Newsletter

University of Maryland Extension Talbot County 28577 Mary’s Court Suite 1, Easton, MD 21601 (410) 822-1244

Tom Hutson, 4-H Educator - thutson@umd.edu Bonnie Turley, 4-H Program Assistant - bturley@umd.edu

Talbot County 4-H Youth Development Maryland 4-H is the University of Maryland’s youth development program. Members learn

content knowledge and life skills including communication, leadership, and citizenship.

March 27, 2020 Hello, Talbot County 4-H Volunteers, Members, and Families, We hope you are doing well during this shutdown/stay-at-home period. Bonnie and I have been texting, e-mailing, and talking by phone about the 4-H tasks we are working on at home. We are doing many things that normally get put on a back burner but now can be brought to the front.

We miss our interactions with all of you. One of the things we value most in Extension is the face-to-face contact and the chance to give a personal touch to your 4-H experience. It is strange having to temporarily convert our family-friendly, hands-on club program into an individual, at-a-distance education program. We are entering uncharted territory, but being pushed out of our comfort zones may allow us to try new things. For example, because our April visual presentations cannot happen due to COVID-19, we are encouraging members to try doing Virtual Visual Presentations (see newsletter description). This is your chance to make a video of your demonstration or talk, upload it to the internet, and e-mail us the link so we can preview it and put your link on our new 4-H Facebook page. (We had a page many years ago that had technical trouble so we let it go inactive, but the shutdown has given us an incentive to start a new one.) Remember that you can also work on projects at home.

Across the country, 4-H has three Mission Mandates: Science, Healthy Living, and Citizenship. This is the perfect time to focus on them all. It is important to get your news from reputable sources that share reliable scientific evidence about the virus and proper techniques for staying health/reducing the spread. It will take proper citizenship behaviors from all of us to protect each other and help to bring the crisis to an end. Stay in touch, and stay healthy. Tom Hutson

Upcoming Events Eastern Shore 4-H Regional Public Speaking - Canceled The Eastern Shore 4-H faculty and staff decided to cancel this year’s event due to school closings related to coronavirus COVID-19. Several counties have not been able to hold their county contests yet and would not know which members qualify for regional. Tractor Safety Certification - Postponed This training is postponed due to COVID-19. Chris Johnston of Queen Anne’s 4-H and Beth Hill of Kent 4-H will try to find suitable dates later in the year. Maryland 4-H Foundation $4 for 4-H on 4/4 Fundraiser April 4 (the donation link is also open before and after 4/4)

The Foundation supports 4-H members in so many ways including running the annual awards gala, providing scholarships, and subsidizing member participation in national leadership trips. However, the Foundation needs to raise money to continue fully supporting Maryland youth. This year a new fundraiser is called $4 for 4-H on 4/4. We are asking everyone connected to Talbot 4-H to consider going online on or around April 4 and donating $4 (or another amount that ends in 4). When you go to the link, enter your information and select Talbot County from the dropdown list. Half of your donation will go to the Foundation and half will come to Talbot 4-H. The county with the most donations earns a special award. Here is the link: https://go.4-h.umd.edu/4for4-h. Mr. Tom has already made the first donation.

Maryland 4-H Engineering Camp – Postponed, May be Rescheduled for the Fall Mr. Tom and the rest of the Engineering Camp planners are trying to find a weekend in the fall to hold the annual event that was postponed due to COVID-19.

Talbot County 4-H Visual Presentations (Demonstrations and Illustrated Talks) The April date is canceled, but we will try alternative formats and will look into the possibility of rescheduling or holding presentations at the county fair.

This fun-filled evening is yet another opportunity for 4-H members to participate in public speaking. As you know, part of completing a 4-H project is doing a communication event related to that project. Here is your chance! Select a topic related to one of your projects and give a demonstration (step-by-step) process of how to do something using

props and other demonstration supplies) or an illustrated talk (speech about a project using posters or other visual aids). The Green Clover 4-H Club, led by Ms. Carol Frampton and Ms. Linda Brown, sponsors the event each year. Thanks, Green Clover!

We are trying something new: Virtual Visual Presentations! Members may do a demonstration or illustrated talk at home, record it, post the video online, and e-mail the link to Tom or Bonnie. We will preview the presentation and then post it to our new Talbot County Maryland 4-H Youth Development Facebook page so everyone can watch it! You can find the page using this link: https://www.facebook.com/Talbot-County-Maryland-4-H-Youth-Development-112614457049412/. BE SURE TO LIKE OUR FACEBOOK PAGE TO RECEIVE UPDATES WHEN NEW ITEMS ARE POSTED. Maryland Day and the State 4-H Public Speaking Contest - Canceled Because this annual event draws such large crowds, the University decided that it would be wise to cancel it this year as a COVID-19 precaution. Tractor Supply Paper Clover Campaign

Spring, April 29–May 10 Fall, October 7–October 18 Tractor Supply Company holds spring

and fall fundraisers for 4-H by selling paper clovers in each store. When you visit TSC during the promotional period, please consider purchasing a clover and/or encouraging your friends and relatives to purchase clovers. Clubs, Ambassadors, and other members, this is a great opportunity for you to set up a table at the store and give a public talk or demonstration about your 4-H projects. When you

interact with the public, you help to promote Talbot 4-H. As an added bonus, people tend to purchase more clovers when they interact with members. If you are interested in promoting 4-H at the store, contact Ms. Bonnie or Mr. Tom to help you arrange a date and time. You may also speak with the store manager to set up a visit. Note: 4-H members may not be able to participate in the spring event if COVID-19 restrictions are still in place at the end of April. Eastern Shore Spring Show Saturday, May 9 at the Queen Anne’s County 4-H Park

This annual show allows 4-H members to show animals in a fun competition that helps them improve their showmanship skills. The information/registration packet is available from the Extension Office. Talbot

members who participate in the spring show may have your animals tagged and weighed there because our tagging day cones after the Spring Show, but you will need to get your own vet check. Note: We are not sure if the event will be canceled due to COVID-19 precautions.

Talbot 4-H Livestock Tagging and Weighing Day Friday, May 15 at 5:30 p.m. OR Saturday, May 30 at 9 a.m. at Talbot Agriculture and

Education Center (Date selected will depend on veterinarian availability) 4-H members who plan to show livestock at fairs and shows must have animals with official identification tags. All cattle, swine, goats, and sheep (except for registered breeding females and pygmy goats) MUST have official Maryland 4-H ear tags. When you receive your livestock

paperwork packet from the Extension Office you will fill out your LIVESTOCK REGISTRATION FORM for tagging day. Ms. Susan Behrens and Ms. Tresa Hutchison will help with tagging and can answer your livestock questions. Ms. Tresa is trying to arrange for a vet to inspect your animals on tagging day and fill out your certificate of veterinary inspection. Note: Cattle and swine must also have official USDA radio frequency identification (RFID) ear tags for

disease prevention and tracking purposes. Try to get animals from a breeder who puts in the USDA tags; if your animals do not already have RFID tags a vet may be able to put them in.

4-H Ambassadors and Council Meetings Tuesday, May 19 at the Extension Office (Soil Conservation suite)

4-H Ambassadors: This group of youth leaders serves as a liaison between Talbot 4-H and local communities. They help us promote 4-H to the public. 4-H Council: This group provides input for 4-H programs and events. Clubs are asked to send member and volunteer representatives to report about recent club activities and take important information back to share with members and their families. Due to the cancellation of the March

meeting, we will hold officer elections at the May meeting. Members, if you are interested in running for 4-H Council president, vice president, secretary, or historian or serving as Ag. Center rep. or Fair Board rep., come to the meeting prepared to explain why you want to be an officer. If you cannot attend, you may ask someone to nominate you or send us a brief explanation of why you want to hold a certain office.

Looking Ahead… Maryland 4-H Issue Forum June 29–30 at the University of Maryland in College Park Talbot County Fair! July 9–11 at the Talbot Agriculture and Education Center in Easton Website: talbotcountyfair.org Everyone loves the county fair, and it will be fair time before we know it! The spring is the perfect time to work on your fair exhibits and get a lot of them completed early to avoid the last-minute crunch. Cecil County 4-H Camp August 9–14 at Harford County 4-H Camp on Cherry Hill Road in Street, Maryland Eastern Shore 4-H members are welcome to attend. Older members may offer to serve as counselors but must complete many hours of officer training. Registration details will be available at extension.umd.edu/cecil-county. Register early because camp tends to fill up quickly. Maryland State Fair August 27–September 7 Note 1: Online entries are due no later than July 15 this year, NOT July 31 as in past years. The earlier deadline will give the State Fair staff more time to prepare exhibit tags, show books, and other necessary items. Note 2: According

to the tentative schedule for 2020, 4-H indoor entries will come in Tuesday, August 25 and be judged Wednesday, August 26. This is a day earlier than in past years.

CANCELLATIONS DUE TO WEATHER, CORONAVIRUS COVID 19, ETC. If weather or other conditions cause schools to close or cancel after-school activities, Talbot 4-H meetings and events for are also canceled. Weekend 4-H activities may also be canceled, so be sure to check your e-mail for updates.

4-H is Open to Everyone! University of Maryland programs, activities, and facilities are available to all without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, marital status, age, national origin, political affiliation, physical or mental disability, religion, protected veteran status, genetic information, personal appearance, or any other legally protected class.

If you require special assistance to participate in Extension programs, please contact the Extension Office in advance.

Talbot 4-H Invites New Volunteers and New Clubs If you or someone you know is interested in becoming a 4-H volunteer or starting a 4-H club, contact Tom or Bonnie at the Extension Office, (410) 822-1244. We will be glad to set up an orientation and help you become a volunteer.

Parents, if you are already helping at club events and want to become an official 4-H volunteer, talk to Tom and Bonnie. Becoming a volunteer is easy, and the application/orientation process doesn’t take much time. Better yet, becoming a volunteer provides you with liability coverage under the Maryland Tort Claims Act.

Reenrollment Update We would like to thank all volunteers and families who were persistent at trying to enroll in the new system and were finally successful! The 4-H Online 2.0 developers have worked out many of the glitches and are slowly adding additional features.

If you have not enrolled yet for 2019, go to https://v2.4honline.com, click Maryland, and log in using the Family option. Until you reenroll, the system will have you listed as inactive.

A MEMBER’S AGE ON JANUARY 1 DETERMINES HIS/HER 4-H AGE. Members never change age levels in the middle of a year because it would cause confusion for 4-H contests and events. (For example, even if you turn 11 on January 2 you are still a junior for the rest of the calendar year.) Clovers—ages 5-7, Juniors—ages 8-10, Intermediates—ages 11-13, Seniors—ages 14-18

When members enroll, you agree to follow the 4-H Youth Code of Conduct (based on Character Counts) and the Animal Science Code of Ethics if you have animal projects. Parents, please review the code with your children. The Extension Office can give you a printed copy if you need one. Volunteers agree to the Adult Code of Conduct too. When you enroll online, the system will direct you to a payment screen. If you do not have a credit/debit card or need to request scholarship help with your family’s fees, contact Tom or Bonnie. We do not want the fee to be a barrier to a child’s participation. If your club plans to cover the enrollment fees for its members, your family needs to pay online first and then give your receipt to your club leader for reimbursement. Leaders, thank you for your help!

Support the Maryland 4-H Foundation The Maryland 4-H Foundation provides financial support to the Maryland 4-H program through club, county, regional, and state events; national project and leadership-based trips; scholarships; and much more. The Foundation holds several fundraising events each year. Proceeds support the Awards Gala, national trips, and a variety of educational initiatives across the state. Talbot 4-H greatly appreciates your contributions to and participation in Foundation fundraisers. Would you like to learn more about the role of the Maryland 4-H Foundation in promoting youth development across the state? Go online to www.mymaryland4hfoundation.com.

Diamond Clover Level 6 Service Projects As always, we are grateful to volunteer Diamond Clover Project Specialist Debbie Urry for providing project guidance and to volunteer Sharon Pahlman for reviewing proposals. Jason Blades Hrynko, Sara Chapple, Ashton Milhollan, Brian Milhollan, and Pippa Milhollan are working on their

2020 service projects this spring. If any of you needs certain items to help you

complete your Diamond Clover service project, send Ms. Bonnie and Mr. Tom a list with an explanation of why you need those items. Then we can share the list with 4-H families and see if anyone has supplies to donate. For example, Sara Chapple’s project will need musical instruments to use with children at the Chesapeake Multicultural Resource Center.

Seniors, Do You Plan to Submit Diamond Clover Level 6 Proposals this Fall? Let’s Get Them Ready this SPRING!

The process of preparing a level 6 proposal can be a long one. A member needs to come up with an idea, meet with the county Diamond Clover committee for support and feedback, possibly do research to support the project, and get the draft of the proposal in good shape prior to the fall submission deadline. Summer is a busy

time, so April and May are excellent times to get the majority of the proposal writing work done. If you wait until August or September, there may not be enough time for the committee to get everyone’s proposal prepared for submission.

Leadership Trip Opportunities for 4-H Seniors 4-H seniors, you are eligible to apply for out-of-state trips. Information about the trips is available online at extension.umd.edu/4-h. There are specific deadlines for submission of senior portfolios if you want to apply for a trip, so pay close attention to the deadlines.

International Exchange Opportunities for 4-H Seniors We previously shared information about international exchange opportunities through Maryland 4-H. If you are interested in one of these trips, check the information available through the Maryland 4-H website: extension.umd.edu/4-h.

Do You Need to Request Talbot 4-H Scholarship Funds to Help You Attend a 2020 4-H Event?

If you are planning to participate in 4-H events this year and think you may need to request scholarship funds to help you with registration costs, contact Mr. Tom or Ms. Bonnie by May 1. We need to know how much TOTAL scholarship money is being requested by

May 1 so we can figure out how much is available for each member who needs assistance. If we get a lot of requests, you may be asked to fill out a scholarship application form to help us track this year’s requests.

Talbot County Fair Board Seeks New Contributors As you know, the county fair doesn’t just happen magically on its own; it takes a team of dedicated people to plan, coordinate, and carry out this fun, exciting annual event. The Fair Board currently has volunteer positions available for people who are interested in joining our team! If you love the fair and have time to devote to it, contact superintendents Amanda Clougherty or Sean Clougherty about becoming involved. Talbot 4-H Ambassadors are also invited to participate in the Fair Board and contribute ideas from a youth perspective.

Financial Literacy Training Available for 4-H Members and Clubs

You may know Laura Heikes from the Midway booths at the Talbot County Fair, but Ms. Laura is important to Extension in other ways. She is a member of our Extension Advisory Council and is always looking for ways to support our programs. She works for Shore United Bank, and she and her colleagues are

interested in offering financial literacy training for 4-H members and clubs. If YOUR club is interested in learning about money management, please contact Tom or Bonnie so they can get you in touch with Ms. Laura. She can design the training to meet your interests/needs and adjust it to fit the amount of time you have available.

Animal Science Updates

Ethics: ALWAYS Do the Right Thing! Members who do animal projects, when you enroll online you agree to abide by the Maryland 4-H Code of Animal Science Ethics. This means that you will treat your animals humanely. If you are working with livestock that will eventually be eaten by people, you also agree to make sure the animals are free of substances such as medicines that might be harmful. Parents and leaders, if your children are working on animal projects please go over the code of ethics with them. The Extension Office can provide you a printed copy of the document.

Animal Project Records Can Help You Organize Your Information There are special animal science project records that you may use instead of the standard 4-H project record. These forms give you space to keep track of important details related to many animal species and are much more useful for animal project members than the generic project record. Find them online: extension.umd.edu/4-h/4-h-program-areas/animal-science-resources.

Maryland Department of Agriculture Animal Regulation Highlights

(1) Be sure to carefully read the Maryland Department of Agriculture animal health web page to make sure you are meeting all animal regulations. You don’t want to arrive at a fair or show and be turned away because you didn’t meet one of the regulations!

Go online to http://mda.maryland.gov/AnimalHealth/Pages/default.aspx. (2) Cattle and swine entering Maryland fairs and shows must have an official Radio

Frequency Identification (RFID) ear tag AND a Maryland 4-H tag. The state is requiring RFID tags for tracking in case of disease outbreaks. RFID tags can be used to trace animals to their points of origin. MDA expects breeders to put in the tags at the point of origin (birth). If you plan to buy cattle or hogs that don’t have RFID tags, ask the breeder to tag them BEFORE you buy them. If this isn’t possible, you will need a veterinarian to put them in for you.

As always, we will put in the Maryland 4-H ear tags on tagging day in May. Note: As mentioned earlier in this newsletter, Ms. Tresa Hutchison is hoping to have a vet available on tagging day to inspect your animals and put in USDA RFID tags if you need them.

(3) Poultry exhibitors must contact Ms. Karla Wieland Cherry at dkcherry4@aol.com or another poultry tester to have your birds tested for Pullorum-Typhoid prior to the fair. Poultry regulations often change during the fair season, so check the Maryland Department of Agriculture website regularly for regulation changes.

4-H Animal Ownership Deadlines for Fairs and Shows If you will be showing 4-H animals at the next county fair, you must own your animals (or have a signed lease agreement if applicable) by the dates listed below. Maryland 4-H allows

you lease performance animals such as horses and registered breeding livestock but NOT market animals. January 1 beef and dairy steers May 1 swine, lambs, goats, commercial beef heifers,

commercial breeding sheep June 1 registered heifers, performance animal leases

All other ownership deadlines are determined by each county fair’s show rules.

Market Hogs: Get Your Hogs Early Note: Due to COVID-19 precautions, we don’t know if the Talbot County Fair will be permitted to take place. Your family will need to decide if you want to go ahead and buy hogs in the hope that the fair will take place as scheduled. Because Talbot County has one of the earliest county fairs, please remember to buy your project hogs

early in the spring or at least buy hogs that were born early in the year. This will give them more time to grow and reach market weight by fair time.

Animal Science Project Requirements

Required Animal Registration Forms o Livestock Registration Forms

If you have cattle, swine, goats, sheep, rabbits, cavies, or poultry as project animals and plan to enter them in 4-H shows this year, you need to have livestock, rabbit/cavy, or poultry registration forms on file at the Extension Office by June 1. For all market swine, cattle, goats, and sheep that you will be entering in 4-H fairs and shows, please fill out as much as you can of the livestock registration form at home. We will fill in the weight and 4-H tag number on tagging day in May.

o Performance Animal Leases If you are LEASING a performance animal such as a dairy cow, the Extension Office needs a signed copy of your lease agreement on file by June 1.

o ID Cards If you have dogs or horses/ponies as project animals and plan to enter them in 4-H shows this year, you need to have ID cards to the Extension Office by June 1.

o Where can I find the registration forms and ID cards? Forms are available online at https://extension.umd.edu/4-h/4-h-program-areas/animal-science-resources. Mr. Tom or Ms. Bonnie can also print them for you.

o What if I don’t submit a registration form or ID card to the Extension Office? If you DON’T have livestock registration forms and dog/horse ID cards on file, you may be denied the ability to participate in 4-H shows including shows at the regional or state level. We are required to give the state office copies of the forms for 4-H animals for verification at show check-in.

• Certificate of Veterinary Inspection

All livestock that will be entered in fairs and shows must have a valid certificate of veterinary inspection that has been completed by a licensed vet. The certificate is good for 90 days. You MUST have a copy of it with you at each fair or show.

• Vaccinations

If your animals require vaccinations for admission to fairs and shows, they should be vaccinated at least 15 days prior to the first show so that the vaccines have time to take effect.

• Self-Certification of Animal Health Even though veterinarians fill out certificates of veterinary inspection, YOU know your animals best. For this reason, you are expected to complete the self-certification of animal health form for species such as livestock, poultry, rabbits and horses. Look over your animals at home right before you load them to take them to a fair or show, and fill out the form. You MUST have a copy of the form with you at each fair or show. IMPORTANT: If your animals show ANY SIGNS OF ILLNESS when you are preparing to take them to a show, LEAVE THEM AT HOME so you don’t risk spreading diseases to other people’s animals!

• REMEMBER: Take your certificate of veterinary inspection, vaccination records, and self-certification of animal health to EVERY fair or show you enter!!!!!

• Miscellaneous Information o An animal can be tagged as commercial (breeding) OR market (for sale) but not both. o Project animals MUST be registered in the member’s name or follow approved leasing

procedures. o 4-H Clovers are NOT permitted to show animals in 4-H fairs and shows. This is a rule

that follows the National 4-H Council policy. (Note: Some OPEN shows allow children of clover age to participate.)

o The Maryland State Fair schedule of events and shows has changed slightly this year. Please check the updated schedule online.

Be Sure to Complete Your Online Animal Husbandry and Quality Assurance Training!

Members who exhibit alpacas, cattle, goats, horses, llamas, poultry, rabbits, sheep, and swine are REQUIRED to take this online training to be eligible to show your animals. Complete the training the first year you work on a new animal project and every year you change age levels (junior to intermediate, intermediate to senior). Juniors do the introductory section. Intermediates and seniors also do the sections for the individual species;

any year you add a new species, you complete the section for that species. Here is the link:

http://extension.umd.edu/4-h/4-h-program-areas/animal-science-resources. The system opens April 1. Complete the training no later than June 15, but please try to get it finished by June 1 because the website may get overloaded the closer we get to the 15th.

Do You Have Animal Project QUESTIONS? Contact Tom, Bonnie, or Susan Behrens with your general 4-H livestock questions. Others experts include Tresa Hutchison (swine, goats, rabbits), Ryan Snow (dairy). Cindy Spies or Justine Spies (beef and sheep), Karla Wieland-Cherry (poultry and dogs), and Shannon Dill (horses).

Important 4-H Websites

Maryland 4-H Program Information extension.umd.edu/4-h U of MD Extension Talbot County/4-H extension.umd.edu/talbot-county Order 4-H Project Books & Supplies shop4h.org National 4-H 4-h.org University of Maryland Extension – State extension.umd.edu Talbot Agriculture and Education Center talbotagcenter.org Talbot County Fair talbotcountyfair.org Maryland State Fair marylandstatefair.com Maryland 4-H Foundation mymaryland4hfoundation.com

Recent Talbot 4-H Educational Events and Service

Achievement Awards from 2019

Our annual awards program was canceled due to COVID-19 precautions, so we split the big program into a small program for each club’s leaders to present during a club meeting. We managed to get the awards presented to a few clubs before the activity ban went into effect. The other clubs can present their awards after the ban has been lifted. Below is a list of all 2019 awards.

14

Talbot County 4-H Achievement Program for the 2019 Membership Year

CLOVERS

Madelyn Baltz silver pin clover project Ella Barletta silver pin clover project Henry Callahan bronze pin clover project

Annette Clougherty silver pin clover project Daniel Clougherty gold pin clover project Natalee Gowen gold pin clover project

Bear Kane silver pin clover project Sophia Myers silver pin clover project Levi Nickerson silver pin clover project

Gabe Nikolauk gold pin clover project Patrick Pietuszka bronze pin clover project

JUNIORS Camden Aisquith record book 1 swine Couper Barletta record book 2 dogs beef McKenna Brach record book 1 outdoor education wildlife and fisheries

Ava Brown record book 2 arts and crafts bicycle food and nutrition rabbits Samantha Haas record book 1 clothing and textiles Abbi Hutchison record book 3 dairy swine

Lizzie Nikolauk record book 1 dogs Mary Claire O’Connor record book 2 clothing and textiles Jenna Pietuszka record book 1 clothing and textiles

Lyla Roe record book 3 dairy Owen Roe record book 1 dairy

15

INTERMEDIATES Skylar Blades record book 4 healthy living Emma Boyle record book 6 swine *horse/jousting Emily Branic record book 2 food and nutrition *clothing and textiles Jack Chapple record book 4 outdoor education wildlife and fisheries

Rylee Gowen record book 4 *clothing and textiles Joshua Hrynko record book 6 arts and crafts plus robots rabbits shooting sports public speaking healthy living bicycle community service Abigail Meadows record book 6 clothing and textiles music

Emily Nikolauk record book 1 gardening Ashanty Perez record book 4 clothing and textiles home environment Reilly Pietuszka record book 1 clothing and textiles Sophia Principe record book 5 clothing and textiles poultry

Autumn Redman record book 6 healthy living pets child care

SENIORS

Karli Abbott record book 8 arts and crafts bicycle cats citizenship clothing and textiles computer science communication community service dogs safety

food and nutrition healthy living leadership music rabbits STEM shooting sports visual arts wildlife and fisheries

Jason Blades Hrynko record book 7 bicycle citizenship arts and crafts healthy living (sports) leadership public speaking rabbits robotics music

Ian Branic record book 2 clothing and textiles food and nutrition music Lilly Catlin record book 10 clothing and textiles

16

Emma Chapple record book 4 outdoor education wildlife and fisheries visual arts Kate Chapple record book 4 outdoor education wildlife & fisheries visual arts Sara Chapple record book 4 outdoor education wildlife and fisheries visual arts Joshua Cherry record book 9 shooting sports Billy Haufe record book 7 outdoor education wildlife & fisheries gardening

Bree Haufe record book 7 outdoor education wildlife and fisheries visual arts Hayden Hutchison record book 7 swine rabbits outdoor education Kara Hutchison record book 9 dairy swine rabbits clothing and textiles Elise Lankford record book 7 clothing and textiles public speaking

Rebekah Lankford record book 9 clothing and textiles leadership public speaking Jessica Meadows record book 6 clothing and textiles food and nutrition rabbits Ashton Milhollan record book 7 outdoor education wildlife and fisheries Brian Milhollan record book 7 outdoor education wildlife and fisheries

Eric Milhollan record book 8 outdoor education wildlife and fisheries poultry Pippa Milhollan record book 7 outdoor education horses Madeline Principe record book 6 poultry clothing and textiles Tyler Redman record book 7 leadership Austin Spies record book 8 beef swine Elaina Steinly record book 7 clothing and textiles

Club Recognition Bay 100 Blue Crabs – Leaders Roxane Watts and Jan Duley Charter Club Busy Beavers – Leaders Della Andrew and Linda Hrynko Banner Club Chapel District – Leaders Tresa Hutchison and Susan Behrens Honor Club Chesapeake Bay – Leaders Melodie Haufe and Biff Haufe Banner Club Green Clover – Leaders Carol Frampton and Linda Brown Banner Club Saddle & Paws – Leaders Karla Wieland-Cherry and David Cherry Charter Club

17

We are also excited to welcome two new 4-H clubs: Skipjacks – Leaders Melanie Chapple, Victoria Milhollan, and Eric Milhollan New Club Recognition Talbot 4-H Clovers – Leaders Sherye Nickerson and Amanda Kane New Club Recognition

Diamond Clover Awards

Level 1 – Amethyst McKenna Brach Caleigh Freeman Catherine McQuillan Rebecca McQuillan Level 2 – Aquamarine Couper Barletta Ava Brown Level 3 – Ruby Emma Boyle Emily Branic Ian Branic Level 4 – Sapphire Skylar Blades Jack Chapple

Level 5 – Emerald Sara Chapple Level 6 – Diamond Five Talbot members were recognized at the State Awards Gala in February for completing Level 6 this year. Kate Chapple Josh Cherry Kara Hutchison EJ Milhollan Tyler Redman

Five members had new projects approved to be worked on this year. Jason Blades Hrynko Sara Chapple Ashton Milhollan Brian Milhollan Pippa Milhollan

Special Awards Early Bird Record Book Recognition - Josh Cherry Club President Award - Bree Haufe Vice President Award - Kate Chapple Club Secretary Award - Emily Branic, Sara Chapple Club Treasurer Award - Skylar Blades, Billy Haufe Healthy Living/Junior Leader - Tyler Redman State Council Representative Award - Jason Blades Hrynko, Tyler Redman

18

Family of the Year

Talbot’s very own Saathoff family was honored as Maryland 4-H Family of the Year, one of the most prestigious state awards, for their multi-generational contributions to 4-H! We also planned to recognize the Saathoffs at the achievement program.

The Saathoff family consists of the four sisters Theresa Shortall, Carol Frampton, Linda Brown, and Emma Jean Morgan and their families. They were honored for outstanding contributions to 4-H Youth Development. Together, they and their spouses, children, and grandchildren have promoted positive youth development and touched the lives of so many youth for more than 50 years. It is difficult to imagine another family more dedicated to Maryland 4-H! We want to thank volunteer Ms. Della Andrew for helping us put together the details for the award nomination.

Club of the Year We had planned to surprise Chapel District 4-H Club by recognizing them as our 4-H Club of the Year at the Achievement Program. Even though the event was canceled, we want to acknowledge Chapel District in the newsletter.

Leaders Tresa Hutchison and Susan Behrens have been incredibly devoted to positive youth development for many years. They are supportive of and encouraging to all club members, and they create a welcoming, family-like atmosphere for members and parents. Chapel District’s members are highly active 4-H members. Whether they are working every day taking care of livestock, working on individual projects, or completing community service activities, the club members are living the 4-H Pledge. Although the leaders and members do so much for Talbot 4-H and the Talbot Agriculture and Education Center, they tend to work quietly without attracting attention to themselves. This is one of the reasons we wanted to highlight their contributions and let everyone else connected to 4-H know how much we value them. We thought they deserved to be in the spotlight for a change. Thank you for everything, Chapel District! Be proud of your accomplishments.

19

20