Robeson County 4-H

  It might be our last day at camp but Mother Nature doesn't seem to care.  She started the day with another storm that had us move to our cabins after our pancake and sausage breakfast.  This did let us get the cabins cleaner, start packing, and maybe take a little nap to get rid of some of the exhaustion we have accumulated while having fun over the past several days.   Finally radar showed a break in the weather and we broke bad.  After an early lunch of cheeseburgers and broccoli bites we hit the camp to make memories in style.  Two groups hit the pool and made sure the water was just right.  Other groups were making friendship bracelets at arts and crafts, learning about leadership and making planes.  Of course we had some youth who were climbing high on the rock wall and more youth working on their communication skills.  Within four hours we did it all, and camp store.   So the great thing about the last day at camp is that w...

  The old man may be snoring in that tale, but in the tale of day three at Betsy Jeff Penn 4-H Camp, there is no snoring going on here.  Our campers woke up this morning to a breakfast of bagels, fresh fruit, and bacon.  Now that's how you start a morning.  Cabin clean up and flag raising are the first activities of our day.  Because after all cabin inspection is a daily event and the boys had something to prove today.   Our day started off sunny and comfortable with Highs in the 70's.  Our campers were checking out the rock wall, horses, archery, swimming and so much more.  I have heard some of the dodge ball and kick ball games in the field have gotten rather competitive and just down right silly funny.  Before our campers knew it it was time for lunch.  On the menu today, chicken sandwiches, tator tots, and salad.  Our campers seem to be enjoying the food and seem to be extra hungry because they are downing as much as they c...

Mother Nature had a little surprise for our campers when they woke up this morning at Betsy Jeff Penn , rain.  However, getting a little wet was going to stop anyone this morning.  Our campers awoke refreshed and raring to go...go to breakfast that is.  Biscuits, bacon, and eggs were on the menu along with some fresh fruit.  After plenty of nourishment it was time to clean up cabins.  For those of you at home, it may just seem like chores but for our campers it is a major competition.  You see each day when the campers head to morning activities the cabins are inspected.  The top three cleanest cabins get the coveted prizes of the golden faucet, silver toilet seat, and the bronze toothbrush.  The bragging rights to go along with each prize are also coveted so the campers work hard to make sure their cabins are ship shape.   Campers who were going to get wet anyway didn't mind being out in the rain.  Our campers went swimming i...

Day campers arrived at the office today to find out they were headed to another popular 4-H camp, Millstone .  Located in Ellerbee, Millstone is a rustic 4-H camp that offers all the traditional camp activities such as archery, canoeing, and swimming.  Also on the calendar for the week will be ropes courses, games, and arts and crafts. Today Joanna Rogers, 4-H Expanded Foods and Nutrition Education Program Assistant took our youth to this day camp.  Once they got there they met youth from several other counties such as Hoke, Montgomery, and Anson.  They started by getting to know each other in the Rec Hall before splitting up into their groups for the week. Each group has their own counselor and some even have LIT's (Leaders in Training) to help out. Today's schedule included, arts and crafts, team building, pool time, lunch, and OLS.  The campers got a chance to know each other, make new friends, and just plain have fun.  At one point the storm...

  It was an early morning as our campers loaded luggage and themselves on the bus and we headed to Betsy Jeff Penn 4-H Camp.   After picking up the group from Richmond County we headed straight to Asheboro, and enjoyed lunch at Golden Corral.  Everyone had real food first (some of us two, three, and possibly even four helpings) before getting some dessert.  By the time we got done our bellies were full and we were ready to get back on the bus and nap while we headed to camp.   When we got to camp two counselor got on the bus and told us everything we needed to know.  Well at least for our first ten minutes.  We got our stuff unloaded and headed to the designated spots; boys to the arts and crafts area, girls the top of the steps.  Then we headed to the flag pole to grab our paperwork and went in the rec hall to find out where we would be staying for the next five days.    Our younger youth are in the Head and Heart groups, as they g...

When you wake up and the temperature is 90 degrees and you are headed to the firing range it is hard to focus on anything but staying cool.  However the members of our Dirty Dozen 4-H Shooting Sports Club were able to get in the zone and stay on target as they kept it hot on the firing line. The June meeting for the club started with some reminders of safety (as they always do) and they added a little fun.  Focusing on a diamond shape target everyone was able to get on and stay on the paper.  As they continued to shoot they honed in on the diamond and work to make sure more holes ended up there than anywhere else. To keep it interesting their club leader had them count shots and work from a standing, kneeling, and prone positions.  This added a little challenge to their workout and made them think less about how hot is was and focus on getting the job accomplished. Due to the heat they did end their club meeting a little early.  For more information about...

Check out the latest news from the world of Livestock by clicking on this link.   This will take you to the NC State Fair News letter.

Greetings Everyone,     I am Kobe Purdie, an agriculture intern for the Robeson County North Carolina Cooperative Extension Center. I am a Robeson county resident, where I was born and raised. I attended South Robeson High School where I found the passion for agriculture after joining the FFA chapter and taking on numerous leadership roles. I give credit to my agriculture teacher who got me involved in agriculture when taking his class. I knew that from the first semester of taking his agriculture class that I wanted to take it a step further and pursue a degree in agriculture. I learned that by continuing my education in agriculture, I would be able to solve global issues dealing with agriculture or related.     By my senior year of high school, I had worked my way up to the position of vice president of our FFA chapter. As you can tell so far, I am very passionate about agriculture. Working with the agriculture agent, I will be perfor...

Greetings Everyone, I am Taleek Harlee, and North Carolina Cooperative Extension, Robeson County Center, has welcomed me as the new 4-H intern.  I am a Robeson County native who attended Purnell Swett High School, where I found my love for agriculture through our Future Farmers of America (FFA) Organization.   It was my guidance counselor who put me in my first agricultural class, which lead me to finding my true passion.   I knew from that first semester of my agriscience class that this was my true passion and that I could make a career out of this field.  Later that year, I became a prominent member of the Purnell Swett FFA Chapter, where I served on many committees and took on different leadership roles.   By my senior year of high school, I was elected president of our chapter.  Under my leadership, I wanted the students at Purnell Swett to know that FFA was not just about agriculture, which lead to the campaign “Not Just Agriculture....

The following article was written by Wendy Maynor, 4-H Program Associate and was published in the Robesonian and Robeson Journal.  The article can also be located on the North Carolina Cooperative Extension, Robeson County Center website. How many times have you heard someone say, “I want to make a difference” or “I want to see change”? It takes more than words and good intentions. It requires everyone making a concerted effort, accepting each other, and working together as a cohesive unit for the betterment of our youth and our community. Equally important is changing negative attitudes, being thankful for what we have, and focusing on the positive in people and our community.  There are no two people the same. We are all inherently different, and that is what makes each of us unique. It’s important for us to accept that we all have opinions – sometimes the same and sometimes different. Each of us have our own way of doing things, but that doesn’t always mean it’s the onl...

The following article was written by Joanna Rogers, 4-H EFNEP Program Assistant and was published in the Robesonian and Robeson Journal.  It can also be located on the North Carolina Cooperative Extension, Robeson County Center web site. Today, many American families have strayed away from eating family dinners together. Family dinners can be defined as coming together to eat and enjoy each other’s company. We have grown accustomed to eating on the go, having the TV on to entertain, and having other electronic devices to distract us from one another. Did you know that having family dinners can improve your family dynamic? Children gain significant benefits from family dinners. A study done at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital found that those teens who ate with adult family members an average of at least five times a week were less likely to use drugs or fall victim to depression, compared to teens who ate with their parents only three times a week. Children feel a sense of lo...

You never know what might happen at a Dirty Rascals 4-H Junior Master Gardener Club meeting and this month's meeting was no different.  Our youth who made it on time got a chance to get down and dirty by ridding our raised bed gardens of kale that had sprung up since our last meeting.  We are starting to think it might be invasive at this rate.  After getting our frustrations out in the garden we added our scraps to our cold compost pile and went back inside to heat things up a little. Since Mother's Day is right around the corner we thought we might need to be a little creative and come up with a way to bring the garden to mom.  So our youth learned how to make an omelet in a jar.  Not only can you add ingredients from the garden to make it local and healthy, no stove is needed for this breakfast treat.  Everything is made in the jar, cooked in the jar (and in the microwave), and eaten from the jar.  Therefore there are not a bunch of dishes or me...