Bandera 4-H Club Corner

I would like to take a few minutes and thank everyone who volunteered and stepped up to the plate and worked the concession stand. It was a first for me and I know it was a challenge as kids and parents were volunteering and showing all in the same day. I appreciate your patience with me as we moved forward each day. I cannot thank you clubs, club managers, kids, parents and other volunteers enough.

Debbie

11 Resolutions for a Successful Stock Show Year

Monday, January 5, 2015 Kate Hagans No Comments

Kick off the new show year with a resolution. People generally anticipate making changes at some point in time – those who are disciplined, follow through. No one expects perfection, but one should keep personal expectations.

1. Seek success drive – A showman who shows effort of hard work and persistence will find success. Find an area of weakness and look to improve it. Examples may include working to keep a cleaner facility or to practice more professional showmanship skills. Let determination be the motivation to live every day to your highest potential.
2. Opportunities – Look to experience new opportunities that will benefit you to be worth knowing, not just well known. We all may know who exhibited the supreme winner of the stock show. Keep in mind the people worth knowing may someday play a major role in helping you get to that back drop for a champion photo. Small or big, there are opportunities in every day. Don’t shy away from getting out of your element to meet new people.  You may be surprised at how that will pay off in your future!
3. Stay humble – It’s easy to get caught up in the good times, but remember to collect moments, not just awards. Develop the attitude of gratitude. There will always be others who wish they had what you have, even if it’s a reserve ribbon instead of the champion title you wanted. This type of resolution will never go out of style.
4. Stay positive – It’s alright to give the serious showmanship stare down a break when spending time outside of the ring. Be happy and smile everyday. Vibrate good energy into your personality and don’t let others steal your happiness. Be sure to ignore the negativity.
5. Livestock health – In God We Trust, our brand of stock feed. If it works, keep it! Don’t be afraid to do some research on different feed mixtures or additives. Make a resolution to improve your stock’s feed. May it be growing rations, improving feed quality or even just working to keep a clean water supply. We want only the best for our livestock.
6. Offer a helping hand – Find the best in others by teaching a new fitting skill or just lending a hand during busy mornings. Be caring and considerate to help other showmen feel the need to step up their game.
7. Learning how to win as well as to lose – Embrace rolling with the punches. You can have a good grip on life, but you can’t control everything. After all, it does come down to one person’s opinion in the show ring. Set a resolution to practice good showman sportsmanship. Shake a hand or offer a congratulations to a winner.  The simple gestures can go a long way.
8. Strive for consistency – If you are persistent, you will get it. If you are consistent, you will keep it. Showmanship skills comes with consistency. Practice with your livestock every day, study others in the ring and even research the internet. Setting a resolution to be a better showman is easier said than done.  Hard work and practice will pay off in the show ring.
9. Increase knowledge – Study, study and study some more about breed genetics. By setting a resolution to increase your livestock genetic knowledge, this will increase your chances of making better decisions when selecting that winning calf.
10. Define your purpose – Many variables are a part of one’s show livestock. By developing a clear and precise goal, evaluating and strengthening variables will provide a foundation to build off of in different opportunities. A dream is a good beginning to a purpose, such as a show ring banner. A stock show resolution to wake up every morning and start your day in the barn can be key to a successful year.
11. Incorporate a new media platform – You and your livestock are a walking advertisement. Not just for the cattle company you represent, but also yourself, your family, and your community. Committing to a new media resolution can be time consuming, but worth the effort. Consider a blog or even a website. A place to log your show travel adventures along with the triumphs and disappointments. This will make for great viewing and watching your livestock mature and grow throughout the year!

Year-in-Review

Buckles and banners may physically measure results, but others may come in personal growth. A sense of accomplishment can not be ordered through Sullivan, sorry. By making a New Year’s resolution, showmen will benefit from the personal growth they will carry with them for life. Success isn’t what others can see, but how you feel. It’s living your goals and doing what makes you happy. That’s success. Now, get to the barn!

    4-H    members from across South Central Texas gather together at the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo
to showcase their talents, organization activities and project work. Members set up exhibits and hands-on activity booths
for visitors and guests attending the Stock Show & Rodeo. Additional activities throughout the day include: A Photography
Contest display and the Wagon & Wheelbarrow Parade. Youth Day is hosted by the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo
School Tours Committee.

Club Managers,

If you could share this with your club and see if there is any interest in doing the Youth Day at the San Antonio Livestock Show and Rodeo. The day for this is February 14, 2015. If any 4-H member is interested, please contact the Extension office.

This is separate from school tours

Here’s a good blog to go and check out. This blog is written by Chris Boleman, Assistant Director and State Leader for 4-H Youth Development from College Station. I wanted to share his blog information to you as he has some very informational blogs of all sorts of thing for 4-H.

You can follow him at

http://texas4-hpractitioners.blogspot.com/

Hope you got all your shopping done for the holidays. See you soon.

Debbie

We have a new livestock website that was set up by Extension to help anyone who needs information on a particular species. This will help you with any questions for any FYI’s. Please check out the link below.

 http://texasyouthlivestock.com

Enjoy,

Debbie

We’re about to get a new project off the ground here at Bandera County 4-H. We have had a volunteer, Laura Berlin Bowers, who comes from the Triple H Equitherapy Center is interested in starting a Vet Tech project for 4-h’ers who are 12yrs-16yrs old. This project is a 3-5 year coarse. Members who do this are eligible to get certified and can (as long as they are 18yrs old) test to be a registered Vet Tech. We are just in the beginning stages of this and are taking names of anyone interested.

Remember, member has to be at least 12-16 yrs of age by Aug.31st of the year the project is in operation. Please pass this along to your club. Once we get enough names we will be putting together a informational meeting.

Please contact Debbie Rasberry at the Extension office if you are interested.

Thanks,

Debbie Rasberry

830-796-7755

As the holidays approach us, I am trying to plan ahead. I am attaching the Bandera County Junior Livestock Show concession stand schedule. It would be good for ya’ll to take a look at it. This year we are asking the clubs to take two(2) shifts. There are a total of 14 shifts . If each club takes two it will take care of the concession at the show. Reminder your club will get a 100.00 incentive for working. This was approved by our Council at our October meeting. We will plan to have a informational meeting before hand to discuss this schedule in length. If you have questions, please write them down and we will be happy to answer them at the meeting. I will let you know ahead of time when that will be. Hope your holidays are filled with love and family and good food.

Concession Stand Sign up2015 sheet

Something you can pass along to your Junior and Senior age 4-her’s and their parents. We have two different opportunities for them to attend workshops to help them with the process of filling out scholarship applications. Megan Logan, District 10 4-H Specialist will conduct these workshop and help perfect the process and answer any questions anyone may have. I’m attaching both flyers. One will be in Kerr County Nov. 20th and the other will be in Medina County December 3. Pass along to your clubs/projects. Great opportunity.

Make plans to be a part of this informational webinar. The Bandera Extension office will have this webinar set up in the conference room to view for your convenience. You will find an link at the bottom of this post the schedule for this webinar.

The Texas 4-H Youth Development Program is pleased to announce the schedule for the Virtual 4-H Volunteer Conference, scheduled for November 19th and 20th. Twelve educational workshops will be offered as a part of the virtual conference during the daytime hours on both days. A promotion brochure and schedule are attached.

All sessions will be conducted via the TTVN WebMeeting System. No pre-registration is required, and there is no fee to participate. All sessions are set to record, as well, and will be posted online after the virtual conference.

Volunteers can go directly to the training(s) by clicking on the name of the session they want to attend. It will take them directly to the online training. Workshop descriptions and more information about the virtual conference, as well as links to each of the sessions, are available at: texas4-h.tamu.edu/volunteer_conference.

Nov19&20_VirVolConference