And the placings are...

Horse shows. They are confusing to most people that haven't been to one and even to those that have still are confused. Now, to get even more confusing there are horse shows for high school and middle school students through the organization, Interscholastic Equestrian Association (IEA). During the fall and winter I dedicate some weekends for these horse shows and once a week to lessons. Sounds like a huge commitment but when your one of those "crazy horse people" it's more like having fun and relaxing than a commitment.

So the question your probably asking is, what is IEA? Well, to make it short and simple it's a program set up for high school and middle school students to go to different horse show locations, English style or Western style, and ride that facilities horses. So, no you are not bringing your own horse. You ride a completely different horse that you know nothing about and try to place well enough to accumulate 15 points in order to make it to regionals or zones. From then you have to place well enough to make it to nationals. Yes, that is the shortest way I can explain it, sorry.

This was my second year doing the English style for IEA and I had high expectations for myself. Starting this month, I had 11 points in my one class, on the flat, and seven points in my jumping class. So, I needed four points in the one class and eight more in the other in order to qualify for my regional horse show. I was a little nervous because I only had two shows left and I needed to get good places. The first horse show, which was five hours away, I got a fourth place on the flat and a third place in my jumping. That fourth place was enough to get me the 15 points I needed for on the flat but the third only gave me 11 points in my jumping. So, thankfully I was able to already say I made it on the flat to regionals but I really needed to get a third or better at the last show. The day finally came and I heard that there was going to be a lot in my jumping class. Then, I found out what horse I had and got even more nervous because I had already seen a girl fall off him. At that point, my hopes were pretty down but I went in the class and give it my all. After about 45 minutes, I finally heard the announcer say that they were ready to pin the class. My heart was beating so fast! "And the placings are..first.....and second goes to Elizabeth McAndrew!!! I couldn't believe it! I placed second out of all those people and qualified for regionals! It was definitely a moment I will never forget because this was my first and last year to qualify.

I wasn't able to place at regionals but I'm still proud to say that I made it there and did my best. I was even awarded a High Point Placing at the regional banquet for accumulating the most points. Even though at first I felt like I couldn't do it, I never gave up and I always tried my best. No matter what the odds are don't give up and good things will come of it!

Sincerely,
Liz McAndrew
PA State 4-H Council Vice President of Operations and Events

Homeschooled kids are cool kids too

There is a saying I have heard a few times before. “That weird homeschooled kid.” I never used to understand it, because I was a homeschooled kid. Now that I am older I can better understand. Other kids find homeschooled kids to be different, mostly because the stereotypical version of them lacks social interaction. That is not true for all of them. I am homeschooled, but I have had PLENTY of social interaction that many don’t think of me as ‘that weird homeschooled kid’. In fact there are times where some of my friends have even forgotten that I am homeschooled. I have 4-H to thank for that. Without the program, I would not be able to speak in front of others at all. Now when first meeting people I am quiet, but I warm up eventually.

Now there are times that people say “I wish I could be homeschooled too.” Yeah it is great for me, because I can pick the hours to work on school but I don’t just sit around all day doing nothing. I have work to do. I live on an Organic dairy farm that my parents run, but I help them do it along with my other siblings. We also have beef cows, horses, dogs, chickens, and goats to take care of as well. So it’s not all fun and games for me, some homeschooled kids’ maybe, but not this one.

I attend PACyber which is an online school that gives me a course to follow. I have been homeschooled ever since I was little. What started me off with it was my mother. She started us in homeschooling because my older siblings had some trouble with public schooling. I have never switched from being homeschooled. I will admit, there were times when I would think about going to public school, but being able to stay at home and do my work was easier for me while working on the farm and taking care of it.

The most awkward times for me, I would say are when my friends are talking about afterschool programs such as sports or other after school activities. I have never experienced them. I just get to listen to what that person has to say about it. I like hearing it, don’t get me wrong, but I don’t have much to contribute to the conversation. There were chances for me to get into sports but homeschooling sports aren’t advertised well or they are a big distance to get to, so instead I use my time to work with the animals on the farm. This gives me more chances to go to 4-H events as well, so I don’t really mind. I also have more time to work with my horse and goats. So being homeschooled works well for me, but may not be the best choice for others.



I hope to see many of you at our next event, Capital Days!

Danielle Knapp
State Council Reporter

When I grow up I want to be...

Recently while watching TV I saw a commercial for Monster.com. Their tag line was “when I grow up I want to be.” Children around 8 years old to about 14 years old were stars in this commercial. They each had a different answer depending on where they grew up and who influenced them. Some of the answers were I want a big nose, I want people to love me, I want to be a teacher, I want to work in advertising, and the list goes on.

The commercial made me realize that a big influence of my ending for the sentence came from 4-H. When I grow up I want to work in agriculture public relations. I love talking to in front of a large crowd, creating handouts, and evening writing articles. This all came from my 4-H career. I would not have prepared my first public speaking speech if it was not for 4-H. I learned starting at age 8 I can accomplish anything if I put my mind on the task at hand.

I show dairy animals through the 4-H program. My love for the dairy industry and the animal would not be as strong if it was not for my first 4-H animal. I still remember to this day I was finishing my soccer game one minute and rushing to a sale the next. That sale changed my entire life. It was that day when I bought my first animal to show. I was only 8 years old so I didn’t quite understand the process of bidding but I knew when the gavel fell that animal was mine. The purchase not only influenced my passion but it shaped my future.

The count down is on for the next big council event, Capital Days. This year we will gather in Harrisburg on April 28th until May 1st. 4-H members will be engaged in workshops, participate in a mock legislative session and have a tour of the State Capitol. Members also will meet face to face with their legislators during the final breakfast.

With something to think about,

Ashley Mohn

PA State 4-H Council Secretary

“You have to do your own growing no matter how tall your Grandfather was.”

Stronger Every Day

Every day brings new challenges, as I am sure everyone knows. The way we handle the challenges will make us either stronger or weaker. 4-H has handed me several challenges. One challenge I face is  keeping the Northumberland County Council running. This is a particularly hard task because in order for it to work we need dedication from almost all members. Unfortunately, we do not have that dedication. Therefore, I have to find ways to get people interested and willing to work with the council. I could decide that county council isn't worth the trouble, or I could continue to work at it. I have decided to keep on working on it. The longer I work at it the more I learn about how to work through problems, communicate with people, and working with other people. I also learn more about running meetings and planning events. Therefore, through my challenge with county council I have become a stronger person, learning to work through all sorts of problems.
So, next time you, or someone you know is having a challenge work through it. It is alright to ask for help too. Just know that by working through it you will become a stronger and better person.

Until next time,
Sarah Bassett, president

What a busy month

This past month I got to attend the Pennsylvania Farm Show for my 18th time. Since I was born I haven't missed a single one. I did my typical thing up there which is exhibit a market lamb, market hog, market goat and my breeding sheep. This year was different though too, this year I was part of state council so I had the opportunity to take part in some events that i never thought I would be able to do. I took part in the opening ceremonies in the large arena with the rest of my team, I even helped to work at our sandwich stand. While doing that I also had to fit breeding sheep, my goat, lamb, and pig. The weekend after Farm Show was our State Leadership conference held in the beautiful Penn Stater Hotel. Here we meant a ton of 4-H members and even had our past council members come in for dinner. During this weekend we got to see what it is really like to be the ones running the event instead of the ones who get to sit back and enjoy the show. So long for now, hope to see everyone at Capital Days in April!

Potato Judging

OK, OK I know some of you reading this are like, "What is potato Judging?" or "How in the world do you judge a potato?" Well with this blog I am gonna give you the entire rundown. Potato Judging is a competition that is held annually at the Pa state farm show. You never really see signs for it, you just have to ask to find it. Usually it is held upstairs in one of the meeting rooms in Mcreary hall.
Potato Judging is not a hard competition if you study the information. At the competition there are three different parts. One table is for timed judging, one is for defects, and one is for plate placing. When you are at the timed table, it is your goal to get through one hundred potatoes as fast as you can ,meanwhile , circling on your paper, which potatoes you think are grade A. That's not hard right? On the defect table, this is where the studying comes in, you have twenty potatoes with places circled on them, and you must decide out of forty defects which one it is. Such as, Rodent, grub or slug, and Rhizoctonia, just to name a few. The plate placing table is easiest table that is there. At this table you judge four plates of five potatoes. When you are judging these plates you look for uniformity, size, and if there are any defects. That's the competion part of it. This is a team event. After you win as a team you move onto honors. Which is an individual competition with all the same tables. In honors they up the competition by adding another plate placing table, a pick of a dozen table, and two guess the weight potatoes.

If you want more information on potato judging contact your extension agent, and if you have any questions you can message me on face book. thanks for reading.

Your Council Vice president and Sentinel,

Garrett Richardson

Purple Pouch Surprise

When ever my family travels we take our camera in a purple case to keep it protected. When it is not in use the case goes back onto the cabinet. Now you're probably wondering why I just told you this; well the case comes out when I am not home and one of my dairy animals calve.
If my animals calve when I am at school, my Dad goes to the farm and helps with the process. He takes the camera for pictures of the process and the new calf. The case was on my desk, not in the cabinet. I figured something was happening. You probably guessed the surprise. My animal indeed did have a calf.
The surprise does not stop there. The calf was a red and white Holstein. Simple science will tell you that the calf probably came from a red bull and cow. That was not the case. The mother was red and white BUT the father was black and white.
This birth was miracle to have the calf a red animal. For a buyers/ market stand point a red animal is more valuable in my area. When you jog back to 7th grade science you would use a punnett square to find the chance of different genes being passed to offspring. This time the punnett square showed 50% both ways: a red calf and a black calf. The red genes are recessive so for the animal to be red is a miracle I love.
In every good story there is also something that is sad, or upsetting. This story has just that. The calf was a male, or bull, not a heifer. On my farm I only keep the heifers to show at the local fairs. The bulls will got to market to be sold. My calf that was born was sold on market.
If the calf was or was not sold on market, the birth is a circle of life. Through 4-H this is one of the most important lessons I learned. 4-H gives us each a chance to learn something new at every event we participate in. I hope you all are finding you niche, just like I did with my dairy animals.

With something to think about,

Ashley Mohn
PA State 4-H Council Secretary

“A circle is the reflection of eternity. It has no beginning and it has no end - and if you put several circles over each other, then you get a spiral.”