Farm & Ranch
Texas youth celebrating National 4-H Week, One Day 4-H
By: Paul Schattenberg
Texas 4-H’ers involved in community service projects statewide
COLLEGE STATION – Each year during National 4-H Week more than 12,000 Texas 4-H youth participate in over 350 service projects across the state, said Dr. Chris Boleman of College Station, Texas 4-H Youth Development director and member of the National 4-H Council board.
“This year, National 4-H week will be from Oct. 4-10,” Boleman said. “During this week, Texas 4-H clubs statewide will showcase the great things that 4-H offers young people and highlight the incredible 4-H youth in the community who work each day to make a positive impact.”
Boleman said Texas 4-H Youth Development is the youth outreach component of the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, part of the Texas A&M University System. 4-H Week will culminate with One Day 4-H on Oct. 10 – a day set aside each year for 4-H members, parents, leaders and volunteers to provide service to their communities and say “thank you” for their support of the 4-H program.
“This year 4-H members and clubs will be engaged in a variety of activities to provide service to individuals, groups and nonprofit organizations in their communities,” said Dr. Toby Lepley, assistant state director for Texas 4-H Youth Development. “Some of the projects slated for this year include visiting senior centers, community clean-ups, fundraisers, food, clothing and book drives, a veteran appreciation event and pet adoption.”
Lepley said this year’s community service activities will also include numerous tree plantings throughout the state.
“For the first time in the seven-year history of One Day 4-H, Texas 4-H Youth Development will have a featured service project as part of the week’s celebration activities,” Lepley said. “Texas 4-H Youth Development is partnering with the Texas A&M Forest Service to help celebrate that agency’s 100th anniversary of protecting the citizens of Texas and the country.”
The Forest Service is providing one bur oak tree — one of the only trees that can grow successfully in all 254 counties of Texas — to each county so it may be planted in a courthouse square, on city hall grounds or at some other notable public venue where it can be seen and appreciated by those in the community.
“For 100 years, the service has been helping protect and save the lives of Texans and others through its many efforts,” Lepley said. “We’re glad we can help them celebrate their achievements even as the Texas 4-H members and clubs celebrate their own. We hope we can make this a historical milestone for both agencies.”
Lepley said at this time, 4-H’ers in counties throughout the state have scheduled almost 200 tree plantings for either 4-H Week or One Day 4-H.
To see a list of 4-H Week and One Day 4-H projects in Texas, go to http://texas4-h.tamu.edu.
Boleman said National 4-H Week activities also will include participation by members and clubs throughout Texas and nationwide in a single, innovative experiment on 4-H National Youth Science Day slated for Oct. 7.
“This year’s 4-H national science experiment will be called Motion Commotion and will give youth the opportunity to explore the physics of motion, particularly applied to distracted driving,” Boleman said. “This innovative experiment was developed by Oregon State University’s Cooperative Extension program and demonstrates the physics of a speeding car collision combined with distracted driving. It is a simulated activity focusing on the physical and human factors of motion.”
To learn more about National Youth Science Day, go to http://www.4-h.org/nysd/.
Boleman noted that participation in 4-H has a significant positive impact on young people. He said recent findings from the Tufts University “4-H Study of Positive Youth Development” indicate that, when compared to their peers, young people in 4-H are almost four times more likely to contribute to their communities. They are also twice as likely to pursue healthy behaviors and to engage in science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM, programs outside regular school hours.
To learn more about 4-H, go to http://www.4-H.org, or go to Facebook at www.facebook.com/4-H or Twitter at https://twitter.com/4H.
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Farm & Ranch
Hazards of Backyard Poultry
By Barry Whitworth, DVM
Having backyard poultry is a popular agriculture enterprise. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, 0.8 percent of all households in the United States have chickens. People keep chickens for a variety of reasons with table eggs being one of the more common reasons.
Unfortunately, some of these poultry producers are not aware of the hazards that come with keeping poultry because many times they carry pathogens but appear healthy.
Chickens are carriers of several zoonotic diseases. These are diseases that can be passed from animals to humans. According to a recent survey in Pennsylvania, a majority of backyard poultry producers were aware of the dangers of avian influenza. However, this study also revealed that far fewer producers were aware of the risk of possible exposure to Salmonella and Campylobacter.
The lack of knowledge about the hazards of raising poultry likely contributes to the continued issues of Salmonella outbreaks associated with backyard poultry. In 2023, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 1,072 illnesses of Salmonella linked to backyard poultry, and 272 of those patients required hospitalization. Oklahoma reported 43 individuals with the disease.
To read more, pick up a copy of the April issue of NTFR magazine. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
Farm & Ranch
Ag Elsewhere: Wyoming
By Tressa Lawrence
Babies are tucked away in every nook and cranny. Many ranchers across Wyoming have baby animals popping up all over this time of year.
Farm & Ranch
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Another load of grain in to keep feeding the calves until the green grass can really start popping.
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