The excitement of celebrating 4-H week has been replaced by the uncertainty of the future of the program because the lack of a state budget.

On Thursday, the Carbon County commissioners adopted a proclamation naming March 13-19 4-H week in Carbon County and will fly the club's flag at the courthouse annex.The proclamation states that "The youth of Carbon County is one of the county's most valuable resources."But last week, Penn State University President Eric Barron said that because of the eight-month budget stalemate, the future of 4-H, the Master Gardener program and the Penn State Extension offices are uncertain. The programs are operated under a $50.3 million budget as part of the Land Scrip Fund.Penn State University as a whole is facing a $300 million appropriations shortfall due to the stalemate.The elimination of the 4-H program would affect 92,340 members and 9,556 volunteers across the state."For more than 150 years, through economic booms and recessions, political constancy and change, the commonwealth has provided financial support for Penn State's land-grant mission to benefit the citizens of Pennsylvania," Barron said in a release last week. "We are at a crossroads, and how our lawmakers ultimately resolve the impasse will determine if Penn State's mission remains the same, or evolves into something quite different.""To discuss future appropriations while still awaiting the current year's funding is difficult, given that we are looking at a series of damaging impacts beginning with students and extending to programs, employees and the overall economic well-being and future of the commonwealth due to the failure to come to a budget agreement in this current year," said Penn State Provost and Executive Vice President Nicholas P. Jones.On Thursday, 4-H members spoke out against the possible elimination of the program.Alyssa Myers of the 4-H Livestock Club read a letter on behalf of the Livestock Club that has been passed on to state officials."As a club we are comprised of around 35 members, 14 leaders and many parents and supporters," she read. "We can proudly say that we are Carbon County's largest 4-H club."We are reaching out today because we are extremely concerned that the FY 15/16 budget for the college was part of the governor's line-item veto and currently stands at zero."If the Land Scrip fund in the PDA budget, which funds the college, is not restored, it will have devastating impacts on the college, including the elimination of Penn State Extension in all 67 counties and the closing of the research station across the state. If this budget occurs, it would eliminate flagship programs such as 4-H and the Master Gardeners all throughout Pennsylvania."For us, as the 4-H Livestock Club specifically, that would mean no more raising market or breeding animals to have a project and take to the local fair, regional shows or even the Pennsylvania Farm Show," Myers said."Every year, youth from ages 8-18 look forward to buying their cattle, hogs, sheep, goats and/or poultry and taking these animals home to raise them the best that they can. ... By raising livestock animals through 4-H, these youth are learning how to uphold large responsibilities and grow through education, leadership and strong work ethic values."4-H helps keep the youth of our community out of trouble and away from life-taking drugs that have seemed to invade our areas lately. Without 4-H, youth of our community would most likely not be motivated to have interest in growing up in farming, raising livestock and agriculture in general."Myers and her 34 fellow club members urged the state legislators to reach a compromise and restore the funding for Penn State to keep the programs alive.The commissioners commended the group for taking this initiative and stressed the importance of the 4-H program and the frustration of the antics of the state legislature.Commissioners' Chairman Wayne Nothstein said that he would pass along the club's letter to state officials, and possibly Gov. Tom Wolf when he goes out to a County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania conference in Harrisburg next week."This is certainly one program I do not want to see go away," Nothstein said. "These programs keep our children off the streets, keep them out of trouble and teach them responsibility."