Greene County 4-H
4-H is the youth development program conducted by the University of Arkansas, Division of Agriculture, Cooperative Extension Service and is conducted in cooperation with county governments and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Extension Educational Programs & Services
Greene County, Arkansas
The Cooperative Extension Service offers a host of educational programs and services. If you do not see what you are looking for below, please contact our county Extension Office for assistance.
The Greene County 4-H Youth Development Program’s mission is to provide opportunities for youth to acquire knowledge, develop life skills, form attitudes, and practice behavior that will enable them to become self directing, productive, and contributing members of society. 4-H teaches leadership, citizenship, and skills children will use throughout their lives. Volunteer leaders are the backbone of our county 4-H program. County extension agents provide training for leaders and they, in turn, teach youth groups. The 4-H program is for all youth between ages 5-19, from all racial, cultural, economic, and social backgrounds.
4-H project work is an informal “learn by doing” educational program with many and varied projects and activities. There are more than 80 projects to choose from in Arkansas. 4-H project work promotes lifelong skills in leadership, citizenship and decision making, helping youth achieve their fullest potential. 4-H is known for teaching life skills through project work, public speaking, record keeping and other educational activities.
4-H clubs are managed by trained volunteer leaders. Each club has regularly scheduled meetings or other planned activities. Club meetings teach social skills, parliamentary procedure and usually consist of hands-on activities and educational programs. Opportunities are available for conducting community service projects and allow for developing leadership skills.
For more information, please contact the Greene County Extension Office at (870) 236-6921.
To enroll in 4-H, complete online enrollment at Arkansas 4-H Enrollment
Please access our Greene County 4-H Calendar at Greene County 4-H Calendar
Find a Greene County 4-H club and/or project group at Greene County 4-H Clubs & Project Groups
Greene County Agriculture
Greene County is known for its diversified agriculture with over 200,000 acres of crop production as well as a large number of livestock farms and several acres of aquaculture. The county has a unique design with cropland on the west and east sides which is divided by a ten mile wide ban of rolling terrain called Crowley's Ridge.
Crops typically produced include soybeans, rice, corn, wheat, grain sorghum and cotton. Additionally, a few fields of peanuts have also been grown. Greene County has several producers who grow bermudagrass hay. Some acres are even irrigated to ensure consistent, top quality forage that is sold nationwide.
Aquaculture leads the way in gross sales for animal agriculture in Greene County. Over 3500 acres of ponds are dedicated to baitfish and catfish production. The Crowley's Ridge section of Greene County is well suited to raise beef cattle and other livestock. A few local cattlemen raise purebred animals to market as seed stock. Many others have crossbred operations that utilize the hill land for pasture and hay for their market animals. Several smaller operations raise goats, hogs, horses, or sheep. Some of the top livestock show animals in the nation are raised and trained in Greene County!
Below are a few of the agriculture programs conducted, and services available, through the U of A System Division of Agriculture, Greene County Cooperative Extension Service. For more information, contact the Greene County Extension office at (870) 236-6921.
Livestock & Forage Programs
- Bull Evaluation Clinic (Conducted Annually)
- Calf Vaccination Schedule (Conducted in Spring and Fall)
- Feed & Forage Testing
Crop Cultural Practices Programs
- Research Verification Programs (All Crops)
- Corn production & pest survey
- Grain sorghum economic & pest survey
- Computer programs – COTMAN, SOYVA, Rice DD50
Natural Resources Programs
- Soil Testing
- Water Quality Testing
- Manure & Fertilizer Testing
Pest Management Programs
- Nematode Testing
- Pest Identification
- Plant Disease Identification
Crop Genetics Programs
- Crop Variety Yield Trials
Greene County Master Gardeners
The Greene County Master Gardeners are an avid volunteer group with a vast array of talents, experiences, and passion for gardening. Over 50 local volunteers have been trained as Master Gardeners, with 30 members currently active. Over a dozen sanctioned projects are overseen by the group.
Members also conduct educational programs. The Spring Garden Seminar is a day long event that annually draws some 100 participants. It features popular topics/experts each year for members and the general public to hear. The Brown Bag Lunch (BBL) series is another popular program conducted monthly at the Paragould Public Library to provide horticulture information to the public. The Greene County Master Gardeners have been able to award local graduating seniors scholarships for continued education.
For more information, feel free to visit with one of the Greene County Master Gardeners or contact the Greene County Extension office.
Greene County Master Gardener Executive Team:
| President | Vicki Griggs |
| Vice President | Bonnie White |
| Secretary | Colin Hester |
| Treasurer | Brenda Hester |
| Member at Large | Stephannie Rodrigues |
| Member at Large | Channon Blagg |
Greene County Master Gardener Members: Hannah Allen, Jessica Beaird, Channon Blagg, Martha Chiles, Jean Crossno, Peggy Eckhout, Cora Flanery, Joy Gatlin, Kathy Graber, Linda Glickert, Sue Gilmartin, Vicki Griggs, Bonnie Hamilton, Brenda Hester, Colin Hester, Wanda Howerton, Tacie Huffman, David Jones, Donna Jones, Freida Kelly, Angela Loveless, Tabitha McFadden, Carolyn Palmer, Patti Roberts, Stephannie Rodrigues, Sue Rowton, Pauletta Tobey, Debbie Walters, Robbie Wells, Bonnie White, Marilyn White, Julia Wyss, Richard Yeazel, Susan Youngblood
- Paragould City Limits Signs (East & South)
- Historical Herb Garden
- Rainbow Garden
- Greene County Public Library
- Greene County Courthouse
- Greene County Museum
- Greene County Fairgrounds Butterfly Garden
- Youth Teaching Garden
- Greene County Fairgrounds
- Paragould Airport
- Downtown Paragould Caboose Garden
- Centennial Park Garden
- Trellis Garden
- First Responder's Memorial Garden
- Annual Greene County Master Gardener Spring Seminar
- Brown Bag Lunch Series (Typically held on the 2nd Tuesday of each month from noon to 1:00 pm)
2021 County Awards:
| Project of the Year | Youth Teaching Garden |
| Master Gardener of the Year | Richard Yeazel |
| Rookie of the Year | Dr. Colin Hester |
| Agent of the Year | Dave Freeze |
| Business- Friend of Master Gardener | Rogers Greenhouse |
| Individual- Friend of Master Gardener | Mindy Tritch |
| Excellence in Education | Brown Bag Lunch Series |
Greene County Family and Consumer Sciences
Greene County Extension Service is dedicated to meeting the community education needs of its 37,000 people with relevant programs. Greene County offers a variety of programs such as Diabetes education, ServSafe, Best Care, Budgeting, Parenting, Med-Wise, Food Safety Education, and Snap-Ed. For more information, call us at (870) 236-6921.
Photo: Participants in a "Strong Women" program
In Greene County, 1,572 food stamp recipients and other eligible low-income individuals and families were taught at the Food Pantry. 82.5% stated they had increased knowledge of healthy foods and understand how to plan a balanced meal. 85% stated that they had increased eating fruits and vegetables, 77% stated had made better choices of lower fat foods, and 69% stated they are now reading food labels to make better food choices.
In recent years, the Arkansas Hospitality Association as been awarded grant funds to train food-service management employees in ServSafe Food Safety. The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture has joined in this effort to work with the Arkansas Hospitality Association to provide ServSafe classes to the clients of Arkansas. For more information, call the Extension office at (870)236-6921.
Estate Planning
Who Gets Grandma's Yellow Pie Plate?™ provides people with practical information about the inheritance and transfer of non-titled personal property. The curriculum, workshop, and related resources help families communicate, make decisions, and lessen conflict.
Diabetes Workshops
About 17 million people in the United States have diabetes. Diabetes is widely recognized as one of the leading causes of death and disability in the United States. In 1999, about 450,000 deaths occurred among adults with diabetes.
Type 2 diabetes is a serious disease, but it can be delayed or prevented. You can do a lot to lower your chances of getting diabetes. Exercising regularly, reducing fat and calorie intake, and losing weight can all help you reduce your risk of developing type 2 diabetes. For more information on future workshops, contact the Greene County Extension Office.
Photo: Diabetes education workshop
Best Care meets the professional development needs of Arkansas' early childhood professionals by providing 10 hours of verified training through Traveling Arkansas Professional Pathways (TAPP). The Best Care training supports Arkansas' early childhood facilities in meeting the basic and intermediate levels of Better Beginnings. The course is developed and offered free of charge by the University of Arkansas, Division of Agriculture, Cooperative Extension Service, in partnership with the AR Division of Child Care and Early Childhood Education.
For more information, call the Extension office at (870)236-6921.
Photo: Debbie Still conducting a Best Care Training
Med-Wise
This program covers what is a medicine, reading drug facts labels, active ingredients with drug interactions, and problem solving. Different sessions include: "Over the Counter Medications," "How to Talk to Your Doctor," "Just Because They are Natural Doesn't Mean They Are Safe," and "Disposal of Drugs."
- Over the Counter Medications
- How to Talk to Your Doctor
The mission of this organization shall be to empower individuals and families to improve their quality of living through continuing education, leadership development, and community service. For more information about the Arkansas Extension Homemakers program, please contact the Greene County Extension office at (870) 236-6921.
Community and Economic Development
Greene County is blessed to have and provide numerous job opportunities for local residents. It is one of the few counties in the delta region that continues to grow and have a continued increase in population for many decades. Greene County has one of the largest industry bases in our area being only second to Craighead County. For more information, contact Lance Blythe at (870) 236-6921.
Community and Economic Development Programs and Services:
- Provide unbiased educational materials on ballot issues and general voter information
- Provide annually the Greene County Profile for all leadership to utilize in decision making
- Work closely with the Greene County Community Fund as they continue to provide funds for numerous nonprofit organizations
- Work hand in hand with different organizations to provide additional scholarships for graduating seniors in Greene County
- Arkansas LeadAR Program
- Arkansas Procurement Program
The Division of Agriculture offers its programs to all eligible persons regardless of race, color, national origin, religion, gender, age, disability, marital or veteran status, or any other legally protected status, and is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.