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Wabasha County 4-H reports growth, new school partnerships and summer programming
Summary
Extension and 4-H staff told the Wabasha County Board the program enrolled 186 members as of March 31 and is expanding after in-school and after-school partnerships; staff outlined summer camps, leadership programs and competition results.
Lee Sedricks, regional director with the extension, and Carissa Espinosa, Wabasha County 4-H educator, presented the quarterly 4-H report to the Wabasha County Board of Commissioners, reporting membership growth and several program expansions and events for 2025.
Carissa Espinosa said, “As of March 31, we have 186 members enrolled in Wabasha County 4‑H,” and noted the program added 25 new members this year. She told the board the program currently has 50 volunteers and seven traditional community clubs. Program agreements are in place with Wabasha Kellogg Schools; staff are exploring a future partnership in Lake City that spans two counties.
Espinosa said the program’s goals for 2025 include growing membership by roughly 15 percent to 227 members and retaining 70 percent of first-year members. Recent activities highlighted to the board included a Clover Bud Day Camp (13 participants), a winter blast event with 23 participants, and countywide project development clinics for the beef and dairy projects. The dairy project bowl teams performed well at state: Espinosa reported the senior division placed second, the intermediate team took third and the junior division (younger participants) competed and gained experience.
Upcoming summer programming she listed includes regional whitewater camp in June, three day camps (up from two last year), the county fair and participation at the Minnesota State Fair. Espinosa said staffing plans include an interim educator, Melendi Miller, covering parental leave for Crystal mid‑May through mid‑August and returning summer intern Emma Borgshutz.
Commissioners thanked staff for frequent reports and for working closely with school partners. Espinosa said she will continue outreach to schools and community groups to expand volunteer recruitment and keep retention high.
