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- 2024 January Lafourche Happenings
The Jr. Livestock Show was held at the Assumption Parish AgCenter on January 6, 2024. It was a great day with our beef, dairy, goat, sheep, and swine exhibitors. We appreciate the hard work and generosity of our 4-H families, volunteers, judges and all who support our 4-H members!
The parish rabbit show will be held on Jan. 20, 2024, at the Agriculture Building in Raceland. Check in is from 8:00 to 8:30 a.m. Judging will begin at 9:00 a.m. Please try to have your rabbits entered prior to the rabbit show. Registrations must be in by January 17th.A broadcast email was sent to all 4-H’ers in 4-H online with the entry form and has been posted on our Facebook page. NOTE: All rabbits should be brought in a leak-proof cage. There will be a showmanship contest. Age divisions are 9-11 years old, 12-14 years old and 15 and up. Awards will be given. In an effort to stop the spread of Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease Virus and to prevent cases in our state, the Louisiana Department of Ag and Forestry will require health papers on all rabbits attending a show in Louisiana. This includes out of state and in state rabbits attending a show in Louisiana. Without current health papers, rabbits will not be allowed to enter the parish show. Before the show you can obtain a health paper from any vet.If you already have health papers from the regional rabbit show that was in November, you can use the same papers for our parish show.You must have this paper when checking in your rabbits. Anna Ozio from Lafourche Animal Hospital typically comes prior to the show to distribute papers but this year she said if you need health papers you need to make an appointment ahead of time with them to receive the papers.They will charge $25.00 per health paper.
Ground Beef, Rice & Sweet Potato Cookery
The Ground Beef, Rice & Sweet Potato Cookery will be held on Saturday, January 20, 2024, at the Ag. Building in Raceland. Registration is from 9:00 – 10:00 a.m. Rules for this contest are:
Ground Beef Cookery (Only one ground beef dish can be entered.)
The dish must contain at least one pound of ground beef. The Ground Beef categories are as follows:
Low Calorie Main Dish - A dish that provides less than 300 calories per serving. Can also be found on labels. Calculation of calories needs to be stated on the recipe.
Quick & Easy Main Dish - A dish that is ready to serve in less than one hour. The time for each step and for cooking or baking should be stated on the recipe.
One-Dish Meal - A dish that provides foods from at least three of the main food groups. Foods and food groups should be stated on the recipe.
Rice Cookery Contest (Only one rice dish can be entered.)
The dishes must contain at least 1 cup of cooked rice. The categories are as follows Rice Main Dish, Rice Side Dish, and Rice Dessert. Wild rice is not a cultivated rice in Louisiana and does not meet the requirement of 1 cup rice for this contest. Dishes containing rice products such as rice cereal, rice flour, etc. must also contain cooked rice. “Rice Crispy” cereal cannot be used as rice for this cookery.
Sweet Potato Cookery (Only one sweet potato dish can be entered.)
The sweet potato dish must contain a minimum of 1 cup fresh, frozen, or canned sweet potatoes. The categories are as follows: Dessert or Other Sweet Potato Dish.
Only one dish per commodity is allowed. Prepare your dish/dishes at home and bring it to the contest for judging along with a copy of the recipe including your name, school, grade, and category. The whole dish does not have to be displayed. Two or three servings is enough for the judges to taste. Note: The food should be exhibited in a container not to exceed 18” to allow adequate space for all entries. No serving utensils are needed. A microwave is used to heat all food for judging. Awards will be presented at noon or shortly afterwards. All dishes receive ribbons and champions will receive other prizes, as well. Dishes will not be released until after the awards program.
Beef Illustrated Talk
Contest will be held on January 20th at the Ag. Building starting at 10:00 a.m. The three divisions are:
Division I – (Grades 4-6) Contestant can design (a) poster(s) 22” x 28” relating to Beef or a PowerPoint presentation (b) presents a 3–5-minute maximum explanation of posters or PowerPoint presentation and (c) responds to questions from judges.
Division II – (Grades 7-9) Contestant will present a 6–8-minute maximum oral presentation on Beef relating to one of the five categories (1) production, (2) food preparation and nutritive value, (3) food safety, (4) processing, or (5) marketing. Posters or PowerPoint slides may be used. Costumes based on theme are acceptable.
Division III – (Grades 10-12) Contestant will present an 8-10-minute maximum oral presentation on beef. 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, Beef’s place in Agriculture and Natural Resources, Role in our National Economy, or Role in Protecting the Environment. Posters or PowerPoint presentations may be used. No audio is allowed on any PowerPoint presentations. Costumes based on theme are acceptable. There will also be an interview from the judge.
Judging Contests
4-H members from each school can participate in these Pre-Achievement Day Contests on January 20th at the Ag Building in Raceland beginning at 9:00 a.m.:
Poultry Judging - 4-H’ers will judge by comparison pullets for egg production, class of dressed broilers, class of exterior eggs, interior eggs, and broken out eggs.
Dairy Cattle Judging - 4-H’ers will judge classes of dairy heifers and dairy cows. A class will consist of four animals, and 4-H’ers will place them 1st through 4th.
General Livestock Judging - 4-H’ers will judge classes of beef animals, pigs, and sheep. A class will consist of four animals, and
4-H’ers will place them 1st - 4th.
Meat Identification
This contest is open to all 4-H members in Elementary (4-5 grades), Middle School Division (6-8 grades), and Senior Division (9-12 grades).
For Elementary Division, contestants will identify 20-25 cuts of meat according to the following guidelines: *Species - 4 points each - Beef, Pork and Lamb
For Middle School Division, contestants will have to identify 20-25 cuts of meat according to the following guidelines:
*By Species—Beef, Pork, and Lamb, 3 points each
*By Type—Roasts, Steaks, Chops, Slice, 1 point each
For Senior Division, contestants will identify 20-25 cuts of meat according to the following guidelines:
*Species - 3 points - Beef, Pork, Lamb
*Retail Name - 3 points – T-bone, Bacon, Brisket, etc.
*Type – 1 point – Roasts, Steaks, Chops, Slice
*By Cookery—Dry, Moist, Dry Moist, 1 point each
Study information is online at www.lsuagcenter.com under parishes, Lafourche, 4-H.
Consumer Foods Judging
The contest is open to all 4-H members in Elementary (4-5 grades), Middle (6-8 grades), and Senior (9-12 grades) Divisions. The contest consists of at least 4 separate classes. The objective of this contest is to teach 4-H members the importance of healthy food choices. At least 4 classes will be set up with 4 choices in each class. Middle and Senior Division 4-H members will be required to give reasons on one of the classes. Types of information to be found in each of the classes include:
*Healthy breakfast foods
*Proper beverage choices
*Healthy cereal choices
4-H members should look for items low in saturated fat, cholesterol, sugar, and sodium. They should select items high in dietary fiber, low in calories and high in nutrition value.
More information on food labels can be found on our website.
The Junior Leaders had a festive December meeting, exchanging gifts and participating in holiday stations that included cookie decorating, craft making, picture taking, and snacks and a hot cocoa bar. As their service activity, members collected and sorted non-perishable food items for the local food bank to address food insecurity in the community. The next meeting will be held January 11th at the Ag Building in Raceland.
The 4-H Shooting Sports Southern Regional Matches will be held in Port Allen and Gonzales March 1-10, 2024. The state Hunting Skills competition will be held on February 24-25, 2024, at Camp Grant Walker in Pollock, LA. This is a two-day event. All registration forms and entry fees are due to the 4-H Office by January 26, 2024. Please make checks payable to Lafourche 4-H Foundation. All those competing must have completed at least 8 hours of scheduled practice by competition time to be eligible to compete. No refunds will be issued once fees are turned in to the 4-H Office. All Shooting Sports members have received the registration information via email. Please note: All members who have completed their 8 hours of training can participate. However, shooting sports athletes who were at least 10 years old by January 1, 2024, must be certified in Hunter Education. A LDWF hunter education course was held on November 30th for our shooting sports athletes. Please call the 4-H Office with any questions.
The South Central District Livestock Show will be held January 31-February 3, 2024, at Lamar Dixon Expo Center in Gonzales. Animals will be released each day after conclusion of that barn. Good luck to all of our exhibitors!
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.
The parish 4-H clubs will once again partner with the Lions club to collect used glasses for needy persons. Please turn in used eyeglasses, lenses, and frames. Agents will pick them up at March Club meetings.
If you are a senior in 4-H, you may be eligible to receive an honor cord for graduation. You must have been a 4-H member in high school for 3 years and have participated in at least one state sponsored program such as 4-H University, state records, state livestock show or horse shows, state outdoor skills, state boards, etc. or demonstrated exemplary parish-level program within the last three years. The 4-H Honor Cord application for seniors is now completely online. Go to the following link to fill out your application to see if you qualify http://www.lsuagcenter.com/topics/kids_teens/events/awards/recognition-and-opportunities/senior-honor-cords. Deadline for submission is Friday, February 16th.
Senior 4-H members that are interested in receiving state and parish scholarships need to contact the 4-H Office for more information. The deadline is February 23rd.The same application will be used for both parish & state competition.
This year’s Junior Leader Conference will be held March 7-9, 2024, at Camp Grant Walker in Pollock, LA. The camp is designed for potential leaders in the parish who are 14 years & older in grades 8-12. This year’s theme is “Leadership in Paradise”. Space is very limited, so please contact the 4-H office to register by January 29th if you are interested.
The Live Broiler Show will be held on February 24, 2024, at the Ag Building in Raceland. Check in will be from 8:00 – 9:00 a.m., and judging will begin at 9:00 a.m.
The Sugar and Seafood Contest was held on November 4, 2023, at the Ag. Building in Raceland. The judges had the delicious job of sampling 564 dishes and there were 46 Sugar and Seafood Illustrated Talks.
Sugar Division
Sugar Illustrated Talk Winners
Seafood Division
Seafood Illustrated Talk Winners
Overall Sew with Cotton Winner
Cameron Thibodaux, St. Joseph
Poultry Day contests were held on December 9, 2023, at the Ag. Building in Raceland. A total of 285 dishes were entered in the Egg and Poultry Cookery along with 39 Illustrated Talk contestants. The winners are as follows:
Champion—Bently Boudreaux, Bayou Boeuf
Congratulations to the following 4-H’ers for winning the 4-H Spirit Poster Contest.
Consumer Skills
The definition of a “consumer” is someone who buys and uses products and services. By this definition, we are all consumers! It’s important that we learn about consumer rights and responsibilities. It’s also important to develop good consumer skills so we can spend our money wisely and get the most value for our purchases. Consumers play a significant role in the economic system. Young people make up an important segment of the consumer population.
If you need any assistance please feel free to call Suzanne Troxclair or Sara Guidry at 985-446-1316.
