What's the first fun trick you taught your dog? Was it paw, shake, or "high five"? What about "speak"? Maybe you taught your dog to spin in a circle, jump through a hoop, go through a tunnel, or sit in a box. All of these tricks can now earn your dog a title in the AKC Trick Dog class. If your dog can perform 10 of the listed tricks, then a Novice Trick Dog title is in … [Read more...]
Ask The Expert – Joanne Powell (part 2)
(Editor’s note: This is part two of a two-part series) Every day is a new adventure for Joanne Powell. As the Research Farm Supervisor for the large animal unit at Rutgers University, Joanne gets to do the things she loves, including being outside with animals! In addition to that, Joanne is a 4-H leader in Somerset County, a role she has had for nearly 30 years. In … [Read more...]
Run an Animal Science Trivia Bowl
Ocean County 4-H runs a Jeopardy-style trivia competition, Animalology, once a year. There are several goals guiding this event: to challenge 4-Hers in reading comprehension, to make learning fun, and to build teamwork skills. We hope this event makes learning about animal science—and other areas of STEM—interactive and enjoyable. Interested in running (or collaborating on) … [Read more...]
State 4-H Small Animal Educational Symposium Set for February 23
The State 4-H Small Animal Educational Symposium will be held on Saturday, February 23, 9:15 am-3:45 pm at the Office of Government Services building located at 1200 North Delsea Drive in Clayton (Gloucester County). The Symposium will provide an opportunity for 4-H members, leaders, and parents to participate in a variety of educational events. Workshops and activities … [Read more...]
Breeds of Dairy Cattle
Did you know that there are six recognized breeds of dairy cattle? In New Jersey and many other states in our country, black and white Holsteins are the predominant breed because of their higher production levels. But in other parts of the world, other breeds are often more common. Most of the dairy breeds are from the British Isles or European countries. A good place to start … [Read more...]
New 4-H Turkey Project: Animal Science and Community Service
This year, New Jersey 4-H is introducing a Turkey project, offering the chance to engage families in poultry science and community service by raising turkeys for families in need for Thanksgiving. The 4-H Turkey Raising And Youth (TRAY) project is for families who wish to participate in a community service project while also learning how to raise turkeys that will be donated … [Read more...]
An Idea that Works: Managing Group Work During STEM Club Meetings
In 4-H we often strive to make everything we do “youth centered”, meaning we want the young people to drive the conversation, tasks, and goals of the club. This builds leadership skills in youth and helps them learn how to communicate effectively with each other. As a club leader, it can be challenging to figure out how to be the “guide on the side” and mentor as opposed to … [Read more...]
4-Hers to Learn from Rutgers Professors at Cook Campus Farm Event, March 30
Several Rutgers professors and farm staff will lead hands-on sessions about horses, cattle, goats, sheep, poultry, and rabbits at this year’s Junior Breeder Livestock Symposium, Saturday, March 30. 4-H families and clubs are encouraged to make the trip to their state university in New Brunswick to visit Rutgers, learn from the experts, and see the animals at the Cook Campus … [Read more...]
Expanded 4-H Animal Science Video Contest! – Entries Due March 11
Good news - the 4-H Sheep and Goat Video Contest has been expanded! It has been renamed the New Jersey 4-H Animal Science Video Contest and will now accept entries about several other animal project areas, in addition to sheep and goats. Youth may work individually or as a team to create 3-minute educational videos about horses, poultry, rabbits, dairy/beef cattle, swine, … [Read more...]
“How Swine-wise Are You?” – The Things You Learn (AND REMEMBER!) In 4-H
One of the stars of the ABC sitcom Modern Family is Emmy Award winning actor Eric Stonestreet. A native of Kansas City, Kansas, Eric is a proud 4-H alum. In June of 2017, Eric was a guest on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. As most guests do, Eric spent a large part of the interview discussing his ongoing projects (such as Modern Family). At around the 6:20 mark of the … [Read more...]