As an active member of 4-H, Bedford High School sophomore Harrison Sachs is connecting to the town’s agricultural past – and the nation’s technological future.
Sachs was the only Middlesex County delegate to the recent National 4-H Conference in Washington, DC, and one of seven students representing chapters in Massachusetts.
The five-day event wasn’t a larger version of the county 4-H fair that takes place every August up in Westford. Indeed, the organization considers the national conference “the pinnacle experience in 4-H citizenship, one of the highest honors 4-H bestows upon its members.” This is the event’s 95th year.
Prior to the conference, each delegate selected a topic to research and present to representatives of federal agencies. Sachs focused on “Delivering on Justice40,” a recent executive order giving 40 percent of all federal climate and sustainable investments to underserved communities.
The format was “round tables” that focused on various issues significant to a variety of federal agencies and partners. Sachs and about a dozen other delegates met for more than three days to prepare, then presented their research results and recommendations to the National Institute of Food and Agriculture and its Division of Bioenergy.
“The presentations at the end of the round tables were a highlight because we were able to talk to policymakers about how they can help with climate change and climate injustice,” Sachs recounted. “People explained how climate change affects their communities. We were able to propose an action plan and case studies; they said listening to youth ideas is important to them.
“What I really liked was that I was able to connect with people all across the nation and share experiences,” Sachs commented. He pointed out that many of the delegates “live on farms, and their livestock projects are their day-to-day lives. But other delegates had technology-based projects.”
The conference, he observed, reflects “the different ways 4-H works to develop youth.”
“I had a good idea that it would be a good leadership conference, and I would learn a lot to apply to my work with the county and state 4-H,” he explained. The event also featured workshops and nightly assemblies, and remarks from Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and other top officials.
Applying for acceptance was “a big process,” Sachs said, including his 4-H resume, references, an essay, and “questions about what leadership means to me.”
Sachs has been involved with 4-H for six years. He is vice president of the Bedford Farmers 4-H Club, which is based at Chip-in Farm and primarily focuses on livestock. He helps other members create visual presentations about their livestock projects, public speaking, and preparing animals for show.
He also continues to work individually with animals and is expected to be caring for another sheep in the spring. Sachs also will be sort of a midwife to goats at Chip-In as they give birth in the coming weeks. “I make sure all the deliveries happen safely and that their nursing and temperatures are good,” he said.
Sachs said he is also active with the Good Shepherd Sheep Club, based in Littleton, and is helping organize programming at the state level.
Mike Rosenberg can be reached at [email protected], or 781-983-1763
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