November/December2009
Klamath Clover Co-Op
Klamath County 4-H Department
Your 4-H Newsletter Has Arrived!!
4-H Staff
Jed Smith
Misty Buckley
[email protected]
[email protected]
Agents and Office Staff
Willie Riggs
Lori Fernlund
Patty Case
Barb Templeton
Chanda Engel
Mary Pieper
Brian Charlton
Kristy Weidman
Susan Honea
Claudia Tosh
OSU Klamath Basin Research & Extension Center
3328 Vandenberg Rd., Klamath Falls, OR 97603
phone: (541) 883-7131 ● fax: (541) 883-4582
Website: oregonstate.edu/dept/kbrec/
Agriculture, Home Economics, 4-H Youth, Forestry, Community Development, Energy, and
Extension Sea Grant programs. Oregon State University, United States Department of Agriculture, and Oregon counties cooperating. The Extension Service offers its programs and
materials equally to all people.
Jed’s Journal
Here we are already in December 2009...WOW...holy smokes, folks,
where did the year go? It certainly does feel like winter time finally as
we wake up in the Basin area to single and negative digits. With
winter setting in be sure to take time and check on all of our 4-legged
friends whether they are projects or just around in our lives. I certainly
know that my horses and my dog are very thankful for a good meal and
liquid water every day, as I am sure all of yours do as well.
In this newsletter, as in the last issue, please note the opportunities for
older youth leadership programs during this coming year. These are
great events for our intermediate and senior members to participate in
and get to know other youth involved in the 4-H program around the
state. Some of the other 4-H’ers that you meet may well end up
attending the same college or even be in the same degree program. I
enjoyed the opportunities I had as a 4-H member, and some of my
fellow 4-H’ers that I met back then are now colleagues.
In the next few weeks enjoy time with your families and loved ones,
both human and critter. Travel safely if you have to go somewhere to
see other family members, and keep all of our graduated 4-H college
students in your thoughts and prayers for safety in traveling home to
their families as well. To each and every one of you have very Happy
Holidays in whatever way you choose to make merry!
Included in this newsletter is a ballot to vote for the
open positions on the 4-H Executive Council. This ballot
is ONLY for 4-H Leaders, so if you are not an enrolled
leader you can disregard it. Please note it is due to our
office by December 23, 2009 at Noon. That’s right
around the corner, believe it or not, so don’t delay!
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ACTIVATE OREGON! YOUTH VOICE AND YOUTH ACTION
Youth Voice, Youth Action (formerly known as Know Your Government)
will be held Sunday, February 28 through Tuesday, March 2, 2010 at
the University Place Hotel & Conference Center in Portland, Oregon.
The registration fee will be $155 (covers lodging for 2 nights, meals,
speakers, program materials, and metro travel during the program).
Youth ages 13 to 19 are invited to attend. This program challenges
young people to be responsible for self-direction and active
participation. Please note that you do not have to be a 4-H member to
participate in this retreat… non 4-H’ers are encouraged to register as
well. So if you know anyone in other youth groups that you belong to
that would be interested in an event like this, invite them along!
Male & female chaperones will find this program interesting &
engaging. Every chaperone will have an assignment to be involved
with a group of teens through the Youth Voice, Youth Action program.
Limited scholarships are available to youth, based on merit. Please
note that scholarships are fully funded. Scholarship applications are
due February 8, 2010 and can be viewed at http://
oregon.4h.oregonstate.edu/know-your-government.
4-H Beekeeping Essay Contest
The 4-H Beekeeping Essay is a great opportunity for 4-H members to
research and write about honey bees. Cash prizes of $750, $500 and
$250 will be awarded to the 3 top National winners. The essay theme
for 2010 is "Is My Community Honey Bee-Friendly?” Contest details
are located at http://oregon.4h.oregonstate.edu/4h-beekeeping-essaycontest.
4-H members can also use the information they gather to make an educational display for the fair. Essay contestants are not required to be
enrolled in a 4-H beekeeping project. Essays are due in the State 4-H
office by February 1, 2010.
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Klamath Clover Co-Op
E-Mail: Do you get the e-mail update messages from the Extension
office? If you are not getting these messages and you would like to,
send an e-mail to [email protected] and ask to be added
to the e-mail list! Members & parents can have multiple e-mail
addresses associated with your name to help keep you informed.
2010 State 4-H and State/County Fair 4-H Scholarships
Information and applications for the 2010 State 4-H and State/County
Fair scholarships is now available on the Oregon 4-H website at http://
oregon.4h.oregonstate.edu/oregon-4h-scholarships. Application and
eligibility guidelines are the same as they were in 2009. These college
scholarships are for 4-H members who will be graduating from high
school in 2010.
Klamath Shooting Sports News
With the growing Klamath County 4-H Shooting Sports and Outdoor
Recreation program area there are a couple of things to note for 4-H
members, parents, or leaders with interest in the program:
1) The next 4-Shots 4-H Club will meet January 20, 2010 in the
Extension office auditorium at 6:30pm. All 4-H’ers with interest
are welcome to attend.
2) The Shooting Sports Leader Oregon Training will be April 1618, 2010 in Grants Pass, Oregon. Mark your calendar now!
3) The National 4-H Master Shooting Sports Train-the-Trainer
session will be May 10-15, 2010 in Grand Junction, Colorado.
If you are interested in helping this program succeed please give Jed a
call at 883-7131.
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Klamath Clover Co-Op
Best wishes to all Klamath
County 4-Hers for a safe and
happy holiday season from the
Bonanza Manes and Reins club!
Bridges and Maps
For those of you interested in modern mapping systems such as G.I.S.
(geographic information system) please take this opportunity to come
and learn as we create a map of our county 4-H program. That is just a
start, from there the sky is the limit; we can work on maps of other
interests you may have as well! The first 15 members who call the
extension office stating interest will make the class. This will be hands
-on, thus the small class size. The classes will be Dec 21st and 22nd
from 9:00 a.m. - Noon.
In the afternoon on the 21st and 22nd we will be having a bridgebuilding class. Come in and build a bridge made out of various
materials and learn a little about bridge design and construction! This
class will be open to 25 members on a first-come, first-served basis.
Please call and reserve a spot today; there will be a $5.00 cost to cover
provided materials. It will be from1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. in the Extension Office Auditorium.
For either of these opportunities call Misty at 883-7131 and get on the
list!
Klamath County Rotary Club Youth Market Livestock Loan
The Youth Market Livestock Loan was established to promote youth
livestock projects that may otherwise be financially restrictive. The
purpose is to provide an interest-free loan to be used towards
purchasing a market-quality animal to raise as a project. Please call the
Extension office at 883-7131 for further information and an
application.
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Klamath Clover Co-Op
4-H/FFA Dual Enrollment
Reminder: Any 4-H members who are using the same species in both
youth programs need to fill out a 4-H/FFA Dual Enrollment form. These
members must clearly outline which animals are being used in 4-H and
which are being used in FFA. Usually it is breeding stock in 4-H,
market animals in FFA, or vice versa. Basically, no double-dipping. The
exception is with the horse project; members can use the same
horse(s) in both programs. This is stated in the State 4-H/FFA
Agreement which can be viewed at http://oregon.4h.oregonstate.edu/
sites/default/files/FFAGuidingPrinciples.pdf if you need more information. The submission deadline is the first business day in January:
January 4, 2010.
The 4-H horse leaders invite members to visit the Magic Closet if you
are in need of show clothes. The Magic Closet collects outgrown show
clothes and distributes them at no cost to local 4-H and Pony Club
members. The Magic Closet also accepts donated show clothes.
Please contact Diane Keith at (541) 331-0857 or [email protected] if
you would like to see what's in the closet or to donate to the closet.
The 4-H Program, through the OSU Extension Service, has access to
experts in all program areas to provide guidance and information to
help members and volunteers get the most out of their 4-H projects.
The Klamath Basin Research & Extension Center is only a phone call
away and is backed by the experience and expertise of the staff of over
140 offices statewide as well as a network of Extension agents in
neighboring states. The 4-H program is only a part of the Extension
Service so if you have a question about agriculture, horticulture, family
and community matters, forestry, natural resources, marine science —
almost anything imaginable — give us a call. It’s what the OSU
Extension Service is here for! Seek out the resources available to you!
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Klamath Clover Co-Op
Urban - Rural Exchange 2010
It is never too early to start looking ahead on your calendars. This year
the inbound portion of the program, where we receive the youth from
Portland here in Klamath County, will be March 18-22, 2010. The outbound portion will take place April 21-25, 2010. This year the program
is shaping up to be even better than before. For the inbound part here
this year folks please help the program by encouraging our Farmers
and Ranchers to consider hosting a couple of youth for the week. For
our youth that choose to go to Portland in April the program up there
will be slightly more formal than before with many exciting endeavors
packed into the schedule. If we start compiling a list of interested
youth the team of delegate’s would then have time to do some fundraising for the program to offset travel expense which would, in turn,
lower the registration fee. Again...this is just a note to get the program
on the radar for everyone.
2010 Outbound 4-H International Exchange Programs
Application materials for potential outbound 4-H international
exchange delegates are now available on the Oregon 4-H Web site at:
http://oregon.4h.oregonstate.edu/4h-world-citizenship-projectoverview. This will bring you to the first page for the 4-H World Citizenship Project. Now go to the 4-H International Exchange Programs
section. This year we are offering outbound exchange programs to the
following countries: Australia, Costa Rica, Japan, and Norway. One reference must be from a 4-H staff member. Please check the information
in the application materials related to references. Application materials
for all countries are due postmarked by January 7, 2010.
Hosting This Summer - Costa Rican Delegates
There will be potential hosting opportunities for Oregon families from
mid-June to mid-July with delegates from Costa Rica. Complete details
are on the 4-H website at: http://oregon.4h.oregonstate.edu/costa-rica%
E2%80%94summer-hosting-program. Delegates from Costa Rica will be
matched with host families nationally. (There are a limited number of
delegates coming from Costa Rica.) In 2008 and in 2009 Oregon families were selected to host Costa Rican delegates. Interested host families need to have all of the application materials completed and sent to
the State 4-H Office by March 1, 2010.
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National Youth Pork Quality Assurance Class
On November 7, 2009, 30 swine club members from Forty Swiners,
Midland Porkies, Keno Swine and Merrill Super Swine attended the
Youth Pork Quality Assurance (PQA) Plus certification in Klamath Falls.
The class was sponsored by the Forty Swiners and presented by Steve
Wuergler, Oregon’s Youth PQA Trainer. Mr. Wuergler is from Drain,
Oregon where his family has a commercial and purebred swine
operation. He is also a board member and Vice President of the
Oregon Pork Producers.
The Youth PQA program is modeled from the Pork Quality Assurance
LEVEL III program, which educates producers about safe procedures
when managing hogs. The program emphasizes the 10 good
production practices (GPP) that are important for pork producers to
complete as they demonstrate their commitment to “quality assured”
pork production. These 10 GPPs are a set of guidelines to follow for
the safe, healthy, efficient and humane production of pork.
During the 4-hour program, attendees learned about the food supply
continuum, food safety, herd health management, veterinary-clientpatient relationship, responsible use of antibiotics, tracking treated
animals, maintaining records, proper accounting and storage of
medications and feed, injection points and withdrawal times of
medications, appropriate feed procedures, animal caretaker training,
and proper care for swine well-being.
story & photo by Diane Keith
For more information about Youth Pork
Quality Assurance Plus, please visit http://
www.pork.org/Producers/YPQAP.aspx?
c=YPQAP.
Nathan Sayles, Isaac Blodgett, and Callie
Moore collaborate on the correct method of
drawing medication into a syringe.
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Klamath Clover Co-Op
Please help abused and neglected horses!
The Klamath Humane Society is in need of foster homes for horses.
Many horses are in need of food, water, love and some TLC. The
Humane Society also needs anything related to horses like hay, grain,
tank heaters, straw, halters, lead ropes, blankets or simply a cash
donation. Basically anything! Fostering horses is also tax deductible!
If you are interested in fostering a horse at your home or have any
items to donate please call Missy Smith at 545-3400 or e-mail
[email protected].
Winter Critter Care
Adapted from an article by Dr. Susan Kerr, WSU-Klickitat County Extension Director
Rain, sleet, snow, ice, freezing temperatures—winter can be a real
struggle for two- or four-legged animals. Those of us with two legs can
generally put on a warmer coat or go inside to warm up with a cup of
something hot, but what can we do to keep animals healthy and
comfortable in winter?
The necessity of a clean and reliable year-round source of water cannot
be over-emphasized. Novices often mistakenly believe that animals can
meet water requirements by eating snow or licking ice. Ice and snow
consumption lowers body temperature and increases maintenance
energy needs, so it should be discouraged. Please see http://
www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/engineer/facts/07-023.htm for
information about the daily water requirements of many different
species, including small animals and poultry.
Proper feeding for the animal’s increased energy requirements and
appropriate shelter are important not only to maintain the health of
your animal, but for those members who are starting their market beef
projects your steers cannot gain optimally if they are using the energy
from their food just to keep themselves warm.
Please give us a call If you have any questions about how best to care
for your animals, large or small, through the winter!
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Klamath Clover Co-Op
High Desert Leadership Retreat 2010
Some of the winter opportunities are starting to come to light already,
the High Desert Leadership Retreat for winter 2010 is already taking
shape. This is a wonderful event for youth to attend and learn some
leadership skills as well as other fun and exciting classes. It is a chance
for them to meet and engage with youth from other eastern Oregon
counties at one central location for a 3-day adventure. This event will
take place at Eagle Crest just outside of Redmond, OR January 15-18,
2010. Not only will our 4-H’ers get a chance to attend some fun and
interesting classes there is also a talent show and a dance one of the
evenings. The youth are put into groups of roughly 6-7 kids and one
chaperone per cabin, the kids shop for and cook their own meals the
whole time it’s a great chance to try things out and very empowering
for the youth. Registration materials are available at the extension office or on the Klamath County 4-H website: http://oregonstate.edu/
dept/kbrec/4h . If you register before December 18, you will save $50
on the registration fee. If you would like to apply for partial financial
assistance contact Jed or Misty about the form for special events scholarships. For more information or questions regarding HDLR give Jed a
call 883-7131.
Wouldn't life be worth the living
Wouldn't dreams be coming true
If we kept the Christmas spirit
All the whole year through?
~Author Unknown
Members—now is the time to re-commit yourself to attending the
meetings your leaders set up. Appreciate that they are volunteers and
they do what they do for your benefit! Take advantage of the opportunities your parents and leaders present you with to take your project to
the next level and make the most of it. Make a renewed effort to keeping excellent record books. Nobody ever said life should be easy, by
working hard to be a well-rounded individual you will be better
prepared for your adult life. It will eventually pay off!!
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Return Service Requested
Klamath Basin Research & Extension Center
Attn: 4-H Department
3328 Vandenberg Road
Klamath Falls, Oregon 97603-3730
Klamath County 4-H
Department