The 4-H Clubs

The 4-H club movement is a youth organization administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, with the mission of "engaging youth to reach their fullest potential while advancing the field of youth development." The first forerunner of the 4-H club was started in Springfield, Ohio in 1902 as an after-school program to teach new agricultural methods and ideas to rural youth. The national 4-H organization was formed in 1914, when the United States Congress created the Cooperative Extension Service of the USDA by passage of the Smith-Lever Act. Today 4-H has become the largest youth development organization in the United States and a community of seven million young people around the world learning leadership, citizenship, and life skills. The four H’s in the clover leaf emblem stand for Head, Heart, Hands, and Health. This postage stamp was issued on January 15, 1952 commemorating the 50th anniversary of the 4-H Clubs of America.