January 17, 2012

Dean Scott Angle of the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES) has instituted a Strategic Planning Process to help chart the future of CAES. Dean Angle and the Strategic Planning Committee are seeking input of key partners and stakeholders of the College including 4-H stakeholders, 4-H friends and supporters.

Each of you supports the 4-H Program. We value your opinion and appreciate your input in this process. In order to obtain public participation, the College has scheduled six regional meetings across the state during January and February. If your schedule permits, we would encourage you to take the time to attend one of these meetings and share your ideas and suggestions for 4-H and the future of the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.

The five remaining regional public meetings are scheduled as follows:

January 25 - Griffin
January 31 - Rock Eagle
February 15 - Gainesville
February 21 - Acworth
February 29 - Vidalia

More details about the Strategic Planning Process can be found on the CAES Strategic Planning Process website.

If you are able to attend, we request that you register here.

Georgia 4-H started 2012 by continuing preparation for summer 4-H camp. Counselor Selection was held at Rock Eagle 4-H Center the first weekend in January with 61 applicants interviewing for positions as first year summer camp counselors, along with a long list of experienced counselors that have re-applied to be counselors. The summer camp leadership has been named for the summer of 2012 and we congratulate those young people and look forward to their building on the legacy of the Georgia 4-H summer camp counselor program just as many others have provided leadership for the past 50-plus years of the Georgia 4-H summer camping program.

The 2012 State 4-H Horse Quiz Bowl Competition was held this past weekend in Walton County.  Forty-two Junior Teams and 20 Senior Teams competed for top honors. Placing first in the Junior Competition was Gwinnett County Team A.  Team members were  Harrison Martin, Marissa Martin, Sabrina Sailer, Samantha Sailer and Cassidy Scott. Jasper County won second place and Pike County Team A won third. Placing first in the Senior Competition was Coweta County Team A.  Team members were Leah Pendleton, Ben Dennis, Courtney Lummus and Adam Pendleton.  Forsyth County placed second and Fayette County placed third. Coweta County Team A will have the opportunity to represent Georgia 4-H at the American Quarter Horse Youth Worlds in Oklahoma City, OK, this summer. 

We also want to congratulate Bartow County for winning first place in the Consumer Decisions Contest in Denver, Colorado at the beginning of this year. The Bartow County team is made up of Mary Clayton Gilbert, Emily Velazquez, Eli DeBroux and Colyn White, and they’re coached by Kathy Floyd and Kim Payne. They were able to attend the trip as a result of being state winner in the Cotton Boll and Consumer Jamboree Contest in December 2010. The Cotton Boll and Consumer Jamboree program is sponsored by the Georgia Cotton Commission and we appreciate Richey Seaton and Karen Nikitopoulos for their support of this project.

Spalding County 4-H Horse Quiz Bowl team placed third in the national contest held recently at the Western National 4-H Roundup in Denver, CO. The team members included Ashlyn Coffey, Gerrilynn Glass, Megan Reynolds, Ashton Shelnutt and Kacie Veal and the team was coached by Donna Shelnutt.

We congratulate all our winners and new summer camp counselor leadership.

2012 promises to be an exciting year for Georgia 4-H and we’re off to a great start. Earlier this month 4-H’ers submitted their portfolios for Junior/Senior Project Achievement competition which will be held at Rock Eagle 4-H Center during the first two weekends of February and the first two weekends of March.

We appreciate your continued support of the Georgia 4-H program and we hope to see you at a 4-H event in the near future.

Sincerely,