DATES TO REMEMBER
April 26 – May 5th – Tractor Supply Paper Clover Campaign
May 1 – Deadline to Submit Junior/Intermediate Photography
1 – Senior Spotlight Deadline
1 – Deadline to Apply for the Brown County TEEA Scholarship
21 – Early 4-H Club Meeting 5:00pm at Extension Office
29 – Extension Office Closed for Memorial Day
BROWN COUNTY YOUTH FAIR CHECKS AVAILABLE FOR PICK UP
The 4-H checks for the Brown County Youth Fair are available for you to pick up at the Brown County Extension Office during our office hours of
8:30am – 4:30pm closed 12:00pm – 1:00pm for lunch Monday – Thursday and Friday 8:30am – 12:00pm. A thank you letter should be written to each buyer who contributed towards your project. Make sure that it is STAMPED and ADDRESSED and turned in to the Extension Office! You will not receive your check until we receive your thank you letters. Handwritten “thank you” letters are best but, depending on your personality and penmanship a typed letter can also be appropriate. Thank each person individually, don’t try and thank a group of people in one letter. PLEASE NOTE THAT CHECKS ARE ONLY VALID FOR 90 DAYS.
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.
May 1st – Junior/Intermediate Photography
SCHOLARSHIP AVAILABLE FROM BROWN COUNTY FARM BUREAU
Graduating seniors in Brown County now have the opportunity to apply for a college scholarship through Brown County Farm Bureau. May 19, 2023 is the deadline to apply. Students or their family must be new or current Brown County Farm Bureau members. Applications can be picked up at the Brown County Extension Office. For more information, contact the Brown County Extension Office.
BROWN COUNTY TEEA SCHOLARSHIP
Brown County TEEA offers a scholarship opportunity to an active Brown County 4-H graduating senior from high school. If you are interested in applying for this scholarship you can come by the Extension Office and pick up an application. The deadline to apply is May 1, 2023. If you would like more information, contact Courtney Parrott at the Extension Office.
4-H PAPER CLOVER FUNDRAISER AT TRACTOR SUPPLY:
APRIL 26TH – MAY 5TH
Customers at our local Tractor Supply can support Brown County 4-H by purchasing paper clovers at checkout. All funds raised will be donated to 4-H, and 75% will remain in Brown County. Our local Tractor Supply Co. has been one of the top money raisers in this region since the Paper Clover fundraiser started; so, let’s help them become number one in the state, while supporting Brown County 4-H at the same time during this fundraiser.
BROWN COUNTY 4-H SENIOR SPOTLIGHT
Brown County 4-H would like to spotlight graduating 4-H seniors. YOU MUST BE CURRENTLY ENROLLED IN THE 2022-2023 4-H YEAR. If you would like for us to spotlight you on Facebook and the newsletter, follow the link below to fill out the form
https://brown.agrilife.org/brown-county-4-h-senior-spotlight/
The deadline to submit your form is MAY 1ST. For more information contact Nick Gonzales at the Extension Office.
DISTRICT 7 4-H LEADERSHIP LAB
The 2023 District 7 4-H Leadership Lab will be held June 21st – 23rd at Sul Ross University in Alpine, Texas. You must be at least 13 years of age by the date of leadership lab to participate. The cost will be $200 per person for youth. This includes all meals beginning with lunch on Wednesday and ending with breakfast on Friday, insurance, activity fees, lodging and facility use fees. The deadline to register is May 22nd on 4-H Online. If you are interested in participating in the district 7 4-H Leadership Lab, please contact the Extension Office.
DISTRICT 7 COUNCIL OPPORTUNITY
The District 4-H Council provides opportunities for youth involvement in 4-H program development. It is an advisory committee which assists in making plans and executing these plans at the district level.
Their function is:
- to advise the district Extension staff on programs for 4-H youth
- facilitate representation on the Texas 4-H Council
- maintain linkage with county 4-H councils
- assist with the development and implementation of district events and activities
- provide opportunities for 4-H youth to learn democratic principles and procedures
- interpret the 4-H program to the public
AGE REQUIREMENTS – The president, vice president, and delegate-at large must be between the ages of 16 and 18 as of August 31 of the calendar year in which they are elected. The second vice president, third vice president, secretary, public relations officer, and parliamentarian must be between the ages of 15 and 18 as of August 31 of the calendar year in which they are elected.
To apply for a District 7 Council Officer position, you must have served as a Brown County Council Officer. If you are interested in applying for District 7 Council Officer, please contact Nick Gonzales so that we can provide you with an application.
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.
Y.A.L.L. YOUTH AGRICULTURAL LIFETIME LEADERSHIP OPPORTUNITY
The Youth Agricultural Lifetime Leadership opportunity is a 6-day exploration for youth to experience Texas Panhandle agricultural production practices. Participants will learn the value of technology in livestock & crop production from a commercial perspective. During the trip, participants will have the opportunity to see diversified agricultural production and various aspects of the agriculture industry. While many youths are interested in some aspects of agriculture production for a career, many are unfamiliar with all the job opportunities that exist in commercial agriculture production. One of the primary purposes of the Youth Agriculture Lifetime Leadership tour is to provide them with a tour of some of the premier agriculture universities in the country. While each university may offer different degree programs, they will notice a similarity in the friendly outgoing educators when it comes to agriculture education. Participants will tour local colleges. Tour attendees will also be challenged in a variety of ways to improve their leadership skills as agriculture spokespersons. Participants will see how numerous agricultural-related issues are challenged daily by groups targeting our food supply system. Participants will be provided opportunities to defend agricultural-related topics based on the information they learn from the tour presenters.
The 2023 experience will depart from the Bexar County Extension office in San Antonio on July 16th and return to the Bexar County Extension office on July 21st. The cost to the participants for the 6 days is $200 per participant submitted along with a 1-page resume and online application. 4-H members that have a strong interest in production agriculture who are outgoing high school freshmen through outgoing seniors are invited to apply and 30 youths will be selected. Participants will not be accepted if they have attended 2 previous Y.A.L.L. Experiences or attended a previous Y.A.L.L. Experience in the same location. The application deadline will be April 15, 2023. Participants that are not selected for the 2023 Y.A.L.L. Experience will be refunded their $200. Applicants will be notified by May 1, 2023, of their acceptance into the 2023 Youth Agriculture Lifetime Leadership Experience.
*No refunds will be issued after applicants receive their acceptance into the 2023 Youth Agriculture Lifetime Leadership Experience (exceptions may be made for youth that may be elected for State Council Retreat)
Y.A.L.L. Tour Dates: July 16-21, 2023
Cost: $200 per participant
30 Participant spots available
Eligibility: 10th-12th Grade
Depart/Return: Bexar County AgriLife Extension office (3355 Cherry Ridge Dr., San Antonio, Texas 78230)
Tentative College Tours: Angelo State University, Texas Tech University, and West Texas A&M University
Application Deadline: April 15, 2023
Information and Registration: https://gillespie.agrilife.org/yall/
4-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.