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The next SEWcial Club meeting will be on December 10th at the Agriculture Building in Raceland (115 Texas Street). Members may be dropped off for 5:30 p.m. and picked up at 7:30 p.m. This is a member-only event. There are many fun make-n-take activities planned! If you have any unneeded and unused Christmas/holiday cards and envelopes, please consider donating them for one of the projects. Members will be exchanging cards with clubs in other regions and states! There will also be an ornament exchange game. Members can bring a new ornament ($3-$5 limit) to exchange. All members playing the game will go home with an ornament! Don’t miss this opportunity to be SOCIAL in SEWcial Club! Please refer to your emails through 4HOnline to register for the event!
It’s getting cold outside, and Christmas is almost here! For Jr. Leaders, the time is now to enjoy some holiday cheer! Our December meeting is on the 18th, and we hope to see you then! Wear your favorite “ugly” sweater and the contest you might win! We’ll have some of our old favorites, like the tasty hot cocoa bar. And we can’t wait for you to find out what all the new ones are! We will also help our CASA children by bringing a new, fun toy that will be donated to those in need to bring them Christmas joy. At the end of the night, we’ll have a gift exchange if you want to join in on the fun. We’ll gather in a circle and play a fun game to find out what present you’ve won! Bring a $15 present to participate, and you’ll go home with one, too. Try to pick something that would be sought by anyone in our fun crew! Our meeting will begin at 5:30 P.M. in the Ag Building that night. It will end at 7:30 P.M., so you will be going home in starlight. We’ll also review all the activities planned in the new year that will be forthcoming. If you have any questions, you can call the office at 985-446-1316. We can’t wait to see you in your Christmas attire with our whole Jr. Leader mix!
Broilers will be picked up on January 6th in Raceland at the Ag Building. Please make sure to bring a box to pick up your broilers. More information will be emailed to you prior to pick up.
The LA 4-H Food and Fitness Board is hosting a Food & Fitness Day Camp for 4th-6th graders. There are two locations:
Registration is now open and closes on January 5, 2026, in 4HOnline. The cost is $35 for youth and includes lunch. Payment may be made by credit/debit card in 4HOnline or by check made payable to LA 4-H Foundation, Attn: Brittney Fisher, 169 Knapp Hall, Baton Rouge, LA 70803. Adult volunteers are welcomed to attend but still need to register in 4HOnline. Adult registration is free!
The LA 4-H Fashion Board is hosting Fashion and Beyond on Tour for members in grades 5th-12th. There are two locations:
Registration is now open and closes January 6th. Your 4-H agent must start your registration in 4HOnline for the event. Call the 4-H Office at 985-446-1316 to register. The cost is $35 per person and can be paid through 4HOnline or by mailing a check to Bossier Parish 4-H, Attn: Jeannie Crnkovic, P. O. Box 370, Benton, LA 71006. Space is limited to the first 50 registrants at each site. Registration is not complete until payment is received. Attendees must bring a sack lunch and a 21”x27” terry dish towel and 2.5 yds. Of 1.5” ribbon that compliments the dish towel.
We are excited to host our Lafourche Parish Jr. Livestock Show in our newly renovated and updated facilities this year!The show is scheduled for January 16-17, 2026, at the Agriculture Building in Raceland. Animals must come in on the 16th starting at 5:00 p.m. for weigh in and health papers. All beef, dairy, sheep, goats and swine will show on the 17th.The show begins at 8:00 a.m. Good luck to all exhibitors!
The parish rabbit show will be held on January 17, 2026, 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 13th.A broadcast email was sent to all 4-H’ers in 4-HOnline 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 requires 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 will be at the parish rabbit show to issue health papers prior to the show judging to distribute papers. You will need to fill out a vet form by January 5th and email it to her at lafourcheanimalhospital@yahoo.com. The cost is $25.00 per health paper. If submitted after this date, a late fee of $50 will be charged.
Ground Beef, Rice & Sweet Potato Cookery
The Ground Beef, Rice & Sweet Potato Cookery will be held on Saturday, January 10, 2026, at the Ag. Building in Raceland. Registration is from 9:00 – 10:00 a.m.
***Important Safety Rules for Both Parish and Area Commodity Cookery Contests***
Food Safety – Food safety is an important consideration. The risk of food-borne illness is greatly increased when foods are held at room temperature for extended periods. Therefore, the dish must be prepared and chilled to refrigerator temperature and transported on ice in an ice chest to the contest.
DISHES NOT CHILLED AND TRANSPORTED IN THIS WAY WILL BE DISQUALIFIED BY CONTEST OFFICIALS. These dishes will not be tasted.
Dishes intended to be served hot will be warmed before the tasting. The contents of each dish will be disposed of after judging due to the risk of food-borne illness when foods are held at room temperature for extended periods.
Thank you for adhering to these food safety guidelines.
Rules for the contest are:
1.A copy of the recipe must be submitted with the dish on an index card.
2.Print name, grade, and school on the BACK of your recipe card.
3.Please do not send the entire dish, only a couple of servings for the judging in a disposable container.
Only one dish per commodity is allowed. Prepare your dish/dishes at home and bring it to the contest for judging. 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.
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 must 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 must 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 must be stated on the recipe.
Rice Cookery Contest (Only one rice dish can be entered.)
The dish must use at least one cup of 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. Crispy rice-type 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.
**NEW THIS YEAR** STEM Illustrated Talk
Contest will be held on January 10th at the Ag. Building. Registration is from 9:00 A.M. to 10:00 A.M. Judging begins at 10:00 A.M.
STEM Illustrated Talk contest allows youth to present an illustrated talk on an area within Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics. Topics include Aerospace, AI, Agronomy/Plant Science, Clothing/Textiles, Computer Science, Environment, Electric, Forestry/Woodworking, Home Environment, Horticulture, Insect/Entomology, Machines, Outdoor Skills, Photography, Pet Care, Veterinary Science, Horse, Livestock & Robotics. The three divisions are:
Division I – (Grades 4-5) Contestant can design (a) poster(s) 22” x 28” or a PowerPoint presentation (b) presents a 2-3 minute maximum explanation of posters or PowerPoint presentation and (c) responds to questions from judges. Costumes based on theme are acceptable.
Division II – (Grades 6-8) Contestant can design (a) poster(s) 22” x 28” or a PowerPoint presentation (b) presents a 3-5 minute maximum explanation of posters or PowerPoint presentation and (c) responds to questions from judges. Costumes based on theme are acceptable.
Division III – (Grades 9-12) Contestant can design (a) poster(s) 22” x 28” or a PowerPoint presentation (b) presents a 5-8 minute maximum explanation of posters or PowerPoint presentation and (c) responds to questions from judges. Costumes based on theme are acceptable.
Judging Contests
4-H members from each school can participate in these Pre-Achievement Day Contests on January 10th at the Ag Building and Arena Area 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.
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 & Senior Division, contestants will identify 20-25 cuts of meat (3 placing classes – Beef Carcasses, Pork Carcasses and Cuts class) 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
*Reasons Class
Study information is online at www.lsuagcenter.com under Parishes, Lafourche, 4-H.
Louisiana 4-H Food Challenge Coach Trainings for Adult Volunteers
Our Louisiana 4-H Food Challenge is a competitive cooking event where teams of 4-H members have 40 minutes to create a dish using a mystery ingredient and present it to a panel of judges. The Southern Regional Food Challenge competition will be held March 10th in Baton Rouge. Registration will open in January! Are you interested in becoming a Level I Food Challenge Coach for Lafourche Parish 4-H? Is your child interested in participating in this year’s Louisiana 4-H Food Challenge? If you answered “yes” to one or both questions, you are invited to register for the Food Challenge Coach Level I free online training in 4HOnline! Although this is not a requirement to have a team compete in this year’s Food Challenge, it is a great resource for those looking to expand their knowledge of the Food Challenge and how to better prepare the teams.
In addition to the Level I Coach Training, interested volunteers are invited to attend an optional Food Safety In-Person Training with 4-H agents and fellow volunteers. Although you do not have to have completed the Food Challenge Level I Coach Training (online), it is suggested that anyone interested in coaching a team completes both. Registration for the Food Safety In-Person Training is open in 4HOnline under Events and closes January 13th. The training will be held on Thursday, January 22, 2026, at the West Baton Rouge AgCenter Office, 210 Turner Road, Port Allen, LA, from 10:00 A.M. to 2:00 P.M. Lunch will be provided. Registration is FREE!
In an effort to recognize graduating 4-H seniors, the Louisiana 4-H Foundation sponsors the 4-H Honor Cord Award. If you are a senior in 4-H, you may be eligible to receive an honor cord for graduation. You must be enrolled in 4-H in good standing, have been a 4-H member in high school for at least three 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 have demonstrated exemplary parish-level program participation in the last three years. The 4-H Honor Cord Application for seniors is now completely online. Please visit the following 2026 4-H Honor Cord qualification and application link to secure your cord: Honor Cord App The deadline for submission is Monday, February 9, 2026. Please call Mrs. Suzanne at the 4-H Office at 985-446-1316 with any questions.
2026 Graduating seniors who are approved 4-H members are eligible to apply for both parish and state 4-H competitive scholarships. The application has been emailed to all approved 12th grade 4-H members in the parish through 4HOnline. We encourage all graduating seniors to submit an application, as there are several parish and state scholarships awarded each year! Please call Mrs. Suzanne at 985-446-1316 with any questions. The deadline to submit the application to the 4-H Office is by 4:30 P.M. on February 23, 2026. NO late applications will be accepted.
Have a wonderful holiday season with your families and a fabulous new year!
