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Upcoming 4-H Calendar of Events
|
Date |
Title |
Time & Location |
Registration, Contact Info, or Zoom Link |
|---|---|---|---|
|
3/20/24 |
State 4-H Horse Advisory Zoom |
Zoom 7:00 PM |
|
|
3/23/24 |
State 4-H Horse Round-up: Hippology & Horse Bowl |
Athol, MA |
|
|
3/24/24 |
State 4-H Horse Judging |
Orange, MA |
|
|
3/28/24 |
Horse Chat |
Zoom |
|
|
4/3/24 |
Ag Day at the State House |
Boston, MA |
Registration |
|
4/6/24 |
MA State Visual Presentations |
Collegiate Charter School of Lowell |
|
|
4/6/24 |
UConn Dairy Goat Day |
UConn |
|
|
4/7/24 |
Clover Trail Ride |
Borderland State Park |
|
|
4/13/24 |
MA 4-H Dairy Goat Day at Erin DeCoste Farm |
Lancaster, MA 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM |
Registration coming soon |
|
4/14/24 |
4-H Night at Thunderbirds Hockey Game |
MassMutual Center |
https://springfieldthunderbirds.formstack.com/forms/4htbirds |
|
4/19/24 |
Month of the Military Child: Wear Purple Day |
|
|
|
4/20/24 |
STEM Training |
Auburn 4-H Office |
|
|
5/4/24 |
STEM Training |
Hadley 4-H Office |
|
|
5/5/24 |
Southeast Regional Horse Show |
Pappas Rehabilitation Hospital for Children |
|
|
5/10-5/12 |
Dog Academy |
Camp Farley |
|
|
6/22-6/23 |
Annual MA State 4-H Horse Show |
Three County Fairgrounds |
|
|
6/23-6/25 |
Explore UMass |
UMass Amherst |
Approaching Deadlines
|
Event/Application |
Deadline |
Link or Contact Info |
|---|---|---|
|
Massachusetts Agriculture Youth Council Application (MDAR) |
3/17 |
|
|
National 4-H Dairy Conference Application |
4/1 |
|
|
National 4-H Council Youth in Action Applications |
4/1 |
|
|
Deadline for 4-H Foundation Grants |
4/15 |
|
|
Pre-entry deadline SE Regional Horse Show |
4/22 |
|
|
Animal Verification Forms Due (Dairy Cattle, Beef Cattle, and Working Steers) |
5/1 |
See links to forms below |
|
Animal Verification Forms Due (Goat, Sheep, Llama, Alpaca, Swine, and Dog) |
6/1 |
See links to forms below |
|
State Horse Show Registration Deadline |
6/1 |
|
Ag Day at the State House
Massachusetts 4-H will be participating in Massachusetts Ag Day at the State House on Wednesday, April 3, 2024. This year we will be thanking the legislators that co-signed Bill HD 651. If passed, this bill would allow for excused absences to apply to some 4-H events. We are looking for 4-H members who are 12 and older to attend Ag Day and help us thank legislators. We will also have a 4-H member speaking at the morning ceremony. If you are interested in attending Ag Day 2024 as part of 4-H, please register using this form, no later than Friday, March 22nd:
https://forms.office.com/r/uAhwaiASif.
Please note that 4-H will not be providing transportation into Boston for Ag Day this year.
We will communicate details regarding a meeting location at or near the state house on April 3rd to all registered youth and volunteers. All attendees are asked to attend a Zoom orientation outlining the timeline and schedule details for the day. The link for this Zoom orientation will be shared with all those who register by the March 22nd deadline. Please contact Meg McDermott at memcdermott@umass.edu with questions.
Explore UMass 2024
SAVE THE DATE! Explore UMass 2024 is back!
This program is for ages 12-16, 4-H members and non-members. Youth get to experience Campus Life during this 3-day, 2-overnight STEM program at UMass Amherst.
Block off the dates June 23-25th and think about what track most interests you from this year’s STEM tracks: Plant and Soil Science, Veterinary Science, Food Science, and Engineering (Cardboard Arcade project).
Registration opens March 20th in 4honnline for members. Please reach out to 4-H Educator Lauren DuBois via email ldubois@umass.edu with any questions.
Teen Voice in Agriculture: APPLY TODAY!
Applications are due electronically by March 17, 2024. Learn more and apply.
Massachusetts 4-H State Visual Presentation Day 2024
Congratulations to all 4-H members who participated in one of the three 4-H Regional Visual Presentation events this year.
Youth who performed well at regional VPs have earned an invitation to participate in State VP Day on April 6th and will be contacted regarding their eligibility to present on Saturday, April 6th.
Saturday, April 6th at 10:00 AM
Collegiate Charter School of Lowell*Contact your regional educator for details and directions if you want to attend State VP day as an audience member to watch, learn, and support your fellow 4-Hers.*
Please reach out to Molly Vollmer with any registration questions.
National 4‑H Council Youth in Action
National 4‑H Council is looking for Leaders, Creators, Storytellers, and Changemakers.
Apply TODAY to become one of four Youth in Action winners. Each outstanding youth will receive a $5k scholarship, tailored professional mentoring, national speaking opportunities and MORE! Applications are now live until April 1st. Apply Here.
National Teen Leadership Trips
UMass 4-H is launching a new application process and guidelines for 4-H teens who are interested in attending one of the three annual national 4-H leadership trips as UMass 4-H delegates: 4-H Ignite Summit, National 4-H Congress, and National 4-H Conference.
For many years, Massachusetts has alternated years when it sends delegates to these trips. Moving forward, we have decided to send delegates each year to all three conferences, with one, consolidated application process. This application process will open in April of each year with a deadline in June. The delegate selection process for all three trips will happen during this timeframe even though the trips are spread throughout the fall and spring of the following 4-H year.
There will be more information coming soon, so please tune into future issues of the NewsBlast for details. Direct questions to Cynthia Bushey or Kim Pond.
Animal Science Programs & Updates
IT’S CALF SALE WEEK!! Stay tuned for more updates in the next New Blast!
Animal Verification Forms
Now is the time to print off your Animal Verification Forms to plan for the upcoming show season. Lease Forms are also due at the same time. Animal Verification Forms are to be completed for all livestock, dogs, and horses that you plan to show at a 4-H fair, dog academies, and/or Big E 4-H Shows. Note: Lambs and kids born after June 1st are still eligible to show based on your fair’s requirements, but you will still need to file a Verification Form on them once they are born. Verification Forms are due to your county/regional 4-H office by the following dates:
• New Date: May 1st – Horse (only if planning to show at the Sept. New England 4-H Horse Show at the Big E)
• May 1st – Dairy Cattle, Beef Cattle, and Working Steers
• June 1st – Goat, Sheep, Llama, Alpaca and Swine, Dog
Links to Verification and Lease forms:
- Livestock Verification Form
- Livestock Lease Form
- Beef Lease Form (Youth cannot show a leased steer at the Big E)
- Horse Verification Form
- Dog Verification Form
4-H Poultry Program
Whoops! Looks like the link to the Poultry Bowl form from the last News Blast did not work. Let's try that again! If this is of interest to you, please email Andrew at asamuelson@umass.edu. We are aiming to plan an event in late spring/ early summer. If the form still does not work, please email me.
4-H Goat Program
- April 6th: UCONN 4-H Dairy Goat Day.
- April 13th: MA 4-H Dairy Goat Day: Erin DeCoste Farm 2680 N. Main St. Lancaster, MA: 10AM-3PM. Registration is coming soon.
- Coming soon: Dairy Goat Tour in Western Mass.
Horse Chat
Mark your calendars for the next edition of Horse Chat! Hope Cooper, daughter of Jane Karol, will be giving us a junior rider’s perspective: March 28th at 7 PM.
New England Beef Program
Youth ages 12-18 years of age (as of January 1st) are eligible to try-out for the New England 4-H Beef Show that is held in September. A NEW Massachusetts’ Application for the Big E has been developed: MA Big E 4-H Beef Show Agreement
Youth must own their beef steer and the beef heifers can be either owned or leased. A youth may enter up to three animals at this show. For more information on this show, please go to https://www.thebige.com/p/competitions/4-h/packets and review the Beef Show Packets 1 & 2. If you have any questions, please reach out to the UMass 4-H State Animal Specialist. Contact Andrew Samuelson at asamuelson@umass.edu with animal science questions.
Blue Ribbon Calf Sale
Saturday, March 16th will mark the 22nd Annual Blue Ribbon Calf Sale. Over the years, the calf sale has become the premier youth dairy sale on the east coast. The longevity of the sale is one more example of our Massachusetts 4-H volunteers stepping up time and time again to make our best better for our 4-Her’s. On Friday evening, March 15th, from 5-8pm there will be several workshops for all interested in the 4-H dairy project. Be sure to mark your calendars! Specific workshops will be listed in the next News Blast and on the Facebook page. Funds from the calf sale support 4-H Dairy learning events across the year.
Livestock Judging Resources For 4-H Clubs
The MA 4-H Animal Science Program has a subscription to Livestockjudging.com. This platform has TONS of virtual judging resources for all species. Interested? Please contact Andrew at asamuelson@umass.edu.
Save the Dates!
- National 4-H Dairy Conference Application due APRIL 1, 2024
- UCONN 4-H Dairy Goat Day, April 6, 2024
- MA 4-H Dairy Goat Day, April 13, 2024
- Northeast Spring Dairy Show Youth Clinics, 4/17 Big E, West Springfield.
- MA 4-H Beef visit to Plymouth Meats, Plymouth CT, Monday, April 22nd 3 PM. Interested? Email Andrew at asamuelson@umass.edu.
- Big East Jackpot and Youth Beef Show, May, 2024. Big E, West Springfield.
- Stock U Show Clinic – Fryeburg ME 5/25 – 5/26; Registration opens February 1st
- Avian Quiz Bowl, 6/2024…MORE INFO COMING SOON!
- State 4-H Horse Show – June 24 & 25 – Three County Fairgrounds, Northampton, MA Western Regional 4-H Horse – September 8-10, 2023 at the Three County Fairgrounds in Northampton, MA
2024 Dog Academy
Dog project members, save the dates: May 10-12 at Camp Farley
For more information contact Cathy Acampora at acampora@umass.edu or 774-343-5054.
STEM Programs & Updates
2024 STEAM Festival Winners!
Congratulations to all of the 4-H youth from across Massachusetts who sumbitted entries into the 2024 STEAM Festival! Please congratulate our winners when you see them.
STEAM Festival 2024 Awardees:
- Science- Lillian Gethin (JR)
- Technology- Siddharth Raj Monagari (SR) & Maxwell Kendall (JR)
- Engineering- Nikith Monagari (JR)
- Art- Rupinika Golla (JR)
- Math- Athena Sylvia (JR) & Cora Sylvia (JR)
Overall STEAM Award- Sai Hitesh Vuppala (JR)
Are you ready for April 8th and the Eclipse?
There are several types of eclipses, and this one is going to be spectacular and historic, which is why there is so much buzz and tourism around it!
There are both solar and lunar eclipses and they can be partial and very short or total, lasting minutes. This solar eclipse is going to peak at 3:28 PM in the Amherst area. Note that it is not safe to look at the sun and view the eclipse without special glasses or using something like a simple pin hole camera.
You can join UMass Amherst Astronomy Department if you are in the area. To learn more about the UMass watch event, eclipses, or how to make a pin hole camera, check out the links below—eclipses are amazing and you can learn a lot of the physic and astronomy behind them at this site.
This guide to eclipses was created by a retired electrical engineer and renewable energy expert with information broken down for the average viewer. It also includes information on other topics related to the sun such as solar energy, electricity generation, solar cooking, and more.
Upcoming STEM Trainings
(Watch for registration to open soon)
Saturday April 20th 1:00 – 3:00 PM Auburn Office: Mapping, Geocaching and more.
Open to tween, teens, and volunteers to learn about exciting opportunities and resources.
- New classes coming to the STEAM Festival 2025
- Join a new mapping club
- Teen opportunity for National GGLEAD team
- Gear up for Earth Day and Arbor Day too!
Saturday May the 4th be with you 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM: Aerospace and Rocketry at the Hadley office.
-
10:00 AM – 12:00 noon: session for teens and adults
- Rocketry resources (gliders, stomp rockets and bottle rockets)
- How to run a program at your club, school, or fair
- 1:00 – 3:00 PM: 4-H youth event for members and clover buds with a teen/adult helper
April is the Month of the Military Child
Did you know the UMass 4-H program has about 100 military connected youth in clubs across the state and also reaches more through short-term 4-H programs?
We encourage you to wear purple on Friday April 19th and post and share your pictures.
Why purple? Purple references the joint environment of the military, encompassing all service branches: Active Duty, Reserve, National Guard, and Veterans. Purple combines each branch’s colors into one: the Air Force, Navy, and Coast Guard all use shades of blue, the Army uses green, and the Marines use red.
Month of the Military Child Coloring Page
