ADA Accommodation
Should you need an ADA accommodation to participate in Caldwell 4-H, please contact 4-H agent Jana Bennett at 318-649-2663.
4-H Pledge
I pledge my Head to clearer thinking, my Heart to greater loyalty, my Hands to larger service, my Health to better living, for my club, my community, my country, and my world.
Caldwell 4-H Shooting Sports
Attention all 4-H members interested in participating in archery, shotgun, or rifle activities! Caldwell 4-H Shooting Sports will have its first meeting at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, October 17 at First Baptist Church in Columbia. This will not only be an informational meeting for 4-H members but will also be the enrollment meeting for the 2023 - 2024 Shooting Sports year. If you are interested in joining Caldwell 4-H Shooting Sports, you must attend this meeting with a parent or guardian. Do not bring any firearms or archery equipment to this meeting. Membership dues are $30 for one discipline and $10 for each additional discipline. The deadline to sign-up for Shooting Sports is 4:00 p.m., Friday, October 27. 4-H Shooting Sports is a program that strives to teach 4-H'ers the safe and responsible use of firearms and archery equipment and promote the highest standards of safety, sportsmanship, and ethical behavior. If you have questions, please contact 4-H agent Jana Bennett at 318-649-2663.
Leaf Identification Contest
- Entries are due to the Caldwell 4-H office by 4:00 p.m. on Friday, October 27.
- Entries submitted after October 27 will not be eligible for cash prizes.
- Submit a binder of 15 pages of leaves, one leaf per page, which have been collected during the current school year.
- Leaves must be from trees or shrubs.

- Tape each leaf on a separate piece of construction or copy paper and identify the leaf using a pen or marker. Be specific when identifying leaves. For example, if a leaf is from a Live Oak tree, write Live Oak on the page, not just Oak. If a leaf is from a Bald Cypress tree, write Bald Cypress, not just Cypress.
- Write your name, school, and grade on the front cover of your binder.
Safety Poster Contest
- Entries for the Safety Poster Contest are due to the 4-H office by 4:00 p.m. on Friday, November 10.
- Create a poster on a specific safety topic, for example, fire safety, food safety, internet safety, etc.
- Posters must be on any color 22-inch by 28-inch poster board.
- Posters will be judged on originality, neatness, safety information and eye catching design.
- Your name, age, school, and grade should be written on the back of the poster in the upper right corner.
- Posters submitted after November 10 will not be eligible for first, second or third place awards.
Fall Foods Festival and Consumer Foods Judging Contest
- Monday, November 13, 8:45 a.m., at Union Central Elementary School
- You must preregister for both contests by calling the 4-H office at 318-649-2663 by 4:00 p.m. , Wednesday, November 8.
- Dish categories are Quick-n-Easy Ground Beef, Main Dish Beef, Chicken, Egg, Rice Main Dish, Rice Any Other Dish, Pecan, Sweet Potato, and Corn.
- All dishes must be already prepared and ready to serve. All dishes must be chilled, cold to the touch, and transported in an insulated hard case ice chest with ice. Styrofoam ice chests are allowed but insulated totes or bags will be disqualified.
- Alcohol is not allowed in any recipe.
- Dishes that won first place in last year's contest cannot be entered in this year's contest.
- Members who do not want to enter a dish can still compete in the Consumer Foods Judging Contest in which participants will rank classes of food items based on factors such as health, cost, lifestyle, or other requirements in a given situation and give written reasons for ranking.
- Complete contest rules, dish category requirements, and recipe forms are available at the 4-H office located at 106 Jackson Street in Columbia.
Fashion Revue and Consumer Decision Making Contest
- Handmade garments, shirts, and data forms are due to the 4-H office by 4:00 p.m. on Monday, November 27.
- Appearance Judging is scheduled for 9:00 a.m., Monday, December 4 at Union Central Elementary.
- Submit handmade garment and/or decorated shirt on a hanger along with a Personal Data Form.
- The 4-H Fashion Revue consists of Clothing Construction, Decorated Shirt, Ready-to-Wear and Consumer Decision Making contests.
- Clothing Construction categories are Apron, Tops or Bottoms and Complete Outfit - an outfit that can stand alone with all pieces being constructed by the 4-H'er.
- Decorated Shirt categories are Shirts Promoting 4-H and Other.
- Remember to submit a Data Form if you are planning to enter the Ready to Wear Contest.
- Entries submitted after November 27 will not be eligible for first, second, or third place awards.
- Not interested in creating a garment or entering Ready to Wear? You can still participate by entering the Consumer Decision Making Contest and judge classes of consumer products or services, rank each class by choice and give written reasons for rankings.
Tree of Life Skills: Get a Job
What do you want to do when you grow up? This is a common question that many students get asked. Some people know from an early age and others take a while to figure it out. No matter how long it takes, it's helpful to think about the impact of a chosen occupation on your life. Selecting your career is one of the most important life decisions you will make. Being prepared is the key to finding and keeping a good job.
Healthy Living: Mental Health Tools for Self-Care
Meet and communicate with friends. Research has found that meeting with peers and talking about what's going on with you, including past events you're still processing, prevents burnout and promotes well-being. Group connections are so important for fostering resilience and releasing chemicals in the brain that support well-being, and the activities don't have to be just talking. Things like doing art projects together, playing games, or gaming all work. And despite the pressure to have huge numbers of "friends" or "followers," it only takes few special friends to make a big difference in your life.
Upcoming Events
- October 1-7 National 4-H Week
- October 14 Art and Folk Festival
- October 17 Shooting Sports enrollment meeting
- October 26 Louisiana State Fair opens
- October 27 Leaf Identification contest
- October 27 Shooting Sports enrollment deadline
- November 8 Preregistration deadline for Fall Foods Festival
- November 10 Safety Poster Contest
- November 13 Fall Foods Festival
- November 27 Garments and Data Forms due for Fashion Revue
Membership and participation in activities and events are open to all citizens without regard to race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, veteran status or disability. If you have a disability that requires special accommodation for your participation, please contact us at 318-649-2663. Louisiana 4-H is an educational program of the LSU AgCenter. The LSU AgCenter and LSU provide equal opportunities in employment and programs.