Delaware 4-H Horse Bowl- March 9, 2013^,

The 2013 Delaware 4-H Horse Bowl will be held on March 9^th at 9:00 am at Lake Forest North Elementary school.  Contest rules and the entry form have been posted to the State 4-H website at http://extension.udel.edu/4h/projects-activities-for-members/4-h-animal-science/

Entries must be postmarked by February 15^th to the State 4-H Office.  Participants can begin preparing now by studying the following resources:

All age divisions: The 4-H Horse Project Manuals- “Giddy Up and Go”, “Head, Heart and Hooves”, “Stable Relationships”, “Riding the Range”, and “Jumping to New Heights”.  The glossaries in these manuals provide lots of useful information to study and are available from your county extension office.

In addition, the following resources are used to develop questions for each age group:

• Beginners ages 8-10- Your Pony Your Horse by Cherry Hill

• Juniors ages 11-13- Your Horse by Judy Chapple and the ages 8-10 book

• Seniors- Storey’s Horse Lovers Encyclopedia and the ages 8-10 and 11-13 material

These books can be found for purchase online from several sources simply by searching for the title and author.

Delaware Livestock Exposition Benefit Dinner – March 9, 2013

Mark your calendar for the 2013 Delaware Livestock Exposition, October 12-13 at the Delaware State Fairgrounds in Harrington.  The show is a junior breeding show for beef cattle, sheep, swine, and boer goats and is open to exhibitors from across the country.  Entry and registration information will be available in the summer.  Premiums are paid to the top placing animals in each class.  Sponsors and donors support the Expo financially however we still need your help too!  The show committee is hosting a benefit dinner and auction on Saturday, March 9th in the Dover building on the Delaware State Fairgrounds.  Tickets are $25 each or $175 for a table of 8 and will be available for purchase at the Kent County Extension office beginning in February.   Please email Susan Garey truehart@udel.edu or Kristin Cook kristin@udel.edu  to reserve yours now.  All proceeds will be put towards Livestock Exposition expenses.  We will also accept donations of select items for the live and silent auctions.  Please join us for a fun filled evening!

“Live. Laugh. Farm.” Video Contest

Could your 4-H club, FFA chapter or other youth agriculture group use some extra cash? Are you creative and excited about agriculture? If so, enter Mid Atlantic Farm Credit’s video contest and tell them what “Live. Laugh. Farm.” means to your group.

Here’s how it works: As the representative(s) of your group, put together a one to three minute video centered around the “Live. Laugh. Farm.” theme. Think outside of the box – it could include music, dancing, a skit, computer animation, etc. – the possibilities are endless! Then, you submit your video to us on our Facebook page. Once the submission deadline ends, we’ll open the videos up for public voting – so tell all your friends and family to go out to the page and vote for your video (one vote/day/video). The votes will determine the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners.

Time frame:
Video submissions due: March 22, 2013
Voting period: March 23 – April 13, 2013
Winners announced: April 15, 2013

Prizes:
Grand prize/1st place: $500
2nd place: $250
3rd place: $100

So, do you think your group or organization has what it takes to make the grand prize-worthy video? If you have any questions regarding the contest, please email connect@mafc.com or give them a call at 888-339-3334. For complete rules and eligibility terms, visit the official video contest page.

2013 PQA Certification Training and Testing Dates

There are two options for obtaining PQA certification. The class certification option is open to any age but youth under the age of 8 (computed as of Jan 1 of the current year) must have a parent attend the class with them as national program guidelines do not permit a child under 8 to hold their own certification.  Certification received through the classroom option is valid for one year.

Youth over the age of 12 (computed as of Jan 1 of the current year) have the additional option of taking a multiple choice test in lieu of attending classroom training. The benefit of the testing option is that certification may last for longer than one year, depending on the age of the youth at test time.  Youth must score 70% or better to pass the test and can take versions of the test up to three times in one sitting to pass.  Youth only need to complete one of these two options for obtaining certification- not both.

The following PQA class training dates have been scheduled for this spring:

• April 9, 2013 – NCC PQA Classroom Training- New Castle Country Extension Office 6:30-8:30 pm

• April 18, 2013 – Sussex County PQA Classroom Training-Carvel Center 6:30-8:30 pm

• April 20, 2013- Kent County PQA Classroom Training- Kent County Extension Office-9:00-11:00 am

• June 3, 2013- FINAL PQA Classroom Training- Kent County Extension Office- 6:30-8:30 pm

The following PQA testing dates have been scheduled for this spring (walk in any time):

• May 7, 2013- NCC PQA Open Testing- New Castle County Extension office- 4:00 pm-6:00 pm

• May 14, 2013- Sussex PQA Open Testing-Carvel Center- 4:00 pm-6:00 pm

• June 11, 2013- Kent County PQA Open Testing- Kent County Extension Office- 4:00pm-6:00 pm

You may attend class or testing in any of the locations. If you plan on attending any of these sessions, please RSVP to Susan Garey (302)730-4000  at least three days prior so that there will be adequate materials. Please contact Susan Garey if you have any questions or concerns in regards to PQA certification needs.

2013 Spring 4-H/FFA Dairy Show

The Spring 4-H and FFA Dairy Show will be held on April 6, 2013 at the Delaware State Fairgrounds.  Entries are due to Charmayne Busker by March 8, 2013.  The show is open to all Delmarva Residents who are owners of Holstein, Jersey, Ayrshire, Guernsey and Brown Swiss cattle. The show will include both a Junior Division (age 21 & under as of January 1, 2013) and an Open Division which will run concurrently.  For show information and entry form please visit the state 4-H website.http://ag.udel.edu/extension/4h/animalscience.html

Adventures in Veterinary Medicine Camp

Tufts University is now accepting applications for their summer career exploration program specifically designed for middle and high school students who may have an interest in pursuing a veterinary career. 4-H youth are invited to apply to the Adventures in Veterinary Medicine program at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University to discover if this exciting career is right for you!

Tufts University Adventures in Veterinary Medicine Program (AVM) is a unique career exploration program designed to provide participants with direct insight into the opportunities and realities of a career in veterinary medicine. The long-standing program will be celebrating its 23rd year of programming this summer. Participants will have the opportunity to attend lectures by faculty and veterinary students, participate in laboratories, and engage in hand-on activities with animals. If you are excited by science, enjoy working with animals, and would like to learn more about what it takes to be a veterinarian, the program will further develop your understanding about the veterinary profession.

AVM is located on Tufts University Campus in North Grafton, Massachusetts. Students will be able to obtain a realistic and comprehensive look at what life as a veterinary student would be like by spending time on the campus of one of the finest veterinary schools in the country. They offer three middle school sessions, two residential high school sessions and a high school day session. Each session is designed to meet the educational and developmental levels of students in specific grades. AVM will challenge and stimulate its participants in innovative, fun, and exciting ways.  A Sussex County 4-H member participated in this veterinary camp experience during the summer of 2012.

For more information on the program, including dates, eligibility, tuition, and the application, please visit our web site at www.tufts.edu/vet/avm or contact us at AVM@tufts.edu.

Adventures in Veterinary Medicine

Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine
Tufts University
200 Westboro Road
North Grafton, MA 01536
Phone: (508) 839-7962
Fax: (508) 839-7952
http://www.tufts.edu/vet/avm

Youth Sheep Conservationist Program Contest

Youth interested in applying for the 2013 Youth Conservationist Program:

• Must be between 9 and 18 years old.
• Submit an application postmarked by April 1, 2013 that includes:

An essay which introduces you, your experience with animals, if for any reason, the animal is not being kept at your own home, explain, in detail where it will reside and what exactly your responsibilities will be, your essay should explain your interest in sheep, and answers the question: “Why I would like to help preserve a heritage breed of sheep.”

The applicant should indicate if they wish to be considered for a particular breed or for any of the breeds available.  Each applicant must include a letter of recommendation from their 4-H advisor, FFA advisor, veterinarian, teacher or clergy. The total application/essay should be no more than 2 pages in length. The application must include address, phone and if available, email address.

Interested young people should contact Elaine for an updated list of breedsavailable, then submit their letter of application/essay to:

Elaine Ashcraft,
46118 CR 58
Coshocton, OH 43812
740.622.1573
tankewe_cr58@yahoo.com

ALL ESSAYS MUST BE MAILED, WILL NOT ACCEPT EMAILED ESSAYS!

Requirements if selected:

• Must be present to receive the ewe at the Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival on Sunday, May 5, 2013.

• Must exhibit the ewe at least twice in 2013at: 1) a county fair or local sheep show and 2)the State Fair in the state where the recipient lives.

• Must breed the ewe to a registered ram (of her breed) in the fall of 2013, should consult the donor breeder for their recommendations.

• Must either use the ewe’s fleece to personally make a wool item or sell the fleece to aspinner, felter or weaver.

• Must submit an article the following Feb/Mar to their local newspaper covering their year and including information concerning the next year’s YCP program.

• Must submit a one to two page report, with pictures, to the Donor Breeder by April 30, 2014 and provide a scrapbook to be used at the Maryland Festival then given back to the youth.

 Any questions please contact:

Elaine Ashcraft,
46118 CR 58
Coshocton, OH 43812
740.622.1573
tankewe_cr58@yahoo.com

The donors choose the recipients from the essays submitted by the youth.  Last year Kent County 4-H members and sisters, Spring and Lake Vasey participated in the Youth Sheep Conservationist Program Contest and were awarded Icelandic sheep that they exhibited at the Delaware State Fair.