We are excited to announce the New Jersey 4-H Animal Art Contest – FREE and open to all NJ 4-H members in grades K-13! While all artwork must be animal-themed, you do NOT need to be enrolled in that particular animal project to enter art in that department. You don’t even need to have an animal project to enter the contest, as long as you are a registered NJ 4-H member with … [Read more...]
Junior Breeder Symposium – Saturday, March 27 – Register Today!
This year’s NJ Junior Breeder Symposium will be held online, via Zoom, from 8:45 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. on Saturday, March 27 (NO fee this year). We have put together an all-star line-up of Rutgers professors, veterinarians, animal care professionals, graduate students, and volunteers. Register today (it’s FREE) to learn about animal care, behavior, training, breeding, … [Read more...]
Online Animal Science Resources for Members and Leaders While Remote
Many 4H club leaders are having difficulty finding resources they can use during a virtual 4-H meeting or while members are learning about their projects at home. In a quick search, one can find some help. We have compiled a few of those resources here. Collection of Virtual Resources Compiled by Cornell University 4-H in New York has put together this great list of online … [Read more...]
Learning how to do research in the field: A Pilot Study in Guyana for Coral Snake Mimicry
Or how research really goes in the field! Everyone talks about research being done in the field. It can sound glamorous, especially when the results are exactly what you hope for or even expect. But the reality is just the opposite. More often than not, it is what you don’t find or what doesn’t work that helps you learn and adjust your experiment. Anthony Sena, a first … [Read more...]
Taking Care of your Horse in the Winter
As the weather gets colder I get more questions as to what horse owners can do to keep their horses from losing weight, how to keep them warmer, and how to go about safely riding them all winter long. Hopefully I can address some of your thoughts and concerns here before more real winter weather hits us in New Jersey. In the winter all horses need extra energy to help keep … [Read more...]
Hometown Hero: The Blue-spotted Salamander
If towns are shutting down entire roads for you, you must be important, right? Every spring in central New Jersey, temporary road closures are created to protect amphibians who migrate across roads in search of perfect mating grounds. In March and April as the temperatures warm to 40-45 degrees, amphibians including frogs and salamanders make the trek from their winter homes in … [Read more...]
Goat Extravaganza Quiz Bowl Contest
Since we can’t get together in person for our annual celebration of all things related to the goat project, we have decided to host a virtual quiz bowl contest using Zoom and Kahoot! Here are the details – we hope you’ll join us. Saturday, February 13, 2021 at 10:00 a.m. Registration due February 1 (no entry fee) The contest is for individuals, not teams. Any … [Read more...]
Ideas to Make Virtual Club Meetings Fun and Educational
In this year of the coronavirus pandemic all 4-H staff and volunteers have had to pivot from in-person programs to virtual programs, AND so did the school system. Our 4-H members have had a double whammy of virtual programs and spend a lot of time on their computers. So, how do you continue to keep your members engaged in this environment? They might really want in-person 4-H … [Read more...]
Club Support: Three Online Courses on Food Safety and Microbiology
If you are looking for ways to supplement your 4-H club or other youth program in the area of Animal Science, Animal U by the Iowa State University has a wealth of interactive and educational resources. The web trainings here are educational yet highly accessible to youth audiences. Production livestock projects may benefit from asking youth to complete the Food Safety and … [Read more...]
Livestock and Poultry Identification Resources and Bingo Game
Do you know why it is important to identify your animals? Do you know how to properly identify animals? Storms may take down trees and cause damage to barns allowing livestock to walk through downed fences or an electric fence that is no longer hot. If a barn or chicken coop were to become damaged, it is possible that scared animals run quite far from their own home and your … [Read more...]