4-H in the Media
4-H Robotics Team Wins at Tournament
Posted by Jane Stahl | November 21, 2011 Congratulations to the San Bruno/South San Francisco 4-H Club’s robotics team on their win at the First Lego League qualifying tournament at Jane Lathrop Middle School in Palo Alto on Sunday, November 20th. The team, named “It Should Have Worked,” received the competition’s highest score as well as praise from the judges for their research project, team work and robot design. Guided by team coach, Claus Schafhalter, the project members researched this year’s challenge theme of "Keeping Food Safe," built an autonomous LEGO Mindstorms robot using engineering concepts, then presented their research and solutions. Youth members were: Alexander Davis, Darren Diep, Kaitlin Leung, Samantha Rozal, Peter Schafhalter, Richard Schafhalter, Nina Schoener, and Peter Schoener. The team now goes on to compete in the NorCal Peninsula Championship in Redwood City on Saturday, January 28. http://sanbruno.patch.com/announcements/4-h-robotics-team-wins-at-tournament
On a Turkey Farm, 4-H Meets Slow Food
Mon Nov. 21, 2011 2:30 AM PST This post is part of my series on 4-H Club. Read about the club's Big Ag ties here, and about kids raising pigs in Oakland here. For the past few weeks, I've been blogging about the two heritage turkeys that my friends and I have been raising in our backyard. But our turkeys aren't Berkeley natives. They spent the first ten days of their lives on the Thode Family Farm in Sebastopol, California. There, the four Thode kids raise dozens of turkeys every year for a collaboration between their 4-H club and the local Slow Foods chapter. Back in September, I visited the farm to learn more about this cool partnership. The turkey whisperer above is Zach Thode. A soft-spoken 21-year-old, Zach is the veteran turkey farmer of the family. Seven years ago, he and a few friends began raising heritage turkeys for their 4-H club. Through the club, the kids tried to sell their birds for Thanksgiving, but they had a marketing problem: Their customers wondered why they should pay $7.50 a pound when supermarket turkeys cost a fraction of that. "People didn't understand that organic feed costs more, and so does giving them enough space to live in," Zach told me. "Plus, we raise our birds for six months, whereas most supermarket birds only take three months or less to get to slaughter weight." But then, Slow Food Russian River got wind of the project. "We were so impressed with how these kids were raising their birds," says Jim...
NATIONAL 4-H WEEK: Local clubs prepare to celebrate
Mariposa Weekly Gazette, September 29, 2011 www.mariposagazette.com/news/2011-09-29/Local_News/NATIONAL_4H_WEEK.html Across the country, 4-H will celebrate National 4-H Week 2011 Sunday, Oct. 2 through Saturday, Oct. 8. National 4-H week, celebrated annually, provides recognition to youth and leaders involved in 4-H programs. With an expansive network reaching every corner of the country, 4-H is the nation’s largest youth development organization. More than 6 million 4-H youth in urban neighborhoods, suburban schoolyards, military bases, and rural farming communities stand out among their peers: building revolutionary opportunities and implementing community-wide change at an early age. In the state of California there are more than 20,000 4-H volunteer leaders, and the organization serves over 120,000 youth. This past year in Mariposa County there were over 180 members and 66 4-H volunteer leaders. In Mariposa County the 4-H members from our four clubs: Bootjack 49ers, Cathey’s Valley, Triangle and the Don Pedro Rattlers 4-H will be wearing their uniforms to school, church, doing presentations at schools & clubs, and inviting their friends, young and old, to join this wonderful Youth Development Program. From self-defense to sheep to small engines, local clubs have had over 60 volunteer leaders each year in Mariposa who have pledged their head, heart, hands, and health toward improving their members, the community, and themselves. By pledging...
Local business educates 4-H club
The summer months for 4-H members are often a busy time as the youth work to raise quality livestock products for local consumers. Some of the members may be raising an animal for the first time, while others may have their own breeding stock and have been involved in livestock production for several years. With livestock production comes great responsibility as well as a way to expand a youth’s knowledge. Glenn and Becky Bowman of Shasta Valley Meats in Montague recently held an open shop for the Big Springs sheep project and the Grenada swine project members. During the events, members were shown how their project is transferred into a consumable product. The youth learned to identify different cuts of meat, visualize what is needed for proper amounts of fat to have a quality end product, understand what a dressing percent is and how it is calculated, and identification of the most valuable meat products from their project animal. Members were provided the opportunity to see a whole sheep or hog as it was cut into retail meat products and packaged for the consumer. Real world demonstrations and learning opportunities provide an invaluable educational tool for youth to become informed livestock producers. Thank you, Shasta Valley Meats and the Bowman family, for providing these educational events for the 4-H members of Siskiyou County. http://www.siskiyoudaily.com/lifestyle/agriculture/x519372229/Local-business-educates-4-H-club
El Dorado County 4-H'ers and their Japanese exchange students meet with their Board of Supervisors
Japanese Visitors, along with their hosts, met with the El Dorado County Board of Supervisors Tuesday. The group will be visiting local points of interest as part of the 4-H International Exchange Program. The Mountain Democrat - http://www.mtdemocrat.com/media_gallery/photos-of-the-week-28/attachment/japanese-exchange-at-bos-b-2/
