Pamlico County Youth Learn Dairy Skills Through 4-H

This year, Ms. Kristi Welke, our tri-county livestock agent, worked very hard to bring this opportunity to Pamlico County. Our 4-H Dairy Project started April 1^st.

Hands-On Learning with Dairy Calves

For the last eight weeks our youth have been learning all about dairy calf husbandry. Through hands-on experience, they have been responsible for feeding, cleaning, and training the calves. They have learned the proper way to show a dairy heifer, the breed standards of Holstein cattle, and the most desirable traits in dairy cows. They have worked hard to master showmanship skills and train their calf to perform.

June Dairy Show Highlights Youth Dedication

Our Dairy Show was on June first! The lead up to the Dairy Show there was still a great deal to do.

Preparing for the Show Ring

Youth continued to work with their calves to prepare for the show, learning judges’ hand signals, continuing to study questions, and making sure the calves are well cared for.

Focus on Calf Care and Showmanship

In addition to this, the week before a show, dairy calves get bathed and clipped. This helps the calves keep cool and it also allows the calves features to be observed by the judge. The dairy show is about both the conformation of the calf, but also in showmanship class, it is about how much work the youth have put into mastering skills and working with their animal.

Celebrating Our Participants and Community Sponsors

We are so proud of how much work our youth: Lillie Tillman, Ariel Newman, Holly Jackson, Emma Kate Van Domelen, Maersaius Powers, Victoria Vargas, Aspen Clifton, Yoshiko Clifton, and Sabella Rodgers, did in their Dairy Project!

Recognition of Participant Achievements

Congratulations to everyone for their hard work, and to several of our youth who placed: Sabella Rodgers (6^th); Emma Kate Van Domelen (4^th), Yoshiko Clifton (3^rd), and Victoria Vargas (1^st). We are so proud of all of their work. We are also very grateful for all of the community support from parents, sponsors, and friends!

Thank You to Our Sponsors

A very big thank you to our sponsors and donors: Kooba Dairy–for allowing us to borrow calves and providing feed; Arthur Farms–for allowing us to house calves and have practice at their farm also 30 bales of hay; and our community sponsors–for making this project accessible to our youth: Lady Whitford Farms; Norma Tirado; Kerry Leetz; Perfection 2 Point 0; Cottonwood Farm; Overhead Door; Cutler Builder; Onslow Feed and Grain–gave discount on feed troughs, water tub, and automatic waterer; Nanny RIRI; 41 West Jerseys-helping clip cows; and Tillman Produce. This program would not have happened without you.

More Spring Adventures in 4-H

Our Dairy project isn’t the only exciting 4-H program happening this spring. 4-Hers also raised chickens for the Coastal Plains chicken show, learned about food and nutrition at Chopped! International, learned math and sewing skills at Sew Much Fun, and explored hardware creation with It’s Electric!

Looking Ahead to 4-H Summer Fun

While our Spring 4-H Programs have come to a short hiatus, that doesn’t mean the fun is stopping. We are also very excited for our 4-H Summer Fun. Among our programs is 4-H Book Explorers at the Pamlico County Library, 4-H Electric Congress, and 4-H Sleepaway Camp.

Life Skills and Adventure at 4-H Sleepaway Camp

4-H Sleepaway Camp is a wonderful opportunity to develop life skills. They will spend a week kayaking, swimming, hiking, navigating ropes courses, and making crafts. While they are enjoying all of those activities, they will be developing problem solving skills, growing in communication, and interpersonal skills. Furthermore, participating in 4-H Sleepaway Camp has shown to have a positive impact on youth feelings of connection and belonging that many campers feel.

Learn More and Register Today

If you would like more information or have questions about registration, please give us a call. You can also sign up for our email list! You can also get a head start on registration for specific programs by enrolling in Pamlico County 4-H Online. If you have any questions about accessing 4-H Online or the enrollment process, please give us a call and we will be happy to walk you through it. To learn more about all 4-H programs in Pamlico County contact Kait Neeland at (252) 745-4121, or kait_neeland@ncsu.edu. Don’t forget to register–spaces will fill up fast!