2020-2021 Quality Counts Reminders for Livestock Exhibitors

Hey y'all!  Are you looking for something to do to help prepare your for your livestock project for the 2020-2021 year? 

Get ready for the upcoming show year by completing your Quality Counts EARLY!  All livestock exhibitors in Bastrop County (both 4-H & FFA) will need to participate in the learning modules and pass the exam with at least an 80% to be able to exhibit their livestock projects. 

To register and get a head start, head over to https://www.texaslivestockvalidation.com/qc/qcregister.aspx.  Be sure to save the registration email to be able to access the program and take the exam. 

If you have any questions, please contact your AST/CEA.  The Bastrop County 4-H Agent can be reached at 512-581-7186 or at MLMickelson@ag.tamu.edu. 

Beekeeping Basics Online Series

Interested in Beekeeping, but need some information to get started?  This live, online course will cover the basics of beekeeping to get you prepared to have your own hives with the opportunity to interact with instructors. Through this four part series, we will cover honey bee biology, beekeeping equipment, managing a hive, and pests and disease management of honey bees.  You'll learn what to expect those first early years as a beekeeper!  

• June 23:  Honey Bee Biology
• June 24:  Beekeeping Basics
• June 30:  What to Expect the First Year
• July 1:  Risks of Honey Bees

Each session will be 6 p.m.-7 p.m.

These courses will be recorded, if you miss a class, you can watch at your leisure within a month of completion of the class.  The cost of the series is $35.

After registering, a link to Zoom and password will be sent via text and email.  Study materials will also be emailed to you so you can follow along with the presentation.

More details are below and registration can be found at http://agriliferegister.tamu.edu/BexarCounty  

_________

Please note you will not receive access to the online series until payment is received. To prevent a delay in access, it is recommended that you pay by credit card (Visa, Mastercard or Discover).

D10 Council Business Meeting & Officer Elections

Join us for the District 10 4-H Council Online Business Meeting & Officer Elections at 1:30 PM on Thursday, June 25, 2020.  There is NO COST to attend and this will count as a volunteer leadership opportunity for all 4-H members in attendance (think Recordbooks!). 

Registration is open until midnight June 15th at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfCs7MYj4khoCDNEZjriSanHangjxZgsBK5DVQRIRqPWsXTEw/viewform 

D10 Council Business Meeting & 20-21 D10 Officer Elections

Join us for the District 10 4-H Council Online Business Meeting & Officer Elections at 1:30 PM on Thursday, June 25, 2020.  There is NO COST to attend and this will count as a volunteer leadership opportunity for all 4-H members in attendance (think Recordbooks!). 

Registration is open until midnight June 15th at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfCs7MYj4khoCDNEZjriSanHangjxZgsBK5DVQRIRqPWsXTEw/viewform 

2020-2021 Quality Counts Reminders for Livestock Exhibitors

Hey y'all!  Are you looking for something to do to help prepare your for your livestock project for the 2020-2021 year? 

Get ready for the upcoming show year by completing your Quality Counts EARLY!  All livestock exhibitors in Bastrop County (both 4-H & FFA) will need to participate in the learning modules and pass the exam with at least an 80% to be able to exhibit their livestock projects. 

To register and get a head start, head over to https://www.texaslivestockvalidation.com/qc/qcregister.aspx.  Be sure to save the registration email to be able to access the program and take the exam. 

If you have any questions, please contact your AST/CEA.  The Bastrop County 4-H Agent can be reached at 512-581-7186 or at MLMickelson@ag.tamu.edu. 

05/28/20 Email Blast

INFORMATION IN THIS EMAIL BLAST (IN ORDER):

• Survey Results & Summer Activity Planning
• County Ambassadors Announced!
• Recordbook Reminders
• Livestock Show Updates
• Cake Auction Postponement
• Cancellation of District & State Events

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Hello and Happy Thursday!

We hope all of you are doing well and are getting a little break from school sessions being finished!  I wanted to pass along some updates to try and keep everyone in the loop with summer activities.  So, we’ll start off with our survey results and move on to some of the good news before going into other updates.

Survey Results & Summer Activity Planning

With 15 family responses, we are happy to know that most of our families are super excited about 4-H activities!  We had a lot of division over comfort levels of returning to in-person activities and decisions being made on returning to in-person activities based on COVID-19.  So, we are working on some more virtual opportunities for county activities in late June and into July. We are waiting on more up-to-date guidance from our Chancellor’s Office and the Texas A&M University System.  We are not sure when we will be able to safely resume in-person activities at this time.  If you have any suggestions for some fun virtual project experiences, please let us know and we will do our best to try to make them happen!

County Ambassadors Announced!

• The 2020-2021 Council Officers and County Ambassadors have been announced on the blog, Facebook Page, and website – please check them out and let us know if you have any questions!  We will be sending individual emails and letters of selection to you early next week (June) to coordinate an online planning meeting for next year's activities and meeting dates. We are so proud of your hard work and look forward to your ideas!
• State Level Ambassadors (Equine, Livestock, Healthy Youth Texas, Fashion & Interior Design, and Water) will be announced later on when we receive official notifications from those groups!
• Texas 4-H STEM Ambassador Applications will be available July 1-31, 2020 – they run a little later in the year than the other State Ambassador applications.

Recordbook Reminders

• ALL recordbooks are going to be due to the County Extension Office next Friday, June 5, 2020 (they need to be postmarked by this date) – Please have your recordbooks mailed to us at the following address:

Bastrop County 4-H
PO Box 650
Bastrop, TX 78602

• We are not 100% sure what judging looks like just yet and are waiting for guidance from the State Office.  We’ll let you know as soon as possible. 
• Resources and presentations for putting recordbooks together are available online at:
• https://bastrop.agrilife.org/recordbook/
• https://texas4-h.tamu.edu/recordbooks/
• I am available all week next week for recordbook questions via email, phone, or zoom if you need help or have questions about formatting.

Livestock Show Updates

• Houston Livestock Show Refunds/Premiums - A lot of County Extension Offices have been asking questions about this, the shows response is available online at https://www.rodeohouston.com/Portals/0/Content/GetInvolved/Exhibitors-Participants/HLSR-LivestockShowExhibitors.html.  Right now, they are expecting to send out any premiums and refunds in mid- to late summer (I’m expecting late July at the earliest)
• Rodeo Austin Refunds - After many technical difficulties, we are getting them sent out this weekend!  You should expect your checks via certified mail in the next few days.
• Bastrop Area Livestock Show Checks – the show is still waiting on some of the buyers to pay invoices before they will be able to cut checks.  We do not yet have an estimated date on when this will happen, but we will let you know as soon as possible!

Cake Auction Postponement

The Bastrop Homecoming Committee announced that dDue to Covid-19 and the impact on our local economy, they have made the difficult decision to postpone Bastrop Homecoming & Rodeo until October 14-17.  Cake Auction will be moved to reflect the new Homecoming date of Saturday, October 17^th.   Once baker names are turned in to us, we will share more information and instructions in July!

Banquet Update

We are working diligently to try to ensure that we have an in-person banquet this year, if we are safely able and permitted to do so.  We are planning for an event to take place on July 30^th this year – please stay tuned for more details as we get closer to the event.

Cancellation of District & State Events

It with great sadness that I notify you that we have made the difficult decision to cancel the Texas 4-H Roundup, Texas 4-H Dog Show, the 2020 District 10 Horse Show and the 2020 District 10 Leadership Lab. Due to a variety of reasons, all with connections to COVID-19, this was the best decision for your health and safety and the Texas 4-H program.

That is all we have for now – please let us know if you have any questions and have a fantastic weekend!

M
Mellanie L. Mickelson
Bastrop County Extension Agent - 4-H & Youth Development
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Services

P.O. Box 650 | 901 Pecan Street | Bastrop, TX 78602
p: (512) 581-7186 | c: (512) 522-9174 | f: (512) 581-7187
MLMickelson@ag.tamu.edu

Website - https://bastrop.agrilife.org
Blog - www.bastrop4h.blogspot.com
Facebook - www.facebook.com/BastropCounty4H

2020-2021 Bastrop County 4-H Council & Ambassadors Announced!

In light of the sad news of lots of our favorite 4-H events being canceled, we want to share some positive news!

Please congratulate our new 2020-2021 Bastrop County 4-H Ambassadors and Council Officers!  

We will be sending individual emails and letters of selection to you early next week (June) to coordinate an online planning meeting for next year's activities and meeting dates.  We are so proud of your hard work and look forward to your ideas!

June Pond Management Webinar Series - Bastrop & Lee Counties

Hey y'all! 

Happy May!  We wanted to share that Lee and Bastrop Counties will be hosting a weekly webinar in June, Pond Management Webinar Series.  It will be each Monday in June at 6:00 pm.

It is FREE to watch, unless CEU hours are desired, which will cost $10 per CEU hour.  One Gen CEU hour will be offered June 1.  One IPM CEU hour will be offered June 8.

Aquatic vegetation ID photos need to be sent to brittany.chesser@tamu.edu before June 5. Photos will be identified as part of the June 8 presentation.

Registration info: https://lee.agrilife.org/program-registration/

Please let us know if you have any questions!

2020 Smithville 4-H & FFA Show Alternative Sale - open until 5 PM May 29, 2020

Hey y'all!

With the cancellation of the Smithville 4-H & FFA Livestock Show, the show is currently holding an alternative approach to procure funds to assist exhibitors in recovering cost(s) associated with purchasing and caring for their projects throughout their respective feeding period. Please see the letter, pledge form, and add-on form below. This opportunity will continue until 5:00 PM this Friday, May 29, 2020, for anyone interested in helping support the youth participants!

To download a PDF Form, please visit https://bastrop.agrilife.org/livestock/ and scroll down to county shows.

2020 Summer Planning Survey - due 05/25/20

Howdy y'all!

We are working on doing some summer planning while we're waiting on some direction and guidance from the Chancellor's Office and the Texas A&M University System on summer 4-H activities, interviews, and in-person meetings.

In the meantime, we need your help!  We need to know if families are going to be comfortable participating in any in-person activities.  To help us with this, please participate in a quick, 5 question survey.  It should only take 1-2 minutes and there is no risk involved!  We'll leave the survey open until midnight Monday, 5/25/20.

The survey is available online at https://agrilife.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_1FIP9Bpj4d0JsVL.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the County Extension Office at 512-581-7186 or at MLMickelson@ag.tamu.edu.

Thank you!!!

2020 Sheep Capital Lamb Camp - July 31 to August 2, 2020

The San Angelo Stock Show and Rodeo Association and the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension office in Tom Green County are proud to present the 4^th Sheep Capital Lamb Camp to be held in San Angelo, Texas on the fairgrounds of the San Angelo Stock Show & Rodeo.

The camp will be open to incoming 3rd Graders through seniors in high school, and exhibitors of all levels of experience are welcome to participate.  Registration is limited to the first 80 paid campers.  The cost of the camp is $175 per camper and $75 for adults/sponsor.  The registration fee will include breakfast and lunch Saturday and Sunday, t-shirt, camp packet, educational seminars and lots of hands on learning.

Camp will be a three day program, kicking off on Friday, July 31^st at 1:00 pm and conclude Sunday, August 2^nd following lunch.

Registration is available beginning May 1 and can be found at:

https://www.sanangelorodeo.com/events/2020/sheep-capital-lamb-camp

Click here to download the registration form: https://counties.agrilife.org/bastrop/files/2020/05/2020-Sheep-Capital-Camp-Registration-Form.pdf 

2019-2020 Bastrop County Community Service Updates

Ever wonder how much of a difference our 4-H group can make?  Check out the impacts below!

Did you or your club make a difference through community service?  If you'd like it posted to our site and our social media, email a picture and a description to Mellanie at MLMickelson@ag.tamu.edu!

2020 At-Large Texas 4-H Council Delegate Updates

With the release of the 2020 At-Large Texas 4-H Council Delegate list today in the County Agent “This Week in Texas 4-H” email and on social media, a few have asked what the election process will be this year since we will not have Texas 4-H Roundup. So we wanted to go ahead and share with everyone in case others were wondering the process details as well.

The candidates will be presenting their speeches and answering an impromptu question live, just like last year’s election process. The difference is they will be doing so before a small audience on Zoom, which will include the candidates, current Texas 4-H Council and the Advisors on June 1. The reason we are not opening it statewide, is Zoom is limited to the number of participants at a time. We felt the smaller group would provide for better connectivity. Should a candidate have issues with connection on their end, we have a chance to correct the situation before it is shared for others to view. We did not want connection issues causing any disadvantages for the candidates. But it will be recorded for release state wide on June 3 via our Texas 4-H YouTube channel for everyone to review the presentation and impromptu answers by the candidates prior to the Election Ballot going live June 5-8 on Texas 4-H CONNECT. We felt this option more closely replicated last year’s process vs the candidates sending in a recorded speech.  

More details to come regarding the elections process next week. The ballot will be an event on 4-H CONNECT 2020-2021 Ballot: Texas 4-H Council At-Large Election and open to any current High School age 4-H member (as of September 1, 2019). Ballots will not be approved by any level (county, district or state), they will be automatically approved at the state level once submitted just like last year’s election process.  

2020 Kitchen Vision - Recipes due 6/1/20

Texas 4-H Youth Development and the Texas 4-H Foundation is seeking culinary talent from 4-H members from across the state, and they need YOUR help finding the perfect recipes! The 20/20 Kitchen Vision project is designed to highlight recipes created by current Texas 4-H members and clover kids!

Attached you will find the marketing flyer and information. Please distribute to your 4-H members and post on social media platforms so that an official Texas 4-H Cookbook can be produced and sold in fall 2020!!

Recipes MUST be created by a current Texas 4-H member or Clover Kid. Youth should submit recipes and a photo of the completed dish to callie.henly@ag.tamu.edu by June 1st. The recipes will then be voted on by the public on our Texas 4-H social media platforms to determine our cookbook dishes.

Stories of Resilience Writers Application - Bastrop County Cares

Good Afternoon!! 

Stories of Resilience Writers Application

The Resilient Bastrop County Initiative is sponsoring a storytelling series in which members of different generations of residents living in Bastrop County share their stories of overcoming adversity and showing strength and resilience. We are looking for graduating high school seniors, with an interest in storytelling in any medium, to participate in this paid opportunity to participate in a facilitated conversation about resilience with an older member of their community, and then share their feelings about that experience in whatever storytelling medium they are most comfortable with.

We're looking for students with a story to tell about how their senior year in high school was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Please fill out this application if you are interested.https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2RTYXFD 

Send questions to dankleiner@bastropcares.org.

2020-2021 Game Changer Program - apps due 5/29/20

Howdy all,

Recently, Bexar County was given the wonderful opportunity to participate in a National 4-H grant that has been sponsored by Toyota. The goal of the grant is to train teen youth Leaders to become STEM ambassadors (we're calling them "Game Changers") in their communities. Along with this grant, we have received National Youth Science Day kits to administer to these teen leaders as well as some funds for a field trip (once we are allowed to resume contact).

We are looking for motivated kids who are passionate about STEM! This STEM experience does not just encompass robotics. We are looking for child (13+) who enjoys science! We are going to have a career exploration component to this as well. Once these kids receive training, we'd like them to facilitate (using the kit they receive) these same activities with younger children. Our goal is for each Game Changer to engage at least 10 youth before the end of summer. Pretty easy!

2020 Summer Planning Survey - due 5/25/20

Howdy y'all!

We are working on doing some summer planning while we're waiting on some direction and guidance from the Chancellor's Office and the Texas A&M University System on summer 4-H activities, interviews, and in-person meetings. 

In the meantime, we need your help!  We need to know if families are going to be comfortable participating in any in-person activities.  To help us with this, please participate in a quick, 5 question survey.  It should only take 1-2 minutes and there is no risk involved!  We'll leave the survey open until midnight Monday, 5/25/20.

The survey is available online at https://agrilife.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_1FIP9Bpj4d0JsVL.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the County Extension Office at 512-581-7186 or at MLMickelson@ag.tamu.edu.

Thank you!!!

2020 Texas 4-H Virtual Lead Academy - Registration closes 05/27/20

Texas 4-H Virtual LEAD Academy

The format of the 2020 Texas 4-H Virtual LEAD Academy will offer concurrent workshops over the course of two-days focused on these topic areas. Unlike the face-to-face event, this year’s Virtual LEAD Academy will be offering workshops targeting Intermediate and Senior Age 4-H members along with Adults. Many of the sessions offered however will still be targeting High School Age Youth and noted on the session descriptions. 

Registration through 4-H CONNECT is required for all sessions. Participants will receive the link to participate in the sessions June 5^th via email.

No Fee Registration: May 15-27, 2020

LEAD Academy Workshop Details and Schedule (Please review before beginning the registration process on 4-H CONNECT to help you plan what workshops you would like to attend) a copy is also accessible on their website at https://texas4-h.tamu.edu/events/lead/.

About LEAD Academy:

LEAD Academy is geared towards 4-H members who are currently in the 9^th – 12^th grades (as of the current 4-H year). Youth will have an opportunity to learn about college opportunities and what it takes to get there, serve their community, and gain valuable life skills in a true college setting. Our goal of this activity will be to provide the opportunity for young people to connect, learn, engage, lead and impact their communities, their country and their world. The event will be designed to engage youth in hands-on educational activities in which they explore, practice and master existing and newly developed skills/knowledge in civic engagement, civic education and personal development. The objective is to provide youth a broad-based learning experience in which they will acquire practical knowledge and skills to reinforce the attitudes and motivation that will give them a heightened sense of responsibility and capacity to connect as active members of their communities, nation and world. From this experience, we hope the youth attending will apply what was learned in their real world experiences in which they develop leadership skills using their voices, work, ideas and/or behavior to make a difference in their community, country and world.

Adult attendees will have the chance to connect with other volunteers and parents.  Our goal is to provide useful information for 4-H volunteers and parents so they may learn how to improve their skills as a 4-H leader in their community.  The event is designed to provide workshops that are practical and helpful to adults involved with the 4-H program.  From this experience, we hope our 4-H volunteers will be able to apply what they learn to continue to help our members grow into productive members of society that make a positive impact in their lives and communities.

*2020 LEAD Academy will look a little different. Unfortunately due to the COVID-19 situation, all events held at Texas A&M University have been canceled through July 31^st. This impacted our Texas 4-H Roundup/LEAD Academy event. This year our event will be a virtual experience!! We feel the information provide through our LEAD Academy is valuable and we wanted to continue to provide this opportunity to our 4-H members, families and volunteers.

Distracted Driving Video - 05/21/20

Join us online for a Distract Driving Video TOMORROW - Thursday, May 21, 2020!  You can watch at any time during the day.

Link for Video: https://vimeo.com/414815153
Passcode: 2020Youth

REMINDER: 2020 District 10 4-H Leadership Lab - Registrations due 5/29/20

***The health of our 4-H members is of our upmost concern. As of right now, we are planning on moving forward with hosting District 10 Leadership Lab as planned.  Due to the constantly changing COVID-19 regulations, we will not approve any Leadership Lab registrations until we are 100% sure that we will be holding the event. Please keep this in mind as registrations will remain “Pending at District” until we are approved to proceed.***

Quick Event Overview:

Promotional information for the 2019 District 10 Leadership Lab has been released and will be posted on the District 10 Website starting May 1st!!

Our District 10 Leadership Lab will take place at the Texas 4-H Center in Brownwood, Texas from June 24-26, 2020.  This event is the annual during which our youth elect their District 10 4-H Council Officers and participate in Leadership Workshops to take back new leadership skills to help their County and Clubs.  All participants must be at least 13 years of age by the date of Leadership Lab.

The registration cost of $250 covers all meals and lodging except for lunch on Wednesday, June 24, and lunch on Friday, June 26.  Bastrop County is working on find a way to assist with transportation and carpooling since it is a longer drive.  A more detailed list of items to pack and items to leave behind will be emailed out to attendees at the beginning of June once registration closes.

If you are wanting to run for an officer position, please let Mellanie know at MLMickelson@ag.tamu.edu and be sure to register early.  Mellanie will be following up with individuals to help them prepare for elections.  

Registration Information:

• One Page Event Overview (PDF)
• Registration is online via 4-H CONNECT
• Registration period: May 1-29, 2020
• Cost to attend: $250
• Additional Paperwork Requirement: Two (2) copies of the original health and release forms MUST be turned in to the Bastrop County Extension Office by May 30, 2020 with a copy of your insurance card - NO EXCEPTIONS.  
  • 1 copy will be mailed (certified & tracked) to the District 10 Office
  • 1 copy will stay with Mellanie, the 4-H Agent, and will accompany the youth to camp.

Check out the following links for more information:

• District 10 4-H Leadership Lab Participant Information:
  • 2020 Bastrop County 1 Page Overview
  • 2020 District 10 Leadership Lab Letter
  • 2020 District 10 Leadership Lab Waivers
• District 10 4-H Council Officer Application & Election Information:
  • Main page with application: https://d104-h.tamu.edu/district-4-h-council/
  • 2020 District 10 Officer Election Letter
  • Texas 4-H Council information Packet