 September 2009Newsletter Editor: Associate Editor: Robert Yule Elphick Contents:
Know Your Government
4-H District Rallies District Rallies bring together young people to share 4-H Club and county experiences, develop leadership skills, build new relationships, expand individual resources, and to make the 4-H program better. District youth representatives for State Ambassadors, and the State 4-H Advisory Board are elected at the rallies. This year’s rallies are slated to be the BEST ever. Your county teens won’t want to miss this great district opportunity. Watch for more information, brochures and registration to be up on the 4-H website at this page. NW District "Hop to the Top" 
Meet the Superintendents
"Stinger" Anderson – Poultry Superintendent 
Stinger Anderson has called Whidbey Island home for eleven years. It seemed the perfect place to enjoy the benefits of early retirement from his career in graphic arts and project management. Stinger discovered his passion for chickens only four short years ago after attending a Chicken 101 class offered by the local farm & garden store. He was taken with what great pets they make—providing eggs and meat as well as endless entertainment. Starting with only a few laying hens, the flock has now grown to over one-hundred chickens at his home, Working Girls Farm, outside of Langley. Stinger now teaches a Chicken 101 class himself and is developing an advanced poultry class for those interested in learning more. Members of the Island County Fair board were quick to recognize his enthusiasm and three years ago enlisted him into becoming the new open class poultry superintendent. It wasn’t long before Stinger was hooked and started the Rock’n Doodle 4-H Poultry Club with co-leader Marci Ameluxen. He now acts as superintendent for both open class and 4-H as well as playing Professor Poultry in the popular Chicken Olympics show featured during the fair.
Island County Fair Photographs
State Fair Results(as of September 29)
4-H Flag Goes to Space Aboard Shuttle EndeavourSubmitted by Pat BoyEs To view this news release online, visit this web site. 
WASHINGTON, July 16, 2009 – The National 4-H flag was carried into space aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour yesterday as part of the STS-127 mission. The flag, featuring the familiar 4-H clover, was originally scheduled to head into space earlier this year, but was delayed a record five times before finally lifting off this week. "The inclusion of the 4-H flag on this mission reflects the commitment 4-H has to building young leaders in science, engineering and technology," said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. "As the global economy expands, these leaders will strengthen the United States' global competitiveness and leadership in these fields." 4-H promotes positive youth development, facilitates learning and engages youth in the work of the land-grant universities and USDA to enhance their quality of life. Nearly 7 million youth, ages 5-19, participate in 4-H youth development experiences in all 50 states, territories and military installations worldwide. Azeem Ahmed, 17, who is an avid space enthusiast and 4-H member from Alabama and President of the Alabama 4-H Council, made the original request to NASA to have the flag flown with a future space shuttle mission. "4-H is more than green and white - it is a collage," Ahmed said. "It is agriculture and it's also healthy living, leadership and citizenship and science, engineering and technology. Science, engineering and technology is one of the missions of 4-H, and by flying a 4-H flag into space, I hope we shine a new light on 4-H." Ahmed has been a 4-H member for seven years. He has participated in a variety of leadership and science, engineer and technology programs on the state and national level and wants people to see 4-H as he and thousands of other youth do. The 4-H Youth Development Program began at the start of the 20th century to help rural youth gain technical and leadership skills. More than 100 years later, the organization continues to promote positive youth development in the areas of citizenship; healthy living and science; engineering; and technology. According to a two-year study in New York, young people who participate in 4-H clubs do better in school; are more motivated to help others; develop skills in leadership, public speaking, self-esteem, communication and planning; and make lasting friendships. National 4-H Headquarters, along with its private partner National 4-H Council, has set the goal of preparing one million new young people to excel in science, engineering and technology (SET) by 2013. National 4-H Headquarters seeks to promote positive youth development, facilitate learning and engage youth in the work of the land-grant universities and USDA to enhance their quality of life. More information is available at www.national4-hheadquarters.gov. Information on the SET initiative can be found at this address. National 4-H Headquarters is a unit within USDA's Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service (CSREES). Through federal funding and leadership for research, education and extension programs, CSREES focuses on investing in science and solving critical issues impacting people's daily lives and the nation's future. For more information, visit www.csrees.usda.gov. This news release is a service of the USDA's Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service. To view other agency news, visit this website. Follow us on Twitter at this address.
Have 10 minutes? Online Interactive Activities4-H GPS Tutorial Videos Now that the sun is shining you may want to go out and practice using those Garmin GPS skills but you don’t where to start. Since a lot of Washington counties participating in the Community Mapping grants have opted to buy the Garmin Rino 120 GPS receivers, Michael Wallace has developed three short online videos to help people get started with using their GPS gadgets. These training videos also help prepare the way for later explorations in mapping collected data. The videos are at this website. Have fun! Rabies & Kids Try this activity at this website. PowerPoint Quiz for Youth in Dairy, Beef, Sheep and Goat Projects Try this activity about ruminant digestion at this website. It requires the latest version of PowerPoint. Answers are here, no peeking until you are done!
Gleaning ProjectGood Cheer Food Bank has announced the 2009 Hello Good Cheer Gardeners
We had great work parties this past week, continuing the planting and harvesting, and getting lots of weeding done in anticipation of the upcoming Harvest Party and Music Fest on Saturday, Sept. 12th. See http://www.goodcheer.org/musicfest.html. We can thank the fabulous sun and heat this summer for the bountiful harvest, but it also took a lot of hard work! Over 200 volunteers have helped the garden grow - see this website. Lynn Willeford is a volunteer at the Good Cheer Food Bank, and sent this email of appreciation: In talking to the garden volunteers I keep discovering how cut off they are from the response to all their hard work. As you know, I volunteer at the food bank on Fridays, and I hope you will share with them how excited the shoppers there have been about the garden, starting from the minute the free seed packets went out in the lobby. When they check in, they're talking about the garden and how fabulous it is. When they're shopping, they're waxing rhapsodic about the good looking and varied produce. When they check out, they are telling me how wonderful it is that they can finally afford to give their kids (and themselves) healthy fresh vegetables. Time and again people tell me how hard it is to be able to afford fresh produce for their families, much less the organic produce they get for just 1 point at the food bank. They share their recipes with us, and have commented on how helpful the recipe wall is. They tell me what they learned in your cooking classes. They are no longer afraid of kale and chard, and are learning what real tomatoes taste like. Instead of getting all their food once a month, many people now save points so they can keep coming back every week for more fresh goodies from the garden. It doesn't seem fair that we indoor volunteers get to hear all the praise that rightly belongs to you outdoor volunteers. Consider every broken fingernail and sore back from gardening to have been worth it, gardening ladies and gentlemen, in the lives you have changed and the bodies and souls you have fed this summer. My hat's off to you! This says it all. Thank you garden volunteers, donors and supporters! Come on Saturday to celebrate the harvest! Our weekly work party is every Wednesday from 9 am – 4 pm. Picnic at noon (enjoy a delicious salad from the garden!) Come anytime, for as long or short as you’d like. Keep up with the latest news and information on our garden website. Thanks so much, and see you in the garden, Cary Peterson Good Cheer Food Bank
Coming EventsRegularly Scheduled Meetings
Club ReportsNo reports for this issue.
Committee ReportsLivestock Sale Committee Winners of this year's livestock sale (Average Daily Gain and Carcass of Merit) were determined and will be announced at the celebration for all four species – beef, swine, sheep and meat goats. To celebrate the end of the year events, the annual pizza party celebration has been set for September 29th at the Heller Road Fire Station from 6:00-9:00pm. Funds are available for loans for new market animal projects during the next 4-H year. In order to take advantage of these loans, please contact Jay Kidder or George Lawson. George will then set up calls with prospective creditors and provide the necessary paperwork. Fair Board Representative Results from discussions regarding 4-H involvement at the Island County Fair were reported at the September 14th fair board meeting in Langley. Subjects ranged from security issues to building repairs and more. A full list of barn repairs for the coming year will be compiled soon and submitted to the fair board for review. Teen Ambassador Representative Jayme Hunt outlined this years’ District Teen Rally (see report under KYG) and also offered to visit the various Island County clubs in order to give an overview of KYG and the many opportunities that are available for our youth. If you are interested in having Jayme visit with your club, please contact her at
Looking BackIsland County Fair What a great time! Each year I marvel at how the Island County Fairgrounds is changed into such a welcoming, entertaining place to be for our 4-H family as well as the public. This year you all outdid yourselves with the many changes that have taken place over the past year from the effects of budget cuts to barn “switcheroos” to the minimal use of shavings and much, much more! You all stepped up and met the challenges without complaints, making the total outcome one that I hope you feel proud to have done – I know that I am proud of Island County 4-H, it’s 4-H’ers, leaders and parents and I thank you so very much! As you look back at the Fair of 2009, please remember to thank all of those who made it possible...Skagit Farmers Supply, Bayview Farm & Garden, your local veterinarians, as well as those who donated trophy money – South Whidbey Kiwanis, Island County Farm Bureau. In addition to the monetary gifts, we’d like to extend a special “thank you” to Whidbey’s Perennial Favorites for donating the gorgeous flower baskets that graced the barns throughout the 4-H portion of the grounds. Also, thank you to the South Whidbey Record, Coupeville Examiner, and the Whidbey News Times that gave us such a wonderful presence on their pages. Congratulations to everyone!
Food For Thought
Food, Food, Everywhere Food! Have you noticed how many projects and events there are these days that focus on FOOD? Here are just a few of them – I’m sure you could think of more.
Well, we all eat. And while getting good, healthy, tasty food to our plates can be as simple as taking things from your backyard garden, sometimes it can be much more complicated than that. Think about some of the E. coli scares we’ve had in this country. Think about the cost of gas over the past few years. Think about the price of farmland, and the expenses of hiring farm help. Think about droughts and floods and insects and how they can make or break a small farm operation. Think about how many steps go into making a hamburger. Think about how much you hear words like "obesity" and "diabetes" and how they can be related to what and how much you eat. If you think about these things, I bet your interest in local food will go up. At least you’ll think more about how local food is different from the food that comes to us from far away. See if you can think of some of the pros and cons of both kinds of food as you eat snacks at your next 4-H club meeting and let us know what you come up with! What is Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)? In simple terms, a CSA is a partnership between farmers and consumers within a community. Members or "shareholders" of the community pay a fee at the beginning of the growing season. This gives farmers cash at the beginning of the season, when they need it to purchase seed and other supplies. Members receive a portion of the farm's produce each week throughout the growing season. Ultimately, a CSA creates "agriculture-supported communities" where members receive a wide variety of foods harvested from local farms and farmers receive a "guaranteed market" for their produce. Unlike conventional agriculture, where farmers bear the risks of weather, pests, and the marketplace, in Community Supported Agriculture the arrangement guarantees the farmer stable financial support, allowing farmers to focus on producing high quality and diverse crops. This cooperation can provide farmers with a more equitable return for their labor and investment while relieving them of some of the burdens and uncertainties of conventional marketing. Judy Feldman
WSU Extension Program UpdatesWaste Wise The animals are home, stalls are empty, ribbons are on the walls, and all seems calm at the Fairgrounds. But there is lots of activity taking place in the ‘hot’ compost bins! All the manure, straw, and shavings are moist and heating up thanks to all the 4-H kids. The piles are reaching 140-160 degrees Fahrenheit and composting away. This is a much different picture from last year when the piles never reached over 100 degrees. The main reason is more manure which really 'heats' up the decay process. Thank you for making this effort to use less shavings and straw. I know there were some problems but I hope we have worked out most of them and can do the same great job next year! 
WSU Island County Extension - Island Living Series 
Whidbey Island Farm Tour More information can be found by calling the Whidbey Island Conservation District at (360) 678-47087, the WSU Extension at (360) 240-5558 or by going the the official website. Go to the WSU Extension programs website and
AdvertisementsNone this issue. Advertisement submissions should be sent to 4-H is in the business of growing kids! We do this by working in our community to offer a wide range of opportunities for K-12 youth. Our goal is to support kids as they discover their talents and interests and then provide them with experiences to help them deepen, strengthen, and use those talents and interests! In addition to the club structure that many are familiar with, we also offer activities for families that can be done outside of a commitment to a club, and resources for educators to use in their classrooms. |
