4H Leaders

[Northern Rancher]

What do you think of the new Sask. record books and projects. I've been a leader for 15 years I always liked to design my own projects-more out in the pen sorting fat cattle, A'I'ing cows-checking feet and legs etc. Now it seems to be they're turning 4H into just more bookwork. The detailed record book is more than enough-beef 4H should be about you and your project animal I think. I know alot of kids will just drop out if things don't change.

 

[Ranchy]

NR, this is one of the main problems we have down here. As soon as kids get old enough, it seems like they switch from 4-H to FFA. Every one of them has said that it's because there is a lot less paperwork involved, for the same benefits.

I'm sure you'll probably see the same results up there because of the increase of paperwork involved. It's a sad thing, because 4-H is such a good program. They just seem to get a lot carried away with a good thing. But what to do about it? I haven't a clue. Been working on coming up with a solution for years (about 20 of them to be exact) and nothing feasible yet.

Good luck with your bunch!

 

[OldDog/NewTricks]

It has been my experance that 4H Kids kick over to FFA because FFA has daily at SCHOOL activaty and 4H is monthly and the Bookwork is done in Class with an Advisors help

From V_Key's Links - Good Site
http://www.geocities.com/bowieffa/index.html

 

[Northern Rancher]

Here is the sample project I had to do today for my Junior kids-design a feedlot facility-get price quotes for varous materials-draft a diagram blah blah blah. My junior members are all 13-14 year old girls and they buckled down and did a pretty good job. I gave them a theoretical $50,000 budget to work with to design a facility for 150 cows, 150 calves and five bulls. They compared wood vs steel and most did a combination of both. I didn't get into labour costs. They are all like that and I'm supposed to do different projects with my 13 year old Jr's than I do with my 14 year olds. The 13 year old might of been in 4H for 8 years and the 14 year old might be just starting. I used to be able to size up my kids and order or design the projects I thought were most applicable. It's 4H for crying out loud not first year Ag Engineering at college.

 

[Soapweed]

Back when our oldest son was in high school, the Ag teacher had a homework assignment detailing a grazing system on a phantom ranch. He handed out a map of a ranch, but acreages were wrong, carrying capacities were wrong, and the fellow had basically no idea of what he was trying to have the kids accomplish. This was the only time in our kids' school days when I interfered at all in what the teachers were trying to teach, but I had to that time. In trying to help my son with his homework, there was no possible way to figure out the problem due to incomplete and inadequate information up front. I called the teacher at his house that evening, and told him that what he had laid out was a 30,000 cow oufit. I also told him there was only one of those in the USA at that time, it being the Deseret Ranch in Florida, and that if they were looking for someone to manage it, that person would have to be a whole lot smarter than either him (the teacher) or myself. I think I got my point across. Other fathers found the same situation in trying to help their kids, and the teacher got quite a bit of flack from his follies. The assignment was abandoned.

To the guy's credit, he did teach our son the basics of welding, and instilled in him the desire to pursue welding as a career.

 

[the_jersey_lilly_2000]

Down here, record books are required on some projects but not others. They do have a record book contest at district and state level. Say if you raise a rabbit, chicken, turkey, goat, sheep, steer. They aren't required at show. But...the pen of three commercial heifers it is required at time of show. Ag mechanices projects require a record book at time of show.

Our 4H hasn't gotten to the point of pushin the record book projects. It's more optional. Which I like. I think they are tryin to make it too much like school in some aspects. When to me, 4H is more of a "hands on" learning deal.

As for the older kids switching to FFA...alot of them do it here simply because they want to take the Ag-Mech class at school. And you can join FFA at the same time. Since I'm no longer a 4H leader, they'd hafta travel 15 or more miles for the monthly meetings. When they can stay at school and have their monthly meetin there.

The main reason I'm no longer a 4H leader is because all the kids that were in my group were about the same age, and all hit jr high/high school about the same time, and I had no one wanting to be in 4H.
Had a mom call me the other day, that was upset because her daughter missed some of the dates to sign up for 4H stuff. Really got nasty with me on the phone. I told her I haven't been a leader in about 3 or 4 years, and I'd informed the Extention office that if they had anyone interested in taking this area over I'd be more than happy to give them all my stuff. No one's ever asked. She was really upset. Parent's hafta take it into their own hands to get a rule book with all the dates and stuff. I even hafta do it for FFA stuff so that Lil Lilly doesn't miss anything that she wants to do. I mark it down on my wall calendar. People expect you to hold their hand and tell them when every little thing is due, or coming up. She went from blaming me, to blaming the Ag Advisor at school. I told her...he's not 4H, he's FFA. Don't think I ever got her totally to understand that it was her responsibility.