‘Four-H is my life’

Travis Clark of El Paso, formerly of Vilonia, is the new president of Arkansas 4-H. Shown here in front of a 4-H quilt at the Faulkner County Cooperative Extension Service office in Conway, Clark will travel the state promoting 4-H and its motto, “To Make the Best Better.” The colors for 4-H are green and white. According to the 4-H handbook, green is nature’s most common color and represents youth, life and growth; white symbolizes purity and high ideals.
Travis Clark of El Paso, formerly of Vilonia, is the new president of Arkansas 4-H. Shown here in front of a 4-H quilt at the Faulkner County Cooperative Extension Service office in Conway, Clark will travel the state promoting 4-H and its motto, “To Make the Best Better.” The colors for 4-H are green and white. According to the 4-H handbook, green is nature’s most common color and represents youth, life and growth; white symbolizes purity and high ideals.

Travis Clark looks forward to being a “face of 4-H” as he travels Arkansas as the new state president of the youth organization, which is part of the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service.

Clark, 18, is the son of Randal and Tracy Clark of El Paso, formerly of Vilonia.

Travis Clark is a member of the Hooves, Spurs and Fur 4-H Show Team in Vilonia. He is also an active member in his youth group at Vilonia United Methodist Church.

A home-schooled high school graduate, Clark is a freshman at Arkansas State University-Beebe, where he plans to study animal science.

“Another option is agriculture business,” he told visitors as he sat in a conference room at the Faulkner County Cooperative Extension Service office in Conway. “I’m just not sure yet. After two years, I may transfer to ASU-Jonesboro.

“I’m interested in going into animal research. I love [the U of A Cooperative Extension Service]. The animal research they do is pretty cool.”

Clark joined 4-H when he was 9. He has served as president of his local club and as president of the Faulkner County 4-H Teen Leaders Club.

“Last year, I was president of the Ozark District 4-H. I had to campaign for president at the State 4-H O’Rama in July at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville,” he said.

“My slogan was ‘TLC,’ based on my full name — Travis Lee Clark. It read, ‘Travis Lee Clark — The TLC Arkansas 4-H Needs to See,’” he said.

“I had to give a speech. While I was onstage, I had a 6-foot-long cardboard truck behind me. It looked like it was broken down. I gave it a little ‘TLC,’” Clark said.

“I had everybody laughing,” he said with a smile.

“Four-H is the only reason I am able to get up onstage and give a speech,” Clark said. “When I was younger, there would have been no way I could have given a speech in front of a group that size, much less be successful.

“Four-H teaches you so many things — public speaking, responsibility, dedication, teamwork and problem-solving skills.”

Clark has three siblings — Emily, 20, also a home-schooled high school graduate and a student at ASU-Beebe; and Brent, 13, and Kacie, 10, who are home-schooled students and 4-H members.

“My mom is the [schoolteacher],” Clark said with a smile.

Clark said his family moved from Vilonia to a 6-acre farm near El Paso several years ago.

“We started out with rabbits. When my sister began 4-H, she asked my parents for a rabbit. They agreed. Well, I wanted a rabbit, too. That’s when we lived in Vilonia,” he said.

“Pretty soon, the rabbits began to multiply,” Clark said with a laugh. “And I wanted to get a pig, too. That’s when we moved to the country. At one time, we had 75 rabbits.

“I showed rabbits, mainly Mini Rex, at the Faulkner County Fair and the Arkansas State Fair. One year, I showed the reserve grand champion at the state fair.

“We don’t have rabbits anymore. We just have pigs — actually, we have market hogs. That’s what we show now. On the county level, I showed the grand champion Faulkner County-bred market hog. And a pig we sold was a winner at last year’s county fair. Last year at the state fair, I placed second in my class. I was proud of that, as my hog was competing against about a thousand other hogs.”

Clark refers to the family farm as a “hobby farm.”

“We have six sows that have approximately two

litters every year,” he said. “That’s not enough to make any money off of. We

don’t have enough land to raise cattle.

“We also have a garden and sell vegetables at the Conway Farmers Market. My mom makes and sells bread, too.”

Clark said he used to be interested in sports.

“I used to play it all — basketball, baseball, soccer,” he said. “I was even involved in competitive gymnastics.

“But three or four years ago, I gave it all up for my animal projects. This will be the last year I can show as a 4-H member.”

As the state 4-H president, Clark said his job, along with the other state officers, is “to promote 4-H.”

“A couple of weeks ago, I talked to a group in Little Rock about the effects 4-H has on agriculture. I’ll be talking to other community groups in the future.

“The officers will also be planning next year’s teen leaders’ conference, which will be in June at the C.A. Vines 4-H Center in Ferndale, and the State O’Rama, which will be in August in Fayetteville,” Clark said.

“The officers will be

the face of 4-H for the coming year,” he said, adding

that he will be a 4-H Ambassador at the Arkansas State Fair in October.

“That’s always really cool,” he said. “We get to help with the livestock shows. My favorite show, of course, is the rabbit show.”

Clark said young people often think 4-H is only about showing animals.

“It’s so much more than that. We do a lot of community-service projects,” he said.

“Our club meets at the agriculture building at Vilonia High School and picks up trash around the campus before graduation. We want the campus to look nice,” Clark said.

“And on Valentine’s Day, we make valentines and take them to the senior citizens’ center. The people really seem to enjoy getting the cards. Plus, we talk to them, and they tell us really cool stories,” he said.

“I encourage young 4-H’ers to try the leadership side of 4-H. There are so many opportunities. I wish more young people would get involved,” he said.

“Four-H is my life,” Clark said, smiling.

For more information on 4-H, visit uaex.edu, or call a county extension service office — counties are listed on the website.

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