The 4 H Club Movement

Originally Aired: April 20, 1938 Cavalcade of America #131, "The 4 H Club Movement," Young Alan stands at a crossroads on his family's struggling Midwest farm. After another scorching day watching crops wither under drought, chinch bugs, and grasshoppers, he declares to his father that he's finished with farming. Disillusioned by endless days on the cultivator with nothing to show for his labor, Alan dreams of becoming a scientist or engineer—someone who actually does something meaningful. Despite his girlfriend Lucille's protests, he plans to leave for the city after a dance in Hammond. At the dance, a conversation with fellow farm boys Tom and Lucille begins to shift Alan's perspective. When Tom mentions that purebred hogs could be raised scientifically in their district, Alan finds himself intrigued despite his cynicism. He learns that the 4-H clubs teach scientific farming methods, combining the practical work he knows with the kind of innovative thinking he craves. Reluctantly agreeing to attend a 4-H meeting, Alan faces a decision: will modern agricultural science offer him a reason to stay on the farm, or will he abandon his family's legacy for the promise of city life?