This Week in Gillespie 4-H: August 14th- August 20th

 

Monday - August 14th, 2023

• No Events Scheduled

Tuesday - August 15th, 2023

• 4-H Enrollment Opens for Returning Members 3rd Grade & Up
• Cross Mountain 4-H Meeting @ 7:00 P.M.
• Robotics Sign Ups Open @ the Extension Office

Wednesday - August 16th, 2023

• No Events Scheduled

Thursday - August 17th, 2023

• No Events Scheduled

Friday - August 18th, 2023

• DEADLINE for State Fair Entries
• DEADLINE for Heart O' Texas Entries

Saturday - August 19th, 2023

• D10 Mega Meeting

Sunday - August 20th, 2023

• New Club Officer and Club Manager Training

• August 24th- DEADLINE to order 2024 Sheep/ Goat Tags
• August 24th- Deadline to order 2024 Heifer Tags
• August 25th- 4-H BBQ Fundraiser
• August 30th- Gillespie 4-H New Member Night
• September 1st- 2023-2024 4-H Year Begins
• September 10th- Gillespie 4-H Kick-Off
• September 27th- H.O.T Livestock Show Begins
• September 29th- State Fair Begins

 

Club Meetings

**** Meetings sometimes change after dates and locations  have been posted. Please 

always verify meetings with Club Managers****

New News

It's Enrollment time!!!! Returning 4-H Members  3rd grade and up can enroll for the 2023-2024 year beginning August 15. New members and clover kids (Kinder- 2nd) can enroll starting September 1st. New this Year: Clover kids will have a $10 enrollment fee per 4-H year. Enrollment is done through 4HONLINE.

4-H Enrollment

Information About 4-H

St. Mary's 4-H and member Brett Bowers will be collecting non refrigerated serving size snacks for undernourished children in the Gillespie County area throughout the month of August. The purpose is to provide snacks that are easy to open and do not need to be microwaved  or cooked, and help combat weekend hunger with the children in our community. No child should go hungry. Please donate if you can! Donations will be delivered by 4-H members to the Needs Council after the month of August. Contact the Extension Office with any questions.

Are You Ready???!!!

Robotics sign ups will open August 15th! Sign ups and payment must be done in person at the Extension Office. The cost is $30 per child. There will be both a Fall and Spring session for 3rd-5th graders, and a November Sumobot session for 6th-8th graders. Each session has only 12 slots available and participants must be registered in 4-H for the 2023-2024 year. Fall session will start in September, Sumobot session will begin in November, and Spring session will begin at the end of March 2024. Dates are subject to change. If slots are full, you can be added to a waiting list for upcoming sessions.

Its time to sign up for volunteer spots for the 4-H BBQ! If you would like to get volunteer hours for the coming 4-H year, or you are needing to make up meetings, this is your opportunity!!! Volunteer options and day/ time vary.  We expect to see our 4-Hers helping out with this fundraiser. it helps to pay for many of the events throughout the year! Please go to the link below to sign up!

Volunteer Sign Up

The Tri-State Fair will be hosting an invitational Livestock Quiz Bowl on Sunday, September 17th. It is open to any 4-H or FFA teams across the state. There will be a junior/intermediate contest and a senior division contest, with buckles awarded to champion and reserve teams. The deadline to enter is Tuesday, August 15th

Entry Forms

2023 Guadalupe County 4-H Livestock Judging Contest

September 16, 2023

Rules and Entry Form available in the link below

Printable Entry Form

It’s time to order 2024 County & Major Stock Show Lamb and Goat Validation Tags!!

What is validation? Who needs to validate their livestock? In order for any 4-H/FFA member to make entry into any livestock show in Texas (this includes the Gillespie County Youth Livestock Show - county), their livestock projects must have been validated within the Texas 4-H/FFA Livestock Validation Program.  The validation of 4-H/FFA livestock projects occur annually to establish a permanent identity of the animal and verify ownership by the exhibitor. The validation program helps to ensure all animals are placed on feed and under the direct care of the owner on a designated date. The validation process occurs on a predetermined date established by the State Validation Committee.  At the time of validation, all animals (excluding horses) are ear tagged, individual hair samples are collected on each animal to be used for DNA testing to verify identity later, a record of exhibitor(s)/animal project(s), and a code of ethics policy form must be completed by each 4-H and FFA member. San Angelo Stock Show: ALL market lambs and goats must be Texas bred and have a TLBA/TGBA tag recorded on their validation paperwork and in their ear to be eligible to show.    **New for 2023** Lambs and goats validated during the 2023 State Fair Validation Period WILL BE ELIGIBLE for 2024 Spring Major Shows. Market animals validated for the 2023 State Fair will carryover for 2024 Spring Major Shows. Once validated, the project MUST stay in the care of the exhibitor that project is validated to; if the exhibitor chooses to sell the project to a new exhibitor, the new exhibitor MUST REVALIDATE the project within the next validation period.   If you validated a sheep/goat for State Fair of Texas and they do not have a TLBA/TGBA recorded on their validation paperwork and you would like to be able to show them at San Angelo you MUST revalidate that animal to add the TLBA/TGBA tag so they will be eligible.    What do you need to do to validate your animal(s)? Order validation tags through the Gillespie County Extension Office or online through TicketLeap, a small service fee does apply. This will include Harper and Fredericksburg FFA members for the 2023 - 2024 show year as we work together to streamline this process for everyone.  Tags are $16 each. Payment for tags is due at the time of ordering in-person or online. You will need to order 1 tag (1 ticket if online) per animal in which you plan on validating. Gillespie County Extension Office: 38 Business Ct. Fredericksburg, TX 78624 Deadline to order tags: Thursday, August 24th Physical Validation dates will be announced at a later date!                              Online Tag Orders The Deadline to order Heifer validation tags is August 24th!!!! Come by the Extension Office to pay by cash or check, or order online using the QR code or with the link below. Order Tags

The annual 4-H BBQ is fast approaching. The BBQ takes place on fair Friday and is the biggest fundraiser of the year to help 4-H kids attend various events and competitions throughout the year. We have an amazing raffle each year and raffle tickets, along with pre-sale meal tickets, are available NOW! Go to the link below to scoop yours up and help support Gillespie County 4-H Youth!

Raffle Tickets & Pre-Sale Meal Tickets

Are you ready to become a part of something truly special? Unleash your creativity, share your kindness, and honor our Texas veterans and military members through the art of quilting with Quilts of Valor. Quilts of Valor is a nationwide initiative that brings people together to create handcrafted quilts specially designed for our courageous veterans and active-duty military members. These quilts are heartfelt expressions of appreciation and love, symbolizing the deep respect we have for those who have selflessly served our country. Texas 4-H is partnering with Quilts of Valor Under Our Wings to provide Quilts of Valor to make this happen. Whether you're a seasoned quilter or a beginner eager to learn, the Quilts of Valor program warmly welcomes you. Stay tuned for information about the Quilts of Valor Sew Day Kickoff event on September 9, 2023, in Conroe, TX and the 4-H QOV Challenge.

The first 10 kids to sign up will get the opportunity to have a hands on garden & insect experience!!! Ages 8-11 can sign up to learn all things gardening, every Tuesday @ 4:15 pm, from September 19- November 14. Cost is $25 per child. Payment and sign up can be done at the Gillespie County Extension Office by cash or check.

Livestock Corner

Get ready! Livestock Corner information will start coming out next week! 

If you ever need help with your project please contact our office and set up an appointment with Brad or Emily. 

4-H Spotlight

This week's  4-H spotlight highlights our new 2023-2024 County Council Officers, who were announced at the Annual 4-H Awards Banquet on August 7th. Pictured from left to right are Sydney Geistweidt (Reporter), Landri Ottmers (Vice President), Brylie Roeder (Parliamentarian), Pecos Worrell (President), Greyson Crenwelge (Council Delegate), Jace Raab (Secretary), and not pictured is Charli Olfers (Council Delegate). A huge congratulations to our new county council officers!!!!

If you have someone you would like to nominate for 4-H  spotlight please email emily.grant@ag.tamu.edu

STAY CONNECTED WITH GILLESPIE COUNTY 4-H

There are ALOT of opportunities available for 4-H youth on a county, district, and state level and through external organizations. We do our best to keep you updated with these opportunities through the following methods! If you have any questions please let us know.

The members of Texas A&M AgriLife will provide equal opportunities in programs and activities, education, and employment to all persons regardless of race, color, sex, religion, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, sexual orientation or gender identity and will strive to achieve full and equal employment opportunity throughout Texas A&M AgriLife. The Texas A&M University System, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the County Commissioners Courts of Texas Cooperating