Parker County 4-H Connection OCTOBER 2011

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

Congratulations

West Texas Fair Kyle Kleckner 3rd, 4th,6th Beefmaster Heifer

Important Dates October 10th:

County Wide 4-H Meeting October 11th:

Food Project Tour of Central Market

October 12th: County Food Show Entries Due

October 15th: County Food Show: Begins at 3PM

October 21st:

Drop-Off One Day Can food

October 22nd: PCLIA Golf Tournament

October 24th: Lamb & Goat Validation

October 25th: Photo Workshop 6PM

October 27th: Rocket Workshop 6PM

November 7th-8th: Major Stock Show Entry Nights. Open till 7PM

Parker Co. 4-H ONE DAY Food Drive

Help those in need by proving meals to assist the Center of Hope and the needy they serve. Please drop-off canned (excluding corn) or non-perishable foods at the Parker County Extension Office on or before noon on October 21st to the Extension office on 604 N. Main Street in Weatherford. We need your help to make One Day a Success!!

County Wide Club Meeting Speaker: Stefan Marchman

Fort Worth Livestock Show: General Manager

October 10th at 7:00 PM Couts Methodist Church

802 N. Elm St., Weatherford, TX

Congratulations Parker County 4-H Food Challenge Participants

Jr/Int Team - Will advance on to the District Contest Brittany Stevens Kelly Marshall Patrick Hurd

Daeleigh Patridge Sarah Coomer

Jr/Int Team – Will advance on to the District Contest

Katherine Zimmer Emily Grudt

Ashley Zimmer Cameron Hurd

Shannon Thomas

Jr/Int Team Gabby Garza Alora Fields

Hayden Michels

Jr/Int Team Kylei Stewart

Makayla Chenault-Cheek Cameron Michels

Senior Team – Will advance on to the District Contest

Allison Hurd Telli Yeager

Melody Hurd Shayna Johnson

Clover Team

Anthony Garza Karoline Bass Lanie Walker Brandon W.

Rock The Walk 2011 Register yourself and your team today at

www.walk.jdrf.org

November 12th at Town Creek Trail Registration will begin at 3pm

Walk starts at 4pm. All 4-H’ers and 4-H clubs are encouraged to be a part of this event. Each club manager needs to register their club and sign up as a team captain so that others can register under them. Be part of this tremendous effort. Pull those sneakers out of the closet for a day of family fun, entertainment, and a great cause.

JDRF & 4-H Walk

The start of a new school year and a new 4-H year brings about so many opportunities for the 4-H’ers of Parker County. Many times we find ourselves hesitant to try new things because it’s something we’re unfamiliar with, or we don’t know the other individuals involved. Whether it’s taking on a new project area our going to a camp you’ve never been to, keep these points in mind: Trying something new does take courage. It is normal to feel

anxious or a little nervous. Trying something new opens up the possibility of finding some-

thing that you might really enjoy. If you’re trying new things, you probably don’t get as bored as

those who aren’t. Trying something new forces you to grow. BUT keep in mind, you can often fill your plate too full if you’re not care-ful, so don’t get involved with so many things that you’re running yourself and your parents ragged. Here’s my challenge to both the Parker County 4-H’ers and parents. Try something new for yourself. It could be something as simple as eating at a new restaurant or a little more involved as trying a new 4-H project. It is important for all ages to challenge ourselves and not become stagnant or too routine.

A Word From Kayla

Tag-In Dates Lamb & Goat Tag-In

Tag-In for Fort Worth, Houston, San Antonio & Austin has been set for Monday, October 24th at the Posse Grounds. We will begin tagging-in from 4:00pm-6:00pm. 4-H members and parent signatures are both required. Please note that validation is required for the major shows, but you will still have to do a show entry through the office.

Mark your calendars NOW!!! There are two entry nights for those of you showing animals at the major stock shows.

Fort Worth: Thursday, November 7th & 8th Extension Office will be open till 7:00 PM Deadline for Fort Worth is 5:00 PM November 9th Other Majors: Thursday, November 7th & 8th Extension Office will be open till 7:00 PM Deadline for San Antonio, Houston, Austin & San Angelo is November 22nd

The forms for Houston must be notarized, so exhibitors and parents should plan to attend. Dead-lines listed in the Premium books are for CEA’s and Ag Science teachers only. You must have your entry form to the office by the above deadlines to insure your entries.

Major Stock Show Entry Nights

Calf Scramble: Fort Worth Forms to enter the Fort Worth Calf Scramble become available October 1st. Due to the 4-H office October 6th. One application per individual Applicant must be 14, 15, 16, or 17 years of age as of January 1, 2012 and not beyond their

junior year in High School Students may enter multiple years as long as they are eligible. Prize: $500 calf scramble certificate good toward the purchase of a registered beef of dairy

heifer to exhibit the here the following year, as well as the opportunity to participate in the scholarship program.

All scramblers receive t-shirts and caps. All non-winners receive a pair of Justin boots.

County Food Show: October 15 @ Extension Office - 3:00 PM

There are four categories in which to compete: Main Dish, Dessert (Jr. & Intermediates only), Fruits & Vegetables, Breads & Cereals, and Nutritious Snacks.

Entries are due to the office by October 12th. Please send your entry via email to tiffany.johnston@parkercountytx.com

Resources are available on online at http://parker.agrilife.org. Click Parker County 4-H

Food & Nutrition: County Food Show

All 4-H’s participating in a 4-H event must all be academically eligible, this is especially important for livestock exhibitors . We abide by the “No Pass, No Play” Rule. Keep your grades up, because the office will be contacting your school to make sure you are academically in good standing to participate at any stock show. Also please don’t forget about eligibility forms! These can be faxed to you or you can stop by the office and pick them up. Please be sure to give your school enough time to get this form back to us in a timely manner. Eligibility forms must be turned into your child’s attendance office in order for the time the 4-H’er has missed to be counted as “In Attendance”.

Eligibility

The new 4-H Recordkeeping system for Texas 4-H will be available online starting October 15, 2011 at http://www.4hreports.com. Some of the changes include: Simplified, age appropriate reports for juniors and intermediates You will no longer be required to reference the recordbook objectives Photo captions are no longer required Seniors are no longer required to submit a resume Forms will be available online at http://www.4hreports.com. We encourage every Parker County 4-H’er to complete a recordbook

Recordbooks: New System

HOWDY!!! My name is Hannah Burrough, and I am the most recent Texas 4-H Livestock Ambassador for Parker County. Throughout the year, I will be

discussing topics that are very important to the livestock industry--- my particular interest is in the beef cattle industry. Recently at the West Texas Fair & Rodeo, I had the opportunity to interview Mr. Brett Cody, a fellow resident of Parker County and the Manager of Cody Show Steers. Today we are discussing

the importance and necessity of trimming your cattle’s hooves. Here are the results: HB: How did you get started trimming hooves? Mr.Cody: My father trimmed hooves, and I began learning through him. I have showed and partici-pated through 4-H and FFA for 30 years now. HB: How often should you hooftrim? Mr. Cody: It is depends on the calf. The general space of time between trimmings is 8-12 weeks. HB: Why is it important to hooftrim? Mr. Cody: It keeps the calf sound on their feet and legs, and can correct minor issues and keeps the calf comfortable on his feet. HB: Is there and advantage to grinders over nippers? Mr. Cody: The grinder is smoother; it is able to take smaller amounts of hoof off at one time. It is dependent on the person doing the clipping. Personally, I prefer grinders. HB: Thank you so much, Mr. Cody, for your time. Mr. Cody: Anytime. There is the helpful insight of the month y’all. If there is a particular subject you would like me to research, email me the information at hannahburrough@yahoo.com. Until next time!!!

Hannah’s Hints

Our first meeting was a huge success even it was a little hectic. The Zimmer Family cooked up some great BBQ and we had a fantastic Awards Banquet in addition we met a lot of new members. In October we will be changing things up a little as we have an incredible opportunity to attend a presentation by Stefan Marchman the Fort Worth Livestock Show General Manager. We will also have a new parent orientation that evening as well.

October Meeting Schedule Date: October 7, 2011 Time: 7:00 pm Stefan Marchman Location: Couts Methodist Church 802 N. Elm Weatherford, Texas Date: October 10, 2011 Times: Clover Kids 5:00 pm Officer Meeting 5:30 pm New Parent Orientation 5:30 pm

4-H Meeting 6:00 pm Location: Aledo Community Center

Please be on time for the club meeting as we have a lot of information to cover and will be leaving at 6:30 to attend Stefan Marchman’s presentation.

Aledo 4-H

Spring Creek 4-H held its first meeting of the 2011-2012 year on September 12th. We had an awesome turnout and everyone had fun playing leadership games with Chuck Walton. Our community service event for September was a canned food drive for The Center of Hope. Reminder our October 10th meeting is a COUNTYWIDE meeting to be held at Couts United Methodist Church at 7:00 PM. The guest speaker will be Stefan Marchman, Livestock Manager for the Fort Worth Stock Show. There will be no office or clover kid meeting that night; be sure that you sign in at Spring Creek’s table. ADOPT-A-HIGHWAY: October 9th at 2:00 PM. Meet at Wilson Lane. THIS IS A DATE CHANGE FROM NOVEMBER.

Spring Creek 4-H