A note to editors: The following news feature is the fifth in a series of 4-H Centennial Profiles that will be released during the year-long Kansas 4-H Centennial celebration. Each profile will highlight a past or present Kansas 4-H member or volunteer who has used what he or she learned in 4-H youth development to contribute to his or her community and the larger world. For a photo, contact Donise Osbourn at 785-532-5806 or dosbourn@oznet.ksu.edu. For a header, access the 4-H Centennial logo at www.kansas4-h.org (and click on 4-H Centennial) to use over type: Centennial Profile.

Released: January 24, 2006

Former 4-H Member, Ag Policy Analyst Still Using Lessons of Kansas 4-H

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Dennis “Denny” Shields is 40 and lives in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. His job as a commodity and policy analyst for the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) does, however, allow him to pursue what he describes as his “passion for agriculture.” Shields spends his working hours analyzing market prospects and farm policy, most recently for wheat.

Washington, D.C. is a long way from the McPherson County, Kan. wheat and livestock farm where he grew up, but not a long way from some of the opportunities Shields enjoyed during his youth. As a former 4-H member, Shields and his wife, Ghada, sought a metro area 4-H Club for their family. The Shields’ daughter Yasmina, age 11, and son George, age seven, are members.

Why look for a 4-H club in a distinctly urban area?

“I am still using what I learned in 4-H,” Shields said. “I had lamb and steer projects, but also signed up for other projects like foods, in which I learned basic cooking skills and how to choose healthy foods, how to give a project talk, and leadership, including how to lead a meeting.”

Shields’ family was active in the Smoky Valley 4-H Club before transferring to the Friendly Fremont 4-H Club, both of which are in McPherson County.

He credits his early interest in 4-H to his parents, Dennis and Joyce, who had both been 4-H members, but said: “One of the reasons that 4-H is so beneficial is that it’s a family activity. I could tag along when Denise (Shields’ older sister) joined and then move into membership.”

“I grew up in 4-H,” Shields said. “I watched the older kids and I learned from them. And, as I got older, I saw setting a good example and helping younger members grow as an honor and as a natural progression in growing up myself.

“Thinking back, I learned a lot about teamwork and working successfully with a diverse group of people in 4-H,” he said. “Those are life skills and my wife and I want our children to have such opportunities.”

Shields’ wife, Ghada, had no previous experience with 4-H, but has become involved in the foods project by sharing her expertise in Mediterranean cooking.

Though graduating from active membership in 4-H more than two decades ago, Shields valued his 4-H record book enough to take it along when he moved to the nation’s capitol.

“It’s not gathering dust, though,” he said. “The kids like to thumb through it.”

Shields’ passion for agriculture led to a bachelor’s degree in agricultural engineering at Kansas State University and a master’s degree in agricultural economics and business at Purdue University. As a student at each of the universities, he completed internships in Washington that led to his current position as a policy analyst. Previously, he edited “Agricultural Outlook,” a USDA magazine, and analyzed livestock and specialty crop markets and policy. In the process, he has traveled to China, North Africa, the Middle East, and Europe.

For more information on educational Kansas 4-H programs, contact the local or district K-State Research and Extension office or visit the Kansas 4-H Web site: www.kansas4h.org.

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K-State Research and Extension is a short name for the Kansas State University Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service, a program designed to generate and distribute useful knowledge for the well-being of Kansans. Supported by county, state, federal and private funds, the program has county Extension offices, experiment fields, area Extension offices and regional research centers statewide. Its headquarters is on the K-State campus, Manhattan.

Story by:
Nancy Peterson
nancyp@oznet.ksu.edu
K-State Research& Extension News