Can You Feel the Egg-citment?

  We are very happy to say second and third grade embryology are back in Robeson County classrooms.  About 20 classrooms currently have incubators and eggs, working hard to hatch chicks this year.   This is during round 1 we will have a second round that has 30 classrooms signed up also.

  However there is something special about this year.  Not only are there incubators in classrooms, but we also have a live virtual feed.  If you would like to check in on the eggs you can click on this link (or paste it in your browser):  http://ustre.am/1uNJp.  You can see us turn the eggs at 8:30, 12 and 5 pm weekdays.  Our eggs will be hatching the week of March 20, and our ducks (yes this one and only incubator has ducks) will be hatching about 5 days later.  So tune in and catch some breaking news!

Arts and Crafts Prepping

Today was the monthly meeting for the All Around All Stars 4-H Arts and Crafts Club.  This was not your typical meeting.  Instead of being just crafty this group got a chance to practice their presentations and work on the artwork for that.  Alex Evans, a senior competitor in the group, is working on a presentation on Dyslexia.  She practiced her presentation, received feedback from the group that included teen helper Megan Hurst who has 13 years experience in presentations and what it takes to have a gold medal.  By the end of the meeting the group felt a little more confident about the competition that is coming up on Saturday, March 12.
For more information
about this club please contact the 4-H office at (910) 671-3276 or Wendy_Maynor @ncsu.edu.

For All of "Those People"

    Sometimes you are milling around on the internet, or possibly even Facebook and come across something that rings so true that you must share. Although this holds true for all our folks who work with not only horses, but also animals, I dare say it also holds true for all our 4-H Families, who are working hard to make great kids and great memories along the way.
    Please note we are sharing this from Life Behind Ears blog written by Sinclaire Dobelbower an agriculture communications student at Texas Tech. If you would like to read this article directly from the source, Life Behind Ears, please click on the link and enjoy.

An Open Letter to “Those People” At Horse Shows

MARCH 2, 2016 / LIFEBEHINDEARS

PHOTO BY DEANNA BUSCHERT

Dear “Those People” at Horse Shows,

You know who you are. It isn’t hard to pick you out from the crowds. I see you in the warm up pen. I see you in the bleachers. I see you at the trailers. I even run into you in the hotel lobbies from time to time. In the last few years that I’ve been around horse shows, I’ve become pretty good at picking you people out.

I see you, people who work full time and still make it to shows on weekends. You are worn out from a week of balancing responsibilities, yet you’ve still made time to ride and take care of your horses every day in preparation for this show. I see you sacrificing your hard-earned weekend to spend it on the road doing what you love while you secretly are jealous of the people who just get to do this for a living. I see you sacrificing your much-anticipated paychecks to feed bills, entry fees, and vet visits. I see you telling yourself that it will all be worth it, and I want you to know that it is. Don’t let anyone tell you that what you do is only a hobby just because it is what you do on the weekends. You’ve got more dedication and perseverance than you realize. Don’t forget it.

I see you, parents of show kids who dedicate your time, money, and weekends to making a dream come true for your children. I see you keeping track of class orders, wardrobes, and pieces of tack. I see you working as chauffeur, lunch maker, scorekeeper, and videographer. I see you exhausted from the ups and downs of the weekend and still making sure the horses are taken care of and the kids are all accounted for. I see how you want nothing more than for your kids to do well, but don’t forget about the memories you get to make with your children during this. It may seem tiresome and expensive now, but you will look back on these times someday and be so grateful for it. Your kids will thank you, too.

I see you, novice and amateur riders who are new to this whole thing and you feel like everyone knows it. I see you trying to navigate your way through the barns looking for wash racks and warm up arenas. I see you trying to figure it all out on your own, but don’t be afraid to ask for help. You will thank yourself for meeting people at shows, and you will be amazed at how it will pay off in the end through connections and friendships. Don’t let the intimidation of being a beginner keep you from having fun. Your journey is just beginning and you need to be soaking up and enjoying every second of it.

And I see you, show veterans. You’ve made a name for yourself in the industry and you are pretty much celebrities at shows. I see you sporting your show shirts covered in sponsorship patches. I see you tearing up the Open division on your expensive horses you bred and trained yourself. I also see everyone looking up to you. You are a role model for all of the young and amateur riders. How you handle yourself when you win – and when you lose – will make an impression on everyone who looks up to you. You set the standard for the industry, so the way you walk, talk, and how you treat your horses are important.

So to all of “Those People” at horse shows, keep doing what you’re doing.

Sincerely,

The Ones Who Notice

The Mane Event?

Want to stay up to date on the latest in the 4-H horse world?  Here is your chance.  Just click on the link and read the latest issue of the NC 4-H Horse Program Newsletter.

It's Time to Think Summer!

I realize it is a little chilly outside still but that is no reason not to think ahead to the warmth and incredible opportunities of Summer.  I say all of this to let you know that the 4-H Summer Fun Brochure is available.  You can click on the link in the previous section or you can locate it on our website at robeson.ces.ncsu.edu.  We have a lot of great opportunities available, some of which are highlighted below.

New this year is a teen tour camp for our 14-18 year olds.  This camp is going to be quite an adventure.  Youth will meet at the office on Monday and go through expectations and more.  We will leave early Tuesday morning to travel to Raleigh to tour NCSU's campus and have lunch.  Then we will travel to Greenville and do a quick tour of ECU.  We will get back in the van and head to Williamsburg VA where we will spend the next few night.  Wednesday will be spent at Colonial Williamsburg and a tour at William and Mary College.  Thursday will be a physics lesson at Busch Gardens (one they will never forget) while Friday they will take a quick dip at Water Country USA before heading back early afternoon on Friday.  It will be fun and learning packed in there together.  The cost of the camp includes all hotel accommodations, meals, transportation, and passes to parks.

We are very thrilled that our Junior Master Gardener is back on the schedule this year.  This is a week long camp that includes more than a 100 activities.  By the end of the camp the youth will be certified as Junior Master Gardeners which is now an international certification.  This week long day camp also includes two trips one to the zoo to see plant life from around the world, but also to the Durham life sciences museum where youth can explore weather systems, butterflies, wind patterns and much much more.  The price of this camp includes curriculum, supplies, lunch, snacks, transportation, and admittance to each of the places we will visit.

Millstone day camp is back on the calendar this year for four days since it is on a holiday week.  Our youth will do all the traditional camp things like swimming, canoeing, archery, and more.  Cost of the camp includes daily transportation, lunch, and snacks.

Betsy-Jeff Penn 4-H Overnight Camp is our weeklong adventure.  We travel up on Sunday, move into our cabins, meet the counselors and start making friends.  It is a wonderful week of swimming, canoeing, rock wall climbing, horseback riding, archery, and much more.  Cost of the camp includes transportation, lodging, meals, camp store, and a camp t-shirt.  It is a great opportunity for youth to spread their wings in a safe and nurturing environment.

Jr. Chef Academy is a continuation of our very popular cooking camp.  This year our youth will learn new kitchen skills, practice new recipes, and see new things in the culinary career world.  We will also get a chance to do some food science this year. Guaranteed to be a fun time for all.  Cost of the camp includes lunch, snacks, travel, supplies, and culinary fun.

Electric Congress is a wonderful event for youth who serve as delegates, enter electric projects, and teach others how to complete them.  This year 4-H Electric Congress will be held on the UNC-Asheville Campus and will have a great deal to offer youth attending.  To learn more about the electric program contact us at the 4-H office.

Biotech Day Camp is BACK!  What will this year hold?  Well we don't want to give the details away quite yet but there are always several trips, fun, and accidental learning along the way.  We are thrilled to be offering this jam packed camp again this year and we know it will fill up fast.  Cost of the camp includes, snacks, lunch, transportation, and admission costs.

Congress is open to our 14-18 year olds.  The youth will spend four days living at NCSU, attending workshops, eating on campus, doing volunteer activities, and much more.  This is a great opportunity to meet with 4-H members from around the state, take part in officer elections, and create that network that will last a lifetime.  Cost of the event includes, lodging, transportation and meals.

Cloverbud day camp is for our youngest 4-H members those 5-8 year olds who are getting back into the swing of school.  Set up on school hours from 8:30 to 3:30 our youth will have a fun filled theme day (things like mad science, cooking up fun, animal day, arts and crafts) with a break for lunch and somewhere in there learning to make their own snacks this is the greatest adventure for our youngest youth.  Price for the camp includes meals, snacks, and all supplies.

New Opportunities to Lead

  The newest 4-H Club Explore NC Together met Tuesday, February 9th. We conducted out business meeting and officers were elected. Our new first club officers will be:
Laci Rozier - President

Nyasia Gerald – Vice President

Brooke Canady – Secretary/Reporter

Taylor Stone – Treasure

The club learned some interesting facts about Valentine’s Day. We made Valentine’s Day crafts that the club will deliver on Friday to a local nursing home. The club will meet again on Thursday, March 3, 2016 to work on County Activity Day speeches and presentations.
Respectfully submitted,
Brooke Canady

Planning to Plant

  You might think February is a little early to start planning that garden, but for our Dirty Rascal Jr. Master Gardeners (JMG) it was a plan that is just in the nick of time.  This month the group worked on planning what will go in their raised bed garden and where it will go.  The Master Gardeners have agreed to help out with this project, and a new raised bed will be constructed at the Extension office for the JMGs to plant and help tend to.  The bed will be four foot by eight foot (or 32 square feet, as they learned to calculate last night), so the youth had to decide what to plant, where to plant it, and in some cases get creative on how it would be arranged.
  To help make the plan we created a two dimensional garden that is the exact size our raised bed garden will be.  Using the information from seed catalogs, a seasonal growing chart and the information on the seed packets our youth determined what and where to plant their items.  On the list of things that will be planted are cucumbers, tomatoes, bell peppers, radishes, potatoes, and pop corn.   The youth then used yard sticks and a little adult help from Mr. Mack and Mr. Larry to section off their garden and figure out how it will be planted.  At the south end of the raised bed they will plant six cucumber plants that will grow up string trellises,  that way they have more planting room and their cucumbers should grow straighter.  Next they will plant between 6 and eight tomato plants.  They are still deciding if they will have small or large tomatoes or perhaps both.  Around the tomatoes they plan to plant radishes that can grow in the space between plants and will be harvested before the tomatoes get to big and need the extra room.  Next to that they will plant six to eight bell pepper plants.  Then the coup de gras will be four popcorn plants that they hope will be producing close to seven ears of popcorn per plant (that way they can enter it in the fair and try some right out of the garden).   Now if you are looking at the original list and thinking something might be missing, well you might be right.  It turns out there was not enough room left in the garden for the potatoes.  So they are going to use old tires and grow the potatoes in the tires and see how they do.

At this meeting the group also welcomed a new member Treyson Lowry to the club.  Treyson seemed to have a good time helping plan and decorate our two dimensional garden and we hope he will be back next month.
  March's meeting will be held at the Extension office on March 8 beginning at 5:30 pm.  The youth will have club elections, and work with the Master Gardeners building their raised bed garden.  This will also be when the group starts their seeds in the AeroGarden that will be transplanted into the raised bed sometime in April.  For more information about this or any 4-H club please contact Wendy Maynor at Wendy_Maynor@ncsu.edu or (910) 671-3276.