I am actually interacting with 4-H members. That could be at a club meeting or at an event like Pig Squeal. I feel like those are the best days of my job and I have the most fun on those show and event days!” she said.

Being an extension agent does not come without rewards, “I enjoy seeing how kids grow and learn about themselves through 4-H. Many kids find why they are passionate about through trying 4-H projects and activities and it is rewarding to have a small part of that. I love seeing 4-H alumni thrive! 4-H was important to me when I was a child and it is very rewarding to get to continue the work of 4-H as my career!” Audrey said.

Audrey also ended the interview with some very thought-out advice for anyone wanting to get into being an extension agent as a career path. “Take advantage of the service learning and internship opportunities available to you during your college years. These are a great opportunity for you to get hands-on experience in the career field of your choice. If you are interested in 4-H or the Alabama Cooperative Extension System, reach out to the agents in your home county and see what you can learn from them,” she said.

Audrey Jones attended Enterprise Community College and then transferred to Auburn University where she got a bachelor's degree in human development and family studies. She proves you do not need a degree in agriculture to become an extension agent.

Both of these people are leaders in the counties they serve in when it comes to helping kids become engaged in 4-H. Through what they have learned going through ups and downs, they help kickstart kids' love of agriculture at a young age and help bring about the next generation of leaders in agriculture.