A champion of rural issues shares her 4-H story

4-H has always felt like home for Ruth Linkenmeyer Meirick. Growing up in northeast Iowa’s Howard County, 4-H was deeply woven into her family’s identity. 

“My mom was a 4-H leader. She always held a project day where everyone brought their projects to our house to prepare for the fair together,” Linkenmeyer Meirick says. 

“Looking back as an adult, I realize how many others she mentored, not just me. A friend told me she still bakes bread because my mom taught her how!”

Her own homemade yeast breads secured her a spot at the state fair. Sewing also played a major role in her 4-H experience. “I learned to sew and made quilts and outfits for the fashion review. Those skills were handy later — I made my prom dresses. I even sewed 30,000 beads on my wedding gown, by hand!”

Those aren’t the only experiences from 4-H that inform Linkenmeyer Meirick’s life today. 

Now, as the director of the Minnesota Foundation for Agriculture (formerly the Minnesota Farm Bureau Foundation), Linkenmeyer Meirick’s 4-H roots shape her skills and professional mission. 

Saving lives in rural Minnesota

Through her work at Minnesota Foundation for Agriculture, one of the key areas Linkenmeyer Meirick champions is health and wellness, a critical component of the 4-H pledge. She’s helped lead award-winning efforts addressing rural mental health and opioid misuse.

“It’s part of farm culture to work hard and not ask for help,” Linkenmeyer Meirick says. “For many farmers, when they’re in pain, they’ll do whatever they can to keep going — even if it means taking medication that can lead to addiction within just three days.”

Recognizing the stigma around discussing these issues, the Minnesota Foundation for Agriculture has taken steps to educate and provide resources. “We raised money, developed materials, distributed drug disposal kits and started community meetings across the state,” she explains. 

Mental health awareness has become another key focus. “When we talk about farm safety, we often think about the hazards of grain elevators or machinery. There’s another side to it — suicide prevention, stress management and mental wellness,” Linkenmeyer Meirick says.

Promising new practices 

The Foundation’s Rural Healthcare Initiative introduces first-year Mayo Clinic medical students to rural healthcare challenges. The medical students, many of whom have never been on a farm or interacted with farmers, tour farm machinery sales floors to better understand farm-based injuries. Real farmers are invited to roleplay common healthcare scenarios with the students.

Giving back to 4-H 

Her role also allows her to support 4-H by serving on the plant science steering committee and volunteering with Dodge County 4-H. 

“4-H is vital to agriculture,” she says. “We always correlate growing crops with feeding people, but it goes beyond that. There are so many things that come from agriculture — clothing, biofuels, plastics,” she says. “I love connecting the dots for kids so they understand the full picture.”

Reflecting on her lifelong connection to 4-H, Linkenmeyer Meirick sees its lessons in every aspect of her life and work. 

“I still use the hands-on skills I learned in 4-H, from cooking and sewing to record-keeping,” she says. “What was bigger, for me, is how fashion revue and my demonstrations taught me to be comfortable in front of others. I use that skill every day. Now, I have no problem talking in front of 20 people or 20,000 people.”

Even more important are the connections it’s helped her make across Minnesota. “4-H is a big family. The sense of belonging it gave me as a kid has carried into adulthood,” she says. “Friends from my home in 4-H are now connectors who make our work possible.”