Have You Ever Seen A Hamburger Plant?

We are embracing social media and always expanding its boundaries.  This latest venture has us hungry to see how far it will go.
If you have ever visited our office you have seen three glass display cases.  The first one hosts photos of our Extension Staff in Robeson County.  The second changes periodically.  The last is embracing the history of our Extension Office.  Our Family and Consumer Science, 4-H Youth Development just updated the center display case and we want your help.  We are talking about local foods, nutrition, and gardening all in one location.  Now you don't have to be an expert in any of these areas to offer a creative hand.  What we are looking for are your drawings, photos, claymation, sculptures, well you name it, take a picture of it, and tag it and we will use it.  We are looking for your hamburger plant tagged on our North Carolina Cooperative Extension, Robeson County Center facebook page.  We will print your design of a hamburger plant and add it to the case.  The most creative design might just win a prize.
What is a hamburger plant you might ask?  Well it is an elusive plant that grows hamburgers.  Because after all, if you think about it, everything that goes into a hamburger is grown.  The meat and cheese comes from cows, cows eat grass, hay, and grains (all of which are grown).  Hamburger buns are made from wheat....etc.  So show us what a hamburger plant looks like and we will add your genius to our display case.  Just maybe you can help us wet folks appetites for all that is Extension.

Our Virtual Reality

We virtually had a 4-H poultry show at the fair this year.  Virtually because well, we couldn’t have chickens physically there due to NCDA’s suspension of poultry shows across the state (trying to make sure the bird flu didn’t spread).  We had a chickens show complete with competitors, judges, ribbons, cameras, premiums, and a great big screen in the middle of the show ring.  Sounds a little odd doesn’t it?

Our 4-H members who raised laying hens this year got their birds before the suspension.  Thinking it would be a shame for them not to see the project thru to the end, which is showing them at the fair, our 4-H Agent hatched a plan.  We would have the first ever virtual poultry show in the state.  The concept was easy, each participant would shoot a video of them picking up and carrying their chicken, depending the on the age of the participant, they had to name different parts and the senior showmen had to state the best features of their birds and why.

During show time the videos were shown in the ring for everyone including the judge to see, then the competitors came up to the judging table to talk face to face with the judge. In the end our cloverbuds; Mica Lewis and Jackson Shooter both received a trophy and $10.  In the Junior division Brooke Canady took home the blue ribbon while Zan Nobles was neck and neck with her, took second.  In the senior division Benjamin Herndon took home blue while Destiny Lowry walked away with second.

A special thank you to our judge, Robby Mills who jumped in and took off with this twist on our traditional poultry show.  Also a special thank you to our parents who supported their children, helped shoot video, and did not bat an eye when plans changed and we had to be flexible with what we normally do.