The 2018 Train Like A Champion Event is being held on Saturday, July 21^st at the Washington County Fairgrounds!

This event will feature species clinics with Purina Livestock Ambassadors for Beef Cattle, Swine (clinic only, no show), Sheep and Goats along with excellent door prizes to be handed out.  In addition to the clinic, there will be a showmanship workout where showmen will get one-on-one instruction time with clinicians and livestock ambassadors. After the showmanship workout, there will be a Jackpot Showmanship Show, and capping the event with off a Prospect Show. The Heifer show will even feature a separate Commercial Heifer division for non-registered females.

The Train Like A Champion event is designed for novice showmen to get out and gain valuable in-ring experience, improve their showmanship skills and ask questions to help provide a positive experience with their livestock projects. Families with livestock that need to get out and make a trip or two to town before their target show will also benefit from participating in the 2018 TLC event.

Entry fees are $20/head until July 16th and $30/head July 17th up to the day of the event. Families who register before July 9th will receive a free Train Like a Champion t-shirt.

Please see packet for additional information and entry form: 2018 Train Like a Champion Packet. If you have questions, contact the Washington County Extension Office at 979-277-6212.

 

Fayette County Fair is excited to host the 2^nd Fayette County Fair Food Challenge Contest on Thursday, August 2 at the Fayette County Fairgrounds in La Grange. This contest is open to any Texas 4-H, FFA or FCCLA member. There is a $30 entry fee per team and entry forms and fees must be postmarked by July 24, 2018. For more information and entry form visit: Fayette County Fair Food Challenge.

Friendly reminder that the deadline to apply for the 4-H Water Ambassadors Program is May 20. Students entering 9^th-11^th grades are eligible. Seniors may also apply, but must be highly motivated and committed to fulfill their service hour requirement in the next year.

For an overview of program and application information visit: 4-H Water Ambassadors Program

Information is now posted for the 2018 District 11 Junior Leadership Lab: https://d114-h.tamu.edu/events-and-contests/junior-leader-lab/

Junior Leadership Lab will be held July 10, 2018 at Matagorda Bay Nature Park. Registration will be open May 1 on 4-H Connect.

Registration for District 11 Recordbook Judging will be open June 1 – 29, 2018. The entry fee is $7 per book and registration is via 4-H Connect. For more information, visit: https://d114-h.tamu.edu/events-and-contests/d11-recordbooks/.

Please be sure to contact your county office for recordbook deadlines specific to your county.

Registration is now open on 4-H Connect for the 2018 District 11 Leadership Lab which will be held June 20-22 at McKinney Roughs Nature Park. For more information visit: https://d114-h.tamu.edu/events-and-contests/leadership-lab/.

 

Information for the 2018 District 11 4-H Horse Show is now posted to the District 11 website: https://d114-h.tamu.edu/events-and-contests/horse-show/.  Registration will be open now through May 18.  After May 18, there is a $25 late registration fee.

Horse show T-shirts will be available for sale here:  https://secure.touchnet.com/C21490_ustores/web/classic/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCTID=10219

Please note the April 15 validation deadline. On April 16, validation fees go up to $20 per horse and after May 1 they are $250 per horse.

The Texas 4-H Program and Texas 4-H Youth Development Foundation are excited to one again partner with National 4-H to reconnect with 4-H Alumni across Texas and our country.  The 2018 Raise Your Hand campaign will run from April 1st – May 15th.  Each county 4-H Program is encouraged to join with us in promoting the Raise Your Hand campaign through the use of social media and other marketing assets during the six week campaign period.

The purpose of Raise Your Hand is to encourage our 4-H friends and alumni to raise their hand and help pay it forward for the next generation of 4-H members.  The goal is to have as many alumni sign up and then at the end of the campaign each county will receive a list of those alumni from their county.  County offices are encouraged to reach out to these alumni and involve them in 4-H by signing their children up for 4-H (if not already), or asking them to volunteer, or maybe becoming a donor to the program.

What is in it for YOUR COUNTY?!? In addition to the list of names you will receive, National 4-H Council has committed $20,000, $10,000 and $5,000 prizes to the top three states that have the most alumni sign up during the campaign period (April 1st to May 15th).  Texas 4-H is confident that we can bring home this grand prize and want to offer an incentive to counties to be part of the award if we win.  If Texas wins one of the three monetary prizes, half of the funds will go directly back to the top ten counties in the form of mini-grants to help enhance and promote 4-H programs in your county.

For more information visit: 4-h.org/RaiseYourHand

 

National 4-H Congress is the flagship event of the National 4-H program held annually at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Atlanta, Georgia. The 2018 National 4-H Congress will be held November 23-27, 2018. Texas 4-H members can apply starting April 1^st and ending on April 20^th .  The applications will be on 4-H CONNECT and are required to have two reference letters, one of which should be from a County Extension Agent. There is no fee to apply . Selected applicants will be notified on April 30th. Face-to-face interviews will be held in College Station on Monday, June 11^th.

Once the delegation is selected, the participation fee is $1,500 which cover:

• Congress registration (includes most meals)
• Roundtrip airfare
• Ground transportation in Atlanta
• Lodging at the Hyatt Regency
• Educational tours
• States lunch
• State photograph
• Trading pins
• Commemorative shirt.

Registration DOES NOT cover:

• Getting to and from selected airport
• Spending money for souvenirs
• Meals while traveling to and from Atlanta.

In order to attend, youth MUST be in grades 9 – 12 at the time of the event.

For more information, please see National Congress Information Packet.