[Image: West Baton Rouge 4-H U Attendees]4-H University is an annual event held on the LSU campus in Baton Rouge. 4-H members from across the state meet to compete in contests, attend various educational programs and meet new and old friends. This year was very special because of the year long Centennial Celebration that marks the 100th year 4-H has been serving the youth of Louisiana. This year 12 4-H members from West Baton Rouge Parish attended 4-H University, they competed in contests, ran for state executive board and attended educational programs.
Again this year one of the many programs offered was Clover College. Participants chose one of the Clover College “Classes” and over the course of the week they learned more about whichever subject they chose. There were three Clover College participants from West Baton Rouge: Elizabeth Wallace, Destiny Washington and Lettie Isaac. This was the first 4-H University for all of these 4-H’ers. Both Lettie and Destiny selected the Forensics track at Clover College. During this exciting and hands-on track they were able to learn more about forensic science including fingerprints and crime scene analysis. Elizabeth participated in the Clover College track about Louisiana Wetlands. That track educated participants about wetlands and included a tour of Bluebonnet Swamp in Baton Rouge.
Also during the week, two members from the parish interviewed for positions on state executive boards. These boards help plan statewide events throughout the year and at 4-H University. The two members were Shelbi Graft for State Food and Fitness Board and Deanna Jason for State Citizenship Board. Both Deanna and Shelbi were selected to serve on these boards for the upcoming year.
Shelbi Graft also competed for a chance to serve as a National 4-H Conference Delegate while at 4-H University. National 4-H Conference Delegates travel to Washington, D.C., and represent Louisiana 4-H while meeting with government officials and learning about government and National 4-H. To be eligible for this opportunity, Shelbi had to submit an application and letters of recommendation and then had to be chosen as a finalist to interview at 4-H University. This is a huge honor, and we are very proud to have Shelbi representing West Baton Rouge and Louisiana 4-H in Washington, D.C.
Other 4-H University participants chose to compete in some of the many contests held during the week. The contests are designed to test participants' knowledge of many different subjects through tests, judging contests, and speeches or demonstrations. This year West Baton Rouge participants competed in: Automotive, Agriculture Demonstration, Agriculture Product Demonstration, Bicycle, Dog Care, Forestry, Photography and Wildlife Habitat Judging.
In the Automotive contest, Ryan Trusclair was tested on his knowledge of car maintenance and parts and driving skills. In Ag. Demonstrations, participants prepare and present a demonstration on a topic related to agriculture. Randy Patrick and Daniel Tullier gave a demonstration about “Getting to know your bearings and the importance of grease.” This presentation was all about bearings, their importance in agriculture and how to maintain them. In the Ag. Products Demonstration, Shelbi Graft taught attendees and judges how to prepare sushi using the Louisiana commodities of crawfish and rice. Shelbi also talked about the health benefits and economic benefits of these products. Joy Jason competed in Bicycle and was able to exhibit her knowledge of parts and skills at riding, as well as to educate people on the importance of bicycle fit, during a 10-minute speech.
Krystal Dupont competed in Dog Care. During this contest she was given two tests on various topics related to dog care and maintenance. Krystal also had to give a five-minute speech on a topic related to dog care. She chose to research and talk about the importance of spaying and neutering your animals and options that are available to owners. During the Forestry contest, Janelle Jason demonstrated her knowledge of the forest industry, through tests on tree identification, forestry diseases and insects, orienting a course with a compass, and measuring trees. This year Cameron Sarradet competed in the Photography contest. Cameron submitted a 10-page portfolio with photos that he had taken within the past year and edited himself; he also took a general knowledge test and took part in a group discussion. The final contest our members competed in was Wildlife Habitat Judging. Deanna Jason chose to compete in this contest. During the week, she had to identify various wildlife species, take tests relating to wildlife habitats and diets, evaluate a potential wildlife habitat and give a presentation on how to improve the site and why.
Here are the results from the contests of those who placed:
Automotive: Blue Ribbon, Ryan Trusclair
Agriculture Demonstration: Blue Ribbon, Randy Patrick and Daniel Tullier
Agriculture Product Demonstration: Blue Ribbon, Shelbi Graft (fourth place)
Bicycle: State Winner: Joy Jason (first place -- won educational trip to San Antonio, Texas)
Photography: Blue Ribbon, Cameron Sarradet
Wildlife Habitat Judging: Blue Ribbon, Deanna Jason (third place and won a chance to compete in national contest in Zwolle, La., with top four individual contestants from Louisiana)
This proved to be an extremely memorable 4-H University because of how well all our 4-H’ers did. They all worked extremely hard, and their dedication paid off. If you know any of the 4-H’ers who attended, please be sure to congratulate them. They all put a lot of work into getting ready for 4-H University and their contests.
If you have any questions about 4-H in West Baton Rouge Parish, or how to become involved as a member or leader, please contact the parish's LSU AgCenter Extension Office at 225-336-2416.