4-H ADULTS SEEKING LEADERSHIP!

The Boulder County 4-H Adult Collaborative (formerly called Leaders Advisory Council) is looking for more participation and leadership from parents and adults in the 4-H program. We are currently looking for a president to run the meetings and help guide the program. The adult group is a volunteer networking session that helps all adults and volunteers connect at the county level. Volunteers also develop new leadership skills, meet new friends, and make a difference in the lives of youth.

MISSION: The mission of the 4-H Adult Collaborative is to foster

communication and connections between parents, leaders, and agents by

sharing information about upcoming events and activities, advising programs

and processes and/or recommending changes, providing resources and

education, and by providing a forum to network and share ideas for improving

Boulder County 4-H.

PRESIDENT ROLE: 

The President shall preside at all regular meetings and special meetings of the Council, shall appoint committees, shall call all regular and special meetings, shall preserve order, shall be the liaison between County Leaders Council and the Northern Region Leaders representatives, and shall perform other duties that are in the best interest of the Council. The President shall create and distribute the agenda, meeting notice, and minutes of the prior meeting.

TIME COMMITMENT:

The meetings are held at 6:30 PM on the first Wednesday of each month in Longmont at the Boulder County Fairgrounds Clover Club room. Planning agenda, running the meeting, and follow-up is on average 4 hours a month.

If you are interested in helping the leadership of this great group or have questions, please contact our office ASAP. 4hinfo@bouldercounty.gov

Past presidents are also available to chat if you have more questions or are considering a great leadership role in our program.

Thank you for considering.

What is the 4-H Embryology Program?

The 4-H Embryology program is an incredible educational initiative that allows students to observe the development of life in just three short weeks by hatching chickens right in the classroom. This hands-on project provides numerous opportunities for young children to learn about the value of life through their observations, as well as gain knowledge about chickens, eggs, and embryonic development.

Program Details:

• Dates: Sessions will run from the last half of March into the first half of May, with each session spanning a full 3 weeks.

• Additional May Session: Due to a conference in April, an extra session is available in May.

• Scheduling: Please use our Google form to select your preferred dates and provide classroom and school information.

Important Information:

• Commitment: This program requires a minimum 21-day commitment.

• Incubator Availability: Dates are subject to incubator availability and are on a first-come, first-served basis.

What Classrooms Need to Provide:

• A box or plastic container for the Brooder (2ft by 3ft by 16 inches tall).

• Communication with 4-H Agent for scheduling lessons.

• $50 payment made payable to Boulder County or pay online.

• Completion of our classroom composition survey.

• Awesome students willing to learn and have fun with the lessons!

Want us at your child's school? Express interest here with preferred dates. Act fast, as spots are limited (2 schools/session). Let's create memorable learning experiences together!

Contact Faith with questions. 

Colorado 4-H Scholarship application deadline of Friday, March 1st, 2024. 

Make sure the people you are using as references are aware of this deadline! 

Colorado 4-H awards scholarships annually to outstanding youth who have actively engaged in Colorado 4-H clubs for at least three years. The scholarship process is open from November 1, 2023, through March 1, 2024. Scholarship recipients will be announced in May 2024. There are opportunities available for all kinds of students, including those attending CSU or other universities, trade schools or junior colleges, transfer students, and continuing students. We encourage our 4-H participants to apply. There is $49,500 available in funding this year!

For more information on the scholarship process and scholarships available, visit https://co4h.colostate.edu/about-us/scholarships/.  

If you have scholarship questions, please contact OEE_Giving@colostate.edu.

Record Books are Available! 

The 2023-24 4-H record books (e-Records) are available to download! It is never too early to start recording your 4-H Information. They are on the Boulder County 4-H Web Page: https://boulder.extension.colostate.edu/4h/4-h-projects/ As well as the state 4-H pages along with lots of supporting info like tip sheets, fair info, animal ID, etc.

Livestock - http://co4h.colostate.edu/program-areas/animals/

General projects - http://co4h.colostate.edu/program-areas/fcs/

Also - http://co4h.colostate.edu/program-areas/creative-arts/

Download your record book(s) and save them to your computer.  Many come in both Excel and PDF versions.  PDF is easier, especially if you just have one project.  But Excel supports copy and paste and is better for kids doing multiple projects.  If it is saved to your computer, you can just update it throughout the year as you go.  You can also always print them out and do them by hand - your choice.

Download one for each project, and 1 for every 4 livestock projects.  (For example, cake decorating has its book, shooting sports has its book, etc.  Livestock allows for 4 livestock projects to be combined in one book, so dairy goats, utility goats, poultry, rabbits, etc, can all be together.)  Dog and horse have their books.

Happy Record Keeping! 

The Saint Vrain Roundup Club is a long-standing family-oriented horse club that holds regular shows at the Boulder County Fairgrounds.  We offer a variety of classes including Showmanship, English, Western Pleasure, Ranch Riding, Reining, Trail and Gymkhana.  We pride ourselves in hosting relaxed shows where the whole family is welcome to participate.  We are pleased to announce that we are reducing the price of our family memberships by 50% to $20 for active 4-H members.  Additionally, we are offering a pizza party to the 4-H club that has the most participation at our shows at the end of the season.  Please go to www.saintvrainroundupclub.com for more information.  We can be reached via email at saintvrainroundupclublongmont@gmail.com. We look forward to seeing you this coming season!  

Wendy Fott

SVRC President

4x4 dog club

BY MANDY ROTH

The 4x4 dog club wishes you a wonderful February. We are nearing our training season, but what exactly do we learn in the club? New members start off with a no dogs introduction training where they learn about what they will need for the project and how to keep themselves and their dogs safe during training. Then the real fun begins. Members begin bringing their dogs in for weekly beginner obedience classes, as the year goes on they begin to learn about showmanship and rally (two other dog sports we compete in) and begin training their dogs in these events as well. More advanced members continue to work on harder exercises for all three of these events. While preparing members and their dogs for fair, these classes also teach important dog manners and safety along with lots of fun tricks and games.

Last year members who were competing off leash with their dogs were given the chance to join our agility program. We had weekly classes with local instructors teaching the groundwork for competing in agility. Members learned how to send their dogs over jumps and through tunnels, they also learned about different crosses (a way to change the side of the dog you are on while running a course) and how to execute them. The program was a huge success, we had lots of kids compete at our Boulder County Fair agility contest, and many members had the opportunity to compete at the Stare Agility Trials. The club hopes we will be able to expand the program even more this year and will be adding a pre-foundation class for dogs who are not ready to compete off leash. Thank you to everyone who watched or competed, it meant a lot to the club.

No matter how old or young, small or big, fast or slow, your dog is, they can still learn. Training your dog is a great way to build your bond and have fun together. Here are a few of my favorite beginner tricks that you and your dog will love. I have added links from AKC’s website (which is an amazing dog training resource) to help you start out.

Sit- https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/training/how-to-teach-your-dog-to-sit/

Down- https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/training/how-to-teach-your-dog-to-lie-down

Roll over- https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/training/how-to-teach-a-dog-to-roll-over/

Shake- https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/training/training-shelter-dogs/

I hope this helps you start your training journey. Have a great day and best of wishes from the 4x4 dog club.

LIVESTOCK ADVISORY MEETING – Feb 12th, 2024 7:00 PM

Do you want to volunteer to help the livestock program be successful? Do you have some great ideas to share for future livestock programs at the fair? Do you have suggestions on rule changes or updates to schedules for the Boulder County Fair?

Join us for the Bi-Annual Boulder County Livestock Advisory Meeting. We meet in September and February each year to update rules, receive feedback, and plan for future events. If you have a topic of discussion, please send it ahead of time with details to bkwang@bouldercounty.gov or Mel_Coward@yahoo.com.

 The meeting will be in the Natural Resource Building/CSU Extension Office Meeting Room at the Fairgrounds in Longmont on Monday, February 12th at 7:00 PM. (Superintendents meet at 5:30 for dinner and 6:00 for meeting) Please RSVP that you are attending and you can register for the Zoom link online if you plan to attend virtually. For the best meeting experience, it is best to come in person. Register for zoom here: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJ0kfuqhqDwtGtZ7BhfUU7H4L-r31soFpzFz 

2024 Rabbit Project Changes 

New This Year

1. The rabbit show will still be a one-day show however ALL market rabbits will be required to remain on fairground premises until released by the superintendent on Sunday, August 11th, 2024. This will also require barn watch during the week.

2. Several changes are happening in the market rabbit classes. *Please take special note of the addition of the Stewer Class.

• MARKET PEN Class: Exhibitor must own dam of kits included in this project. This change was added to ensure the safety of kits as they won’t reach 8 weeks of age until approximately 2 weeks before fair. 

• MARKET ROASTER Class: Maximum weight is now 8 lbs. 

• STEWER RABBIT Class: A stewer rabbit must be born between the dates of August 1, 2023, and February 4, 2024, AND weigh over 8 lbs.

3. Any crossbred rabbit will now fall into larger age groups consisting of only Junior

(under 6 months of age) & Senior (over 6 months of age) classes. 

4. Note a temporary suspension of the FUR Project. We hope to reopen this class in the future. 

For Additional Details Please see the 2024 Boulder County Fairbook. 

The Horse Judging Team is kicking off the spring season and has a couple of spots for new team members to join! Practices are every Wednesday evening through the state competition in late June. Enrollment in the horse project is not required. You are invited to attend several practices to learn more and meet the members before deciding if the team is for you. Email us at bouldercountyhorsejudging@gmail.com to learn more and get our schedule.