4-H Friday Update February 3, 2012 Friday Update Archives Grant-Adams Area 4-H Calendar 4-H Publications & Projects Catalog Interactive Records & Forms WSU Grant-Adams Area Extension Super Saturday/Equine Science Saturday February 11, 2012 Frontier Jr. High in Moses Lake Registration is at 8:30 a.m. and the day will end at 2:30 p.m. this year. (There will be no Livestock Quality Assurance training at Super Saturday; there will be several other opportunities during the year.) Please see the attached schedule of events. Bring All Your Pull Tabs To Super Saturday! Pull tabs are being collected to support the delegates going to the "Decision 2012" 4-H Know Your Government Conference in Olympia. Pull Tabs not just for pop cans anymore! Bring your pull tabs from: Soda Cans Pet Food Cans Tennis Ball Cans Juice Cans Soup Cans Anything else with a pull tab! If you have any questions, please contact Dick Weitman, 2012 KYG Coordinator, at 750-7384or 765-5005. Youth Livestock Producers 4-H Volunteer Hours Reporting System E-Learning for 4-H Volunteers Often Asked for Materials & Forms See details of more meetings, important dates, events, etc. on the WSU Grant-Adams County Extension Youth, Family Events Calendar (http://county.wsu.edu/grant-adams/calendars/lists/events/yo.aspx). If you would like to post a 4-H event, meeting or activity on the calendar, please call the Extension office or -email drusso@wsu.edu or berensl@wsu.edu.
4-H Shooting Sports Leader Training Offered 4-H Shooting Sports Leader Training sessions which will be held in Coeur d Alene, Idaho on the weekend of April 28 & 29, 2012. The training details are now available to distribute in the form of an informational flyer (4h.wsu.edu/news/Tues/attachments/01-31- 12ShootingSportsFlyer.pdf). While it is being held in Idaho, 4-H volunteers are welcome from surrounding states (Montana, Oregon, Washington) to participate. It is an excellent opportunity to obtain certification in two disciplines in just one weekend. Training Disciplines Offered: Archery, Pistol (Handgun), Rifle, Shotgun. {Receive certification for two disciplines in a single weekend} Contact information: Jim Wilson, jwilson@uidaho.edu. A Special Invite to Middle School Teens My name is Nick Niehenke, I am a 4-H State Ambassador in Washington. In March, we will be hosting the 2012 Teen Leadership Summit in Cle Elum, WA. It is a campout weekend put on by the State Ambassadors where middle school age teens will come and learn leadership skills, meet new friends, learn about more teen opportunities, and of course, have lots of fun!! If you would please inform teens in your counties we would love to have them come! The following link gives some more information about the event. http://4h.wsu.edu/members/summit.html Notice from Pat BoyEs, Director, 4-H Youth Development: Senate Bill 6034: Creating "4-H" special license plates I am thrilled and delighted to report that SB6034, creating the 4-H License Plate passed the Senate yesterday. The substitute passed by voice vote in the Senate on January 31, 2012, adds an effective date of January 1, 2013 - http://www.washingtonvotes.org/ Legislation.aspx?ID=142366. It will now go to the Senate Rules Committee. House Bill 2299 still requires action of the House. Cheers, Pat
Goat and Sheep Producers (Might be a good topic for a sheep or goat club meeting.) Presentations Addressing the Identification Requirements for Sheep and Goats Eradication of Scrapie are Now Available from the Eradicate Scrapie! Information Initiative January 19, 2012 Efforts to eliminate scrapie in the sheep and goat populations in the United States are succeeding. To ensure complete and successful eradication of this fatal degenerative brain disease it is necessary to address identification requirements for both sheep and goats. The "Goat Identification: Visual & Electronic" presentation and the "Identification Requirements of the National Scrapie Eradication Program for Sheep" presentation have been combined into one (1) compact disk by the USDA National Scrapie Education Program (NSEP) with support from the National Institute for Animal Agriculture. The presentations cover basic information regarding which goats/sheep are required to be identified. The main focus of the presentation explores approved ear tags and tattoos and their proper placement. The presentations also have sections about the use of registry tattoos and other identification methods and record keeping. The presentation is also available at http://www.eradicatescrapie.org in PDF format for downloading to a CD or as a printed version. An order form to request your free copy of the presentation is also available at this web address. These and other materials are part of the National Scrapie Education Initiative conducted by the National Institute for Animal Agriculture (NIAA) on behalf of the U. S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Veterinary Services, which administers NSEP. Please see the attached document, Progress Eradicating Scrapie: How Goat and Sheep Producers Can Help, which lists several ways producers can help the scrapie eradication effort.
Schedule of Events for Super Saturday/Equine Science Saturday February 11, 2012 Frontier Jr. High, Moses Lake (Please note: the day will end at 2:30 p.m. this year.) Time/Room 8:30-8:50 REGISTRATION 9:00-9:50 Introductions and It s a Dogs World by Hooves and Paws 10:00-10:50 Super Bowl Sunday Snacks Beatrice Alvarez 11:00-11:50 Power in the Wind Hands-on Fun Exploring Wind! Julia Cervantes Equine Program Planning Leaders and Interested Parents Poster Design Jeannie Kiehn Public Speaking/ Demonstrations Landra Kosa Parliamentary Procedures Landra Kosa Weaving and Scarf Making (10:00-12:00) Kathy Morton & Diane Russo 4-H Project Supply Swap Donna Massey Silent Auction Know Your Government Delegates 12:00-1:00 $3 Pizza Lunch, -Dick and Diana Weitman 1:00-1:50 Bio- Blast: How to Make Bio-fuel Activity Julia Cervantes Horsing Around with Hippology Trista Harting 2012 4-H Summer Camp Planning Dawn Yearout & Danille Weitman Photography -Kasey Kiehn Leathercraft Dick Weitman 2:00-2:30 CLOSING CEREMONY Door Prizes There will be a silent auction to support the Know Your Government delegates in the Cafeteria. There will be a 4-H project supply swap all day in the cafeteria. Bring your gently used project supplies to sell or donate.
Progress Eradicating Scrapie: How Goat and Sheep Producers Can Help The National Scrapie Eradication Program (NSEP) has stated there has been a 96% decrease in the percent positive sheep sampled at slaughter adjusted for face color since the start of Scrapie Slaughter Surveillance in FY 2003. It further states there were 40% fewer newly identified infected and source flocks in FY2011 (through August 2011) compared to the same date in FY2010. In the USA, from October 1, 2010 August 31, 2011, there have been 17 cases of classical scrapie identified in sheep, 10 cases of classical scrapie identified in goats (all from the same herd), and 2 cases of Nor98-Like scrapie cases identified in sheep. From FY2002 to August 31, 2011, about 2,742 sheep and 31 goats have tested positive for classical scrapie in the USA. At the current rate of progress, the NSEP expects the prevalence of scrapie to be at or near zero for FY 2017. In Washington State, USDA APHIS Veterinary Services is actively collecting scrapie slaughter surveillance samples. During FY2011 approximately 445 sheep samples and 21 goat samples were collected that had Washington scrapie tags. No scrapie cases were discovered in Washington in FY2011. There are several ways producers can help the scrapie eradication effort: 1. Recognize the signs of scrapie in sheep and goats. Infected sheep and goats usually show signs of scrapie from 2-5 years of age or older caused by damage to the nerve cells in the brain. Early signs include behavioral changes, tremor (especially of head and neck), scratching and rubbing against fixed objects (apparently to relieve itching), loss of coordination, weakness, weight loss despite retention of appetite, biting of feet and limbs, lip smacking, gait abnormalities, including high stepping of the forelegs, hopping like a rabbit, and swaying of the back end. Videos of sheep and goats showing clinical signs of classical scrapie can be viewed at http://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_health/animal_diseases/scrapie/. Have your veterinarian evaluate sheep/goats showing these clinical signs or call the Washington State Veterinarian s office (360) 902-1878 or USDA Veterinary Services office (360) 753-9430 to report scrapie suspects. 2. Keep a closed flock/herd. Select replacement ewes and does from lambs and kids born in your flock. This eliminates the risk of purchasing a ewe or doe unknowingly infected with scrapie. Scrapie is usually transmitted by females during lambing/kidding. With sheep, use RR rams to pass on genetic resistance to scrapie to the lambs. 3. Obtain replacement ewes and does from Scrapie Flock Certification Program certified flocks and herds which have taken measures to lower the risk for scrapie infection. 4. Keep confined lambing and kidding areas as clean as possible by discarding placenta, birth fluids, and contaminated bedding. Use household bleach (6 ¼ cup bleach mixed with 9 ¾ cups water) to disinfect clean, dry, solid surfaces and equipment. 5. When at fairs prevent direct, prolonged physical contact especially with any female sheep or goats that have a vaginal discharge, have recently lambed or kidded or aborted. Separate by a vacant pen, barn alley, or solid barrier. 6. Make sure your sheep and goats have scrapie ear tags before leaving the farm. Call 1-866-USDA Tag (1-866-873-2824) or Millie Chopic directly at 360-864-6320 to obtain free scrapie ear tags and pliers and obtain specific requirements for the identification of sheep and goats. 7. Participate in scrapie surveillance by submitting samples from sheep or goats that have died on your farm. Categories of on farm sheep and goats to sample can include: A. Dead sheep or goats as follows: 1. Black faced or Southdown or Montadale sheep over 14 months of age with no upper age limit. 2. White face or mottled face sheep 2 5 years of age. 3. Goats 2 5 years of age. B. Sheep or goats of any age that show clinical signs of scrapie. Scrapie clinical signs include central nervous system (CNS) signs (incoordination, weakness, abnormal behavior, etc.) and/or intense rubbing and abrasions. NOTE: Sheep or goats showing clinical signs of scrapie should be examined by a veterinarian or the owner can contact the WA State Veterinarian s Office at (360) 902-1878 or the USDA, APHIS, VS Tumwater Area Office at (360) 753-9430. Please call Millie Chopic at (360) 864-6320 to obtain free shipping boxes that include a pre-paid air bill to submit sheep and goat heads for scrapie surveillance. Instructions and further guidance will also be provided.