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Ventura County 4-H
February 23, 2022
Inside this issue:
  • Val's last day
  • $50 million gift to 4-H
  • Food Faire
  • Presentation Day
  • Animal Field Day
  • College Scholarships
  • State Archery Tournament
  • Equine Events
  • Bird Flu Dangers
  • Animal Health Webinars
  • Calendar of Upcoming Events
Indoor Meetings Allowed Again!
With the expiration of the state-wide masking mandate, UC ANR 4-H has updated meeting protocols for indoor, outdoor, overnight, and out of state events. Indoor meetings are now allowed again if everyone masks unless it is an adult only meeting. Vaccinated adults may unmask if they choose and no youth are present. The following webpages have been updated with the new COVID guidance.
4-H Rep Valerie Zeko's Last Day is Feb. 23
Dear 4-H families,
I'm writing one last newsletter to tell you about the exciting events coming up and also to say goodbye! I have enjoyed working with all the wonderful 4-H Club Leaders, club officers, board members and volunteers for the past 4 years. After I leave, you will be in good hands with Gwyn Vanoni and Susana Bruzzone-Miller until a new 4-H rep is hired. If you need to reach either one of them after 2/23, just email venturacounty4h@ucanr.edu
4-H Receives Gift of $50 Million!

Yesterday, National 4-H Council announced a $50 million gift from writer and philanthropist MacKenzie Scott, the largest single gift in 4-H’s 120-year history. This investment will support positive youth development for nearly six million kids and their families in every U.S. county, parish, and territory!
Food Faire Video Contest 2022
Enter by March 24, Submit by March 25

Check out last year's submissions:
Presentation Day: Get Ready!
One of the best opportunities 4-H has to offer is a safe, supportive space to practice public speaking and job interviews! And if you earn blue or gold, you can move up to Regional then to State Presentation Events:

  • Demonstration/Illustrated Talk
  • Science/Engineering Presentation
  • Educational Display Talk
  • Informational Prepared Speech
  • Persuasive Prepared Speech
  • Impromptu Speech: See topics here
  • Interpretative Reading
  • Interview Contest: See job descriptions here
  • Share the 4-H Fun
  • Cultural Arts

The 4-H Presentation Manual - Revised January 2021 is the standard guide for all 4-H presentations. The included evaluation forms are for use at all
4-H Presentation Days.

Interested in being an evaluator? Please contact event organizer Julie Salomonson: jsalomonson@yahoo.com
Animal Field Day
Sat., May 7, 2022
Santa Rosa Clubhouse
Virginia Reyes, Briggs 4-H Club Leader, is organizing this event and is looking for belt buckle sponsors for the lamb and goat showmanship competitions. If you know of someone who will sponsor a buckle, or if you're interested in helping with this event, please email vergereyes24@gmail.com
College Scholarships
Topa Topa Flywheelers will once again be offering $5,000 in college scholarships for 4-H'ers and Robert Rich is giving a $2,000 scholarship in honor of his late wife Norma Rich. Links to scholarship applications will be posted in April.

The CWA (California Women in Agriculture) is offering four $1,000 scholarships. Deadline to apply is June 5, 2022. Click the button below for more information and the application.
2022 California 4-H State Archery Hybrid Tournament

This tournament will offer both in-person and postal match options. Rules and registration information is posted on the California 4-H website. Registration is due no later than March 15, 2022. In-person event hosted in Merced County will be on May 29, 2021 and postal targets must be postmarked by May 31, 2022.

Divisions include Junior, Intermediate, Senior, and Leaders with the following categories:
  1. Longbow
  2. Recurve bow – no sights
  3. Recurve bow – with sights
  4. Compound bow – no sights
  5. Compound bow – with sights
  6. Archery leader – 50 yards
Registration fee is $10 for first category, and $5 for each additional category with a maximum of three categories.
Contacts for competition and registration information:
Jose Campos, UCCE Merced 4-H, jaccampos@ucanr.edu 209-385-7418
Dave Givens 209-614-1718 dave@hammerstryke.com
Equine Presentation Day
4-H youth in Equine projects across the state will have the opportunity to participate as part of this year’s State Presentation Day and individual and team scores by Senior members competing will be used to assess National Qualification at the Western Roundup.
  • Virtual Participation Dates: 5/11, 5/14, 5/18, & 5/ 21
  • In-Person Participation at UC Davis: 5/28/2022
  • NO REGISTRATION FEE FOR 2022

Horse Classic
The Equine Advisory and Planning Team is in the early stages of planning this year’s Horse Classic event. Here is the available information to date:
Horse Classic (In-Person Opportunity)
  • Tentative Dates: June 24-26, 2022
  • Location: Diamond Bar Arena 6055 Central Ave, Ceres, CA
  • Cost: TBD
  • This year’s show will be a Non-Qualifying, Open Show
 
Questions related to statewide equine events should be directed to ca4hequine@ucanr.edu
Bird People:
HIGHLY PATHOGENIC AVIAN INFLUENZA (HPAI) IS BACK AND WITH TERRIBLE CONSEQUENCES

HPAI is something we are warned about annually. As migratory birds move across the globe each winter, the virus can also move with them. The H5N1 strain of HPAI is having devastating effects on the avian populations of Israel. As of the first week in January, over 1 million commercial poultry had been depopulated in Israel. In addition, 5,200 migrating wild cranes had died in what the Jewish Press described as the “worst ecological disaster to hit the country” (www.jewishpress.com, Jan. 6, 2022).

You might be saying to yourself, “Not to worry, Israel is a long way from Sonoma/Santa Barbara/San Diego counties.” Well, in the last days of 2021, HPAI was detected in an exhibition flock of poultry in the Canadian Province of Newfoundland and Labrador.

History is important and valuable. In 2015, another strain of HPAI made it to the United States. When the outbreak was finally controlled, 15 of our States had become positive for the virus and over 43 MILLION domestic poultry died. This was incredible loss to the owners of those birds.

It is simple to greatly decrease the likelihood that your birds will become exposed to the virus: Keep your birds in a structure that prevents the entry of wild birds. That is, use appropriately-sized wire mesh on the walls of your poultry yards. In addition, have the runs COVERED with a solid material. By doing that, any wild bird that flies over cannot drop contaminated fecal material, feather, or dander onto your birds. As this issue was being finalized, I received word that USDA has confirmed H5N2 in an American wigeon (dabbling duck) in Colleton County, South Carolina. This disease is in the United States; let us work to keep it out of our California flocks.

  • Avian Science Notes January Newsletter
Animal Health Biosecurity Plans
Webinars
Tuesdays until March 1, 2022
5:30-6:30 PM

As part of our Farm Animal Risk Mitigation Prepare Prevent Evaluate Project, we are hosting a series of eight exciting webinars that will:
  • Give you information on animal health and biosecurity
  • Guide you in the development of a customized biosecurity plan for your operation, whatever its size, and including if you have a small-scale, diversified, or backyard farm.

Webinars will be organized once a week on Tuesdays from 5:30 to 6:30 PM until March 1st, 2022. Five will be held live using Zoom and will include a Q&A session, and the other three will be pre-recorded and posted on the FARM PPE website.

If you are interested in attending, please register here. For more information, don’t hesitate to email us at pireslab@ucdavis.edu.

We are looking forward to seeing you all there!

The FARM PPE Team
4-H Resources for Families

UC 4-H Handbook for Families - The essential guide!
Cloverpedia - Learn about 4-H terms, events & programs
Star Rankings - What they mean and how to achieve them
4-H Project Sheets - Ideas for Project Leaders
4-H Uniform Guidelines - What is the 4-H uniform?
4-H Events Calendar

FEBRUARY 2022
Feb. 26 GCSPF Poultry Show & Avian Bowl Qualifier @ Fresno Fairgrounds

MARCH 2022
Thurs. Mar 24 Food Faire contest entry deadline @ 5pm
Fri. Mar 25 Food Faire contest submission deadline @ 5pm

April 2022
Sun. April 10 Presentation Day and Fashion Revue @ UC HAREC
April 20: Deadline to register for Virtual Regional Presentation Event
April 29: Deadline to register for State Presentation Events

May 2022
Sat, May 7: Large Animal Field Day @ Santa Rosa Clubhouse (11701 E. Las Posas Rd., Camarillo) (Buckles will be given for lamb & goat showmanship!
May 11 - 21 Virtual CA State 4-H Field Day including Presentation Events and State Fashion Revue
Sun. May 29 CA 4-H Field Day Award Ceremony via Zoom and Facebook Live

June 2022
June 30: Last day of 4-H year

AUGUST 2022
Aug 3 - 14 Ventura County Fair
It is the policy of the University of California (UC) and the UC Division of Agriculture & Natural Resources not to engage in discrimination against or harassment of any person in any of its programs or activities Inquiries regarding ANR’s nondiscrimination policies may be directed to UCANR, Affirmative Action Compliance & Title IX Officer, University of California, Agriculture and Natural Resources, 2801 Second Street, Davis, CA 95618, (530) 750-1397. Complete nondiscrimination policy statement can be found at http://ucanr.edu/sites/anrstaff/files/215244.pdf
Ventura County 4-H
 669 County Square Dr. Ste. 100
Ventura, CA 93003