Larry J. Gould

County: Lenawee
Class Years: 2022
Title:
“4-H taught me parliamentary procedures and how to conduct meetings. I learned leadership skills and responsibility.”

Larry Gould owns and operates Gould Farms with his son and brother, producing corn, wheat, and soybeans. His farming career has led him to serve on many boards and committees, including the county, state, and national cattleman’s associations, the Lenawee County Farm Bureau board of directors, the Lenawee County MSU Extension Advisory Council, the Michigan Soybean Association, and the agricultural advisory committee for former U.S. Representative David Stockman.

Gould was a Lenawee County commissioner for 32 years, chairing the ways and means committee and sitting on the parks and recreation, library, and criminal justice committees. Gould also served on the South Central Michigan Substance Abuse Commission, the Mid-South Substance Abuse Commission, the South Central Michigan Works Consortium Board, and as a governor-appointed member of the Michigan Public Health Advisory Committee. Today, he serves on the Region II Planning Commission and the Lenawee Agriculture Committee.

Gould’s long history of service also includes a strong commitment to Michigan 4-H. A former Lenawee County 4-H’er, Gould has been a Lenawee County 4-H volunteer for more than 50 years with the State Line Hustlers 4-H Club. In 2022, he was recognized by MSU Extension for his 50 years of service to 4-H. In addition to his local service to 4-H, Gould served on the national board of the International 4-H Youth Exchange, or IFYE, program from 1969 to 1972 and as the IFYE national vice president and finance committee chair from 2016 to 2022. Gould himself traveled to Mexico as an IFYE participant in 1965, and over the years, he and his family have hosted several IFYE participants.

Locally, Gould is a member and communion steward at the Weston United Methodist Church and routinely donates produce to his church and local food pantry. He is a donor to the Morenci Education Foundation and has been honored by the foundation with a Distinguished Alumni Award.

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It takes confidence and courage to try new things and I am thankful to 4-H for providing that opportunity for me.

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