Robeson County 4-H

Picking your nose and teeth ended up on the not to do manners list while shaking hands and making eye contact are on the what to do manners list. That is how we started day two of 4-H Etiquette Day camp as our youth made lists of what you should and should not do in any setting. The thing to remember about etiquette is that they are considered social behavior rules, those things that guide us in polite company. It is not a list to be memorized, but rules that you live by. For those that can't remember the rules the main one is the golden rule, treat others as you want to be treated, and you will probably be able to handle any situation correctly. Our youth then split up into groups and spent 15 minutes at 5 different stations learning what we needed to know for the event that evening. Aggie Rogers, 4-H Program Associate, went over their very special etiquette books that they will take home with them. She also played an overall manners board game with each group testing their knowle...

Summer must be officially here because Robeson County 4-H has kicked off the first session of Summer Fun with the first day of Etiquette Camp . 20 Youth took part in the first day of the event held at the O. P. Owens Agriculture Center. The event which meets on Thursday and Friday from 4-7 p.m. involves a little of everything related to manners. On Thursday Aggie Rogers, 4-H Program Associate, covered dressing appropriately for different events (black tie vs. beach party, formal vs. business casual) and gave out information for the members to take home with them. Christy Strickland, Family and Consumer Sciences Agent, talk with the youth about the art of conversation. The youth learned the tips of a smooth conversation, how to tactfully change topics and how to engage adults in a conversation that is more than what school they go to and what grade they are in. Mande Swisher, Tourism Extension Agent showed the members the technology of cell phone and texting etiquette, by giving example...

The Dirty Rascals Junior Master Gardener 4-H Club love getting dirty as their name says and this months meeting let them do just that. Club members travelled to Powers Strawberry Patch just north of Lumberton for some serious work. The group spoke with the owner, Mitzi Powers, about strawberries and other crops she grows (blueberries, string beans, potatoes, zucchini, squash, etc.) and then got down to business. The troops hit the field and picked all the red luscious strawberries they could find. Each went home with a pound of strawberries for their hard work. Since it was the end of strawberry season the troops ended up with some of the sweetest strawberries of the season. The youth had a great time at the patch and are looking forward to their next meeting in August. Powers Strawberry Patch is one of almost a dozen in Robeson County. For more information about Strawberries and where you can obtain them in Robeson County please check the Robeson County Center Extension web site .

Have you heard about the 4-H'er in Columbus, Ohio who just bought a house. Yes, that's right a house. She saved her winnings from showing pigs as part of 4-H animal science and had enough to buy her own house at the age of 19. To read the full story in the Columbus Dispatch just click here . Just another example of how 4-H pays off for our youth.

It wasn't lions and tigers and bears. It was more like chickens, cows, rabbits and goats. None the less it was an adventure for parents, grandparents and 4-H members as they gear up for 4-H animal science, the prelude to showing at the Robeson Regional Agricultural Fair and other great events. We start our animal science program with a big hands on training event. Our 4-H animal science training takes place in the perfect place, the Livestock Building of the Robeson Regional Agricultural Fairgrounds . The same place these competitors will be in October when they show the animals they learned about at this event. We started our training with an introduction to the facilities, bio security issues, and project records. Michelle Shooter the Livestock Extension Agent for Robeson County talked with parents and youth about the importance of being careful and keeping clothes, shoes and hands clean when dealing with animals. Not just for the health of the person but also for the animal. ...

How do you live United? That is the question that United Way has asked of our community members this year. How do you support United Way and our community. There are many ways to do it the easiest and most beneficial to a wide array of organizations in our community is to support United Way. Robeson County 4-H is one of 18 United Way organizations in Robeson County. If it weren't for United Way funds we would not be able to offer the majority of programs we offer and could not offer reasonable prices on those programs that require co-pays. Today marked the annual United Way Day of Caring. As part of this there are a variety of activities that occur that show United Way's support in the community. For example groups went out and built wheel chair ramps for people who can not afford them and need them. A group went out and cleaned a two mile stretch of a Robeson County road leaving our environment cleaner for all of us. The Red Cross had a blood drive. Southeastern Regional Medic...

They have finished hatching after a marathon session and we have about a dozen of the adorable little ones. As you can see the excitement of coming out of the egg wore them out and they were just napping as hard as they could . Our brown and striped chicks came from eggs supplied by a 4-H member's family. The yellow ones are meat chickens that will be very hardy. We want to thank all the teachers who implemented this curriculum and the students who enjoyed the chicks in their classrooms. Already we have had reports of 60% and better hatched in classrooms and we are so excited for everyone's success. Thank you to all of our second and third grade teachers who made it possible and United Way for supporting us in this hands on science and technology curriculum.

Honest, they keep hatching and hatching and hatching. Monday we had one little chick make a premature entrance. Tuesday morning another was waiting for us in the incubator and by Tuesday afternoon two more had hatched with several more showing signs of getting ready to break out. A brief light emergency brought me back to the office on Tuesday evening and yet another one was sitting in the incubator looking for a dryer home. So Wednesday morning I was wondering what surprises might await us. Imagine four little chicks nestled between the eggs waiting for us to get them out and put them in with their new brothers and sisters. During the day we have had two more hatch with signs of life from at least two more eggs in the incubator. Several visitors have come by to check them out and let them know exactly how cute they are (very cute when they stop pecking on each other). The chicks will be at the office until Friday which is when they will go to their new home. We will keep you updated r...

The Robeson County 4-H Staff is pleased to announce the birth of our first chick as part of the second round of embryology. The chick was born on May 3, 2010 around 4:45 in the afternoon. It is a little to early to tell if it is a boy or girl. This chick was born from a pink egg given to us by one of our members parents. Shortly after hatching we moved the baby to a brooder box were it could dry off and stay warm. No gifts for our new baby please. Several more are expected to be arriving in the next few days. We love visitors, so if you feel so inclined feel free to check out the chicks at our office at 455 Caton Road, Lumberton. Please stay tuned to our 4-H blog to see our new arrivals.

The Dirty Dozen 4-H Shooting Sports club met in May at the firing range in Fairmont, NC. The youth continued working on firearm safety, lining up sights, and range etiquette. At the end of the session the youth had the opportunity to turn their new skills from paper targets to clay targets. The club organizational leader, Larry Russ, attached 10 clay targets to a board and allowed each youth to fire once at each target, down the line, and see how many they could annihilate. According to club member Dillon McCartney each club meeting gets better, and it is definitely better than video games! To see the video highlights from this meeting click on this link. The clubs next meeting will be June 12. If you would like more information about this club please contact Shea Ann DeJarnette, 4-H Extension Agent, at (910) 671-3276 or Shea_Ann_DeJarnette@ncsu.edu .

Friday was a busy day in our office. To be more precise outside of our office. Friday the entire Robeson County Staff prepared for our County Director's, Everett Davis's, retirement bash at the Robeson Regional Agricultural Fairgrounds. It was a good thing he knew about it because when he joined everyone at the fairgrounds for lunch he was commenting on how excited he was about his last day in the office and instead there was no one there to help him enjoy it. As it turned out that afternoon about 200 of his closest friends, relatives, and Extension clients came together to honor him at an informal pig picking. I say informal, but when someone has worked with Extension for more than 28 years, 25 as the County Extension Director you must expect some type of formal presentation to be made . Our South Central District Extension Director, Clinton McRae gave Everett a plaque and his official retirement certificate framed and ready to hang on his wall. Frank Boyette, of the Robeson ...