The County Fair is Less than 30 Day Away!!

4-H members Chelsea and Abby and Hannah Celella help weigh in club lambs

   The Kaufman County Junior Livestock Show and Creative Talent Fair is less than 30 Days away!!  And Kaufman County 4-H members are prepping their projects by practicing showmanship and checking to see if they are on target for the show.  Kaufman County 4-H members participate in the fair to showcase the knowledge and skills they've gained throughout the year, and to continue their learning experiences.
   The youth spend months working on projects designed to equip them with essential life skills such as problem solving, decision making, project management, communications and public speaking. 4-H'ers then share their accomplishments and educate the public about their subject at their local county fair.
   This year the Kaufman County Junior Livestock Show starts of on Wednesday, March 27^th, with the projects moving into the show barns in Kaufman and checking in with the show staff.  The Show really starts of on Thursday, March 28^th early with the Market Broiler show starting at 9 AM with the Junior Breeding Heifers following and ending up with the Youth Breeding Rabbit show and the big Market Hog show in the evening.
   On Friday morning a lot will be going in the barns early with the youth will competing in the Market Lamb, Market Goat, Dairy Goats and the Breeding Boer Goat show all starting at 8 am.  The Ag Mechanic show happens out under the cover arena showcasing the youths talents in building some amazing projects.   And the market steer will wrap up  Friday evening in the lower arena.
   The county fair wraps up on Saturday showcasing the youth that make it to the Livestock Premium Auction starting at 2 pm with the annual Bar B Que lunch supporting the KCJLS Scholarship starting at 12 noon. 
   But don’t miss the Creative Talent Fair in the Women's building.  If you are looking for good food to eat the Kaufman FFA group will once again be manning the grills for good hamburger and if you catch a whiff of Chocolate Chip Cookies the Citizenship Washington Delegation will be walking the barns selling fresh baked cookies to help raise money to go to Washington DC this summer. Come see the local talent show off their creative side and so much more!!
   For more information on the schedule of events, contact the County Extension Office at (972)932-9069 or go to the Kaufman County Junior Livestock Show website at http://kcjls.com .

San Angelo Junior Heifer Show

Congratulations to the Kaufman County 4-H members that traveled to San Angelo Junior Livestock Show Junior Heifer show.  
Clarissa Perez in the Junior Angus Show was Intermediate Heifer Division Champion
Brooke Adams in the Junior Hereford show was Calf Division Champion
Rebekah Jo Gosnell in Junior Limousine show was 1st in her Junior and Intermediate Class
Ben Gosnell in the Junior Shorthorn show was 2nd in his Junior Class.

Story Board Workshop - March 2nd

The 4-H Fashion Storyboard is an industry-inspired method of displaying of original designs.  The best storyboards create vivid visual images that are interesting and appealing to viewers.  The storyboard “tells the story” of the designer’s idea.  The storyboard includes original illustrations and flats, as well as, additional materials (such as photos from the internet or magazines, paper, fabric swatches, patterns, etc.) that have influenced the unique design. The purpose of the Fashion Storyboard contest is to give 4-H members an opportunity to create a storyboard of their original design.  It also provides the members an opportunity to gain knowledge of the career responsibilities of a fashion designer and illustrator, enhance creativity and originality, and develop visual communication skills.

We will be hosting a workshop on how to plan and organize the board on March 2nd, 2013 from 2 - 4 pm at the County Extension Office.

The following design brief serves as the direction for the 2013 Fashion Storyboards. 4-H members should create their Fashion Storyboard around their interpretation of the design brief.

"Be True to Who You Are"

As Dr. Seuss says, “Why fit in when you were born to Standout!” Who cares what anyone else thinks. Go with your emotion. Show your passion! Show the you that is you in your original fashion.

Guidelines for the Clothing and Textiles can be found at : http://texas4-h.tamu.edu/clothings-textiles 

Please RSVP (that means call to say you are planning to come) so that we can make sure that we have boards for you to work on.  If you are going to use a board provided by us then please plan on $5.00 to pay for the board.  The mat board or foam core that you will need is approximately 20" x 30".

Off to a Good Start- 4-H members learn the art of Educational Presentations.

A 4-H educational presentation is a demonstration of your knowledge and skills in a certain project area. This presentation is done in a way that is most comfortable to you. It can be accomplished using props (method demonstration), posters or media presentations (illustrated talk), or it can be you just speaking and convincing, or simply educating, with words alone (public speaking).

The Educational Presentation workshops is for all 4-H members, parents, and volunteers, to expand their knowledge of researching topics, organizing, developing, and presenting an Educational Presentation in one of the numerous categories at the local, county, district, and state levels. 

Kaitlyn Pagel, County Council Secretary, presented to the first workshop an introduction to the Educational Presentations.  Topics that were covered were:

1. What is an Educational Presentation?
2. Why Should I Do a Presentation?
3. Types of Presentations
4. Where Do I Start?
5. Getting to the Point
6. Proper Planning
7. "P" Day (Presentation Day)

If your club would like to have Kaitlyn come and help out email the Extension Office but don't forget that workshop #2 is February 24th from 2-4 pm.  Have a topic picked out and Kaitlyn and Angela will help you start to research for information and getting started.

San Antonio Junior Livestock Show Proves Success!!

The San Antonio Livestock Show was a great success for the Kaufman County 4-H'ers.The San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo has grown to be one of the largest and most prestigious single events in San Antonio with over one million visitors entering the grounds each year. S.A.L.E. provides financial support to Texas youth as the result of support from patrons, donors, corporate partners and many hours of hard work by committed S.A.L.E. volunteers.

During the first week of this year’s show several students where active showing their breeding stock.  In the Junior Breeding Gilt Show, Jacob Reznicek placed 8th with his Landrace Gilt and 4th with his Berkshire Gilt.  For the Junior Breeding Sheep show, Abby Celella placed first in her dorper ewe class and Hannah Celella (pictured) was Reserve Champion Dorper Ewe.

For the Second Week of the show during the Junior Breeding Heifer Show Justin Jenkins placed 2nd with his Chiannia Junior Heifer.  Emily Jenkins was 3rd with her Maine Anjou.  Micah Stahlman (pictured) traveled to San Antonio with 2 Angus heifer and received a 2nd and a 3rd place in the Junior heifer division classes.

The Junior and Senior Horse Judging teams competed against 212 juniors and 579 senior participants.  In the Junior Division Abby Celella placed 13th overall and Meagan Gravelle placed 37th overall in the Senior division.

Also participating in the show was Ashley Cain and Robert Terrell in the Consumer Decision Making Contest.  The Livestock Judging Team competes on the last weekend of the San Antonio Livestock Show.

Archery Team Hits its Mark in Henderson County

Archery Postal League – Henderson County

The County Archery Team traveled to the Henderson County Fairpark to compete in the Archery Postal League.  Team members were Ashley Cain, Joseph Reese, Quentin Gravelle, Daniel Gunderson, and Seth Gunderson.  Seth Gunderson placed 4thSenior Compound Division and Joseph Reese placed 2^nd in the Intermediate Genesis Division.

Clinics and Workshops

County Workshops & Clinics

The Silver Spurs 4-H Horse Club is hosting a Horsemanship Clinic on February 24^th from 2-4 pm at the DJ Performance Horse training barn.  The cost for the day is $25.00 per rider.  Call for reservations the clinic is limited to 25 riders.

County Fair Clip Day for Market Lambs and Market Goats March 24^th 2-4 pm at the show grounds.  We will be assisting 4-H’ers that have signed up to show 4-H for the county fair with the clipping and show prep for their animals.  Please call ahead and sign up for a time slot.  We also will be working with kiddos that need help on showmanship.  We are also requesting each member have a set of oster blades for their animals (one Medium set) to help with the up keep of the 4-H Clippers.  You can call the office to check on the type to order from Sullivans or get from Tractor Supply.  

Multi County Camp – Lone Star Texas July 8-10

Once again Kaufman County 4-H’ers will be heading to the Multi County Camp in Lone Star Texas to have fun in the lake and on the trails with 4-H’ers from across North East Texas.  “Cloverology – The Science of 4-H” is this year’s theme. The campers will experience 4-H projects & how they relate to science. Camp will be held at Lakeview Baptist Encampment in Lone Star Texas on July 8-10, 2013. We have a lot of fun activities and events planned. A $100.00 (non-refundable) registration fee and your camp forms are due to the County Office May 15^th, 2013.  Late Fee of $150.00 after the deadline date.

Upcoming Deadlines

County Event Deadline Dates

County Roundup for Educational Presentations and Share the Fun entry deadline is March 8^th.  County Roundup will be held on March 23^rd from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.  We will be hosting 3 workshop to help prepare for the Educational Presentations. 

                1^st – February 11, 2013 at 6:30 pm at the Extension Office – “How to Choose a Topic and Research Ideas”

                2^nd – February 24, 2013 at 2 pm at the Extension Office – “Putting It Together”

                3^rd  - March 10, 2013 at 2 pm at the Extension Office – “Practice Presentations”

County Roundup also contains the Fashion Show and Story Board Contest.  There will be a Workshop on how to make a Story Board on March 2 at the Extension Office from 1-3 pm.  Please call ahead to let us know you are coming so that we have enough supplies.  Cost for the Workshop is $10 (supplies story board, construction paper, glue, etc).

District Event Deadline Dates

District IV Photography Contest entry deadline is March 1^st, with photographs due into the county Extension office and 4-H’er entered on 4-H Connect.  If you are needing assistance in mounting the photos for the Contest on March 2^nd from 9-11 am well will be assisting with mounting.  Mounting boards and photo glue will be provided for a fee of $3.00 for 5X7 size and $5.00 for 8X10 sizes.  Again call in to let us know how many photos you are entering so that we have enough supplies available.

District IV Horse Judging entry deadline is March 22^nd, on 4-H Connect. The District IV Horse Judging will be held on April 13th at the North Central Texas College.

District IV Livestock Judging entry deadline is March 29^th, on 4-H Connect. The District IV Livestock Judging will be held on April 20^th at College Station.

Record Books and Award Applications –Deadline June 7^th

June 7^th might seem like a long time away but trust me, that day comes sooner than you know it.

Two record book workshops are scheduled for April 14^th, and April 28^th at the Extension office from 2 – 4 p.m.