The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and Bandera County 4-H presented county commissioners with a detailed overview of their 2025 programs on Dec. 11, highlighting agricultural education, youth development, public health initiatives and community outreach that reached thousands of county residents during the past year.
The presentation outlined programming across three primary disciplines: Agriculture and Natural Resources, Family and Community Health, and 4-H and Youth Development. Participation ranged from small, targeted workshops to countywide educational efforts impacting students across multiple school districts.
Agriculture and natural resources County Extension Agent Mark Zoeller reported a year focused on land stewardship, livestock education and water resources, including workshops and demonstrations tailored to local landowners and producers.
Among the programs highlighted was a horse pasture management workshop that covered plant identification, toxic plants and basic equine nutrition, drawing 20 participants.
Zoeller also cited the Bandera Soil and Water Conservation District Land Management Conference, held Aug. 29, which addressed beekeeping, conservation easements, grazing strategies, landowner legal rights, drone surveys, Texas Department of Agriculture regulations, pesticide drift minimization and desert termite control. Seventeen people attended the conference.
Additional agricultural programming included a five-treatment fenceline brush result demonstration at Dogleg Ranch, water well screenings for six participants, and an Oak Wilt Lunch and Learn series that reached 19 residents over three weeks.
Zoeller also reported sustained youth involvement through the Bandera County Youth Livestock Judging program, where 16 4-H members practiced over a sixmonth period and competed in 10 contests.
Family and community health Family and Community Health programming, led by County Extension Agent Jessica Faubion, emphasized food safety, early childhood education and workforce development for child care providers.
Faubion highlighted the Hill Country Child Care Providers Conference held in Fredericksburg, which drew 151 providers and delivered a total of 755 clock hours of training.
The conference featured keynote speaker Albert Wright along with sessions led by Extension specialists and public health professionals, including representatives from the Texas Department of State Health Services.
Food safety efforts included co-instruction of a Kendall County certified food managers class with 12 participants, food preservation workshops in Kendall and Bandera counties serving 13 participants, and food handlers classes taught to both the public and Bandera Juvenile Probation. The program also staffed a food safety station at a third-grade Safety Day, reaching 179 students, and delivered online food handlers and cottage food courses to six additional participants.
Early childhood education programming included the Learn, Grow, Eat & Go initiative implemented at the Lakehills Area Library in February.
The program reached 48 contacts and combined weekly literacy activities with lessons on plant needs, plant parts and nutrition, culminating in hands-on planting and vegetable tastings for participating children.
Youth physical activity was also emphasized through Walk Across Texas, which involved all three Boys & Girls Clubs campuses serving Bandera County.
Over an eight-week period, 179 youth participants collectively logged 10,661 miles, with a midway event featuring rotating physical activity stations.
4-H and youth development
4-H and Youth Development programming, coordinated by Kara Spangler, accounted for a significant share of AgriLife’s reach in Bandera County, with activities spanning leadership development, career exploration and community service.
Safety Day programming reached 179 third-grade students from Bandera ISD and Medina ISD, covering water safety, electrical safety, fire prevention, emergency preparedness, food safety and ATV safety.
The annual 4-H Kickoff event generated 215 contacts as youth and families visited informational booths and learned about available project areas and volunteer opportunities.
A Water Conservation Field Day engaged 225 sixth-grade students in hands-on lessons focused on erosion, flooding and land management, teaching how water shapes the landscape and how communities can mitigate flood risks.
Community service projects included yard cleanup assistance for local residents, collection efforts benefiting Out of the Way Community and Helping Hands, volunteer service during National Night Out and Cajun Fest, and assembly of more than 25 Operation Christmas Child boxes.
Leadership development remained a core focus, with council officers participating in team-building and officer training, 62 4-H members attending a multi-county leadership camp, and leadership activities incorporated into monthly meetings throughout the year.
Career exploration opportunities included the four-day 4-H CORE Academy, where 30 youth toured sites in the San Antonio and Austin areas to learn about career paths and post-secondary education options.
At the state and national level, 13 Bandera County youth participated in Texas 4-H Roundup, earning three state scholarships and competing in events including the Fashion Show, Talent Showcase and Livestock Skill-a-thon.
Two members advanced to the National Family and Community Health 4-H Contest, earning fourth place in their educational presentation category.
Enrollment trends and staffing The report noted a slight decrease in 4-H club membership year over year, with 271 club members recorded for the 2024– 25 period compared to 281 the previous year. Curriculum enrichment participation declined from 575 to 364 during the same timeframe.
Bandera County AgriLife staffing includes Zoeller as County Extension Agent for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Faubion as County Extension Agent for Family and Community Health, Spangler as 4-H and Youth Program Coordinator, and Sandy Gammon as office manager.
Extension officials emphasized that all programs are offered without regard to race, color, sex, religion, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, sexual orientation or gender identity, and operate in cooperation with the Texas A&M University System, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Bandera County Commissioners Court.
.png)
