Wednesday, March 20, 2013

March-April 2013 Newsletter



March/April 2013
Oktibbeha County 4-H

4-H Scholarship Application Deadlines!
The following 4-H Scholarship applications will be due in the Oktibbeha 4-H Office no later than March 22, 2013:
  • 4-H Scholarship applications
  • 4-H Honor Club Applications
  • Powell Gray 4-H Scholarship
  • Marilyn Purdie Scholarship
  • MS 4-H Volunteer Leader Assn. Scholarship
The applications are available online at:  http://msucares.com/4h_Youth/scholarships/index.html

Field and Stream Registration
Anyone planning on participating in the North Field and Stream Shooting Sports Contest in April must complete and return the following: Registration form, registration fees ($10 per discipline), health card and code of conduct forms. The contest will be held May 4, 2013 at Whitetail Ridge Range in Blue Springs, MS. Website for range is
http://whitetailridgeoutdoors.com/. These forms are due in our office by April 1, 2013.

Make-Up Contest Day
I have scheduled a makeup day for all contests for April 2, 2013 from 3-5 p.m. at the Extension Office.

Club Congress
The 2013 State 4-H Club Congress is just around the corner. This is for Senior 4-H members. The dates of Congress are May 29-31, 2013 at MSU Campus.  Cost has not been announced yet. The county will again pay for part of this depending on the number of youth wishing to participate. You will be responsible for the remaining part. In order to go you must be active in Oktibbeha County 4-H and must have competed in the County Visual Presentation, Public Speaking, and/or County Judging Contest.
If you are unable to attend this after registration is paid you will be responsible for paying the FULL balance. Deadline to return congress registration form will be mid April 2013. We will hold a Club Congress Meeting on May 20, 2013 at 5:30 p.m.  Call for more information at 323-5918.

Poultry Chain Project
It’s time again for the 4-H Poultry Chain Project!! Youth ages 8-18 are eligible to participate. You can choose to raise either Egg type or Meat type birds. If you are interested in participating please call Julie at the Oktibbeha Extension 323-5916 by April 15th! There will be a meeting about the Poultry Chain on April 15that 5:30 p.m.

Poster Art Contest
Themes for the 2013 Poster Art Contest are; 4-H: The Green Promise and an Open Theme…this category allows 4-H’ers to create a poster and use their own theme.  The size of the poster must be 14” X 22” (half sheet of poster board).  More rules are available at the County Extension Office on this contest.
Dairy Poster
June is National Dairy Month. The 2013 Dairy Poster Contest Theme is "Dairy Packs Power". The poster must be 22 inches by 28 inches.  Posters are due in the County Extension Office May 1, 2013.  More information is available at the Extension office or by going to the following link: http://msucares.com/pubs/publications/p0799.pdf .


Expressive Arts Program
The annual Expressive Arts Program will be held on May 13-14, 2013 at the County 4-H Office. This is open to youth of all ages. Forms are available at the County Extension Office. Check-in is from 3-6 p.m. on May 13th. Check-out is from 4-5 p.m. on May 14th.

BASEBALL RUN OUT
We will be participating in the MSU Baseball Run Out on May 16, 2013. All 4-H'ers will be admitted free (limited to 25); parents will have to buy a general admission ticket which is $5.  We will be meeting and greeting the baseball team and players. we will also get to run on the field with them for the National Anthem. If anyone is interested in joining in doing this, please email me names. As of now we are only allowing two or three from each club to attend (free). Adults must pay.

National Conference Application Process
The following is the process for applying for National Conference for 2013:
  1. Applicants must be senior 4-H (ages 16 through 18) members.
  2. Complete Application Packet. 
  3. a. Mississippi 4-H National Conference Application Form
b. My 4-H Story (maximum of 4 pages)
c. Three Letters of Recommendations (2 from non-relative adult and one from Extension Agent signing the application)
  1. Interviews will take place May 30th during 4-H Club Congress. (Note: Interviews times will be flexible)    
The deadline to have all the above information into our office is April 25, 2013.
 
Gail Ballard’s Retirement Reception
Come help us celebrate Gail’s Twenty Years of Service to MSU-ES and Oktibbeha County. The staff is compiling a book of letters, if you wish to submit one or if you would like to send donations please send to Julie White at the above address by April 15.

Horse Information/Deadlines:
If you plan on showing horses in 4H this year here are some important deadlines:
  • You must Own horse by May 1, 2013
  • You must have completed enrollment for 4H by May 1, 2013.
  • Rule books and entry forms are available around April 2013.
  • All new riders must have ethics training. Call Julie at our office to schedule this.
  • If you are interested in Junior or Senior Horse Judging, Hippology or Horse Bowl please contact Julie or myself. Practices will start in March.
  • County Horse Show will be June 1 – MS Horsepark
  • District Horse Show – MS Horsepark – June 12-15
  • State Horse Show – Jackson – June 25-29

CONGRATULATIONS CORNER
Thank you to everyone who attended the county contests that were held March 11, 2013.  We had a great turn out. 

Thought for the Day

Leadership is a matter of having people look at you and gain confidence, seeing how you react. If you’re in control, they’re in control. -Tom Landry