Daryl Buchholz, leader of Kansas 4-H and K-State Research and Extension for nearly 30 years, was inducted into the National 4-H Hall of Fame on Oct. 12 in Washington D.C.
The award recognizes volunteers, financial supporters, staff and pioneers who made a significant impact on 4-H at the local, state and national levels.
“One of the lasting impacts of Daryl’s leadership is a significantly greater degree of alignment and collaboration between the Kansas 4-H program and the Kansas 4-H Foundation,” said Jake Worcester, president and CEO of the the Kansas 4-H Foundation.
“His belief that we are stronger pursuing aligned visions is one of the reasons we have been successful in so many endeavors,” Worcester said. “His belief in people - that together we can pursue great goals and succeed in reaching them - is an example we should all follow.”
Wade Weber, program leader for Kansas 4-H, said that as a leader, Buchholz “demonstrated a relentless belief in people and their abilities to solve any problem and confront any challenge.”
“His roundtable discussions embodied his belief and practice that all ideas were welcome as we work together to make better what is given to us each day,” Weber said.
Buchholz completed his master’s degree at Oklahoma State University and a doctoral degree at Kansas State University. He began his extension career in 1980 at the University of Missouri.
In 1992, Buchholz joined Kansas State University as the assistant director for Agriculture and Natural Resources and Community Development. While directing the agriculture section, he served 18 months as the interim program leader for 4-H Youth Development, before being named associate director for K-State Research and Extension in 2004.
In this position, he provided leadership for the operations of the Kansas Cooperative Extension Service, including overseeing a program that included a workforce of 250 extension agents, 120 faculty and more than 500 support staff with an annual budget exceeding $50 million.
Buchholz’s vision and wisdom led to his selection as the chair of the Extension Committee on Policy (ECOP), a national leadership committee of the Cooperative Extension Section of the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities Board of Agricultural Assembly. Under his leadership, ECOP discussed at length the responsibilities of USDA, ECOP, National 4-H Council and land-grant universities for program delivery.
Always known for asking the “why” question, Buchholz remained strategic in his vision as a leader, guiding extension agents and specialists in their planning process by encouraging programming to be relevant, sustainable and educational. In 2017, Buchholz retired as Associate Director for K-State Research and Extension.