This Week in Gillespie 4-H: November 13th

Monday - November 13th, 2023

Swine Validation for Fredericksburg @ 4:00 PM
Wrede 4-H Meeting @ 6:00 PM
St. Mary's 4-H Meeting @ 7:00 PM

Tuesday - November 14th, 2023

Clover Kid Experience @ 4:00 PM
Dog Project @ 6:30 PM
Cross Mountain 4-H Meeting @ 7:00 PM

Wednesday - November 15th, 2023
No Events Scheduled

Thursday - November 16th, 2023
Holiday Baking Championship @ 4:00 PM
Swine Validation in Harper @ 4:00 PM

Friday - November 17th, 2023
4-H Weekend in Aggieland

Saturday -November 18th, 2023
4-H Weekend in Aggieland
DEADLINE for GCYLS Entries

Sunday - November 19th, 2023
Robotics @ 3:30 PM (Must be Pre-Registered)

November 20th- DEADLINE Major Stock Show Entries
November 20th- County Council Meeting
November 21st- County Broiler Pick Up
November 24th- 28th- National 4-H Conference
November 27th- Adult Leaders Meeting
November 28th-30th- District 10 Fall Roundup
December 1st- DEADLINE for Grandstand Stock Show Entries (online)
December 1st- Natural Resources Photography Contest Opens
December 2nd- Robotics Sumobot Competition in Seguin
December 13th- Gillespie 4-H Christmas Party

Club Meetings

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

always verify meetings with Club Managers****

New News

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.

EACH CHILD WILL NEED A DIFFERENT EMAIL ADDRESS

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

Quality Counts Website

Swine Validation Dates

Swine Validation Dates will take place in November! If you have a a pig at the Fredericksburg Ag Barn, Cory Rains will be scheduling validation dates.

______________________________________________________________________________

Broiler pickup date has changed! Broilers will now be picked up on Tuesday, November 21^st!!

We will also have HydroGel cups available to be purchased at pick up. They are $3 a cup (recommended 1 cup per 25 birds). Please have exact change!

HydroGel cups are a ready-to-use hydration supplement, containing 95% water with nutrients specifically formulated for hatchling poultry. These cups enhance hatchling survival rate and their ability to overcome the stress of transportation.

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 & Guidelines

Texas 4-H Dog Show will be held on July 11-13, 2024 at the Walker County Fairgrounds in Huntsville, Texas. To be eligible for this show, dogs must be validated by January 10, 2024 in 4-H Online. Attached are detailed written instructions. Video instructions are also available at https://youtu.be/3NzoIjK9Pco if that is more convenient. 2024 Texas 4-H Dog Show Rule Book is also attached and will be posted https://texas4-h.tamu.edu/projects/dog-care-training/ soon.

We strongly encourage members to validate their dogs even if they are not sure they will be participating in the Texas 4-H Dog Show. Completing the FREE validation process before January 10^th will give them until entries are due in May to make a final decision.

There will be a couple of opportunities to practice with your dog whether you validated or not.

Montgomery County 4-H Dog Show will be February 3, 2024 at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds in Conroe, Texas

Brazos County 4-H Dog Show is normally a couple of weeks later

Tarrant County 4-H Dog Show has been in April

Wise County is has historically been done in June.

We will send details of each of these as soon as we have them. If your county is planning to host a dog show, please let us know so we can help you publicize it.

As 4-H members complete their validation, here are some things to keep in mind:

For purebred dogs (they do not have to be registered, just look purebred) you will select the correct Group and list the breed.

For mixed breed dogs you will select the Weight Group of the dog and list the dominant breed along with the word “Mix” or list the two breeds if known. (Example: Border Collie Mix or Mastiff/Great Dane.)

Photos of the left and right side of the dog should be a side view of the whole dog. Get on the dog’s level so they do not turn into top views. They should also be clear and light enough we can see all markings and color of the dog. The dog should only be wearing a collar. No sweaters, costumes, rain gear or anything that covers the dog’s color and markings.

Dogs MUST be validated each year. If you validated a dog last year, the information and photos will be in the system, but you must still review and SUBMIT to validate for the 2023-2024 4-H year. Please update the photos if the dog has changed significantly since last year.

We do encourage you to validate any dogs that you are eligible to show. Situations may change through the year.

When we send reminders directly to 4-H members enrolled in the 4-H Dog Project, we will tell them “DO NOT to wait until the last day to complete your validation. It will be difficult for your County Extension Office to help you at 4:45 p.m. on the last day. If you are having trouble with 4-H Online, contact your local County Extension office.

Texas 4-H Dog Show Information

Livestock Corner

Sheep & Goats

When was the last time your sheep was sheared!

Sheep should be rough sheared about every 30-45 days. Rough shearing uses sheep head shears (different type of clipper than we use to shear for the shows) to shear sheep in the grease (WITHOUT WASHING THEM). This allows their natural greases to stay in them, but removes the wools you can make better management and feeding decisions.

If your sheep has more than an inch of wool on them you need to put rough shearing on your calendar. If you do not have the ability to rough shear your own sheep we have set up a sheep shearing day on December 2, 2023 @ 9 am at the FISD - AG barn. A shearing crew will come in and shear for $20 a head. WE HIGHLY RECOMMEND if your sheep have not been sheared since you got them to SAVE the DATE and sign up to come.

How Much Do Your Pigs Weigh

Keeping track of your pigs weekly weight is the best way to see how much they are gaining per day. Weighing one day a week, on the same day is important and when they are full. You want to be sure you’re keeping track as well because most importantly, will they make weight at the show?

Each show besides County has a weigh back. What’s a weigh back? Usually, it’s ten (10) pounds over or under the actual weigh you turned in. Please be very aware of what you’re putting in the feed/water bucket after declaring your weight.

With County being the first show, the minimum weight is 190lbs and the maximum is 290lbs but we do not have a weigh back, therefore the over and under rule does not apply.

Every show after, does have a weigh back, be sure to check each show premium books/rules to find out the minimum and maximum weights.

Example: Minimum Weight: 230lbs

Maximum Weight: 290lbs

This means your project can weigh as less as 220lbs and as much as 290lbs with most using a ten (10) pound weight back.

Also, keeping a “days until weigh in at the show” calendar on your phone is a great way to know what they could possibly weigh on check-in day! If you’re not weighing your pigs weekly, now is the time to start! 64 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 Halloween Wrede 4-H did a Trick-or-Treat for canned goods. The canned goods were delivered to the Food Pantry…. Wrede collected 300lbs of canned goods! We love when our 4-H clubs are involved in community service projects. Way to go Wrede 4-H Club!

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

Search This Blog

This Week in Gillespie 4-H

Gillespie 4-H Calendar