4-H member from Ceres testifies to House subcommittee

Ceres resident Gabriella Germann, 16, testified to a House subcommittee Tuesday about the importance of 4-H to agriculture.

And she noted the importance of treating livestock, including her own family’s dairy cows, in a humane way.

Germann was among 17 members who took part in the hearing while in Washington, D.C., for the National 4-H Conference, a six-day event ending Thursday.

The hearing took place before the Agriculture Subcommittee on Biotechnology, Horticulture and Research. Its purview includes education programs at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, among them 4-H, which has about 6 million members ages 5 to 19.

Germann has been part of Westport 4-H for nine years and also takes part in Future Farmers of America at Central Valley High School.

“Being immersed in the agriculture industry through the dairy business has developed in me a passion for the industry and for its promotion,” she told the subcommittee.

“Even though I live in a primarily agricultural community,” she added, “I was still stunned by the lack of awareness among my peers. ... My family since then has hosted school visits to our dairy for elementary school children, and I have presented at local elementary school career days, speaking about the dairy industry and agriculture as a whole.”

Other speakers told of raising beef cattle in Texas, lambs in Delaware, pumpkins in Illinois and other farm products. All showed the public-speaking skills that are a hallmark of 4-H, which serves city and suburban kids, as well.

Subcommittee member John Moolenaar, R-Mich., asked the speakers to comment on misconceptions about agriculture. Germann defended livestock raisers against claims of abuse.

“People really need to understand that there’s no reason why farmers would be cruel to their animals,” she said. “Granted, there is that small percentage that are, and that’s where those videos and that information come from ... And if you think about it from an economic sense, a farmer wouldn’t make money if his animal isn’t treated right.”

Germann has served on the Stanislaus County All-Star Leadership Team and attended the California State 4-H Leadership Conference. She earned gold medals for public speaking at state level and is a member of The Bee’s Teens in the Newsroom program.

“It was amazing to talk to officials so directly and to tell our stories, while developing the personal side of agriculture,” Germann said by email after the hearing.

It was one is a series that the House Agriculture Committee is conducting on the future of farming.

“These young people are the future of agriculture,” ​said subcommittee Chairman Rodney Davis, R-Ill. “It is vital for us to listen to and understand how they are finding and creating common ground with individuals of nonfarm backgrounds.”

Deputy Agriculture Secretary Krysta Harden testified that she was “so inspired by these bright young students’ energy, enthusiasm and passion for leadership, agriculture and their communities.”

This story was originally published April 14, 2015 at 5:06 PM with the headline "4-H member from Ceres testifies to House subcommittee."