This Week in Gillespie 4-H: September 11th- September 17th

 

Monday - September 11th, 2023

• Wrede 4-H Meeting @ 6:00 PM
• St. Mary's 4-H Meeting @ 7:00 PM

Tuesday - September 12th, 2023

• Dog Project @ 6:30 PM

Wednesday - September 13th, 2023

• DEADLINE to Register for Clover Kids Food Workshop
• Harper 4-H Meeting @ 6:30 PM

Thursday - September 14th, 2023

•  Fall Robotics @ 5:30 PM

Friday - September 15th, 2023

• Food & Nutrition Boot Camp  @ 4:00 PM

Saturday - September 16th, 2023

• Food & Nutrition Boot Camp @ 9:00 AM

Sunday - September 17th, 2023

• No Events Scheduled

• September 26th- DEADLINE for Swine Validation Tag Orders
• September 27th- H.O.T Livestock Show Begins
• September 29th- State Fair Begins
• September 29th- DEADLINE for Broiler Orders
• October 2nd- GCYLS Scholarships Open
• October 6th- District 10 Fall Roundup Registration Opens
• October 27th- DEADLINE to Register for D10 Fall Roundup
• October 23rd- County Food Show/ Food Challenge
• 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

FOOD & NUTRITION PROJECT OPPORTUNITIES!

Family & Community Health Quiz Bowl (similar to Jeopardy)

A “Quiz Bowl” is a quiz game that tests teams of 3-4 members on their knowledge of basic nutrition, consumer information, food and kitchen safety, food preparation skills and storage, and health. Up against the clock, the 4-Hers buzz in to answer a question and earn points for correct answers. Teams advance in a tournament-system bracket to win the competition. The contest will cover materials found in Food & Nutrition Healthy Lifestyles Invitational Consumer Decision Making. 

Food Show

Available to 1st-12th grade 4H members At the Food Show you choose a recipe from the contest categories and then prepare and present it to a panel of judges. During your interview with the judges, you will show how you prepared it, the nutrients and ingredients, personal dietary needs, healthy substitutions, and a cost analysis. Each member will enter one recipe into the County Food Show.

Food Challenge

At the Food Challenge, teams of 3-4 students receive a list of ingredients and have 40 minutes to create a dish. The teams then present their dish to judges are scored on preparation, serving size, food safety concerns, and nutritional value. Students qualify at the country and district level to compete at the state contest. Each team is randomly assigned to one of four categories—appetizer, main dish, side dish, and healthy dessert.

September 15-16 – Food and Nutrition Boot Camp 

September 18 – Clover Kid Food Workshop

October 23rd – County Food Show & Food Challenge

November 29th - District Food Show/Quiz Bowl – Kerrville, TX

November 30th - District Food Challenge – Kerrville, TX 

Sign Ups

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

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

The 2023-2024 Fashion & Interior Design Guidelines are Updated! 

Texas 4-H Fashion Show changes

• Fashion Show Construction Score Sheet has been revised. The weighting of the categories has changed to put more emphasis on the construction skills and outfit selection, fit and appearance.
• Fashion Show Buying Score Sheet has been revised. The weighting of the categories has changed to put more emphasis on consumer buying skills and outfit selection.
• Tie breaking order has changed for construction and buying.
• Fashion Show interview questions have been updated.

 Texas 4-H Fashion Show Natural Fiber changes

• Interview questions have been updated.
• Fashion Show Natural Fiber Score Sheet has been revised. The weighting has been changed to put more emphasis on promotion of Texas natural fibers and knowledge of the fiber.

 Texas 4-H Duds to Dazzle changes

• Contest objectives have changed to include the environmental impacts of the fashion industry.
• “How does fast fashion affect the environment?” has been added to the list of contest resources.
• Team size has changed from 3-5 to 3-4
• Teams must use 2 items from the “closet”
• Foam paint brushes and Mod podge have been deleted from the sewing kit.
• Duds to Dazzle Score Sheet has been revised. Team preparation 45% and team presentation 55%.  There is more emphasis on quality and overall appearance of the final product.

 Texas 4-H Duds to Dazzle Solo Showcase Invitational

• The 4-H Duds to Dazzle Solo Showcase Invitational is designed to provide youth the opportunity to participate in an individual Duds to Dazzle contest. Participants will utilize the knowledge and skills gained through participation in the 4-H Fashion and Interior Design project.
• Will be held at Texas 4-H Roundup 2024
• Individuals competing in the Duds to Dazzle team event cannot compete in the Solo Showcase Invitational.

 Texas 4-H Storyboard changes

• 2024 Design Brief – Dream

"Dream" serves as the ultimate source of inspiration for this fashion concept. The concept revolves around the multifaceted nature of dreams, whether they are the surreal visions that captivate a sleeping mind or the vivid aspirations that fuel the conscious soul. The fashion narrative will blur the lines between reality and reverie, creating a visual story that celebrates the ethereal and the tangible. This concept invites designers to translate the essence of dreams into fashion, evoking a sense of wonder, mystery, and endless possibility.

 Additional opportunities in Fashion and Interior Design

 Quilts of Valor

• 2023-2024 Quilt Block and Top Challenge Guidelines attached.

 JOANN mini-grant applications open Oct. 1^st

 Kendra Gives Back to Texas 4-H

• Statewide online – Oct. 6^th -7^th
• In Store October 7^th  12-2

 

Find all resources on the Texas 4-H Fashion & Interior Design Webpage

Fashion & Int. Design WEBPAGE

Livestock Corner

Dealing with the last bit of HEAT! 

It is time to get back to the swing of barn work! Thankfully it is starting to cool down in the evenings...hot animals and hot kids never seem to work. 

*ALL Livestock projects should either be in the barn or you should be purchasing them now...INCLUDING poultry! 

Let's talk about the HEAT -- while it is cooling down more in the evening as we start to experience temperature swings between hot days and cool nights there are some health concerns that we need to be aware of.

1) Pneumonia - just like we know when our kids don't feel good that is the same with our livestock! Watch for what I call "thumping" as they breath it looks like the are taking heavy shallow breaths. If you see this -- don't wait, don't just walk, RUN to the many qualified VETS in the area. Pneumonia can be deadly in less than 24 hours.

2 )Feeding in the HEAT! Just like we don't want to eat when we are hot neither do our livestock. Make sure to feed as it starts to cool off in the evenings. This will help livestock eat better and help you not waste feed. 

3) WATER - COOL, FRESH, CLEAN! 
I am a FRIM believer that livestock will always consume more water if it is fresh and clean. (Don't believe me do a at home science experiment -- PS which can turn into an AgriScience project for school, stock show or FFA)
I recommend buckets/tubs that are easy to clean and refill. Gift the dish washer in the house a new scrub brush and steal the old one for the barn -- scrub your water buckets 1x a week while, rinsing and refilling daily to ensure that livestock water is clean and fresh.

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

4-H Spotlight

Members of  Wrede 4-H representing their club at new member night. Each 4-H club had a table and gave information about what they do throughout the year to keep potential new members engaged and having fun.

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 Univers