“Clovers Care” Donations

We are assisting our NE Regional Leader Board by taking “Clovers Care” Donations through April 7, 2022 at our office located at 704 Cypress Street in West Monroe. These donations will help youth in foster care. Suggested items to donate: personal hygiene items, age appropriate toys, backpacks/duffle bags, coloring books, journals, crayons, markers/pens, blankets, socks, hats, cards. Thank you in advance for your generosity!

4 Farm Animals for 4-H Poster Contest

Entries due to the Ouachita 4-H office by Friday, March 18.

• Use a 14”x17” piece of sketch paper
• Crayons or colored pencils only
• Be creative & incorporate 4 different farm animals of your choice & a 4-H clover
• Include name, grade & school on back left corner

The winner will receive $20 & the poster will be framed & displayed at the Ouachita 4-H office!

4-H Online Enrollment Information

If you need to enroll, please see our Facebook Page, “Ouachita 4-H” for the link, QR code, instructions, & tips!

4-H Summer Camp Is Back!

“A Million Memories” Camp Grant Walker is Back & Celebrating 100 Years! It’s time to begin making your plans to attend 4-H Summer Camp!! This year our camp week is July 4-7, 2022. To attend, you must be in 4th, 5th, or 6th grade & be age 12 or younger on January 1, 2022. Some of the activities you can do at camp are swimming, canoeing, kayaking, archery, tubing, arts & crafts… a great way to spend a week in the summer! The $50 nonrefundable deposit is due by April 15, 2022. Total camp fee, $210, is due May 27, 2022. Details will be available on our Facebook page & in our April newsletter!

4-H U – Save the Dates!

What is 4-H University? Each year 4-H members who are in the 8th-12th grade as of August 1, 2021, are eligible to participate in 4-H University to demonstrate their skills in more than 40 competitive events. It is a culmination of a 4-H member’s year of hard work & dedication. Events range from Agricultural Use Demonstration, Automotive Care, Fishing Sports, Public Speaking, Fashion Revue, & more! Through competing, youth demonstrate life skills in teamwork, decision making, problem solving, resiliency, & many more. Each competitive event allows youth an opportunity for personal growth, skill mastery, & other life skills vital to functioning members of society.

This year’s theme is: STRIVE. 4-HU will be held June 21-24, 2022, at the LSU Campus in Baton Rouge! A few of the contests will be held virtually.

Youth have 2 ways of participating in 4HU. They may choose the competitive track, participating on of the many contests; or they may choose to participate in the Clover College Track. The Clover College track is a non-competitive educational experience where youth may choose to learn about an area of interest, while still being able to have the LSU Campus experience! Clover College Choices will be available by April 1st & will be posted on our Facebook Page. Note: If a 4-H member participates in a virtual contest, they will participate in the 4HU on-campus experience by enrolling in the Clover College Track.

Louisiana 4-H University Objectives

• Promote a culture of inclusion amongst a diverse group of youth through positive social & educational experiences.
• Provide opportunities for engagement in learning to develop mastery through project participation & achievement.
• Provide the opportunity for self-determination through empowered decision making & teamwork.
• Provide the opportunity for youth to see themselves as active participants in the future through career exploration.
• Provide a safe & inclusive environment for youth.
• Provide the opportunity for youth to practice service to others.

Details will be posted soon on our Facebook Page, Ouachita 4-H.

Area Cookery

Congratulations to Ouachita’s 1^st Place Area Cookery participants:

Awards Program

We are in the process of planning the Ouachita 4-H Awards Day Event. We are working around LEAP testing schedules & will have a date narrowed down soon. The information will be posted on our Facebook page in the near future.

Beef Poster Contest

The Louisiana Beef Industry Council Beef Poster Contest encourages participants to learn more about the beef industry, meat science, & nutrition while developing marketing, communication, organization, & research skills. The 2022 Beef Poster Contest Theme is “All About Beef”. Participants may compete in either the poster or digital competition! Details & rules will be available soon on our Facebook page, Ouachita 4-H. Posters or digital entries are due to the Ouachita 4-H office by March 11, 2022. This contest is open to 4-H & FFA members in grades 4-12!

Divisions:
Division I: 4th – 6th grades
Division II: 7th – 9th grades
Division III: 10th – 12th grades
Division Digital: Open division. All ages compete together

Awards: All monetary awards are sponsored by the Louisiana Beef Industry Council.

First Place: State winning posters in each division will receive $200
Second Place: State winning posters in each division will receive $100
Third Place: State winning posters in each division will receive $50

District/State Livestock Show Participants

Ouachita 4H/FFA Members participated in a variety of categories at the NE District & State Livestock Shows. The following 4-H/FFA Members represented Ouachita:

• Ethan Bratton, 4-H/FFA, West Ouachita High School, Swine Category
• Spencer Borowski, FFA, Ouachita Parish High School, Broilers
• Natalie Clampit, FFA, West Ouachita High School, Rabbit
• Kimberly Conder, FFA, West Ouachita High School, Rabbit
• MaKade Cox,4-H, Calhoun Middle, Swine
• Mason Cox, 4-H, Central Elementary, Swine
• Kody Dennis, 4-H/FFA, Ouachita Parish High School, Broilers
• Lexi Harper, 4-H, East Ouachita Middle School, Goat, Exhibition Poultry, Rabbit
• Autumn Jordan, 4-H, Calhoun Middle School, Exhibition Poultry
• Abbie Kent, 4-H, Homeschool, Rabbit
• Hayden Kent, 4-H, Homeschool, Rabbit
• Dominique Lyles, FFA, West Ouachita High School, Rabbit
• Ashley McBride, 4-H, Central Elementary, Swine, Exhibition Poultry
• Daniel McBride, 4-H, Calhoun Middle, Swine
• Karissa Morse, FFA, West Ouachita High School, Rabbit
• Kaylee Nelson, FFA, West Ouachita High School, Swine
• Caroline Pankey, 4-H, Ouachita Christian School, Exhibition Poultry
• Alecksis Roberts, 4-H/FFA, Rabbit
• Charlie Smith, FFA, Ouachita High School, Broilers
• Regan Smith, FFA, West Ouachita High School, Swine
• Rhett Summitt, 4-H, Calhoun Middle, Exhibition Poultry
• Lexus Thibodeaux, FFA, West Ouachita High School, Rabbit
• Alexis Walker, 4-H/FFA, West Ouachita High School, Swine
• Garrett Walker, 4-H/FFA, West Ouachita High School, Swine

We are so proud of our exhibitors!

Facebook, Instagram, & the 4-H Newsletter!

Be sure to “like” us on Facebook & Instagram… both pages are named Ouachita 4-H. The 4-H Newsletter is made available on our webpage, lsuagcenter.com/Ouachita, as well as on our Facebook page. It is available within the first week of each month, September through April.

February HYPE/Jr. Leader Meeting

Open to 4-H’ers 7^th grade & up - The Jr. Leader/HYPE meeting is scheduled for Monday, March 14 from 4:00 – 5:00 p.m. in the 4-H office auditorium. We will have a guest speaking on tobacco prevention. Please RSVP by Thursday, March 10 by emailing tgarlington@agcenter.lsu.edu

LA 4-H Food Challenge

The Louisiana 4-H Food Challenge is a competition which challenges teams of 4-H members to create a dish using only a key ingredient & access to a “grocery store” of other ingredients. From the ingredients, team members are challenged to create a healthy dish while practicing proper food safety, food preparation, & communication skills. Following the dish preparation, teams then present to a panel of judges who will further test their culinary & nutrition knowledge with a question & answer segment.

The objectives are: To develop & demonstrate: cooking skills, decision making skills, stress management, critical thinking, & public speaking skills; To use sound nutritional knowledge when planning meals; To provide a competitive group cooking experience for 4-H members grades 4-12.

Prizes will be awarded! The challenge will be held on Tuesday, April 19, 2022, at the State Evacuation Center in Alexandria, LA. Teams must consist of 3-4 participants that are enrolled 4-H members. There are 3 Divisions: Grades 4-6, 7-8, & 9-12. Registration is $25 per team. If you are interested in participating in this challenge, please contact Tara Garlington at tgarlington@agcenter.lsu.edu by March 25.

Louisiana Draw A Dairy Billboard Poster Contest

Promote the dairy industry by drawing a billboard encouraging or promoting the consumption of milk and/or milk products & their importance for health.

• Posters must be on 22”x28” poster board & must not contain any copyright materials.
• Do not attach anything to the poster that is more than 1/2” thick.
• A 4-H club member can win first place in each division only once.
• Include name, address, grade, school, & parish on back upper right-hand corner.

Posters are due to the Ouachita 4-H office by April 11. Ribbon awards will be given on the Parish Level. First Place Parish winning poster will move to the State Level. Winning posters at the State Level will receive cash prizes! Winning posters become the property of the Extension Service & will be displayed at statewide events.

• Division I: 4th-6th grades
• Division II: 7th-8th grades
• Division III: 9th-12th grades

Parish Demonstration Contest

A demonstration should consist of introduction, procedure, & summary. Don't forget your visual aid. Most importantly, practice your demonstration! 4-H'ers may pre-record their demonstrations & email to tgarlington@agcenter.lsu.edu by March 31. Videos should be no more than 5 minutes in length. Click the following link “How to Demonstrate the 4-H Way”. Parish Contest: 1st Place winner will receive $30, 2nd Place winner $20, & 3rd Place winner $10.

Photography Club Meeting

The next Photography Club meeting is scheduled for Monday, March 21 from 4:00-5:00 p.m. at Kiroli Park. We will meet at Shelter 6. Please RVSP by emailing tgarlington@agcenter.lsu.edu by Thursday, March 17.

Shooting Sports Regional & State Competitions

We have several Ouachita 4-H Shooting Sports Members participating in the upcoming Regional & State Matches. The Northern Regional Match will be held March 14-20 in Shreveport & Grand Cane; & the State Match will be held April 26-May 1 in Port Allen & Gonzales. Good Luck Ouachita 4-H Shooting Sports! Thank you to the National Rifle Association for the continued support of our program!

Your Ouachita 4-H Agent is Tara Garlington

Ouachita Parish 4-H, 704 Cypress Street, West Monroe, LA 71291
Phone: (318) 323-2251 Fax: (318) 387-9376
Made Available By: Tara Garlington, Assistant Extension Agent
Email: tgarlington@agcenter.lsu.edu

Visit our website: www.LSUAgCenter.com
Lucien P. Laborde, Jr., Interim Vice President for Agriculture, Interim Dean of College of Agriculture
Louisiana State University Agricultural Center; Louisiana Agricultural Experiment Station;
Louisiana Cooperative Extension Service; LSU College of Agriculture

The LSU AgCenter is a statewide campus of the LSU system & provides equal opportunities in programs & employment.
Louisiana State University is an equal opportunity/access university.