Twenty-seven 4-H members from across B.C., including Cody Dillabough from Quesnel’s Barlow Creek 4-H Club, participated in the B.C. 4-H Agri-Career Quest, May 6 – 10.
The ACQ program targets members between the age of 16 – 22 and focuses on different agricultural careers and schooling opportunities.
The group toured various businesses and schools from Abbotsford to Kamloops, down through the Okanagan, finishing up in Hope.
They visited a Mother’s Day plant sale fundraiser, major feed mill, a flower greenhouse where they witnessed a floor-flooding watering system, a farm equipment dealership, a farm market and agri-tourism operation, a dairy farm with another environmentally-friendly water system, a fertilizer and pesticide supplier, an apple and cherry orchard, a winery and an organic vegetable farm.
However, ACQ wasn’t just about various businesses and the career opportunities they offer, 4-H members also learned about what courses and accreditation are offered at various colleges and universities, attended a seminar on the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association Young Leaders program, had a career session on interview skills and other sessions covering marketing themselves to a potential employer and resumes and cover letters.
“This was a great opportunity,” Dillabough said.
“I highly recommend this trip to any 4-H member.”
The Agri-Career Quest experience wasn’t all work either. Participants had fun playing games (also with an educational component), competed for points in a team competition and enjoyed recreational activities.
For Dillabough though, being chosen for a trip to Ottawa to the National 4-H Citizenship Seminar next April was the icing on the cake of a thoroughly enjoyable 4-H experience.