812-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, December 27, 2003 New Jersey 4-H’ers Attend National Congress NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. For 79 years, National 4-H Con gress has hosted youth from the United States and its territories in a youth leadership develop ment conference, this year taking place in Atlanta, Georgia, No vember 28 through December 2. The program combined a vari ety of sessions, seminars, discus sion groups, and a service learn ing experience for the delegates. The nation’s most outstanding community leaders, speakers, and educators presented current and timely information, provid ing the youth, ages 14-19, with a quality, educational and cross cultural experience designed to address the needs and issues of youth. Twenty-three 4-H teens from New Jersey participated includ ing the following from Hunter don County. Lindsay Dehart chuck, Alexandria Township, and Mary Hefferner, Raritan Township. The theme, “Growing Into the Future,” focused on environ mental awareness. Awesome edu cational programs were devel oped for the conference including a variety of fim and exciting rec reational and networking oppor tunities. A cultural evening was added this year where youth were engaged in a variety of forms of the arts. The delegates were ex posed to many venues in the city including the Centennial Olym pic Park, The World of Coca- Cola, CNN Center, the Carter Presidential Library, and the Martin Luther King Center. Each year a community service project is planned and last year’s collection of dimes for Habitat for Humanity International was tremendously successful. The col lection for Habitat once again was included this year, collecting over $lO,OOO. This year, in coop eration with the local Habitat for Humanity Chapter, they began the process of building the “Clo ver House,” which will always be known as the “House that 4-H Built!” 4-H Programs UNIVERSITY PARK (Centre Co.) Pennsylvania’s answer to the widely asked question, “Where’s the beef?” can be found in Penn State Cooperative Exten sion 4-H livestock clubs, which teach youth skills needed to be come beef producers. More than 1,700 young people participated in such clubs last year. Participants, who are all be tween the ages of 8 and 18, raise cattle from calves and learn about everything from feeding, diets, veterinary care and birth ing to grooming and showing ani mals at fairs. “There is no better way to pre pare for becoming a beef produc er than taking part in the 4-H programs,” says Bob Mikesell, 4-H livestock program specialist. “The youngsters are exposed to every aspect of the business.” 4-H beef cattle programs pro vide kids with different experi ences tailored to their circum stances. “You don’t have to live on a farm to participate,” says Mikesell, “but you do need access to farm facilities. Some projects require more resources than oth ers, but none are backyard proj ects.” Phil Hoy, cooperative exten sion youth program coordinator, notes that although 4-H offers many different types of projects to enhance the lives of both rural and urban youth, animal projects remain tremendously popular. New Jersey 4-H’ers and agents who attended the National 4-H Congress, back row from left, Tara Pawchak, Morris County; Bev Hahn, Morris County; Marilu Randolf, Hunt erdon County; Lillian Shupe, Hunterdon County; Dan Mundy, Hunterdon County; Shelly Damiano, Atlantic County; Judy Knehr, Ocean County; and Macy Compton, State 4-H program coordinator, New Brunswick. From left front are Karen Cito, Hunterdon County; T.C. Buchanan, Hunterdon County; Karen Mansue and Barbara Teymant, both repre senting Ocean County. State Team Competes In 4-H National Wildlife Contest UNIVERSITY PARK (Centre Co.) From the green, tree-cov ered hills of Pennsylvania, four 4-H youth journeyed to New Mexico to compete recently in the 2003 4-H National Wildlife Habi tat Evaluation Contest in the hot, flat Chihuahuan Desert. To win a spot on the Keystone State team, the youth placed among the top four at the state contest held last spring. This year, three of the four team mem bers were from McKean County: Lisa Dunkerton, Sunny Frey and Bethany Kibble are all members of the 4-H Sewing Suzies, Junior Outdoorsmen and McKean County Council. The fourth team member was senior Katie Bru necz of Warren County. Ann Dunkerton of McKean County Preparing New Beef Producers “Raising beef cattle takes a higher initial investment and a bigger commitment of time and resources than some other animal projects because more space and more farm facilities are needed,” he says, “but the returns in terms of education and career preparation are also signifi cant.” The Market Steer Project pro gram boasts the most partici pants 1,468 last year among 4-H beef programs. Youths pur chase calves in mid- to late-fall and feed, care for and groom the steers in preparation for showing and selling them at county fairs and round-ups the following summer. Penn State’s detailed, step-by step reference guide for the 4-H Market Steer Project leads first time participants through select ing a project animal, caring for the steer and keeping it healthy, grooming it and showing it. “This project mirrors the com mercial beef industry fairly close ly,” says Mikesell. “What the in dustry does with hundreds or thousands of head of cattle, a 4-H’er does with one, two or three.” In the Breeding Beef Project, youths select heifer calves and raise them to breeding age. Then they have the heifers bred and oversee the birth of a new calf. “They start their own little beef herd,” says Mikesell. and Pam Snook of Clinton Coun ty were the team coaches who ac companied the girls. As Pennsylvania was experi encing a summer of torrential rains, the girls learned about management of livestock and wildlife where there is little or no rainfall. Contestants individually judged the suitability of habitat for wildlife species through on site evaluation and aerial photo graphs. As teams, they wrote urban and rural wildlife manage ment plans for nine different wildlife species. The Pennsylvania team placed 10th overall, with a strong show ing in its rural management plan. Alabama’s team placed first, fol lowed by Virginia and Georgia. Following the contest, partici- “Kids in the heifer project can show at beef breed exhibitions, as well as local fairs and state spon sored shows,” he adds. “They also learn about reproductive health programs, calving man agement and artificial insemina tion.” The third 4-H beef program, the Dairy Beef Feeder Calf Proj ect, offers a way for kids growing up on or around dairy farms to experience beef production by using bull calves. More than 200 youngsters took part last year. “Pennsylvania’s dairy industry produces many bull calves, few of which are needed for breeding purposes,” explains Mikesell. “Most dairy bull calves are des tined for veal or beef produc tion.” As a result, 4-H youths can buy week-old dairy bull calves at a lower price than they could pur chase 500 to 600 pound beef calves. “The kids teach the calves to eat grain and have them cas trated into steers,” says Mikesell. “Dairy-type steers are not eligible for certified beef programs such as Certified Angus Beef, and they have to be fed a very concentrat ed diet to make them suitable for slaughter, but when fed correctly, dairy steers can produce accept able-quality beef.” For more information about 4-H, contact your Penn State Co operative Extension county of fice, or visit pa4H.cas.psu.edu on the World Wide Web. pants enjoyed a trip to White Sands National Monument and a gondola ride/hike on Sierra Blan ca (11,400 feet above sea level) near Ruidoso, N.M. The national contest is spon sored by the U.S. Fish and Wild life Service, International Paper, the Rocky Mountain Elk Foun dation and the National Rifle As sociation. The Pennsylvania Game Commission paid travel costs for the Pennsylvania team and the Pennsylvania Outdoor Writers Association also contrib uted to defray team members’ ex penses. Adams County 4-Her At Egg Conference Summer Chronister, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Mike Chronister, Dillsburg, represented Adams County and Pennsylvania at the National 4-H Poultry and Egg Conference in Louisville, Ky. Summer is one of five 4-H mem bers from Pennsylvania who were selected to attend the 2003 Con ference. Summer is a member of the York Springs 4-H Club, Adams County 4-H Beef Club, and Adams County 4-H Senate. She currently is President of her local 4-H club. Summer was a camp counselor, County 4-H Ambassa dor, and involved on several com mittees in Senate. The Maryland 4-H Dairy Quiz Bowl Team placed second overall in the 4-H Invitational Dairy Bowl Competition at the North American International Livestock Exposition, Nov. 8. Shown here (from left) are the team members and their coach: Amanda Kilby, Cecil County; Caitlyn Trout, Frederick County; Davis Schwartzbeck, Carroll County; Jonathan Saunders, Carroll County; and April Hall, coach, Cecil County. Jeff Ishee Va. Farm Bureau Awards PBS Host HARRISONBURG, Va. WVPT Virginia Public Televi sion’s host Jeff Ishee has re ceived the Virginia Farm Bu reau’s Journalism Award for most comprehensive agricultural coverage in Virginia. More than 700 people from across the commonwealth of Vir ginia, including leaders in farm ing and agriculture and elected officials, recently attended the award ceremony in Williams burg. Ishee is the host and producer of “Virginia Farming,” WVPT’s weekly television program dedi cated to the agriculture industry in Virginia. The program is pro duced by WVPT and broadcast on WVPT, Virginia’s Public Television and WBRA Blue Ridge Public Television, reach ing more than 60 Virginia coun ties. Ishee is also Farm Director for WSVA radio in Harrisonburg and hosts “On the Farm Radio,” a syndicated radio show for lis teners in Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Ten nessee, and North Carolina. In addition, he produces and broad casts the “Agribusiness” news segment for WSVA. His Website is www.onthefarmradio.com.