4-H FOCUS. County Council. MONTGOMERY COUNTY December - January 13/14

Transcription

1 4-H FOCUS MONTGOMERY COUNTY December - January 13/14 PHONE Conroe: Houston: X Cleveland: FAX: ON THE WEB County Extension Service County 4-H District State M. Michelle Mihalek County Extension Agent 4-H & Youth Development We hope that everybody had a safe, wonderful Thanksgiving. We re off to a great start this 4-H year with plenty more opportunities for fun and leadership on the horizon. One of the topics on your mind the next couple of months is probably going to be the Montgomery County Fair. Clubs will begin taking entries for the fair at their January club meeting, with entries due from clubs in February. We do not take individual entries, so it is imperative that you turn your entries in to your club manager the day that they specify, or make arrangements before the club s fair entry date. Please make the process easier for your managers. Make sure that you have read the rules at and completely filled out your entry card with all necessary signatures and item descriptions. Livestock cards have signature spots on the back of the card. Homemaking entries: Please remember to write down your recipe before you turn your entry in. Once it has been submitted to the Fair Office, you can not request information off of that card. Eligibility forms: Eligibility forms are required for any competitive event where 4-H membership is a requirement, regardless of the day of the week, or if you will be on spring break. Every member must turn in an eligibility form. For the Fair, forms will be distributed to club managers after their entries have been turned in. It is the member s responsibility to turn the form back in to the 4-H Office one week prior to the event. Caroline M. Cruz County Extension Agent Urban Youth Development OFFICE HOURS Monday - Friday 8-12, 1-5 Eligibility Forms are the member s responsibility to complete for any competitive 4-H event regardless of the day of competition. Even if you are not missing school, you still need to turn in an eligibility form. County Council County Council meetings are held the 4th Monday of the month September - May, at 7:00pm at the Extension Office, unless otherwise noted. Everybody is welcome and club delegates are strongly encouraged to attend these meetings. The December County Council meeting and Christmas party will be held on December 16th. This fun meeting will include a potluck dinner, White Elephant gift exchange ($10 max), and a decorated Santa Hat Contest. So, grab a friend, bring a gift, your favorite dish and a decorated Santa Hat and come celebrate with us! Educational programs of Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service are open to all people without regard to race, color, sex, disability, religion, age, or national origin. The Texas A&M University System, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the County Commissioners Courts of Texas Cooperating

2 Page 2 Special Interest Projects 4-H Food & Fashion Event Dates as of November Always check your 4-H Newsletter for Updates or call the 4-H Office with questions. Dates may change if necessary. Workshops may be cancelled due to a lack of registration, so be sure to call in. COUNTY 4-H EVENT FASHION WORKSHOP FOOD CHAL- LENGE WORKSHOPS FOOD CHAL- LENGE CON- TEST EVENT DATE December 7, 9:00 am Duck Tape Designs! 1. January 11, 9:00 am 2. January 23, 6:30 pm February 15th Check-In: 9:00 Extension Office CALL TO SIGN UP BY PAPERWORK DUE BY DISTRICT PAPER- WORK &/OR REG- ISTRATION DUE December 5 th N/A N/A Make something fun out of duck tape for you or someone else! ADDITIONAL INFO Bring your favorite roll of duck tape! Great idea for holiday gifts! January 6 th N/A N/A If you need to find a team, call the 4-H office. Start to gather supply items and/or check out from office. February 3 rd N/A March 31 st on 4-H Connect see guidelines for full entry info Follow District Guidelines FOOD SHOW INTERVIEWS FASHION SHOW INTER- VIEWS STORYBOARD March 25 County 4-H Roundup March 25 County 4-H Roundup Contact office for feedback or appointment before you affix items to board March 18- sign up for interview time March 18- sign up for interview time March 18 March 19 th Turned in or ed to Caroline cmcruz@ag.tamu.edu March 19 th Turned in or ed to Caroline cmcruz@ag.tamu.edu N/A Storyboard form must be signed by Agent March 31 st Paperwork to county office & 4-H Connect see guidelines for full entry info March 31 st Paperwork to county office & 4-H Connect see guidelines for full entry info March 31 st on 4-H Connect see guidelines for full entry info *Eligibility Forms req d for District contests Use District entry forms Add l entry fee for Display Contest. *Eligibility Forms req d for District contests. Use District entry forms *Eligibility Forms req d for District contests. Follow District Guidelines *Eligibility Forms req d for District contests. 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. 4-H members may begin the project at any age, but have to be 16 years old in order to apply to take the test. **We do have a leader interested in starting a group in Security (East of Conroe.) If you are interested in joining that group, please contact the 4-H Office. She needs at least 10 members for the project to take off. Conroe Vet Science Group - Lara Pena is now leading the Conroe Vet Science Project. They are

3 Page 3 meeting the 3rd Wednesday of the month at 6:30pm at the County Extension Office. This program is in an accelerated format, to be completed in 2 years instead of 5. The work will be a little more intense, but manageable. For details, Lara at larapena@ymail.com. Magnolia Vet Science Group - Edna Griswold leads the Magnolia Vet Science Project. They meet the 3rd Thursday of the month at 6:30pm at the 1st Baptist Church of Magnolia. For more information on that project, contact Edna at ednacgriswold@yahoo.com. Texas 4-H Photography Contest This contest is open to senior aged 4-H members, ages 14 and up (As of August 31st.) There are 15 categories to choose from. Only one entry per category can be submitted per county, so entries must be ed to April Fagan at amfagan@ag.tamu.edu before registering for the event online. If there is competition in any category at the county level, the entries will be judged to determine which one will move on to the State 4-H Competition. entries to April by Monday, April 1st. Once approved, you will need to register for the event and upload your photos via 4-H Connect by no later than April 15th. For rules and guidelines, visit District 9 4-H Photography Contest This contest is open to any 4-H er in District 9. This is not a qualifying event for the Texas 4-H Photography Contest. Entries cost $5 per photo. Members must register on 4-H Connect by April 10, Photographs will be displayed during District 9 4-H Roundup May 2-3 in Alvin. 4-H Scholarship Training Thursday, December 12th 6:30pm Extension Office Let s face it. College is expensive. According to CNN Money, the total annual cost for tuition, fees, room and board, and books at Sam Houston State University is approximately $20,613. Make that $25,139 for future University of Texas students and $21,307 for prospective Aggies. It s never too soon to begin thinking about how to pay for college, so we have a training planned for Thursday, December 12th, which is open to all 4-H families. It is especially beneficial for high school seniors. Michelle will outline the steps for putting together a more competitive scholarship application, so that participants will walk away with a more clear understanding of what scholarship committees and interviewers are looking for. We will also pass out the Texas 4-H Foundation scholarship application packet as well as the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension - Montgomery County scholarship application packet. If you would like to attend, please sign up by December 10th by calling or ing April Fagan at amfagan@ag.tamu.edu. If you are interested in completing the Foundation scholarship application, go ahead and complete your FAFSA based on your 2012 taxes. The application can be updated once your 2013 taxes are done.

4 Page 4 Livestock Montgomery County Fair - April 4-13, All General Exception Forms are due at each tag-in. Fair entries are done at your January club meeting. Rules can be found at Quality Counts Verification: Quality Counts is an online training and test that members must complete before entering to show at any of the major shows or the county fair. There are two versions, one for Juniors and one for Seniors, so you may have to re-take yours. If you turned 14 before August 31st, 2013, you will need to take the Senior version of the test. BEEF Montgomery County Fair Replacement Heifer Clinics (Open to everybody!) January 15-6:30pm at the Extension Office. Showmanship and Grooming. Bring Heifer - scales available. February 25-6:30pm at the Extension Office. Heifer Evaluation/Value Determination, Marketing Cattle. Bring Heifer - scales available. Sign-up for interviews. Hoof Trimming - Bill Cawley will be trimming hooves on January 26th, beginning at 9am at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds. The cost is $30 per head. Please call the 4-H Office to sign up by January 22nd. If there aren t at least 20 head, it may be cancelled. HORSE In Horse Judging, members gain skills in decision making, observation, team work and critical thinking, while they learn the principles of horse judging and selection. Sharon Wellmann is a national horse judge and coaches the Montgomery County 4-H ers. Practices begin at 6:30 p.m. at the County Extension Office on the following dates. (Additional beginner practices will be scheduled. Please watch for updates. December 10 - Seniors Only January 7 January 14 February 4 February 11 To qualify for the County 4-H Horse Show, you must participate in at least 2 practice shows and one other event, either another Montgomery County 4-H Practice Show, or a Montgomery County 4-H Horsemanship Clinic. For information on practice shows and/or clinics, contact Nicole Guidry at or Michelle Reeves at Horse Clinics December 8th - Willis Arena - Horsemanship - 12:30pm. Performance first with a stock horse pleasure class and boot race for Clover Kids February 8 - Willis Arena - Equitation - 12:30pm - Performance first at 1:30pm. Reining class and goat ribbon pull for Clover Kids Practice Horse Shows: (Following Clinics) December 8th - Willis Arena February 8 - Willis Arena March 23 - Magnolia Arena March 23 - Magnolia Arena - Speed Clinic - Speed first at 1:30 pm. Trail class and stick horse race for Clover Kids

5 Page 5 POULTRY San Antonio Chick Pick-Up - January 7, 2014 Houston/Star of Texas Chick Pick-Up - January 28, 2014 Montgomery County Fair Chick Pick-up - February 20 from 1pm - 4pm at the MCF Horseshoe Club. RABBIT Montgomery County Fair Market Rabbit Tag In - Thursday, March 6 from 5:00pm - 8:00pm at the Horseshoe Club. Rabbit Project Meetings - Russ Upton will be holding rabbit project meetings, open to all Montgomery County 4-H ers, on the following dates beginning at 7:00pm at the Extension Office: January 28 - Health & Sanitation February 25 - Marketing and Record Keeping March 25 - Breeds, Varieties, and Showing April 4 - Market Pen Picking for Fair SWINE Montgomery County Fair Market Barrow Tag In - Tuesday, January 7 from 2:00pm - 7:00pm at the Livestock Barn. Must have pictures, ear notch card, and tag-in card. PROSPECT SHOWS AND CLINICS Prospect Pig Show - Sunday, December 8 - Seguin. Cash prizes for grand and reserve grand champion. Buckles for breed champions. Entries due by December 6th. For details, contact Travis Franke at Jingle Bell Classic Heifer Show - Saturday, December 14th at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds. Rings A&C cost $20 per head; Rings B & D cost $25 per head. Must enter ring A to enter Ring B. Must enter Ring C to enter Ring D. For details, call the 4-H Office at Montgomery-Dobbin Progress Show - January 25th at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds. Colts, lambs, goats, barrows, heifers, steers, rabbits, homemaking, showmanship and clover kid exhibits. Livestock entries are $20 each, Homemaking, showmanship and clover kid exhibit fees are $5 each. Entries must be postmarked by January 18th to avoid a $10 per family late fee. For questions, contact Frannie Sanders at frannie.sanders@consolidated.com. Shooting Sports There are 3 clubs in the county that members can join to participate in the shooting sports project: Magnolia 4-H, the 4-H Shotgun Team, and the Shooting Sports Club. To participate in Shooting Sports through 4-H, members must complete the 4-H Home Firearm Safety Training. Call the 4-H Office for more information on 4-H Shooting Sports projects, or to get in touch with a leader from the group of your preference. Below are some scheduled safety trainings: Safety Trainings hosted by Shooting Sports Club: December 10, 6pm; January 4, 6pm; February 8, 9am. All held at Extension Office. Safety Training hosted by Shotgun Team: Thursday, January 16th at 6:00pm. Sign up with Vickie Dupuis by calling

6 Page 6 One Day 4-H What a way to give back! This year, over 103 youth and 58 adults contributed over 100 hours of service for One Day 4-H. 95 Teddy Bears collected for firefighters to give to children who are victims of fires 66 dogs walked for animal shelter 33 cats entertained at animal shelter 11 pet adoptions assisted with 171 pounds of food collected 1 park cleaned up $750 raised for animal shelters 352 cards made for military service men and women 4 H Horse Club raising money for pet and horse supplies at Tractor Supply 1549 people reached/received benefits of these community service projects. Look what 4-H can do in just one day! Here are just a few pictures from community service efforts of local clubs. Members from several Montgomery County 4 H Clubs helped with the teddy bear drive. Fur & Feathers 4 H members cleaned up Cut N Shoot park and even installed a new bird bath. Magnolia 4 H assisting with pet adoptions

7 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat MCF Lamb and Goat Tagin 8 Practice Horse Show & Clinic County Council 9 10 Shooting Sports Safety Training Vet Science - Conroe Fashion Workshop (tent) Scholarship Training 19 Vet Science - Magnolia 13 Jingle Bell Set Up Jingle Bell Classic TCCA Heifer Show Christmas Eve - Office Closed 25 Christmas - Office Closed Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 New Year s Day - Office Closed Shooting Sports Safety Training Horse Judging Practice Horse Judging Practice Dist. 4-H Archery Reg. Due; MLK Day - Office Closed 26 Hoof trimming 27 County Council Dist. Archery Contest Summaries Due Dist. 15 Vet Science - Conroe; Rep. Heifer Clinic 16 Vet Science - Magnolia Shotgun Safety Training Kid Chef Food Challenge Series 28 Rabbit Project HLSR Chick P/U 11 Kid Chef Food Challenge Series; Dist. Council Mtg Montgomery County 4-H Dog Show Setup; Dist. Ar-

8 Just Smashing! Morning Star 4-H recently made a donation to Smash, the Houston Mounted Patrol s newest rookie patrol horse. This donation will help to support Smash s ongoing needs. CORRECTION: The January Shooting Sports Safety Training will be held on January 14th, not January 4th. Pictured left to right: Christi Roberts (former Morning Star 4 H member,) Officer Jeff Harris, Savannah Martin, Bethany Halgas EXTENSION OFFICE HOLIDAY HOURS: We will be closed on December 24th and 25th in observance of Christmas. We will also be closed on January 1st for New Years Day and January 20th for Martin Luther King day. ADULT VOLUNTEERS: In order to become an approved 4-H volunteer, all adults must complete their profile on 4 -H Connect AND turn in $10 to the 4-H Office for a background screening. The screening process cannot take place until both steps are completed. This process needs to take place the first year of service and every 3rd 4-H year afterwards. To register for any district or state 4-H events, adults also need to be approved volunteers. Please note that once your information is in 4-H Connect and we ve received your $10 payment, the screening process could take up to 30 days.