Crazy Pets Contest at the Orange County Fair!

Orange County 4H Crazy Pets presents: Crazy Pets Contest at the Orange County Fair!!

Saturday July 25 at 10:30
All folks are welcome, young and young at heart along with furry, feathered, scaly, slimy, fluffy, slick, soft, prickly, hard, leathery, or just plain cute (Leash or containment required as well as any license tag requirements. Thanks!)

The Categories:

 Best Dressed (costumed)

 Looks Most Like Owner

 Most Interesting

 Best Trick

 Snuggliest

 Fanciest (color, coat, pattern - natural – not costumed)

 Best Face

 Best Owner/Critter Voice Imitation

 Craziest!

 Judges Choice

Sign up Wednesday July 23 – Saturday July 25 by 10:25 at the Crazy Pets Club Animal Education Tent! See you there!

Please Join Us in Welcoming Our Summer Intern Aldyn Abell

Aldyn Abell joined the Orange Virginia Cooperative Extension Office on Tuesday as our 4-H Intern! In her role, she will be exposed to what it is like to have a career in Extension. Throughout the summer she will be assisting with a variety of projects and events including: instructing the baking class at 4-H Junior Camp, Ag Day, the Orange County Fair, writing news publications for VCE, developing promotional materials for events, the July Wool Pool, the Virginia Ag Expo, and many more. She says she is excited for all of the projects she will be working on this summer and the new opportunities she will experience, especially attending 4-H Camp for the first time EVER- even if it’s as an adult!

Aldyn is a rising senior at Virginia Tech majoring in Agribusiness with minors in Political Science, Leadership and Social Change, and Animal Science. She is heavily involved around campus, holding membership in several organizations including Pi Beta Phi Sorority, Block and Bridle, Agriculture Economics Club, National Agri-Marketing Association competition team, and Collegiate 4-H. In addition, she is the Virginia Tech Alumni Association Chapter Intern during the school year. After graduation, she plans to remain in Virginia to work in governmental relations, specifically with agriculture policy.

A native of the Northern Neck, Aldyn calls her small family farm in King George, VA, home. Her passion for agriculture was sparked at the age of six from involvement in her local 4-H program, where she grew up raising market lambs and feeder cattle in the livestock program.  In her spare time, she enjoys spending time outdoors (especially hiking), hunting and fishing, baking, and watching Virginia Tech football!

State Fair of Virginia Livestock Updates

Information for nominating animals for the State Fair of Virginia shows is now available!  The nomination letter, as well as details of the nomination schedule for market lambs/commercial ewes, market goats/commercial does, market beef/commercial heifers, and swine can be found here (http://www.ext.vt.edu/topics/4h-youth/youth-livestock/state-fair/nominations.html).  

**Note- the nomination for Central Virginia (the site closest to Orange County) is Tuesday, June 16 (beef must call ahead) from 3 pm - 6 pm at Quaker Hill Farm- 5728 Poindexter Road, Louisa Va.  This will be the nomination site for market lambs, commercial ewes, market goats, commercial does, commercial heifers born 9/1/13-12/31/14, market steers, and market heifers.**

Updated rules and important information can be found on the youth livestock website (www.ext.vt.edu/youthlivestock) or at the State Fair website (www.statefairva.org) as they are received by the State 4-H office.  Please be sure to check these sites regularly!

Updates for 2015:

1)      The State Fair has recently announced that they will conduct a Sale of Champions this year for the champion and reserve market animals of all four species. The sale will be conducted Saturday evening, and consequently we have made several significant changes to the show and event schedule. A copy of the new schedule can be found on the youth livestock web site. Details of the Sale of Champions will be posted online, and distributed electronically in the very near future.

2)     Dates: – All beef, sheep, swine and meat goats will show October 2-4; the second weekend of the State Fair All market lambs/commercial ewes, market goats/commercial does, and market beef/commercial heifers must be nominated using the mid-late June nomination sites.  All swine must be nominated using the process that is outlined in the information letter entitled “State Fair of Virginia Hog Nomination Requirements”.

3)    Show Rules/Policy Updates (please see Rules posted online for complete details):

a)    Schedule- see schedule posted online for significant changes that have been made.

b)    Swine- The market hog show will not be terminal this year (sending swine to slaughter will be an option, exhibitors required to designate sale animals at entry). Breeding gilt classes will be offered, and market barrows and gilts will show separately. Exhibitors must designate market vs. breeding gilts at nomination.

c)    Market Lambs- A division for Natural Color lambs has been added.

d)   Premier Exhibitor Program- the goat and beef Premier Exhibitor programs will no longer include a scholarship application.

4)     Entries: All entries for State Fair must be submitted online; entry information will be available in July atwww.ext.vt.edu/youthlivestock.  All beef, sheep, swine and meat goats will be required to be entered by August 15^th!

5)     Complete details of the show schedules, judges, policies and rules for each species will be posted at the youth livestock homepage (www.ext.vt.edu/youthlivestock). Please check this site for important changes and updates!

VSU Small Farm Berry and Vegetable Field Day

Small Farm Berry and Vegetable Field Day
June 16, 2015, 8 am- 2 pm
Join Virginia State University to learn from Cooperative Extension Specialists about the latest research, trends, and proven techniques for maximizing farm profits on limited acreage.  USDA representatives will be on hand to explain how government resources can open doors for small farmers.  Visit farm-related exhibitors and enjoy an Iron Chef competition demonstrating how to prepare winning meals with locally grown produce.
This event is FREE and includes a light breakfast and boxed lunch.

Featuring:

USDA RESOURCES

• Expanding Local Markets (including EBT cards and SNAP sign-up)

• Farm Loans and Grants

• Protecting Your Land and Legacy

• Managing Risk

• Farm Facts, Advocacy and Outreach

SMALL FARM OUTREACH

• Maximizing Profits in Minimal Space

• No-till Production Techniques

• Cover Crops

•  High Tunnels

• Precision Ag Demonstration

• Equipment and Tools for the Small Farmer

BERRY PRODUCTION

• Pest and Disease Management

• New Varieties

• Soil Enhancement and Fertilization

• Pruning and Trellising

• Marketing & Packaging

REGISTER ONLINE BY JUNE 9, 2015 at: http://goo.gl/forms/HhocWIzUV3

To register by phone or email, contact Mark Klingman (mjklingman@vsu.edu) or call (804) 524-5626.

4-H Members Needed for Volunteer Positions for Orange County Head Start Fundraiser

4-H Club members who are looking to complete additional community service projects are encouraged to volunteer for Orange County Head Start's car show and benefit concert on June 28th. The event will be held at Booster Park off Rt. 20 near the airport and the times are 1:00-5:00 p.m. To volunteer, please call Nichole Cooper at 540-406-2264. Thanks!

Retired Extension Entomologist Shares Critters with Cloverbuds

All Cloverbud members were recently invited to a joint program with retired Extension entomology specialist Mr. Paul Semtner. Semtner brought bugs and posters and gave an informative talk to the youth. He is a proud grandparent of two Orange 4-H Cloverbuds, and we appreciate his time and expertise!

Goat Club Shares Photos from Showmanship Clinic

The Orange 4-H Goat Club held their annual showmanship clinic and club picnic on Sunday, May 17. Shown below are some photos from the event.

Learning to clip...

Learning to trim feet...

 Getting pointers on setting up dairy goats for the judge...

We Are Ready to Accept Fair Entries!

You can now register your animals for the 2015 Orange County Fair. All entries will be done online, including Cloverbuds and all animal species. Links are shown below!

Remember, your entry will not be counted if you are not enrolled in 4-H, so please make sure that has been done. Thanks!

Beef: http://tinyurl.com/2015OCFbeef

Sheep: http://tinyurl.com/2015OCFSheep

Swine: http://tinyurl.com/2015OCFSwine

Goat: http://tinyurl.com/2015OCFGoat

Dairy: http://tinyurl.com/2015OCFDairy

Cloverbud: http://tinyurl.com/2015OCFCloverbud

Archery Club Update

submitted by Dani Cole, Archery Club Leader

Mother's Day Madness Archery Tournament at the fairgrounds was very successful!
Our faithful King George 4H Archery Club came.

Awards:

Senior Target Face most points 

Sidney Mrotek (King George 4H)
Senior 3D most points
Sidney Mrotek (King George 4H)
Junior Target Face most points
Ryan Perkins
Junior 3D most points
JR Lovan
Best Sportsmanship
Mary Julia Thomas

Great job guys!!!!  So proud to have the problem of picking a good sport.  Everyone was a great example to our guest club!

Orange Farm Bureau Announces Two 4-H'ers as Recipients of College Scholarships

Orange Farm Bureau recently awarded $750 college scholarships to two Orange County 4-H members: Zachary Swope and Kelly Shifflett. Both members have been lifelong 4-H'ers and have been active in the 4-H Livestock and Home Ec Clubs, 4-H camp, and State 4-H Congress. In addition, both were inducted as Virginia 4-H All Stars, and both are continuing their education at Virginia Tech this fall after graduating from OCHS. Congratulations! 

2015 Clarke County 4-H VLA Market Lamb and Goat Show

The 2015 Clarke County 4-H Volunteer Leader's Association Market Lamb and Goat Show rules and registration packet are available!  This show will be held on Saturday, July 4, at the Clarke County Ruritan Fairgrounds in Berryville, VA.  Registration begins at 8:00 a.m. and sheep showmanship will begin at 9:30 a.m. with sheep confirmation, goat showmanship, and goat confirmation classes to follow.
Entry fee will be $15 per head.  Entry forms, fees, and a current 4-H Health History form are due to the Clarke Extension Office by Friday, June 19.  Late entries will be accepted; late fees will be $20 per head and must be received or postmarked by June 26.  Entries will be accepted the day of the show at $30 per head accompanied with all other required paperwork.
Please make checks payable to Clarke County 4-H, Inc and mail forms and fees to:
Clarke County Extension Office
101 Chalmers Court, Suite B
Berryville, VA 22611

All questions should be directed to either Alan Young, Show Chairperson at (540)837-1102 or windgatefarm[at]verizon.net or to Kaila Anglin, 4-H Agent at (540)955-5164 or kailamh[at]vt.edu.

Paperwork can be found on the document library in the Livestock folder.

Sheep & Goat Weigh-in to be Held at the Northern Piedmont Center

The 4-H Market Lamb and Goat Weigh-in will be held Monday, May 18, from 4:00-6:00 p.m. at the Virginia Tech Northern Piedmont Center. The physical address is 14471 Research Road, Orange.

All animals will be weighed and tagged, and this weigh-in is required for all market lambs and goats to be shown and sold at the fair. All animals must have scrapie identification, which is a tag or tattoo installed by the breeder of the animal.

Please review the show and sale rules regarding weight limits. Available: https://sites.google.com/site/ocva4h/home/document-library.

We look forward to seeing this year's exhibitors at the research station on Monday!

Fair Schedule of 4-H Events- UPDATED SCHEDULE FOR 2015

The fair schedule for 2015 has been updated!  Please pay close attention to the schedule this year as there are many changes for these events.  Please see the final fair catalog for daily fair opening and closing times.

Wednesday of Fair Week

            Animals may arrive prior to fair’s scheduled opening time. Please, no arrivals while the fair is open to the public. This is for everyone’s safety.

Thursday of Fair Week

9:00 AM                        All animals must be on grounds.

Official ending weigh-in for market & feeder animals

11:00 AM                      Exhibitor Meeting (Show ring)

(or following weigh-in)

6:00 PM                        Pretty Animal Contest, sponsored and managed by the Dairy Club; open to all exhibitors with halter-led animals

7:00 PM                        4-H Hog Show

Friday of Fair Week

          4:00 PM                        4-H Lamb & Market Goat Show

          7:00 PM                        4-H Beef Show

Saturday of Fair Week

              8:30 AM                    4-H Dairy Goat Show 

10:00 AM                    4-H Bottle Babies Show

12:00 PM                     4-H Dairy Show

              4:00 PM                     4-H Auction

Sunday of Fair Week

9:00 AM                        Fairgrounds Clean-up – plan to stay until it’s complete! 

Upcoming Horse Events

submitted on behalf of Resi Connell, 4-H Natural Horse Addicts Club Leader

We are hosting a series of 13 rides over the summer with a national, non-profit trail challenge group called ACTHA. ACTHA donates a portion of their proceeds to the charity of our choice, which, for these rides, is our Natural Horse Addicts Club. There are lots of other fund raising opportunities here as well for the club members during the event.

ACTHA provides free membership to junior riders and those junior riding in our saddle series have an opportunity to win a saddle too!

You can learn more about the rides and prizes here: http://independencefuniefarm.com/programs/actha/

Also, we need 2 adult volunteers (and maybe a backup) for our ACTHA Obstacle Challenge that is coming up on May 17.  These two volunteers will serve as obstacle judges for the event.  This is a fund raising event for our Natural Addicts 4-H club.  No experience is necessary. We need to have the volunteers in place by Monday or Tuesday.  Please let me know if you would be able help by emailing me at resi@independencefuniefarm.com. 

Caroline County Agricultural Fair- Open Shows and Homemakers Exhibit

Caroline county Agricultural Fair is hosting an open Livestock, Poultry, and PeeWee showmanship show July 8-11, 2015.  Livestock and Poultry check-in will be Wednesday, July 8.  All animals must be checked-in and in place by 4 p.m.  The Swine, Sheep, and Goat shows will begin at 9 a.m. on Thursday, July 9.  The 4-H Cattle Show will begin at 9 a.m. Friday, July 10.  The poultry show is at 6 p.m. on Friday, July 10.  Registration is due by June 1.  There is a registration fee of $5 per animal entered.  For more information on this, please visit http://www.carolinefair.com/2015_agriculture_livestock_poultry__pee_wee_shows.

There will also be an open Home Goods Contest.  For more information on that category, visit http://www.carolinefair.com/home_goods_contests.

Livestock Club Meeting Scheduled for Tonight has been POSTPONED!

The Livestock Club meeting that was originally scheduled for tonight has been POSTPONED.  We will plan for next Wednesday night- same time and place.

Host Families Needed for 3 IFYE Delegates

Host families are needed for 3 IFYE (International 4-H Youth Exchange) delegates that will be visiting the US this year!  IFYE delegates are normally in their late teens and early 20s who spend extended amounts of time in the US.  To give them a variety of experiences, their stay will be split into three time periods and families will host for about a month.
This is a great way for a family to broaden its horizons without leaving home!  Host an IFYE, gain a friend and have memories for a lifetime.

IFYE 1: Salome Savoy, age 22, is a college student at a teacher training college in Berne, Switzerland, her homeland.  She wants to obtain her Master's degree and become a great teacher.  She speaks German, French, Spanish, and English.  She enjoys karate, dance, singing, travel, cooking, and all kinds of sports.  She has two sisters, ages 18 and 17.  Her father is a bus driver and her mother a lab worker.  So that she can have different experiences in Virginia, she will need three host families.
Her stay will be divided between three host families as follows:
June 23-July 19
July 19- August 16
August 16- September 9

IFYE 2: A 23 year old female from South Korea.  Information on her has not been received yet.



IFYE 3: Nora Marie Feyder, age 18, hails from Luxembourg and her exchange will take her first to Alaska for three months and then to Virginia.  She speaks French, German, and English.
She wants to be a costume designer, and she would enjoy being able to put her education to work by helping children with a different cultural background.  She enjoys ballet and modern jazz, clarinet and piano, drawing and painting, sewing, plastic art, and reading.  Her father is a farmer and her mother a dietitian.  She has two sisters, ages 20 and 12.
Her stay will be divided between three host families as follows:
October 6- October 31
October 31- November 21
November 21- December 9

How to Help Your Child With Their 4-H Project Animal

Louisa Veterinary Service, Inc, Dr. Melinda McCall and Dr. Lesley Davis are hosting a clinic titled "How to help your child with their 4-H Project Animal."  This clinic will be held on May 23 from 3-5 p.m. at Oak Creek Farm, 25840 Independence Road in Unionville.
This clinic is for both 4-Hers and their parents, both new 4-Hers and ones that have been in 4-H for a while- they will cover topics such as: "Is my animal sick? Find out how to determine easily!", "What should I feed my animals?", and more!  You are welcome to attend and bring all of your questions to have them answered.
They do ask that you RSVP before May 21 by calling (540)967-2974.  This will be a great event where you can get lots of questions answered and get TONS of helpful information from people who are very experienced with 4-H projects!

Summer Camp Series: Farm to Table Camp

Have you heard about the local foods and Farm to Table movement?  If not (or even if you have) come explore the movement and concept more in depth with us on August 18-20 from 9 am-3 pm each day.  We will go on field trips to local farms, pick our own food, learn about growing our own food, can and preserve what we have picked, make meals with our locally grown food, and more!  We will learn all about what is grown right here in Orange County and in the surrounding areas.
This camp is open for rising 6th-9th graders, and the cost to participate is $45.
To register for all summer workshops, please visit the document library and check out the "Summer Workshops" folder.  Registration for workshops will close two weeks prior to the individual workshop (so for this workshop, registration will close August 4.)
Please contact the Extension office for more information!

Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival- Card Grading

Submitted by senior 4-H member Natalia Seitzer
this past weekend I went to the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival at the Howard County fairgrounds with my rare breed Leicester Longwool's for a Card Grading. A card grading is different from a show in that instead of competing against other animals, your animal competes against the breed's standards. Cards are awarded instead of ribbons. Blue = Excellent, Red = Good, Yellow = Acceptable, and White = Unacceptable. We had 3 judges from the US, Wales, and Tazmania. I brought 4 yearling ewes, one got a Blue (or "Excellent") Card, and 3 Red ("Good") Cards. 

Specialty Camp Series: Chesapeake Bay Experience

Have you ever visited the Chesapeake Bay?  One of the largest watersheds in the world comes together right in our backyard, and many of us don't take advantage of all of the learning opportunities that it presents!  Come join us on July 29-31 as we take a trip and explore the Chesapeake Bay.  We will leave on that Wednesday morning and travel to the Eastern Shore of Virginia where we do things like have a meaningful watershed experience learning all about the Chesapeake Bay watershed, visit NASA's Wallops Island station, possibly see the wild ponies at Chincoteague, visit the VCE Research station where they have over 31 ongoing research projects on over 225 acres, and more!  Be prepared to spend a lot of time outdoors and in the water!  We will also have free time scheduled to go swimming and do other fun outdoor activities.  We are looking at also getting together with other 4-Hers and their clubs that are on the Eastern Shore.  

The cost for this trip is $220 and covers all transportation, meals, lodging, field trips, and more!  The trip is open to rising 7-10th graders, and there is a limit of 6 students from Orange and 6 students from Madison.

The brochure can be found on the document library in the "Summer Workshops" folder or you can find it by going directly here. 
All participants who sign up for camps must fill out a health history form and code of conduct. 
You have two ways of paying for camp this year!  You can either submit a check with your registration, or you may pay online!  To pay online, please visit www.tinyurl.com/vcepay and print the receipt and submit it with your registration.
Registration for for this camp is due July 15 so that we can appropriately plan the trip.
If you have any questions, please contact the Extension Office!

Summer Camp Series- Food Challenge

You have heard about all of the Food Challenge competitions that we have had 4-Her's compete in- and even travel to National contests!  Well, now it's your turn to learn all about this awesome competition!  Think Food Network's hit TV show Chopped, but 4-H style!  You will combine mystery ingredients, prepare delicious dishes, and give a presentation about the nutrition, cost, and preparation of the food.  This camp may cause you to want to join a 4-H Food Challenge team to compete on various levels.
The camp will be held July 16 and 17 from 9 am - 1 pm each day at the Extension office.  Rising 4th-7th graders can participate, and the cost to join in on the fun will be $20 per youth.
To register for all summer workshops, please visit the document library and check out the "Summer Workshops" folder.  Registration for workshops will close two weeks prior to the individual workshop (so for this workshop, registration will close July 2.)
Please contact the Extension office for more information!