Brown County 4-H News and Notes

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

DATES TO REMEMBER

July

23-30 – State 4-H Horse Show, Abilene, Texas

August

2 – Livestock Judging Meeting 5:30p.m. Extension Office

5 – Deadline to RSVP for the District 7 4-H Fall Meeting

8 – Brownwood 4-H Club Meeting 6:00p.m. at Extension Office

8 – Entry Deadline for West Texas Fair & State Fair

15 – Deadline to Order State Sheep/Goat Tags

BROWN COUNTY 4-H NEWS AND UPDATES

WEST TEXAS FAIR AND STATE FAIR

It is that time already to start thinking about stock shows. The fall stock shows that are coming up are West Texas Fair and State Fair. The deadline to enter into the West Texas Fair and State Fair is August 8^th. The entry forms are available at the Extension Office. If you have any questions, please contact Nick Gonzales.

 

LIVESTOCK JUDGING MEETING

If you are interested in participating in livestock judging or would like to learn more about it, please attend the livestock judging meeting that will be held on August 2, 2016, 5:30p.m. at the Extension Office. For more information, contact Nick Gonzales.

TIPS TO KEEP YOUR RABBIT COOL DURING HOT SUMMER HEAT

Remember rabbits wear a fur coat year round and must stay cool during the heat of summer. If possible, move inside. Place a small litter box in one corner of the cage. Rabbits are very easily litter box trained. Use cat litter in the box to help with an ammonia smell.

1. If you have to leave them outside, place a frozen water bottle in the cage with your rabbit, any size several times a day.
2. Place a soaker hose around your cage. A mister works well on top of cages.
3. Place a wet piece of burlap or rug on top of the cage.
4. Place a ceramic tile in the cage and wet it.
5. Do not wet rabbit completely but you can mist their face and ears.

Rabbits cool their bodies by releasing heat through their ears. Fresh, clean, cool water is a must throughout the day. Put ice cubes in a bottle or water bowl. Most rabbits go off feed during heat. A handful of oak leaves; never sprayed with insecticides, will help. Remember if you give treats try slices of frozen bananas, teaspoon of oatmeal, apple slices, or carrots: make sure they have been washed before feeding your rabbit.

If you have any questions, contact Patricia Becktold at 325-646-4753.

SHADE FOR SHOW ANIMALS

It is imperative that you have some sort of shade for your show animals. Numerous research trials indicate that steers with adequate shade gain weight considerably faster up to 30 pounds a month extra. When the temperature combined with humidity totals 130 or more it becomes really critical to have shade for your animals. Air movement within the pen is also important. If there is no air moving within your pen you need a fan of some kind. Clean fresh water should be available 24 hours a day this summer. If your water trough is empty every time you feed, you need a bigger water trough.

DISTRICT 7 FALL MEETING

Every parent, leader and 4?H member is invited to attend the District 7 Fall Meeting. The Fall Meeting will take place on August 27, 2016 at Grape Creek Baptist Church, Grape Creek, Texas. The Project Development Committees, District Council and Adult Leaders Association will all meet on this day.

The District 7 Project Development Committees need you to be successful! The purpose of these district?wide committees is to develop project training opportunities for

specific projects. Which are:

• Beef
• Clothing
• Consumer Education
• Foods & Nutrition
• Horse
• Photography
• Natural Resources/Shooting Sports
• Sheep/Goats
• Science, Engineering, & Technology
• Swine

Each of these nine committees is made up of volunteers and youth interested in that project area. Each committee plans one educational training yearly to expand the educational opportunities in District 7. This is a great opportunity to gain new knowledge in your project area and work with other volunteers and youth from across the district.

If you are interested in going to the District 7 Fall Meeting please contact Nick Gonzales by August 5, 2016.

STATE LAMB AND GOAT TAGS

It is that time again!! If you are a 4-H member and planning on showing a Lamb, Breeding Sheep or Goat at any Major Stock Show such as Ft. Worth, San Antonio, Austin, San Angelo, or Houston you will need to purchase state tags. The costs of the tags are $12 per animal. The deadline to order tags is August 15^th.  If you are planning on purchasing a state lamb tag for San Angelo Stock Show you need to make sure that lamb is Texas Bred and has a Texas Lamb Breeders tag, which will come from the lamb breeder. Registration papers for breeding sheep or goats must be in the exhibitor’s name on or before October 1^st. You must bring the registration papers on the day of validation. You can order state tags by contacting the Extension Office.

NEW Steer Classification Standards for 2017 Major Shows

Starting in 2017 new steer classification standards will take place at major shows. Several breeds were modified and changed to better serve today’s industry. If you are looking to purchase steers for next year’s major shows, please review each of the breed guidelines. Especially note the revisions to Red Angus, Hereford, Polled Hereford, Charolais, Limousin, Simmental, and the additions of the following Cross Color Divisions: Red Cross, Black Cross and Other Cross.  Please note the Chianina breed is no longer included in the updated classification standards. A complete list of these breeds can be viewed at: http://brown.agrilife.org/links/4h/. If you have any questions, please contact Nick Gonzales

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

The enrollment process for the 2015-2016 4-H year will begin August 15, 2015. All 4-H families, new and returning, are encouraged to log in and enroll in order to become an official 4-H member.

As you begin your enrollment 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 so we can reset it for you.
• An active membership will not be granted until the $20.00 participation fee is paid on 4-H   Connect!
• You cannot register or participate in an event until your profile is ACTIVE.
• When you are doing your re-enrollment for the 2015-2016 4-H Year please make sure you update your address, phone number, and e-mail address.
• You can use your Fundraiser Voucher to pay your membership dues. To do this you will have to come into the extension office to enroll.
• We are updating our e-mail database on November 1^st so if you are not enrolled by then you will no longer receive newsletters updates via e-mail. Unless you notify the Extension Office prior to November 1^st deadline.

Don’t wait until the last minute to enroll because after October 31^st the cost increases to $25!

Educational programs of the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service are open to all people without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, genetic information or veteran status. The Texas A&M University System, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the County Commissioners Courts of Texas Cooperating.