Iowa 4-H Alumni & Friends

4-H has been a long standing family tradition on the Lafrenz family farm in rural eastern Iowa. Scott County 4-H alum, Colby Lafrenz holds a strong commitment to the agricultural industry that has grown his passion in engineering and innovation. Lafrenz is currently a senior at Iowa State University studying agricultural engineering with a minor in agricultural business. “Agricultural engineering was an easy choice.   As a farm kid, I was interested in large equipment, but I also liked the challenge of math and science, so it was a perfect fit,” Lafrenz said. “I also chose minoring in agricultural business to understand farm markets and economics which will benefit me in the future both for personal and business purposes.” Iowa State opened many new doors for Lafrenz both inside and outside of agriculture. One of his most notable experiences was playing as an offensive lineman for the Iowa State football team from 2016 to 2017. “Playing football at Iowa State was a g...

The 4-H program is so much more than just ribbons and trophies for the Mosher family in the small town of Liscomb, Iowa. For Norval and Esther Mosher of Marshall County, lifelong leadership and communication skills are some of the most important things they have gained in 4-H. Their skills and wisdom have been passed along to their children and grandchildren who still work with them on the family farm to this day.   Norval Mosher, a Van Buren County native, was a member of the Win More 4-H Club in high school where he showed one jersey calf at the county fair. After attending Iowa State University, he went on as a 4-H county youth assistant in Butler County for three years before moving to the family farm in 1959. He continues to farm with his children and grandchildren still feeding the cattle himself twice a day. “Our major goal has been to help the kids and grandkids develop and grow,” Norval Mosher said. “We want them to be able to meet people, do things, think on thei...

     At the young age of 23, Louisa county 4-H alum, Delaney Howell was hired as the first female host of IPTV’s market to market. Since then, she has stayed involved in a variety of projects related to agricultural broadcasting. Starting in 2016, Howell launched Ag News Daily as a daily news aggregate and podcast and currently serves as the president. She was also the founder of AgCulture Media LLC specializing in agricultural related video production. In 2017, she additionally started working as radio host for Your Ag Network and a reporter for This Week in Agribusiness.   “I actually started out college as an agricultural education major and it wasn’t until my junior year that I decided to make the transition to just a general Ag degree with a broadcasting minor,” said Howell. “After working for two years at my college town’s local radio station, KNIM “the Ville”, it turns out I loved it and I found a place where I felt like I could still educate people thr...

Sarah Riley, a Harrison county 4-H alum, has forged her own path to make the most of her experiences in the 4-H program. Her involvement in the STEM program helped her to create a world of opportunities through 4-H, and later through her collegiate degree program in Biosystems engineering. Riley grew up in the small town of Logan, Iowa where some of her very first 4-H experiences happened through her interest in First Lego League (FLL). This was a place where she could truly express herself and step outside her comfort zone. As a member of the Hyperstream robotics team, she had the opportunity to be involved in various competitions. With the county extension office located only one block from her house, Riley would often spend her days building robots and cultivating friendships with the county staff members.   Outside of competitions, Riley continued to show her commitment to the robotics program by becoming a counselor and mentor at Harrison County robotics camps. “...