MSU Extension 4-H

Dione M. Oliver of Alpena County was among four Michigan Farm Bureau 4-H Excellence in Agriculture Award recipients honored on Sept. 30 during the Michigan 4-H Legacy Awards Celebration. The event was hosted by Michigan State University Extension and the Michigan 4-H Foundation in East Lansing. 

The award recognizes the outstanding youth education and leadership development achievements of Michigan 4-H volunteers in the beef cattle; dairy cattle; goats; horses; horticulture, crops and soils; poultry; rabbits; sheep; swine; and veterinary science project areas. Honorees receive $1,000 grants they can use for training, to buy supplies or curriculum, or to enhance local or statewide programming. 

Oliver is well known around the Alpena County 4-H program. A former 4-H’er herself, Oliver has served for more than 18 years as the volunteer leader for the 4-H Helping Hands Club and for 14 years as a member of the Alpena County 4-H Council. In her role as the club’s volunteer leader, Oliver shares her agricultural knowledge and teaches youth with hands-on experiences, working purposefully to provide a positive educational experience for 4-H members. 

Though the club itself requires countless hours of service, Oliver still finds more ways to give back to the 4-H program. For example, she serves on multiple county committees, leads 4-H SPIN (special interest) clubs, coordinates the 4-H food booth at the county fair, and in the past has helped develop a summer camp and hosted livestock clinics. She is an expert on rabbit, sheep, goats, and poultry and shares her expertise with neighboring county 4-H programs. 

“Being a leader is a rewarding experience,” said Oliver. “I have found that working with young people and helping them with their projects, educating them, and encouraging them is a rewarding experience. Often, I see potential in the child and project that they don’t see. Believing in them and seeing them believe in themselves is the ultimate reward!” 

Outside of 4-H, Oliver has been a teacher for 28 years and works diligently to incorporate agriculture into her lessons. Her students take field trips to local farms, grow and harvest produce in the school greenhouse and garden, collect sap and make maple syrup, and make apple cider, just to name a few activities. Oliver’s passion for educating youth and promoting agriculture is evident in all that she does. 

The Michigan 4-H Legacy Awards Celebration was hosted and emceed by MSU Extension Associate Director Matt Shane, a Kent County 4-H alumnus and 2014 4-H Emerald Clover Society inductee. The other 2023 recipients of the 4-H Excellence in Agriculture Award are  Katheryn Bell of Oakland County, Marie Curell of Lapeer County and Melissa Barnett LaForest of Wayne County.

The award is supported by an endowment with the Michigan 4-H Foundation that was established by Michigan Farm Bureau. To learn more about the 4-H Excellence in Agriculture Award and awardees visit https://mi4hfdtn.org/4-h-emerald-awards/michigan-farm-bureau-4-h-excellence-in-agriculture-award/. 

The Michigan 4-H Foundation is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization that supports Michigan 4-H Youth Development. For more information about the Michigan 4-H Foundation, visit www.mi4hfdtn.org. Michigan 4-H Youth Development is the youth-serving program of MSU Extension. Nearly 100,000 youth are involved in 4-H with the support of 9,000 adult volunteers. For more information about Michigan 4-H, visit www.4h.msue.msu.edu.