DATES TO REMEMBER

February 26 – Brown County 4-H Shooting Sports “First Shots Safety Training” 12pm and Practice at 2:00pm at Woodman of the World Range

March 1 – County Deadline for Duds to Dazzle and Fashion Show
13 – County Deadline for FCH/Livestock/Horse Quiz Bowl

BROWN COUNTY 4-H SHOOTING SPORTS TRAINING AND PRACTICE
The Brown County 4-H Shooting Sports will be having “First Shots Safety Training” for first time shooters at 12:00pm and will follow with practice at 2:00pm for all shooters on Sunday, February 26th at the Woodman of the World. If you would like more information, you can contact the Shooting Sports Coach Dale Crowell at 325-200-9851.

2MAJOR STOCK SHOW PASSES
The following major stock show passes have arrived at the Extension Office:
Houston Stock Show
Austin Stock Show

If you have signed up for any of these shows and are NOT going to be participating or have any other questions, please contact Nick Gonzales.

UPCOMING COUNTY DEADLINES FOR 4-H CONTEST
Below is a list of deadlines for upcoming 4-H contest. If you are planning to participate in any of these contests, please contact the Extension Office by the deadline.

March 1st – District Duds to Dazzle and District Fashion Show (All divisions)
March 13th – Horse/Livestock/FCH Quiz Bowl
April 3rd – District 7 4-H Roundup
Educational Presentations
Public Speaking
4-H Talent Showcase
April 6th – Senior Photography
May 1st – Junior/Intermediate Photography

MAJOR STOCK SHOW ANIMAL HEALTH REGULATIONS

HOUSTON
All breeding animals such as: heifers, breeding sheep, breeding goats, and breeding swine must have health papers from a veterinarian within 30 days of show.

Market animals DO NOT require health papers.

RODEO AUSTIN
All breeding heifers must have health papers from a veterinarian within 30 days of show.

Market animals DO NOT require health papers.

4-H HORSE VALIDATION – MARCH 1st TO MAY 1st
Validation is required for showing at district or state horse shows, and its
purpose is to certify that ownership requirements have been met. The horse MUST be owned solely by the 4-H member, his/her parents (biological or stepparents), brother, sister, grandparents, or legal guardian. Horses under lease to, but not owned by any of the named persons, do NOT qualify. Horses owned in partnership or jointly with any person other than those previously listed do NOT meet ownership requirements. The horse validation process will be completed electronically using the 4-H Connect online management system.
All 4-H members who wish to show at the District Show or the State 4-H Horse Show will be REQUIRED to validate their horse(s) on the 4-H Online system. Horse validation is completed for EACH HORSE and will cover all 4-H youth members in that family profile. When validating your horse(s) on 4-H Connect, you will select ONLY ONE 4-H youth member to conduct the validation under. Once a horse is validated, validation paid, and you begin registering for the District Horse Show, the validated horse(s) can be moved to the appropriate 4-H member(s) that will be exhibiting the horse in the show.
Validation will be open from March 1st to MAY 1st. Any horse validated before or after this date will NOT be accepted. An illustrated step-by-step instruction guide for families is available for download and reference on both the Texas 4-H website (http://texas4-h.tamu.edu/) and the Texas A&M University Department of Animal Science – Equine Science website (http://animalscience.tamu.edu/academics/equine/state-4h-show/). Validation cost for each horse is $10.00 from March 1st – April 15th. From April 16th – May 1st validation cost for each horse is $20.00. Credit Card will be the only acceptable form of payment. If you have any questions, please contact Nick Gonzales at the Extension Office.

*NEW IN 2023* – Lease horses are now eligible to be validated and shown at District and State 4-H Horse Shows. An official Texas 4-H Horse Lease Agreement must be signed by the exhibitor, horse owner, and the supervising County Extension Agent. The lease period must include, at minimum, May 1st to August 31st of the current 4-H year. The lease agreement form can be found at https://texasyouthlivestock.com/horse-validation/ and must be uploaded to 4H Online at the time of validation.

The 2023 district horse show will be held in San Angelo, Texas on June 13th.

CENTRAL TEXAS FARM CREDIT SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITY
Central Texas Farm Credit will award five high school graduating seniors a one-time $2,000 scholarship in 2023. Eligibility requirements include:

• Applicant must be a high school senior scheduled to graduate in 2023.
• Applicant must be a member of 4-H or FFA.
• Applicant must be planning to attend a two-year, four-year, or trade school.
• Applicant must reside inside of Central Texas Farm Credit’s 19 county territory.
• Central Texas Farm Credit reserves the right to confirm eligibility requirements.

The FFA chapter or 4-H organization of the 2023 scholarship winners will receive a $500 donation. Recipients will be selected based on academic performance (GPA, ACT/SAT score), awards, community service, school involvement, extracurricular activities, essay objectives and grammar.

If you are interested in applying contact the Extension Office.

Deadline to apply is March 10, 2023, at 4 p.m.

TEXAS FARM BUREAU SCHOLARSHIPS
Calling high school seniors and college students! Invest in your future and apply for one of our Texas Farm Bureau scholarships today!

Deadline is March 15, 2023.

Learn more about the different scholarships: https://bit.ly/scholarshipinfo23
Application details, eligibility and more: https://bit.ly/tfbscholarships23

34-H ENROLLMENT IS OPEN ON 4-H CONNECT!
The enrollment process for the 2022-2023 4-H year begins August 15, 2022. All 4-H families, new and returning, are encouraged to log in and enroll to become an official 4-H member.
As you begin your enrollment for the year, here are some tips in using 4-H CONNECT:
If you already have a profile DO NOT create another one!
If you lost your email and password, call the county office so we can reset, it for you.
An active membership will not be granted until the $25.00 participation fee is paid on 4-H Connect!
You cannot register or participate in an event until your profile is ACTIVE.
When you are doing your re-enrollment for the 2022-2023 4-H Year please make sure you update your address, phone number, and e-mail address.
For any youth who is joining 4-H in 2022-2023 for the first time as a 3rd grader we ask for you NOT TO ENROLL until September 1st.  September 1st is actual first day of the new 4-H year and what is used to calculate grade/age.  If a 2nd grader moving into 3rd grade enrolls before September 1st it will “tag” them as a Clover Kid, not charge an enrollment fee and lock them in as a Clover Kid for the year.