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Hello Everyone!!!

How has everyone been enjoying this crazy weather? I think that Christmas is coming early!! But besides the point of the early lovely snow, everywhere around me is completely flooded; including all of my poor animals! I feel so bad for them but they have been handling it very well. My poor little farm show pigs got it the worst and they are even a little sick. But I'm sure that they will be better soon and then they will be completely recovered for the farm show! Which I am super excited for, I can't believe it is only 2 months away, it seems like school just started but the first nine weeks is already over! Boy does time fly! But I can't wait for the Farm Show and I'm sure everyone else feels the same way!

The Farm Show is one of my favorite times of the year and is a nice break from school right after Christmas! I show market swine and market goats at the Farm Show and I am currently raising four animals; two pigs and two goats. My pigs names are Cocoa and Mocha. They are both purebred Duroc barrows and they are such sweethearts. They have such personalities and a joy to work with! I can not wait to show one of them at the Farm Show but I haven't yet decided who that is going to be.

My goats names are London and Paris. They are both purebred Boer does and are darlings! They are super spoiled though and are looking a little porky so they are going to have to shed a few pounds before show day but they both look great and I am super excited to show my pig and goat at the Farm Show.

Some of you may not know this so I will briefly explain what I mean when I say that I haven't yet decided which animal I will be showing. At the Farm Show, you can only show one of a species of market animal so I can only show one of my goats and one of my pigs, but I will raise them both right up until the show so I can show the nicest one possible. Being that it is Farm Show and that I have worked with my animals very hard all year, I want to do as well as I possibly can.

Can't wait for the Farm Show! I hope I see everyone there!

Dawn Craft
PS4-HC- Vice President of Operations

The First of My Lasts

           You’ll never truly know how many of your activities you take for granted until you realize that you’ll never be able to participate in them again. I’m currently in my senior year of high school, and I’m finally aware of how different everything will be after 2013 comes to a close. Not only will high school be over, but so will my last year as a youth in 4-H.

            It didn’t hit me until last Friday, when my school’s football team played the last game of the season. The game determined whether or not the team went to playoffs, but to me it was whether or not I had another halftime performance. I’ve been drum major of the marching band for two years now, and it has been a huge part of my life. For those of you who may not know what that means, I’m the one conducting the band and yelling commands on the field.

            I was completely torn during the game. I wanted our team to win as I wanted them to do well, but the weather was getting bad. I was also pretty tired of band taking up four nights a week. Besides, the game before that was senior night and it already felt like the season should be over. Needless to say, I wasn’t sure what to think when halftime came around and we were winning. However, toward the end of the fourth quarter, our team needed another touchdown to take the game into overtime and possibly make it to playoffs. With ten seconds left, they were two yards from that touchdown. I already had the band prepared to play the fight song if they scored, or the senior’s choice pep-tune, “Louie, Louie”, if we lost. We were all ready, but when time was up and the other team had won I just looked at my director in dismay and told the band to sit down.

            I can’t honestly say I was hoping we would win the whole time, but I should have. As soon as the whistle blew and the game was over, it hit me. I’ll never be on my podium in front of the band again. I didn’t know how much I’d miss it until that moment.

            This next year is going to be filled with similar times for me, but I won’t be taking those things for granted. Not only in school, but in 4-H too. I'm going to make the most of  all of the state, regional, and county events I am fortunate enough to attend. From now on, I’m going to enjoy the things that I know will be over soon. I don't want to rush through things, I'd much rather have fun and make memories along the way.

At my tech school

          Hey this is John and I'm going to talk a little about my tech school: Erie County Technical School (ECTS). At ECTS I am in the Construction Trades lab. In this lab we learn about masonry, some electrical, but mostly carpentry. 

     This year my main project is the Sr. House. Witch is the biggest project in my lab. All the students that were in construction for three years, plane a house design and then we get to build it. It is an amazing feeling seeing what we design come to life. Just the thought that most of the kids in my class knew little to none about carpentry and masonry, and three years later in our sr. year we are able to actually build a house. 

     One more thing that I enjoy about ECTS is that they are a part of a national organization called Skills USA. Skills USA is a leadership origination specifically meant for technical schools. The reason for this is because Skills USA holds competitions for all the classes in tech schools. Last year at districts I placed third in Team Works with three other members, one last year sr. from construction and two last years sr.'s from Facility Maintenance. For Team Works we had to construct a small scale bathroom. I am plaining on competing in this competition  this year. The first place team at districts will to go to states, and the winner at states will move on to nationals. 

     I really enjoy going to tech and strongly recommend if you have the chance to go to a tech school that has your interest and you enjoy hands on work to take the opportunity it's a great choice.  I am able to build stuff around the farm and able to help someone that needs something made out wood just from my background at ECTS. 

Meeting the County Commissioners

WED 10/10/12

In celebration of 4-H week and in celebration of the Pennsylvania 4-H Centennial we were able to get the Berks County Commissioners to give a little proclamation in honor of Pennsylvania 4-H's Centennial.  It was quite a meeting.

The best part of the presentation was the excitement in the faces of all three commissioners as they talked about how good of a program 4-H is and how it is truly an honor to be giving this proclamation. 

I thanked the commissioners on behalf of the 4700 members of the Berks County 4-H Program and on behalf of the State 4-H program as well.  Here is a part of the Proclamation:

 

WHEREAS, the Pennsylvania 4-H Program is a program offered in every country anniversary in 2012, and

WHEREAS, the Pennsylvania 4-H has “Rural Beginnings” but has become a “Global Success”, and

WHEREAS, the Pennsylvania 4-H program of today evolve during these 100 years with the motto  “To Make The Best Better” and through the wise use of the four “H’s”, representing Head, Heart, Hands and Health, and

WHEREAS, the 4-H mission is to assist youth in acquiring knowledge, developing life skills, and forming attitudes that will enable them to become self ‘directing, productive, and contributing members of society

Lawrence County teen retreat

Hey its John. Earlier last month I went and visited Cassidy and Beth at the hunger games that the teen council put on in Lawrence county.  I had a lot of fun at this retreat and was very impressed that a teen council that's only in its seconded year can put on such a successful  event!  I would say that my favorite part that weekend  was the food challenge. During the food challenge one lucky representative from each team, I was one, was blindfolded and placed at the front table to participate in this challenge. We had to choose between two options that were ether 5 or 10 points. I went with the 10 pointer every round. I feel that I did very well and that I finished every round within 5 seconds.  I did wish though that I could have seen the other competitors reactions because from the spectators voices It would of been something to see. I can't wait for the next Lawrence county teen retreat; I've had a lot of fun at the past two and hope that I have even more fun next year.  

The Start of Something New

 

This month has been exciting in Berks County.  Teen Leaders from across the county are hard at work in planning for the Centennial Celebration which is coming up very soon.  Also Berks County is proud to say it has formed a new club, Berks Robotics.  I and my trusted sidekick, Laura Dietrich, got the honor of starting the new club off by some icebreakers.  I was planning on amazing younger and older 4-Hers with what you can do with a deck of cards, but I grabbed a pinochle deck instead of a standard deck.  My sidekick, who I will refer to her as such for the duration, had everything she needed and was ready.  Her icebreaker was conversation balls that had questions all over that depending on how you caught them made you answer a question.  Hers was a success but mine on the other hand could have been better.  I found difficulty when I asked people to pair up based on number (10, J, Q, K, A) when there were eight of one number in the deck. 

The Club began extremely well with the kids learning basic engineering skills to kick off what they will be learning.  All of them can’t wait to begin building robots.  The first month’s meeting went by fantastically.  I also was surprised when I saw so many members that I recognized from 4-H Camp.  I knew that two were going to be there and the one ever told me that his two “darling” bothers, which I have been their counselor for ever, were not going to be there.  They were there which I was happy about.  After helping in these meetings I can tell that all of the kids are excited and egger to be new 4-Hers. 

I also can’t wait to see what the other teens have planned for the county's centennial event which will be held at the Berks 4-H Center on October 13^th. 

It's Never Too Late

A majority of 4-Hers can proudly say that they have been in 4-H for as long as they can remember, or even that they joined 4-H when they were younger because everyone else in their family has been in 4-H. But how often do you hear someone say that they started their first animal project when they were 16 simply because they wanted to, without any pressure from family traditions?

After attending National 4-H Congress last year and hearing countless 4-H stories from teens across the country, I came home with a new goal in mind: to complete my first animal project in 4-H. Up until this year, I had only focused on what I like to call the, “indoor aspects of 4-H.” Sewing, cooking, and leadership were my main project focuses, but I was ready to get my hands dirty and learn about a completely different aspect of 4-H that I had never explored.Through connections in my county extension office, I was able to lease an Angus heifer from my county livestock educator in Chester County. Starting in February, I traveled to her barn once a week and learned how to take care of beef animals and I learned how her beef production operated. Before February, I knew absolutely nothing about livestock, but I sure was eager to learn! Teaching me how to take care and prepare to show my heifer, was like trying to teach an eight year old how to sew. Everything had to be broken down to simple terms so I would understand.

All of my preparation from February on went into the Chester County Summer Beef Show in June. In June, I was a bundle of nerves, and so was my heifer, but I felt like we both learned a lot that day. That experience in the small show was so beneficial and it helped me be better prepared for the larger livestock show at our fair in August.

For me, a typical Chester County 4-H fair honestly wasn’t that special. I would prepare my garment that I sewed to be on display, finish up a scrapbook, make a display on 4-H camp or on leadership, and ship everything off to be entered. Yes, I visited the fair once or twice during the week and took a tour around the displays and the animals in the barn, but I never stayed more than a few hours. This year was completely different, however. Since I had to take care of my heifer, and help my barn partner take care of his two steers, I was at the fair as much as possible. I felt like I was constantly feeding, washing, walking, and looking after the animals for the three days that the livestock animals are at the fair. Certainly it was a lot of work at times, but it was one-hundred percent worth it. I left the fair saying, “I can’t wait for next year!” I learned so many new skills pertaining to how to work with animals. I gained a new appreciation for 4-Hers in the livestock program. I met numerous families in the Chester County livestock program who were so kind and patient when working with me.

Starting a new 4-H project in your later years in 4-H isn’t that common, but boy, am I sure glad I did! My 4-H Angus heifer project that I completed this year is probably my most memorable 4-H project I’ve ever accomplished because I did it out of my own desire and without the ability to fall back on my parents’ knowledge and assistance; I had to rely on other adults and my peers who were experienced in the livestock program. 

All in all, I could not be more thrilled that I made a bold move and went outside of my comfort zone and started a new 4-H project. I can’t wait to see what this next year has in store for me. Who knows, maybe I’ll add another livestock animal to my list of 4-H project accomplishments.

I hope you are enjoying this beautiful fall weather!

Sincerely,

Cecilia Stuetz

Pennsylvania State 4-H Council Secretary

“Never be afraid to try something new. Remember that a lone amateur built the Ark. A large group of professionals built the Titanic.” –Dave Barry

A Fair to Remember

It was a great year at the 2012 Cambria County Fair. Throughout fair week, I am very busy and am responsible for a lot. I show multiple 4-H projects, compete in many events/competitions, and volunteer for many things, so I stay very involved all week long.

All of the animals that are brought into the fair, have to be there on the Saturday before the fair officially starts on Sunday. Being that I run cross country we always have an invitationals on Saturdays,  therefore, this makes it very difficult to transfer all of my animals from home to the fair. This year, we had an invite at Lock Haven on Saturday morning, so I had a three and a half hour bus ride to Lock Haven, had to run my race, and then come back home and get all of my animals to the fair with my dad before 5 o'clock! Talk about stress. But as always I got through it, my animals all made it happy and healthy to the fair and my team won the invite, so it was an awesome unofficial 1st day of the fair.

Then it was Sunday, the first day of the fair! I was so excited and already exhausted for the fair to begin. Sunday wasn't that exciting of a day other than the fact that one of my great friends won fair queen! On Sunday the only other activites that I am involved in are three stockman's test that I participate in. For those of you that don't know what a stockman's test is; it is a test on a certain species of animals, such as swine, the test includes parts of the animal, the skeleton of the animal, information of the animal, breeds of the animal, and meat cuts as well. On Sunday, I took the swine, goat, and beef tests.

Now, it was time for the pig show! Monday morning at 9 a.m. Preparing for the extremely long day ahead, my friends and I also get all of our pigs, and ourselves ready for the show and then go out and get breakfast on the midway. It's a tradition that we have not let down since we began showing so many years ago. Monday was a great day and out of all of my class, stockman's, and showmanship awards, I was the most proud of my Champion Purebred County Bred pig named Posie. The best part about Monday was Monday night though. On Monday night, there was a new contest that they brought back to the fair called the Hay Stacking Contest. It was a blast and our team did awesome! We ended up getting second place and our team name was the Triple Chuckers because you could only have three participating members.

It is now Tuesday and time for the goat show. Being that my family owns a beef and goat farm, this is usually the most exciting for my mother. A large number of the goats in the show as well are from out farm so she is always nervous and excited for all of the 4-Her's. This year at the fair was one of the best for Craft Farms Boer Goats. I won Grand Champion County Bred Goat with my 119 lb. Lamancha/ Boer Cross named Darrel. I was so excited, it was an awesome accomplishment. Along with this, the Reserve Champion and Reserve Champion County Bred goats were also both from my family's farm so my parents were estatatic! The day countinued on a good note, I placed very well in showmanship and also won Senior Goat Stockman and Overall Goat Stockman as well!

Now it was Wednesday and time for my final show and I will have to admit probably my favorite, the steer show. I usually show two steers but this year I only showed one and I wouldn't have changed a single thing. My steer this year was very special to me and he was truly a teddy bear. His name was Rocky and he was a 1,450 lb. Chiangus steer. He was one of the greatest steers I've ever had a by far had the nicest build of any steer that we had ever raised and in the past we won both Grand and Reserve Champion. The beef show itself was very disappointing and many people did not agree with the judge's final decision, but it was only one show. The day ended on a good note though, I again placed very well in showmanship and then again won Senior Beef Stockman and Overall Beef Stockman for the third year in a row.

My fair ended on a Thursday this year because I had State Council Training Friday- Sunday. Sadly though, this is one of the worst days of the fair because it's auction day. Even though this is a sad day my friends and  I always try to lighten the mood and keep things as happy as possible. So this year at the fair regardless of the shows and the auction and the contests was an amazing one that I wouldn't change anything about. Even though things might not always go the way you would like them to, you always learn important life lessons in those difficult decisions.

Until Later,
Dawn Craft

Cambria County
2012/2013 State Council Vice President of Operations

Ending of 4-H year ~ Beginning new

I am Stephanie McFall, from McKean County.

I can't believe that this 4-H year has come to an end. This 4-H year has been the best and I am very excited to see what the rest of my 4-H years will bring.

In McKean County, we had a meet and greet for the 100 year birthday. We did interviews with people. It was fun to learn how 4-H has changed over the years, and what hasn’t – friendship seems to be a common trend in 100 years of 4-H.  My county council club is in the midst of helping to plan our yearly Achievement Day dinner.

With State Council we had our T.O.W. weekend – I think we will have a great year together on State Council!  We learned quite a bit about each other.

On a personal note, I spent a day in Allentown, PA at the collegiate band festival, the bands performing were amazing!  I was excited to spend the day with fellow band members and friends.  Two of my friends that graduated last year were performing for their college.  My brother also drove up from Washington College and spent the day with our band group.

Last but not least, soccer is coming to an end for the season – it has been a great season and I look forward to many more.

Until next month, this is Stephanie McFall, McKean County, signing off J

Here We Go!

Hello Everyone!

My name is Cassidy Baker and I feel so honored and privileged to serve as your new 2012/2013 PA 4-H State Council President!  Throughout the year, my fellow council members and I will be keeping you updated as to what we are doing throughout the state.  Be sure to keep checking the blog regularly as each member will have something completely different to say.

Since this is the start of a new and exciting journey, I feel as though I should share several facts about my 4-H career in order for you to know me better…

I first joined 4-H when I was ten years old.  I started out as a member of the Wayne Buckaroos 4-H Equine Club in Lawrence County, PA.  Currently, I am the Club President.  I am also very involved with the Lawrence County 4-H Teen Council.  Since becoming a member over 7 years ago, I have actively engaged myself in the 4-H program beyond the county level.  For three years, I have attended the NW PA 4-H Intermediate Camp and now I am a camp counselor.  In addition, I participated in the PA 4-H State Leadership Conference, 4-H State Capital Days, and State Achievement Days.  Last but not least, I also was a member of the Pennsylvania Delegation for the 2010 National 4-H Congress and I also had the opportunity to attend the 2012 National 4-H Conference.

4-H is all about opportunities.  On August 9, 2012, eight eager and passionate 4-H members took advantage of a once in-a-lifetime opportunity as they were inducted in the PA 4-H State Council.  That day marked the start of a new era for us.  I knew that this year was going to be different.  I understood that it was going to be challenging at times but worth it in the end.  I must not have been the only one that felt that way because as a team, right there on that stage after everyone left; we came together into a huddle and expressed our excitement for our time ahead as a team.

That day we all parted, making our separate ways across the state, but knowing that we would be reunited soon.  Since the induction ceremony, the PA 4-H State Council has already made an appearance at Ag Progress Days and at the Penn State Extension/ 4-H Tailgate.  We also all came together for an amazing time at our Officer Training!  Keep looking out for your State Council as we make our way across Pennsylvania!

In finishing, I want to again express my excitement to serve on the State Council.  It has always been one of my ultimate goals and I can now say that I have achieved it.  I cannot wait for the opportunity to meet many of you at various events and functions – especially at the State Leadership Conference!  Maybe this year you will get to see a chocolate river or maybe even members dressed as Oompa Loompas (hint, hint)!

Until later,

Cassidy Baker

2012/2013 PA 4-H State Council President

“The world is round and the place which may seem like the end may also be only the beginning”

Ivy Baker Priest

And The Winner Is...

 

                Lawrence County Teen Council’s Hunger Games Challenge retreat last weekend was a success! Nine different districts competed in a number of challenges and participated in workshops over the weekend, but only one participant could be the winner…

                September 21^st – 23^rd, my county’s Teen Council invited all of Pennsylvania 4-H and local non-members to participate in our second annual fall retreat. This year we used the theme, “Hunger Games Challenge,” and it was a great time! The districts (groups of five or six people) competed against each other in challenges such as fly-fishing and obstacle courses. Points were awarded to the districts in order of their placings in each challenge and the district with the most points at the end of the weekend had to go through the final challenge to find the winner. There was even a “would you rather” challenge, where one brave member of each district was blindfolded and offered two different food choices for either five or ten points. Their choices were things like a pig’s eye (grape) or tongue (apricot).

               I had a blast both planning and participating in the retreat! Although my district wasn’t the winning district, we all gained something. We were randomly placed into groups and immediately had to work as a team. We learned a lot about each other and various helpful skills in just a few short days. The workshops I got the most out of were the different ways to build fires and first aid skills.

                At the end of the weekend I had a few of the non-members ask me how to join 4-H! One of them is even going to join our Teen Council. I’m looking forward to seeing our new member at the next meeting! I was so proud to think that the weekend we planned had spurred that much interest in the 4-H program. Hopefully, we will keep opening up the retreat to non-members and keep 4-H growing.

                It was so great to see such an increase in interest in our retreat after just two years. Hopefully, next year we’ll have to move it to a location with more space for the participants! If you came this year, I hope to see you again next year! If you didn’t, look for the information in August next year! I’m sure you’ll make some wonderful memories.

   

DREAM

Dream
 

I began my adventure to breed and raise Dexter cattle on my eleventh birthday.  As a member of my county 4-H livestock club, I developed an interest in cattle.  I researched all of the possibilities after I received discouraging news from my mom who was convinced that we didn’t have enough room for a cow.  I soon discovered the Dexter breed!  They are a miniature version of a black angus and the best news of all, they are on the conservancy.  What’s the conservancy you might be asking?  Well, when a variety of a particular species of livestock is realized to be dwindling in numbers, they fall on the conservancy list.  My mom is always willing to help animals falling victim to this fate, so my quest for a Dexter now had a glimmer of hope.  I learned everything there was to know about them, but only had one problem.  I couldn’t find any that were available.  My glimmer of hope was fading fast. 

Unbeknownst to me, for my eleventh birthday, I was led on the scavenger hunt of a lifetime which ended in the barn.  I could hardly believe my eyes when I entered the stall housing the most beautiful, shiny, black heifer standing only as tall as my waist.  I knew right away the perfect name for the perfect little heifer, “Dream!”  We did everything together and formed a strong bond since I had to bottle feed her several times a day for quite some time, a task I was happy to do!  I walked her every day.  I’ll never forget the time my family was asked to bring some of our animals to a church.  They were holding an event for inner city children to share the story of Noah’s ark.  I couldn’t believe my eyes when we walked into the gym that was decorated with a huge cardboard replica of Noah’s ark.  We walked our animals:  sheep, goats, rabbits, miniature pigs, chickens, and of course Dream to the other side of the façade and waited for the children to arrive.  Needless to say, Dream was a huge success.  At one point, she laid down and allowed several young children to lie down with her.  It was just precious!  Imagine the taxi drivers faces as they watched us walk our animals down the city sidewalks!

Soon, Dream was old enough to be bred.  I struggled for the longest time to find a suitable bull.  Unsuccessful in my attempts, I turned to A.I. possibilities.  I ordered the samples for the North American Breeders Association after discovering a bull that had samples preserved there.  The tank came with the “necessary ingredients” and our vet arrived to complete the recipe. It failed.  In fact, it failed three times.  I was quite disgusted to say the least.  I felt defeated in my attempt to successfully breed my heifer.  Time was passing and Dream wasn’t getting any younger.  In fact, a number of people were suggesting that Dream was too old and wouldn’t be able to successfully have a baby. 

Fortunately for me, I met Gene Bowen, an avid breeder of Dexter cattle in Virginia.  He contacted us to share a very sad story.  He told us that Dream’s lines were dwindling because the farm she came from was eliminating their herd.  The owner had been in an accident and was forced to downsize.  Dream was one of the few remaining heifers.  In fact, people were so interested in her that we started getting calls from as far away as Colorado to offer to breed Dream.  I decided to take Mr. Bowen up on his offer to house Dream at his farm for a month so that she could be bred to one of his amazing bulls, a bull named Brenn.  To hear Mr. Bowen talk about Brenn was to hear a man boast about what he believes to be the greatest bull walking the face of the earth!  I missed Dream something terrible while she was away in Virginia, but I knew we had to try to keep her line going.

Every time we would receive an e-mail update from Virginia about Dream, it was as though we were receiving a present that we couldn’t wait to open.  Success!  She was finally bred.  Now all we had to do is wait for the baby to be born, and wait, and wait.  In fact, we waited nine, long months.  About a week before what we calculated Dream’s due date to be, I received an e-mail from Mr. Bowen reminding me that I really needed to start watching her because she was soon going to calve, like he really needed to remind me of that. 

Thursday, August 30, 2012, we noticed Dream was acting as though she was about to have her baby.  At 10:30 in the evening, my sister and I went to the barn to check on her.  Not expecting much, but our hopes were high as we entered the barn.  The baby was on his way as his hooves were sticking out!  I ran to the house to get my mom and my whole family raced to the barn.  Dream struggled for quite a while, but nothing was progressing.  Her age was working against her because she was obviously not going to be able to pass the baby without some intervention.  In fact, at one point Dream even looked at us as if she was begging us to help.  So, help we did.  My mom and I put on the gloves and went into her stall.  As Dream would push, my mom and I would pull.  We were so nervous at this point and were only hoping to at least save Dream.  After about 15 minutes of very scary struggling, the head was finally out and within a few seconds so was the rest of the baby!  The best part of all, he was alive and well! 

We laid in the stall with Dream and her baby rubbing her to make sure she was ok.  At one point, she even looked at my mom and licked my mom right across her forehead.  I guess that was Dream’s way of saying thank you.  We checked on Dream and “Little Man” around 3:00 am and found mom and son curled up together resting peacefully.  I now have the start of my own little herd.  Oh, forgot to mention one other thing.  While Dream was staying at Mr. Bowen’s in Virginia, a little bull calf named Macbeth fell in love with her.  So when we brought Dream home, Mac had to come too.  So we currently have a healthy family of three Dexter’s on our little farm, and mom said we didn’t have room for one cow.  My Dream come true!  Oh the adventures we have because of our involement in 4-H.