By Laura Allen
N.C. Cooperative Extension

Lots of 4-H’ers have been extremely busy this fall in various 4-H projects, interest areas and competitions. I want to take time to highlight their accomplishments and let you know of some upcoming opportunities in 4-H.

4-H broiler and pullet projects

4-H’ers involved in the 4-H Broiler Project & 4-H Pullet Project received day-old chicks earlier this year and raised them at home. They finalized their project with a show at the Rowan County Fair. Special congratulations to our winners:

Broiler Project:

Grand Champion: John Tucker

Reserve Champion: Bryan Meza

Pullet Project:

Grand Champion: Lainey Plott

Reserve Champion: Lynlee Propst

Other participations included: Noah Ashby, Talton Correll, Luke Keith, Taylor Miller, Georgia Veleke

Thank you to Rowan County Farm Bureau for sponsoring the Grand & Reserve Champion winners.

4-H Dairy Heifer Project

This year, we created a Rowan County 4-H Dairy Heifer Project. We partnered with the Piedmont Research Station to use 12 of their Holstein dairy heifers. Twelve 4-H’ers signed up for the project and we met at the Piedmont Research Station 2 times per week for 8 weeks for this project. When we met, educational dairy information was shared and we also spent time interacting with the heifers. On Sept. 23, the 4-H’ers showed the heifers at the Rowan County Junior Dairy Show held at the Rowan County Fair. It was apparent how much they had learned during this project. The 4-H’ers that participated in this project included Aiden Best, Tallulah Ennis, Easton Hellard, Lynlee Propst, Lainey Plott, Kyann Race, John Tucker, Ada Waller, Anna Waller, Henry Waller, Mary Waller, Brooklyn Williams. Congratulations to each of these 4-H’ers! Special thanks to the Piedmont Research Station for hosting this project and for all of the volunteers who assisted.

NC 4-H Shooting Sports Tournament:

The Hot Shots 4-H Club & Lead Drivers 4-H Club had 17 club members competing in the NC 4-H State Shooting Sports Tournament on Saturday, September 30. This competition was held in Ellerbe, NC. Contest results included:

Lead Drivers 4-H Club:

• Callie Yates: 1st in Junior Rifle – open sights, Individual; 3rd in Junior Rifle – open sights, overall; 3rd in Junior Rifle – telescopic sights

• Weston Edwards: 3rd in Junior Shotgun, Individual

• Ollie Fortune: 3rd in Junior Rifle – open sights, individual

Hot Shots 4-H Club

• Carson Halpin: 2nd in Juior Rifle – open sights, individual; 4th place in Junior Rifle – telescopic sights

• Team of Mason Gabosch, Levi Lynch and Christian Stebe: 3rd place Senior Air Pistol

Congratulations to all the Rowan 4-H’ers who competed. We appreciate all the time and effort of our 4-H club volunteers and all the volunteers and parents who work with our 4-H shooting sports clubs. Special thanks to the NRA for a 2023 grant valued at $2,300 to support this program!

National 4-H Dairy Judging contest:

Two Rowan 4-H’ers competed in the National 4-H Dairy Judging Contest held on Oct. 1 during the World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wisconsin. Talton Correll and Sarah Waller competed alongside two Iredell County 4-H’ers to make up the N.C. 4-H team. They had to place five heifer classes, five cow classes, and give five sets of oral reasons to defend their placings. This team placed 11th overall, with Sarah placing 7th individually in the Holstein breed. Congratulations on a job well done as they represented Rowan County 4-H at the national level.

Ways to get involved this fall

Purchase items during the 4-H Plant Sale

The last day to order plants during the 4-H Plant Sale is Thursday, Oct. 26. We have several varieties of fruiting trees and shrubs available for purchase. Call our office to order at 704-216-8970; our office is open M-F, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. All profits go towards supporting the county 4-H program. All plant sale information and prices can be found at https://rowan.ces.ncsu.edu/2022/09/rowan-county-4-h-fall-plant-sale-2023/.

Purchase items during the 4-H Wreath Sale

The last day to order wreaths and garland is Monday, Nov. 6. Our beautiful wreaths and garland are from a small, family Christmas Tree farm in Alleghany County. Order pick up is on Tuesday, Nov. 28. All profits directly benefit 4-H clubs in the county. All information about the wreath sale and helpful hints for making your greenery last longer can be found at https://rowan.ces.ncsu.edu/2021/09/4-h-wreath-sale2023/. Orders must be placed at go.ncsu.edu/2023rowan4hwreathsale or you can call our office at 704-216-8970.

4-H T-Shirt Sale

Rowan County 4-H T-shirts are currently available for purchase! They are in-stock and are first come, first served. The shirts are a soft texture and we have the same design on both gray shirts and green shirts. Shirts are $15 each. Whether you are a Rowan 4-H’er, 4-H alumni, 4-H parent, volunteer or supporter, you can purchase a T-shirt! Please stop by our office to pick up and pay for a T-shirt or call ahead to make sure we still have your size.

Participate in the 4-H Tissue Drive

Rowan County 4-H County Council is hosting a service project during the entire month of October. Participation in this service project is an opportunity for 4-H’ers as well as community members. During this drive, we are collecting tissue boxes to donate to local schools during cold/flu season. All tissue boxes can be donated at the Rowan County Cooperative Extension office. The drive ends on Oct. 31.

Save the date for Kids Voting NC-Rowan 4-H

Come to the N.C. Cooperative Extension, Rowan County Center on Tuesday, Nov. 7 (Election Day) from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. for a kids-only election! School-aged children, less than 18 years of age, are eligible to “vote” in this election. They will visit a voting booth and use an iPad to vote on a ballot that mimics the adult election ballot for 2023. They will even get their own “I Voted” sticker! Youths do not have to be a current 4-H’er to participate. This is a practical and engaging way to promote citizenship within our local youths as we get them excited about the importance of voting!

4-H is the youth development component of Cooperative Extension. Any youths ages 5-18 (as of Jan. 1) are invited to enroll and participate in 4-H. Visit us at 2727-A Old Concord Road in Salisbury or rowan.ces.ncsu.edu. For questions or more information, contact 704-216-8970 or laura_allen@ncsu.edu. You can also follow Rowan County 4-H Program on Facebook, @Rowan4h on Twitter, or rowan_4h on Instagram.

Laura Allen is the 4-H agent with the Rowan County Extension.