Rutherford County 4-H Horse Member Wins National Award

Rutherford County 4-H Horse Club member Shelby Finch was recently awarded the 2009 High Point Award in equitation (ages 11 and under) by the National Walking Horse Owners Association. Shelby is a 5th grader at Saint Rose of Lima Catholic School in Murfreesboro and has been active in the 4-H horse club for two years. We are very proud of her accomplishment.

Rebecca Henry
Extension Agent
Rutherford County

The Rutherford County 4-h Horse project would like to thank Ms. Anne Brzezicki and The M.T.S.U. Equestrian team for their continued support and generosity. Our January meeting was held at the Horse Science Center, where they held the annual barn scavenger hunt. They gave away prizes for the winners with the most points in each division. Once again we would like to say thanks to The M.T.S.U. Equestrian team and any other volunteers involved in the Rutherford County 4-H.

Rutherford County 4-H Horse Project
Faith Duke
-Horse project Reporter

National 4-H Cornbread Cook-Off

ATTENTION ALL 4th GRADERS:

Tennessee 4th grade 4-H club members are invited to celebrate cooking and cornbread by entering a recipe in the National 4-H Cornbread Cook-off Contest. Recipes should be creative and easy to prepare and must contain at least one cup of Martha White Corn Meal or one package of Martha White Corn Meal Mix and be cooked in Lodge Cast Iron Cookware.
Novice cooks should submit their entries by March 2, 2010 to Vicki Lofty, Marion County UT Extension, 302 Betsy Pack Drive, Jasper, TN 37347.

Recipes will be reviewed and 10 lucky 4-H’ers will be invited to participate in the youth cook-off at the National Cornbread Festival on April 24, 2010 in South Pittsburg, Tennessee. Finalists will have one hour from start to finish to prepare their cornbread dish. Judging of the finished recipe will be based on creativity; texture, appearance, ease of preparation, appropriate use of products and of course - flavor!

The 4-H slogan is “Learn by Doing”, so 4th grade 4-H’ers get in the kitchen and learn to cook. Prepare a yummy cornbread dish that will make mouths water! Prize are as follows: 1st place - $400; 2nd place - $200; 3rd Place - $100 and the other seven finalists will each receive $50. All 10 finalists also receive special gifts from Lodge Cast Iron and Martha White. The 4-H agent or 4-H Program Assistant and the teacher of the winning contestant will each receive $50. Youth traveling more than 100 miles to the competition will receive $100 travel money.

Vicki Lofty, Marion County UT Extension Agent invites youth from all regions of the country to enter. “Every year I am amazed at the amazing tasty and creative recipes that are submitted,” said Lofty. To celebrate 100 years of UT Extension and 4-H in Tennessee, Marion County 4-H Clubs have compiled a cookbook containing a collection of recipes from the past finalists in the National Cornbread Festival Cook-off. Funds from the sale of the six dollar cookbooks will be used to fund 4-H youth projects and activities. For more information about purchasing a cookbook or the cook-off contact 423-942-2656. Contest guidelines are also available at www.nationalcornbread.com.

Science Video Project

Below is a video that Rutherford County 4-H News helped to create for another 4-H'ers science project. Behold the invention of "SAFE EYES."

Join the Rutherford County 4-H Club

What do you like the most about the horse club?

Shooting Sports Group

If you haven't heard, Rutherford County has a Shooting Sports group. The next meeting is scheduled for Thursday, November 19 from 6-8 p.m. This is a hands-on project group focused on teaching 4-H members the art of riflery and archery. We meet at the Lane Agri-Park Community Center located at 315 John R Rice Blvd in Murfreesboro. Here are answers to some frequently asked questions:

Q: Do I have to have my own equipment?
A: No, all equipment will be provided for you. We have Genesis compound bows for archery and Daisy 5 Meter Competition BB guns for our rifle team.

Q: Is there a cost to participate?
Y: Yes, there is a $30 fee for the year (October-April). This helps to cover the cost of equipment, insurance, and volunteer certification training.

Q: Who is allowed to participate?
A: The 4-H Shooting Sports Group is open to all Rutherford County youth in the 4-12 grades. You do not have to have 4-H offered in your school in order to join.

Q: Is it safe?
A: Absolutely! There has never been a recorded injury in the TN Shooting Sports Program.

Q: What do I need to bring to the first meeting?
A: Each participant will need to complete an Activity and Event Acceptance Form found here: http://www.utextension.utk.edu/4h/forms/acrobat/f600a.pdf The event name is “Rutherford County 4-H Shooting Sports 09-10”

Q: What is the schedule for the year?
A: Meetings are scheduled to be held on Oct. 22, Nov. 19, Dec. 17, Jan. 21, Feb. 16, Mar. 18, and Apr. 15. The range opens at 6:00 and will close at 7:30.

Thank you for your interest in the shooting sports group. Please call our office or send me an e-mail and let us know if you plan to participate.

See you soon,

Mr. Michael

RCNN Begins Work on Music Video!

Rutherford County 4-H Network News had their first meeting of the 2009-2010 school year. Our main group project for November and December is going to be creating a music video for WGNS Radio's morning show, "Swap 'n Shop." The following video is very short, but it is pretty funny to watch (the stacked chairs represent a llama). Look for the completed music video toward the end of the year.