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The Junior Leaders had a festive December meeting, exchanging gifts and participating in holiday stations that included cookie decorating, craft making, picture taking, snacks, and a hot cocoa bar. As their service activity, they collected new toys for the Lafourche CASA program.
The next meeting will be held January 15th at the Ag Building in Raceland at 5:30 P.M.
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.
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. Thank you for adhering to these important safety rules.
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. 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.
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 approximately noon or shortly afterwards. All dishes receive ribbons and champions will receive other prizes, as well. All dishes will be disposed of after judging for safety purposes.
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.
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.
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.
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. The STEM Illustrated Talk Contest is the only Illustrated Talk competition of the contest day.
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.
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.
The 4-H Shooting Sports Southern Regional Matches will be held in Port Allen, Gonzales, Alexandria, and Lecompte March 20-April 4, 2026. The state Hunting Skills competition will be held on February 28-29, 2026, at Woodworth Outdoor Education Center in Woodworth, LA. All registration forms and entry fees are due to the 4-H Office by January 23, 2026. Please make checks payable to Lafourche 4-H Foundation. All those competing must have completed at least 8 hours of Lafourche 4-H Shooting Sports scheduled practice by competition time to be eligible to compete. NO refunds will be issued once fees are turned into the 4-H Office. All Shooting Sports members have received the registration information via 4HOnline. 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, 2026, must be certified in Hunter Education and must turn in a copy of their hunter education certificate with the registration packet (even if he or she has turned one in in the past). A LDWF hunter education course was held on December 11th for our shooting sports athletes. Please call the 4-H Office with any questions.
The South Central District Livestock Show will be held January 28-31, 2026, at the St. Tammany Fairgrounds in Covington. 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 February 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 February Club meetings.
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 4:30 P.M. on February 23, 2026. NO late applications will be accepted.
This year’s Junior Leader Conference will be held March 6-8, 2026, 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 Wrangle your Potential! The cost is $150 per participant and is non-refundable, and members provide their own transportation. Space is very limited, so please contact the 4-H office to register by January 29th if you are interested.
The Sugar and Seafood Contest was held on November 1, 2025, at Galliano Elementary. The judges had the delicious job of sampling 469 dishes and there were 27 Healthy Living Illustrated Talks.
Poultry Day contests were held on December 6, 2025, at the Ag. Building in Raceland. A total of 344 dishes were entered in the Egg and Poultry Cookery along with 22 Illustrated Talk contestants. The winners are as follows:
Congratulations to the following 4-H’ers for winning the 4-H Spirit Poster Contest.
Division 1 Champion – Mason Cortez, Chackbay Elementary; Honorable Mention – Isabella Moore, Member at Large; and London Coulon, C.M. Washington
Division 2 Champion – Sawyer Hartman, St. Mary’s; Honorable Mention – Elizabeth Savoie, St. Joseph; and Sarah Chu, Bayou Community Academy
Division 3 Champion – Aubrey Burton, Val South; Honorable Mention – Jamie Ghere, eLearning
“Who Can I Help?”
This month’s Health Rocks! lesson focuses on the power of mentoring! Students will demonstrate the ability to use interpersonal communication skills to enhance health. Youth explore what it means to be a mentor and a mentee, discuss qualities of great role models, and brainstorm ways to support younger members—like reading together, teaching skills, or helping with homework. Mentoring builds empathy, communication, and leadership while encouraging healthy choices.
