October 2023 Features

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Celebrate 2023 National 4 H Week – October 1st through 7th!

Denise Echelbarger

2023 National 4‑H Week is October 1 – 7!

Every year, National 4-H Week sees millions of youth, parents, volunteers and alumni come together to celebrate the many positive youth development opportunities offered by 4-H. The theme for this year’s National 4-H Week, , is a campaign that was created by National 4-H Council to rally support for Cooperative Extension’s 4-H program and identify solutions to eliminate the opportunity gap that affects 55 million kids across America.

With so many children struggling to reach their full potential, 4-H believes that young people, in partnership with adults, can play a key role in creating a more promising and equitable future for youth, families and communities across the country. In 4-H, we believe every child should have an equal opportunity to succeed. We believe every child should have the skills they need to make a difference in the world.

To learn more about how you can get involved, visit extension.wsu.edu/4h/

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October 1, 2023 marked the beginning of a NEW Year for 4-H!

Sign in to your accounts or register online at v2.4honline.com

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Save The Date! Washington State 4-H Volunteer Recognition Luncheon – October 28th!

Jana Ferris

Please join us in honoring our volunteers! Our 2023/2022 Volunteer Recognition Luncheon will be held Saturday, October 28 at 12:30 p.m. at The Armory in Ellensburg, WA. All state awardees (Alumni Award, Salute to Excellence Ten Year and Lifetime, Heather Rider Award, Volunteer Staff Award, [state] Friend of 4-H AND Hall of Fame) for years 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023 will be honored. Volunteers of the Year and Teen Leaders of the Year for 2022 and 2023 will be honored through narrated video during the program.

 

All state awardees will receive an invitation directly to reserve their space at the event and will RSVP as indicated on their invitations. Others may attend at a $20/person cost; registration for non-awardees opens on Friday, September 22 and can be found at:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/722452523947

Contact Jana Ferris at ferrisj@wsu.edu or 360-548-3301

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Table Sponsorship Packages Are Available for the 2023 4-H Washington State Volunteer Recognition Luncheon

Denise Echelbarger

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TSC Fall Paper Clover Campaign Kicks Off on October 4th!

Denise Echelbarger

The Fall 2023 Tractor Supply 4-H Clover Campaign is coming soon!. Tractor Supply campaign funds are to support 4-H camp and leadership experiences.

Planning to work with your local Tractor Supply Store? The store managers and cashiers have a lot on their plate, so it’s usually helpful if the local 4-H clubs/program can reach out (https://www.tsceventpartners.com/events/signup/1). That interaction can look different, depending on the situation. The clubs can ask to set up a table or display featuring the 4-H program in the store. It could also be as simple as telling them “thank you,” or having a foods member bring them a plate of cookies for the breakroom.  Anything we can do to stay top of mind is helpful.  The campaign will happen either way – because it’s programmed into the pin pad now – but when you’ve got employees who care about the 4-H program and are physically asking, it’s always going to be more successful.

Best wishes for a successful Fall Paper Clover Campaign!

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State 4-H Fair Board Seeks Qualified Candidates For State 4-H Fair Manager Position Opening 

 

The State 4-H Fair Manager Position Is Now Open!

The job description for the State 4-H Fair Manager position is available for download by clicking HERE.

The State 4-H Fair Manager is not a WSU position, but reports directly to the State 4-H Fair Board.  The salary is $32,500, paid in twelve monthly installments.  There are no benefits associated with this position.

This is a part time position of about 1,000 hours annually, with extended hours during August and September, during the fair cycle in Puyallup, Washington.

The position will remain open until filled.

Please forward your cover letter and resume to:

Washington State 4-H Fair Board
PO Box 1225
Puyallup, Washington, 98371-0233

or by email to the Fair Board at st4hfair@gmail.com.

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Ask  Dr. Universe

Besides Telescopes and Spaceships, How Do We Really Know That There Are Other Planets? — Ia, 12, Montana

Check out the latest episode of the Ask Dr. Universe podcast and meet 17-year-old Adah Crandall, a youth climate organizer. She got started as a middle schooler!

Dear Ia,

I looked through a high-power telescope for the first time in college. I couldn’t believe how many stars I saw. It’s hard to imagine all the planets orbiting all those stars. I talked about how we know those planets are out there with my friend Jose Vazquez. He’s an astronomer at Washington State University.

He told me that scientists look for planets outside our solar system using a number of instruments—like a photometer. That’s a tool that attaches to a telescope and measures light. The sun and eight major planets make up our solar system. All the planets outside our solar system are called extrasolar planets or exoplanets. Some of them are called hot Jupiters. Exoplanets orbit other stars—just like we orbit the sun.

The closest exoplanet is nearly 25 trillion miles away. Scientists can’t point a telescope and look directly at a planet that distant. They can’t send a rover that far. Instead, they look for clues that a planet is there. One clue is called a light curve. Imagine you’re facing a distant star with a planet. As the planet orbits its star, sometimes it will pass between you and the star. The star’s light will get dimmer as the planet passes by. Then it will get brighter again.

Scientists measure a star’s light using a photometer. They take lots of measurements over time. Then they plot them into a graph called a light curve. Any time the light dims, there’s a dip in the graph. The dip shows when the planet passed in front of the star. Generally, the deeper the dip, the bigger the planet. Scientists also use a light curve to tell how long it takes the planet to orbit its star. They can even tell how hot the planet is and how thick its atmosphere is.

Here’s what a light curve looks like, credit: KuriwaObs

In 2009, NASA wanted to see how many Earth-sized exoplanets they could find. They wanted to learn more about the universe. They wanted to see if there were other planets that could support life. So, they launched a giant space telescope called Kepler. Its main instrument was a photometer. It zoomed around measuring the light from different stars. Then, scientists made light curves and looked for exoplanets. So far, scientists have found more than 5,500 exoplanets. They’ve found many more possible exoplanets. Scientists are still combing through the Kepler data. Plus, another space telescope called TESS took over when Kepler ran out of fuel.

You don’t have to be an astronomer to hunt for exoplanets. Anybody can use robot-powered telescopes online to look for planets and other objects in space. Or you can look through the data from Kepler yourself. “The MicroObservatory Telescope Network is for anybody who’s interested in extrasolar systems,” Vazquez said. “With just a few clicks, students can take pictures and try to make contributions to finding these planets.”

That’s an invitation to do community science that’s out of this world.

Sincerely,
Dr. Universe

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Dr. Universe: Why do cats purr? – Kaylee, 11, Kentucky

Dear Kaylee,

I purr all. the. time. I purr when I get a good question like yours. I purr when I finish answering a question. I even purr when I’m struggling to find an answer. Luckily, Dr. Sarah Guess says that’s normal. She’s a veterinarian at Washington State University. She told me that cats purr when they’re content and when they’re stressed out. It can be a little confusing for humans.

Scientists have two ideas about why cats purr. It could have come from the way mother cats care for kittens. Or it could keep their bones and tissues healthy. But experts don’t agree on the answer yet.

“This is a hotly debated topic among scientists,” Guess said. “Purring is something unique to cats, and when it comes to cat communication, we’re just starting to scratch the surface.”

We do know how cats purr. A cat’s brain sends a message to muscles in the cat’s throat. Those muscles begin to twitch. As the cat breathes, air whooshes over the muscle, bone and tissue in the throat. They vibrate, and that makes the rumbling sound we call a purr.

A cat’s purr can be low or high frequency. That means the sounds move through the air at different speeds. Low purrs and high purrs sound slightly different. Some scientists think purring evolved as a way for moms and kittens to understand each other. Maybe low purrs and high purrs mean different things.

“One thought is that the different frequencies of purring relate to whether the cat is more content or more stressed,” Guess said. “That offers feedback from kitten to mother or mother to kitten.”

So, mother cats might learn how their kittens feel based on their purrs. Then, they know which kitten needs help. They might purr back to help soothe the kittens. Maybe grownup cats purr to soothe themselves. Maybe they purr to tell you that you’re making them feel safe and happy like their mother. Or to ask you to fix something that’s stressful like a slightly empty food bowl.

We know some cats knead while purring. That’s for sure a throwback to when they were kittens. Kneading on their mothers’ tummies while nursing helped the kittens get more milk. The other idea for why cats purr is that the frequency of the purr vibration may be healing.

“Cats tend to be inactive for a lot of the day with sudden bursts of activity surrounding feedings,” Guess said. “So, maybe purring creates vibrations that help maintain bone and tissue structure while the cats are in those inactive periods.”

So, it’s possible cats purr to heal themselves and stay strong. There’s even some research that shows that vibrations at the precise frequencies that house cats purr at can help heal human bones and tissues. Maybe your cat purrs to heal its own body or to heal you. Only a few kinds of cats purr at those frequencies—including cougars. Since I’m a house cat and a cougar, maybe I should spend more time aiming my extra-powerful purrs at my human friends.

Sincerely,
Dr. Universe

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Get more questions and answers here!

Know a kid with a science question?
Help them submit it for a chance to be featured in a future Q&A.

Submit a question!

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Q and A Sessions for the Washington 4-H Horse Program Continue – Now On First Wednesdays!

Have questions about the Washington 4-H horse program? Our monthly Q and A for leaders, parents, members, and staff will now be meeting on the first Wednesday of each month via Zoom from 6:30 to 7:30 pm. beginning June 7th.

Zooms are structured around the theme/parameters of horses and youth development. They are more than “what are the rules.” There is also time set aside for input on future topics for subsequent Zooms. The Zoom meeting ID is 452-082-9765 with no passcode. You must have a zoom account to participate.

The meetings are facilitated by Kim Baker, State 4-H Equine Coordinator.

Feel free to contact Kim with any questions at kim.baker@wsu.edu.

 

August News and Views Features

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4-H Ambassadors State-Wide Food Drive Reaches Checkpoint 2!

Berklie Sheppard

 Hello everyone!

“Hunger Doesn’t Take a Vacation” Food Drive Checkpoint 2 is here! If you and your county collected food for the drive in the month of July, please fill out the google form below by August 4th. Whichever county donated the most items will receive recognition on social media and be sent a certificate of achievement!

Click This Google Form Link: Copy of “HDTV” Food Drive: Check 2

The Food Drive Flyers link below will take you to our flyer template. This way you can let your community know where and when you will be collecting food. The QR code on the Printing Flyer will take you to our information page. This just has our general rules and guidelines. We ask that, if you decide to spread the word on social media, you add the link in the description so that the viewers have access to the page as well.

Food Drive Flyers: https://www.canva.com/design/DAFl6fdeKIA/VsqJedY-j6Dwf09WaZ-3Gw/edit?utm_content=DAFl6fdeKIA&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link2&utm_source=sharebutton 

Information Page Link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/15JYnE_sbAUfHl8FJRHC9MGplOy_yzWFNx8GA-6cNEgQ/edit

The end of our Food Drive and the last Checkpoint will be August 31st. If you have not already done so, we encourage you to take pictures and send them to the WA 4-H State Ambassador email below. We love hearing updates and getting the opportunity to answer your questions!

Berklie Sheppard, Asotin County
WA State Ambassador Team
wa4hsa@gamil.com

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2023 Washington 4-H State Livestock Judging Contest Recap

Paul Kuber

The 2023 Washington 4-H State Livestock Judging contest took place on Saturday, June 24th, with 112 contestants participating over the three divisions. The event was a success as a result of the many hands that pulled it together.

A big thank you goes out to my colleagues and volunteers, our sponsors for the event, and most importantly to the Grant County Fairgrounds and Staff – their in-kind donations of staff and facilities made this event possible.

Below are the results of the Senior, Intermediate and Junior Divisions, listed by the top three teams in each division.  Detailed Scoring Summaries can be found HERE, and Final Results can be found  HERE.

Junior Division (26 Individuals and 5 Teams)

First – Adams County
Second – Lincoln County
Third – Spokane County

Intermediate Division (42 Individuals and 9 Teams)

First – Lincoln County
Second – Garfield County
Third – Grant County

Senior Division (44 Individuals and 9 Teams) –

First – Adams County
Second – Pend Oreille County
Third – Snohomish County

 

We are in the process of determining the best location for access to additional photos aside from the first place teams attached here. A future feature will include more contest reports, as well as the travel opportunities chosen by the first place teams. Stay tuned!

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Visit Pullman to Celebrate 4-H Day With Cougar Football On September 23rd!

Denise Echelbarger

 Save the date! Celebrate 4-H Day with the Cougs in Pullman on September 23rd vs. the Oregon State University Beavers at Martin Stadium.
Game time is yet to be determined. Discounted tickets are available!

4-H Day with the Cougs!
Discounted Tickets Available 

PURCHASE HERE

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Register For The Inaugural Washington 4-H State Meats Judging Contest!

Paul Kuber

The inaugural Washington 4-H State Meats Judging Contest will take place at the WSU Meats Lab in Pullman, WA on August 12, 2023.  Contest Rules and Guidelines for the State Contest and the Registration link are included below.  These are also linked on the state 4-H calendar on the date of the event.  The registration link is on the Washington 4-H State Meats Judging Contest page; General Rules and Guidelines are linked HERE

Early registration is due by August 1st, $20 per individual.  After that, registration fees increase to $30, but will remain open up to the day of the contest. 

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Volunteer to Support the Washington State 4-H Fair

State Fair Board

The Washington State 4-H Fair board encourages individuals with an interest in serving youth development to offer their time and talents in support of the State 4-H Fair as volunteers. Please send an email to 4-H Fair Board President Kirk Gresham at st4hfair@gmail.com with any questions, for more information, or to volunteer. Thank You!

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Donate to the Washington State 4-H Fair

4-H State Fair Board

 Every year, the Washington State 4-H Fair Board ensures the continuation and success of 4-H programs old and new alike, from purchasing trophies and ribbons, buckles and banners for awards to fair participants to scheduling and facilitating events and more. This year, the State 4-H Fair Board is asking for your donations to assist the board in its efforts to provide youth an environment that fosters caring relationships, constructive learning experiences, leadership opportunities and to serve our communities.

Please contact a State 4-H Fair board member for more information.
st4hfair@gmail.com

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State 4-H Fair Manager Position Opening
Fair Board Seeks Qualified Candidates

 

The State 4-H Fair Manager Position Is Available! Job description available HERE.

The State 4-H Fair Manager is not a WSU position, but reports directly to the State 4-H Fair Board.  The salary is $32,500, paid in twelve monthly installments.  There are no benefits associated with this position. This is a part time position of about 1,000 hours annually, with extended hours during August and September, during the fair cycle in Puyallup, Washington. The position will remain open until filled.

Please email your cover letter and resume to the Fair Board at st4hfair@gmail.com or by mail at:

Washington State 4-H Fair Board
PO Box 1225
Puyallup, Washington, 98371-0233

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Washington 4-H State Fair Exhibitor Guide Updated for 2023

Kirk Gresham

 The State 4-H Fair Board has updated the 2023 Fair Exhibitor guide.  Several sections, including the judging contest and equine portions, have undergone major changes.  There is also a new Class 10 – 4-H Youth Showcase which gives our youth an opportunity to display their 4-H experiences on Labor Day Weekend!

Links to the complete guide, as well as each separate section, can be found at https://extension.wsu.edu/4h/fairs/state-4-h-fair/exhibitor-guide/

Please read the guide carefully and let us know if there are additional refinements which may be helpful at st4hfair@gmail.com.

Kirk Gresham, State 4-H Fair Board, President

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Washington State 4-H Youth Showcase Coming to State Fair Labor Day Weekend

Peggy Gresham, State Fair Board

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Donations Requested For State 4-H Fair Horse Medals

 

Attention County 4-H Horse Program — 4-H Staff; Volunteers, Donors, and Families! Donations are needed for medals for the Equine section of the 2023 State Fair for Champion (gold); Reserve Champion (silver); and Third Place (bronze). as well as for Groom Squad teams — Champion, Reserve, and Third Place. These are awarded for all 4-H horse exhibits — performance; driving; small equine, and western games.

For Equine Presentations and Horse Judging, we are blessed to already have donors for this state fair activity. Also, we had donors for the State Horse Bowl and State Hippology contests that occurred in May 2023.

The total cost for 2023 4-H State Fair medals will be approximately $2,000. Any contribution, large or small,  will help. From a funding capacity perspective — if there are not enough donations, there may be a possibility that bronze and/or silver medals may not be offered.

Please encourage folks to donate. The medals have been offered for many years through generous donations and are not provided for by the State 4-H Fair. Make checks payable to Snohomish County 4-H Horse program and mail to Pat Pehling at 7310 83^rd Ave SE, Snohomish WA 98290.

If you have questions about the medals, please contact Pat, Snohomish County 4-H key volunteer, at pehling@frontier.com.

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State Dog Committee Optional Assessment for 2022-23 Program Year

 

The state 4-H Dog leaders committee has implemented a sustainable way of funding the needs of the State Dog Project in regard to awards, equipment and other requirements in order to provide an outstanding experience for each of our 4-H members who attend state-level events.

The State 4-H Dog leaders committee asks each county dog program to contribute an assessment, a $3.00 fee for the exhibitor allotment for your county dog show days at State Fair from the previous year.  This is a suggested donation amount and since this allotment is based on the county entries at State Fair from the previous year, it provides a sustainable and equitable way for each county to support the State Dog Project.

For example, if your county had a State Fair allotment of ten; your county suggested contribution would be $30.00 for the current year.  You may find out your allotment for the current year from your county Extension office 4-H staff or you may send an email to the contacts listed below.   Please note that this assessment is not mandatory and does not in any way affect your county dog program’s participation in 4-H state events – but provides an opportunity to support the State 4-H Dog Project.

We would like to receive your donation by August 1st. Please make your checks payable to the WA ST 4-H Dog Project and mail to:
Sarah Gunderson
P.O. Box 850
Carnation, WA  98014-0850

If you have questions regarding specifics details on how the funds are used or allocated, please contact the individuals listed below.

Sarah Gunderson, State Dog committee treasurer
sarahgcpa@gmail.com

Barb Taylor, State Dog Committee member
barb@nventure.com

Kari Smith-Schlecht, State Dog Committee member
jeskarsk9@aol.com

On behalf of the State 4-H Dog committee, thank you for your support.

Submitted by Jennifer Leach, 4-H faculty liaison to the State Dog Committee and assessment request approved by Mark Heitstuman, Interim State Program Director

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Ask Dr. Universe: Why Do Dogs Have Tails? – Bailey, 7, Ohio

 

Do you love science and writing? You might enjoy the latest Ask Dr. Universe podcast.
My guest, Sara Zaske, writes about all kinds of science—and she edits my column every week before I send it to you. 

Dr. Universe: Why do dogs have tails? – Bailey, 7, Ohio

Dear Bailey,

My best friend is a golden retriever. When I get home, she greets me with a goofy smile and a big wag of her fluffy tail.

I talked about why she has a tail with my friend Jillian Haines. She’s a veterinarian at Washington State University.

She told me dogs use their tails for lots of things. Tails help dogs balance while running, jumping or swimming. Tails help dogs communicate with each other and other animals. Some dogs in the Arctic—like sled dogs—use their tails to stay warm. They curl up and cover their noses with their fluffy tails.

When a dog is moving, its tail acts as a counterbalance. When you need to balance yourself, you probably stick out your arms. That’s what a dog’s tail does, too. If the dog starts tipping one way, it can stick its tail the other way to stay balanced.

“It is also used for making sharp turns,” Haines said. “Breeds like greyhounds that are fast runners, have a whip-shaped tail. They can use it to make a quick turn. It also balances them when they’re jumping.”

Some dogs are good swimmers. They use their tails for balance and steering in the water. It works like a boat’s rudder.

Tails are also important for communication.

“It’s how dogs talk to each other—and it’s part of how they talk to us,” Haines said. “Depending on how that tail is held, it can tell us the dog is feeling happy or excited. It can tell us the dog is scared. It can say they’re ready to play. Or it can say to stay away.”

Not all tail wags are the same. A happy dog usually holds its tail softly and wags it in a chill way. An angry dog might wag its tail, too. That dog might hold its tail high and stiff. It may wag its tail very fast.

The direction of the tail wag sends a message, too. Dogs usually wag their tails to the right when they see something they like—such as their human. They usually wag their tails to the left when they want to stay away from something—like another aggressive dog.

But some dogs are born without long tails. These include corgis, Boston terriers, bulldogs, and some Australian shepherds and spaniels.

“For those dogs, having a tail can make it harder for them to do their jobs or can be a source of injury,” Haines said. “A low-to-the-ground herding dog could get their tail stepped on by a cow. A tail can get stuck when squeezing through obstacles or tight areas.”

So, humans have bred some dogs to have a bobtail instead of a long tail. These dogs can still wag.

“That little wagging nubbin is just as cute and rewarding to see as a big fluffy tail,” Haines said.

Just don’t tell that to my bestie.

Sincerely,
Dr. Universe

Why do we get rashes on our skin? – Claire, 9, Virginia

Dear Claire,

I’ve been allergic to fleas ever since I was a kitten. Flea bites give me an itchy, red rash.

I talked about why that happens with my friend Bevan Briggs. He’s a nurse practitioner and professor at Washington State University. Nurse practitioners are nurses with advanced training. They diagnose illnesses, order tests and prescribe medicine.

Briggs told me that often rashes happen when the immune system gets turned on. The immune system is the body’s defense system.

“It’s the way our body tries to protect us from germs and poisons,” he said. “Rashes happen because your immune system identifies something as foreign—either an infective agent or some kind of toxin.”

When a flea bites me, it punctures my skin with its sharp mouthparts. Then, it feeds on my blood. A little bit of the flea’s saliva drips into my body.

My immune system knows that flea saliva isn’t part of my body. It’s an invader—and invaders could be dangerous. So, my immune system sends out special cells and chemicals to deal with it.

Some of the chemicals my immune system activates are called histamines. They do a couple things. They send signals to rev up my immune response. It’s like screaming, “Over here!” Histamines also cause my blood vessels to become a little bit leaky. Both those things help my immune system get special cells and chemicals to the right place. They also cause symptoms like my rash.

So, my rash isn’t caused by fleas directly. It happens when my immune system responds to the flea saliva.

Sometimes invaders—like some viruses—damage cells before the immune system gets there. That can cause a rash, too. The immune system will sense the damage. It will send immune cells and chemicals to fight the virus and fix the damage.

Most of the time, the immune system works well. Without it, we would be sick all the time.

But sometimes it gets a little overeager. That’s like my flea allergy. Flea saliva isn’t going to kill me. But my immune system launches a huge response anyway. That can happen if someone is allergic to a medicine, too.

Sometimes the immune system gets confused. It may recognize the body’s healthy cells as invaders and try to fight them. That’s called autoimmunity. It can also cause rashes.

Briggs told me that rashes often get better on their own—but it’s a good idea to talk to a nurse practitioner or other healthcare provider if you have a rash. They’ll help you figure out what’s causing the rash and how to treat it.

That’s awe-flea good news if you’re itchy.

Sincerely,
Dr. Universe

 

Get more questions and answers here!

Know a kid with a science question?
Help them submit it for a chance to be featured in a future Q&A.

Submit a question!

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Updated PNW Horse Judges List Is Now Available!

Jennifer Leach

An updated PNW Horse Judges List is now available. It can be found at https://s3.wp.wsu.edu/uploads/sites/2050/2023/05/PNW-Horse-Judges-3.14.23..pdf

Counties are encouraged to select 4-H Horse judges off the PNW 4-H horse judges list. However, in Washington our policy is not to mandate that judges come from this list. However, if a county choose to hire a judge that is not on the PNW 4-H horse judge’s list—we encourage the counties to select a judge that understands 4-H youth development, has access to the PNW 4-H Horse contest guide, understands and judges according to the Danish system of judging and understands the value of providing positive comments in judging. The philosophy in the Washington 4-H program in horses—is that the “judge is an educator”.

In regard to the PNW 4-H Horse Contest Guide—Washington is still waiting for the final version from our PNW partner, Oregon. In the meantime, we are working on an “addendum” to specifically outline the very minimal changes to the PNW 4-H Horse Contest Guide.

Questions? Please reach out to Jennifer Leach, State Contact for 4-H horses at jleach@wsu.edu

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Q and A Sessions for the Washington 4-H Horse Program

Now On First Wednesdays!

 

Have questions about the Washington 4-H horse program? Our monthly Q and A for leaders, parents, members, and staff will now be meeting on the first Wednesday of each month via Zoom from 6:30 to 7:30 pm. beginning June 7th.

Zooms are structured around the theme/parameters of horses and youth development. They are more than “what are the rules.” There is also time set aside for input on future topics for subsequent Zooms. The Zoom meeting ID is 452-082-9765 with no passcode. You must have a zoom account to participate.

The meeting will be facilitated by Jennifer Leach, WSU Extension 4-H State Fair Board Staff Liaison.

.Feel free to contact Jennifer with any questions at LeachJ@co.cowlitz.wa.us.

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Announcement of Dressage Tests for the 2023 4-H State Fair

 

• The dressage tests for English dressage at the 2023 4-H State Fair will be Test 3 for both Training Level 1 and First Level.
• Western Dressage has come back for the 2023 4-H State Fair and Test 3 for both Basic Level and Level 1.
• 4-H horse members will only be able to ride either English Dressage or Western Dressage, but not both, due to time constraints related to arena time.

These tests are available on the respective governing organizations—United States Dressage Federation (USDF) for English (https://www.usdf.org/) and the the Western Dressage Association of America for Western dressage (https://www.westerndressageassociation.org)

The Western Dressage Association of America is the governing body for the Washington State 4-H Horse program. The information in the 2015 PNW 4-H Horse Contest guide on page 20 is outdated. In Washington, we do not use the North American Western (NAW) dressage tests.

Submitted by Jennifer Leach, WSU Extension 4-H State Fair Board Staff Liaison. E-mail Jennifer at LeachJ@co.cowlitz.wa.us.

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Reining Pattern for 2023 4-H State Fair Now Available

 

The 4-H State Fair reining pattern is now posted on the horse page on the WSU 4-H webpage located at https://extension.wsu.edu/4h/projects/animal-science/companion-performance/horse/

Reining will once again be offered at State Fair for Seniors only. The reining pattern is the same as last year to encourage participation since this is only the second year of 4-H reining. And also includes the scoresheet as an educational and judging tool.

There will be additional reining patterns for county level use that are reflective of basic reining and/or introductory reining. More to come next week.

For those who do reining–it is a series of circles, stop, back, figure 8, flying changes, roll backs, and/or spins. And based on skill level and/or complexity of the series of movements.

Submitted by Jennifer Leach, Chair of the “Ad Hoc Reining Committee” and 4-H State Fair board 4-H Staff Liaison. E-mail Jennifer at LeachJ@co.cowlitz.wa.us.

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Updated August 1, 2023

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State 4-H Ambassadors Organize State-Wide Food Drive! 

 Berklie Sheppard

Hello! My name is Berklie Sheppard, and I am one of the new WA State Ambassadors. We are doing a state-wide food drive called “Hunger Doesn’t Take a Vacation.”

The food drive just had its first checkpoint on June 30th. These checkpoints allow us to see how the counties are doing collecting food and if they need any help along the way. Whichever county has collected the most items by the checkpoint will get a certificate and recognition on social media.

The next two checkpoints will be July 31st and August 31st.

Thank you!

Berklie Sheppard
WA 4-H State Ambassadors
wa4hsa@gmail.com

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Washington State 4-H Dairy Judging Contest

Set For July 18th

Gary Fredricks

The State 4-H Dairy Judging contest determines the individuals that will represent Washington participating at the National event in 2024.

This year the contest will be held: on July 18, 2023, at the Fairgrounds in Monroe, Washington, starting at 11:00 am.

If you have an individual 4-H’er or team that wants to compete, please contact Gary Fredricks at 360-577-3014 Ext. 3 or at garyf@wsu.edu. 

Gary Fredricks
WSU Extension\Cowlitz County
304 Cowlitz Way
Kelso, WA 98626
360-577-3014  Ext. 3
garyf@wsu.edu

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Washington 4-H State Fair Exhibitor Guide Updated for 2023

Kirk Gresham

 The State 4-H Fair Board has updated the 2023 Fair Exhibitor guide.  Several sections, including the judging contest and equine portions, have undergone major changes.  There is also a new Class 10 – 4-H Youth Showcase which gives our youth an opportunity to display their 4-H experiences on Labor Day Weekend!

Links to the complete guide, as well as each separate section, can be found at https://extension.wsu.edu/4h/fairs/state-4-h-fair/exhibitor-guide/

Please read the guide carefully and let us know if there are additional refinements which may be helpful at st4hfair@gmail.com.

Kirk Gresham, State 4-H Fair Board, President

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Washington State 4-H Youth Showcase Coming to State Fair Labor Day Weekend

Peggy Greham, State Fair Board

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Host Families Needed for Inbound International Summer Delegates

Carolyn Russo

Have you ever wanted to experience another culture through hosting?

Consider opening your home to a short-term visiting delegate. This summer we have eighteen young people visiting from Japan and Taiwan – for the first time – for about a month. We are looking for host families who have a child in the home of the same gender and within three years of age of the delegate. The 4-H International Exchange program is a learning opportunity that allows one to learn about another culture, develop friendships and learn something about oneself. Delegates are here to experience cultural immersion, not tourism, so there are no required gatherings, tours or site seeing requirements. We are looking for families who will open their hearts to a short-term international experience. Although this is a 4-H opportunity, families do not need to be in 4-H to participate.

For questions or more information, contact Carolyn Russo, carolyn.russo@wsu.edu

Hosting Dates: Sunday July 23-Wednesday August 16, 2023

Hosting Application: https://www.states4hexchange.org/apply/host/

Delegates are to be matched in a family with a child of the same gender and within three years of age. Usually we match an older Asian delegate to younger youth.

 Adult chaperones and helpers do not need children in the home and are often hosted by two families during the exchange time.

 Families may host two delegates providing they are from different countries.

 Below are links to delegate lists in .pdf document form. These delegates are given a number and the “J” denotes Japan; “T” is for Taiwan.  F is female, M is male.

Japan/Taiwan Delegate List Page 1.pdf

Japan/Taiwan Delegate List Page 2.pdf

Japan/Taiwan Delegate List Page 3.pdf

Japan/Taiwan Delegate List Page 4.pdf

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Costa Rica Outbound Program Week #1 In Review!

Follow for Weekly Newsletter Updates on the Costa Rica Outbound Program

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Addendums to Rule Changes For the PNW Horse Contest Guide Coming Soon

Jennifer Leach

As of this date, Washington 4-H Horse Program is waiting for the final version of the PNW 4-H Horse Contest guide from Oregon. This publication is a joint effort between Washington, Oregon, and Idaho.

In the meantime, a sub-committee of the Washington State 4-H equine committee led by Stephanie Roeter Smith, 4-H Regional Specialist, compared the 2015 edition with the soon to be published final version. However, Washington 4-H Horse Program is not sure of the date of the final publication.

There will be two addendums. Addendum Number 1 will be specific to the rule changes affecting Washington as related to current PNW 4-H Horse Contest Guide Addendum. Addendum  Number 2 will be a “clarification” of selected rules in the PNW 4-H Horse Contest Guide, but are not rule changes.

These two addendums will be located on the WSU 4-H website located at the link called WA State 4-H Equine Policies and Rules-PNW 4-H Horse Contest Guide-Addendums by July 1, 2023. That link is https://extension.wsu.edu/4h/projects/animal-science/companion-performance/horse/

The current version of PNW 4-H Horse Contest Guide dated October 1, 2015 will continue to be the contest guide we will use until we (Washington) receive the final from Oregon.

The Addendum  Number 1 of rule changes will be effective for the remainder of this program year to September 30, 2023. Addendum Number 2 may be updated as more questions of clarification are identified – also through to September 30, 2023.

For information or clarification on the PNW 4-H Horse Contest guide process or rules, contact Jennifer Leach, State Horse Contact at LeachJ@cowlitzwa.gov or jleach@wsu.edu.

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Donations Requested For State 4-H Fair Horse Medals

 

Attention County 4-H Horse Program — 4-H Staff; Volunteers, Donors, and Families! Donations are needed for medals for the Equine section of the 2023 State Fair for Champion (gold); Reserve Champion (silver); and Third Place (bronze). as well as for Groom Squad teams — Champion, Reserve, and Third Place. These are awarded for all 4-H horse exhibits — performance; driving; small equine, and western games.

For Equine Presentations and Horse Judging, we are blessed to already have donors for this state fair activity. Also, we had donors for the State Horse Bowl and State Hippology contests that occurred in May 2023.

The total cost for 2023 4-H State Fair medals will be approximately $2,000. Any contribution, large or small,  will help. From a funding capacity perspective — if there are not enough donations, there may be a possibility that bronze and/or silver medals may not be offered.

Please encourage folks to donate. The medals have been offered for many years through generous donations and are not provided for by the State 4-H Fair. Make checks payable to Snohomish County 4-H Horse program and mail to Pat Pehling at 7310 83^rd Ave SE, Snohomish WA 98290.

If you have questions about the medals, please contact Pat, Snohomish County 4-H key volunteer, at pehling@frontier.com.

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WSU 4-H Scholarships Showcase the Reward of Life-Long Skills

Denise Echelbarger, WSU Extension 4-H Youth Development Program – June 12, 2023

Washington State University (WSU) Extension 4-H Youth Development Program and the WSU College of Agricultural, Human, and Natural Resource Sciences (CAHNRS) are pleased to announce the 2023 4-H scholarship winners. We are proud to offer scholarship assistance to support Washington high school students currently enrolled as 4-H members.

 Catherine Hartrim-Lowe (Clark County) and Clair See (Skagit County) each received the J. Orville and Helen Young/4-H Fund Scholarship. Hartrim-Lowe will be attending Wheaton College in the fall of 2023. 4-H has been a part of her life since 2015, and she is a proud member of two Clark County clubs: Alpaca 101 and Sow, Bud, and Blossom. Over the years, 4-H has taught her incredible skills in self-discipline, communication, and inclusion. Claire See will be attending WSU this fall to complete a degree in biology with the goal of studying equine at WSU’s College of Veterinary Medicine. This past spring See participated in the Washington State Horse Bowl Contest for the first time, and learned more than she could have imagined.

Tatum Goode (Clark County), Nicole Poussier (Pierce County), and Tryana Thompson (Clark County) were awarded the Lewis County Leaders 4-H Council Scholarship. Goode plans to attend University of Oregon in the fall to major in business with a certificate in global business. As a participant in the Royal Riders 4-H club she showed horses, volunteered, and grew her leadership skills. Poussier has been a member of 4-H for fourteen years and will be attending the University of Washington to study biology and chemistry. Public speaking is a life skill that 4-H has provided for Poussier, which has given her the ability to overcome shyness and create a perfect presentation with reliable sources. Thompson has been a 4-H member since 2016 and seeks a higher educational goal of large animal veterinary medicine specializing in animal reproduction. When she thinks about the heart in the 4-H pledge she feels the heart is where the passion is. This passion drives 4-H members to accomplish goals, and to better understand how our actions affect others.

Laura Harris (Whitman County) was the recipient of the Thomas R. Quann 4-H Scholarship and will be attending the University of Idaho this fall to study computer engineering. Implementing coded design plans has been a passion of Harris’, but it wasn’t until she joined a 4-H robotics team that she realized it is what she wanted to do for her career.

Aleah Watterson (King County) received the O.M. Plummer Scholarship of the Oregon Community Foundation and will be attending Montana State University to pursue a degree in rangeland management and wildlife ecology. Watterson has been a 4-H member for ten years and because of joining 4-H, every aspect of her life has been affected positively. She learned what it means to be a good teammate and leader, and how to give back to her community.

Jenna Cox (Walla Walla County) was awarded the Woody and Joan Bernard 4-H Higher Education Scholarship and is enrolled in the Honors College at Montana State University. She plans to major in either ranching systems or embryology. Cox says 4-H has greatly influenced her decision on where she will be attending college and her life-long plans. She wants to stay involved with agriculture, and to strive for future generations to continue to participate as well.

Taylor Alonzo (Pierce County), Amy Kovich (Snohomish County), Jared Sheehan (Yakima County), and Emma Spalding (Grays Harbor County) have all been 4-H members for over ten years and are the recipients of the WSU 4-H CAHNRS Dettman Scholarship. Alonzo participated in the 4-H dog project and has had many wins and losses that have helped shape her into who she is today. On her initial state fair qualification, she was disqualified and was devastated, however it allowed her to grow from a setback and she has participated in every state fair since. Being in 4-H has taught Alonzo how to be a leader and, most importantly, how to persevere. She will be attending WSU to major in animal science through CAHNRS pre-veterinary medicine track. Kovich’s 4-H career began with small animals and grew to include public speaking, veterinary science, gardening, foods, leadership, and large animals. The culmination of the lessons she learned in 4-H sparked her interest in wildlife ecology and conservation which is the degree she will be pursuing within WSU CAHNRS. Sheehan’s 4-H dairy and swine projects, community service, public speaking, and dairy judging competitions taught him the qualities of hard work, problem solving, patience, leadership, and to take advantage of opportunities to achieve higher goals. Sheehan will be attending WSU for a double major in mechanical engineering and agricultural technology/production management, pursuing a goal of working in the agricultural industry using heavy machinery and precision agriculture technology. Spalding’s love of animals began with her involvement in showing dairy and swine in 4-H. She appreciated how connected the 4-H members were in the show barns, and how willing everyone was to help each other. Spalding enjoyed teaching younger 4-H members and the public about her various animal projects. At the age of thirteen she started volunteering at a local veterinary clinic, and has decided to major in animal sciences at WSU CAHNRS because of her passion for animals.

Congratulations to all the 2023 award recipients that dedicated their 4-H experience to learning life-longs skills, being role models, and continuing to work towards accomplishing their next steps in higher education. For more information on the Washington State 4-H scholarship opportunities or to support 4-H visit extension.wsu.edu/4h.

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Fair Board Seeks Qualified Candidates For State 4-H Fair Manager Position

 

The State 4-H Fair Manager Position Is Now Open! The job description for the State 4-H Fair Manager position is available for download by clicking HERE.

• The State 4-H Fair Manager is not a WSU position, but reports directly to the State 4-H Fair Board.  The salary is $32,500, paid in twelve monthly installments.  There are no benefits associated with this position.
• This is a part time position of about 1,000 hours annually, with extended hours during August and September, during the fair cycle in Puyallup, Washington.
  The position will remain open until filled.

Please forward your cover letter and resume to:

Washington State 4-H Fair Board
PO Box 1225
Puyallup, Washington, 98371-0233

or by email to the Fair Board at st4hfair@gmail.com.

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Prepare For Fair

Virtual Workshop Recording Is Now Available!

In this Zoom, we discussed and shared general 4-H fair information for volunteers (club and new superintendents) – how to get your club/project areas ready, entry times (computer/paper) and tags, using your premium/handbook, the fair and essential elements, 4-H Fairs and Competition, youth and preparing them to sell market animals, and covered many contests and activities. We tried to keep the discussion as general as possible and not give specifics for any particular fair (but used examples). There were many resources shared out during this virtual presentation.

You can find the recording for this zoom at https://bit.ly/3OVkObZ

Pam Watson, M.Ed.
WSU Lewis County Extension 4-H and Poultry
pwatson@wsu.edu

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State Dog Committee Optional Assessment for 2022-23 Program Year

 

The state 4-H Dog leaders committee has implemented a sustainable way of funding the needs of the State Dog Project in regard to awards, equipment and other requirements in order to provide an outstanding experience for each of our 4-H members who attend state-level events.

The State 4-H Dog leaders committee asks each county dog program to contribute an assessment, a $3.00 fee for the exhibitor allotment for your county dog show days at State Fair from the previous year.  This is a suggested donation amount and since this allotment is based on the county entries at State Fair from the previous year, it provides a sustainable and equitable way for each county to support the State Dog Project.

For example, if your county had a State Fair allotment of ten; your county suggested contribution would be $30.00 for the current year.  You may find out your allotment for the current year from your county Extension office 4-H staff or you may send an email to the contacts listed below.   Please note that this assessment is not mandatory and does not in any way affect your county dog program’s participation in 4-H state events – but provides an opportunity to support the State 4-H Dog Project.

We would like to receive your donation by August 1st. Please make your checks payable to the WA ST 4-H Dog Project and mail to:
Sarah Gunderson
P.O. Box 850
Carnation, WA  98014-0850

If you have questions regarding specifics details on how the funds are used or allocated, please contact the individuals listed below.

Sarah Gunderson, State Dog committee treasurer
sarahgcpa@gmail.com

Barb Taylor, State Dog Committee member
barb@nventure.com

Kari Smith-Schlecht, State Dog Committee member
jeskarsk9@aol.com

On behalf of the State 4-H Dog committee, thank you for your support.

Submitted by Jennifer Leach, 4-H faculty liaison to the State Dog Committee and assessment request approved by Mark Heitstuman, Interim State Program Director

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4-H Military Teen Adventure Camp Volunteer Help Needed!

Ashley Hernandez-Hall

 Hello 4-H Volunteers!

Is going to summer camp a memory you cherish? Would you like to help teens create summer camp memories? Your help is needed to facilitate an awesome camp experience for teens of military families this July in beautiful Darrington, Washington.

Hosting teens free of charge and providing an excellent camp experience is a tangible way we can say Thank You to our military families all across the country. To date, we have hosted teens from almost all of our fifty states. To meet appropriate camper/counselor ratios with our current camper demand, we are in need of more overnight counselors, mentors, and activity leaders and co-leaders. No military affiliation is necessary. Training is provided. Come share your passion and enthusiasm with teens for one or both sessions of camp: Session One: July 12-16, 2023 | Session Two: July 17-21, 2023

To learn more about the camp or to apply to volunteer, visit: https://extension.wsu.edu/4h/youth/camps/military-teen-adventure-camps/

You may also contact our Camp Coordinator at 4h.militarycamps@wsu.edu

Ashley Hall, Ph.D.
she/her/hers (curious why is this here?)
4-H Assistant Professor
Washington State University
Snohomish County Extension
C: 425-521-0357 (voice and text)
a.hernandez-hall@wsu.edu

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Ask Dr. Universe

Who Invented the Calendar? – Audrey, 9, Oregon

 

What’s a postdoctoral fellow? How do rattlesnakes rattle? What’s it like searching for snakes in the field or taking blood samples from a grizzly bear? Find out on the Ask Dr. Universe podcast!

Who invented the calendar? – Audrey, 9, Oregon

Dear Audrey,

I use a calendar to keep up with my work as a science cat. I also love calendar apps that count down to big events—like my birthday. People have always tracked time for work and holidays.

I talked about this with my friend Nikolaus Overtoom. He’s a professor of ancient history at Washington State University.

He told me we use the Gregorian calendar today. That’s a revised version of the Julian calendar. The Romans invented the Julian calendar.

But there were calendars before that. Ancient people all over the world had calendars—including a detailed calendar made by the ancient Maya.

“Early people looked to the heavens to understand the movement of planets and stars,” Overtoom said. “They used that information to help structure their societies. They needed to know when to plant crops or move their herds.”

The Julian and Gregorian calendars are solar calendars. A solar calendar tracks the position of the sun as Earth orbits all the way around it. That’s called a solar year.

It takes Earth 365 days, 5 hours, 59 minutes and 16 seconds to go all the way around the sun. That’s a challenge for making calendars because it’s not a whole number.

The calendar the Romans used before the Julian calendar only had 355 days. Since it didn’t line up with the solar year, the seasons shifted a little every year. That made it hard to plan things. Like when to plant crops or have religious festivals.

So, the Romans added temporary months to the calendar to catch up. That was the high priest’s job. Sometimes they added extra months for corrupt reasons. Like so their friends could stay in power longer.

Pre-Julian calendar, rebuilt from pieces found in Rome; photo by Bauglir

“By the 1st century BCE, the Romans realized the calendar was not working,” Overtoom said. “It was almost to the point it was a disaster.”

Then Julius Caesar came to power. He told astronomers to fix the calendar to line up with the solar year. The result was the Julian calendar. It was 365.25 days long. It was close to matching the solar year—but not quite. It was still 11 minutes off. So, the calendar gained one day every 128 years.

About 1,500 years later, Pope Gregory XIII decided to fix it.

“Astronomy had come a long way,” Overtoom said. “They were able to pinpoint that the solar calendar is 365.24 days. They adjusted the calendar, so it doesn’t slip over time.”

The calendar has 365 days most years. Every four years, we have one extra day—February 29. Years with 366 days are called leap years.

Most countries use the Gregorian calendar now. That makes it easier for people to work together. But there are other calendars out there.

The Romans also gave us the months of the year. Have you noticed that some months seem out of order? The prefix “oct” means eight—like the eight arms of an octopus. But October is the 10th month. That’s because the pre-Julian calendar only had 10 months. Back then, October was the 8th month. Eventually, they added two more months at the beginning of the calendar and pushed October back.

You could say that some months were real roamin’ numerals.

Sincerely,
Dr. Universe

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What diseases spread on pirate ships? – Anika, 9, Georgia

Dear Anika,

A pirate’s life was dangerous. They attacked other ships and battled other pirates as well as the law. But they were also at the mercy of another foe: sickness.

I talked about this with my friend Lawrence Hatter. He’s a history professor at Washington State University.

He told me the big era for pirates was 1710 to 1730. It was a time when lots of sailors were out of work. Some of them became pirates.

Here are four kinds of disease they might face on the job: scurvy, mosquito-borne diseases, infectious diseases and gangrene.

Scurvy

“Scurvy was probably the major killer of sailors at the time,” Hatter said. “It’s a vitamin C deficiency.”

Most people get enough vitamin C by eating fruits and vegetables. It helps heal wounds. People with scurvy get too little vitamin C for a long time.

In pirate lingo, “scurvy” as in “ye scurvy dog” means disgusting. That’s because the worst symptoms were terrible. People with untreated scurvy can’t heal their wounds. Even worse, very old wounds can open back up.

Diseases from Mosquitoes

Many pirates sailed in tropical places. They encountered diseases like yellow fever and malaria. Those sicknesses don’t pass from person to person. They spread by mosquito bites. That’s why mosquitoes are the deadliest animals on Earth.

But people wouldn’t figure that out for nearly 200 more years. Pirates probably thought they got sick after eating bad food or breathing bad air.

Infectious Diseases—like dysentery, tuberculosis and food sickness

Today, we know all about germs. We take antibiotics to fight bacteria. We take medicine to help battle some viruses. We stay home, so we don’t pass sickness to other people.

But there were no antibiotics or antivirals in the 1700s. People didn’t even know bacteria and viruses caused disease. Plus, pirates lived very close together.

“Ships were very crowded spaces,” Hatter said. “Sailors aboard a ship would have only about 12 to 18 inches of space. They would sleep in hammocks right next to each other. So, if somebody got sick, it could spread very quickly.”

Gangrene

Sometimes pirates suffered battle injuries. But they could also get hurt in accidents—like falling from the sail riggings on their boats. They didn’t have great options for medical care on the ship.

“They wouldn’t really have known how to treat a wound,” Hatter said. “Other than if there’s any evidence of gangrene, you just have to keep cutting.”

You heard that right. Badly injured pirates needed surgery. There were no antibiotics, pain killers or clean operating rooms. Sometimes the surgeon was the ship’s cook or carpenter. Infection—like gangrene—was a problem.

It’s not all bad news, though. Hatter told me pirates may have been better off than other sailors.

“Part of the reason sailors joined a pirate ship was for better working conditions,” he said. “They were more democratic and less authoritarian. The pirate captain worked largely through consensus. So, pirates might have suffered less disease than normal sailors because their conditions and food were better.”

Maybe that was the real pirate’s booty.

Sincerely,
Dr. Universe

Get more questions and answers here!

Know a kid with a science question?
Help them submit it for a chance to be featured in a future Q&A.

Submit a question!

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Washington State 4-H Teens Awarded National 4-H ‘Lead to Change’ Mini-Grant!

Somer Meade

Following a trip to Washington DC for the 4-H Teen Ignite Conference, six Youth Advocates for Health (YA4-H!) Teen Teachers are helping organize a state-wide service project called Kind Care Kits. These kits will include social-emotional activities for siblings who have a brother or sister who is sick and spending time at Ronald McDonald House (RMHC) and Children’s Hospital locations across our state.

In March, these dedicated  4-H teens helped develop the project and submit a grant proposal to National 4-H Council to help fund the project. In early April, they found out their project was selected to advance to the next stage, and in late April, they gave a presentation over zoom on the merits of their project.

Last week, they got the great news that their 4-H ‘Lead to Change’ proposal was accepted, and they will receive $2,000 to put towards supplies for the Kind Care Kits. WSU 4-H is also matching the $2,000, so they will be able to make a total of 400 kits to disperse to three RMHC sites. To help fill any gaps, they are also working with the libraries in their communities to seek donations of art supplies.

Help us congratulate these six teens on their success, as we look forward to taking the project state wide, where teens attending the state conference in June will have the opportunity to help with kit assembly.

• • Stella Marsh, Spokane County 4-H
  • Taegan Flake, Spokane County 4-H
  • Abby Hepting, Spokane County 4-H
  • Kaelynn Schultz, Skamania County 4-H
  • Ruth Rausch, King County 4-H
  • Sylvia Corey, Snohomish County 4-H

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Updated PNW Horse Judges List Is Now Available!

Jennifer Leach

An updated PNW Horse Judges List is now available. It can be found at https://s3.wp.wsu.edu/uploads/sites/2050/2023/05/PNW-Horse-Judges-3.14.23..pdf

Counties are encouraged to select 4-H Horse judges off the PNW 4-H horse judges list. However, in Washington our policy is not to mandate that judges come from this list. However, if a county choose to hire a judge that is not on the PNW 4-H horse judge’s list—we encourage the counties to select a judge that understands 4-H youth development, has access to the PNW 4-H Horse contest guide, understands and judges according to the Danish system of judging and understands the value of providing positive comments in judging. The philosophy in the Washington 4-H program in horses—is that the “judge is an educator”.

In regard to the PNW 4-H Horse Contest Guide—Washington is still waiting for the final version from our PNW partner, Oregon. In the meantime, we are working on an “addendum” to specifically outline the very minimal changes to the PNW 4-H Horse Contest Guide.

Questions? Please reach out to Jennifer Leach, State Contact for 4-H horses at jleach@wsu.edu

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Q and A Sessions for the Washington 4-H Horse Program Continue – Now On First Wednesdays!

 

Have questions about the Washington 4-H horse program? Our monthly Q and A for leaders, parents, members, and staff will now be meeting on the first Wednesday of each month via Zoom from 6:30 to 7:30 pm. beginning June 7th.

Zooms are structured around the theme/parameters of horses and youth development. They are more than “what are the rules.” There is also time set aside for input on future topics for subsequent Zooms. The Zoom meeting ID is 452-082-9765 with no passcode. You must have a zoom account to participate.

The meeting will be facilitated by Jennifer Leach, WSU Extension 4-H State Fair Board Staff Liaison.

.Feel free to contact Jennifer with any questions at LeachJ@co.cowlitz.wa.us.

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Save the Date: 2023 Washington State 4-H Meat Judging Contest

Paul Kuber

The inaugural Washington State 4-H Meats Judging Contest will be held Saturday August 12th, at the Meats Laboratory in Pullman, hosted by Dr Foraker and the Department of Animal Science. The date was chosen as an opportunity to qualify teams early for the 2023 National 4-H Meats Judging Contest held during the American Royal in a Kansas City in October. Please share with those interested. Information for registration and contest format will follow.

In 2024, the contest will be held earlier in the year, in late May or early June.

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Announcement of Dressage Tests for the 2023 4-H State Fair

 

The dressage tests for English dressage at the 2023 4-H State Fair will be Test 3 for both Training Level 1 and First Level.

Western Dressage has come back for the 2023 4-H State Fair and Test 3 for both Basic Level and Level 1.

4-H horse members will only be able to ride either English Dressage or Western Dressage, but not both, due to time constraints related to arena time.

These tests are available on the respective governing organizations—United States Dressage Federation (USDF) for English (https://www.usdf.org/) and the the Western Dressage Association of America for Western dressage (https://www.westerndressageassociation.org)

The Western Dressage Association of America is the governing body for the Washington State 4-H Horse program. The information in the 2015 PNW 4-H Horse Contest guide on page 20 is outdated. In Washington, we do not use the North American Western (NAW) dressage tests.

Submitted by Jennifer Leach, WSU Extension 4-H State Fair Board Staff Liaison. E-mail Jennifer at LeachJ@co.cowlitz.wa.us.

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Reining Pattern for 2023 4-H State Fair Now Available

 

The 4-H State Fair reining pattern is now posted on the horse page on the WSU 4-H webpage located at https://extension.wsu.edu/4h/projects/animal-science/companion-performance/horse/

Reining will once again be offered at State Fair for Seniors only. The reining pattern is the same as last year to encourage participation since this is only the second year of 4-H reining. And also includes the scoresheet as an educational and judging tool.

There will be additional reining patterns for county level use that are reflective of basic reining and/or introductory reining. More to come next week.

For those who do reining–it is a series of circles, stop, back, figure 8, flying changes, roll backs, and/or spins. And based on skill level and/or complexity of the series of movements.

Submitted by Jennifer Leach, Chair of the “Ad Hoc Reining Committee” and 4-H State Fair board 4-H Staff Liaison. E-mail Jennifer at LeachJ@co.cowlitz.wa.us.

FEATURED NEWS FOR JUNE

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Leaders!  Teen Facilitators Needed for the Know Your Government (KYG) Conference

If you have youth members who may be interested, use this link to apply:
https://forms.gle/1TW5DCR2U9XZvnev6

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State Dog Committee Optional Assessment for 2022-23 Program Year

 

The state 4-H Dog leaders committee has implemented a sustainable way of funding the needs of the State Dog Project in regard to awards, equipment and other requirements in order to provide an outstanding experience for each of our 4-H members who attend state-level events.

The State 4-H Dog leaders committee asks each county dog program to contribute an assessment, a $3.00 fee for the exhibitor allotment for your county dog show days at State Fair from the previous year.  This is a suggested donation amount and since this allotment is based on the county entries at State Fair from the previous year, it provides a sustainable and equitable way for each county to support the State Dog Project.

For example, if your county had a State Fair allotment of ten; your county suggested contribution would be $30.00 for the current year.  You may find out your allotment for the current year from your county Extension office 4-H staff or you may send an email to the contacts listed below.   Please note that this assessment is not mandatory and does not in any way affect your county dog program’s participation in 4-H state events – but provides an opportunity to support the State 4-H Dog Project.

We would like to receive your donation by August 1st. Please make your checks payable to the WA ST 4-H Dog Project and mail to:
Sarah Gunderson
P.O. Box 850
Carnation, WA  98014-0850

If you have questions regarding specifics details on how the funds are used or allocated, please contact the individuals listed below.

Sarah Gunderson, State Dog committee treasurer
sarahgcpa@gmail.com

Barb Taylor, State Dog Committee member
barb@nventure.com

Kari Smith-Schlecht, State Dog Committee member
jeskarsk9@aol.com

On behalf of the State 4-H Dog committee, thank you for your support.

Submitted by Jennifer Leach, 4-H faculty liaison to the State Dog Committee and assessment request approved by Mark Heitstuman, Interim State Program Director

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Thurston County 4-H Pack Goat Challenge Set For June 3rd – Register By June 1st!

Emily Killeen

4-H youth enrolled in the Utility Goat/Pack Goat 4-H project are invited to participate in the Thurston County 4-H Pack Goat Challenge.

When:  Saturday, June 3
Where:  Thurston County Fairgrounds, East Arena
Cost:  Entry Fee: $10.00
Time:  Check-in between 10:30-11:00 a.m., Challenge to begin at 11 a.m.
Sponsored by the 24 Carrots 4-H Club

Exhibitors will take their goat through a ten obstacle, simulated trail course and answer questions about goat health/care, breeds, packing, hiking safety, and 4-H. Multiple judges will be stationed throughout the course, so exhibitors will be going through sections of the course at the same time. Exhibitors will receive a score for their knowledge, hike readiness, and ease of traversing the obstacles with their goat. Prizes will be awarded to the top exhibitors in all age groups except Cloverbud. All Cloverbud exhibitors are non-competitive and will receive a participation award.

Rules:

• Washington State 4-H Policies and Procedures will apply.
• All exhibitors must keep their goat on a halter/collar and lead at all times. Halters are preferred on horned goats as leading a horned goat by the collar can result in injury.
• Cloverbud Exhibitors (5-7 yrs. as of Oct. 1, 2022) must use a novelty or pygmy goat.  A novelty goat is defined as a small goat that is purebred or crossbred lineage; is up to 23 inches in height and weighs no more than 65 pounds.
• Exhibitors must wear appropriate hiking attire/footwear and carry a backpack with the ten essentials.
• Goats must wear a pack: soft pack or cross buck. Goats under one year are not required to wear a pack.
• Horned goats must have their horn tips covered. Scurs (horn regrowth) over 1” must be covered. Goat horn tip covers must be constructed of materials that offer adequate protection (such as foam pool noodle, pipe insulation, tennis balls, or other padding combined with vet wrap). Vet wrap alone does not offer enough horn tip protection.
• Goats exhibiting unsafe behavior will be asked to skip an obstacle and/or excused from the arena.
• No intact males over six months of age.
• For pack goat training and youth contest information please refer to the North American Packgoat Association Guidebook https://napga.org/packgoat-guidebook/

Questions?

Please email tc4h@co.thurston.wa.us and cc 4-H volunteer, Jenny Taylor, at jenny4h@ymail.com

Registration:

Please complete the Google Form to pre-register: https://forms.gle/Uh4JcdhDAQSjrp9dA

Exhibitors coming from a county other than Thurston County should bring a printed copy of the Member Health Form

(printed from 4-HOnline).

Registration payment by cash or check (payable to 24 Carrots 4-H) will be made at check in.
Registrations must be received by Thursday, June 1, 2023.
No day-of registrations will be accepted.

Download the event flyer HERE.

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Alaska to Host 4-H Summit in 2024 – Workshop Proposal Descriptions Due June 1, 2023!

 

 To All members of the 4-H community,

I am a volunteer 4-H leader in Fairbanks, Alaska. We have missed our Western Regional 4-H Leaders Forum for the last several years and so we decided to put on a similar event ourselves. However, we realize there are people all over the US doing 4-H that we have not had the privilege of meeting yet, so we want to invite you to come to our 2024 4-H Summit. It will be held on Feb. 29-March 1 in Fairbanks, Alaska. We have plenty of daylight by then so you can enjoy meeting fellow 4-H leaders while staying cozy inside or get outside to view the Aurora and enjoy other outdoor activities.

Utah Ambassadors are coming up to lead a teen track for members 14 and older.

The registration cost will be $300. Rooms are available right now to reserve your spot at the Westmark Hotel in Fairbanks.

Check out our Facebook page to keep current with new developments.

Also, our web page is up and running, still under development but that is where to find the Workshop Call for Proposals- https://friendsofalaska4-h.com/2024-summit/  We are looking for fun interactive workshops, descriptions are due June 1!

We already have the code for the room discount so you can book your room and the Alaska Airlines code so you book your flight.  Don’t wait! We only have room for 300 participants. Please plan to join us with your family and friends. We are so excited to share the great state of Alaska with you and learn about 4-H in your state.

Jan Hanscom 2024 4-H Summit

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Linn-Benton CC (Oregon) Presents Livestock Judging Camp – Register By June 1st!

Paul Kuber

Hello everyone,

I am the judging coach at Linn-Benton CC in Oregon. Last year we had a handful of Washington kids participate in our camp and I’m hoping to see more next month. We are hosting our camp June 26th through 28th in Albany, Oregon. I have included our registration/schedule. Registrations are due by June 1, 2023.

If anyone has any questions, please feel free to contact me.

Sierra J. Meyers
Agriculture Science Faculty
Livestock Judging Coach
Linn-Benton Community College
Office: WOH 127C (541) 917- 4770

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Grow Your Digital Knowledge and Support The Washington 4-H Tech Changemaker Teens!

 

Please support our Washington State 4-H Tech Changemaker (TCM)* Program Teens today! Our seven-partner site** TCM teens have reached more than 2500 Washington citizens, in person!

Please view our videos, which assist us in meeting our virtual education goals. Each video watched contributes an additional $40 to our WA TCM project from our funders, if viewed in the month of May! 

We are proud of our youth and their work advancing public understanding of the digital world! (Videos are 4-10 minutes long)

• Safe Internet Use and Reliable Websites:  https://youtu.be/hHl39u2xP6k
• Video Conferencing: https://youtu.be/cC3YjVhDHDE
• Email Basics: https://youtu.be/bbaRIapk79U
• Password Strength: https://youtu.be/Mm4Q75vWKe8 –
• Virtual and Remote World of Work: https://youtu.be/xxlvLJrexNU

Give us THREE more minutes and complete a survey on your impressions of the video(s) you watched!

https://4hcouncil.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_57pa913cL7N188K

Visit our State 4-H TCM website at: 4-H Tech Changemakers | 4-H Youth Development Program | Washington State University (wsu.edu) 

*The funders included Microsoft; Land O’ Lakes, Inc.; Tractor Supply, and Verizon. The National 4-H Council administers the project.

**Partner counties include Spokane, Ferry, Whatcom, Chelan, Grays Harbor, the Kalispel Tribal site, & Wahkiakum.

Gary F. Varrella, Ph.D.
WSU Spokane County Extension Director & 4-H Educator
509-477-2163 (office) 509-435-3369 (cell)

Visit our web page: http://extension.wsu.edu/spokane/4h/

Like 4-H Facebook: spokane4h‎

Like WSU Extension on Facebook: wsuextensionspokanecounty

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Pierce County Leaders Council Hosts Small Animal Fun’Raiser On June 10th!

Mike Seiber

Get practice showing your animals for the upcoming Fair season. The Pierce County Leaders Council invites all youth to an open Cavy, Rabbit, and Poultry show on June 10, 2023 at Frontier Park, 21606 Meridian E, Graham, WA 98338.  The show will take place in the Rabbit Barn at the back of the park near the large parking lot.  Rabbits and Cavies will begin at 9:00 a.m. with Poultry following at 11:00 a.m.  The show will include showmanship and judging for each species.

The fee is $10 per animal payable at the door.  The funds generated by the Fun’Raiser go toward grants and scholarships for Pierce County 4-H Members.

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4-H Military Teen Adventure Camp Volunteer Help Needed!

Ashley Hernandez-Hall

Hello 4-H Volunteers!

Is going to summer camp a memory you cherish? Would you like to help teens create summer camp memories? Your help is needed to facilitate an awesome camp experience for teens of military families this July in beautiful Darrington, Washington.

Hosting teens free of charge and providing an excellent camp experience is a tangible way we can say Thank You to our military families all across the country. To date, we have hosted teens from almost all of our fifty states. To meet appropriate camper/counselor ratios with our current camper demand, we are in need of more overnight counselors, mentors, and activity leaders and co-leaders. No military affiliation is necessary. Training is provided. Come share your passion and enthusiasm with teens for one or both sessions of camp: Session One: July 12-16, 2023 | Session Two: July 17-21, 2023

To learn more about the camp or to apply to volunteer, visit: https://extension.wsu.edu/4h/youth/camps/military-teen-adventure-camps/

You may also contact our Camp Coordinator at 4h.militarycamps@wsu.edu

Ashley Hall, Ph.D.
she/her/hers (curious why is this here?)
4-H Assistant Professor
Washington State University
Snohomish County Extension
C: 425-521-0357 (voice and text)
a.hernandez-hall@wsu.edu

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Statewide 4-H Photo Club Virtual Contest Entries Due By June 11th!

Pam Watson

Washington State 4-H Virtual Photo Club Contest – Entries and RULES 

Entries are DUE by midnight June 11th

Send them via email to pwatson@wsu.edu, you MUST put “Virtual Photo Contest” in the subject line.

Show different things that you have learned through live or recorded viewing of virtual photo club. You can find the links to the recordings (5 sessions) in previous issues of the WA 4-H Tuesday News and on our Explore 4-H with WSU Extension Facebook page.

All entries will receive feedback for each photo by the week following July 4th.

Cloverbuds will receive a certificate of participation.

The top Junior, Intermediate and Senior photo will receive a gift certificate toward an arts & craft supply store.

We will do our best to publish the photos and their placings in the Washington  4-H Tuesday News and on our Explore 4-H with WSU Extension Facebook page.

RULES: 

Three (3) entries maximum per youth

You must title or caption each of your entries (please name each photo file entry with the title/caption that you use so we can match them up) and answer the following questions for each entry:

1. Type/format and name of camera used (if it was a phone or tablet or camera let us know that and the name of the device)?
2. What technique(s) are you showing or demonstrating with this photo?
3. What did you do to arrive at your final photo (crop, lighten, darken, in camera or using a computer, etc.)?
4. What was your F-stop/aperture (this info should be recorded in your meta-data)?
5. What was your shutter speed? (this info should be recorded in your meta-data)?

Thank you for learning with us!

Pam Watson, M.Ed.
WSU Lewis County Extension, 4-H and Poultry
4-H Youth Development Agent, WSU Faculty

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Washington State 4-H Teens Awarded National 4-H ‘Lead to Change’ Mini-Grant!

Somer Meade

Following a trip to Washington DC for the 4-H Teen Ignite Conference, six Youth Advocates for Health (YA4-H!) Teen Teachers are helping organize a state-wide service project called Kind Care Kits. These kits will include social-emotional activities for siblings who have a brother or sister who is sick and spending time at Ronald McDonald House (RMHC) and Children’s Hospital locations across our state.

In March, these dedicated  4-H teens helped develop the project and submit a grant proposal to National 4-H Council to help fund the project. In early April, they found out their project was selected to advance to the next stage, and in late April, they gave a presentation over zoom on the merits of their project.

Last week, they got the great news that their 4-H ‘Lead to Change’ proposal was accepted, and they will receive $2,000 to put towards supplies for the Kind Care Kits. WSU 4-H is also matching the $2,000, so they will be able to make a total of 400 kits to disperse to three RMHC sites. To help fill any gaps, they are also working with the libraries in their communities to seek donations of art supplies.

Help us congratulate these six teens on their success, as we look forward to taking the project state wide, where teens attending the state conference in June will have the opportunity to help with kit assembly.

• • Stella Marsh, Spokane County 4-H
  • Taegan Flake, Spokane County 4-H
  • Abby Hepting, Spokane County 4-H
  • Kaelynn Schultz, Skamania County 4-H
  • Ruth Rausch, King County 4-H
  • Sylvia Corey, Snohomish County 4-H

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WS4-HA State Award Winners Move On To Regional Competition!

Pam Watson, WSU Lewis County 4-H, WS4-HA Awards Chair

Do you know a hard-working WSU 4-H County Faculty or Staff person? Have you absolutely loved a program or promotional item they have shared in the county? Some of our industrious faculty and staff have taken the time to apply for national awards through our professional organization. The awards are judged by their peers – first at the state level, then onto regionals (13 states in the Western Region), and from there, four applications are reviewed for top honors in each category at the national level – in order to select the very best. Awards are received at our national conference each fall.

The following applicants and awards have been moved forward to the Western Regional level. Congratulations to all of our applicants, reviewing the applications is always fun because we get to see what others are doing around the state. A big thank you also to all of our reviewers for taking the time to go through the applications, make comments, and score each item.

In the Specialty Awards Category: 
4-H Military Partnership Innovating for Success Award- Gary Varrella and team
First Time Attendee- Melanie Greer
Excellence in Natural Resources- Linda McLean
Denise Miller Innovator Award- Michael Wallace and team
Excellence in Shooting Sports- Ashley Hernandez-Hall and team

In the Communicator Awards Category: 
Media Presentation- Brian Brandt
Radio/Audio Program-Melanie Greer
Promotional Package- Team- Brian Brandt and team
Promotional Piece- Team- Brian Brandt and team
Published Photo- Linda McLean
Social Media Piece- Team- Brian Brandt and team
Social Media Package/ Campaign – Team- Brian Brandt and team
Exhibit- Linda McLean
Feature Story- Linda McLean
Educational Piece -Team- Brian Brandt and team

Congratulations!

Pam Watson, M.Ed.
WSU Lewis County Extension
4-H Youth Development Agent, WSU Faculty

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Updated PNW Horse Judges List Is Now Available!

Jennifer Leach

An updated PNW Horse Judges List is now available. It can be found at https://s3.wp.wsu.edu/uploads/sites/2050/2023/05/PNW-Horse-Judges-3.14.23..pdf

Counties are encouraged to select 4-H Horse judges off the PNW 4-H horse judges list. However, in Washington our policy is not to mandate that judges come from this list. However, if a county choose to hire a judge that is not on the PNW 4-H horse judge’s list—we encourage the counties to select a judge that understands 4-H youth development, has access to the PNW 4-H Horse contest guide, understands and judges according to the Danish system of judging and understands the value of providing positive comments in judging. The philosophy in the Washington 4-H program in horses—is that the “judge is an educator”.

In regard to the PNW 4-H Horse Contest Guide—Washington is still waiting for the final version from our PNW partner, Oregon. In the meantime, we are working on an “addendum” to specifically outline the very minimal changes to the PNW 4-H Horse Contest Guide.

Questions? Please reach out to Jennifer Leach, State Contact for 4-H horses at jleach@wsu.edu

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Celebrate Pride Month With A 4-H Pride Shirt!

 

Washington State 4-H PRIDE shirts for sale through Monday, May 22nd.
The shirts will arrive the first week of June, in time for PRIDE Month.
All proceeds go to supporting youth programming and community outreach
for our State Teen Equity & Inclusion Ambassadors.
https://www.customink.com/fundraising/wa-4-h-pride-23

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Practice Horse Judging Contests Available Online!

 

Two online Practice Horse Judging contests that would be great for your 4-H or FFA Horse Judging teams. Each course is only $20
with unlimited access for 90 days (from your date of enrollment). Each contest has 6 classes with 2 halter and 4 performance.

There are questions, officials, and critiques at the end of each class.

Practice Judging 1 Live Link: https://catalog.extension.org/product?catalog=HorseJudgingContest

Practice Judging 2 Live Link: https://catalog.extension.org/product?catalog=1676909671DNE4F

Submitted by Jennifer Leach, 4-H Faculty Liaison State Horse Committee

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Q and A Sessions for the Washington 4-H Horse Program Continue
– Now On First Wednesdays!

 

Have questions about the Washington 4-H horse program? Our monthly Q and A for leaders, parents, members, and staff will now be meeting on the first Wednesday of each month via Zoom from 6:30 to 7:30 pm. beginning June 7th.

Zooms are structured around the theme/parameters of horses and youth development. They are more than “what are the rules.” There is also time set aside for input on future topics for subsequent Zooms. The Zoom meeting ID is 452-082-9765 with no passcode. You must have a zoom account to participate.

The meeting will be facilitated by Jennifer Leach, WSU Extension 4-H State Fair Board Staff Liaison.

.Feel free to contact Jennifer with any questions at LeachJ@co.cowlitz.wa.us.

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Save the Date: 2023 Washington State 4-H Meat Judging Contest

Paul Kuber

The inaugural Washington State 4-H Meats Judging Contest will be held Saturday August 12th, at the Meats Laboratory in Pullman, hosted by Dr Foraker and the Department of Animal Science. The date was chosen as an opportunity to qualify teams early for the 2023 National 4-H Meats Judging Contest held during the American Royal in a Kansas City in October. Please share with those interested. Information for registration and contest format will follow.

In 2024, the contest will be held earlier in the year, in late May or early June.

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State 4-H Ambassadors Present the 4-H Youth of the Month for May!

 

The Washington State 4-H Ambassadors recognize the 4-H Youth of the Month honoree for May, Hailey Mack of Whatcom County! The Ambassadors are proud to highlight 4-H youth monthly throughout the year!

If you have any questions about the State Ambassadors, or are interested in joining, please email wa4hsa@gmail.com. We hope to hear from you!

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Ask Dr. Universe:

How Does It Rain? Gabby, 10, Ohio

The latest Ask Dr. Universe podcast episode was written and performed by kids! Join us in the Boomcrusher as we zoom around the solar system.

How does it rain? — Gabby, 10, Ohio

Like most cats, I don’t love wet fur. I check a weather app every morning to see if I need an umbrella. But how rain happens was a mystery to me.

So, I talked about rain with my friend Nathan Santo Domingo. He’s a field meteorologist with AgWeatherNet of Washington State University. That’s a weather tool for farmers, gardeners and other people in Washington.

“The first thing to remember is that Earth’s surface is 71% water,” Santo Domingo said. “We also have a giant orb in the sky—the sun—that’s feeding energy into the atmosphere and reaching down to Earth’s surface.”

The sun’s energy changes the water in the oceans, rivers and lakes. The water changes from a liquid to a gas called water vapor. That water vapor floats up into the bubble of gas that surrounds Earth—called the atmosphere.

The higher the water vapor floats, the colder the air is. That changes the water vapor back into liquid water. Those drops of liquid water way up high in the atmosphere are incredibly tiny. They’re so light they float. A bunch of tiny drops all floating together is a cloud.

Sometimes a cloud floats into a place with low air pressure. Or it bumps into a mountain. The tiny water drops move up and down. They bonk into each other. When two water drops bump together, they merge into a bigger water drop.

“Eventually, a water droplet becomes so heavy the air can’t support it,” Santo Domingo said. “It starts to fall to the ground. It hits your head, jacket or umbrella in the form of a raindrop. Or a snowflake if it’s cold.”

That rain flows back into the oceans, rivers and lakes. Someday, the sun’s energy will turn it back into water vapor. The journey a water drop makes from Earth’s surface up into the atmosphere and back is called the water cycle.

  Credit: NOAA

Sometimes you can tell it’s going to rain by looking at the sky. But weather forecasts can tell us if it’s going to rain much farther out than our eyes can.

Back in the day, weather scientists used tools like thermometers and barometers to predict rain. Thermometers measure changes in how hot it is. Barometers measure how much pressure there is. That’s how much air is above you, pushing down due to gravity.

Weather scientists still use those tools. Now they also use supercomputers to track temperature and air pressure. They measure all the way up and down the atmosphere. They also use math equations about water, air, sunlight, plants and ocean temperatures to make predictions.

That’s how weather scientists make accurate forecasts today. That way we can check a weather app and know if we need an umbrella to keep our fur dry.

Sincerely,
Dr. Universe

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I want to know how snake venom in the antidote makes sense!

Raagini, 10, New York

Dear Raagini,

One of my roommates is a corn snake named Buddy. He’s not venomous. But he’s a very private individual and really likes his space.

Buddy and I talked about your question with my friend Blair Perry. He’s a biologist at Washington State University. He’s an expert on snakes and venom.

Perry told me antivenom doesn’t contain actual snake venom. It’s made with antibodies to snake venom.

Antibodies are proteins. They’re part of your immune system. They travel in your blood to fight germs or dangerous molecules—like those in venom—that could hurt you. Sometimes we get vaccines to boost our antibodies so they’re ready when something harmful shows up.

But that’s not enough for snake venom.

“With a snake bite, we get so many venom molecules injected all at once,” Perry said. “Plus, they act really, really fast. There’s not enough time for the body to produce those antibodies. Even if we had antibodies from a vaccine, it probably wouldn’t be enough to respond quickly and to a large enough degree.”

So, scientists turn to big animals with strong immune systems—like horses—to make antivenom. First, they take venom from snakes. They inject horses with teeny amounts of that venom. It’s not enough venom to hurt the horse. But the horse’s body begins cranking out antibodies to the venom. Eventually, scientists can take some of the horse’s blood. They clean it up in a lab to pick out the antibodies and make it safe for people. That’s antivenom.

Antivenom works because those horse antibodies stop the venom from doing more damage to your body. They also show your own antibodies where to go and how to fight the venom.

There isn’t just one antivenom though.

“Antivenoms are specific to different types of snakes,” Perry said. “Antivenom for one kind of rattlesnake might work for other rattlesnakes or viper species with similar venom. But it might not work for cobras because cobra venom is so different.”

That’s not a problem in the United States. There aren’t many kinds of venomous snakes here. If a snake bites you, you should go to the hospital calmly and quickly. Doctors will give you antivenom if you need it.

But it’s a huge problem in other parts of the world. Some places have lots of venomous snakes. Some of those places have few resources like hospitals and labs to make antivenom.

Scientists want to make a new kind of antivenom. It would be made in a lab without snakes and horses. Hopefully, it would be easier to get this antivenom to people who need it most.

That’s why biologists like Perry study how venom works. Or why some animals—like the opossum—aren’t hurt by snake venom.

Of course, most snakes are nonvenomous like Buddy. Venomous or not, it’s important to give snakes lots of space. If you see a snake in the wild, admire it from a respectful distance.

It’s the best way to ssssstay sssssafe and sssssupport sssssnakes at the same time.

Sincerely,
Dr. Universe

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Get more questions and answers here!

Know a kid with a science question?
Help them submit it for a chance to be featured in a future Q&A.

Submit a question!

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2023 Washington 4-H State Livestock Judging Contest Update

The 2023 Washington 4-H State Livestock Judging Contest is scheduled for June 24, 2023, and will be held at the Ardell Pavilion, centered on the Grant County Fairgrounds.  Contest guidelines and rules with NEW for 2023 updates are linked in this article and are up for viewing on the Washington 4-H website.   Additionally, the travel guidelines document and  fillable registration forms specific to Junior, Intermediate and Senior contest registrations are linked below.  Again as in 2022, the 2023 contest has NO Requirement for Qualifying, just come and participate.

This will be our second year hosting the Livestock Judging Contest at the Grant County Fairgrounds in Moses Lake, WA.   The committee is looking forward to another successful contest year. in 2022 we had three senior teams that traveled to national 4-H contests representing the Evergreen state.

New for 2023:

• There will be a registration deadline this year for early registration.  June 9, 2023 – all registration materials signed by the county extension professional (specialist, educator, coordinator, administrative, etc.) will be due by end of day to qualify for early registration fees ($15/team; $5/individual).  Late registrations will be accepted with a late fee charged ($10/individual).  All fees (check, credit or cash) will be collected the day of the contest.
• Teams and coaches will need to be prepared to identify the contests they would like to travel to by the end of the state contest.  If the first place team has not determined that when asked then they will forfeit first choice and so on.  So – coaches and parents PLEASE be prepared before you come to the contest to compete.
• Also new will be a dress code (see guidelines appropriate dress). Key no hats, torn or ripped or frayed jeans, no shorts, and no t-shirts with graphics or written sentiments.

Registrations will need to be sent to Robert.kestell@wsu.edu and CC pskuber@wsu.edu by end of day June 9, 2023.  Late registrations will be charged a late registration fee.  Any questions about the contest? Please contact Paul Kuber pskuber@wsu.edu.

Document Links:

2023 Livestock Judging Contest Rules and Guidelines

2023 Livestock Judging Team Travel Guidelines

2023 Livestock Judging Registration Form – Intermediate

2023 Livestock Judging Registration Form – Junior

2023 Livestock Judging Registration Form – Senior

See you on June 24th!

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Dressage Clinic Coming to Franklin County in June!

Please mark your calendars for a dressage clinic with Abby Welch on June 18th in Franklin County.

The clinic is open to 4-H horse members and is great way to receive practice and guidance in preparation for the Washington State Junior Horse show.

For  more information, contact Sue Duffy, 4-H Horse Superintendent for Benton/Franklin County. Sue’s email address is smarieduffy@gmail.com.

Read Abby Welch’s Bio HERE

2023 Dressage Show Entry Form is HERE

Entry Form for Dressage Clinic with Abby is HERE

Submitted by Jennifer Leach, State 4-H horse contact.

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Announcement of Dressage Tests for the 2023 4-H State Fair

 

The dressage tests for English dressage at the 2023 4-H State Fair will be Test 3 for both Training Level 1 and First Level.

Western Dressage has come back for the 2023 4-H State Fair and Test 3 for both Basic Level and Level 1.

4-H horse members will only be able to ride either English Dressage or Western Dressage, but not both, due to time constraints related to arena time.

These tests are available on the respective governing organizations—United States Dressage Federation (USDF) for English (https://www.usdf.org/) and the the Western Dressage Association of America for Western dressage (https://www.westerndressageassociation.org)

The Western Dressage Association of America is the governing body for the Washington State 4-H Horse program. The information in the 2015 PNW 4-H Horse Contest guide on page 20 is outdated. In Washington, we do not use the North American Western (NAW) dressage tests.

Submitted by Jennifer Leach, WSU Extension 4-H State Fair Board Staff Liaison. E-mail Jennifer at LeachJ@co.cowlitz.wa.us.

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Reining Pattern for 2023 4-H State Fair Now Available

 

The 4-H State Fair reining pattern is now posted on the horse page on the WSU 4-H webpage located at https://extension.wsu.edu/4h/projects/animal-science/companion-performance/horse/

Reining will once again be offered at State Fair for Seniors only. The reining pattern is the same as last year to encourage participation since this is only the second year of 4-H reining. And also includes the scoresheet as an educational and judging tool.

There will be additional reining patterns for county level use that are reflective of basic reining and/or introductory reining. More to come next week.

For those who do reining–it is a series of circles, stop, back, figure 8, flying changes, roll backs, and/or spins. And based on skill level and/or complexity of the series of movements.

Submitted by Jennifer Leach, Chair of the “Ad Hoc Reining Committee” and 4-H State Fair board 4-H Staff Liaison. E-mail Jennifer at LeachJ@co.cowlitz.wa.us.

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Fifth and Final State 4-H Virtual Photo Club Meeting  Recording Now Available!

 

We held our fifth and last meeting for this 4-H year for the State 4-H Photo Virtual Club on May 14th, 2023. Our fifth meeting theme/focus was on matting, mounting, fair entries, scorecards, photo labels, and our virtual contest entries.

You can find the recording at https://bit.ly/42FPuSL

We are trying a new system for capturing data on our post-workshop survey. Please use the link in the video to take the survey when you finish watching the recording.

There is an announcement of our Virtual 4-H Photography Contest in this recording and stay tuned for the full advertisement of the contest in next week’s 4-H Tuesday News!

Learn something new with us!

Pam Watson, M.Ed.
WSU Lewis County Extension
4-H Youth Development Agent, WSU Faculty

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March 26th 4-H Market Poultry Zoom Recording Now Available!

 

If you are working on a Market Poultry Project and need to get some basics or more advanced info, check out our recording from March 26th, 2023. We covered fryers, turkeys, ducks, and geese, with the focus being on fryers and turkeys. This program is available to all, not just 4-H youth.

Find the link to the recording below.
http://bit.ly/3ze4SbT (WSU Zoom Recording)

Please take our post-workshop survey after viewing the recording at (WSU Qualtrics) this link is also in the recording. http://bit.ly/3LRPppq

Thanks for watching our workshop!

Pam Watson, M.Ed., pwatson@wsu.edu
WSU Lewis County Extension
4-H Youth Development Agent, WSU Faculty

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Lincoln County Spring Showcase Coming April 15th!

Attention 4-H Livestock Exhibitors!!

WSU Lincoln County Extension is sponsoring a new Lincoln County Spring Showcase (LCSS)
Livestock Jackpot Show to be held April 15th at the Fairgrounds in Davenport.

This event is managed and conducted by the Washington State University, Lincoln County Extension,  4-H staff and volunteers. Our main purpose is to connect the past with the present!

For many years Lincoln County conducted a “pre-show” for 4-H and FFA members who planned on exhibiting their livestock at the Spokane Junior Livestock Show held in May. This early spring show will provide an opportunity for kids to gain a valuable “learn by doing” experience and better prepare for upcoming regional jackpot shows, county fairs or a future market livestock show.

LCSS will focus on providing kids with a fun, educational, competitive and positive experience as it relates to showing livestock. We also promise to provide enthusiastic and competent judges that can evaluate and sort livestock all while using a genuine and personal approach.

For more on LCSS, including the schedule, entry fees, eligibility and deadlines, rules and information, and on-line and mail-in entry forms, visit https://extension.wsu.edu/lincoln-adams/4h/lincoln-county-spring-show/

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YQCAPROGRAM.ORG Update

 Paul Kuber

 

 

 

 

 

It’s that time of year again to be thinking about Youth for the Quality Care of Animals – YQCA (https://yqcaprogram.org).  As spring approaches and youth begin their food animal projects it time to offer YQCA. It is a useful tool to help guide youth through best practices when raising a food animal.  This program will provide youth with the skills to produce a safe and wholesome product from an animal that was raised humanely while enriching their life-skills through thoughtful content.  It is supported by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, National Pork Board and the American Sheep Industry Association as an equivalent to their adult quality assurance industry educational programs. Having youth participate prior to the beginning of their project will result in youth having the resources through-out their project for success.

Link to learn more about the YQCA program at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nc9su34t1WM

As a reminder on March 23, 2022, YQCA moved to a new platform resulting in web address change.  PLEASE RE-DIRECT all youth, parents and instructors to use the new website https://yqcaprogram.org  so that they can participate in this dynamic program.  The old website address and link is no longer an active youth education website. This change (new platform and web-address) has given the YQCA organization the opportunity to move the program forward as originally planned, but that required us walking away from a third party vendor and a web address that they owned.

The following instructional videos that YQCA recently released, will guide youth and parents through the registration process and participation on the new website and with the new program:

Sign-up and Participate in a Web-based Training:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qC5n5YWx1rI

Sign-up and Participate in an Instructor Led Training:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZHW2qtMlOc

Key items:

• • Assure that wherever you have YQCA training links online they need to link to https://yqcaprogram.org
  • Assure that all print material including PDF’s (or other) from past years with the inactive website are removed from public access
  • Encourage leaders, parents, and youth to view the linked YouTube videos for either web-based training or instructor led training

If you have questions about offering, or becoming a certified instructor for YQCA please contact Paul Kuber at pskuber@wsu.edu

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Fourth Statewide 4-H Photography Club Meeting Set For April 16th!

 

Our Fourth Statewide 4-H Photo Club meeting theme will be Action, Stop Action, and Trick Photography! The meeting will be held on Sunday, April 16th at 2 PM and will last about 90 minutes.

Pre-register now at http://bit.ly/3lP2wgC

Join us live or view the recordings to learn about our upcoming virtual photo contest. We will put the details out in writing with our May meeting notice.

Our Third meeting, “Tell the 4-H Story,” was held on March 12th. The link for that recording is https://bit.ly/3Te3HT5. What did we cover? We covered the 4-H Story (4-H Record Books), News articles, Journalism, Storyboards, and Theme boards. We had our second critique/photo challenge on– Animal Photography. Remember that the educational portion from the prior meeting is the photo challenge assignment for the next meeting.

 

 

 

If you would like to submit any photos for our critique at the 4th meeting please e-mail them to Pam Watson at pwatson@wsu.edu as attachments by Friday, April 14th, make sure you put in the subject line of the e-mail “4-H Photo Club.” Each person may send up to three photos, keep in mind we may not get through them all. For now, keep working on the photo challenge assignment- “Tell the 4-H Story!”

Our meetings are open to anyone interested in learning more about the 4-H photography project or photography in general.

We are trying a new system for capturing data on our post-workshop survey. Please use the link in the video or chat box to take the survey when you finish watching the recording.

Come learn something new with us!

Pam Watson, M.Ed., pswatson@wsu.edu
WSU Lewis County Extension
4-H Youth Development Agent, WSU Faculty

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Upcoming 4-H Horse Events

Hosted By Yakima County Extension 4-H 

Hay!!! Do you love horses?
Upcoming Yakima County horse events at https://extension.wsu.edu/…/4-h-events/4-h-horse-events/

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Announcement of Dressage Tests for the 2023 4-H State Fair

The dressage tests for English dressage at the 2023 4-H State Fair will be Test 3 for both Training Level 1 and First Level.

Western Dressage has come back for the 2023 4-H State Fair and Test 3 for both Basic Level and Level 1.

4-H horse members will only be able to ride either English Dressage or Western Dressage, but not both, due to time constraints related to arena time.

These tests are available on the respective governing organizations—United States Dressage Federation (USDF) for English (https://www.usdf.org/) and the the Western Dressage Association of America for Western dressage (https://www.westerndressageassociation.org)

The Western Dressage Association of America is the governing body for the Washington State 4-H Horse program. The information in the 2015 PNW 4-H Horse Contest guide on page 20 is outdated. In Washington, we do not use the North American Western (NAW) dressage tests.

Submitted by Jennifer Leach, WSU Extension 4-H State Fair Board Staff Liaison. E-mail Jennifer at LeachJ@co.cowlitz.wa.us.

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Reining Pattern for 2023 4-H State Fair Now Available

The 4-H State Fair reining pattern now posted on the WSU 4-H webpage

Reining will once again be offered at State Fair for Seniors only. The reining pattern is the same as last year to encourage participation since this is only the second year of 4-H reining. And also includes the scoresheet as an educational and judging tool.

There will be additional reining patterns for county level use that are reflective of basic reining and/or introductory reining. More to come next week.

For those who do reining–it is a series of circles, stop, back, figure 8, flying changes, roll backs, and/or spins. And based on skill level and/or complexity of the series of movements.

Submitted by Jennifer Leach, Chair of the “Ad Hoc Reining Committee” and 4-H State Fair board 4-H Staff Liaison. E-mail Jennifer at LeachJ@co.cowlitz.wa.us.

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Food Preservation Requirement Completion
Guidelines for 4-H Food Preservation Leadership

Jana Ferris

After further review, the following will be accepted as meeting the requirement of having completed food preservation training to leader 4-H Food Preservation Projects:

4-H Food Preservation, https://extension.wsu.edu/4h/for-volunteers/volunteer-training/

Master Food Preserver (MFP) – active participation in the program

Consumer Food Safety (CFS) – currently serving as a CFS advisor for WSU

To demonstrate serving as an active MFP or CFS, the supervising faculty, staff, or county director sends an email affirming your participation to the Extension Volunteer Development Specialist (ferrisj@wsu.edu).

Also, we will be reviewing the requirement in the next few months and determine what, if any, future training might be required. Stay tuned for further information.

 

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Ask Dr. Universe: Do Ants Hibernate In The Winter?

 

Check out the latest episode of the Ask Dr. Universe podcast to meet an undergraduate student scientist and hear how she found her place in science.

Dr. Universe: Do ants hibernate in the winter? Garrett, 10, Illinois

 

Dear Garrett,

When most people think about hibernation, they picture bears snoozing away the cold winter in their dens. You’re right that other animals do that, too.

I talked about your question with my friend Laurel Hansen. She’s an entomology professor at Washington State University. Her specialty is carpenter ants.

“We think most ants in our temperate climate will have diapausing larvae and what I would call overwintering adults,” Hansen said.

Diapausing and overwintering are like hibernating but not quite the same. There are a few things to know about ants to understand what these terms mean.

First, ants are social insects. An ant colony works together so closely that scientists think of them as a single unit—called a superorganism.

Second, ants undergo complete metamorphosis. That means they go through four life stages: egg, larva, pupa and adult.

After they hatch from eggs, juvenile ants are called larvae—or larva for just one. They look like small, white worms. Worker ants feed the larvae in the nest. The larvae spend their time eating and growing. As they get bigger, they molt. They shed their old body covering—called an exoskeleton—and secrete a new one.

These ants are called pupae when they are in the process of changing into adults. Some ant pupae do this inside a cocoon. Others just curl up. They slowly get darker as they change into adults.

Scientists recently learned that ant pupae do something amazing. They leak a nutritious liquid. It’s good for the whole colony—especially the youngest larvae. Workers will even hold up larvae so they can drink this “ant milk” from the pupae.

Ant colonies last for many years. They need strategies to survive cold winters without food. What they do depends on the ant’s life stage.

Larvae diapause through winter. That means they stop developing. They don’t eat or move. It’s like they pressed pause until winter ends. Once spring arrives, they become pupae.

Adults do something more like hibernation. Just like bears, ants build their fat stores before winter. That’s the fuel they’ll use to stay alive. They save energy by slowing their body systems way down. They also make a chemical that works like antifreeze. It keeps the insides of their bodies juicy and free of ice crystals.

“For adults, it’s not a true diapause, and it’s not a true hibernation,” Hansen said. “If you crack open a nest in the winter, the ants will be moving. But they’re slower, and their respiration is about half of what it will be in the summer.”

You might notice ants in your home in spring, especially in the kitchen and bathroom. Those ants are leaving their nests after a long winter’s rest. They’re probably looking for water. They’ll take it back to the nest to make it humid and cozy for their colony.

Just like budding trees and blooming flowers, seeing ants out and about is a sign that spring is around the corner.

Sincerely,
Dr. Universe

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Dr. Universe: How many beetles are there in the world?

Tu, 12, Utah

Dear Tu,

If beetles seem to be everywhere, that’s because they are. Some beetles stand out because they’re colorful. Think about jewel beetles and ladybugs. Others play useful and weird roles in the ecosystem—like the poop-rolling dung beetle. Their ancestors probably even ate dinosaur poop.

Nobody knows exactly how many beetles there are, but scientists have some ideas. I talked about it with my friend Joel Gardner. He’s the collection manager for the Insect Museum at Washington State University.

When scientists find a new species, they describe what it looks like. They give it a name. They publish that information so other people know about it. That’s called describing a species. Scientists describe new insect species all the time.

Gardner told me scientists have described about 400,000 species of beetles so far. There are many more beetles we don’t know about yet. Altogether, there are probably between 1 million and 2 million beetle species.

Right now, beetles make up 40% of all described insects. They’re 25% of all known life on Earth.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

But another group of insects may have more species than beetles—parasitic wasps. These wasps lay eggs in or on other insects. When the eggs hatch, the baby wasps eat the host.

“For every insect there’s probably a wasp that parasitizes it. So, you can imagine there are millions out there,” Gardner said. “Parasitic wasps are generally very small. Different species look almost identical. So, you need to use advanced methods to tell them apart.”

If scientists described all those parasitic wasps, beetles might be closer to 5% of all insects.

Another way to look at your question is how many individual beetles are on Earth right now. Gardner did the math to figure that out.

He told me scientists think there are around 10 quintillion individual insects. That’s 10 followed by 18 zeroes. Like this: 10,000,000,000,000,000,000. If 5% of all those insects are beetles, there are probably around 500 quadrillion individual beetles.

Pretend you’re the beetle boss. You make those 500 quadrillion beetles line up. If they’re all half an inch long—about average size for beetles—that line of beetles would wrap around the Earth more than 150 million times. That’s a lot of beetles.

There are about 500,000 beetles in the collection at WSU. Gardner stores them in 917 wooden drawers. Some were collected by scientists. Others were donated by people who collect insects for fun.

Beetles belong to the order Coleoptera. You can often identify a beetle just by looking at its wings.

Like most insects, adult beetles have four wings. Scientists call their hind wings membranous. That means they’re thin, flexible and transparent. They flap these soft wings to fly. The front wings are hard coverings called elytra. They protect the hind wings. The red-and-black part of a ladybug is its elytra.

The only way to know for sure how many beetles are out there is to find and describe them. One of the best parts of entomology—the study of insects—is that it’s open to everyone. Getting to know the beetles that live near you is a great way to get started. Maybe one day you’ll find a new species of beetle!

Sincerely,
Dr. Universe

Get more questions and answers here!

Know a kid with a science question?
Help them submit it for a chance to be featured in a future Q&A.

Submit a question!

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Skagit County Youth Wins Big at Goat 4-H

By Marla Bronstein, Skagit Talk

Dylan loves the animals on his family farm, especially the goats. Photo credit: Lesley Keefer at Focus Photography

Dylan James Gillig – a current high school senior – and his younger siblings Jonah, Jonas, and Victoria currently live on a farm with their parents in Sedro-Woolley. The farm is large enough to manage crops, cows, goats, chickens, ducks and lambs. Farm life affords advantages, including the ability to easily do animal 4-H.

“I like goats and cows,” says Dylan.

 

 

At the time, Dylan was an eighth grader, but not your average student. “When we started in 2018, the first goal was for Dylan to hang on to the leash,” says Heather. That’s because Dylan was born with ventricular septal defect, meaning part of his heart was not intact. This was only one of the many physical manifestations of his being born with Down syndrome. He is also legally blind, and while he can see with his glasses, printing has to be very large. He can’t see depth. When walking in new places or going up and down stairs, oftentimes he’s holding on to somebody’s arm. This can make walking an energetic goat kid difficult. But Dylan wasn’t about to give up.

By summer of 2022, Dylan was able to master a maneuver called stacking the feet, to properly present Wiggles to the judges while showing at the Evergreen State Fair. The result was a winning one. “He ended up with a fistful of ribbons at the Fair, including a rosette for the Champion Top Boy Pigmy Goat for Body Confirmation,” Heather shares.

 

He’s stellar showmanship and is enthusiastic to share his knowledge with anyone willing to listen. “When he’s at the fair and people come to look at the goats, he’ll walk them through the whole barn, and show them everything,” shares Kristy. “People enjoy it, and then thank him for his time. Sometimes I actually have to usher him away.

“People ask for him to show them around,” adds Heather.

Dylan loves being part of his 4-H club, attending every meeting and participating in the lessons and practices. At the end of each 4-H meeting, Dylan is responsible for the group sendoff, with his parting message to each participant being “Good job, high five!”

 

 

 

High School and Beyond for Dylan Gillig

When Dylan was born, his mother Kristy was more concerned with him surviving, much less graduating from high school. His first open heart surgery was at 4 months of age. “They had to build his heart chambers,” shares Kristy. “The surgery took quite a bit of time and they weren’t able to fix another problem, a mitral valve defect. They were hoping he would outgrow it. He’ll eventually have to have a micro valve replacement.” For this, he has regular heart checks in Seattle.

With all of his challenges, Kristy is hopeful for Dylan’s future. She credits his possibilities and is grateful for both the educational and social experiences he has had since birth, both from his teachers and community service partners.

After his 2023 high school graduation, Dylan will transition to the ATTIC program offered in Burlington. This three-year program focuses on independent living skills for the first two years, then it transitions to vocational training.

Once the ATTIC program is completed, Kristy doesn’t have anything pinned down for Dylan. She has not been able to find an adult-focused social or vocational program in Skagit County that fully supports families with impacted adult children, or to assist with respite care.

“It’s even more lacking in the eastern part of Skagit County,” says Kristy. “In Bellingham, there is more community involvement and more transitional support than there is currently Skagit County. I’d love to see that grow in Skagit County. I want to use the opportunity to advocate, for not just Dylan, but individuals like Dylan, so that they have citizenship. I think that’s the biggest part, being able to be a citizen in the community. To have a meaningful citizenship.”

The family is preparing to make big decisions regarding how they can best support their whole family. “You know,” Kristy says, “I’m being realistic that I don’t think he’s going to live independently. But some semi-independence would be great. For example, cooking is something that we continually work on. One of his recent goals is to work on visual recipes and follow the steps in the pictures. We’ve color coded his tablespoons and cups and then match it so that he can follow the recipe. But, operating a gas stove is probably not going to be in his répertoire. Fully independent living is probably not gonna happen. Some semi-independence is our hope for him. We’re hoping that we can find some social outlet for him in Burlington and Skagit County. The social component is actually the most important part for us.”

As for Dylan, he is looking forward to going on his choir trip to Disneyland, the senior field trip and his last Skagit County Fairhas a 4-H member showing his goats. He would love to come visit in 2023.

Submitted by Ashley Hernandez-Hall, WSU Snohomish County Extension 4-H

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Save the Date! Teen Conference is Back!

Conference information at https://extension.wsu.edu/4h/stc/

Registration Opens in April!

 

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Q and A Sessions for the Washington 4-H Horse Program Continue

Have questions about the Washington 4-H horse program? We are planning to have a monthly Q and A for leaders, parents, members, and staff on the third Thursday of each month via Zoom from 6:30 to 7:30 pm. Zooms will start in February and run at least through June.

There will be no specific topics for this first zoom but will be around the theme/parameters of horses and youth development. It will be more than “what are the rules.” However, there will be time set aside for input on future topics for the subsequent Zooms. The Zoom meeting ID is 452-082-9765 with no passcode. You must have a zoom account to participate.

The meeting will be facilitated by Jennifer Leach, WSU Extension 4-H State Fair Board Staff Liaison.

. If you need further clarification of the meeting, feel free to contact Jennifer at LeachJ@co.cowlitz.wa.us.

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State 4-H Ambassadors Present
the 4-H Youth of the Month for March!

The Washington State 4-H Ambassadors recognize the 4-H Youth of the Month honoree for March, Raeley Barnes of Clark County! The Ambassadors are proud to highlight 4-H youth monthly throughout the year!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you have any questions about the State Ambassadors, or are interested in joining, please email wa4hsa@gmail.com. We hope to hear from you!

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Pierce County Leaders Council Presents April Fun’Raiser

Get a jump on qualifying shows and county fairs!  The Pierce County Leaders Council Fun’Raiser is an open show for cats, dogs, and horses happening on April 29, 2023 at Frontier Park in Graham, WA.  Get extra experience in the ring or arena!

Fun’Raiser is open to all ages and is open to the general public.  The Cat Show offers Fitting & Showmanship, Type and Agility.  The Dog Show offers Showmanship, Obedience, Rally, and AKC–Canine Good Citizen Test and Novice Trick Test.  The Horse Show offers Showmanship, Performance, Driving, In-hand, and Western Games.

Times and fees vary based on individual animal type.  More information can be found at https://extension.wsu.edu/pierce/4-h/current-member-leader-info/.

For the Dog Fun’Raiser Flyer, CLICK HERE

For the Horse Fun’Raiser Flyer, CLICK HERE

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March 26th 4-H Market Poultry Zoom Recording Now Available!

 

If you are working on a Market Poultry Project and need to get some basics or more advanced info, check out our recording from March 26th, 2023. We covered fryers, turkeys, ducks, and geese, with the focus being on fryers and turkeys. This program is available to all, not just 4-H youth.

Find the link to the recording below.
http://bit.ly/3ze4SbT (WSU Zoom Recording)

Please take our post-workshop survey after viewing the recording at (WSU Qualtrics) this link is also in the recording. http://bit.ly/3LRPppq

Thanks for watching our workshop!

Pam Watson, M.Ed., pwatson@wsu.edu
WSU Lewis County Extension
4-H Youth Development Agent, WSU Faculty

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Explore 4-H with WSU Extension

Recording – Basic 4-H Cat Project

 

This presentation is for anyone who has an interest in the 4-H Cat Project and how to get you and your cat ready for a 4-H Show. 4-H Volunteer Caroline Vadino presents with us on Explore 4-H with WSU Extension the “Basic 4-H Cat Project” from Sunday, March 5^th, 2023. You can find the recording for this presentation at http://bit.ly/3ZIo3Wk.

There is a short survey at the end of the presentation with a link that will take you to a WSU Qualtrics page, please take a few minutes to complete the survey.

Thank you and enjoy the workshop,

Pam Watson, M.Ed.
WSU Lewis County Extension
4-H Youth Development Agent, WSU Faculty

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RECORDING! Backyard Flock -Poultry Housing
Part 2, Chicks 8-28 Weeks 

Are you thinking about getting chicks? What sort of brooder should you have before you bring them home? Where will they live as they get older? Let’s discuss some safe, inexpensive, and healthy designs for your poultry housing. This presentation is for 4-H members, volunteers, families, and anyone from the public who has an interest in small and backyard poultry and how to set up age-appropriate housing.

You can find the second half of the recording “Chicks 8-28 Weeks” at http://bit.ly/3ELEidv

This recorded session of Explore 4-H with WSU Extension is brought to you by the WSU 4-H Small & Companion Animal Committee.

RECORDING! Backyard Flock-Poultry Housing, Part 1, Chicks 0-8 Weeks

You can find the first half of the recording “Chicks 0-8 Weeks” at http://bit.ly/3Eat7uy

This recorded session of Explore 4-H with WSU Extension is brought to you by the WSU 4-H Small & Companion Animal Committee.

Thanks for watching,

Pam Watson, M.Ed., pwatson@wsu.edu
WSU Lewis County Extension
4-H Youth Development Agent, WSU Faculty

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Opportunities In Virtual Horse Judging 

Pat Pehling

While clinics and contests with live horses (and riders) are definitely more effective, sometimes it is difficult to find an acceptable location and/or arrange for enough suitable horses to create a contest.

Subscription service livestockjudging.com has over 100 classes on horses or performance.  It is suitable for teaching judging, but also allows a subscriber to set up contests.  Available classes include halter, reining, ranch riding, trail, western equitation, western pleasure, huntseat equitation and hunter under saddle.

Snohomish County has four  Horse Judging events each 4-H year with live “live” and one Virtual.  Each Contest includes 4 classes  and written reasons on one class.  While there is no option for reasons on the Virtual platform, the members are instructed to email their written reasons to a volunteer who is trained to evaluate the reasons.

livestockjudging.com scores each participants’  placings and results are soon available. The subscriber chooses the classes, determines the contest placing of each class or has a judge place the class (there are class placings available to view when deciding the official placing of each  class), sets the times and dates of the Contest and gives  directions to the participants.  Participants can be “invited” or a PIN can be shared to allows access to the program.  Contests can run for a couple hours or several days.

Since it is desirable for the Judging Contest to also be educational, the judge should always give reasons for placing classes at a Contest.  On the Virtual Contest, it is recommended that written reasons be shared on whatever method of communicating with the youth is available at the county level. Some of the available classes do have reasons available.

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News for Washington State 4-H Equine

Save the Date! State Horse Bowl and State Hippology May 6-7, 2023

The 2023 WA State 4-H Horse Bowl Contest and WA State 4-H Hippology Contest will be held over the first weekend in May at the Grant County Fairgrounds in Moses Lake. Horse Bowl will be on Saturday, May 6 and Hippology will be on Sunday, May 7. All the details are in the registration packets, available below.

2023 Horse Bowl Registration Packet

2023 Hippology Contest Registration Packet

We hope 4-H members will try both!!

Lodging Information for teams needing overnight accommodations:

– Camping is available at the Grant County Fairground, including RV spaces. Those interested in this option may make arrangements directly with the fairgrounds here: https://www.gcfairgrounds.com/p/fair/fair-camping

– For hotel accommodations, we recommend national name hotels with rooms that open to hallways rather than the outdoors.

As with all State 4-H Equine Contests, each county may select their teams in any manner they choose (e.g. County Contests, Tests, Tryouts, Attendance) and those teams are approved by the County 4-H Educator.  Other members are welcome to attend to observe the Contest but only designated County Teams may participate.

The list of sources that state contest questions and materials will be drawn from has been condensed to those are that free and/or easily accessible in hopes that addressing accessibility challenges will increase participation in state equine knowledge contests. These sources are free downloads from our WA State 4-H website:

• The 4-H Horse Member Manual https://pubs.extension.wsu.edu/the-4h-horse-project
• The 4-H Horse Judging Manual https://pubs.extension.wsu.edu/4h-horse-judging-manual
• Beginning Horsemanship https://pubs.extension.wsu.edu/beginning-horsemanship-mm
• Contest Guide https://s3.wp.wsu.edu/uploads/sites/2050/2022/06/PNW574-REV-2015.pdf
• 4-H Driving Manual https://pubs.extension.wsu.edu/4h-driving-manual
• 4-H Dressage Manual https://pubs.extension.wsu.edu/4h-dressage-manual
• Hunt Seat & Jumper https://pubs.extension.wsu.edu/hunt-seat-and-jumper-manual
• Groom Squad https://pubs.extension.wsu.edu/washington-state-4h-fair-groom-squad-contest

And one additional source, available for purchase or digital rental: https://www.ayhc.com/shop

• Equine Science by Jean T. Griffiths

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Remember to Sign Up for 4-H Equine Science
and Horsemanship Series Thursdays!!

We are excited to launch the 2022-2023 WA State 4-H Equine Science and Horsemanship Series!! Hosted virtually on the 4th Thursday of the month, December 2022 – December 2023 (*5th Thursday in November 2023, due to Thanksgiving) from 6:30 – 7:30 pm.

All are invited to attend to learn more about horses! Sessions will incorporate hands-on opportunities and fun learning games! Use this link to sign up and receive the zoom link: https://bit.ly/WA4-HEquineScience

Registered participants will be emailed a suggested supply list prior to each session for the hands-on component.

NOTE: Instructors are needed for some of our upcoming sessions. If you have interest in teaching, please contact kim.baker@wsu.edu | 425-520-3908.

We are interested in hearing from staff, equine professionals, and alumni of the horse program that would like to share their area of expertise with an audience of youth.

Interested parties should be prepared to share an overview of their topic and how they envision incorporating a hands-on component in a virtual format. More details about the review process are available upon request.

Thank you!

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Food Preservation Requirement Completion –
Guidelines for 4-H Food Preservation Leadership

by Jana Ferris

After further review, the following will be accepted as meeting the requirement of having completed food preservation training to leader 4-H Food Preservation Projects:

4-H Food Preservation, https://extension.wsu.edu/4h/for-volunteers/volunteer-training/

Master Food Preserver (MFP) – active participation in the program

Consumer Food Safety (CFS) – currently serving as a CFS advisor for WSU

To demonstrate serving as an active MFP or CFS, the supervising faculty, staff, or county director sends an email affirming your participation to the Extension Volunteer Development Specialist (ferrisj@wsu.edu).

Also, we will be reviewing the requirement in the next few months and determine what, if any,
future training might be required. Stay tuned for further information.

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Statewide 4-H Virtual Photo Club March meeting Scheduled for March 12th!

 

We had our second Statewide 4-H Virtual Photography Club meeting “Photographing Animals” on Feb. 12^th at 2 PM. Thank you to those who joined us and participated. We recorded that meeting because the educational portion from the 2nd meeting is the photo challenge assignment for the next meeting. Please find the recording at: https://bit.ly/3YRlFNb

Our meetings are open to anyone interested in learning more about the 4-H photography project.

Our Third meeting will be on Sunday, March 12th at 2:00 PM. The pre-registration link for that meeting is http://bit.ly/3IFWru3

Welcome! You are invited to join a meeting: Statewide 4-H Photography Club, 3rd meeting.

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the meeting.

We will be learning about storyboards, journalism, and taking portraits of people. We will have our second critique using photos from our 2nd meeting photo challenge – Animal Photography.

If you would like to submit any photos for our critique at the 3rd meeting please e-mail them to Pam Watson at pwatson@wsu.edu as attachments by Friday, Mar. 10th, make sure you put in the subject line of the e-mail “4-H Photo Club.” Each person may send up to three photos, keep in mind we may not get through them all. For now, keep working on the photo challenge assignment!

We will be recording this meeting. * Special note, time will spring forward for Daylight Savings on this day, be sure to set your clocks forward.

Pam Watson, M.Ed.
WSU Lewis County Extension
4-H Youth Development Agent, WSU Faculty

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Recording of the Second Photography Club Meeting is Now Available! 

 Recording – Statewide 4-H Photography Club, second meeting (Photographing Animals)

We had our Second Statewide 4-H Virtual Photography Club meeting on February 12th.  Thank you to those who joined us and participated in the educational portion and our first critique. We recorded that meeting because the educational portion from the second meeting is the photo challenge assignment for the third meeting critique. Please find the recording at: http://bit.ly/3YRlFNb

Information for the third meeting will be released soon, there is a sneak peek on the recording.

Pam Watson, M.Ed.
WSU Lewis County Extension

4-H Youth Development Agent, WSU Faculty

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Save the Date! Teen Conference is Back!

Conference information can be found at https://extension.wsu.edu/4h/stc/

SUBMIT A WORKSHOP PROPOSAL FOR TEEN CONFERENCE!

Please consider submitting a proposal to present a workshop at the conference. We also encourage youth to present. The deadline for submissions was March 1, 2023 to be considered for this conference, but proposals are still needed..

The Request for Proposal Form can be found by clicking HERE. Proposals can be submitted via email to Kelly.a.stewart@wsu.edu or via Qualtrics at https://wsu.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_b7xSP2wuXUN3tkO

Registration Opens in April!

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State 4-H Ambassadors Present the 4-H Youth of the Month for March!

 

The Washington State 4-H Ambassadors recognize the 4-H Youth of the Month honoree for March, Raeley Barnes of Clark County! The Ambassadors are proud to highlight 4-H youth monthly throughout the year!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you have any questions about the State Ambassadors, or are interested in joining, please email wa4hsa@gmail.com. We hope to hear from you!

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Explore 4-H with WSU Extension – Basic 4-H Cat Project Zoom On March 5th

This presentation is for anyone who has an interest in the 4-H Cat Project and how to get you and your cat ready for a 4-H Show. Please join us and 4-H Volunteer Caroline Vadino on Explore 4-H with WSU Extension for the “Basic 4-H Cat Project” on Sunday, March 5th  at 2:00 PM.

Please pre-register at the link below. After registering you will receive a link through e-mail to participate in the Zoom presentation.

Please pre-register by following the link http://bit.ly/41iJ77G

Pam Watson, M.Ed.
WSU Lewis County Extension

4-H Youth Development Agent, WSU Faculty

 

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Pierce County Leaders Council Presents April Fun’Raiser

Get a jump on qualifying shows and county fairs!  The Pierce County Leaders Council Fun’Raiser is an open show for cats, dogs, and horses happening on April 29, 2023 at Frontier Park in Graham, WA.  Get extra experience in the ring or arena!

Fun’Raiser is open to all ages and is open to the general public.  The Cat Show offers Fitting & Showmanship, Type and Agility.  The Dog Show offers Showmanship, Obedience, Rally, and AKC–Canine Good Citizen Test and Novice Trick Test.  The Horse Show offers Showmanship, Performance, Driving, In-hand, and Western Games.

Times and fees vary based on individual animal type.  More information can be found at https://extension.wsu.edu/pierce/4-h/current-member-leader-info/.

For the Dog Fun’Raiser Flyer, CLICK HERE

For the Horse Fun’Raiser Flyer, CLICK HERE

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RECORDING! Backyard Flock -Poultry Housing, Part 2, Chicks 8-28 Weeks 

Are you thinking about getting chicks? What sort of brooder should you have before you bring them home? Where will they live as they get older? Let’s discuss some safe, inexpensive, and healthy designs for your poultry housing. This presentation is for 4-H members, volunteers, families, and anyone from the public who has an interest in small and backyard poultry and how to set up age-appropriate housing.

You can find the second half of the recording “Chicks 8-28 Weeks” at http://bit.ly/3ELEidv

This recorded session of Explore 4-H with WSU Extension is brought to you by the WSU 4-H Small & Companion Animal Committee.

Thanks for watching,

Pam Watson, M.Ed., pwatson@wsu.edu
WSU Lewis County Extension
4-H Youth Development Agent, WSU Faculty

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RECORDING! Backyard Flock-Poultry Housing, Part 1, Chicks 0-8 Weeks

 

Are you thinking about getting chicks? What sort of brooder should you have before you bring them home? Where will they live as they get older? Let’s discuss some safe, inexpensive, and healthy designs for your poultry housing. This presentation is for 4-H members, volunteers, families, and anyone from the public who has an interest in poultry and how to set up age-appropriate housing.

You can find the first half of the recording “Chicks 0-8 Weeks” at http://bit.ly/3Eat7uy This recorded session of Explore 4-H with WSU Extension is brought to you by the WSU 4-H Small & Companion Animal Committee.

Thanks for watching,

Pam Watson, M.Ed., pwatson@wsu.edu
WSU Lewis County Extension
4-H Youth Development Agent, WSU Faculty

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Check Out Virtual Horse Management Webinar Series From Rutgers University! 

 

Check out this webinar series being offered by our colleagues at the Rutgers Equine Science Center

If you haven’t yet registered for the free Virtual Horse Management Seminar webinar series make sure you do so now! The first webinar was on Wednesday, February 8th from 6:30 to 8:30 pm, on “Research Based Supplements.”
For more details on all of the webinars, to learn about the presenters and topics, and to register, please go to: https://go.rutgers.edu/2023HMS

Just Added: For those who join us live on the webinar, Triple Crown has graciously offered to donate a door prize each evening. At the end of the webinar, we will randomly select a participant from the list of attendees. You must still be on the webinar when your name is called in order to qualify for the prize. From there, you will be contacted by Triple Crown via email to select a ‘swag bag’ door prize! The door prizes will include choices between product coupons; New Forage Tether Treats; and for those non-horse-owning participants, a backpack/hat/blanket combo!

Be sure not to miss out, and we look forward to seeing you there!

#RUESC #Rutgers #EquineScience #EquineNutrition #HorseManagementSeminar

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SAVE THESE DATES From the 4-H Dairy Program!!

Springtime Youth Calf Sale
March 18, 2023, Evergreen State Fairgrounds, Monroe

WA State 4-H Dairy Quiz Bowl Contest
March 18, 2023, 9:00 am, at the Evergreen State Fairgrounds, Monroe

Evergreen Junior Dairy Show,
April 28 & 29, Evergreen State Fairgrounds, Monroe

2023 WA 4-H Dairy Judging Contest
The 4-H Dairy Judging Contest will be July 18 at the Evergreen State Fairgrounds during the State Holstein Show.  The contest time has not been set.

2023 National 4-H Dairy Conference
The 2023 4-H Dairy Conference will be held in Madison, Wisconsin October 1-4.  For application to be considered on the Washington team, due April 1st, go to:
https://extension.wsu.edu/4h/dairy-endowment-fund/program-activities/dairy-conference-team/

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Ask Dr. Universe: Who Invented Games?

 

How do you become a scientist? Is being a scientist fun?
Check out the latest episode of the Ask Dr. Universe podcast to hear one rad brain scientist talk about his career path and the curiosity that drives him.

Dr. Universe: Who invented games?

Kinzie, 6, Ohio

Dear Kinzie,

Board games, video games, a long piece of yarn… I love them all. I took a break from batting around a catnip-filled mouse toy to talk about your question with my friend, Washington State University professor Jordan Clapper, who told me the answer is a mystery.

“That’s almost impossible to know—for some really fun reasons,” Clapper said. “Every culture has games. It even extends beyond being human. If you’ve ever seen a dog or a cat play, they’re playing a game. “

The earliest board game we’ve found is more than 4,600 years old. Archaeologist Leonard Woolley dug it up in a tomb from Sumer (modern-day Iraq). That tomb was in the Royal Cemetery of Ur, so he named it the Royal Game of Ur.

It was obvious the board was a game. But nobody knew the game’s rules. That’s where Irving Finkel came in. He works for the British Museum. He’s an expert in cuneiform—an ancient writing system of pressing marks into clay tablets. Finkel figured out that one tablet was the game’s rule book. Now, people can play the Royal Game of Ur in printable form or online.

Clapper also told me about the first video game. It was called Tennis for Two. Scientist William Higinbotham wanted people to see that science is fun and useful. So, he invented a video game for a research show at his lab in 1958. It worked on a tool called an oscilloscope.

“He programmed a light to move back and forth,” Clapper said. “There was this big chunky controller. It was probably the size of a Big Mac box. It had a button you pressed with a big ‘ker-chunk’ sound to send the ball back over the net to the other side.”

You might wonder why people invented games. Clapper said games are meaningful simply because they’re fun. But they can also preserve and share cultural knowledge.

“Games can pass along stories,” Clapper said. “Games can do important cultural work or ask questions in unique ways.”

One of Clapper’s areas of expertise is Indigenous games. I learned about the Skins Workshops. That program teaches Indigenous young people to bring traditional stories to video games. That’s also what game developer Elizabeth LaPensée does with her games like When Rivers Were Trails and Thunderbird Strike. Clapper told me Never Alone is a video game made by the Iñupiat Native people of Alaska. Nearly 40 elders and story tellers worked together to bring the story to life.

 

 

If you love games, you can even make your own.
“Anyone can make a game,” Clapper said. “Last year I was finishing a book I was working on and had a dream about a game I wanted to make. I took index cards and markers—and started making pieces. If you want to make games, go out and make them.”

I’d love to hear about the clever ideas you come up with!

Sincerely,
Dr. Universe

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Dr. Universe: Is it true that seven human years equals one dog year?

Cameren, 12, Kentucky

Dear Cameren,

Humans have kept dogs as pets for more than 14,000 years. That close friendship inspires scientists to explore questions like yours.

I talked about how dogs age with my friend Ryan Baumwart. He’s a heart doctor for dogs. He teaches in the veterinary hospital at Washington State University.

I asked Baumwart if a dog year is equal to seven human years.

“I think it’s a good general rule,” he said. “But some larger breed dogs like bullmastiffs and Great Danes have a shorter lifespan of 6 to 8 years. So if you do the math, they get shorted. Then some small breed dogs like Chihuahuas seem to live forever.”

Baumwart told me most puppies reach their full height at about 6 months old. That’s also when their adult teeth come in. Then they start filling out and growing wider. Most dogs are fully grown at about 1 year old. They’re considered geriatric, or old, at about 7 years old.

That fits with the guidelines used by the American Kennel Club and American Veterinary Medical Association. They say the first year of a dog’s life equals 15 human years. The second year equals 9 human years. After that, each year equals 5 human years.

Some researchers say they figured out a more precise calculation. Mammal DNA changes a little bit as we get older. Scientists can use these tiny changes to map how dogs age. You can use a special calculator to figure out your dog’s age using their method. If you love math, you can use their formula: multiply the natural logarithm of your dog’s age by 16 then add 31. The method relies on Labrador Retriever data. It may not work well for very small or very large dogs.

If you wonder why smaller dogs tend to live longer, you’re not alone. Scientists wonder that, too. Baumwart says we simply don’t know the answer yet.

We do know genes play a role in life span. Mixed breed dogs usually live longer than purebred dogs. Purebred dogs are more likely to inherit genetic diseases.
Lifestyle and environment also make a difference. Dogs need exercise and a healthy diet. Baumwart said to choose dog food that meets the guidelines set by the World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA). He recommends talking with your veterinarian about dog food and other questions about your dog’s health. They can tailor their advice to your specific dog.

Right now, Baumwart is part of the Dog Aging Project. The goal is to figure out how to help dogs live longer, healthier lives. The project will collect data from tens of thousands of dogs over 10 years. They’re also testing a medicine called rapamycin that makes mice live longer. They want to know if this medicine could help dogs—and maybe even humans—live longer.

That’s paws-itively awesome news for dogs and the people who have loved them for thousands of years.

Sincerely,
Dr. Universe

 

Get more questions and answers here!

Know a kid with a science question?
Help them submit it for a chance to be featured in a future Q&A.

Submit a question!

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Washington State University Extension and University of Idaho Extension Present Youth Livestock Field Days

 

 

Washington State University Extension and University of Idaho Extension are pleased to present Youth Sheep and Goat Field Day on March 11, 2023, at Asotin County Fairgrounds and Beef Field Day, March 25, 2023, at University of Idaho Livestock Pavilion. Topics for the field days include: mandatory paperwork, quality assurance, meat science, health care, feeding and nutrition, selection of the project animal and fitting and showing.

Registration for both events is now open! Registration cost is $10 per persons and is due March 3, and March 17, respectively. The registration fee includes lunch and handout materials. To register, click on the links below. For more information, see the brochures linked below.

Sheep and Meat Goat Field Day Brochure

Sheep and Meat Goat Field Day Registration

Beef Field Day Brochure

Beef Field Day Registration

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2023 Cougar Invitational Youth Meat Judging Contest Update

by Paul Kuber

The 2023 Cougar Invitational Youth Meat Judging Contest is coming up soon! Contest information pages and the registration link are  now available!

Register at this link:
https://www.judgingcard.com/Registration/Info.aspx?ID=16212

The Cougar Invitational Tentative Schedule, Contest Rules, Registration Information and other contest details (Scoring, What to Bring, Awards, and Contact Information can be found by clicking  HERE.

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Opportunities In Virtual Horse Judging 

by Pat Pehling

While clinics and contests with live horses (and riders) are definitely more effective, sometimes it is difficult to find an acceptable location and/or arrange for enough suitable horses to create a contest.

Subscription service livestockjudging.com has over 100 classes on horses or performance.  It is suitable for teaching judging, but also allows a subscriber to set up contests.  Available classes include halter, reining, ranch riding, trail, western equitation, western pleasure, huntseat equitation and hunter under saddle.

Snohomish County has four  Horse Judging events each 4-H year with live “live” and one Virtual.  Each Contest includes 4 classes  and written reasons on one class.  While there is no option for reasons on the Virtual platform, the members are instructed to email their written reasons to a volunteer who is trained to evaluate the reasons.

livestockjudging.com scores each participants’  placings and results are soon available. The subscriber chooses the classes, determines the contest placing of each class or has a judge place the class (there are class placings available to view when deciding the official placing of each  class), sets the times and dates of the Contest and gives  directions to the participants.  Participants can be “invited” or a PIN can be shared to allows access to the program.  Contests can run for a couple hours or several days.

Since it is desirable for the Judging Contest to also be educational, the judge should always give reasons for placing classes at a Contest.  On the Virtual Contest, it is recommended that written reasons be shared on whatever method of communicating with the youth is available at the county level. Some of the available classes do have reasons available.

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Royal Rabbits 4-H Host Rabbit Roundup In Vancouver Washington On March 12th!

 

The Royal Rabbits 4-H Club in Clark County, Washington is hosting their annual rabbit show on March 12th and invite all bunny clubs in the state to participate! The focus of our show is FUN, growth, and community. The direct link to register is HERE!

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Skagit County 4-H Clubs Fill Sandbags to Battle King Tides

 

In late December, Skagit County was especially hard hit by flooding along coastal areas. “KingTides” were responsible for many residents finding their homes and property underwater, and more of these high tides are expected this month.

Skagit County Department of Public Works delivered a dump-truck load of sand and burlap bags for Samish Island Residents, at the request of a long-time resident.

On December 31st, coming to the aid of Samish Island residents, young people from the Burlington chapter of “Her-Ang-Dus” 4-H Club volunteered to fill sandbags. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pictured here are the “Her-Ang-Dus” 4-H participants:

• Stephanie Knutzen, “Her-Ang-Dus” 4-H Chapter Leader, and 4-H parent with her children Trygve and Hayden.
• Bill and Kali Howard, 4-H parents, with their children Jacob and James.
• Claire Collins, 4-H parent, with her children Jack and Luke.
• Andrea Ratfield, 4-H parent, with her children Esther, Jillian, Mae, and Henry.
• Jeremiah Hastings, 4-H volunteer.

Also filling sandbags on Samish Island during the King Tides were members  of the Burlington Edison Roadrunners 4-H Club.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Club members pictured in this photo are Cassidy Pruiett, Kiersten Dotzauer, Danica McKee, Sydney Quatsoe, Casey Quatsoe, and Vivian Armas. Adults pictured are club leader Sharrie Nelson, Stacie Quatsoe and Julie McKee.

Many thanks go to these 4-H volunteers, along with Sue Ratfield and other neighbors who donated their time and efforts.

This project exemplifies the spirit of neighbors-helping-neighbors, and what the 4-H program stands for: Head, Heart, Hands, and Health.

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Introducing Q and A Sessions for the Washington 4-H Horse Program!

 

Have questions about the Washington 4-H horse program? We are planning to have a monthly Q and A for leaders, parents, members, and staff on the third Thursday of each month via Zoom from 6:30 to 7:30 pm. Zooms will start in February and run at least through June.

The first one will be Thursday, February 16th. No need to register…just come and join the zoom by 6:30 pm.

There will be no specific topics for this first zoom but will be around the theme/parameters of horses and youth development. It will be more than “what are the rules.” However, there will be time set aside for input on future topics for the subsequent Zooms. The Zoom meeting ID is 452-082-9765 with no passcode. You must have a zoom account to participate.

The meeting will be facilitated by Jennifer Leach, WSU 4-H Equine Specialist. If you need further clarification of the meeting, feel free to contact Jennifer at jleach@wsu.edu

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Deadline Approaching for 4-H Scholarship Applications!

The application for 4-H Scholarships are now available in 4-H Online. The application is open to all active 4-H youth in the 12th grade who have been in 4-H for at least two years. Youth must be attending an accredited two or four-year college or university in the fall of 2023.

Applications must be submitted by March 15th, no later than 9:59 PM, via 4-H Online. Emailed applications will not be accepted. No exceptions are made to this policy. Applications MUST BE COMPLETE, with submission of all five pieces included, in order be considered. Each applicant will be considered for all Washington State 4-H Scholarships. These scholarships may be used at any accredited two or four-year college or university.

For more information on the application process, including requirements, tips and individual scholarship information, go to https://extension.wsu.edu/4h/youth/scholarship-opportunities/.

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News Items for Washington State 4-H Equine!

 

The New Year brings big news for the 4-H Equine Program! Save the Date! State Horse Bowl and State Hippology May 6-7, 2023

The 2023 WA State 4-H Horse Bowl Contest and WA State 4-H Hippology Contest will be held over the first weekend in May at the Grant County Fairgrounds in Moses Lake. Horse Bowl will be on Saturday, May 6 and Hippology will be on Sunday, May 7. All the details are in the registration packets, available below.

2023 Horse Bowl Registration Packet

2023 Hippology Contest Registration Packet

We hope 4-H members will try both!!

Lodging Information for teams needing overnight accommodations:

– Camping is available at the Grant County Fairground, including RV spaces. Those interested in this option may make arrangements directly with the fairgrounds here: https://www.gcfairgrounds.com/p/fair/fair-camping

– For hotel accommodations, we recommend national name hotels with rooms that open to hallways rather than the outdoors.

As with all State 4-H Equine Contests, each county may select their teams in any manner they choose (e.g. County Contests, Tests, Tryouts, Attendance) and those teams are approved by the County 4-H Educator.  Other members are welcome to attend to observe the Contest but only designated County Teams may participate.

 

The list of sources that state contest questions and materials will be drawn from has been condensed to those are that free and/or easily accessible in hopes that addressing accessibility challenges will increase participation in state equine knowledge contests. These sources are free downloads from our WA State 4-H website:

• The 4-H Horse Member Manual https://pubs.extension.wsu.edu/the-4h-horse-project
• The 4-H Horse Judging Manual https://pubs.extension.wsu.edu/4h-horse-judging-manual
• Beginning Horsemanship https://pubs.extension.wsu.edu/beginning-horsemanship-mm
• Contest Guide https://s3.wp.wsu.edu/uploads/sites/2050/2022/06/PNW574-REV-2015.pdf
• 4-H Driving Manual https://pubs.extension.wsu.edu/4h-driving-manual
• 4-H Dressage Manual https://pubs.extension.wsu.edu/4h-dressage-manual
• Hunt Seat & Jumper https://pubs.extension.wsu.edu/hunt-seat-and-jumper-manual
• Groom Squad https://pubs.extension.wsu.edu/washington-state-4h-fair-groom-squad-contest

And one additional source, available for purchase or digital rental: https://www.ayhc.com/shop

• Equine Science by Jean T. Griffiths

 

 

Having a county hippology program is not a requirement of registration for the state hippology contest. Recognizing that a county may have only one or two interested, eligible members, the following provision is provided:

• A county may combine with another county (or multiple counties) to form a team. If unable to coordinate with another county, you may register your county’s interested members as individuals. The contest coordinator will form catch teams, if possible, and notify you. If impossible to form a catch team, individuals may compete independently in all phases except team problem solving. All contestants are eligible for overall individual awards.
• To provide additional support, a Prepare for State Hippology Zoom is scheduled for Sunday, March 26, 2 to 3:30 pm. All 4-H members are welcome to join, from those who are definitely planning to compete to those who aren’t quite sure yet. Come learn about the competition so you can feel prepared to do your best! Supporting adults are very welcome! Register in advance for this meeting: http://bit.ly/3CltFga

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Remember to Sign Up for 4-H Equine Science and Horsemanship Series Thursdays!!

 

We are excited to launch the 2022-2023 WA State 4-H Equine Science and Horsemanship Series!! Hosted virtually on the 4th Thursday of the month, December 2022 – December 2023 (*5th Thursday in November 2023, due to Thanksgiving) from 6:30 – 7:30 pm.

All are invited to attend to learn more about horses! Sessions will incorporate hands-on opportunities and fun learning games! Use this link to sign up and receive the zoom link: https://bit.ly/WA4-HEquineScience

Registered participants will be emailed a suggested supply list prior to each session for the hands-on component.

NOTE: Instructors are needed for some of our upcoming sessions. If you have interest in teaching, please contact kim.baker@wsu.edu | 425-520-3908.

We are interested in hearing from staff, equine professionals, and alumni of the horse program that would like to share their area of expertise with an audience of youth.

Interested parties should be prepared to share an overview of their topic and how they envision incorporating a hands-on component in a virtual format. More details about the review process are available upon request.

Thank you!

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Save the Date! 2023 Prairie Hatchers Annual Poultry Show!

 Save the Date, March 25, 2023, for the Prairie Hatchers 4-H Club’s 23rd Annual YOUTH SHOW, taking place at the Clark County Fairgrounds in Ridgefield, Washington. Things to look forward to include Showmanship, confirmation/type, BIG Raffle, and Show quality poultry/chick auction!

Donations are always appreciated. If you would like to donate show quality birds or any raffle items please e-mail us! Your donations help us run next year’s show. Help us keep it going!

If you would like more information or get on the list to receive our premium book in January please e-mail: prairiehatchers4hclub@gmail.com