I hope everyone is having a great start to summer.
June has been a fun-filled time for many 4-H members who have participated in a successful in-state exchange program, natural resources camp along the Pine River and Colorado 4-H State Conference. July also will be filled with great opportunities.
This year, La Plata County will host Livingston County, New York, for its inter-state exchange program. I am really excited for this one, as Livingston County is just north of the county in western New York state where I grew up. I hope this means the Buffalo Bills football team will make the playoffs this year. What am I thinking? It is World Cup soccer time, so go USA, beat Germany.
July also will see many 4-H’ers participate in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math), livestock, entrepreneurship and general workshops. These workshops will help members complete their projects for display at the county fair. We are about a month away, and I can tell already it is looking to be “A Seriously Good Time.”
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I would like to congratulate some 4-H’ers for their accomplishments this year. La Plata County sent 13 youths and three adult members to participate in the Colorado 4-H State Conference, which was hosted on the Colorado State University campus in Fort Collins. At this event, La Plata County members participated in a number of competitions: Horse Judging, Hippology, Horse Bowl, Livestock Bowl and Livestock Judging.
Our horse team members, Amy Gallmore, Jessica Looman, Hanna Looman, Sophie Turner, Emma Van Dyck and Tyllor Ledford, worked very hard this year and received fourth place overall in Horse Judging. Also, the team of Amy, Tyllor and Emma received recognition for earning the top ranking in the team problem category of the Hippology test. A big thanks to Lisa Marie Jacobs for training them throughout the year.
Next, our Livestock team members, Michael Semler, Kayla Stevens, Stephenie Riegel and Cooper Knox, performed exceptionally. Their team also received a fourth-place ranking out of 14 teams. They have come a long way this year, and we are all very proud of them. A big thanks to Beth LaShell and Brad Fassett for coaching them over the years.
Also, a huge congratulations goes out to our La Plata County 4-H President Michael Semler. This young man earned first place overall in the individual competition – a major accomplishment that couldn’t have happened to a better person. Michael, with his humble attitude, has shown such wonderful commitment and dedication throughout his 4-H Livestock Judging career. It goes to show hard work does pay off. Michael received a plaque, belt buckle and a $1,000 Livestock Judging Scholarship from Colorado State University.
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Finally, I would like to invite people to the Old Fort in Hesperus this Saturday for the annual Jackpot. You will be able to see beef, sheep and goats on display. In addition, the 4-H Giving Back Garden will harvest a fresh salad from its plot and offer tours of this great project.
felsengh@co.laplata.co.us or 382-6463. Greg Felsen is La Plata County 4-H youth development agent.
