Summertime Fun Activities…4-H University

In May, trainings began for 4-H University which was held June 10-2.Lafourche Parish was proudly represented by 12 competitors in various virtual contests from Plant Science to Photography, and even Career Preparation. Our Plant Science Team was awarded State Champions and won the Louisiana 4-H educational trip. They were Katie Louviere, Grant Rebstock, Evan Louviere, and Cohen Terrebonne from South Lafourche High. Gracie Pepper from E. D. White was the State Champion in Photography and won a trip to National 4-H Club Congress. Other 4-H’ers participating were: Alaina Lyons, Grant Arcement and Hilari Theriot from Central Lafourche High, Livestock Judging 4^th Place Team; Dawson Dufrene and Kyra Keller, Central Lafourche and Emma Percle, Thibodaux High School, Livestock Judging 5^th Place Team; and Seth Mitchell, Member at Large, Career Preparation 4^th Place.

4-H’ers chosen to represent Lafourche on the State Boards were Kristen Richard, Central Lafourche High, State Citizenship Board and Laila Zirlott, Central Lafourche High, State Executive Board Southwest Regional Representative.

Junior Leader Activities

As a club composed of 4-H members at least 13 years of age, our Lafourche Parish Junior Leader Club focuses on being involved in community service as well as having fun as a group. Helping at many parish 4-H events is an annual task completed by many of our junior leaders. If interested in joining the club, please make every effort to attend the next meeting on October 27^th from 5:30 – 7:00 p.m. at the Ag. Building in Raceland (115 Texas Street).Please go to the link to fill out the online form: https://forms.gle/3RXCAeXkHP8f6DW79

4-H Garden Contest

4-H’ers throughout Lafourche participated in the Garden Contest. They selected a site, made rows, planted their crops, and picked their harvest.

Winners of the 2021 Garden Contest were:

Elementary Division—First Place, Quinn Nichols, Chackbay Elementary

Middle School Division—First Place, Madelyn Fossum, Lockport Middle

Second Place, Suki Livaudais, Golden Meadow Middle

Third Place, Madilyn Neiley, St. Genevieve

Honorable Mention, August Autin, Larose-Cut Off

Senior High Division – First Place, Jack & Connor Chiasson, South Lafourche

Second Place, Brandon Cortez, Thibodaux High

New Livestock Exhibitors

Please contact Miss Teddi at the 4-H Office at 446-1316 as soon as possible if you are a new exhibitor interested in showing Livestock or Horses in 4-H during this school year. It is important that we have your name and address so you can receive information on any upcoming events. There are important deadlines that need to be met so please call the office as soon as possible if you have livestock animals. Possession dates for each species are as follows:

Steers, August 16^th

Beef and Dairy Breeding, November 8^th

Commercial Beef, Commercial Dairy, November 8^th

Market Goats and Commercial Does, November 8^th

Market Lambs and Commercial Ewes, November 8^th

Sheep Breeding, November 8^th

Goat Breeding, November 8^th

Miniature Cattle, November 15^th

Market Hogs and Commercial Hogs, December 3^rd

Swine Breeding, December 3^rd

Livestock Validations

As in past years, all market animals and commercial breeding animals are required to be validated through a process of collecting hair samples. The animals are then tagged and “validated”. You will be responsible for contacting the 4-H office to get your validation kits, validating your own animals, and returning the kits to our office with your fees before November 8, 2021, for commercial beef, commercial dairy, market lambs, commercial ewes, market goats and commercial does. Market and commercial hogs will have to be validated before December 3, 2021, using the same process. If you need assistance or have any questions, please contact Teddi Folse at 985-446-1316.

Southwest Region One Day Challenge Camp

A one-day Challenge Camp will be held for 7^th and 8^th graders on November 30^th from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.at Rock ‘n Bowl in Lafayette for 13 4-H club members. Priority will be given to first time campers. Please call the 4-H Office at 985-446-1316 by November 8th to register and give your t-shirt size. There will be a registration fee of $30.00 to attend.

Sugar and Seafood

The upcoming Sugar and Seafood Contest will be held on November 20 at the Ag Building in Raceland beginning at 9:00 a.m. Cooking can be a great opportunity to teach life skills such as kitchen and food safety, nutrition, and even math. It can give a sense of accomplishment and you get to enjoy the reward of eating the delicious, finished product!

Due to the Covid-19 restrictions, we will be doing Sugar and Seafood differently again this year. Participants will drop off their dish or dishes by driving into the parking lot. Someone will get the dish from you and register your dish. The judging will take place and the results will be live on Facebook at 1:00 p.m. and awards and ribbons will be brought to the next club meeting. Categories for Seafood are Oyster, Crab, Shrimp, Fish/Other Seafood and Crawfish. Sugar categories are Cakes (homemade or mixes), Candies, Cookies, Pies and Other Sugar Dish. Rules for this contest are:

1. Sugar dishes must use at least one-half (1/2) cup of sugar. May be granulated, brown, powdered or any combination. Mixes are permitted as long as 1/2 cup of additional sugar is added to the recipe. Seafood dishes must use at least one (1) cup of seafood. The seafood must be fresh, frozen, pasteurized, or dried. Canned seafood is not acceptable. Surimi, an artificial crab made from fish, cannot be used. There can be no raw seafood in the final dish. Entries may contain a small amount of a second seafood but not more than ½ the amount of the primary seafood. All seafood used in the contest must be Louisiana Seafood.

2.A copy of the recipe must be submitted with the dish.

3.Print name, school, and division on your recipe.

4.The food should be sent in a disposable container that can be thrown away after the judging is complete.

Sugar and/or Seafood Illustrated Talk Divisions

Illustrated Talks will also be held that day face to face beginning at 10:00 a.m. The rules for the contest are: No dish will be required for this contest. There will be three divisions in this contest:

Division I – (Grades 4-6) Contestant designs (a) standard poster 22” x 28” relating to Sugar and/or Seafood, (b) presents a 3-5-minute explanation of poster subject (c) responds to questions from judges.

Division II – (Grades 7-9) The contestant will present a 5–8-minute oral presentation relating to one of the five categories (1) production, (2) food preparation and nutritive value (3) food safety, (4) processing, or (5) marketing about sugar and/or seafood. Posters or PowerPoint presentations may be used. Costume based on theme are acceptable.

Division III – (Grades 10-12) Contestant will present an 8-10-minute oral presentation on sugar and/or seafood. It can be a specific idea or an overview. Examples include Nutritional Value, Economic Value, Cooking Principles, Versatility, Food Safety, Role in Today’s Healthy Diet, Sugar and/or Seafood’s Place in Agriculture and Natural Resources, Role in our National Economy, Role in Protecting the Environment. Posters or PowerPoint presentations may be used. Costume based on theme are acceptable.

Sew with Cotton

This year’s Sew with Cotton Contest will be held in conjunction with the Sugar and Seafood Contest on Nov. 20, 2021.Clothing garments can be brought to the Ag Building on this day and dropped off along with your dishes. Please have the child’s name, school and grade on an index card attached to the garment. Garments and ribbons will be brought to club meetings. The rules for the contest are as follows:

1.Contestants may be in the 4th-12th grade. There will be three divisions: Elementary, Middle and Senior.

2.7^th – 12^th grade contestants must make and model a complete outfit of any style appropriate for any occasion and any season of the year including a pair of pajamas. Elementary and Middle School students may enter the following:

4^th Grade - drawstring apron (on our website), barbecue apron, or Eco-Friendly Tote Bag (from commercial patterns)

5^th Grade - sassy skirt (on our website), elastic waist shorts or elastic waist pajama pants (commercial pattern)

6^th Grade - A-line or gathered skirt or variation with a waistband and zipper, robe, duffle bag or computer bag (from commercial pattern)

3.Outer garments must be 100% cotton or cotton blend. Interfacing, underlining, tape, trimming, etc. can be of any compatible fabric.

4.Contestant will be judged on construction and appearance.

Louisiana Outdoors Poster Contest

How do you enjoy spending time outside in Louisiana? Kids are spending more time indoors and less time exploring and appreciating what Louisiana has to offer. Create a poster that shows your love of Louisiana great outdoors such as sports, swamps, bayous, insects, amphibians and more! The guidelines for the contest are:

1. Poster must be an 11 x 14 white poster board. No foam boards.

2. Do not attach anything to the poster that is more than ½ “thick.

3. Be sure to place your name, grade, and school on the back of the poster in the upper right-hand corner.

The posters will be picked up at December club meetings or can be dropped off at the 4-H Office. Recognition and awards are in the following divisions: Elementary Division- 4^th – 5^th grade, Middle School Division- 6^th – 8^th grade and High School Division- 9^th – 12^th grade. Purple, Blue, and Red ribbons will be awarded. Every 4-H club member that makes a poster will receive a ribbon.

4-H Regional Rabbit Show

There will be a Regional Rabbit Show held Nov. 24, 2021, at the Agriculture Building in the barn in Raceland. Because of Covid-19 restrictions, registration must be in by November 19^th.To register go to https://forms.gle/AxrNAiCxkmSoZgEv9.You will have to register for each rabbit you are showing (Ex. If you have 5 rabbits, you will have to register 5 times).Judging will begin promptly at 9:00 a.m. for showmanship then followed by breeds. Entry fee is $3.00 per rabbit. Please see our website for rules and the link to register at www.lsuagcenter.com.

Lafourche Website

Please take the time to look at the Lafourche website at www.lsuagcenter.com (once there you will click on our offices, parishes, then Lafourche and 4-H) or you can go to our Facebook page Lafourche Parish 4-H for updates. We are in the process of adding more things daily so if you do not see exactly what you are looking for at this time, chances are it will be there soon. We are always open to suggestions, so if there is something you think we should add to our website that would help, please feel free to let us know. For more information on any of the activities listed, please contact Donna Naquin or Teddi Folse at 985-446-1316.