NC 4-H International Exchange

Randolph County 4-H members, would you like to host a Japanese Exchange Student for one month this summer? Now is the time to begin thinking about it.

We have 10 boys, 10 girls and 3 adult chaperones that need homes.

Host families must have a child of the same gender and within 2 years of the same age as the Japanese exchange student. Families without children who would like to host may host a chaperone. Host families provide all meals, supervision, transportation to/from the pick-up point, a bed (students do not need to have their own room), and love and support. Families must fill out an application, undergo an in-home interviewand background check, and if selected, attend required orientation trainings. Applications to host a Japanese student are due by April 30, 2010.


Here is the application form for you to fill out to host an exchange student this summer!

Here is the reference form needed.

Here is the disclosure form needed.

Click here to read about the girls participating in the Japanese Exchange.

Click here to read about the boys participating in the Japanese Exchange.



If you should have additional questions, contact Carolyn Langley, County Extension Director at 336-318-6000.

Winter Horse Newsletter

Are you a 4-H member who is interested in the Horse project? Here is the latest edition of the State 4-H Newsletter. You can read this newsletter to learn more about when the horse bowl and hippology contests will be held.

Click here to read all about it.

Resolutions for a Plant & Soils Geek

Interested in growing your own food? Click here to download a Plant and Soils Geek guide to New Years resolutions.

For more plant and soil ideas, click here!

NC 4-H Alumni & Friends

Are you a Randolph County 4-H Alumni? Would you like to reconnect with 4-H members who, like you, are currently aged out of 4-H?

The NC 4-H Alumni and Friends Association invites 4-H alumni, age 19-25, to a weekend at Betsy Jeff Penn 4-H Camp on April 9-10. You do not have to be a member of the Alumni Association to come.

We’ll spend Friday evening re-connecting and scheming about how we can stay in touch with one another and with 4-H! In exchange for our low, registration rate of only $15, we’ll be participating in service projects around the camp on Saturday morning.

It’s sure to be a great weekend of networking and service to our favorite youth organization! We can only accommodate 40 people. Registration due date is March 31, and it’s first come, first served, so don’t delay!!

Here are all the details.

Check this out!

New Radio Show for Chicken Enthusiasts

Backyard Poultry with The Chicken Whisperer

Andy Schneider, better known as the Chicken Whisperer has become the go-to guy across the country for anything chickens. Over the years he has helped a countless number of people start their very own backyard flocks. He is not only a national radio personality, but also a contributor for Mother Earth News Magazine, Grit Magazine, and Farmers Almanac. He is the owner of Atlanta Pet Chickens, Classroom Chickens, and is the Founder/Organizer of the Atlanta Pet Chicken Meetup Group that has quickly grown to over 850 local members! He has been featured on CNN, HLN, CBS, NBC, NPR, as well as in TIME Magazine, Economist, USA Today, Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Front Page Story), New Life Journal, and countless other local and national publications.

The Chicken Whisperer™ will be coming to a town near you on the 2010 Chicken Whisperer Tour! Backyard Poultry with the Chicken Whisperer™ is a nationally broadcast radio show all about keeping backyard poultry and living a self-sufficient lifestyle. Each week the Chicken Whisperer™ and his co-host, Pat Foreman, author of City Chicks, Chicken Tractor, Day Range Poultry, and Backyard Market Gardening, welcome special guests from all around the country to talk about keeping backyard poultry, and living a more self-sufficient lifestyle. Guests include certified avian veterinarians, feed representatives, product representatives, FFA members, 4-H members, poultry club members, and the who's who in the backyard poultry industry.

Listen "LIVE" Monday through Friday at 12:00pm EST here:


Follow the chicken whisperer on twitter:

2010 State 4-H Dairy Cattle Judging Contest Date Set for November 17 and 18

Are you a 4-H member with a Dairy Project? Mark November 17 and 18 on your calendar for the State 4-H Dairy Cattle Judging Contest.

It will be held at the Rowan County Fairgrounds. As in past years, this contest will be held at the same time as the state FFA dairy judging contest. An educational program will be held on Wednesday night, November 17 and the actual contest will be held on Thursday morning November 18.

Registration forms and additional information will be available soon on the State 4-H Dairy Youth Program website.

The website can be found here:

Hexapod Haiku Challenge

Are you interested in BUGS? Do you love poetry? The two are mixing in this new contest! the NC State Insect Museum is sponsoring this third annual "Hexapod Haiku Challenge" and it is open to anyone of any age.

Click here to read more about the challenge!

Even more details are available here!

The word Hexapoda refers to all insects and their six-legged arthropod relatives (springtails, diplurans, and proturans). We're calling this contest the Hexapod Haiku Challenge only for alliterative purposes. We would love to have haiku that feature any familiar arthropod associated with the field of entomology, including those arthropods without six legs (e.g., spiders, millipedes, centipedes, and scorpions).


Entries are due on March 20!

Good Luck!

4-H Club Officer Training

The club officer training canceled last weekend will be rescheduled for this coming Saturday, February 20. Meet at the NC Cooperative Extension office, Randolph County Center at 8:15 AM. We will travel to Lexington. The training begins at 9:15 and we will finish by noon. Lunch will be served.

We should arrive back in Asheboro before 2:00 PM. If you have questions, please call our office at 318-6000.

If more bad weather strikes!

Being prepared is one way to feel more at ease this winter!
Check out this local resource from North Carolina Cooperative Extension if bad weather strikes!

Have you ever wondered?

What is it like to work at NASA? What jobs do engineers have on space missions? What classes should I take to become an engineer? A panel of African American engineers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., and a former high school intern will answer these questions and more during a live online program on Wed., Feb. 24 at 1 p.m. Eastern/10 a.m. Pacific. JPL manages many robotic space missions for NASA, including the Mars Exploration Rovers and the Cassini Mission at Saturn.

This online event honoring Black History Month is geared to high school students. School audiences will be able to “tune in live” to the NASA/JPL UStream Web page. Click here to watch the 30- to 40-minute program.

Classrooms are invited to email questions in advance to the panel. All questions must be received by Friday, Feb. 19 at 6 p.m. Eastern/3 p.m. Pacific. To submit a question, send it to education@jpl.nasa.gov . Please include school name, city, state, grade level and, preferably, student’s first name. No last names will be used. A few pre-selected schools may pose questions live to the panel.

The panel of engineers includes:

Kobie Boykins -- Kobie began his work at JPL as a student “co-op” working on the mobility system for the Mars Pathfinder Mission. He was involved in building the solar array panels for the Mars Exploration Rovers and is currently working on the upcoming Mars Science Laboratory Mission.

Tracy Drain -- Tracy’s first assignment at JPL was to work on futuristic robotic outposts on Mars. She later built and tested command sequences, or computer instructions for a spacecraft, for the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Mission. On the Kepler Mission, Tracy co-led the operations team in responding to unplanned events during space travel. She is currently working on the Juno Mission to Jupiter, focusing on ways to ensure safe space travel to the planet.

Carrine Johnson – Carrine is currently a senior in a Southern California high school. Last summer she was an intern at JPL. This fall, Carrine plans to attend college and major in engineering.

Visit http://education.jpl.nasa.gov for more information about JPL’s educational opportunities and teacher resources.

All NASA educational materials are at http://www.nasa.gov/offices/education/about/index.html

Are you interested in becoming a Junior Ranger?

Explore, learn and help out your state parks! The new Junior Ranger guide is packed full of fun activities you can do at any of our 39 state parks. Be a Junior Ranger!

It's a fun way for children to explore with their family, 4-H, scout troop or youth group. Activities are geared for children ages 6-12.

• Children gain an appreciation of North Carolina's cultural and natural heritage and learn about careers in natural resources.

• A different Junior Ranger patch is awarded at each park.
The Junior Ranger program is proudly sponsored by the Friends of State Parks and the Great Outdoor Provision Company.

Click here to learn more information!

January / February 4-H newsletter

Here is the latest issue of the Randolph County 4-H newsletter!

If you would like to join Randolph County 4-H, please call our office at 336-318-6000.

If you have questions, please call or stop by. We are located at 112 W. Walker Avenue.
Asheboro. Our offices are in the lower level of the DAYMARK building. (formerly known as Sandhills Mental Health Center)

4-H Favorite Food Show Scheduled

Randolph County 4-H members are invited to participate in the 2010 4-H Favorite Food Show Contest to be held at the Randolph County Extension Office on Saturday April 3.

This show is open to cloverbuds - 5 - 8 year olds. Junior 4-H members 9 - 13 year olds and Seniors - 14 - 19 year olds.

Special thanks to the Country Kids Livestock Club for coordinating the Food Show!

Click here to read about the food show.

Click here to print a copy of the registration from.

Set up for the food show will begin at 9:00 AM and Judging will begin at 9:45 AM.

Following the judging, prizes will be awarded and fellowship will be enjoyed.

Remember, your registration form is due to Heather Wright by March 19.
If you send it here - we will pass them along to Heather and Jason.