This Week in Gillespie 4-H: September 25th- October 1st

 

Monday - September 25th, 2023

• Adult Leaders Executive Board Meeting @ 6:00 PM
• Adult Leaders Meeting @ 6:30 PM
   --ALL VOLUNTEERS & 4-H PARENTS WELCOME

Tuesday - September 26th, 2023

• DEADLINE to Order Swine Validation Tags

Wednesday - September 27th, 2023

• Heart of Texas Livestock Show

Thursday - September 28th, 2023

• Heart of Texas Livestock Show
• Robotics @ 5:30 PM -- must be pre-registered

Friday - September 29th, 2023

• Heart of Texas Livestock Show
• State Fair of Texas
• DEADLINE to Order Broilers (County & Major Shows)

Saturday - September 30th, 2023

• Heart of Texas Livestock Show
• State Fair of Texas

Sunday - October 1st, 2023

• Heart of Texas Livestock Show
• State Fair of Texas

• October 2nd- GCYLS Scholarships Open
• October 6th- District 10 Fall Roundup Registration Opens
• October 11th- DEADLINE to Enter for County Food Show
• October 16th- Fredericksburg Sheep and Goat Validation
• October 18th-Harper Sheep & Goat Validation
• October 19th- Family Fun Night at Mr. Gatti's
• October 23rd- County Food Show/ Food Challenge
• October 27th- DEADLINE to Register for D10 Fall Roundup
• October 30th- DEADLINE for GCYLS Scholarships
• November 1st- GCYLS Entries Open
• November 1st- State 4-H Scholarships Open

 

Club Meetings

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

always verify meetings with Club Managers****

New News

4-H Enrollment is Open!

Make sure that club members and volunteers are enrolled, especially if you are planning in participating in any 4-H projects or livestock shows. Fees will go up on November 1st! Enroll on 4hOnline by clicking the link below

ENROLL

Time to Order Broilers for the County Show & Major Shows!

County and Major Livestock Show Broiler orders are now open for the 2024 Gillespie County, San Antonio, Houston, and Austin Livestock Shows!

Deadline: September 29^th

Price: $2/chick (25 birds for $50, 50 birds for $100, 75 birds for $150, etc.)

 

Chicks are ordered in increments of 25, and a minimum of 25 must be ordered per an exhibitor. Maximum per an exhibitor is 75 birds. You must order different birds for each show(s) Gillespie County, San Antonio, and Houston/Austin.

Orders may be placed at the Gillespie County AgriLife Extension Office, 38 Business Court, Fredericksburg, TX.
Checks should be made payable to Gillespie 4-H Chuckwagon or online using the link below!

Gillespie County Birds – Tentative Arrival Date: Wednesday, November 22^nd.
San Antonio Birds – Tentative Arrival Date: December 22^nd
Houston & Austin Birds – Tentative Arrival Date: January 26^th

^{ONLINE Broiler Orders}

It’s time to order 2024 County & Major Stock Show Swine Tags!!

Deadline: Tuesday, September 26, 2023

Cost: $16/tag

Physical validation dates will be in November. More information will be released at a later date.

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 occurs 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. 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: Tuesday, September 26th Physical Validation dates will be announced at a later date! ONLINE Swine Tag orders

Physical Validation Dates for Sheep and Goats

FREDERICKSBURG – Fairgrounds @ 530 Fair Drive in Fredericksburg

Monday, October 16th from 4:00pm - 6:00pm

HARPER - The Hay Barn @ 25076 US-290 in Harper

Wednesday, October 18th from 4:00pm—6:00pm

Quality Counts is required for county and major livestock show entries and must be completed at each grade level division (junior – grades 3-5, intermediate – grades 6-8, senior – grades 9-12). It does not have to be renewed every year.

If you are having login or technical issues, please contact: learnonline@ag.tamu.edu. 

Quality Counts Website

Volunteer Sign Up Time!

Gillespie County Wild Game Dinner has been a tremendous supporter of Gillespie 4-H youth providing grants to Gillespie 4-H Adult Leaders to support our 4-H as they participate in local, district, state, and national 4-H activities!  

We are calling on all Gillespie 4-H members to sign up to work a shift during the Wild Game Dinner. Traditionally, our members have proudly taken on the role of serving food, ensuring the guests have a delightful and memorable evening.

By volunteering, not only will you be contributing to a cause that directly benefits our 4-H community, but it's also a great chance to bond with fellow members, develop teamwork skills, and make a positive impact.

To sign up for a shift:

1. volunteersignup.org/DX3RD
2. Choose a slot that fits your schedule.
3. Fill in your name and contact details.

Please sign up as soon as possible.

The Hill Country Fair Association in Junction is having an Angora Goat Show Clinic on Oct 28^th . The clinic will be taught by Dr. Fred Speck and it is open to anyone regardless of what county they are from. Contact the Kimble County Extension Office for more information at (325)446-2620.

2023 Southern Classic Youth Livestock Project Experience 

 The District 9 & the Southern Classic Program Committee invite you to the 2023 Southern Classic Livestock Workshop & Prospect Show on December 8-10, 2023. Friday is an optional move-in/registration day. There will also be opportunity to move in & register on Saturday before the hands-on showmanship workshops for sheep, swine, cattle, and goats & the classroom experiences for beginner rabbit & poultry exhibitors. The prospect show will start Sunday morning; however, you must attend Saturday to participate. Early Bird Registration is $40 per family, until December 4th (on site registration is $50 per family).

Early Bird Registration

Invitational Show Pig Clinic

Open to ALL 4-H Members

Kimble County is inviting ALL 4-H members to an informational Show Pig Clinic on Saturday, October 21, 2023 from 9-11am in Junction, TX. County Extension Agent, Travis Franke, will be instructing members & families on the following topics: • Showmanship Skills • Nutrition & General Health Tips • Tips on selecting pigs for Major Shows How to Register: Contact the Kimble County Extension Office: 325-446-2620 

Upcoming Photography Contest Information

NATURAL RESOURCES PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST
We are excited to announce the continuation of the state-level Natural Resource Photography Contest.  It is open to junior, intermediate, and senior members, and categories are focused solely on the Natural Resource project areas.  

Here are a few key points:

• Open contest (no qualifying required) to all counties
• Open to juniors, intermediate, and senior age divisions
• 10 Natural Resource themed categories
• Same scoring matrix and general rules as the state contest
• Entry timeline is December 1-15
• No late entries accepted

 

STATE PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST

The rules for the 2023-2024 state contest are also attached.  For those who may be new to Extension, the state 4-H photography contest is a senior-only qualifying contest where photos qualify directly from COUNTY to STATE.  Each county may submit no more than 1 photo per category (15 total).  As stated in the rules, counties are highly encouraged to have some type of selection process in place to determine which photos are eligible.  The timeline for entry is April 1-15. 

 Key points:

• Qualify from county level (district contests have no bearing on qualifications)
• Open to senior age division only
• 15 categories (includes a new “Abandoned” theme for this year)
• Entry timeline is April 1-15
• No late entries accepted

 

Rules will soon be posted on the 4-H Website under the Natural Resources and Photography pages. ALL details will be found in the rules

Livestock Corner

Bringing your pig home after purchasing…

 

Prior to buying your pig(s), you will need to properly clean and sanitize their pen with a disinfectant that is safe for livestock. Once you have brought pig(s) home, make sure they have fresh bedding, a good trough for feeding, a clean water source and the pressure from the nipple is flowing well and of course, the correct feed. With the warm weather, you want to be sure there is good air circulation and/or fans to keep them cool. For the first couple of weeks, you want to watch closely for any sickness and make sure their food intake is good, and always clean out the trough if they have any left from the previous feeding. 106 days until county!!! 

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

4-H Spotlight

On September 18th our 4-H Agent, Emily Grant, and FCH Agent, Shea Nebgen, put on a clover kid food workshop for all those kiddos in K-2nd grade who are interested in the food and nutrition program. Here is a great picture of them learning how to perfect their gnocchi making skills! They also got to eat what they made and had a great time learning some new skills for the kitchen and future food show/ food challenge competitions!

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