Budd honored as outstanding 4-H agriculture volunteer
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EmailDonna Budd of Wayne County was among five Michigan Farm Bureau 4-H Excellence in Agriculture Award recipients honored in 2024.
Donna Budd of Wayne County was among five Michigan Farm Bureau 4-H Excellence in Agriculture Award recipients honored on Sept. 21 during the Michigan 4-H Legacy Awards Celebration. The event was hosted by Michigan State University Extension and the Michigan 4-H Foundation in East Lansing.
The award recognizes the outstanding youth education and leadership development achievements of Michigan 4-H volunteers in the beef cattle; dairy cattle; goats; horses; horticulture, crops and soils; poultry; rabbits; sheep; swine; and veterinary science project areas. Honorees receive $1,000 grants they can use for training, to buy supplies or curriculum, or to enhance local or statewide programming.
Budd, a former 4-H’er who grew up on a farm, is committed to teaching future generations about 4-H and agriculture. A 4-H volunteer since 2008, Budd has held many leadership positions, including club leader for the Superstock 4-H Club and chairperson of the Wayne County 4-H livestock protégé program, the youth community engagement committee, and the junior livestock board. In each role, Budd works to offer young people hands-on agricultural experiences and opportunities to learn skills they will need to be successful in the future.
Budd ensures her 4-H club is youth-driven, helping members build confidence, make decisions, and learn responsibility and a positive work ethic. She believes strongly in record-keeping, emphasizing how learning this life skill will help 4-H’ers market themselves and build their organizational skills. Budd has used her personal passions and connections to expand opportunities for 4-H’ers, taking them to goat shows, to meet industry professionals, to tour greenhouses, and to learn about commercial crop production.
“I enjoy the opportunity to teach youth about goats and showing them the proper way to show,” said Budd.
In return for all she gives, Budd asks club members to prioritize giving back, making the club well known for their efforts around the fairgrounds and in other community service initiatives. They plant and maintain flower beds, help with community dinners, bring their animals to events, and have even planted a community garden so that fair campers could enjoy fresh fruits and vegetables.
Beyond the Superstock 4-H Club, Budd has given considerable time as the chair of Wayne County’s 4-H livestock protégé program. Through this initiative, young or new 4-H’ers pick a project area that interests them and are then paired with a more experienced 4-H’er to learn from before fully committing to the project on their own. Originally, the protégé program was only open to Cloverbuds. Budd helped expand the program to members of any age who were new to 4-H, hoping to ignite a spark that would grow into a future love for agriculture. No matter the program or project area, Budd consistently advocates for youth and their voice, believing they are the future of 4-H and agriculture.
The other 2024 recipients of the 4-H Excellence in Agriculture Awards are Rick Gould and Kevin Yeager of St. Joseph County, Charity Hackett of Berrien County, Angela Oakman of Washtenaw County and Mandy Rogers of Washtenaw County. The award is supported by an endowment with the Michigan 4-H Foundation that was established by Michigan Farm Bureau. To learn more about the 4-H Excellence in Agriculture Award and awardees visit https://mi4hfdtn.org/4-h-emerald-awards/michigan-farm-bureau-4-h-excellence-in-agriculture-award/.
Other honorees recognized at the 2024 Michigan 4-H Legacy Awards Celebration included partners receiving the Michigan 4-H Citation Award, inductees into the 2024 class of the 4-H Emerald Clover Society, volunteers awarded the Michigan 4-H Salute to Excellence Awards, 50-year 4-H volunteers, winners of the MSU 4-H Scholarship, and retiring 4-H staff.
The Michigan 4-H Foundation is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization that supports Michigan 4-H Youth Development. For more information about the Michigan 4-H Foundation, visit www.mi4hfdtn.org. Michigan 4-H Youth Development is the youth-serving program of MSU Extension. Nearly 135,000 youth are involved in 4-H with the support of 8,000 adult volunteers. For more information about Michigan 4-H, visit www.4h.msue.msu.edu.
