Elizabeth Eaton is one of two Maine 4-H alumni selected to represent National 4-H during the 2022 National Agriculture Day Training, which is part of the National Agriculture Day Student Leadership Program. The selection was made by the National 4-H Council in a competitive application process

Eaton, a seven-year member of the Aldermere Achievers 4-H Club, raised and showed Belted Galloway cattle and served as a leader of younger 4-H members. She attends the Ohio State University Agricultural Technical Institute, majoring in animal sciences with a pre-veterinary focus. 

Also chosen as a representative is Ashton Caron, a nine-year member of the Penobscot Livestock 4-H Club, where he raised cattle and sheep, served as a mentor for younger 4-H members and participated in multiple research projects. Caron attends the University of Maine School of Food and Agriculture majoring in animal and veterinary sciences. 

Along with other students from across the country representing Future Farmers of America; Agriculture Future of America; and Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Related Science, Caron and Eaton will connect with policy influencers at local, state and federal levels, and with industry experts, exploring how to become more effective advocates for agriculture and 4-H.  

The training and student leadership programs are annual events leading up to National Agriculture Day, sponsored by the Agriculture Council of America, to be held as a virtual event in March.

More information about the University of Maine Cooperative Extension 4-H program is available by contacting 207.581.3877, extension@maine.edu; or on the UMaine Extension 4-H website.

University of Maine Cooperative Extension: As a trusted resource for over 100 years, University of Maine Cooperative Extension has supported UMaine's land and sea grant public education role by conducting community-driven, research-based programs in every Maine county. UMaine Extension helps support, sustain and grow the food-based economy. It is the only entity in our state that touches every aspect of the Maine Food System, where policy, research, production, processing, commerce, nutrition, and food security and safety are integral and interrelated. UMaine Extension also conducts the most successful out-of-school youth educational program in Maine through 4-H.

 
About the University of Maine: The University of Maine, founded in Orono in 1865, is the state's land grant, sea grant and space grant university, with a regional campus at the University of Maine at Machias. UMaine is located on Marsh Island in the homeland of the Penobscot Nation. UMaine Machias is located in the homeland of the Passamaquoddy Nation. As Maine's flagship public university, UMaine has a statewide mission of teaching, research and economic development, and community service. UMaine is the state's only public research university and among the most comprehensive higher education institutions in the Northeast. It attracts students from all 50 states and 81 countries. UMaine currently enrolls 11,989 undergraduate and graduate students, and UMaine Machias enrolls 747 undergraduates. Our students have opportunities to participate in groundbreaking research with world-class scholars. UMaine offers more than 100 degree programs through which students can earn master's, doctoral or professional science master's degrees, as well as graduate certificates. UMaine Machias offers 18 degree programs. The university promotes environmental stewardship, with substantial efforts campuswide to conserve energy, recycle and adhere to green building standards in new construction. For more information about UMaine and UMaine Machias, visit umaine.edu and machias.edu.