Bridging the gap: Ohio 4-H youth and industry leaders team up to solve real-world agricultural challenges

COLUMBUS, Ohio — It wasn’t your average day of leadership training.

There were no lectures, no slideshows — just 23 high school students, nine agricultural professionals, and a high-stakes simulation designed to challenge how the next generation of agricultural leaders think, collaborate, and lead.

The result?

A bold new approach to learning, where Ohio 4-H youth joined forces with industry mentors to tackle real-world issues in agriculture during the first youth-focused “Wargame” event at The Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES).

The March 7 event was led by Campbell Reese, a 17-year-old Geauga County 4-H member and National 4-H Council Roth Scholar, as part of her capstone project with the Roth Leadership Academy. The academy supports youth-led initiatives that apply ethical decision-making, problem-solving, and communication skills to community-focused challenges.

National 4-H Council, the nonprofit partner of Cooperative Extension’s 4-H program, helps ensure that youth like Reese have access to mentorship and leadership opportunities to realize their full potential.

“This event is about much more than playing a game; it’s about equipping our youth with skills needed to tackle complex agricultural challenges creatively and collaboratively,” Reese said.

Held in collaboration with The Directions Group and Ohio 4-H, the Wargame pushed student teams through immersive scenarios involving grain, livestock, and farm business management. Participants had to think fast, form coalitions, and make strategic decisions — mirroring the pressure-filled environment today’s farmers and agricultural professionals face.

A standout moment came near the end of the event, as teams leveraged their assets and made final decisions. One team, partnered with Farm Credit Mid-America, referenced needing to “check with their banker” — a spontaneous, real-world nod to their mentor.

“It was powerful to see the real-world connections forming between students and professionals in such an authentic way,” Reese said.

The strategic ambiguity was intentional, said Margo Overholt-Seckel, program manager for Ohio 4-H.

“The student participants entered the Wargame with little information about what to expect — an intentional decision by The Directions Group,” she said. “While most had an interest in agriculture, not all came from farm backgrounds. By the end of the day, their understanding of real-world challenges facing farms had deepened.”

Ohio 4-H, the youth development program of Ohio State University Extension, reaches more than 84,000 young people across all 88 counties. OSU Extension is CFAES’ outreach arm. Ohio 4-H inspires curiosity, builds lifelong skills, fuels adventure, and grows leaders — goals that were front and center during the Wargame event.

Jessica Parrish, staff operations manager at Nationwide, a key supporter of the Ohio 4-H Wargame event, called the student performance inspiring.

“Seeing the creative thinking, problem-solving, teamwork, and resilience the students displayed throughout the day was inspiring,” Parrish said.

Perhaps more important than the strategy itself were the relationships forged throughout the experience.

“The connections formed between students and industry leaders created meaningful networking opportunities that could lead to internships or future careers,” Overholt-Seckel said. “This is exactly what events like the Ohio 4-H Wargame are designed to achieve.”

The Ohio 4-H Wargame was made possible by support from Nationwide, Ohio Farm Bureau Federation, Ohio Poultry Association, The Directions Group, Farm Credit Mid-America, Ohio Soybean Council, Ohio AgriBusiness Association, Krile Communications, Patterson Fruit Farm, Ag Credit, Ohio Forestry Association, City BBQ, Bob Evans Foods, Shiftology, Dairy Farmers of America, the Ohio 4-H Foundation, and the Ohio Beef Council.