DATES TO REMEMBER
March 31 – Deadline to Order State Fair Lamb/Goat/Swine & State Steer/Heifer Tags
April 3 – Deadline to Sign Up for District 7 4-H Roundup
6 – County Deadline for Senior Photography
7 – Extension Office Closed for Good Friday
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.
April 3rd – District 7 4-H Roundup
- Educational Presentations
- Public Speaking
- 4-H Talent Showcase
April 6th – Senior Photography
May 1st – Junior/Intermediate Photography
1STATE STEER TAGS AND HEIFER VALIDATION
It is hard to believe that it is already that time again to purchase state steer tags. If you are planning on showing a steer in any 2023-2024 major stock shows you must purchase a state validation tag. The state has increased the cost for steer and heifer tags therefore, the cost is $27 per tag and the deadline to purchase a tag is March 31st. Please come contact the Extension Office to purchase your steer tag.
If you have a heifer that was not validated in October 2022 or if you are changing ownership and are planning to participate in a major stock show before November 202, that heifer will need to be validated in June the cost will be $27 per heifer. If you are not planning to show a heifer at West Texas Fair, State Fair, or Heart of Texas you will have another opportunity to validate in October 2023. Please contact the Extension Office by March 31st.
**NEW FOR 2023-2024
- ALL STATE VALIDATED HEIFERS WILL BE TAGGED SIMILIAR TO STEERS. (HEIFERS THAT HAVE ALREADY BEEN VALIDATED WILL NOT NEED TO BE RE-VALIDATED)
- THE STATE VALIDATION TAG WILL SERVE AS THE TAHC 840 PREMISE ID TAG.
STATE FAIR LAMB/GOAT/SWINE TAGS
If you are in 4-H and planning on participating at the State Fair in Dallas with lamb/goat/swine, you will need to purchase a tag. The cost is $17 per tag. The deadline to order tags is MARCH 31ST.
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.
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.
14-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.