Thursday, March 31, 2011

Texas 4-H Golf Challenge

The 2011 Texas 4-H Golf Challenge is back. June 20-21 in College Station. This is open to 4-H and non 4-H members. Check out the flyer at travis4h.com to learn more about this exciting event. Look under the tab "4-H Events"

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

State Fair Swine Tag Orders

If you plan to exhibit Swine at the State Fair of Texas in Dallas, you will need to purchase ear tags for $9.00 each. The form may be found at www.travis4h.com , look under the tab "4-H Livestock and Animal Information".

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Textiles Contest

Information about the Textile Contest has been posted to the www.travis4h.com website. Look under the tab "4-H Events". This contest is open to all 4-H members. Clover kids may participate, but will not be allowed to compete at the district contest. There is no fee to enter the county contest, but there is a $5.00 fee to enter the district contest. Check out the informational page for more information.

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

D-10 Horse Show Belt Buckle Sponsorship

You now have the opportunity to sponsor a belt buckle for the District 10 Horse Show. If you know of anyone who may be willing to do so, check out the form at www.travis4h.com, look under the tab "4-H Livestock and Animal Information"

Veterinary School Open House

Saturday, April 9, 2011
Texas A&M's 18th Annual Vet School Open House
For detailed information,  please visit the following site:
http://vetmed.tamu.edu/open-house

Monday, March 14, 2011

Veterinary Science Skill-A-Thon - Texas 4-H Roundup

The Veterinary Science Skill-a-thon is back in 2011! After a successful year in 2010, coordinators are looking forward to having even more youth involved in this great contest! The Veterinary Science Skill-a-thon is an invitational contest for Intermediate and Senior age 4-H members that meet the minimum requirements. Applications, contest rules, and resources are available on the Texas 4-H Roundup website. Email Cory at cmtalley@ag.tamu.edu for the application.
Resources
4-H Families Affected by Panhandle Wildfires
Dr. Angela Burkham, Extension 4-H & Youth Specialist

Two Potter County 4-H Families lost their homes to wildfire on Sunday February 27th.  Randy and Ellen Downs, and their two children Brandon and Miranda and David Bryant and his family (children 5 and 16 years old).  Both of these families are in the process of rebuilding everything!

A fund has been set up through the Texas 4-H Foundation.  If you are a youth or adult member of Texas 4-H you can log into 4-H Connect  and contribute to the event titled:  Support the families affected by Texas Wildfires. You may also contact the Texas 4-H and Youth Development Foundation office at 979-845-1213.  100% of the donations go to the fire victims and your contribution is tax deductible. 

For more information, please contact Dr. Angela Burkham at (806) 677-5600.

2011 M.A.S.H. Camp

A camp experience with a focus on health, safety and various medical fields. The camp will take place June 28-30 in College Station. A flyer is posted at www.travis4h.com. Look under the tab "4-H Events.

4-H Science Webinars

Webinars are now scheduled twice a month from March to June to answer questions about 4-H Science. March 8 & 22, April 5 & 26, May 5 & 23, June 2. Please announce to your 4-H membership and volunteers to check with County Extension Office for Centra information to sit in on one or all of these sessions.
Two local girls were finalists in The San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo first ever beef  skill-a-thon competition.  Youth involved in 4-H and FFA from throughout  the state of Texas competed in the contest  demonstrating their knowledge of beef cattle.  The contest was divided into 3 age groups.    Erica Masi, a 4th grader at Murchison Elementary and a member of the Richland 4-H Club, placed 4th place in the Junior Category.  Erica's contest consisted of a written test and then answering questions at different stations.  Meredith Masi, an eighth grader at Kelly Lane Middle School and a member of the Richland 4-H Club, advanced to the finals which gave her the opportunity to answer questions asked by a panel of judges and do hands-on skills such as artificial insemination and tagging a cow's ear.  Meredith placed 5th in the Intermediate Category.  Both girls were coached by Brandon Masi and Barbara Masi.   
 Presenting the girls plaques at the awards ceremony were ,from left to right, Dr. Chris L. Skaggs, Associate Dean for Student Development at Texas A&M University, Erica Masi, Meredith Masi, and Mr. Bill Jerman, Livestock Committee Chairman for the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo.

TCYS Scholarship

The guidelines and application for the Travis County Youth Show Scholarship have been posted to the Travis County Youth Show website. The application is in Excel so make sure you are able to open that on your computer. You will need to look under the tab; scholarship information. To be eligible for the scholarship you must meet the following requirements:
  • Be a graduating high school senior for the 2010-11 school year.

  • Be an active member of either FFA or 4-H, exhibiting livestock and/or youth fair projects in the TCYS for at least 3 years, including 2011.
If you have any questions, please ask. Applications must be postmarked by April 15th.

$mart Kid Essay Contest

The “$mart Kid” Essay Contest is aimed at helping students develop knowledge of economic and personal finance concepts, understand budgets and the importance of financial planning, and become better prepared for their future roles as consumers, investors, and workers. In support of Financial Literacy Month, the Financial Fitness Greater Austin (FFGA) “$mart Kid” Essay Contest, administered by Junior Achievement (JA) and presented by Capital One Bank, encourages students in grades 6-12 to answer this year’s “$mart Kid” question (visit link). Students in grades 6-8 are encouraged to answer the question with an essay of 300 words or less and high school students are asked to answer the question in 500 words or less. Four scholarships will be awarded:

High School: 1st Place - $4,500 2nd Place - $3,000
Grades 6th- 8th: 1st Place - $1,500 2nd Place - $500

Winners and their parents also receive a free financial consultation with the prize money being deposited in an appropriate savings product in the students’ name.

For more information, rules and application, please visit the link below:
http://financialfitnessaustin.org/downloads/ffgaessaycontest2011.pdf

Volunteer Needed to Watch Chickens

A request has been made to seek a volunteer to "chicken sit" 6 laying hens. The location is outside of Lakeway and you may contact Linda at 512-689-7221 to inquire more about this opportunity. This would be for about 2 weeks and you would be required to feed and water the birds.

Steer Validation Tag Orders

If you plan to exhibit a steer at the Travis County Youth Show or at any of the major shows, the tag orders and money are due to the Travis County Extension Office by Tuesday, April 12th. Tags are $10.00. The form may be found at www.travis4h.com, look under the tab "4-H Livestock and Animal Information".

National 4-H Congress

The 2011 National 4-H Congress will be Thursday, November 24 through Tuesday, November 29 at the Hyatt Regency Atlanta in Georgia. National 4-H Congress is the flagship event of the National 4-H Program. Deadline for applications will be April 15, 2011.


For more information, please click on the link below:
National 4-H Congress Website

District 10 Leadership Lab

Districts 7 and 10 Council Teams have joined forces to create a Leadership- Lab experience you will never forget! The event will be held June 29-July1, 2011 at the one and only Texas 4-H
Conference Center in Brownwood, Texas. Come and join other 4-Her’s from District 7 and 10 and enjoy three days and three nights of fun as we work together to build leadership skills
and character necessary for success! There will be four outstanding and innovative workshops that you can take back to you counties. They include:
Parliamentary Procedure
Thinking Outside the Box
Communication & Marketing
Creative Leadership Strategies

Who: Youth ages 13 and up
Cost: $220.00 (registration, t-shirt, meals and snacks, health fee)

Register via 4-H Connect starting May 1 - 15, 2011

For more information check out the flyer at travis4h.com (looks under "4-H Events" tab)

Sunday, March 13, 2011

Cele Community Farmers BBQ and Auction

Please join us for the annual Cele Community Farmers Barbecue and Auction.  The event will take place on Saturday, April 16, starting at 4pm, at Richland Hall on Cameron Rd.  in Pflugerville.  Everyone is welcome!  Barbecue plates will be available and donations are greatly appreciated.  The silent auction will run through the early evening with incredible items to bid on!

We are asking all 4-H members, FFA chapters, individual members, families, businesses and friends of 4-H/FFA to please donate items for the silent auction.  Themed baskets, plants, trees, gift cards, jewelry, new items and hand-made items all make great auction items.  Please consider donating an item and asking other people/businesses to donate as well.

Proceeds from the barbecue dinner and silent auction directly support the youth of Travis County.

To arrange drop-off of items before April 16, please call Leslie Jackson at 512-431-8446.  Thank you VERY much.

Volunteers Needed to assit Lonestar Cattlemen Foundation

The Lonestar Cattlemen Foundation is looking for volunteers to help sell tickets at their booth at the Star of Texas Fair and Rodeo. The booth hours are 12:00 noon to 9:00 p.m.. For each ticket you sell you, you can designate your club or Travis County 4-H and a portion of proceeds will go back to that program.  If you are interested in volunteering please contact Trey Powers:  trey@treypowers.com.

The Lonestar Cattlemen Foundation is setup to assist youth at the auctions for Travis County Youth Show and the Star of Texas Fair and Rodeo.

Thursday, March 10, 2011

2011 4-H County Camp

It is now time to begin preparing for summer camps and activities. Travis County 4-H is scheduled to attend county camp at the Texas 4-H Conference Center in Brownwood, July 6-8, 2011. Camp is open to youth ages 9-18 and we have 10 spots reserved for boys and 10 spots reserved for girls. The cost of camp is $175.00.

You can begin registering for camp starting March 14th. If you are interested in learning more and or participating, please call and talk with Cory or John -  854-9600

Friday, March 4, 2011

State Fair of Texas Lamb and Goat Tag Orders

If you plan to exhibit a lamb or goat at the State Fair of Texas in Dallas, tag orders are due to the Travis 4-H office by April 12, 2011. The order form may be found at travis4h.com. Look under the tab, "4-H Livestock and Animal Information"

Friends and Alumni Announces - Alliance Opportunity for All Counties

"My County doesn't have a TSC store", no problem.
"Stripes Convenient stores are not located in my County", no problem.

"Arlington is a bit of a far drive for my county to attend a Texas Rangers Baseball game", no problem.


The Texas 4-H Friends & Alumni Association is here to assist all 254 Counties across Texas with raising funds for their local 4-H programs. All your county has to have are 4-H Alumni and Friends of 4-H within your county lines to be a part of this new fund raising endeavor !!


Beginning December 1 - May 1, 2011, the Texas 4-H Friends & Alumni Association will be hosting "Roundup Former 4-H'ers and Supporters Across Texas" membership drive. A significant portion of the funds raised through this campaign will be returned to the local 4-H Club or County 4-H Program by the Friends and Alumni Association . The county recruiting the most members will receive a $500 4-H Program Support Grant and the individual 4-H'er recruiting the most members will receive a "Rodeo Across Texas 2012" family ticket package allowing them to attend Rodeo Performances at the 4 major Rodeos in 2012 (subject to final approval from all the major stock shows in Texas).


Recruitment materials will be made available on the Texas 4-H Friends & Alumni website at http://agrilife.org/texas4hfriends/ or you can email Jana Barrett directly to have them sent to you direct. The membership drive materials which will include talking points about the efforts of the Association, a membership information flyer and F&A Membership recruitment forms. See the attached recruitment form.

The County and/or local 4-H Club portion of Memberships sold will be as follows:

  • Lifetime Membership ($50 donated to County and/or Club)
  • Annual Membership ($10 donated to County and/or Club)
  • Collegiate Membership ($5 donated to County and/or Club)
The individual 4-H member recruiting memberships" will be allowed to designate their portion of the funds to their specific local 4-H club (subject to verification of club charter by the State 4-H office and notification to the county), their local County 4-H Program, or split the funds between both their Club and their County 4-H Program.

The 4-H recruiter will receive credit for both new and current members. If current members "join" within this time, their membership renewal date will be extended.

This is a pilot program the 4-H Friends & Alumni Association is initiating and if successful, they plan to make it an annual event. This is just another way the Texas 4-H Friends & Alumni Association is stepping up to find ways to support our 4-H programs across Texas.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Jana Barrett at 979-845-1213.

4-H Recordbook Workshop

Monday, April 4, 2011
6:30 p.m. at the Extension Office

This workshop will be geared towards those who have never completed a recordbook or for those who are still new to the process. Feel free to come prepared with the ways that you might already be keeping up with your 4-H experiences or come with a blank piece of paper to take notes on what you learn.

There are additional workshops that will be conducted around District 10, for those dates, check out the flyer at www.travis4h.com.

Travis County 4-H on Facebook

We are now using Facebook as a means to get the word out about 4-H events and opportunities along with the Blog and the website. If you are on Facebook, you can request to join the group.

Hope to see you there.

TEEA Scholarship Fundraiser at MiMi's Cafe

The Travis County Extension Education Association is hosting an event at two MiMi's Cafe locations to support  their scholarship fund that they extend to Travis County 4-H graduating seniors. This is a great opportunity to support a wonderful group of ladies that love the 4-H program as much as we do.

15% of each sale will be donated to the scholarship fund. A flyer must be presented for the donation to be activated. Flyers may be found at www.travis4h.com. Look under the tab "4-H Events"  There is a flyer for each location so be sure to choose the correct flyer for the location you will be attending.

This will take place on Thursday, April 7th, 5:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.