Aroostook County 4H Program

AROOSTOOK COUNTY NEWS

4-H NEWSLETTER

September 2008 Edition

“to make the best better”

REMEMBER TO GET YOUR PROEJCT RECORDS

TO YOUR LEADERS BEFORE SEPT 4!

Belated Birthday Wishes to all those 4-H members who celebrated or will celebrate in August!! McKenzie Clevette, Samantha Keegan, Zachary Roy, Kenny Bell, Erin McBean, Joel Guerrette, Amanda Winslow, Alannah Orcutt, Jacob Jones, Logan Craig, Danielle Cyr, Garrett Hemphill, Matthew McKenna, Michael Morey, Sarah Paradis, Ashley Raymond and Jacob White!

Upcoming Events!!!

October 1st - The New 4-H Year begins!!!

Be sure to get your re-enrollment packets ahead of time.

More info inside!!!

October 23rd - Leader’s Meeting - 6:30pm - places TBA.

The 2009 Source Books are out!!!

Have you gotten yours yet?

Be sure and check it out!

Online @ www.4-hmall.org

Leader’s Association Meeting!!!

Potluck Desserts!!! You’re Invited!!!

The next meeting of the Leader’s Association will be on Thursday, September 4th at the Presque Isle Extension Office at 6:30 pm. We will be having Potluck Desserts so start looking for something yummy to make, bring and share with everyone!

Also, Leaders, please be sure to bring your clubs’ project records that you have collected with you to this meeting… please note the invitation to join us for Project Record Judging on Saturday, September 6th at the Presque Isle Office.

Note to All:

I am going to be away for most of September. Laurie and Emily will be here to take care of everything—as they do all of the time anyway, so you should not notice any difference. However, if there is anything that needs a signature or any other item you would need me for, please try to let me know before September 5.

Christy

During the month of September, Laurie will be pulling together the re-enrollment packets for each club and getting them in the mail.

FYI…Your Club could win a prize!!!

The deadline for the State of Maine for re-enrollments is December 31st, however, we would really like to see as many clubs as possible get their re-enrollments back to us by December 1st.

Those clubs that get their completed re-enrollments in by Dec. 1st will be entered into a drawing for a special prize with the drawing to take place on December 4th during a Leader’s Meeting.

By completed re-enrollments we are referring to those members from the 07-08 year that wish to continue. Laurie will be checking with leaders if there are names missing to be sure the club’s records are complete in order for them to be eligible.

Þ All Project Records must be turned in to your Club Leader or the Houlton or Presque Isle Extension Offices before September 4th!!!

Þ Judging of records will be Saturday, September 6 from 9 am - Noon at the Presque Isle Extension Office. All clubs are asked to send 2-3 people to help judge. With a good turnout we can get most of the projects judged in one day!!!

Þ The current judging sheets are posted under forms on the Aroostook County

4-H website. Please take a minute to review these and provide feedback about any changes you would like to see before the Sept. 4 meeting.

NEW LEADER’S ASSOCIATION

OFFICERS NEEDED!

Our current officers, President Jeff Svoboda, Vice President Pam Michaud, Secretary Chris O’Donnell/Laurie Bartlett and Treasurer Pam Hickey have served us with great distinction. Their terms are now up and it is time again to put out the call for officers to lead our most wonderful Leader’s Association. This group has been able to accomplish fantastic things for our 4-H program and I think any of our officers would agree that this is a great group to work with.

If you would be willing to fill one of these offices, please let Jeff, Christy, or Laurie know ASAP!

NORTHERN MAINE FAIR RESULTS…

Well, another Fair season in Aroostook County is over. Did everyone have a good time?! We certainly hope so. Even though the weather was not the greatest we were able to get everything done that we needed to and we had some really great 4-H Livestock shows! Congratulations to everyone who participated and to all those that worked in the Food Booth, we say a huge THANKS!!! A special Thanks to Harry Donovan who resided the 4-H Food Booth for us. It looks great!!!

Sign Contest

First – Ben McKenna Second – Katie McKenna Third – Brooke Chase

Fourth (no premium) – Sarah Verville & Stephanie Winslow

Fifth (no premium) - Emily Mooers Sixth (no premium) - Matthew McKenna

Judges Choice in Exhibit Hall

Zach Roy - Dragon - (Crafts-misc.) Callie Foster - Charcoal Sketch (art)

Max Bradshaw - Cartoon Characters (Crafts) Savannah Smith - Art

Sarah Verville - Metal Work

4-H Show Grand Champion

Dog – Best of Show - Kellene O’Hara & Adora

Rabbit – Best in Class - Sarah Verville - Chance

Best Opposite - Sarah Verville - Andy

Goat- Grand - Katie McKenna - Tawny

Reserve – Emilie Newman - Twyla

Sheep – Purebred Champion - Shannon Svoboda - Snow - (shown by Danielle Cyr)

Commercial Champion - Katie McKenna - Suzie

Overall Grand Champion - Shannon Svoboda - Snow - (shown by Danielle Cyr)

Dairy – Grand - Brooke Chase & Mini

Reserve - Matthew McKenna & Pebbles

Beef - Grand – Ian Crane & Cicily

Reserve - Ian Crane & Midnight

Baby Beef - Grand - Rachel Donovan & Sampson

Reserve - Ian Crane & Southern Pride

Horse – English Junior - Grand - Kristin Farwell

Reserve – Sara Fitzpatrick

English Senior - Grand – Brianna Hanington

Reserve – Desiree Foster

Western Junior - Grand– Kristin Farwell

Reserve – Megan Fitzpatrick

Western Senior - Grand - Brianna Hanington

Reserve – Alyssa Kilcollins

Games Junior - Megan Fitzpatrick

Reserve - Kristin Farwell

Games Senior - Desiree Foster

Reserve - Brianna Hanington

Alpaca Project

At both Houlton and Northern Maine Fair this summer, I spoke to area alpaca breeders who are interested in getting youth involved with alpacas. We are hoping to organize a project where you can work with the animals but would not necessarily have to have one of your own or keep one at your house. In order to start planning for this project, it would be useful to know who might be interested in participating. If you would like to learn more about the alpaca project and maybe get involved, please call the office or email Christy. We’ll be starting on this in October.

Animal Science Committee Nominations

The next regularly scheduled meeting of the Maine 4-H Animal Science Committee is Saturday, November 1, 2008 in Hallowell. It is time for 4-H volunteers who wish to serve on those committees to be nominated or re-nominated for a three-year term. You can visit our website at http://www.umext.maine.edu/4h/manual/partb/b18.htm to learn more about serving in this position.You can find a nomination and re-nomination form at http://www.umext.maine.edu/4h/forms/ASCnominationform.pdf. Deadline to send nomination forms to State 4-H Office is October 1, 2008. Membership to the Animal Science Committees is gained by a nomination and re-nomination process. Nominations can be made by an extension educator/professional, any member of the committee, and/or the nominee him/herself and occurs prior to the Fall ASC meeting. Nominations will be reviewed and voted on by each committee. Successful first-time nominees will be sent a welcome packet and an invitation to the Fall Animal Science Committee meeting. It is recommended that teenage 4-H volunteers be given seats on the Animal Sciences committees. Teen members will follow the same membership process as adults. If you have any questions about the animal science committees or the nomination process, please contact Michaele Bailey at mbailey@umext.maine.edu or Donna Flint at dflint@umext.maine.edu.

If you want to be nominated or need to be re-nominated, please contact Christy as soon as possible!

EASTERN STATES BUS TRIP

September 27th, 2008

It’s time to reserve seats for the buses traveling to “The Big E” in W. Springfield, MA for Maine Day! This one-day trip is sponsored by the Maine Trustees of the Eastern States Exposition to encourage Maine 4-Hers who don’t presently participate in events at ESE to see the activities that go on for 4-H youth in hopes to bolster their enthusiasm to participate in the future. Two buses are reserved for us and the northernmost bus will originate in Bangor and they will stop at several points on I-95. Seats fill up quickly, and registrations began on Monday, August 11th.

All youth must go with a chaperone, but since this event is primarily for youth; seats are limited to no more than two adults per child. The bus ride and admission to the “Big E” are free, but all individuals on this trip are expected to march in the parade at 5pm. It works well if you wear a 4-H tee shirt if you have one and for clubs to bring their club banner to display during the parade.

Items you might want to bring along with you are: light snacks, water, a good book, youth-appropriate movies (there is a DVD/VCR on the bus), a pillow, and a blanket. There will be rest stops along the way. Other items to consider fringing: clothing to identify your club, a comfortable pair of walking shoes, a hat with a visor, sun glasses, sun screen, a back pack, personal spending money, a camera, and a watch. If you have a cell phone, it will be helpful for logistics. Please include your cell phone number when you register.

Please leave valuable items at home. We will not be responsible for lost or stolen items. Bus stops will be determined based on location of riders. Reservations must be made in writing or by e-mail to:

Jessy Brainerd

103 Libby Hall

University of Maine

Orono, ME 04469-5741

Or email: jbrainerd@umext.maine.edu

When you register, please give your name, address, home phone and cell phone number if you have one. Please give the names of all the people in your group and indicate if they are a child or an adult. Reservations are due by Friday, August 29th, 2008. Please call after this date to see if spaces are still available.

Questions? Contact Jessy Brainerd or Michaele Bailey at 1-800-287-0274 or 581-3877

National 4-H Trips…

Nine 4-Hers have been selected to attend the National 4-H Congress and National 4-H Conference this coming year. Delegates attending Congress in Atlanta, November 29 to December 2, 2008 are Amberosity Davis of Hancock County, Michaela Davis of Cumberland County, Andrew Guerin of Penobscot County, Marjorie Hardy of Franklin County, and Kellene O’Hara of Aroostook County.

Delegates attending the National 4-H Conference in Washington DC from March 28-April 2, 2009 are Jodi Harnden of Franklin County, Katlyn Keane of Oxford County, Molly Lindsey of Kennebec County, and Katie Thoutte of Cumberland County.

A second group of alternates is eligible to go however; there is not sufficient funding for their trip. There is a committee forming that will look for extra funding from 4-H and other community sources that will help to grow the number of delegates that Maine 4-H can send, not only for this year, but in the years to come.

New Information for Cloverbuds!!!

A new information sheet called “Maine Cloverbuds and Animals” has been posted on the Maine 4-H website under Cloverbud Resources. This contains lots of suggestions for activities that Cloverbuds could do with animals as well as the guidelines for Cloverbud work with animals and in public events such as show ring clinics. You can find this information on the 4-H website at:

www.umext.maine.edu/4h/cloverbud/animalactivities.htm

Funding Opportunity for Ag Projects

The Farm Service Agency offers youth loans to finance modest, income-producing, agriculture-related, educational projects for members of 4-H, FFA, or similar organizations. The project must be related to the business of agriculture. Youth ages 10-20 who live in towns with a population of fewer than 50,000 people are eligible to apply. The maximum loan amount is $5,000.00 and terms can vary up to seven yrs. Based on the type of operation. Funds may be used to pay expenses associated with the approved project. The current interest rate is 3.875%. Please visit www.fsa.usda.gov for more information and county office contacts or contact the Maine State Office at 990-9140 to locate an office near you.

Annie’s Sustainable Agriculture Scholarship

Annie’s Homegrown Sustainable Agriculture Scholarship program is open to full time undergraduate and graduate students studying sustainable/organic agriculture. Students who are beginning or returning to an accredited two or four year technical or college program or graduate school in the U.S. for the 2009/2010 school year are encouraged to apply. Applications must be postmarked by October 30th, 2008. Final decisions will be made by March 3, 2009, and funds will be dispersed on or around June 15, 2009. See the Application and Guidelines at

www.annies.com/scholarshipapplication.

4-H Week October 5-11, 2008

“Keeping It Green”

Before we know it, 4-H week will be here. How wonderful if each club could put up a display in your local library, town office or recreation center or do some other form of publicity—a “Meet 4-H” Community Party, an article in your local paper, - anything to let people know we are here and eager for new members.

As part of 4-H Week, the national 4-H Science, Engineering and Technology team has organized a National Youth Science Day on October 8, when 4-H members all over the country will be doing the same fun and simple science experiment to highlight the 4-H commitment to SET.

It is the hope of the organizers that 4-H members will do the experiment publicly with local community leaders. Watch for more details soon…..

Maine 4-H Teen Conference on Wheels

Four Aroostook County teens recently attended the 4-H teen conference on wheels and had a blast learning about marine and aquatic science. The girls, Catherine Guerrette, Morgan Dumond, Meghan Guerrette, and Sarah Paradis, all agreed that the highlight of the trip was the puffin boat trip where they were fortunate to see several puffins, as well as lots of other species of sea birds. They also learned about Project Puffin, the story of how puffins were restored to their original nesting grounds off the Gulf of Maine. For more information on this very interesting and informative project, check out this website: http://www.audubon.org/bird/puffin/what.html . The girls also visited the Maine State Aquarium where they were able to explore what was in the tidepool touch tank and the touch the shark in the shark tank.

From there the girls went onto the tidepools of the rocky Maine coast. This was another favorite activity, as the girls collected samples of what they would be viewing under the microscope.

Sarah said, “My favorite part of the trip was seeing the Puffins because I love birds and making new friends”. Catherine had a different view, and stated, “I really liked the tide pools and being able to walk on the coast of Maine”. Meghan’s remarked that “I enjoyed the touch tanks at the aquarium because it was neat to hold the different species of marine animals”.

Notes From AV Dairy…

At our latest meeting, we discussed the possibility of an end of the year activity. We settled on going to a farm in Fort Fairfield as a sort of field trip. We also went through the project records and premiums. We adjourned at approximately 8:00pm.

Submitted by Katie McKenna

Aroostook Valley Dairy 4H Club Reporter

KIDS IN THE KITCHEN…

So we all made it through Fair Season!!! Has everyone had enough rest? Got all your shopping done for the new school year? Ready to hit the books?

Here’s a little something that you can throw together with your parent(s) to have for an after school snack!

BANANA OATMEAL CARROT CAKE

You will need:

1/2 c. sugar 1/2 c. brown sugar

1 c. mashed ripe bananas 2/3 c vegetable or canola oil

2 eggs 1 1/2 c. flour (opt. 3/4 c white flour, 3/4 c. whole wheat flour)

2 tsp. baking powder 1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. baking soda 1 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. cloves 1 c. oatmeal

1 c. shredded raw carrot 1/3 c. chopped nuts

Combine sugars, banana and oil. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each egg. Combine flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices. Add to banana mixture. Add oats, carrots and nuts and mix well.

Bake @ 350º in a 9x13 pan for 30-40 minutes - or until done.

(I’m guessing on the pan size - it may only need an 8x8 or 9x9 - you be the judge!)

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

You will need:

1 8oz package of cream cheese - softened

1 box of confectioners sugar

2 Tbsp. soft butter

1 Tbsp. milk if needed.

Cream the package of cream cheese with the sugar and butter, add milk to thin if necessary. Spread over cake and, of course, ENJOY!!!

A HUGE THANK YOU

To everyone who helped make our 2008 Fair Season a big success...

There were so many who helped in ways big and small—every one of them an important part of a fun and learning-filled time.

At the risk of missing anyone here are a few people we would especially like to mention

Þ The Houlton Fair Association Board and the Northern Maine Fair Directors who make so many things possible for us at our fairs...

Þ Leader’s Association president Jeff Svoboda who is always there to help kids and parents—and who DJ’d our ever popular dance nights...

Þ Jean Sloat for her hard work in organizing and running the Food Booth and Super Steak Dinner...

Þ Harry Donovan—you saw him out there in the heat putting up the siding on the Food Booth...

Þ Kevin O’Bar and Willie Winslow who were always up for fixing things in the Food Booth...

And every club member, volunteer, parent, and friend who helped in the Food booth, sold Cow Chip Bingo tickets, got kids ready for (and to) shows, planned fun events, helped with the Skill-a-thon, the Obstacle Courses, setting up and taking down the Exhibit Hall, announcing and scoring the horse shows and all the other many jobs it takes to have a successful fair!

THANKS SO SO MUCH

YOU ARE ALL THE BEST!

AJEPS (Aroostook Junior Emergency PreparerS) reminds you that natural and manmade disasters can strike at any moment and it is important that you and your family can sustain yourselves for at least 48 hours. Here are some suggestions from the American Red Cross program.

Get a Kit – have at least three days of supplies in an easy-to-carry evacuation kit, with additional supplies on hand. Remember to check your kit and replace the stock that expires every six months.

Make a Plan – talk, discuss, learn, tell and practice evacuation plans, communications plans, and don’t forget your pets. Then, support your community by volunteering to help during disasters or give blood. Some communities have CERT teams – check with your town office or fire department. The Red Cross always needs disaster volunteers in every community. Call 493-4620 to volunteer.

Be Informed – take first aid and CPR classes, learn about the disasters that have or could hit your area, identify local authorities and community emergency plans in case of a disaster. Get involved and know what is going on.

For more information on educational programs in your area, contact your county Extension office.