2016 June Quebec 4-H News Spreader

The News Spreader June 2016 Summer Off to a Hot Start Birdhouse Building in Clubs Around the Province

Big Wins at the École de Preparation

Cover: Poultry Project Charms 4-H’ers

4-H Thoughts from the École de Preparation 2016

École de Préparation winners, from left to right: Lydia Auger (3rd), Julie McFarlane (Winner), Francis Blanchette (2nd).

In April the Centre d'insémination artificielle du Québec announced a contest with two prizes to pay the registration fee to this year's Holstein Québec École de Préparation. CIAQ asked entrants to explain why they were registering for the event held each year over the long weekend in May. Julie MacFarlane of Howick 4-H entered this response: Je voudrais vraiment prendre part à cet événement parce que je commence seulement à préparer mes génisses parce que mon frère avait fait la majeure partie de la préparation de mes des génisses dans les dernières années. En plus, il y a toujours plus à apprendre en ce qui concerne la présentation, la préparation d’un exhibit et des génisses et d’autres aspects. Cette année à venir, je suis aussi en train de devenir un leader junior pour mon club de veau de 4-H en tant que notre vieux leader a pris sa retraite l’an dernier et on n’a pas été capable de trouver un autre adulte pour devenir notre leader. La connaissance que je voudrais tirer de cette expérience, j’apporter à mon club de veau pour aider nos membres à améliorer dans tous les aspects de présenter les génisses.

That online contest entry resulted in the first of a series of wins for Julie. With her registration fee paid thanks to CIAQ, Julie headed to the Victoriaville exposition grounds where she was one of 43 participants aged 13 to 24, including members of the AJRQ as well as Ormstown and Richmond 4-H clubs.

Throughout three days of theoretical and practical workshops about exhibit displays, fitting and clipping, nutritional needs during shows, and showmanship skills, Julie's winning streak continued; she was recognized with honourable mention for her showmanship skills and second place for topline and clip job. Ultimately, on Monday, May 23, Julie achieved the highest score of individual points, an accomplishment that earned her a prize of a roundtrip to Belgium to represent Canada at the European Young Breeders School this September courtesy of Holstein Québec.

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Richmond 4-H well represented and ready for show season 2016: Brogan Keenan, Jeremie Morneau, Marie-Rose Morneau, Savannah Crack, Devin Keenan.

After the event, Julie reflected about all she learned during the weekend and bringing those skills back to share with her club members, "I never thought I would get a chance like this but it has come and I couldn't be happier. Thank you to everyone who has helped make it possible such as CIAQ, Holstein, and many others."

Fellow 4-H participants also had great things to say.

Brogan Keenan, Richmond 4-H: It was a very good experience. I got to meet new people and make new friends. I will apply a lot of what I learned to my show season this year.

Jessica Coddington, Richmond 4-H: I had an amazing time; it's a place where you get to meet lots of people around Quebec and to learn lots of different techniques to help with preparing your heifer for shows. Also when I made a mistake while clipping my heifer, my friends helped me fix them! I strongly suggest that 4-H members should go to this activity because it's a really fun learning experience!

Ashleigh Cavers, Ormstown 4-H: This was really my first time clipping a top line so I learned a lot, for example the hair can't pass the tail bone and there's a certain way to hold the clippers. (Cont. p. 3).

Ashleigh Cavers , Ormstown 4-H, practices new clipping skills.

All photos on this page courtesy of Holstein Québec, which also offers the École d'élevage over Thanksgiving weekend, teaching youth aged 18 to 25 about cattle care, marketing, farm transfers, geneology, genetic strategies, and herd production analysis.

The News Spreader-April 2016

The 4-H Quebec provincial staff are gearing up for summer events.

From left to right, staff are happy to help you with 4-H club, member, and leader needs. Cora Dean puts together the News Spreader and is also keenly promoting our Journey 2050 endeavours. Allison Mastine, Program Assistant, has returned as summer student to help with planning for Provincial Rally and Summer Junior Camp. Executive Director Lorelei Muller will take a break from fund development and risk management to attend the 4-H Canada AGM June 2 –5. Our second summer student Carolyn Coddington will start as Public Relations Assistant on June 27; in addition to assisting at Rally, Carolyn is looking forward to helping out at some of the other 4-H shows happening in July and August.

On May 12, Julie Neal began her new role as Program Coordinator.

Julie brought a fresh look to the monthly email update and is busy helping Shawville 4-H Club plan for Provincial Rally.

4-H Thoughts from the École de Prep. continued Devin Keenan, Richmond 4-H: The weekend was strongly based on the 4-H motto “Learn To Do By Doing”. Each day we got to learn new techniques from a professional and then immediately go and apply them to our heifers. I made many new friends throughout the weekend and was happy to see my fellow 4-H member, Julie MacFarlane, win the trip to Belgium.

In this Issue Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8, 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16

Holstein Québec École de Préparation Office News Club News: Ormstown, Howick, Richmond Club News: Shawville, Hatley, Sawyerville Square Dancing: Ormstown and Howick Club News: Aylmer/ Find Your 4-H Wings Upcoming Events and Opportunities AJRQ , FRAQ News National Citizenship Congress U.S. National 4-H Conference/ Thought for Food Summit 4-H Meme Competition Featured Member –Andrew Hickey Junior Junction Rally poster

Marie-Rose Morneau, Richmond 4-H: Cette fin de semaine a été une des plus belles, j’ai eu beaucoup de plaisir. J’ai appris de nouvelle connaissance et j’en ai aussi beaucoup appris sur le clippage, sur l’alimentation, et travailler en équipe. Tout le monde s’aidaient et étaient très gentil. J’ai ressortie de ce camp de préparation avec beaucoup d’expérience et un gros sourire. J’ai battu mon objectif et je sors de la gagnante en connaissance et avec une magnifique expérience.

Quebec 4-H Motto: Leadership tomorrow through learning today.

Canadian 4-H Motto: Learn To Do By Doing.

On the cover:

Derek and Zachary Dollof of Hatley 4-H. See page 5 for news about the club’s poultry project. Photo credit: Meghann Hatch

I Pledge My Head to clearer thinking My Heart to greater loyalty My Hands to larger service My Health to better living For my club, my community and my country.

Thank you to our partners.

President: Matthew Burns matthew.burns99@hotmail.com Vice-President: Julie MacFarlane julie.macfarlane@hotmail.com Quebec 4-H Association 21,111 Lakeshore Road, Macdonald Campus, Harrison House 3-04 Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, QC, H9X 3V9 Phone: 514-398-8738, Fax: 514-398-8652 www.quebec4-h.com

The News Spreader-April 2016

Executive Director: Lorelei Muller executivedirector@quebec4-h.com Program Coordinator: Julie Neal program@quebec4-h.com.

Office and Communications Assistant: Cora Dean office@quebec4-h.com Program Assistant: Allison Mastine assistant@quebec4-h.com Public Relations Assistant: Carolyn Coddington communications@quebec4-h.com

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News from Ormstown 4-H

Richmond 4-H Appreciation Supper and Awards

By Emilie Rodgers

Souper aux Crêpes

By Jérémy Patry Le 16 avril dernier, se déroulait la levée de fonds du Club 4 -H d’Ormstown. Nous avons passé une très belle soirée et, de plus, tous les membres et leurs parents ont fait un travail parfait. Le Club 4-H remercie énormément tous les commanditaires: Agropur, Boucherie Viau, Leahys Applesnax, Bryhill Farm, Rockland Farm, Vergers Hillspring, Robert & Julie Mason, and Jim & Jason Bryson.

Mechanics Project

By Carrie Simpson We had our second mechanics day gathering April 2 nd at Matthew Wallace’s. Members young and old participated. The kids had a fun day of taking apart a clutch on an old tractor, hearing explanations of all the parts and then finally rebuilding it. The tractor still worked afterwards! This project is really hands on for our members and is great as it is teaching them basics they should know for repairs on their home farms.

Square Dancing Show for Senior Citizens

By Janice Neal Sunday, May 15th, a group of square dancers from both the Ormstown and Howick clubs entertained residents at both the Centre d'acceuil in Ormstown as well as Résidence Ormstown. With music provided by Marcel Demers, Claude Lafleur and Dorothy Barr, and with Ralph Templeton as caller, the members put on a good show to the great enjoyment of both audiences. Brittany Knox also played her guitar and sang as the opening act to both performances. The dancers were William Orr, Lyndsay Mackay, Christina Knox, Tamara Laurin-Ricard, Jacob Bryson, Lily Ross, Mathew Wallace and Lindsey Gruer.

On April 26th our Richmond 4-H club held an Appreciation supper for all of our supportive parents and many others who have helped us out in numerous ways. That morning we held our monthly meeting at the Salle Saint-Famille where we set up and decorated, preparing for the supper.

Past President Chelsea Morin and 2015 Rally Chair Carolyn Coddington were Masters of Ceremony for the evening.

President, Devin Keenan welcomed everyone. Kolton Crack lead us in the 4-H pledge while Chelsea Morin sang the 4-H grace. That night, with the help of Richmond 4-H cooking leader, Tammi McGee, members of the Richmond 4-H prepared and served the supper. Guest speaker Sarah Enright spoke about the importance of the 4-H community while thanking Carolyn Coddington for her hard work in chairing Rally 2015. Project Leaders: Erin Scoble, Carie Nixon, Lynne Fortier, Brent Paterson, Sarah St. Hilaire, Tammi Mc Gee, Jacob Morin, Patricia Keenan-Adank, Maria Enright, and Timothy Keenan were officially thanked for their contribution to the Richmond 4-H club. Special recognition went to Erin Scoble for her Provincial Leader of the Year award. A golden apple trophy was presented to Trenholm and Pauline Nelson in appreciation for their many years in hosting the Richmond 4-H apple pie fundraiser where it was noted that we have been making pies for 11 years and have made over 7900 pies!

Preceding the meal, everyone was invited to stay for the dance and we opened the doors to the public. Music was by “Slightly Haggard". The dance floor was jam packed! It was a wonderful evening.

Ormstown and Howick 4-H at Résidence Ormstown.

Photo credit: Stacey Morley.

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The News Spreader-April 2016

Shawville 4-H Shows Animals and Square Dances

Hatley 4-H 2016 Poultry Projects

By Alex Mayhew

By Derek Dolloff

On April 28th the Shawville 4-H Club went to Gladcrest Farms. We learned how to show lambs, rabbits and poultry, thanks to former Shawville 4-H members Kayla McCann-Vereyken and Ron Hodgins. We also learned about the parts of chickens and dairy calves.

There was also square dancing in the kitchen of the barn. At the meeting there was some talk of the Provincial Rally in July. Shawville 4-H is working hard to have the best Rally ever.

But it's hard to think about Hollywood as a theme! There are a lot of new members joining Shawville 4-H. It's making our club bigger. Rally is a great time of year, so I hope to see you all in July.

This year we ordered our chicks from a hatchery in Ontario. We ordered 28 different breeds of chickens. There are 18 kids who are doing the project this year. I got to miss a day of school to go get the chicks at the airport in Montreal with Cindy and Sue. The chicks got to ride a plane from Toronto to Montreal!

We were supposed to pick them up at 10:20, but the people boarding them kept getting mixed up Taylor Passmore with and they missed 2 flights 4 day old chick before we got them. It was frustrating, but I got to go shopping and go to a restaurant and even visit the dorms at Macdonald College. We finally got the chicks home at 8:00 at night. Only a few chicks didn’t make it.

Everyone was happy with all the different breeds. The chicks are now almost 3 weeks old and I am pretty sure I have 19 of the breeds!

The Shawville 4-H participated in the latest Vankleek Hill Square Dance competition.

Shawville would like to congratulate the Junior and Senior teams. Congratulations to Scott Judd for the being the Best Senior Caller. Also congratulations to Sheena Tubman and Annabelle Lamontagne for winning the Best Junior Couple.

The turkeys arrived on May 9th. My mom went and picked them up in Lennoxville. There were 45 of them. So this year there will be 9 turkeys in the turkey auction at the Ayer’s Cliff fair to raise money for the “Make a Wish” foundation.

Sawyerville 4-H Farm Visit

By Kendra Parnell Sawyerville 4-H has been very busy over the past winter months. We started the New Year off with our annual Banquet. It was a fun evening with delicious food and special awards to be received.

Sawyerville 4-H at Woodsview Farm in Birchton.

The News Spreader-April 2016

This past month, we planned a visit to Woodsview Farm in Birchton. It was a beautiful day for a tour. We learnt about the robotic milker that was installed to improve the farm’s milking process. We learned quite a bit of interesting facts while exploring the barns and looking at the machinery.

Afterwards, we were all treated to Coaticook ice cream. It was a wonderful afternoon! Our 4-H club will continue being busy as summer approaches. Our next event will be our annual dance on May 28th.

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La Danse Carrée Ormstown 4-H

Howick 4-H Dances for the Win!

By Jeremie Patry

On May 7th, the Vankleek Hill Fiddle and Dance Association held their annual square dance competition in the Community Centre.

In all, seven teams danced in the junior division and five teams danced in the open division. The competition was fierce. Howick 4-H did very well in the competition with the junior team winning first place and the seniors placing second. Jessica Rouleau won as the best caller in the junior division.

Special thank you goes to all of the parents for their support, to Katie McKay as our Club Caller and particularly to the teams' coach Phyllis Danforth Rouleau, for her dedication and commitment to the Howick square dancing teams.

Ouvert à tous les membres du 4 -H, la compétition de danse carrée est une tradition annuelle pour notre club.

Un peu plus de 200 spectateurs ont assisté à la danse sans compter les 120 participants. L’événement s’est déroulé dans un environnement calme. « C’est une compétition, mais je ne vois pas que c’en est une » a affirmé Kelsey Bryson, Vice-Présidente du Club de 4-H d’Ormstown.

By Lindsay MacKay

Voici quelques bons résultats : Brittany Knox (Ormstown) Lachute Red Ormstown Bryson et Lily Ross (Ormstown) : Dylan Vaudrey et Jane Heatlie (Lachute Red) Lachute Plaid : Lachute Green : Ella Bryson et Hailey McDougall (Ormstown) : Harrison Neill et Stacey Godin (Lachute Green) : Ormstown : Vankleek Hill : Kurt Mueller et Emma Hooker (Ormstown) : ÉGALITÉ, Thornton Wesley et Ashleigh Cavers (Ormstown) / Devan Dixon-Smith et Jenna Hammond (Lachute)

Photos clockwise from top right: Ormstown Juniors, Peewees, Seniors

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The News Spreader-April 2016

Aylmer 4-H Grows a Garden

By Erin Smith The Aylmer 4-H Club has been growing vegetable seedlings this spring and finally got to plant them in the ground this May long weekend. The girls worked together to decide on a long list of delicious and healthy veggies they will grow. Learning about watering, soil types and sunlight along the way, they mapped out a design for their garden which includes carrots, kale, cucumbers, leeks, tomatoes, peas, peppers and lettuce. Hoping to explore some great recipes and create some healthy meals with our veggies later this summer!

Find Your 4-H Wings Takes Flight in Clubs Across Quebec

Find Your 4-H Wings, clockwise below: Ormstown, Hatley, Huntingdon, Aylmer.

The News Spreader-April 2016

Thanks to the support of TransCanada, 4-H clubs across the country are getting together to build birdhouses for the Find Your 4-H Wings project. Members registered for the project each received a wooden kit to build then paint with bright colours. 4-H’ers are practicing construction skills, helping the birds, and having a good time with their clubs. We’re looking forward to reports about what birds nested in their lovely new houses.

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Canadian Junior Angus Association Scholarships

Awards from $2000 to $1000 are available to be won by paid CJAA members for the current calendar year, under 21 years of age and in at least their second semester of postsecondary studies. Deadline: June 15. http://juniors.cdnangus.ca/ opportunities/scholarship/

Outstanding Young Farmers Scholarship

Two awards of $1,000 are available to be won by students entering or continuing a post-secondary degree or diploma in agriculture. Deadline: June 30.

Info: http://www.oyfcanada.com/ Default.aspx?ReturnUrl=/ scholarship.aspx

Monsanto Canada Opportunity Scholarship

An award of $1,500 is available to be won by high school graduates going into an agriculture or forestry program at college or university. Deadline: June 15. Info: http://www.monsanto.ca/ ourcommitments/Pages/ OpportunityScholarship.aspx

La Classique des Jeunes Ruraux Québécois Location: St. Agapit. August 19 to 24.

Theme: Retro. Apply by August 15.

Info: www.ajrq.qc.ca

Junior Junction Challenge

A challenge for junior members! Grow a three sisters garden and send a photo of you with the results to office@quebec4-h.com for a chance to win a gardening kit in a raffle.

TRACTOR SAFETY CLINIC

National 4-H Members Forum

This conference will take place from November 2-6 in Toronto, Ontario.

Members aged 16 to 21 are eligible to apply. This year's theme will focus on Environment and Healthy Living Leadership Development. Participants will have the chance to attend the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair. Apply to 4-H Quebec. Deadline: July 26th.

Info: http://www.quebec4-h.com/ members-forum/

Video Contest– New for Proud to Bee a 4-H’er!

This year, we wanted to add something special to the Proud to Bee a 4-H’er program, so we created a new video contest as part of the fun! Clubs or individuals should get outside in their gardens and create a 30-second video to tell 4-H Canada and Syngenta how taking part in the campaign and in 4-H makes them Proud to Bee. The videos selected as finalists will be available for public voting online in August, and the winners will walk away with fantastic prizes! Info: http://4-h-canada.ca/ proudtobee

4-H Quebec’s Online Auction Fundraiser

The auction will be open from September 1st until November 2nd.

Canadian Young Speakers for Agriculture

The competition will be held on Saturday November 5th at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair in Toronto. Contestants prepare a fiveto seven-minute speech on one of five agriculture-related topics. Prizes are available for two age groups: Junior (11 to 15) and Senior (16 to 24). Deadline: September 30. Info: http://www.cysajoca.ca/core/

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Would your club like to host a clinic in your community? Need help?

Quebec 4-H can provide resources and assistance. Contact agliaison@quebec4-h.com for more information. Thank you to C.A.S.A. and FCC for funding this project.

U.S. National Dairy Conference

Members 16 to 18 are eligible to apply.

The event costs $300 (USD) plus travel expenses. This event is a place where leading dairy youth from across North America can come to interact with one another and build industry bridges that will last well into the future.

Participants learn about production, processing, marketing, and use of dairy products, and develop a broader understanding of careers available in dairy production, biotechnology, genetics, marketing, and other areas.

The conference consists of workshops, speakers, tours, and visiting the World Dairy Expo. Apply to 4-H Quebec.

Deadline to apply: August 1st 2016.

Agricultural Youth Green Jobs Initiative

Funding employers who wish to hire youth to undertake environmentally friendly activities on their farm.

Accepting applicants as of April 25 on a first come first serve basis.

Canadian Farmers Grow Communities

Win $2,500 for your club. Clubs apply for funding through the site and must have a farmer endorse their application to be eligible. If you are the age of majority and are actively engaged in farming corn, soybeans or canola we encourage you to visit the Idea Map and endorse 4-H endeavors.

Entries open until September 30

The News Spreader-April 2016

4-H Achievement Days June 5: Richmond June 17: Aylmer

Get ready to play!

Provincial Rally 2016

Hosted by Shawville 4-H from July 21-24, 2016.

Theme: “Hollywood”

Summer Junior Camp August 14 to 17

Intermediate Leadership Camp September 23-25

AGM Sat. Nov. 26. Clubs are asked to hold their AGMs in October or early November to facilitate preparation for the

QFA is Recruiting Summer student employment opportunity.

Position: Memberships and Events Communications Assistant.

Wage: $11/ hour, 30 hours a week Start and End Dates: July 18-August 27, 2016 Please send CV with cover letter to qfa@upa.qc.ca with “QFA Summer Employment” in subject line.

Advertise Club events in The Advocate In support of 4-H, the Quebec Farmers' Association has created a new space for clubs to advertise announcements and coming events within the pages of 'The Advocate'. Clubs are invited to send inquiries to qfa@upa.qc.ca

The News Spreader-April 2016

Journey 2050 explores world food sustainability and how our decisions impact social, economic, and environmental factors locally and globally.

Members learn from farm families in Kenya, India, and Canada as they strive to feed a growing population. As members interact with each family they learn about the best management practices and the impact that our present-day decisions will have on our future lives.

Using an interactive farming game, animated videos, and hands-on activities, members will experience agriculture like it’s never been taught before.

Players are encouraged to take what they have learned from the game and apply it to the real world through a social activation project. These projects will allow 4-H members to apply what they have learned about sustainability to a real -world activity. From growing an indoor vegetable garden, to building your own solar water distiller, to exchanging letters with a pen pal in another country, there are a lot of exciting opportunities to get involved.

4-H Quebec is hoping to help clubs get started by holding Sustainability Days this autumn. Get underway with the Journey 2050 game then begin your own project, bring the garden indoors for the fall by growing carrots in a box, making a water bottle onion grower, or a small-space window garden, or even create an indoor aquaponics system. Choose one of our suggestions or propose your own. Watch our facebook page on Monday and Tuesdays for regular Journey 2050 posts with a lot of great ideas. We’re hoping to provide lunch for your club and the supplies you need to get started; details to be confirmed. www.journey2050.com

July 3: Hatley July 17: Sawyerville July 17: Brome (to be confirmed) August 11: Ormstown August 12: Huntingdon (TBC) August 27: Lachute September 2: Shawville

AMTE now has 10 webinars on their site, from starting a blog, to talking to the media about ag – check them out to find one that interests you. Info: agriculturemorethanever.ca/tag/ webinar/

Défi L’heure Ciaq

Holstein Québec Picnic Ferme J.M.S. Amitiés, Ferme-Neuve.

Saturday, July 16 Teams of 3 aged 12 to 25 compete in adventure course games for 4 prizes from $500 to $2000 to support your 4-H club or association. Maximum 1 team entry per club. Maximum 20 teams can register so don’t delay. Info: www.ciaq.com

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Federation of Young Farmers’ Reaction to the Pronovost Report

out that the proposals in the report Pronovost seemed like very weak ambitions for what it cost (99,000$) and a long time was taken to make the document public (over 5 months since it was handed out to the minister by M. Jean Pronovost).

Around forty young people were interviewed in the case of the Pronovost report, compared to more than 700 consultations for our own report. The FRAQ reacted the same day through a press release.

On April 26, the Federation of Young Farmers of Québec (Fédération de la relève agricole du Québec, FRAQ), represented by our newly-elected President Michèle Lalancette, was present at the Québec Parliament for the release of the long-awaited report Pronovost.

The day before, our Federation that represents over 1,700 members under 40 years old also issued a statement on the provincial project of creating a pool of farms to match young farmers seeking land and producers looking to sell their business or part of it. This project is truly a flagship issue for the next generation, still waiting for a funding confirmation from the Minister of Agriculture. Learn more about these hot topics on our website and become a member of this amazing network of passionate young people ! www.fraq.qc.ca

While emphasizing the highlights of our own analysis on the needs and expectations of young farmers produced in collaboration with the Union des producteurs agricoles du Québec and submitted to the Minister of Agriculture of Québec in October, 2015, Ms. Lalancette rightly pointed 10

The News Spreader-April 2016

4-H Delegates Meet Prime Minister at National Citizenship Congress 2016

By Devin Keenan, Richmond 4-H

On May 2, Emilie Rodgers and I left Drummondville, QC via train to our Nation’s Capital to participate in the 4 -H National Citizenship Congress 2016. When we arrived in Ottawa, I wasn’t sure how to introduce myself to my fellow participants but I didn’t need to worry, because the moment I walked into the dorm, everyone from British Columbia and Newfoundland stopped playing “Nerf Gun War” and came over and introduced themselves and shook my hand (this was the first time I’ve had ten handshakes in ten seconds!).

Once all 62 delegates had arrived, the shocking friendliness of my fellow Canadians continued during the “get to know you games”. While the rest of the participants were dancing around, singing along to the music, and jumping into each other’s arms, Emilie and I stood back wondering what kind of world these people came from! By day three, I finally opened up my bubble and got comfortable with these people and after that quickly made friends from all across Canada.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau with 4-H provincial delegates.

Photo credit: Adam Scotti.

Over the five days we learned to prepare a debate, listened to many speeches, toured Ottawa, had a bonfire, pin swapped, played lots of games, and pulled an “all nighter” after our banquet and dance.

One of the highlights of the trip, for me, was getting to go to Parliament. We went for two days, where we got to experience “Question Period”, debate in the Senate or “Red Chamber”, and meet many Members of Parliament, including the Speaker of the House, Hon. Geoff Regan and the Minister of Agriculture, Hon. Lawrence MacAulay. As an added surprise, we met with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. I was surprised how open and comfortable Mr. Trudeau was as he addressed us, answered our questions, and even went around taking “selfies” and face swapping with delegates!

As I left the Congress, I reflected back on my first day with these new friends. I thought how great it was, even though we didn’t know each other, being a part of 4 -H Canada made it easy for us to open up to each other and be so friendly. I highly recommend this congress to fellow 4-H members. You will learn an incredible amount in just five days. I learned a lot about our government and how our parliamentary system works, and I learned that amazing things can happen if we step out of our bubble!

The News Spreader-April 2016

“Democracy is insuring that everybody gets a say in the decisions of a collective group of people.”

Nan Keyes, a 4-H Ontario Leader and chaperone to Ontario and Quebec delegates, said: “Emilie and Devin are amazing youth! I was so proud of all the 4-H youth in attendance of the CC'16...gave me renewed confidence for the future of our country. Many of the youth displayed genuine leadership qualities; as was evidenced in our Senate debate. I was in awe of their preparedness, their prowess and their conviction.

I thoroughly enjoyed Congress on the whole. I would certainly be willing to attend again if for no other reason than to watch our 4-H youth learn, explore, challenge, grow and have fun...all at the same time!”

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Trinity Goes to D.C. with 4-H

By Trinity Mastine, Richmond 4-H

Trinity Mastine, center, with fellow Canadian delegates .

“Present opportunities are not to be neglected; they rarely visit us twice.” These words by Voltaire perfectly describe the many opportunities that 4-H has to offer. My experience representing 4-H Quebec at the U.S. National 4-H Conference was extremely rewarding in several ways.

When people ask me how my trip was, I’m often without words. When you want to say every single detail of the trip, it’s difficult to do so in such a short amount of time, because I could talk about how great it was for hours. Those 6 days were filled with once in a lifetime moments.

Firstly, one of the main focuses of the conference was having roundtable discussions with a group about an issue that we’re all passionate about, in order to prepare a presentation for a federal agency. The roundtables were great, since I got to make new friends, and improve my leadership and presentation skills. But I think the best part of it was that we were in a place where all youth have a voice.

In the States, their motto is: “To make the best better.”

During the presentation and its preparation, it really felt like we were making the best better on a national level by creating change. During my group’s presentation to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), we all had a voice and the adults were all there to listen to our perspective of the issue.

Also, I feel like the theme: “4 -H Grows True Leaders”, really did apply to what we did. We were growing to be true leaders.

Trinity with fellow Canadian delegates (standing 3rd from left).

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Furthermore, this experience gave me more knowledge about the way 4-H works in other areas. I heard about projects such as geocatching, canine, chinchilla, tug-o-war, community service, and much more. Sharing our 4-H differences was interesting, because it gave us ideas to bring back to our own clubs. In addition, the activities we participated in together are simply unforgettable.

There was a youth rally filled with enthusiasm, which included surprise guest speaker, Jennifer Nettles. Also, touring Washington D.C. was amazing! Seeing and learning about things in class or from a book isn’t even comparable to actually seeing it with your own eyes in person!

I highly encourage any member eligible to apply to be a delegate in next year’s conference. It’s an opportunity to take while you can, and that you wouldn’t regret! Voltaire’s words about taking these opportunities will always be true. By taking part in this, I educated myself in many ways, and got to build up even more independence. As we say for 4-H in Canada… “Learn To Do By Doing.”

Thought for Food in Switzerland

By Andrea Soesbergen This past April, I was invited to attend the 2016 Thought For Food Summit in Zurich, Switzerland. Thought For Food (TFF) is a movement that gathers bright minds from around the world to engage in discussion and work together to make the world a better place by taking a hard look at the food system and working out how it can be improved. Every year, they challenge university students to come up with ideas for entrepreneurial projects related to the food system. The purpose of the TFF summit is to select the winner of this challenge to receive a lucrative $10,000 prize to make their dream a reality, but also to bring together individuals, catalyse discussions and oversee the formation of a global community with a shared goal of bettering the future.

The TFF summit, which took place on the 1st and 2nd of April, was a two-day extravaganza of excitement, communication and a commitment to breaking down boundaries. The theme of the summit was “Uprooting Assumptions,” and through this we

The News Spreader-April 2016

Food for Thought in Switzerland cont. from p.12 were invited to throw away our pre-established views of the world and design the future that we want to see. We were encouraged to embrace the seemingly impossible and find ways to bring our vision into reality.

Throughout the summit, we listened to talks by speakers who were innovators and change-makers in their own right, including Daan Roosegaarde, founder of Studio Roosegaarde, an art studio whose productions often have educational and world improvement objectives, Julie Borlaug of the Borlaug Institute for International Agriculture, who shares the institute’s commitment to improving conditions for smallholder farmers, and Chris Lewicki, president and CEO of Planetary Resources, a company exploring space and seeing what resources there can be used to make life better here on earth. We also took part in workshops on various topics like hacking biology, open-source data and sustainable business, and were encouraged to use our creative minds to think, make and build. On the second day, we watched the pitches of the 10 finalist teams of the challenge and witnessed the selection of prizewinning teams. The overall winner of the TFF Summit this year was Kulisha, a group producing low cost fish feed for aquaculture made from insects. This combination of activities made for an incredibly enriching and unforgettable experience.

While my being invited to attend this conference was not directly through 4-H, it was the result of being on a path which the 4-H program has set me on. Being in 4-H has always encouraged me to push my boundaries and step outside of my comfort zone, to not be afraid to apply myself to something I am passionate about and watch what unfolds as a result of the hard work put in. It has also shown me the importance of not accepting the world as it is but working to make the world around you better through volunteering and helping others. As a result, I have found myself attending conferences around the globe this past year, sharing ideas on agriculture and the food system, growing and realizing my own potential. These experiences have shown me that I have a voice and I have knowledge to share, and that I have the power to make great change in the world around me, by starting with small actions in my own community. So thank you 4-H, for setting me on this journey of personal growth and taking me, quite literally, to the top of the world and back.

The News Spreader-April 2016

4-H Meme Competition Send pictures of your animals making funny faces to office@quebec4-h.com by July 11, and we’ll turn them into 4 -H memes! You’ll get a chance to vote for your favorites in July, and whoever sends in the winning picture will get a prize!

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Andrew Hickey, Shawville 4-H

By Cora Dean Andrew Hickey has been a 4-H member for nine years, and this will be the first year he isn’t showing a calf. He remembers the name of all the calves he’s shown. He’s always had a keen interest in 4-H, having watched it at his local fair, Shawville, and especially after attending a Provincial Rally. A friend in high school was a member. His current position is Chair of Finance at the provincial level, where he is in his third term. In October 2013, along with Norma Tolhurst and Julie Neal, he represented 4-H at the Best of CAMA (Canadian Agri-Marketing Association), an annual awards ceremony which in took place in Quebec City.

Andrew feels that 4-H has allowed him to develop great leadership skills through the various programs he has taken part in, such as Citsem and CAMA. It has taught him that he is very passionate about agriculture and youth futures, something he wants to take a more active role in within the various organizations that he is involved with: 4-H and QFA. 4-H has taught him how to manage his time, and reassured him that working with people to help solve problems is something he’s interested in.

Andrew believes “some things in life are worth working for no matter how hard they are because if you’re passionate about it and show care and devotion, good things will come (I owe that to stubborn heifers challenging me to get them to lead properly by rewarding them when they do good).”

Currently he is just finishing up his 3rd and final year at John Abbott College in the business administration program focusing on marketing. In Fall 2017, he will be attending Olds College in Alberta where he will work towards obtaining a degree in agribusiness. His life can best be described as “an organised planned out chaotic mess where I think I have my

Andrew Hickey, far right, at The Best of CAMA Awards in Quebec City, 2003 along with Daniel Lamoureux of La Terre de Chez Nous, Norma Tolhurst and Julie Neal

ducks in a row that’s left till the last minute.” His career goals are to become a Financial Advisor specializing in agricultural loans and financing or an agricultural consultant before returning home to take over the family farm. He decided to stay involved with 4-H because of the networking, the friends and (4-H) family that you create over the years and the skills that 4-H teaches you.

Andrew advises young people who are looking to get involved to reach out to people they know to ask them about the organization and what it has to offer.

“Come to an event and see how much fun it is. Ask to join one of 4-H’s activities as we often have a 4 -H and friend friendly event going on somewhere.”

His favorite thing about being a 4-H member is all the opportunities that are available to 4-H’ers (scholarships, travel opportunities) and the everlasting friendships you get to make.

The most important thing he’s learned in 4-H? “Judging is probably the most important thing that we do in life, but don’t even think about, like judging which apple to eat, and what to wear. You get what you get out of 4-H based upon what you put in it, and I wish I would have joined earlier to take advantage of more of the unique opportunities that I missed out on because I was either too old or working to make money for school.”

Andrew Hickey : “My cows are like my babies.”

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Andrew has demonstrated repeatedly that he is great fun to be around and is a responsible, upstanding 4-H member. It is clear that the future holds great things in store for this exceptional young man.

The News Spreader-April 2016

4-H members aged 9 to 12 are invited to Summer Junior Camp from August 14 – 17 at Dunn Memorial Scout Camp, Elgin, QC. The theme is First Nations so we’ll visit the Droulers -Tsiionhiakwatha Archeological Site and tour Lac Saint François National Wildlife Area in a rabaska canoe. We’ll enjoy games, crafts, and cooking. If you’ve started a three sisters garden, you’re already taking part in the Journey 2050 sustainable agriculture program, and taking action to be environmentally responsible. See if you can find a few sustainability keywords!

Eco-friendly Sustainable Agriculture Word Search

The News Spreader-April 2016

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