Information and photos provided by Purdue Extension Pulaski County

This year 12 Pulaski County 4-H’ers are vying for the 4-H Royalty and Court.  Winners are chosen based on their 4-H achievements, an essay and a personal interview with judges from outside our county.  The achievement program will take place Saturday, July 4 at 1 p.m. and is open to the public.

Caleb Bucinski is the son of Joseph and Laura Bucinski and is a member of the Harrison Hustlers and the Junior Leaders 4-H Clubs. He has just completed his junior year at Winamac Community High School and this is his 9^th year in 4-H. He has been on the 4-H Royalty Court and has earned the Fred Hintzman electric award and a Junior Leader letter. His favorite project is swine because it teaches kids about responsibility, perseverance, and time and money management. His advice to younger 4-H’ers is to “Push yourself to your limits. A lot of the time you may fail, but this only teaches you and pushes you to work harder in 4-H and in all aspects of life.” His future plans are to pursue a career in Cardiothoracic by attending Purdue for his undergraduate and then attend I.U. for medical schooling.

Regan Culp is the daughter of Dan and Melissa Culp and is a member of the Salem Super Stars 4-H Club. She has just completed her sophomore year at West Central High School and this is her 8^th year in 4-H. She has won Grand Champion with her barrow and steer, was a 2014 Public Speaking State Qualifier, and also was a Qualifier in 2013 and 2014 in the State Fair Sewing Fashion Review. Her favorite project is definitely beef because it has allowed her to gain out-of-county experiences and to become a board director of the Indiana Junior Beef Cattle Association. Regan’s advice to younger 4-H’ers is “Don’t be afraid to ask for help, especially if you want to participate in a project, but don’t have the knowledge or resources to complete it. Anything is possible!” Her future plans are to finish high school and then attend Purdue University to major in animal science.

Dustin Field is the son of Darrin and Dana Field and is a member of the Monroe 76’ers 4-H Club. He has just completed his junior year at Winamac Community High School and this is his 9^th year in 4-H. His favorite project is the farm toy scene because you get to create model farms with toys you have. You can create some incredible scenes whether it’s a replica of your farm or what you wish your farm looked like. His advice to younger 4-H’ers is “Don’t wait until the last minute to do your projects and do them with the best of your ability.” His future plans are to attend a two year college for a degree in Agriculture and then to own and operate his own farm.

Brittany Fox is the daughter of Angela Fox and is a member of the Franklin Farmers 4-H Club. She has just completed her junior year at Winamac Community High School and this is her 9^th year of 4-H. She was on the 2014 4-H Royalty Court and has earned Champion Junior Goat Showman and Champion Junior Sheep Showman. Her favorite project is goats because her cousin helps her walk them, which gives her a chance to teach him all that she knows. Her advice to younger 4-H’ers is “Don’t wait until the last minute to work on projects and don’t expect others to do them for you.” Her future plans are to attend Indiana University in Bloomington and focus on the animal conservation part of marine biology.

Trevor Hopkins is the son of Johnny Hopkins and Vickie Grigsby and is a member of the Franklin Farmers 4-H Club. He had just completed his senior year at Culver Community High School and this is his 10^th year in 4-H. He has received Grand Champion and Reserve Grand Champion in poultry, rabbits, crafts, herbs, garden, flowers, posters, and showmanship. He also had several State Fair entries. His favorite project is poultry because they are so colorful, easy to raise, plus fun to see what colors you create for the following year’s show, and there is never a dull moment. Trevor’s advice to younger 4-H’ers is to “Learn from your mistakes, don’t give up, keep trying and try new things. Experiment till you find what works for you and your projects. This will work in adult projects later in life.” His future plans are to attend college, play football, get a job, and to eventually settle down and start a family.

Salena Leman is the daughter of Scott and Kathy Leman and is a member of the Salem Superstars 4-H Club. She has just completed her junior year at West Central High School and this is her 9^th year of 4-H. She has received Grand Champion in woodworking and dairy finished steer, Reserve Grand Champion in dairy starter calf, best record book in dairy finished steer and starter calf, and also Junior Achiever. Her favorite project is dairy beef starter calves because she gets to watch them grow up, right before her eyes. Her advice to younger 4-H’ers is that “Time management is key! Also if you have animals, work with them every day!” Her future plans are to attend Tricoci University of Beauty Culture and eventually open her own hair salon.

Emily Newman is the daughter of David and Jean Newman and is the member of the Van Buren 4-Leafers 4-H Club. She has just completed her senior year at Winamac Community High School and this is her 10^th year in 4-H. She has received Grand Champion in foods. Her favorite project is foods because she loves to cook and some recipes are challenging to make. Her advice to younger 4-H’ers is “Don’t be afraid to try different projects.” Her future plans are to attend the University of Evansville to major in Archaeology.

Peyton Newman is the daughter of Art and Melissa Newman and is a member of Indian Creek Indians 4-H Club. She has just completed her freshman year at Winamac Community High School and this is her 7^th year in 4-H. She has won many awards in dairy and consumer clothing. Her favorite project is showing dairy beef and heifers because she loves the interaction with her animals including everything from walking, feeding, and washing. Her advice to younger 4-H’ers is to “Make new friends, enjoy the moment and learn from the experience. Ribbons fade and trophies tarnish, but the life lessons you gain from 4-H stay with you for a lifetime.” Her future plans are to attend Purdue University and study vet science.

Rachel Ploss is the daughter of Tony and Patti Ploss and is a member of the Monroe 76’ers 4-H Club. She has just completed her freshman year at Winamac Community High School and this is her 7^th year in 4-H. She has earned Spot Gilt Champion 3 times, Grand Champion Market pair in 2012, and is recently the recipient of a Junior Leaders award. Her favorite project is hogs because she gets to share it with her dad. He helps her to work hard and do better each year. Her advice to younger 4-H’ers is to “Do as many projects as they can. The experience is phenomenal and different with each one, but most importantly, have FUN!” Her future plans are to attend college and to travel.

Madison Ruff is the daughter of Jim and Sheila Ruff and is a member of Van Buren 4-Leafers 4-H Club. She has just completed her junior year at Winamac Community High School and this is her 9^th year in 4-H. She is a 4^th year Junior Achiever, was a member of the 2014 4-H Royal Court and has awards with swine. Her favorite project is swine because everyone in her family pitches in, including her grandparents. Her advice to younger 4-H’ers is to “Enjoy everything about 4-H, it goes by fast!” Her future plans are to attend college to be an Occupational Therapist.

Andriana Smith is the daughter of Doug and Amy Smith and is a member of Indian Creek and Paw Prints 4-H Clubs. She has just completed her freshman year at Winamac Community High School and this is her 7^th year in 4-H. Awards she has received in 4-H are Junior Achiever, color guard, Junior Leader MVP, Leaders Choice Award for Paw Prints Dog Club, multiple grand champion, reserve grand champion, and state fair entries for various projects. Her favorite project is dogs because she gets to help the younger 4-H’ers learn and grow throughout their 4-H career. Her advice to younger 4-H’ers is to “Be creative and have fun doing your projects! Do your best and don’t procrastinate and it will make things a lot easier.” Her future plans are to attend college and pursue a degree in Agriculture and Spanish.

Donna Zehner is the daughter of Greg and Mary Zehner and is a member of Tippecanoe Industrious 4-H Club. She has just completed her senior year at Culver Community High School and this is her 10^th year in 4-H. She has been a part of the 4-H Court and has received Champion and Reserve Champions in various projects such as collections, recycling, sewing, genealogy, microwave cooking, baking with a box. Her favorite project is sewing because she can make cute clothes out of stunning fabrics at a low cost. Her advice to younger 4-H’ers is “Take as many projects as possible because you never know how much fun a project can be, unless you try it.” Her future plans are to play basketball at Alverno College in Wisconsin while majoring in Biology, and to eventually become a medical examiner.