Live Broiler Show

The Lafourche Parish Broiler Show will be held on Monday, February 20^th, at the Raceland Ag Building. Registration for the show will begin at 8:00 a.m. The show will begin at 9:00 a.m. For parish, each exhibitor is allowed to enter one pen of broilers (either 3 pullets or 3 cockerels).

Eyeglass Campaign

According to a recent study of the World Health Organization (WHO), approximately 950 million people in the world need eyeglasses, but can’t afford them or don’t have an accessible optician. In an effort to help those less fortunate, 4-H teams up with our local Lions Club to provide glasses to those in need by collecting used glasses that are then distributed to those who need them. Please turn in used eyeglasses, lenses, and frames to your school 4-H Club. Agents will pick up the donations at the February club meetings.

Junior Leader Times

During the January Junior Leader Meeting, members learned about upcoming events, celebrated recent 4-H competition winners, and wrote notes to be distributed to children served in the CASA program. The next Junior Leader meeting will be held on Monday, February 27^th (new date) from 5:30 P.M. to 7:00 P.M. in the Ag Building. Don’t forget to sign up for the meeting to let us know you are coming by using the SignUp Genius link below:

February Junior Leader Meeting

4-H Scholarships

Attention 4-H Seniors: Your hard work in 4-H can pay off! There are several 4-H college scholarships available to graduating seniors that will be awarded this year! Senior 4-H members that are interested in receiving scholarships should contact the 4-H Office for more information. The deadline to apply is March 4^th. Don’t miss out on this great opportunity!

Dairy Poster Contest

Dairy posters will be picked up at March Club meetings. Every 4-H’er is encouraged to participate. Contest rules and details are as follows:

1. Poster should be 11” x 14” white poster board ONLY. No foam boards.

2. Do Not Attach anything to the poster that is more than 1/2” thick.

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

4. A 4-H club member is allowed to win first place in each division only once.

5. After the contest is over, posters should be displayed in local community public places such as shopping malls, grocery stores, drug stores, banks, schools, or farm stores.

4-H’ers will compete in the following divisions: Division 1—4th—6th grades, Division 2—7th—8th grades and Division 3—9th—12th grades. The purpose of this contest is to help 4-H’ers learn more about milk and milk products and their importance to healthy bodies.

Horse Shows

If you are interested in showing horses for 4-H, please call the 4-H Office by February 28, 2023, to get on the mailing list to receive information about the Horse Shows. Just remember you need to have your horses in your possession by April 1, 2023, to be able to show this year.

State Rabbit Show

The State 4-H & FFA Rabbit Show is scheduled for March 4, 2023, at the State Evac Shelter in Alexandra, LA. Entries and fees will be due in Fair Entry by February 24th. For more information, please contact the 4-H office at 985- 446-1316 or email Mrs. Suzanne at stroxclair@agcenter.lsu.edu. The link for the 2023 State 4-H& Rabbit show is now open. The link to register is https://www.fairentry.com/Fair/SignIn/17825. Entry fees can be paid by card. Entry fees are $2.00/ rabbit and $10.00/ meat pen.

Record Books Due – April 3rd

Record books will be due the week of April 3^rd.The instructions were sent to all 4-H members via email through 4-H Online. Please call the office with any questions. Make sure you turn them in to your leader before this date. We will pick them up from school that week.

Achievement Day Contest – Leaf, Twig, Insect Collections, Bird Houses and Photography Exhibits

These will be picked up the week of April 3^rd from schools and can be dropped off to the 4-H Office until April 17^th and will be displayed at Achievement Day on April 22^nd at Thibodaux High. More detailed information can be found on our website: www.lsuagcenter.com. Click on parish offices, then Lafourche and 4-H.

Leaf Collections

Submit a fresh mounted collection of leaves of Louisiana Trees according to the following specifications:

• Each specimen shall be dried and individually mounted on conventional size material about 8 1/2" x 11" and displayed in a conventional loose-leaf notebook binder or similar ringed folder. The specimens may be mounted on pressure sensitive self-adhering transparent plastic sheets or other similar material. Gluing the specimen directly to heavy duty paper is also acceptable.
• A label about 2 1/2" x 3" in size shall be glued to the lower right-hand corner of each display sheet. The label shall contain the scientific and common name, general description of the tree (i.e., size, habitat, etc.), location collected at, date collected and collector's name.
• The front page of the notebook shall have typed or printed on it "Tree Leaves of Louisiana". The exhibitor's name, age, 4-H club, parish, and address shall also be typed or printed on this page.
• Exhibit must be submitted in April.
• Must have at least 25 specimens (Elem. & Middle) 35 specimens (Senior) to qualify. Scoring: 3 pts. per correctly identified specimen; -1pt. for each incorrect identification; 25 pts.-for organization and appearance

Insect Collections

• Submit a mounted collection of insects according to specifications on the Lafourche Parish
• Must have at least 25 specimens (Elem. & Middle) 35 specimens (Senior) in order to qualify.
• Exhibit must be submitted in April.
• Scoring: 1 pt. per insect; 3 pts. per order represented; 25 pts. Organization and appearance; 25 pts. condition of insects.

Birdhouses

• Must build and exhibit a nesting box or bird house and submit in April.
• Cannot exceed 12” x 12”.
• No craft birdhouses are allowed.
• Cannot submit a previously entered birdhouse.

Twig & Bud Collections

• Any member may participate.
• Submit a fresh mounted collection of twigs and buds according to forestry book specifications on poster.
• Must have at least 25 specimens (Elem. & Middle) 35 specimens (Senior) in order to qualify.
• Exhibit must be submitted in April.
• Scoring: 3 pts. per correctly identified specimen; -1 pt. for each incorrect identification; 25 pts. for organization and appearance

Photography Exhibits

• Only one photograph in each category may be exhibited. All pictures must have been taken during this school year by photographer entering.
• Entries - Photographer’s name, grade and school must be marked on the back of the photograph, not on
• Judging – Judges will base their decisions on the quality of the photograph, to include originality and technical skill.
• Matting– Photographs must be mounted (not framed) on a mount board or matted.
• Placings – First, Second, and Third Place will be given in each category.
• Exhibits due in April.
• Elementary, Middle & Senior Division – Black & White (can be 4” x 6”, 5” x 7”, 8” x 10”, 11” x 14”) and Color Only (can be 4”x 6”, 5” x 7”, 8” x 10”, 11” x 14”). Categories are Animals, Food, Human Interest, Portraits, Scenic and Still Life.

Ag Career Day

The LSU AgCenter SE/SW Regional Agricultural Career Day will be held at the Sugar Research Station in St. Gabriel on April 13, 2022, from 9:00 a.m.—3:00 p.m. Highlights will be agricultural field tours and interactive, hands-on workshops. Lunch will be provided. Additional information and registration forms were sent to all eligible 4-H members through 4-H online. There are only 10 available spots for 8th-12th graders. Please contact the 4-H office with any questions.

Ground Beef, Rice, Sweet Potato Results

Congratulations to the winners of the Ground Beef Cookery, Beef Illustrated Talk, Rice Cookery and Sweet Potato Cookery. There were 165 Ground Beef, 154 Rice, and 127 Sweet Potato dishes for a total of 446 dishes along with 17 Beef Illustrated Talks. They are as follows:

Ground Beef Cookery

• Overall Champion – Cole Boudreaux, E-Learning
• Overall Reserve – Jalyn Giroir, Lockport Middle

Beef Illustrated Talk

• Division 1 Champion, Jaxon Arnold, Lockport Upper
• Division 2 Champion, Blaise Rose, Sixth Ward Middle
• Division 3 Champion, Hilari Theriot, Central Lafourche

Rice Cookery

• Overall Champion – Adele Stein, Raceland Middle
• Overall Reserve Champion – Blakely Falgout, Lockport Middle

Sweet Potato Cookery

• Overall Champion – Owen Kiff, Larose-Cut Off
• Overall Reserve Champion – Evan Louviere, South Lafourche

State Dairy Judging Contest

Congratulations to our Lafourche Parish 4-H Dairy Judging Team for winning 1^st Place at the state competition on December 10^th in Franklinton! Team members were Kyra Keller, Leilah Keller, and Hilari Theriot. Hilari also received the 3^rd place individual award. Congratulations on a job well done!

Holiday Livestock Photo Contest

Congratulations to Dawson Dufrene for winning 2^nd Place in the Louisiana 4-H Holiday Livestock Photo Contest sponsored by the LSU AgCenter!

State Horse Judging Contest

Congratulations to our two teams that represented Lafourche Parish 4-H in the Louisiana 4-H Horse Judging Contest. The 2^nd Place winning team was composed of Tatiana LeBouef, Hilari Theriot, Alaina Thomas, and Lana Verdin. The 5^th Place team was composed of Sarah Foret, Autumn Hymel, Hunter Robichaux, and Bree Sanford.

Area Commodity Cookery Contest

Good luck to all of our parish cookery contest winners who will be competing in the 4-H Area Commodity Cookery Contest on March 22^nd in Napoleonville, LA. Those attending are our overall division winners at our parish cookery contest events.

Louisiana 4-H Commodity Ambassador Contest

The Louisiana 4-H Commodity Ambassador Contest will be held on March 1^st. at the EVAC Megashelter in Alexandria. Our parish Illustrated Talk Contest winners will be participating in this state competition. Good luck to all!

Cabbage Contest Winners

Congratulations to Rylee Bergeron who was the overall winner of the Cabbage Growing Contest with an 18 lb. cabbage. The Big “TEN”ders, with cabbages weighing at least 10 lbs, were Kimberly St. Pierre (15.5 lbs.), Shayfer Dufrene (15.25 lbs.), Allie Cortez (10.5 lbs.), and Layla Becnel (10.25 lbs.). Congratulations to all who participated!

The Louisiana 4-H Food Challenge

The Louisiana 4-H Food Challenge competition will be held on April 11^th at the State Evacuation Shelter in Alexandria. The 4-H competition challenges teams of 3-4 4-H members to create a dish using only a key ingredient and access to a “grocery store” of other ingredients. From the ingredients, team members are challenged to create a healthy dish while practicing proper food safety, food preparation, and communication skills. Following the dish preparation, teams then present to a panel of judges who will further test their culinary and nutrition knowledge with a question-and-answer segment. All participants must be bonafide 4-H members registered in 4HOnline by 30 days prior to the event to qualify. Each parish is allowed to enter a maximum of two teams. Please contact Mrs. Suzanne at stroxclair@agcenter.lsu.edu if you are interested in participating!

Monthly 4-H Focus

Nonverbal Communication

Many people believe what they say is all they are saying. In actuality, your body language can say more than the words that are being spoken. According to www.businessdictonary.com ,the definition of nonverbal behavior is behavior and elements of speech aside from the words themselves that transmit meaning. Non-verbal communication includes pitch, speed, tone and volume of voice, gestures, facial expressions, body posture, stance, and proximity to the listener, eye movement and contact, and dress and appearance. Research suggests that only 5 percent effect is produced by the spoken word, 45 percent by the tone, inflexion, and other elements of voice, and 50 percent by body language, movements, eye contact, etc. At this month’s club meetings, we will put this theory to the test as members will experiment with different nonverbal communication cues and reflect on the reactions they get.

Lafourche Website

Please take the time to look at the Lafourche website at www.lsuagcenter.com or you can go to our Facebook page Lafourche Parish 4-H for updates. 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 Suzanne Troxclair at 985-446-1316.