Lester Spell was a member of the Richland 4-H Club from 1956-63. He was active in swine and dairy and was a National 4-H Congress Leadership Project winner. He remains a local and state level 4-H donor, serves on the State 4-H Advisory Council and is a voice for 4-H statewide and across the South. As state Commissioner of Agriculture, the Mississippi Agriculture and Forestry Museum falls under his leadership. During the 4-H Centennial in 2002, he led in allotting ground to Mississippi 4-H for the Mississippi 4-H Learning Center and Museum. At this facility, 4-H educational programs and 4-H history are provided for thousands of visitors and more than 30,000 children annually.
Spell chairs the Mississippi Fair Commission, playing a leading role in all state fair events and activities, including supporting 4-H livestock and horse shows and the 4-H Village showcasing all facets of 4-H. In this role, he also hosts the Dixie National Livestock Show, the largest livestock show east of the Mississippi River that annually provides some $250,000 in scholarships to 4-H and FFA youth. He is co-chairman of the Mississippi Land Water and Timber Resources Board, and through this board 4-H received a grant to develop a statewide, web-based, educational on-site program to promote 4-H in Mississippi.
