Spring is in the air, which means we, at La Plata County 4-H, are gearing up for our spring and summer activities. This month, our members have and will participate in a variety of educational events.
Last weekend, in partnership with Colorado Parks and Wildlife, we were able to certify more than 20 youths in hunter safety and education. This certification is required for all of our 4-H youths 11 and older in order for them to participate in our shooting sport project. This training ensures they know how to safely handle hunting equipment and that they understand all of the rules, regulations and ethics associated with hunting in Colorado.
On Saturday, La Plata County 4-H and FFA beef members will bring their steers and heifers to the La Plata County Fairgrounds to be tagged, weighed and tattooed. The purpose of the weigh-in is for our members to confirm the steers and heifers they will be using for their projects and ultimately show at the La Plata County Fair on Aug. 12.
Also on Saturday, we will have our first rabbit workshop of the season. Our youths will learn about nutrition, feeding, health, grooming and daily care of their rabbits. They will also get a chance to work with their rabbits and learn how to properly show them. Many of our 4-H members will be breeding their rabbits this year so they will also learn about the proper care of their mother and baby bunnies.
The rabbit project is a wonderful way for youths to get these experiences without needing to have a lot of space to house their animals. Their experiences in the rabbit project build important life skills, such as responsibility, compassion and decision making.
On April 1, the La Plata County 4-H Livestock Judging Team will host its annual contest. Livestock judging is a process of evaluating, selecting and placing various livestock, including cattle, sheep, goats and swine. Team members analyze animals and measure them against a standard of what is commonly accepted as ideal conformation for that animal’s form and function. Our coaches, Beth LaShell and Aaron Preator, always put on an excellent event. There will be 4-H and FFA members from around Colorado and the western region who will participate in this livestock judging contest.
Our livestock judging team members spend hours every week dedicated to learning and understanding the standard ideal conformation of each species. They study the length of their bodies, muscle tone, width of their chest and hips and the list goes on and on. At the contests, they judge sets of animals, place them in order of best to worst, then give reasons about why they placed those animals in that particular order.
Livestock judging competitions are a great way for youths to develop memory retention, critical thinking and public speaking skills. Each of these skills tie directly into building better self-esteem and confidence that will help them in the future.
We are in the process of purchasing awards for our contests and events throughout the year. We typically give out more than 400 awards. If you are interested in being an award sponsor, contact me at angela.fountain@co.laplata.co.us or (970) 382-6460.
As always, thank you for your support of our La Plata County 4-H program.
Angela Fountain is the La Plata County 4-H youth development agent. Reach her at angela.fountain@co.laplata.co.us or 382-6460.
