Hitting the Target

The following report was submitted by the Dirty Dozen 4-H Shooting Sports Club concerning their July monthly meeting.

"Our recent club meeting was hot and humid yet very productive. In between trips to the tent for shade and a cold drink of water Dillon and Jedidiah got plenty of range time to practice breath control, sight alignment and sight picture. The hard work started
to pay off as Dillon's shot group began to tighten up and Jedidiah posted his first ever bulls eye.

Mark August 6th on your calendar as the date for our next meeting. This meeting is mandatory for all club members as we will be discussing our booth for the upcoming fair, working on project records and planning our community service project.

See you at the range."

Report Submitted by Larry Russ, Organizational Leader for the Dirty Dozen 4-H Shooting Sports Club.

We Have Some Drama Amongst Us!

Did you see the Robesonian yesterday? One of our 4-H members was prominently shown in an article about a local play getting ready to happen at our library branches around the county. Megan Hurst who is a member of the Horsin' Around 4-H Club and Dirty Rascals Junior Master Gardener 4-H Club has a staring role in the production. Please feel free to click this link to read all about it. Her club leaders say they expect it will be a fantastic fantasy production that will be enjoyed by youth of all ages. If you would like to see the play check with your local library branch for show times next week. In the meantime let's wish Megan and all her co-stars luck by saying, "break a leg!"

Crocidile Tears!

You would think on the last day of 4-H animal science day camp we were asking our youth to shed crocodile tears. Nothing could be further from the truth, however they were shedding crocodile sweat as they got up close and personal with these reptiles at Alligator Adventures in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

The trip to our southern neighbor let us learn the difference between crocs and alligators, visit the largest croc in the US, and see rare snakes, birds and other wildlife. The star of the show, or the tour I should say, may have been the albino alligators. Once our day campers figured out that they were real they were amazed by their coloring and size. Of course it did not take long to see something swimming with the gators in their pool. The park is home to not only cute turtles, but Galapagos Tortoises and other larger shelled creatures. Being a wildlife park we also got to see lemurs, possums and a tiger. Our youth also travelled into the bat cave to see these winged creatures fly and hang upside down. It took a minute for them to realize that the bats could not get to them, as they swooped around in their cave. Probably the two most talked about things were the live feeding of the reptiles (did you know that alligators can jump?) and the educational show that took place right before we left. Everyone had a chance to touch an Alligator and thought it was really neat.

After a quick trip down the street for lunch at Golden Corral we headed back towards the border with a brief stop at the ever famous South of the Border to see Reptile Lagoon. The attraction, which opened in April in the old indoor golf building offers visitors a chance to see crocs and alligators of different nationalities up close and personal. Our youth also got to see more snakes and turtles and tortoises as they moved around in their man made habitats.

With a full day of travelling and educational fun behind us we headed back to the 4-H office to fill out post-tests (did you know a cow only has one stomach?...it has four chambers in it but only one stomach) and evaluations. Our youth hugged traded digits and made plans to talk again soon as we rounded out a week of animal science fun.

Ah the Life of a Buffalo?

We admit day 4 of 4-H Animal Science Day Camp was a little less than traditional, but it was tasty and a bit of fun. We started the day at Double C A Farms in Saddletree. The owner, Ronnie Hammonds showed our youth how animals can be big business. We started by visiting his poultry houses. We saw how they work and learned about how many chickens they can hold. Then we moved across the road to the field to walk with the buffalo. No this is not a Kevin Costner movie, we actually walked in a field with buffalo and dodged any surprises they might leave behind. We not only learned about respecting such large animals, but how they live and their nutritional value. With a brief acronym we learned that red meat has Zinc, Iron and Protein (ZIP) which is good for our bodies. From there we headed straight to the barn where we indulged in fresh watermelon from the field and traced back how our food ends up in the grocery store. In an effort to be green we recycled our watermelon rinds by feeding them to a very nice horse that let all our youth climb up on its back and take photos. The horse, after having quite the feast and fun with all of us...then promptly went back to his pen where he rolled and rolled scratching his back and entertaining our youth.
From Mr. Hammonds farm in Saddletree we headed up to Lumber Bridge to visit 7 Branch Farms. While there we visited with Buddy Blackmon who is a national roping champion. He told us of his different competitions and even demonstrated his roping abilities. We met his famous horse and learned about the different opportunities and events this farm offers our community. One of the things that caught our youth's attention was a brand new youth summer camp opportunity where youth work with horses, go on trail rides, and in general have a horsey good time.

From Lumber Bridge it was a quick trip to Fayetteville for lunch and then down 401 to Raeford to visit Five Points Pet Resort. There we received a tour of a facility that offers a happy vacation stay for our small animal pets. Not just cats and dogs, they also take care of birds, gerbils, ferrets and in one case even geese. They taught us how taking care of an animal is 80% clean up and 20% care and play. We got to see the cat condos, grooming area, dog suites and even the Pawsendtial Suite. We learned things that are good for our animals and things that we probably should not do. We also learned about another business opportunity where you can care for animals but don't have to be a vet. It was a fun time with some of our furry friends.

Tomorrow is our last day and it might get a little scaly, as we visit with some of our friends who prefer hot weather and dry conditions. Read more tomorrow if you are wondering if any big tears will be shed (yes, another bad pun clue).

Lions, Tigers and Cows?

It was a rip roaring day for the campers who took part in the 4-H Animal Science Day Camp. Day three was filled with lots of information and sweet surprises. We started the day with a trip to a little known but wonderful place in Chatham County. Carolina Tiger Rescue (CTR), formally known as Carnivore Preservation Trust, is a rescue center for various wild animals that have been raised in domestic captivity. They also house animals that no longer have a home in zoos due to funding. Here the animals have room to roam, are kept from danger, and taken care of with feedings designed for their personal health needs.
On our tour we learned about each animal, their story of where they came from and how they got here, and even though they are cute it is not a good idea to get close. Some of the animals were allowed to have treats as we visited such as a chicken leg, piece of banana or in one case a jar of baby food. Each treat was given to the animal by specially trained volunteers who work with CTR.
Tigers and lions are just two types of animals that live here. Our youth also got to meet a bob cat whose previous owner declawed him. Three caracals also made an appearance on our tour. Three cervals especially Elvis made a big impression on our youth. An ocelot and two binturongs also made appearances for us despite the heat of the day. Of course hanging out with the Kinkajou was probably the most fun. He is adorable and devious all at once and smart as he showed off swinging from his tail for our day campers.
Some of our day campers brought items or funds to donate to CTR to help take care of these special guests. They are always in need of simple things such as paper towels, old phone books, plastic storage containers and more. If you would like to know more about helping the animals at CTR just click this link to view the organization's wish list.
After lunch at the S&T Soda Shoppe in downtown Pittsboro (an ice cream of course), we headed to Siler City. There with the help of North Carolina Cooperative Extension Chatham County Center, County Extension Director Sam Groce we toured Carolina Stockyards. There were learned how the stockyards work and how cattle sales take place. We also learned that cattle are not the only things sold at the stockyard. Goats, rams and other livestock also go up for auction at this facility which is considered the largest one in the state with more than 200,000 head of cattle going up for sale each year.

Today we learned about large animals, and businesses that animal lovers can be involved in. Tomorrow we will continue the fun by visiting some local business with different animals and a new way for our youth to rope the animal business world if they want to in the future.

A Little Horsin' Around Might Have Smelled a Little Fishy Today

Yeehaw we had fun today!!!! Our Second Day of 4-H Animal Science Day Camp started with a meeting with a real life cowboy. More on that later. Actually we loaded up in our trusty vehicles and headed back to Raleigh. There we met with the wonderful folks at N. C. State University's Equine Unit. It is a place where research is done, horses are taken care of and new things to help horses and humans is learned day to day.
Our tour was lead by the manager of the unit and students. Our youth learned about some of the activities that go on at the Equine unit and what students learn and do there. We got the opportunity to meet vet med students as they examined a pregnant horse and then they got to meet a mare and her Phillie up close. As they learned about approaching horses, and where to and not to stand they couldn't help but be excited about petting the horses. The students answered all of their questions and were wonderful about holding on the horses as the day campers feel in love with these majestic creatures. After talking about various professions that involve horses our youth were lucky enough to meet an NCSU Mounted Police officer as he haltered his horse, Cowboy, and took him to the horse barn to meet the farrier. The youth also talked with the farrier and learned about the challenges of fun of shoeing horses.
After a wonderful, but hot tour we headed to the State Farmer's Market. There we enjoyed the most wonderful lunch. While our youth enjoyed the food our adults were tickled pink to accept the many compliments on how well behaved our youth were. We also enjoyed the best service ever as they made the entire experience wonderful for our youth and adults. We definitely suggest checking out the State Farmer's Market Restaurant if you are in Raleigh.

After lunch we headed to check out something fishy. We headed down the road to NCSU's Aquaculture center. There we learned about brine, fresh water, salt water, cold water fish, and fish that do well in warmer temps. We also got to see hybrid striped bass that were being raised at the farm. Of course the biggest thing we saw was a big bag of fish poop. No joke, they pump the fish waste into this bag and then the clean water leaks out of the bag, through the rocks and into the pond. When the bag gets full the open it up and a backhoe loads up and uses the waste on nearby pastures as a natural fertilizer. It was really cool.

Stay tuned as we check out some exotic animals tomorrow and expand the possibilities of learning and future careers.

So You Want to be a Vet?

If you love animals and want to know more about them and careers that involved them than this week of Robeson County 4-H Summer Fun is just what you are looking for. Animal Science Day Camp started today with a trip to Raleigh. Our 17 youth along with a teen volunteer and Michelle Shooter, Extension Livestock Agent and Miss Shea Ann our 4-H Agent loaded up and headed north. We began the day at the North Carolina Natural Science Museum. There we saw animals from the beginning of time to present day. We also got to see frogs being fed, baby turtles and lots of stuff that lit up, made noise and in general was just sort of cool. The special exhibit on the oceans involved an art form that was studied in Arts and Crafts day camp, Batik. It was really neat.

After a brief lunch in the courtyard of the museum we headed to North Carolina State University for a little education on what it takes to become a veterinarian. We had a tour of the Vet Med School and saw some really cool things.

When you walk into the main part of the school we saw some really neat skeletons. Everything from a whale to a gorilla and even a tiger. As we were learning about the different animal structures we found out that a giraffe (yes there was one of those too) has seven vertebrae in its neck just like humans. We learned what and how different whales eat their food. We also saw a horse going for an x-ray. Did you know a dairy cow produces 100 pounds of milk a day? For those of you who are wondering that is 11 gallons. Did you wonder who helps injured turtles? Yes, they have a turtle clinic at the Vet Med school. Now if you are wondering interesting factoids are not all we learned. We also found out what we need to do to get accepted into Vet Med School. It takes a lot of work and really good grades to begin with. Then after you have majored in some kind of science in college, and have volunteered with a vet, not to mention other things like 4-H animal science projects you can apply to the school. More than 700 apply each year and only 80 are chosen. Now that is tough competition.

This was our first day of our new adventure. Stay tuned as we saddle up for a new learning opportunity tomorrow.