October 3, 2011

National 4-H Week is this week, October 2-8. Georgia 4-H’ers, along with other 4-H’ers across the nation, will celebrate the success of the nation’s largest youth development organization. During that week, 4-H’ers will be involved in showing livestock and demonstrating their knowledge learned in many different project areas at the Georgia National Fair in Perry, GA, which begins on October 6 and runs through October 16. While visiting the fair this year, we hope you will stop by Georgia 4-H’s Clover Café and enjoy a chicken combo basket. We appreciate the support of Perdue Farms and the Georgia Poultry Federation in making the Clover Café a success each year. Proceeds from the Clover Café are used to support the 4-H Poultry project and 4-H Poultry Judging Contest.

In late August, we held our State 4-H Land Judging Contest and the state winning team was from Decatur County. The Senior High Individual was Levi Adkins, Decatur County and the Junior High Individual was Joel Hunt, Dade County. Decatur County team members Levi Adkins, Stennes Austinson, and Josiah Austinson will represent Georgia at the National Land Judging Contest in Oklahoma City in May 2012.

Congratulations to the Hart County Forestry Judging Team of Jake Frye, Anna Holcombe, Anna Frye and Shelby Gaines for winning the 2011 State contest at Rock Eagle on Saturday, September 24, 2011.  Jake Frye was also the high individual. This is the second consecutive year that Hart County has won the state Forestry Judging Contest. 

Also in September, elementary and middle school students from all over the state attended the third biannual “Step Up and Lead” conference series. A joint effort of Georgia 4-H and the Georgia Association of Elementary and Middle School Principals,  “Step Up and Lead” conferences focus on cultivating leadership skills in elementary and middle school students while providing adult leaders with a framework for engaging these students when they return to school.  With conferences held at three 4-H centers in Dahlonega, Eatonton, and Tybee Island in September, attendance totaled 304 students and 48 adults statewide. The fourth biannual conference series will be held in March.

Georgia 4-H and the University of Georgia Bulldogs have been working together for 37 years to provide opportunities for 4-H’ers to attend a University of Georgia football game. On Saturday, September 17, the University of Georgia Bulldogs hosted the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers and the Bulldogs prevailed with a 59-0 win over the Chanticleers. It’s always great to see the 4-H flag flying over Sanford Stadium for a UGA football game; and, for the second consecutive year the Georgia mascot Russ wore a 4-H medallion to commemorate 4-H Day.

Speaking of those who seek to win the national championship, a number of
Georgia 4-H’ers have been honored as national champions during the past year. Will Walker of Turner County was named National Egg Preparation Contest winner last fall. Kathy Carpenter, Emilie Harvey, Megan Powell, and Deon Wallace of Johnson County were recognized as national winners in the Consumer Science Skill-a-Thon at the Western National Round-up in Denver, Colorado, this past January. The Tift County Poultry Judging team consisting of Sarah Harrison, Rachel Harrison, Michael Corbin, and T. J. Chesnut won first at the National Poultry Judging Contest. Most recently, Brittany Evans, Abby Harrison, Ashley Hollinshead, and Rachel Rice of Hart County won national in the 4-H Forestry Invitational Contest. I might also add that this is the ninth time Georgia has won the National 4-H Poultry Judging Contest. We congratulate all 4-H’ers in Georgia for the commitment to their project work and we especially congratulate these individuals and teams which received national recognition during the past year.

For the past five years National 4-H Congress delegates from all across the country have collected money to build a Habitat 4-H Humanity House in Georgia. It has affectionately been named the “Clover House”. Congress now needs the help of Georgia 4-H Alumni to actually build the house. The build day is Saturday, October 22nd.  Please register to help at the Atlanta Habitat for Humanity website. Directions for registering are below.

• Go to: http://www.atlantahabitat.volunteerhub.com and click on Register.
• Create a username and password.
• IMPORTANT – When prompted for a join code, enter 4H Alumni
• Follow the prompts to complete your registration.

Enlist your friends for this fun day of building. If you have questions you can contact Susan Stewart at 770-619-1232 or susan@sstewartmeetings.com

Georgia 4-H has already embarked on another exciting year and we certainly appreciate the continued public and private support that we receive from so many friends. If you’d like to know more about your local 4-H program, please contact your local county Extension office . 

Until next time, continue To Make the Best Better.

Sincerely,