4-H News and Notes

Brown County 4-H is supported by the Brown County United Way.

DATES TO REMEMBER

February

17 – Shooting Sports Practice 2:00p.m. at 4-H Center

18 – Early 4-H Club Meeting 6:30p.m at Early First Baptist Church

18 – Extension Office Closed for Presidents Day

19 – Consumer Decision Making Practice 4:00p.m. at Extension Office

21 – Shooting Sports Club Meeting 6:00p.m. at Extension Office

22 – Consumer Decision Making Contest in San Angelo

24 – Shooting Sports Practice 2:00p.m. at 4-H Center

MAJOR STOCK SHOW PASSES

The San Angelo, Houston, Austin and San Antonio Stock Show passes have arrived. If you are participating in these shows the passes are available for you to pick up at the Extension Office. If you have signed up for any of these shows and are NOT going to be participating or have any other questions please contact Nick Gonzales.

HEALTH PAPERS FOR MAJOR STOCK SHOWS

All major stock shows including, San Angelo, San Antonio, Houston, and Austin only require breeding animals to have health papers. If you have any questions please contact Nick Gonzales.

BROWN COUNTY FAIR CHECKS

The checks for the Brown County Youth Fair will be available for you to pick up on Monday February 19th. A thank you letter should be written to each buyer who contributed towards your project. Make sure that it is stamped and addressed and turned in to the Extension Office! You will not receive your check until we receive your thank you letters. Hand written “thank you” letters are best but, depending on your personality and penmanship a typed letter can also be appropriate. Thank each person individually, don’t try and thank a group of people in one letter.

TEXAS 4-H ROBOTICS 2013

Texas 4-H will be offering 4-H Robotics Workshops and 4-H/GEAR Kick off Events at the following locations listed below. Texas 4-H will use the GEAR Challenge and Theme for 2013. Texas 4-H Robotics Teams may also choose to participate (and register) with GEAR in their contests. If a 4-H Team chooses to participate with GEAR, please note the GEAR Robotics organization targets Elementary and Middle School aged youth, not our Senior aged 4-H Members.

Texas 4-H Science Robotics will host FOUR regional 4-H Robotics Contest in 2013. These Contests will be hosted during the first two weeks of May. Texas 4-H Robotics teams may choose to compete in all four of the regional contests (if they have time and travel), and can compete in the GEAR Contest. GEAR registration and information may be found at http://www.gearrobotics.org, and a password must be obtained from Matt Tarpley for access to the competitive information and the Frequently Asked Questions page for changes/clarifications to robot challenge rules.

The first of the Regional 4-H Robotics Contests will be held on Thursday May 2, 2013 at the Vernon College campus in Wichita Falls, Texas. Other locations are Waco, Odessa, and San Marcos.

Educational Workshops Pre-registration is required on all workshops and Kick-off Events Trainings so we may adequately prepare resource. Workshop Pre-registration: http://agrilife.org/d64h/robotics/

Saturday February 9 Fort Stockton – 9 a.m. 3 p.m.: 4-H Robotics Workshop and GEAR Kickoff Event, District Six Extension Headquarters, 1618 Airport Drive, Fort Stockton; Deadline to register is February 5th

Saturday February 16 College Station 9 a.m. 3 p.m.: 4-H Robotics Workshop and GEAR Kickoff Event, State 4-H Office, 4180 State Highway 6, College Station, TX 77845; Deadline to register is February 11th

Thursday and Friday February 21 and 22 – Dallas 9 a.m. 4:30 p.m. daily – National 4-H Robotics Training Workshop Dallas Research and Extension Center (17360 Coit Road, Dallas, TX 75252) Dallas, Ellis and Tarrant Counties with new LM 4-H Robotics Clubs must attend, but everyone wanting a first-class lesson on how to teach robotics should attend. No registration cost, and lunch provided each day. – Deadline to register is February 11th

Saturday February 23 – Dallas 9 a.m. Noon – GEAR Kickoff Event Dallas Research and Extension Center (17360 Coit Road, Dallas, TX 75252)

Saturday March 2 San Angelo 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.: 4-H Robotics Workshop and GEAR Kickoff Event, Tom Green 4-H Building, 3168 N. US Hwy 67, San Angelo, Texas; Deadline to register is February 25th

4-H HAS TALENT

Do you have what it takes to be a star? Have you always pictured yourself performing on the Big Stage? Then 2013 Texas 4-H Roundup 4-H Has Talent Competition is for you! So sing a song, do a dance, tell a joke, or just do something unusual! Get the chance to show your skills on stage in front of nearly 4,000 fellow 4-Hers, parents/volunteers, and 4-H faculty.

HOW TO GET INVOLVED:

Submission must be uploaded to YouTube (all links made public).

Submissions must be appropriate for 4-H Youth.

A 4-H member may only participate on one team/entry.

Intermediate and Senior aged 4-H members are allowed to participate in this activity.

Teams may be one age category or a combination of both intermediates and seniors.

An individual and/or team (max 7 members) may only submit one video.

5 finalists will be selected by a expert panel of judges.

Those 5 finalists will then have the opportunity to perform on Tuesday, June 11, 2013 at the Tuesday night assembly at Reed Arena at Texas A&M University.

After all finalists are finished performing, the audience will have the opportunity to vote via text messaging to select their winner.

Top two entries selected at Roundup will win cash awards.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

Videos must be uploaded to YouTube

Maximum length: 5 minutes

Links must be submitted via e-mail to Kyle Merten at kjmerten@ag.tamu.edu

Please include in your email the following:

Name of group/act
Names of each participate and age
County representing
Contact person

Following information for contact

Address
City/State/Zip
Phone
Email

If you are interested in participating in 4-H Has Talent and want more information please contact Nick Gonzales.

TEXAS BRIGADES SUMMER CAMPS

Registration for the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service’s Texas Brigades summer camps program has begun. This year’s slate of seven camps includes a new one that departs from the traditional wildlife-only topics, according to coordinators. The newest addition is the Ranch Brigade. This is the 21st year of turning out young leaders through the Texas Brigades program and it’s heartwarming to watch them mature and assume professional leadership roles. While our camps feature quail, deer, bass, ducks and now livestock, our real goal is to equip young people with the knowledge, skills and mettle to really make a difference in wildlife conservation and proper land management throughout their lives.

Youth are taught leadership skills, natural resources conservation and proper ranch management at the camps scattered across the state, according to Rollins. Each camp is limited to 20-30 students from ages 13 through 17. Tuition is $400 per cadet per camp, but there is sponsorships available to provide financial aid when needed. This year’s registration deadline is March 15.

The camps are designed to develop life skills such as critical thinking and team-building through fun and interesting activities that focus on a particular species of wildlife and now livestock.

The camp dates and locations are:

Rolling Plains Bobwhite Brigade, June 15-19, Centennial Lodge, Coleman.
South Texas Buckskin Brigade, June 16-20, Southern Star Ranch, Uvalde.
South Texas Bobwhite Brigade, June 23-27, 74 Ranch, Campbellton.
Bass Brigade, July 8-12, Warren Ranch, Santa Anna.
North Texas Buckskin Brigade, July 14-18, El Escondrijo Ranch, San Angelo.
Waterfowl Brigade, July 21-25, Big Woods on the Trinity, Tennessee Colony.
Ranch Brigade, July 31-Aug. 4, Camp Buckner, Burnet.

The camps are a partnership effort of AgriLife Extension, Texas Wildlife Association, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, several universities, conservation groups, local soil and water conservation districts, private businesses, and individuals with an interest in wildlife and youth leadership development.

They are looking for adult volunteers familiar with the Brigades. They are always looking for highly motivated adults from 20 to 60 years of age who are willing to serve as covey,’ ‘school,’ herd,’ and now ranch’ leaders. They’ll get a full helping of appreciation and optimism about today’s youth and the powerful impact they can have on conservation.

Applications may be completed online or downloaded at http://www.texasbrigades.org . For more information, contact Holdsworth at hholdsworth@texas-wildlife.org or Kassi Scheffer at kscheffer@texas-wildlife.org or you may call 855-TXBRIGS (855-892-7447). If you would like more information or have any questions please contact the Extension Office.

4-H ENROLLMENT IS OPEN ON 4-H CONNECT!

All 4-H families, new and returning, are encouraged to log in and enroll in order to become an official 4-H member. If you want to become an adult leader or volunteer we encourage you to enroll for the 2012-2013 year. The web site for 4-H CONNECT is www.4honline.com There is no cost for adult leaders or adult volunteers. As you enroll in 4-H for the year, here are some tips in using 4-H CONNECT:

If you already have a profile DO NOT create another one!

If you lost your email and password call the county office we can tell you your e-mail address and reset your password!

To be an official 4-H member in Texas 4-H you must have an ACTIVE profile in 4-H CONNECT!

An active membership will not be granted until the $25.00 participation fee is paid on 4-H Connect!

You cannot register for an event until your profile is ACTIVE.

When you are doing your re-enrollment for the 2012-2013 4-H Year please make sure you update your address, phone number, and e-mail address.

You can use your Spaghetti Luncheon Fundraiser Voucher to pay your membership dues. To do this you will have to come into the extension office to enroll.

Educational programs of the 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.