DATES TO REMEMBER
April 28 – Brown 4-H County Council Meeting 5 p.m. at the Extension Office
May 3 – Deadline to Apply for the Brown County TEEA Scholarship
10 – Deadline to Submit Brown County 4-H Senior Spotlight Form
31 – Extension Office Closed for Memorial Day
BROWN COUNTY YOUTH FAIR CHECKS
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.
BROWN 4-H COUNTY COUNCIL MEETING
There will be a county council meeting on Wednesday, April 28th 5:00pm at the Extension Office. This will be a face-to-face meeting. We are asking that club council delegates and county council officer attend. We will be discussing summer activities and leadership opportunities. If you have any questions, contact Nick Gonzales.
BROWN COUNTY EE SCHOLARSHIP
Brown County EE 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 3, 2021. If you would like more information, contact Courtney Parrott at the Extension Office.
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 2020-2021 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 10th. For more information contact Nick Gonzales at the Extension Office.
DISTRICT 7 4-H Leadership Lab
The 2021 District 7 4-H Leadership Lab will be held June 23rd – 25th at the Texas 4-H Center Brownwood, Texas. You must be at least 13 years of age by the date of leadership lab to participate. The cost will be $250 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 31st 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.
2021 4-H MULTI-COUNTY CAMP
Stay tuned! The dates and location for the camp will be announced soon. Keep checking back for more details!
4-H Clothing & Textiles Project Opportunities:
Springtime involves many 4-H projects to include Clothing & Textiles. The fashion show includes construction and buying divisions. There is also the Fashion Story Board contest and Duds to Dazzle contest. The Duds to Dazzle contest is patterned after the Food Challenge. It is a team event where teams of up to 5 members have 1 hour to turn a “dud” into a “dazzle” with a sewing kit and a furnished supply closet. Design categories are wearable, accessory/jewelry and non-wearable. The team is also responsible for giving a 5-minute presentation to a panel of judges.
Contest dates for fashion show, fashion story board and Duds to Dazzle are as follows:
Fashion Show & Fashion Story Board for senior age division – April 30th in San Angelo
Fashion Show & Fashion Story Board for junior & intermediate age division – July 13th in Burnet, Texas.
If you are interested in participating in any of the 4-H Clothing & Textiles Project Opportunities, please contact Courtney Parrott or Nick Gonzales at the Extension Office.
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.
The 2021 district horse show will be held in San Angelo, Texas on June 15th.
TEXAS SPEAKS
TexasSpeaks is being conducted in Brown County and across the State of Texas to allow the citizens of Texas to provide their input on the assets and issues in their communities. The local branch of the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service has a rich history of providing educational programs that address the most critical issues in the county and invites your participation in the TexasSpeaks process.
The Extension Service highly values the opinions shared through the TexasSpeaks community assessment. The expectation is that the assessment will take about 10 minutes.
The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service is a statewide network of professional educators, trained volunteers, and county offices. It reaches into every Texas county to address local priority needs and to extend the latest research to the people of Texas. Some of the major efforts are in mitigating drought impacts; conserving water use in homes, landscapes, and production agriculture; improving emergency management; enhancing food security; and protecting human health through education about diet, exercise, and disease prevention and management.
You can provide your input by going to the following tx.ag/texasspeaks.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the Brown County Extension office at 325-646-0386. Thank you very much for your involvement in this process.
4-H ENROLLMENT IS OPEN ON 4-H CONNECT!
The enrollment process for the 2020-2021 4-H year began August 15, 2020. 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 2020-2021 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 2020-2021 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.
If you experience issues trying to enroll in 4-H currently, we recommend that you wait until September 1st. The system has been updated and currently has issues.
Don’t wait until the last minute to enroll because after October 31st the cost increases to $30!!
GUIDELINES FOR ATTENDING 4-H CLUB MEETINGS, PROGRAMS & EVENTS
We are kicking off our 4-H year and club meetings are beginning to meet face to face. Our goal is to keep all participants safe while still having meetings, programs, and events. To host events, we must follow the Governors order (GA-29). Therefore, Brown County 4-H is asking all participants to Please Help us continue having programs by following some guidelines.
- Masks/Face Coverings MUST be worn by all individuals, per Governors order (GA-29).
- Participants are asked to bring their own masks/face coverings.
- Per the Governors order (GA-29), the requirement to wear mask/face coverings are for participants 10 years of age and older.
- Participants that have any COVID-19 symptoms (including the symptoms below) or feel unwell, should not attend.
- Cough
- Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
- Chills
- Repeated shaking with chills
- Unexpected muscle pain
- Headache
- Sore throat
- Loss of taste or smell
- Diarrhea
- Running a fever (or measuring a temperature of 100.0 degrees Fahrenheit or more)
- All participants (youth, adults/volunteers, little siblings) will be required to fill out a COVID-19 Screening Form at every meeting.
- All participants at the event MUST provide contact details: mobile telephone number, email and address where they are staying. This information will be shared with local public health authorities ONLY if any participant becomes ill with a suspected infectious disease. If participants do not agree to this, they cannot attend the event or meeting.
- We encourage:
- Social Distancing when at the meeting or event.
- Participants as they enter to utilize ways to greet others without touching.
- Regular handwashing or use of an alcohol rub by all participants at the meeting or event.
- Participants to cover their face with the bend of their elbow or a tissue if they cough or sneeze.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Nick Gonzales at 325-646-0386
Educational programs of the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service are open to all people without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, genetic information or veteran status. The Texas A&M University System, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the County Commissioners Courts of Texas Cooperating