Late 1890s
- The first corn contests for boys began in Illinois.
1906
- The General Education Board, founded in part by the Rockefeller Foundation, agreed to finance demonstration work in the South under the supervision of Seaman A. Knapp.
1907
- White agriculture clubs for boys began in Holmes County, Mississippi, with a corn contest for 120 participants. The early corn clubs established the basis for a cooperative system between county officials, state land-grant colleges, and the federal government that became the standard organizing structure for 4-H.
1907
- Cassius R. Hudson began agricultural demonstration work in North Carolina.
- James A. Butler became the first county agent in North Carolina (for Iredell County).
1909
- Ira O. Schaub became the first director of the North Carolina corn clubs, which later became 4-H Clubs.
- North Carolina College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts (later North Carolina State University) signed an agreement with the United States Department of Agriculture to develop corn clubs and demonstration programs.
- The first North Carolina corn club for white boys was formed in Ahoskie, Hertford County.
