Dodge County 4-H has awarded Brandon Boyd the 2023 Wisconsin 4-H Key Award.
The Key Award is one of the highest recognitions a 4-H member can receive. It honors a select group of participants annually. Awardees are among those who have demonstrated consistent growth in their club involvement and leadership skills.
Brandon Boyd is the son of Bruce and Rhonda Boyd. He is in his 13 year as a Dodge County 4-H member.
Boyd is currently at UW-Madison majoring in Agronomy and Agriculture Business Management. He’s active in the Lebanon Luckies 4-H Club primarily in beef, shotgun, poultry, and youth leadership, to name a few.
In his speech to county board supervisors, Boyd says 4-H was a valuable networking opportunity.
“These projects allowed me to compete in many other shows and contests in addition to the Dodge County Fair, such as the World Beef Expo Youth Sweepstakes,” he says.
Boyd also represented Wisconsin at the National 4-H Poultry Conference in Louisville, Kentucky in the quiz bowl and poultry judging.
“4-H allowed me to make connections with other 4-H members and adults as close as Dodge County and as far away as Louisiana,” he says. “I know I will continue to work with these people as I move into my professional life.”
Over the four decades of the program, youth in every county have earned special Key Award recognition.
Each county is responsible for selecting the Key Award recipients in their area, based on an evaluation of a candidate’s total club record, including project work, personal development, and community involvement. Counties award a specific number of Key Awards, based on the enrollment in that county.
