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4-H Animal Science Needs Assessment Priorities
--Jerry Newman
The 4-H Youth Animal Science Livestock Team has established priorities base on a priority setting model that divides issues into Low Difficulty, High Difficulty, Low Impact, and High Impact. The team will focus for the next year on the High Impact, Low Difficulty programming issues that follow.
High Impact, Low Difficulty Programming:
- Basic Production Livestock Practices:
- Basic Education for first time families and leaders including an activity for parents and youth that address the issue that the market animal is going to be processed for meat and that the animal will die.
- Helping leaders focus on life skills
- Focus showmanship as a life skills activity taught by teens.
- Quality Assurance…simplified version.
- Ownership and knowledge of real life animal prices
- Youth leaning marketing skills (and life skills) though their livestock project.
- Finishing techniques and feeds and feeding
- Fact sheet for junior livestock auctions about market floor prices, meat processors, packing plants (wholesale), and animal finishing feed lots.
- Marketing the 4-H livestock program to councils, fair boards, and associations as a life skills and career building program. (There appears to be a disconnect between the 4-H livestock program and some agriculture groups.)
- Contact/resources list of judges and animal science faculty
- On line livestock records that can be filled out on line and printed.
- Disease outbreak updates for youth audiences
- Public safety…hand washing, signage
- Fair education, Schools for judges and superintendents…encourage judges to participate in the “300” Extension livestock courses at WSU. Provide the Fairs Association a list of topics as QA and biosecurity that Extension Faculty could provide at the superintendent workshops, annual association meeting, and in the fair's newsletter.
- More online educational modules
- Face to Face livestock education programs at forum, district meetings and Program days
Low Impact, Low Difficulty programming:
- Information about local and/or accepted feed substitutes in including the value of grass feed cattle
- Showing grass fed cattle in 4-H classes.
- USDA harvest units for small animals…goats, poultry, rabbits (Oregon and WSU small farm group is working on this issue…we need to work with these groups.)
High Difficulty, High Impact Programming;
- Point person in each district to support animal science,
- QA train the trainers, and Master livestock advisors
WSU Football is partnering with 4-H on September 19!
--Jan Klein
WSU vs. Southern Methodist, Martin Stadium
Special reduced priced game tickets are available through the “group Ticket Window” until August 30, 2009 . Sideline reserved Seats $27, End Zone Reserved Seats $13. For a flyer with ordering information go to http://4h.wsu.edu/.
4-H will be recognized at the game and have a reserved cheering section. 4-Hers can also participate in an exceptional outing called “Future Cougar Day”.
Future Cougar Day is a great way to learn more about WSU's world-class academics, experience the campus atmosphere, and, of course, cheer for the Cougars at a home football game.
Come to Pullman and campus on September 19, 2009 and be a part of the Cougar family for the day.
- Visit with faculty at the academic fair.
- Take a tour of campus.
- Learn more about academic areas that interest you.
- Enjoy a pre-game barbeque.
- Join in the traditional "Go Cougs!" cheer at a WSU home football game.
I encourage you to support 4-H and WSU by buying your tickets today. I'll see you there!
4-H Council Meeting Deadline Approaches
--Kevin Wright
The deadline for recommendations to the Washington State 4-H Council is September 1, 2009. C0985, WA State 4-H Council Recommendation Form , may be ordered from WSU Extension Publishing and Printing by calling 1-800-723-1763; or the form is available online at: http://cru.cahe.wsu.edu/CEPublications/c0985/c0985.pdf.
Recommendations are an important way for 4-H volunteers to suggest changes and improvements to the 4-H program. Recommendations should go through a process at the local county level to refine and approve them before being signed by County Council Presidents and 4-H staff.
Mail your completed and signed recommendations to:
Nancy Mordhorst
WSU 401 Hulbert Hall
PO Box 626248
Pullman WA 99164-6248
This year's State 4-H Council Meeting will be held Sunday, October 18 at the Great Wolf Lodge, Grand Mound, as part of the State 4-H Forum, October 16-18. Watch for registration information online at: http://4h.wsu.edu/conferences/Forum/index.htm.
The Council meeting is a chance for 4-H youth and volunteers to discuss issues critical to 4-H, suggest changes in the Washington State 4-H Youth Development Program, and elect representatives to the State 4-H Advisory Board and State 4-H Fair Board. All youth and adults may participate in the committee meetings. Registration material for the Council meeting will be included with the State 4-H Forum registration brochure. A complete agenda and copies of submitted recommendations and applications will be sent to county offices prior to the Council meeting.
The State 4-H Council Meeting is made up of 3 parts: district caucuses, committee meetings, and a general council session. During the district caucuses representatives are elected to the State 4-H Advisory Board and State 4-H Fair Board of Trustees. County-designated voting delegates will elect representatives from their own district. This is also an opportunity to discuss and plan district programming for the future.
The committee meetings are a chance to discuss recommendations from the counties for improvements to the 4-H program. If a committee doesn't have many recommendations or finishes early, it is a great chance to discuss project issues and plan for the upcoming 4-H year.
At the general session each of the committee actions on recommendations are accepted or rejected. The accepted recommendations then go on to the State 4-H Fair Board, State 4-H Advisory Board, statewide committees, or State 4-H Staff for approval. The State 4-H Program Director has final approval of all recommendations. In general, approved recommendations will be implemented October 1 of the following 4-H year.
Outstanding County Volunteer Awards
--Kevin Wright
Each county may submit an outstanding volunteer to be honored at this years' Forum. Counties are encouraged to send a poster or display about the volunteer. Please submit the Outstanding County Leader form and electronic picture of the volunteer no later than September 15, 2009 to Joy Faerber at faerber@wsu.edu. Forms can be found on the 4-H website at: http://4h.wsu.edu/conferences/Forum/awards.htm.
Auction
--Kevin Wright
Once again this year the State 4-H Forum will feature both live and silent auctions. The live auction will take place on Saturday evening, October 17, 2009.
Be sure to fill out the form completely and mail or email it to the Grays Harbor County Extension Office. DO NOT mail the auction item to Grays Harbor County - bring it with you to the Forum. The Auction Form can be found on the State Forum website: http://4h.wsu.edu/conferences/Forum/index.htm.
The auction is a great way to make money for your county 4-H program. The profits from the auction are divided between the 4-H entity that donated it and the State 4-H Advisory Board. More details about this division are on the donation form. Be sure to mail in your donation forms by September 30, 2009, so that your items may be included in the auction catalog.
APHIS Factsheet on County and State Fairs
--Submitted by Pat BoyEs
This APHIS factsheet may be of assistance to you in approaching your county fair or perhaps planning for your 2010 fair.
MiTTNet Launch Successful!
--Submitted by Pat BoyEs
The Managing in Tough Times resource directory, MiTTNet, officially launched July 30, 2009. The directory can be accessed at: http://mittnet.extension.org. It is fully searchable and nearly 900 resources can be found in individual and family, farm and ranch, community, and youth topic areas. A national web conference to announce MiTTNet, to demonstrate the site and highlight its contents was held on July 30. For those who could not attend, the web conference can be viewed at: http://connect.extension.iastate.edu/p78987985/
To learn more about Managing in Tough Times contact Lyla Houglum at lyla.houglum@oregonstate.edu, Jane Schuchardt at jschuchardt@csrees.usda.gov, or Tom Coon, ECOP Programs Sub-Committee and Michigan State University Extension Director, coontg@msu.edu.
Job Opportunity, Iowa State University
--Submitted by Pat BoyEs
Iowa State University, one of the nation's leading land-grant universities, invites applications for the associate dean of the College of Human Sciences Extension and Outreach to Families and 4-H Youth Development.
more details
Just a Reminder!
When you have new Extension staff that will be working in some capacity with 4-H, please let Nancy in the State 4-H Office know. They will be added to mailing lists, added to the 4-H Talk list serve, sent a 4-H Welcome Packet, and be assigned a state 4-H staff person as a point of contact, as appropriate. 4-H News is sent via the 4-H Talk list serve each week. Archived copies of previous weeks “Tuesday 4-H News” are available on the 4-H web site: http://4h.wsu.edu/. Please send submissions by Friday of each week to Tiffany Boswell, State 4-H Office, tiffany_boswell@wsu.edu. Detailed event information and registrations forms can be found on the 4-H web site.