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TENNESSEE 4-H IDEAS IN THIS ISSUE Bedford County Returns from World Dairy Expo UPCOMING EVENTS October 21-25
October 29
November 23-27
December 1
December 1-2
Tennessee 4-H Home Page: 4h.tennessee.edu Online version of Ideas: 4h.tennessee.edu/ideas07 Ideas index: 4h.tennessee.edu/ideas07/07-index.htm BEDFORD COUNTY RETURNS FROM WORLD DAIRY EXPO The state champion 4-H dairy judging team from Bedford County competed at the World Dairy Expo on October 1, 2007, in Madison, Wisconsin. The team comprised of Cheyenne Ralston, Rebecca Davis and Grant Davis competed against teams from across the United States. The Bedford County team finished ninth in Jerseys with Cheyenne Ralston capturing the 12th high individual. The team had a great experience on their trip to Madison. They flew into Chicago on Saturday; toured the Sears Tower and Navy Pier; and ate Chicago style pizza. They participated in tours of Nasco, Hoard's Farm and the Dairy Shrine Museum on Sunday. They had the opportunity to enjoy the trade fair and see lots of great exhibits while at Expo. They also got to watch the Jersey show and attend sales both on and off the Expo grounds. The team would like to thank the Tennessee 4-H Foundation as well as local donors for making their trip possible. It was a trip the 4-H’ers will never forget. Gay Ervin CROCKETT COUNTY COMPETES AT ALL AMERICAN QUARTER HORSE CONGRESS The Crockett County 4-H Horse Bowl team just returned from Columbus, Ohio, after competing in the All American Quarter Horse Congress on October 16. A total of 25 teams from across the nation participated in the contest. This is the first year a West Tennessee team has been represented in this national Horse Bowl event. The team made a very impressive showing at the Congress, winning their first two rounds against teams from Kentucky and Minnesota, respectively. They ran into a strong Illinois team in the third round and were moved to the "second chance" bracket. There they defeated teams from Missouri and Pennsylvania. The group was put out of the double elimination competition by the team from Michigan in the eighth round. The team finished 5th overall. The Crockett County team members were Amber Futrell, Clayton Smith, Tera Peet and Andy Cole. Amber Futrell was named the 5th high scoring individual in the contest. Andy Cole was named the 11th place high scoring individual. They are coached by their 4-H agent, Tonya Bain. The team was accompanied to Ohio by Donna Futrell, Sharon Cole and Terrie Smith. The team earned the honor to represent Tennessee at the prestigious event by taking reserve champion honors at the state contest and again placing second at the Southern Regional 4-H Horse Championships held in Memphis earlier this year. While at the Congress, the team enjoyed watching various shows and visiting the huge exhibit area that contained anything imaginable for the horse and horseman. Congratulations, to the Crockett County 4-H Horse Bowl team for representing Tennessee so well at this national event! Neal Smith DOG SHOW ENTRIES DUE NOVEMBER 16 The Tennessee 4-H Dog Classic will be held December 1 at the Ag Expo Park in Williamson County. Registration is from 8:30-9:30 a.m. with the show beginning at 10:00 a.m. Events include a costume contest, tricks contest, skill-a-thon, agility competition, obedience/showmanship competition and Best Over All Exhibitor. Competition is open to any Tennessee 4-H member. A promotional brochure on the event is available from www.utextension.utk.edu/central/4h/files/dog-brochure_07.pdf. Entry deadline is Friday, November 16. This is a firm deadline! Entry forms may be found at www.utextension.utk.edu/central/4h/files/dog-entry_07.pdf. All exhibitors should turn in entry forms to their local UT Extension office. Extension agents should fax or mail their county entries to Mary Gilbert in the Central Region. The fax number is 615-832-0043. The mailing address is Central Region Office, 5201 Marchant Drive, Nashville, TN 37211-5112. Please make sure all your entries are postmarked by Friday, November 16. Jim Stewart FALL JUDGING RESULTS POSTED ON WEB SITE The results from fall judging day along with pictures of the winning teams and individuals are posted on the Tennessee 4-H Web site. They may be accessed from the “News” link on the main page or you can go there directly by using 4h.tennessee.edu/judging/. Steve Sutton FUN FALL LEARNING AT SOUTHERN REGION LEADER FORUM Who said learning can’t be fun? Attending the Southern Region Leader Forum (SRFL) is proof that learning can be great fun. If you need some fresh ideas, motivation or something to recharge your energy level, you should attend this forum next year. The enthusiasm and commitment to providing engaging learning experiences for youth was present during the entire time we were there. Kentucky hosted a great forum and Louisiana coordinated an excellent choice of workshops. The theme for the forum was “Simply the Best.” This year, a portion of the handouts will be sent to us on a CD and posted on the Web site. For next year, presenters will be requested to provide handouts on a CD so all material can be available on the SRLF Web site. Tennessee was well represented by 42 delegates, 14 of which were attending for the first time. Seven workshops were offered by Tennessee delegates. Teressa McDonald provided an educational exhibit.
Black polo shirts with the forum logo “Simply the Best” embroidered on it were ordered for delegates. Additional shirts were ordered and are available for $17.00. Women sizes are available. The shirts have “Tennessee 4-H” over the logo. Dates or reference to the forum are not on the shirt because we wanted professional looking shirts agents and volunteers could use throughout the year as they made presentations. You can see a image of the logo at 4h.tennessee.edu/ideas07/images/simplythebest.jpg. If you would like to purchase a shirt, send me an email and specify your size. Carmen Burgos GRANTS AVAILABLE FOR COUNTY 4-H SHOOTING SPORTS PROGRAMS The National Wild Turkey Federation is continuing its grant program to enhance or develop county 4-H Shooting Sports programs. The grants are designated to be used in starting new programs or strengthening existing programs. If you are interested in applying for funding, an application form may be found at 4h.tennessee.edu/ideas07/attach/SSgrant07.doc. Deadline for the application is December 15, 2007. All county agents and volunteers who direct 4-H Shooting Sports programs will be expected to abide by the procedures and guidelines as stated in the Tennessee 4-H Shooting Sports Program Planning and Implementation Guide. All individuals who instruct will be expected to hold 4-H Shooting Sports certification in the discipline in which they are instructing. Training will be provided for all individuals needing certification at state 4-H Shooting Sports training events. Volunteers who are instructors should be registered as official 4-H volunteers with their county 4-H office. Please refer to the guidelines on the application for more information. Daniel Sarver National 4-H Week was October 1-13, 2007. If your county did any activities related to National 4-H Week, please send it to Daniel Sarver at dsarver@tennessee.edu. 4-H's largest webcast ever, showcasing the 4-H Science, Engineering and Technology (4-H SET) mission mandate, was held Thursday, October 11, 2007 at 2:00 p.m. EDT. The 30-minute webcast revealed the latest updates on 4-H SET and its efforts to reach one million new youth through 4-H SET programs. This webcast included key leaders in the 4-H SET movement such as Cathann Kress, Director of Youth Development (USDA) and Byron V. Garrett, National Program Leader for Mission Mandates (USDA); Don Floyd, President and CEO of National 4-H Council; 4-H SET Leadership Team member and 4-H Faculty Extension Assistant Tanisha English of Baltimore, Maryland; 4-H Agent at Large for Science, Engineering and Technology Torey K. Earle of Paducah, Kentucky.; and Land-Grant University President Robert H. "Doc" Foglesong of Mississippi State University. In addition, footage of UT Extension agent Michael Shirley and Rutherford County's Video Production Camp had a cameo in the webcast. You may access an archive of the webcast at www.fourhcouncil.edu/setlaunch.aspx. Daniel Sarver RIDLEY INSTRUCTOR AWARDED ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATOR AWARD
Brian discovered a love for all things creepy, crawly, slithery and slimy at an early age. He rarely hears his real name at the 4-H center. Over the years, the students have given him many nicknames such as the “Crazy Critter Guy,” “Creature Teacher” or “Bug Dude.” He has been a staff member at the Ridley 4-H Center since 1999 and has created many educational programs. Over the last eight years, Brian has established three excellent programs: forest ecology, entomology and the ever-popular program - fear factor. He has had the opportunity to work with more than 15,000 youth and adults at the Ridley 4-H Center. In the forest ecology program, Brian brings the forest alive by having the participants use their senses as they hike along the trail. He teaches the students to use their necks while hiking, looking up and around and not do what most people do and walk with their head down. He also teaches them what an “I wonder” is. He challenges the students to ask themselves, “I wonder why the honey locust tree has spikes all up and down the trunk…I wonder why there are so many damselflies flying around the creek…I wonder what a yellow-bellied sapsucker looks like?” “I wonders” teach the students to research their questions by using books and the Internet to find the correct answer. Brian has created a program called Lightning Bug. It is an entomology program that teaches insect anatomy, classification of invertebrates as either an insect or non-insect, encourages students to read, work together and have fun. Students, teachers and parents learn so many interesting facts about insects while participating in this lightning round about insects. Brian is also very well known for incorporating live animals into his evening activities at the 4-H center. His extensive collection consists of live reptiles, amphibians and arachnids. This “Fear Factor” program is a program that gets everyone’s attention. It is not unusual to have a hissing cockroach or tarantula on your head, a toad give you a kiss or a snake around your shoulders. The “Fear Factor” program allows students, teachers and parents the opportunity to learn about animal habitats, mimicry, respect for wildlife and the important role these particular animals play in our ecosystem. His environmental education career has provided him the opportunity to have his bug collecting lesson plan published by UT Extension. The Lightning Bug lesson plan has been used with MTSU’s Life Science for Elementary majors class. He has also had a photo of a brown recluse spider published in a regional field guide, “Gulf Power’s field guide to Southeastern Dangerous Wildlife.” Creative development is a natural talent for Brian. He has the ability to take a science topic that is dull and boring and turn it into an eye-catching, heart-racing program. Brian truly has a gift of being able to make learning fun. His knowledge of the outdoors is tremendous and is ability to present it at all age levels is awesome. The staff at the Ridley 4-H Center are proud of his achievements. Terri Quillin STATE FALL JUDGING DAY RESULTS Thirty-six teams competed for the state championships in three different judging areas, October 13, at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. The winning teams and high individuals received plaques and out-of-state educational or competitive trips as their awards. Consumer Decision Making
The winning consumer decision making judging team will participate in the Western National 4-H Roundup in Denver, Colorado, January 9-13, 2008. Dairy Products
The winning dairy products team and high individual will go on an educational tour. Forestry
The winning forestry judging team will participate in the National 4-H Forestry Invitational at Jackson’s Mill State 4-H Center in near Weston, West Virginia next summer. Plant and Seed Identification
Each member of the winning plant and seed identification team will receive a $300 savings bond. Poultry
The winning poultry judging team will participate in the National 4-H Poultry Judging Contest in Louisville, Kentucky, November 14-15. A special thanks goes to those agents and leaders who assisted with conducting the contests. Your help was appreciated. Congratulations to all parents, leaders and 4-H agents who made it possible for their county to participate. Steve Sutton STATE OUTDOOR MEAT COOKERY WINNERS ANNOUNCED Seven teams participated in the Outdoor Meat Cookery Contest at State 4-H Judging Day, October 13. The event was held at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Results are as follows:
The contestants were scored on their safety and efficiency; appearance; imagination and recipe; and palatability and attractiveness of the final product. Each member of the winning team will receive a $100 savings bond. The top two contestants in the poultry division will participate in the National 4-H Poultry and Egg Conference in Louisville, Kentucky, November 14-15. Justin Lyles of Sumner County will represent Tennessee in the National 4-H Chicken Barbecue Contest and Courtney Key of Clay County will be our contestant in the National 4-H Turkey Barbecue Contest. Steve Sutton WINNERS ANNOUNCED IN RADON POSTER CONTEST A Hamblen County 4-H member had won the 2008 State Radon Poster Contest. The contest, sponsored by the National Safety Council, was held in conjunction with National Radon Action Week. Five counties participated in the contest. Students, ages 9-14, were eligible to compete in the contest. Posters were to be 11" x 17" on white paper. They could be drawn in crayon, colored pencil, markers, paint, photographs or computer graphics. Poster topics included: What is radon? Where does radon come from? How does radon get into our homes? Radon can cause lung cancer. Test your home for radon. Youth participating in the contest and how they placed were:
The other state-level entries were:
The top three state winners will receive a plaque and WalMart gift card. All participants in the state contest are receiving a certificate, radon T-shirt, radon test kit coupon and other radon paraphernalia. Counties who participated were also eligible for extra assistance with their county’s awards. The three state-winning posters were sent on to the National Safety Council for national judging. The contest was coordinated by Martha Keel, Professor, Housing and Environmental Health Specialist, Family and Consumer Sciences, The University of Tennessee Extension. Other partners of the event were the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, USDA and Tennessee Department of Environment & Conservation. Martha Keel THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK Failure is an event, never a person.
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Brian Stewart received the 2007 Middle Tennessee Environmental Educator of the Year award from the Tennessee Environmental Education Association. The award was presented during the TEEA’s annual meeting that was held at the Blue Bank Resort on Reelfoot Lake in September. Brian is the forest ecology instructor for the environmental education program at the William P. Ridley 4-H Center in Columbia. 
