TEXAS A&M AGRILIFE EXTENSION July 2014, Volume 23, Issue 11 July Inside this issue: Agent s Corner 2 4-H News 3 July 9 District Recordbook Judging July 31 Gold Star Application Deadline 4-H News 4 4-H News-Leadership Lab 4-HCongratulations 6 5 July 15 July 22 4-H Club Chartering Deadline County Council Officer Workshop 4-H News in Agriculture 7 July 23 State Recordbook Judging Hidalgo County 410 N. 13 th Ave Edinburg, Texas 78541 Ph: 956-383-1026 Fax :956-383-1735 http://hidalgo.agrilife.org Want to write about your 4-H experience? Submit your article to the 4-H Spotlight! Email andrea.valdez@ag.tamu.edu This newsletter can be viewed online @ http://hidalgo.agrilife.org Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service Hidalgo County 4-H Times June 2014 1 P age
4-H NEWS Hello 4-Her s and 4-H families, Thank you for reading another edition of the 4-H Times! Things have been movin and shakin with 4-H! We had a great turnout at Leadership Lab with some great and inspiring guest speakers! On another note, we had a Family and Consumer Sciences Agent, Mrs. Adelita Munoz, start into her new journey called retirement. Ms. Adelita has graciously served the Hidalgo County 4-H program and the citizens of Hidalgo County for 43 years!! Don t worry, she will still be around and helping the Extension office as a very special volunteer. We wish her the best and will miss her very much! July is a time for vacations and fun and we hope everyone is staying safe. However, after vacation comes the planning and we are all gearing up for a great and fun 2014-2015 year! And as always, we would like to thank all the volunteers and parents who make our 4-H program strong! Please call the Extension Office any time if you have questions about any of your 4-H projects. Sincerely, Barbara Storz, County Extension Agent Horticulture Brad Cowan, County Extension Agent AG/Natural Resources Andrea Valdez, County Extension Agent Family Resources Dear 4-H Families, For the past 43 years I have been blessed with the privilege of empowering families in Hidalgo County through the EFNEP program and most recently the FCS program. It has been the most rewarding and enjoyable time in my life. I thank the thousands of families that allowed Extension to be part of their lives. For the past six or seven months, I have felt a calling from the Lord to do some of His work and to spend more time with my family, therefore, I have decided to retire from Extension. Although, I have left Extension, Extension will always be in my heart. With Ms. Andrea s permission, I will be a volunteer and will assist any family when called upon. Be on the lookout for FCS programs to come! Again, thank you and I wish all of you success and fantastic positive experiences with Extension and 4-H. Blessings, Adelita Figueroa-Munoz Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service Hidalgo County 4-H Times June 2014 2 P age
4-H NEWS Rural Youth Loans U.S. Department of Agriculture s/ Farm Service Agency (FSA) - 2013-2014 Hidalgo County 4-H Foundation Summer Camp Scholarship Program The U.S. Department of Agriculture s Farm Service Agency (FSA) makes operating loans of up to $5,000 to eligible individual rural youth, ages ten (10) through twenty (20) to finance income producing, agriculture-related projects. Project must be of modest size, educational and initiated, developed and carried out by rural youth participating in 4-H clubs, FFA or a similar organization. For more information and applications, contact Vidal Saenz, Extension Agent CEP (Farm Advisor) at (956)383-1026. Don t miss out on your opportunity for the Hidalgo County 4-H Foundation Summer Scholarship!! Deadline is September 1, 2014. For more information including eligibility requirements and application visit: http://hidalgo.agrilife.org/4-h-youthdevelopment/ To view the fact sheet, just follow the link: http://hidalgo.agrilife.org/4-h-youth-development/4-hnewsletters/ Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service Hidalgo County 4-H Times June 2014 3 P age
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service Hidalgo County 4-H Times June 2014 4 P age
4-H NEWS Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Presents. THE SEWING EXTRAVAGANZA AND HEALTHY EATING YOUTH CAMPS (ages 8-18) When? July 10, 17 (Show & Tell/Graduation) Where? Extension Office 410 N. 13 th Ave, Edinburg, Texas 78541 Time? 9:00-11:00 AM Cost? Only $5.00 per class/$20.00 for 5 classes LISTEN UP PHOTOGRAPHERS! The Museum of South Texas History in Edinburg is going to display all Top Winner photos from the County Photography Contest. The date is still to be determined so like all good photographers- KEEP YOUR EYES PEELED! We all had a great time at Leadership Lab and Election Convention! Congrats to our very own Remi Hargett, new District 12 Council President, Claudia Martinez, Council Secretary, and Vanessa Martinez, Council Treasurer! Great Job and we know you will do great things in your new roles! Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service Hidalgo County 4-H Times June 2014 5 P age
4-H CONGRATULATIONS Congratulations to Andrew Cano of Legacy 4-H Club for getting accepted into the 2014 Texas 4-H Livestock Ambassador Short Course at Texas A&M University. We are all happy to hear that your hard work has paid off and we wish you good luck in the future on your road to being a Texas 4-H Livestock Ambassador. We know you will proudly represent Hidalgo County. We had a great turnout at State 4-H Round Up this year! Congrats to all our winners! Claudia Martinez, 1 st place Natural Fiber and 5 th in Clothing & Textiles; Vanessa Martinez, 4 th place in Natural Fiber and Construction-Theatre; Brianna Bullion, 4 th place Construction-Semi-Formal to Formal; Annette Alanis, 4 th place Fashion Storyboard- Jewelry; and Bianca Garcia, 10 th place in Educational Presentations. Thank you for representing Hidalgo County 4-H! ADVANCING TO DISTRICT! GOOD LUCK! Brody Hill, Adriana Lamar De Los Santos, Claudia Martinez, Claire Lee, Elizabeth Quintanilla, Ava Vela, Brandon Cerelli, Amanda Salinas, Karina Palomo, Zachary Iglesias, Nadia Gomez, Evan Garcia, John Goldammer, Vanessa Martinez, Daena Ciomperlik, Charles Lee, Christian Sanchez, Federico Cappadona, Talia Fuentes, Pedro Ortiz, Jayden Olson, Ariana Garcia, Marissa Luna, Elyssa Rodriguez, Ashlyn Martinez, Sofia Gonzalez, Paige Blevins, Kevin Cerelli, Zachary Garza, Derek Cerelli, Michael Bullion, Brianna Bullion, and Annette Alanis. Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service Hidalgo County 4-H Times June 2014 6 P age
4-H NEWS IN AGRICULTURE Flower of the Month: Larkspur For all you 4-H horticulturists out there, here is some information on the flower of the month of July. The flower of the month for July is the Larkspur. This is a very unique flower that unfortunately is not grown in South Texas. This beautiful flower gets its name from the shape of the spur which resembles the hind toe of a lark. Although this flower is nice to look at it is actually poisonous when eaten and can cause vomiting and can even lead to death when eaten in large amounts. The larkspur is used in different medicines but only in small amounts. There are more than 150 species of larkspur and 1,000 cultivated varieties. Other names include Lark s Claw, Lark s Heel, and Knight s Spur. The Larkspur symbolizes a desire for laughter and a pure heart in Victorian language of flowers. The Larkspur is also said to keep away venomous snakes and scorpions. The plants are often used for bouquets, gardens and are lovely in dried flower arrangements. Eating Local Matters By: Klarissa Cantu Where do you shop for your groceries? Wal-Mart or H-E-B? Have you considered purchasing your groceries locally? Most people don t really understand what an impact buying your groceries locally can have on the community. Last week a fellow intern and I had the privilege of meeting Mr. Jack Wallace of Wallace Farms. We had gone with our agriculture county agent Mr. Brad Cowan out to the McCook area to look at a sunflower plot that he was using as his research project. On our way back we decided to stop by to see if Mr. Wallace was in and so we could have the pleasure of meeting him. Have you seen his commercial with Wal-Mart about his watermelons? That s right those watermelons are grown locally right here in the Rio Grande Valley. Luckily for us Mr. Wallace happened to be in the farm office along with his wife. Mr. Wallace is such a humble person and it really was a treat getting to talk to him about our internship and where we are attending college. He was amazed at how strong our interest for agriculture was and he actually thanked us for wanting to be involved in the industry once we were out of school. He continued to tell us that we are the next generation that is going to take over the industry once the older generation decides to retire. It was nice to have a conversation like that with him since it really helped us remember the impact we could have in the community especially the local economy. What everything boils down to is that we as a community need to support our local farmers and one of the best ways we can do that is by buying locally at the farmers market or anywhere else they sell local produce. There are a lot of advantages to buying local for example local foods are fresher and taste better, they are seasonal, usually have less environmental impact, preserve green space and farmland, promote food safety, promote variety, supports the local economy and helps create community. Overall it s the least we can do as a community to better support each other and to eat healthier. Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service Hidalgo County 4-H Times June 2014 7 P age