4-H FOCUS. Montgomery County. County Council Corner JUNE - JULY 2011

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1 Montgomery County 4-H FOCUS JUNE - JULY 2011 PHONE Conroe: Houston: X Cleveland: FAX: Or ON THE WEB County Extension Service County 4-H District State M. Michelle Mihalek County Extension Agent 4-H & Youth Development Caroline M. Cruz County Extension Agent Urban Youth Development We would like to congratulate everybody on their success during the 4-H year. Even if you didn t come home with ribbons, trophies and plaques this year, you came out ahead in the experience, knowledge and friendships you have gained. Many of your peers are moving on to State 4-H Roundup, District and State Horse Show, State Shooting Games and more. Be sure and congratulate them on their achievements and wish them luck. As you leap into your summer break, please be careful! There are many areas that require caution during the summer, including swimming pools, fireworks and travel. Hurricane season is from June 1st to November 30th, so it s time to get prepared. Have a disaster plan in place and make sure you have your hurricane kit ready. For more information on disaster preparedness, visit County Council Corner County Council meets the 4th Monday of every month at 7:00pm at the County Extension Office, unless otherwise noted. Each month, a lesson from the Leaders 4 Life curriculum is presented to train attending 4-Hers on parliamentary procedure and leadership in a fun and easy-to-understand manner. These activities and lessons can be taken back to each individual 4-H club by the club delegates. The next County Council meeting will be held on Saturday, August 20, during the County Leadership Team Training. Please read more in this newsletter about the Leadership Team Training and make plans to attend. Congratulations to our newly elected County Council Officers! Chairman - Makayla Paulson 1st Vice Chairman - Wendy Hart 2nd Vice Chairman - Elizabeth Wishert Secretary - Zachary Catchings Treasurer - Taylor Cantrell Publicity - Jarrett Bopp Historian - Shelby Brown Parliamentarian - Michael Juneman

2 Page 2 Special Interest Projects Dog Project The dog project is a great way to get exercise outdoors, while training your dog and gaining a variety of skills. Practices start at 6:30pm - Obedience/ Rally meet at the 4-H Office or the Montgomery County Fairgrounds and Agility meets at Darcie s house. Each dog must have completed 6 weeks of obedience before starting agility. To get started with the dog project, please contact the county Dog Project Coordinator, Amy Keliehor at Vet Science Project The 4-H Veterinary Science Project is a 5 year curriculum based project with a set number of lessons and activities, that gives youth interested in veterinary medicine a chance to work in the field and see if they would like to pursue it as a career. After a member has completed the program, they may apply to take a test to become a Certified Veterinary Assistant. There are two active county-wide Vet Science Projects in Montgomery County. The Conroe Vet Science Project meets at the County Extension office the 3rd Tuesday of the month at 6:30pm. Contact Sissy Brandon for more information on the Conroe Vet Science Project. The other Vet Science Project meets in Magnolia at the First Baptist Church on 1488 the 3rd Thursday of the month at 6:30pm. Contact Edna Griswold at about the Magnolia Vet Science Project. Fashions from the Cotton Patch - Fashion Expo This event will be held on Saturday, August 27, starting at 11:00am at the Bud O Shieles Community Center in Rosenberg. This contest has categories for adults, youth and professionals. Items to be exhibited include garments, accessories, home décor and storyboard. For details, visit Floral Design With contests in Floral Design being offered at the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo, Montgomery County Fair and possibly more locations, we would like to see how many 4-H ers are interested in taking some classes in this project area. If you are a 4-H member interested in working with Michelle Mihalek in the area of Floral Design, please contact the 4-H Office. Be prepared to give the following information to help in the planning of classes: days of the week that work best for you, times of day, your age and which 4-H club you are in. Bell County Photography Workshop June Spend a couple days in Belton, learning new and basic photography techniques, taking pictures at the antique tractor fairgrounds and having fun with your camera. Registration is $20 per person, which includes lunch on the first day, snacks, an informative packet and a take-home project. Don t delay - Registration ends June 6th! Dance project Rock and Roll is here to stay!!! Join the Dance Project for at 1950 s Sock Hop on June 11 th from 6:00pm to 9:00pm at the Extension Office. The cost is $2.00 per person and it is open to ALL Montgomery County 4-H members, family and friends. Please bring a food or drink item to share with the group. Wear a 50 s theme costume and come for a lesson in Swing and Lindy Hop at 6:00pm and stay for the food, music and fun. 4-H dress code applies. Contact the 4-H office if you have questions. Please RSVP at (936) or to Stephanie Noman at slnoman@ag.tamu.edu by Monday, June 6 th.

3 Page 3 Roundup This year, District 4-H Roundup took place April 15-17, combining Food Show, Fashion Show, Share-The-Fun and a host of other district-level competitions in an effort to simplify schedules and reduce travel time for our members who take part in multiple district activities. Food Challenge: Royal Chefs: Randy Martin, Andrew Kendrick, Cameron Smith, Greer Smith - 3rd Place Senior Executive Chefs: Sierra Martin, Taylor Irwin, Emily Gauteson, Sarah Gauteson, Bethany Stewart - 2nd Place Senior Sweet & Salty Gals: Bailey Alexander, Savannah Martin, Margot Smith - 5th Place Intermediate Fashion Storyboard: Ariel Murdock - 1st Place Junior Accessory Lexi McMullin - 2nd Place Junior Wearable Mikayla Wilkins - 1st Place Intermediate Wearable Sarah Gauteson - 1st Place Senior Accessory Emily Gauteson - 2nd Place Senior Wearable Christie Roberts - 5th Place Senior Wearable Food Show: Lexi McMullin - 2nd Place Junior Bread & Cereal Katherine Smith - 5th Place Junior Main Dish Tess O Brien - 4th Place Junior Nutritious Snack Emily Page - 5th Place Intermediate Bread & Cereal Display Contest People s Choice Award Sarah Gauteson - 4th Place Senior Nutritious Snack Fashion Show: Bailey Rodriguez - 1st Place Junior Buying Casual Victoria Allen - 4th Place Intermediate Buying Dressy Christi Roberts - 1st Place Senior, Buying Specialty Science, Engineering & Technology Poster Contest: Jacob Douglas & Chase Taylor - 1st Place Junior Physics Maddie Taylor - 1st Place Junior Biology Sarah Fulghum - 1st Place Intermediate Biology Educational Presentation: Ariel Murdock - 1st Place Junior Clothing & Textiles Kelley Roland - 1st Place Junior Open Elizabeth Wishert - 1st Place Public Speaking Share-The-Fun Kelley Roland - 1st Place Junior Vocal Tim Roland - 1st Place Intermediate Vocal Good luck to all of the 4-H ers who have qualified to advance to State 4-H Roundup in June. These include Sarah Gauteson, Fashion Storyboard-Accessory; Emily Gauteson, Fashion Storyboard - Wearable; Christi Roberts, Fashion Show-Buying Specialty; Food Challenge - Executive Chefs; Food Challenge - Royal Chefs. Only Seniors may advance to State Roundup, but there are a number of invitational contests and workshops for intermediates as well. Please visit texas4-h.tamu.edu.youth/roundup for more details on Roundup and the invitational contests. District 4-H Photography Results Nicole Scaife - 1st Place Senior Animals - Domestic, 4th Place Senior Plant/Flora Elizabeth Wishert - 1st Place Senior Animals - Wildlife, 1st Place Senior Elements of Design Jenny Scaife - 3rd Place Senior Catch All Taylor Irwin - 5th Place Senior Nature & Landscape Justin Scaife - 2nd Place Intermediate Animals - Wildlife, 3rd Place Intermediate Plant/Flora Chase Taylor - 5th Place Junior Animals - Domestic Maddie Taylor - 3rd Place Junior Animals - Wildlife

4 Page 4 Livestock If you wish to show a Steer at the Major Shows or a Lamb, Goat or Pig at the State Fair of Texas, you must first order tags. Late Tags now cost $20. Orders for Steers, Lambs and Goats are due to the Extension Office by June 15. Swine tag orders are due to the Extension Office by June 8th. Validation (tag in) will be held on Monday, June 27 from 4-7pm at the Livestock Barn. Exhibitors must be present. You will also need to come to State Fair Entry Night on Thursday, August 11 if you plan to show at the State Fair. State Fair of Texas and Star of Texas Entry Night: If you plan to show at the State Fair of Texas or Star of Texas shows, you must be at the entry night. This will be held on Thursday, August 11th from 5:00-7:00pm at the Extension Office. Exhibitors must be present, along with social security cards, check or cash for entry fees, parent(s) and registration papers for beef heifers. Major Show Entry Night: If you plan to show at San Antonio, Fort Worth, Star of Texas, San Angelo or Houston you must be at one of the two scheduled entry nights. (Pick the one that is most convenient for your family.) November 7th or November 8th from 5:00-7:00pm at the Extension Office. Exhibitors must be present, along with social security cards, check or cash for entry fees, parent(s) and registration papers for beef heifers. POULTRY State Fair Broiler Orders - If you plan to show broilers at the State Fair, you must place your order with the 4-H Office by no later than Thursday, June 23. Broilers must be ordered by the box of 25 per exhibitor for a cost of $ Broilers will be picked up on August 26th. Major Show Broiler Orders - If you would like to show broilers at San Antonio, Houston or Star of Texas, you must place your order by Monday, October 3rd through the 4-H Office. Broilers must be ordered by the box of 25, per exhibitor for a cost of $31.25 per box. San Antonio / Star of Texas Roasters pick up date: January 10 Houston / Star of Texas Broilers Pick up date: January 31 Major Show / Montgomery County Fair Turkey Orders - If you are planning to show a turkey at Montgomery County Fair, San Antonio, Houston or Star of Texas, you must first order the turkeys through the 4-H Office. Turkey Orders are due by Tuesday, June 28. Order forms are available through your club manager, at the 4-H Office, or online at: Let s Talk Turkey Submitted by: John Staton Raising turkeys for show can be fun because turkeys are relatively easy to feed and care for. You can raise turkeys without expensive facilities or equipment. The turkey project is approximately six months in duration with a simple three step feeding program: starter, grower and finisher feeds required. Turkeys would be an excellent first animal project for newcomers to 4-H. Show turkey orders are placed in June with the poults (chicks) arriving in mid-october. Turkeys are ordered in multiples of ten. Families with several children will want to order twenty to fifty chicks. This one order of turkeys can be shown at the following major shows, along with the Montgomery County Fair: San Antonio Livestock Show, Star of Texas Livestock Show (Austin) and Houston Livestock Show. Each eligible child in the family can show from this one order of turkeys. When the turkey order is placed, you must designate the Major Shows that you intend to take your turkeys to. The extension office will later host a Major Show Entry Night, where the entries will be completed and paid for.

5 Page 5 HORSE District 4-H Horse Show - June at the Brazos County Expo. 4-H member must have qualified at the County 4-H Horse Show to compete at the District Event. State 4-H Horse Show - July in Abilene Horse Judging Clinic - Sharon Wellmann is offering a horse judging clinic at her house on Saturday, July 9th. Call the 4-H Office by Tuesday, July 5th to sign up. Horse Judging Practices: June 14 at the County Extension Office; June 20 at Wellmann Farms Outdoor Challenge This competitive camp experience takes place July 9-10 at the Texas 4-H Center in Brownwood. Teams of 2 compete in events such as fishing, shooting sports, boating, wildlife identification, camping, and safety. Events are structured to promote teamwork, knowledge, communication and the exhibition of outdoor skills. Bot team members compete together in all of the events, earning team points along the way. Depending on the event, points are determined by team rank, time or score. Register on 4-H Connect by June 15. For more details, visit: 4-H Summer Camp Leader Opportunities Summer time is fun time in 4-H. There are several ways you can be a leader by assisting with summer camps. 4-H will teach several sessions at Discovery College, which is a summer camp held at Lone Star College-Montgomery on College Park Drive. The camp theme is Nature, Gardening and Incredible Creatures. If you are 13 years or older and would like to earn some leadership this summer while having fun, sign up with the 4-H Office. You do not have to work each session, though it is encouraged. The Camp dates are listed below, additional dates may be added. All sessions begin at 1:00pm and will last approximately 2 hours. Please contact Caroline Cruz at cmcruz@ag.tamu.edu with questions and make sure to sign up. Tuesday, June 21 Campers age 7-10 Thursday, June 23 Campers age 7-10 Monday, July 11 Campers age Thursday, July 14 Campers age County Leadership Team Training This annual training is essential for club officers, their parents, managers, assistant managers and project leaders, but anybody is welcome to attend. Participants will be equipped with knowledge on club management, leadership and a variety of other topics. The training will be held on Saturday, August 20th at the Lone Star Convention Center. Get this date on your calendar and watch upcoming newsletters for more information. Please call the 4-H Office to sign up by Monday, August 15th.

6 Page 6 Record Books and Awards Contest Level Event Date County Record Books/Awards Applications Due Monday, June 6 County Record Book Judging Wednesday, June 8th County Star Award Interviews Thursday, June 9th District Record Books Due for Dist. Judging Friday, July 1st District Record Book Judging Wednesday, July 6th State Record Book Judging Wednesday, August 10th County Awards Banquet Tuesday, August 16th. Home Food Preservation Workshop Series: Water-bath Canning Basics: Thursday, June 9, :00 p.m. 8:00 p.m. Learn the basics of water-bath canning to make jams, jellies, pickles, and other garden delights Pressure Canning Basics: Thursday, June 23, :00 p.m. 8:00 p.m. Learn the principles of pressure canning Freezing & Drying: Thursday, August 11, :00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. Learn the basic concepts behind freezing and drying Texas AgriLife Extension Service 9020 Airport Road Conroe, Texas (call for directions) or visit the website at Registration Due by Wednesday, June 8th: Attend any one event - $20.00 Attend any two events - $30.00 Attend all three events - $40.00 (SAVINGS of $20.00) *All Fees Final**No Refunds* Family Discount (First family member pays full fee; other family members only pay $10.00 for each event attending)

7 JUNE 2011 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Club and Individual Awards Record Books and Star Awards Due 7 8 Co. Record Book Judging Late State Fair Swine Tag Orders Due 9 County Star Award interviews Flag Day 15 Late State Fair Lamb/Goat & Major Show Steer Tag Orders Due Texas 4-H Roundup Dist 4-H Record Book Summary and Judges Listing due 21 Vet Science - Conroe Vet Science - Magnolia State Fair Broiler Orders Due Dist. 4-H Leadership Lab 24 Dist. Pre-Lab State Steer, and State Fair of Texas Swine, Lamb and Goat Validation 28 Major Show Turkey Order Due 29 Volunteer Conference Dist. 4-H Horse Show 30 Volunteer Conference JULY 2011 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 Dist Record Books due Dist. 4-H Record Book Judging 7 Dist. 4-H Program Planning Conference 8 9 Horse Judging Clinic State 4-H Dog Show State 4-H Dog Show Dist. 4-H Leader College Registration Due 30 31

8 More details from Sharon Wellmann on the July 9th Horse Judging Clinic: If you have an interest in horses and would like to learn how to understand the process of evaluating correct conformation and how to judge performance classes, please join us on this day of education and fun. The Montgomery County 4-H program has existing Horse Judging Teams that compete throughout the year at contests. I am proud to say that the Montgomery County Horse Judging teams have been an AJPHA World Champion Team and consistently placing in the top 5 at Major Show contests, such as Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, heart of Texas, San Antonio Livestock Show and the Ft. Worth Livestock Show. This program consists of practice sessions throughout the 4-H year, usually starting in September and continuing through June. Please come and join in on the fun filled day of education about Horse Judging. The clinic will take place on July 9th from 9:00am - 3:00pm at the Equestrian Center of the Montgomery County Fairgrounds. Plan to bring a lunch. (Please be aware of this new location, as the 4-H Focus said it was going to be at Wellmann Farms.) Please sign up by July 5th by calling the 4-H Office. Directions for Quality Counts Certification If you will be showing at a major show this year, you will have to be certified in Quality Counts. KEEP these notes. Montgomery County Fair may consider this process for county. 1. Go to 2. Texas Trail tab is a teaching module that will provide training on Quality Counts. It takes about two hours, but there is a registration/log-in system so you can work any length of time and come back at another time to continue. 3. Verification tab is where you take the test. There are some instructions as you scroll down the page you will see the blue words to Take the Test. 4. There are three choices for Organization. 4-H, FFA and Both. This selection will determine which supervisor can view all the verifications for their group. If you think you might at any point in your career show in both organizations, please select both. 5. First and last name and birth date are that are required. For those that go by their middle name, make certain that you use the same name here that you will be using on your entries. 6. Complete the test. For Juniors 13 or under as of August 31 st there will be 10 questions and your certificate number will be good until you turn 14. For Seniors 14 or older as of August 31 st there will be 20 questions and your certificate number will be good until you graduate. 7. Once you complete the test and hit submit you will receive a score. You must score 80% to receive a certificate. You can take the test as many times as you choose. You will get a new number each time you pass. The test will be different each time. 8. Once you have achieved 80% on the test you will be able to print a certificate with a number. KEEP THIS NUMBER. You will need this number to complete your Major Show Entries. This process will be voluntary for State Fair of Texas THIS YEAR and required for the rest of the major shows.