2023 September Lafourche Happenings Newsletter

Suzanne Troxclair, Smith, Vickie L.

Summertime Fun Activities…4-H University

In May, trainings began for 4-H University which was held June 20-23. Lafourche Parish was proudly represented by 29 competitors in various contests from Plant Science to Photography, and even Career Preparation. Our Fishing Sports Team, Dairy Cattle Judging Team, and Consumer Decision Making Individual were awarded State Champions. The Fishing Sports team won an educational trip to Little Rock, Arkansas and it consisted of Braydon Lepine, also 1st Place Individual and Dawson Dufrene, also 8th Place individual, Central Lafourche High and Mason Rodriguez, also 4th Place Individual, Member at Large along with the Consumer Decision Making Individual, Madelyn Fossum, Central Lafourche High; the Dairy Cattle Team has been awarded a trip to Louisville, Kentucky where they will compete at the National Contest in November which consists of Hilari Theriot, also 3rd Place Individual, Kyra Keller and Leilah Keller from Central Lafourche. Zayle Falgout, Central Lafourche placed 6th Place in Career Preparation; Izabella Clement, Sixth Ward Middle was awarded “Most Creative” for Fashion – Ready to Wear; Curstyn Oncale, Thibodaux High placed 4th Place in Fashion – Ready to Wear; Beau Stein, Central Lafourche placed 10th Place Individual in Fishing Sports; Tatiana LeBouef, Alaina Lyons, Lana Verdin and Hilari Theriot, Central Lafourche, placed 2nd Place Team in Horse Judging; Sarah Foret, Autumn Hymel, Hunter Robichaux and Bree Sanford, Central Lafourche, placed 5th Place Team in Horse Judging; Hunter Poche, Thibodaux High, placed 8th Place in Meat Identification; Rhett Orgeron, Home School, placed 7th Place in Plant Identification; Dawson Dufrene, Central Lafourche, placed 5th Place Individual and 2nd Place Team for Poultry Judging; Madelyn Fossum, Central Lafourche, placed 6th Place Individual and 2nd Place Team for Poultry Judging; Toni Arnold, Lockport Middle, placed 7th Place Individual and 2nd Place Team for Poultry Judging; Blakely Falgout, Lockport Middle, placed 8th Place Individual and 3rd Place Team for Poultry Judging; Adele Stein, Raceland Middle, placed 9th Place Individual and 3rd Place Team for Poultry Judging and Reese Borne, Lockport Middle, placed 3rd Place Team; Blakely Falgout, Lockport Middle, placed 5th Place in Public Speaking-Any Other; Reese Borne, Lockport Middle, placed 3rd Place and received a $50 award for Tiger Tank Entrepreneurship – Up & Running; Logan Curole, E. D. White, placed 10th Place in Vet Set Geaux; Macy Gros, Lockport Middle, placed 3rd Place in Visual Arts and Zayle Falgout, Central Lafourche, placed 7th Place in Visual Arts. Bree Sanford from Bayou Blue Middle will represent Lafourche and Louisiana as the State Historian/Reporter along with Madelyn Fossum, Central Lafourche and Hunter Poche, Thibodaux High as Shooting Sports Ambassadors.

Other 4-H’ers participating and representing Lafourche Parish were Chloee Rodriguez, Member at Large, Child Development, Owen Kiff, Larose-Cut Off, Consumer Decision Making, Macy Gros, Lockport Middle, Consumer Foods Judging, Ethan Orgeron, Home School, Fishing Sports/Tractor Driving, Suki Livaudais, Golden Meadow Middle, Photography, Bree Sanford, Bayou Blue Middle, Public Speaking-Any Other, Kale Guidry, Larose-Cut Off, Zero Turn Mower and Beaux Curole, E. D. White, Clover College. Congrats to all 4-H’ers who represented Lafourche Parish at 4-H University!

Volunteer Roundup

Wanted: Awesome 4-H volunteers!

Are you an adult interested in helping the Lafourche Parish 4-H Youth Development Program? If so, 4-H wants YOU! Interested adults are invited to our first 4-H Volunteer Roundup Interest Meeting on Monday, September 18th at 5:30 p.m. at the Ag. Building at 115 Texas Street, Raceland, LA. We have volunteer opportunities in cooking, sewing, shooting sports, livestock, public speaking, fundraising, equine, junior leaders and so much more! We hope to see you there. Light refreshments will be served. Please RSVP to stroxclair@agcenter.lsu.edu or call 985-446-1316 to let us know if you will be attending.

Junior Leader Times

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 first meeting on September 21st from 5:30 – 7:00 p.m. at the Ag. Building in Raceland (115 Texas Street). Dues are $15 which also covers a Junior Leader t-shirt.

National 4-H Week

Join 4-H'ers around the country in celebrating National 4-H Week during the week of Oct. 1-7, 2023. This week is set aside by the Cooperative Extension Service and 4-H Clubs in each state to focus attention on the value of 4-H. Through their 4-H clubs, they have fun, make friends, explore new adventures, and develop skills for future success. Louisiana has more than 175,000 4-H members in more than 1,700 local clubs. Lafourche Parish has about 800 members in 34 clubs. Observed since 1927, National 4-H Week has been a time for 4-H members and their volunteer leaders to observe the past year’s accomplishments and achievements.

To celebrate this week, we are sponsoring a “Show Your 4-H Pride” Contest. We would like each club to create a display to put “outside in front of your school”. The theme is “I Heart 4-H”. Some of the things the judges will look for are creativity, involvement of the 4-H’ers, if your display publicizes 4-H and originality. We want the community to see them, so be creative. We will award First Place and Honorable Mention to each division (Elementary, Middle, and Senior). Judging begins on Tuesday, October 3, 2023.More details will be sent to leaders.

Parish Executive Committee Elections and Officer/Leader Training

The Parish Executive Committee Elections and Officer and Leader Training will be held on October 5, 2023, at the Ag. Building in Raceland. Each school may send two voting delegates and officers. If you want to run for a parish office, you must be a voting delegate from your school, and we must receive your application electronically sent to stroxclair@agcenter.lsu.edu in the 4-H Office by September 29, 2023. 4-H’ers who are in the 4th – 12th grade may run for office. Please see your school 4-H leader for more details and an application.

State Fair of Louisiana 4-H Share the Fun Talent Contest

Are you ready to share your talent with other 4-H members from across the state? Join us for the 4-H Share the Fun Talent Contest on October 28, 2023, at 10:30 a.m. at the State Fair in Shreveport. Lafourche can send up to 3 entries in each of the following categories: Junior Division (under 14 years old): Class 1 – Dance, Class 2 – Vocal, Class 3 – Instrumental and Class 4 - Other and Senior Division (14 & older): Class 5 – Dance, Class 6 – Vocal, Class 7 – Instrumental and Class 8 – Other. Call Mrs. Suzanne at the 4-H Office at 985-446-1316 to register and for more information. The deadline to register is October 5th.

4-H Camp Catch Phrase Contest

What’s a good theme for 4-H Summer Camp? Send in your most creative ideas for a slogan that is brief and “catchy”, capturing the spirit of the camps—in 7 words or less along with illustrations. The winner will receive a monetary award and it will be used on all publicity for camp and on the camp t-shirt. Think fast...the deadline is Tuesday, Oct. 31st. Your submission must include your full name and age, parish and 4-H Club, complete mailing address and phone number. Submit your entries by this date to Grant Walker 4-H Educational Center, Camp Catch Phrase, 3000 Hwy. 8, Pollock, LA 71467 or email to cbergeron@agcenter.lsu.edu.

New Livestock Exhibitors

Please contact Mrs. Suzanne 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 14th
  • Commercial Beef, Commercial Dairy, November 6th
  • Beef and Dairy Breeding, November 6th
  • Market Lambs and Commercial Ewes, November 6th
  • Sheep Breeding, November 6th
  • Goat Breeding, November 6th
  • Market Goats and Commercial Does, November 6th
  • Exhibition Poultry, November 6th
  • Mini Beef, November 13th
  • Market Hogs and Commercial Hogs, December 4th
  • Swine Breeding, December 4th

Livestock Validation

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 6, 2023, 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 4, 2023, using the same process. If you need assistance or have any questions, please contact Suzanne Troxclair at 985-446-1316.

Sugar and Seafood Contest Day

The upcoming Sugar and Seafood Contest will be held on November 4 at the Galliano Elementary 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! Your dishes can be brought to the contest by another person. Elementary, Middle, and Senior High school members will compete separately for purple and blue ribbons. Overall Champion dishes will receive trophies. Members may enter one seafood and/or one sugar dish. 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 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. 4, 2023.Garments will be modeled by the 4-H’ers that day in front of a judge. Please have the child’s name, school and grade on an index card attached to the garment. Ribbons will be given out that day. 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. 7th – 12th 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:

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

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

6th 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.

Southwest Region Challenge Camp

Challenge Camp will be held for 7th and 8th graders on November 16-17, 2023, at Camp Grant Walker in Pollock, LA 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 October 27th to register and give your t-shirt size. There will be a registration fee of $125.00 to attend.

4-H Spirit Poster Contest

Create a poster that shows your 4-H Spirit and love of Lafourche 4-H! 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 November club meetings or can be dropped off at the 4-H Office. Recognition and awards are in the following divisions: Elementary Division- 4th – 5th grade, Middle School Division- 6th – 8th grade and High School Division- 9th – 12th grade. Purple and blue ribbons will be awarded. Every 4-H club member that makes a poster will receive a ribbon.

Garden Contest Winners

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 2023 Garden Contest were:

Elementary Division—First Place, Boyd Falgout, St. Joseph

  • Second Place, Iyron Cheramie, Holy Rosary
  • Third Place, Jessie-Lynn Rivere, Lockport Upper Elementary
  • Honorable Mention, Jonah Curole, Holy Rosary

Middle School Division—First Place, Jolie Terrebonne, Bayou Community Academy

  • Second Place, Alivia Cortez, Sixth Ward Middle

Senior High Division – First Place, Madelyn Fossum, Central Lafourche

  • Second Place, Beaux Curole, E. D. White
  • Third Place, Logan Curole, E. D. White

State Horse Show

The State Horse Show was held at Lamar Dixon Expo Center in Gonzales from July 10-14, 2023. Lafourche was well represented at the show with the following winners: All Around High Point Timed Events, 13 & under – Olivia Nelton, Raceland Upper; Stake Race, 13 & under: First Place - Gracyn Guidry, St. Charles, Third Place - Gracie Theriot, Lockport Upper, Fourth Place – Olivia Nelton, Raceland Upper, and Seventh Place – Adele Stein, Raceland Middle. Stake Race, 14 & over: Tenth Place – Ellie Verdin, South Lafourche High. Pole Bending, 13 & under: Second Place – Olivia Nelton, Raceland Upper, Third Place – Gracyn Guidry, St. Charles, and Fourth Place – Emily Rodrigue, Larose-Cut Off. Pole Bending, 14 & Over: Fifth Place – Misty Gros, Lockport Middle, Sixth Place – Ellie Verdin, South Lafourche, and Eighth Place – Emma Percle, Thibodaux High. Barrel Racing, 13 & under: Second Place – Olivia Nelton, Raceland Upper, Fifth Place – Gracyn Guidry, St. Charles, Eighth Place – Adele Stein, Raceland Middle and Ninth Place – Emily Rodrigue, Larose-Cut Off Middle. Barrel Racing, 14 & over: Seventh Place – Emma Percle, Thibodaux High, Ninth Place – Ellie Verdin, South Lafourche, and Tenth Place – Misty Gros, Lockport Middle School. Goat Tying, 14 & Over: Third Place, Emma Percle, Thibodaux High School.

State Records Contest

Congratulations to the following 4-H’ers from Lafourche who excelled in the State Records Contest:

Members and Awards Received:

  • Beaux Curole, E. D. White, Orlando Leadership Institute Trip
  • Zayle Falgout, Central Lafourche High, National 4-H Congress in Atlanta, Georgia
  • Logan Curole, E. D. White, National 4-H Congress in Atlanta, Georgia
  • Toni Arnold, Lockport Middle, Louisiana Educational Trip
  • Jonah Curole, Holy Rosary, $50 Award
  • Suki Livaudais, Golden Meadow Middle, Alternate Louisiana Educational Trip

Other 4-H’ers participating were Sophie Grace Wolverton, Holy Rosary, Jaxon Arnold and Estelle Bourgeois, Lockport Upper, Cheyanne Doiron, Lockport Middle and Mikalia Himel, Elly Wilcox and Olivia Benoit, Sixth Ward Middle. Congratulations to all.

4-H Monthly Focus – Opportunity4All

As we embark on a new school year, we are excited to share all that 4-H has to offer! In line with our national theme Opportunity4All, 4-H offers all students the opportunity to explore many areas, projects, and interests, such as public speaking, gardening, fishing, shooting sports, livestock, pets, culinary skills, and so much more! 4-H also serves the community throughout the year in many ways to help those in need. There truly is something for everyone in 4-H! We can’t wait to share the many opportunities through membership in 4-H at this month’s meeting!

For more information on any of the activities listed, please contact Suzanne Troxclair at 985-446-1316 or email her at stroxclair@agcenter.lsu.edu.

9/7/2023 7:52:12 PM
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