The News Spreader
LEADERSHIP FOR TOMORROW THROUGH LEARNING TODAY
The News Spreader QUEBEC 4-H 21,111 Lakeshore Road Macdonald College Harrison House 3-04 Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, QC H9X 3V9 Phone: 514-398-8738 Fax: 514-398-8652 www.quebec4-h.com PRESIDENT Sarah Enright senright14@ubishops.ca
VICE-PRESIDENT Matthew Burns matthew.burns99@hotmail.com
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Lorelei Muller executivedirector@quebec4-h.com
AGRICULTURAL LIAISON Chelsea Daniel
On the cover: 1
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1– The Richmond 4-H Club introduces a new Quilting project 2-Steven Morin participates in the “Vente Harmonie” (Page 5) 3-Howick 4-H Members win big at Vankleek Hill (Page 4) 4– Sawyerville 4-H Activity Day (Page 4)
In this Issue Office News….…………………………………..………………….…..…3 Club News………………………………………………………….……...4 Club News………………………………………………………….……...5 Macdonald Judging competition/ Concours Tout-Quebec..……….………5 Upcoming events and Opportunities………………………………………6 La Jeunesse Rurale du Quebec....………………………………………….8 Tractor Safety…………………………...…...…………………………….9 Featured Member: Andrew Boersen....…………………………………...10 Junior Junction……………………………………………………………11 Online Auction………………………………………...…………….……12
Quebec 4-H Motto: Leadership tomorrow through learning today. Canadian 4-H Motto: Learn to do by doing.
agliaison@quebec4-h.com
OFFICE & COMMUNICATIONS ASSISTANT Norma Tolhurst office@quebec4-h.com
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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.
Quebec 4-H News Spreader
June 2015
Office News
Welcome to our Summer Students! Allison Mastine, Program Assistant Hi Everyone, I am very excited to be joining the Quebec 4-H Office as the new Program Assistant. My main goal this summer if to help make the Provincial Rally and Junior Camp a great experience for all. I am a member of the Richmond 4-H Club, as well as an organizer for the Quebec Junior Beef Show. I sit on various boards, both Provincially and Nationally, within the Beef Industry. This spring, I recently graduated from the Creative Arts, Literature and Languages program at
John Abbott College. This fall, I will be embarking on a new journey, entering my first year in the Kindergarten & Elementary Education program at McGill University. I look forward to meeting you all at Rally and Junior Camp, and to see what this summer has in store for me at Quebec 4-H. To get in touch with Allison you can contact her at assistant@quebec4-h.com
Melanie Gedeon, Public Relations Assistant Hello everyone!! My name is Melanie and I will be working with 4-H this summer as a PR Assistant. I'm not a member of 4-H however after researching the organization I've learned so much and hopefully all of you can teach me more! When I was younger some of my favourite school activities were visiting farms and rural communities to
learn all about animals and explore local fairs. I truly cannot wait to meet and talk with all of you to answer questions, listen to any comments, or just having a friendly conversation. I hope you are all excited for the amazing summer to come! To get in touch with Melanie you can contact her at communications@quebec4-h.com
Manoir Ronald McDonald Montréal “Helping give sick children what they need most . . . their families.” Since the Montreal Ronald McDonald House opened its doors in June 1982, it has welcomed more than 45,000 families, providing a temporary home away from home for parents of children with critical illnesses who travel to Montreal for medical treatments. 50 bedrooms with double bed, single bed, and full bathroom Common areas: living rooms, laundry rooms, library, playrooms for children and teenagers, dining area, as well as a large kitchen with 6 stoves and 4 industrial refrigerators. On May 15, Richmond 4-H member Katie Grandsire Mastine, her mother Lee-Anne, and Lorelei Muller delivered 50 pounds of drink can tabs to the facility which sells the aluminum to recyclers to raise funds. Thanks to everyone who contributed tabs. Keep gathering, we’ll be collecting
again at AGM in November. Can we top 50 pounds?
Richmond 4-H Scrapbooking Project Cassandra Evans, Richmond 4-H Reporter Richmond 4-H would like to thank Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada under the Growing Forward program for the $1000 grant for the scrapbooking project. By having received this grant, our members had the opportunity to be creative and make amazing pages, which they will be able to share with our community at our events. The album they have created demonstrates what our 4-H club has taken part in throughout the year. It is much appreciated by the members and we are very thankful to have received this grant.
June 2015
Quebec 4-H News Spreader
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Club News Sawyerville 4-H Activity Day Kendra Parnell, Club Reporter On March 28, the Sawyerville 4-H met for a brief meeting at the Sawyerville Community Center and continued on to Dave & Mary Ellen Young’s for a fun filled activity afternoon. We broke into five groups and ventured into the woods. We were taught how to build a fire with the branches, brush and dry grass we found. Each group had a different strategy and all of them turned out to be successful. A tin can filled with water was hung on a branch over each fire so we could boil water and make our own hot chocolate. It was a warmer day than others so we had no problems with wind or cold. Banana bread, cookies and chocolate Easter eggs were served around the fires. Everyone had a lot of fun and learned something along the way. (See photo on front cover)
Howick 4-H Teams Win At Vankleek Hill Competition Lindsay Gruer, Howick 4-H On May 9th Vankleek Hill Community Center hosted a Square Dance competition in which 12 teams danced. In all, 6 teams danced in the junior division, and 6 danced in the open division. Howick 4-H did very well in the competition, with both the Howick juniors and seniors winning 1st place in their respective divisions. Additionally, Lindsay Gruer and Randy Chisholm won best junior couple. Katie MacKay won best senior caller. Special mention goes to Phyllis Danforth Rouleau for her dedication and commitment to coaching the Howick 4-H Square Dancing.
Hatley 4-H Beef Clinic Shelby Drew, Hatley 4-H Director On Friday May 8th at 7pm the members from the Hatley 4-H had the pleasure to visit Greyledge farms in Cookshire Quebec. Former Hatley member Emily Grey and her husband Scott Matthews gave the club a beef showmanship clinic. This included how to properly dress for the show ring, what preparation should be done to the animal and other tricks like useful products to use. Emily's father David brought out a yearling bull that would be shown in the 2015 season for the demonstration. Following this an older and very calm cow named ''Della'' was brought out so members could practice their beef showmanship skills. The Hatley club would like to extend a huge thank you to Greyledge for the great educational experience.
École de Préparation Monica Parnell, Sawyerville 4-H This year Holstein Québec hosted the eighth edition of école de preparation in Montmagny from May 16 th to the 18th. Emmy Desrosiers, from the Ormstown Club, and I participated in this event along with numerous members of the AJRQ. The first day started off with a `break the ice game`. Then we had a workshop on how to prepare your bed and to set up an exhibit. Participants were divided into teams of six and each was given a different color banner. We had to create a farm name and logo, and decorate according to our theme. We then had lunch and waited for the heifers to arrive. They came from Ferme Boulet, Ferme Parile and Pierre Boulet (Pierstein). Upon their arrival, we had a workshop about washing your heifer. After the calves were all washed, there was a conference about animal nutrition. We learned how to feed from 0-2 years and also how to feed a show calf. After supper, there was a workshop about clipping your calf for the show. On Sunday, we had our last conference on showmanship. Participants had the rest of the day to clip and train. Also, we had a theory exam on everything we learned from the weekend. Then on Monday, were the showmanship classes. The judge was Richard Laundry. The Grand Champion Showman was Mauranne Hébert from my team. The biggest challenge of the weekend was training a calf in one day that hasn`t been worked with before. I would encourage any dairy member to go because you learn a lot and it is a great experience.
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Quebec 4-H News Spreader
June 2015
Club News Ormstown 4-H News Adele Bryson, Club Reporter
In the month of April and May the Ormstown 4-H club held a square dance competition on April 12th, 2015 it started at 7 pm and ended late at night. The winning teams in the Pee-Wee division: Lachute Red/Green. Junior division: 1 st Lachute Plaid, 2nd Shawville, 3rd Howick. Senior division: 1 st Lachute, 2nd Howick, 3rd Mac Jac. Best junior caller: Tamara Lavoie of Vankleek Hill. Best Pee-Wee couple: Anthony Godin and Emily McOuat of Lachute. Runner-up Pee-Wee couple: Jason StCyr and Melissa Codington of Richmond. Best junior couple: Randy Chisholm and Lindsay Gruer of Howick. Runner-up junior couple: Jason McOuat and Amanda St-Denis of Lachute. Best senior couple: Jordan Godin and Bobbi Heatlie of Lachute. Runner-up senior couple: Kevin McFarlane and Jessica Rouleau of Howick. Honorable mention senior couple: Bobby Tolhurst and Ariane France of Mac Jac. Winners of the raffle: Will Erskine, Guylaine Billette, Claire Laroche and Joan Champ. Music for the evening was provided by The Neil McKay Band along with John Wilson, Connie McClintock, Emmy Desrosiers and Ralf Bedard. The master caller for the competition was Ralph Templeton. Judges this year were Stephanie Maynard, Carolyn Cameron and Jesse
Bradley. The Ormstown 4-H club served sandwiches, soft drinks, ships and vegetables. After giving the prizes out we had an after dance open to everyone who was interested in dancing. All teams and audience had a wonderful night. The Ormstown 4-H club had 1 meeting on May 3rd, 2015 to practice our judging skills for the Ormstown fair. We also had square dancing practices on May 6 th and 8th for the Vankleek Hill square dance competition. The Ormstown junior team placed 4th out of 6 and the Ormstown senior team placed 2nd out of 6. We all had an amazing time dancing.
The Vente Harmonie Steven Morin, Richmond 4-H From the 9th to the 12th of March 2015, young talented clippers ranging from 10 to 25 years of age met at ferme Deslacs Holstein for a week of preparing 42 Holstein heifers for the Vente Harmonie organized by Serge Lampron. Serge’s goal in organizing this sale was to involve local farm kids in a sale that would make the general public aware of the importance of farming in everyday life. At the same time, Serge wanted to send a part of the proceeds to Pierre Lavoie. Pierre’s mission is to teach children to adopt a healthy lifestyle through “physical activity, healthy eating and perseverance at school” (le Grand Defi, Pierre Lavoie). My personal adventure started long before the week of the sale. Back in the spring of 2014 I attended a clipping day at Cyrmo Holstein where we were given advice and tips on how to properly clip a heifer. The top clippers from the day were asked to move on to compete in the regional finals at Ferme Des Lapointe in Upton. I was one of the lucky participants chosen at the end of the day, I was chosen as one of the finalists to partake in the Vente Harmonie. We were informed that over the summer we would be evaluated on our progress and then would finally be chosen. In February, I was contacted and told that I had been one of the 25 young talented fitters who would be participating in the Vente Harmonie. So I was off. My week began on Monday morning with the washing and getting all 42 Holstein settled in for the week. In the afternoon we had our first conference on how to raise a dairy animal properly. We continued with training the heifers to walk and started fitting them. That night we all joined together for supper with the explanation of the week’s itinerary followed by a conference on the proper way to judge a dairy heifer. Tuesday, we started off with washing the animals and continued with the fitting of the heifers. Throughout the day we had conferences on flushing and embryo transplants, and the important's of hoof trimming. We also had a presentation from a representative of Holstein Quebec.On the third day we did the finishing touches to the animals that included setting the top lines. We also had a conference on how to market dairy heifers. After a long week, the day was finally here. We got up extra early sale morning, to have everything in “tip top” shape for the buyers who would fill the barn to find a top heifer to purchase. Before the sale began, we had one last conference on the evolution of the dairy farm and its size compared to the number of farms in the province. There was even an appearance from the local news station, and Pierre Lavoi himself. The sale began and what a rush the day was. With four animals donated, and many other giving donations at the door, the Vente Harmonie managed to raise $17,725 for the Defi Pierre Lavoi. The Vente Harmonie was a great experience for me and I enjoyed it greatly. I made lots of new friends and contacts. Also had the chance to learn new fitting tricks that I could use for myself. Keep watch for the Vente Harmonie second edition in the summer of 2017. (See photo front cover)
June 2015
Quebec 4-H News Spreader
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Upcoming Events…. Quebec 4-H
The Richmond 4-H Club Presents
Provincial
Rally
July 16-19, 2015
Theme:
TRACTORS For full schedule of events, details, and forms, visit: www.quebec4-h.com/rally
At the Richmond Fairgrounds 128 route 143, Cleveland QC
Outstanding Young Farmers Scholarship $1,000 Selection is based on references, school transcripts, and each applicant will type a short one page essay based on: “Why are you passionate about agriculture in Canada?” Deadline: JUNE 30
www.oyfcanada.com
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Tout-Quebec des Jeunes Ruraux
Must be 21 year or younger as of Jan 1 of that year. Members in good standing of AJRQ or Q4-H. Must submit a professionally taken photo of applicant and their heifer, photo taken since April 1 of that year. Applicants must have participated in min 2 Quebec competitions. See e-mail update for all rules and regulations. Deadline: NOV 23
Quebec 4-H News Spreader
June 2015
...and Opportunities! Agropur Achievement Day Grant
The Roland and Shirley Maxwell Pasture Manager of the Year Prize
A $300 grant 4-H clubs on its territory that plans to The Quebec Farmers’ Association is proud to announce
the launch of ‘The Roland and Shirley Maxwell, Pasture
hold a local dairy heifer exhibition. This is Agropur’s Manager of the Year Prize’ awarded to farmers displaying way of supporting 4-H clubs with their training and exceptional pasture management. education efforts. Grants are presented at the vari-
The notion of such a prize arose during the 2014 QFA
ous Agropur regional assemblies, and a representa- Annual General Meeting, to make use of monies donated by long-time QFA members and pasture management tive from each club is invited to attend. Grant readvocates, Roland and Shirley Maxwell. Sadly, Roland
cipients also receive $55 worth of products donated past away in 2012 and this prize is dedicated in his memory. Each year, the QFA will award prizes amounting to by Agropur. To obtain this grant the form must be $2000 to participants. by SEPT 1 to the region’s Cooperative Adviser.
4-H Canada National Members Forum
November 25- 29, Saskatchewan. Join other 4H'ers from across the country and visit the Canadian Western Agribition, the largest agriculture and livestock show in Canada. The theme of this year's forum is Science and Technology. 10 delegate spaces are available per province, $300/ member. Applicants must be between 16-21 yrs as of Nov 25. Deadline to apply to Quebec 4-H:
Beef Sen$e Find out what it takes to run a successful beef operation from some of the top farmers. Gain an advantage by learning the importance of management and how it can lead to increased profits. Ages 1825, fee: $147 Visit: www.4-hontario.ca for more information. Deadline: JULY 2
August 9-12, 2015 Camp Kinagaliwi, Spooner Pond Open to members 9-12 June 2015
Quebec 4-H Clubs are invited to submit a video, of no more than 6 minutes long, showcasing a farmer local to their area displaying exceptional pasture management practices. Quebec 4-H winning club entries will win: 1st Prize video - $300 – to be shown at the annual QFA Information Day at Macdonald Campus 2nd Prize video - $200 3rd Prize video - $150 Every other club entry submitted will win $100. Only one entry is permitted per club. The winning farmer will receive $1000 plus a seed donation from seed company DLF Pickseed. The top 3 entries and winning farmer will be featured in the Advocate. The top 2 video entries will be uploaded onto the QFA website. Entries will be judged on intensive pasture management Best Practice, and quality and interest of videos created. Deadline for submissions – September 15 Winners will be announced October 16 and be featured in the October issue of the Advocate. Interested clubs are encouraged to email the QFA general office enquiries for further information and criteria that the judges are looking for: qfa@upa.qc.ca
Deadline to register: July 15th Find forms online at: www.quebec4-h.com/junior-camp
Quebec 4-H News Spreader
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La Jeunesse Rurale du Quebec Springtime: Young Farmers Gather All Across the Land in Québec For the first year, young farmers from every region in Québec gathered for a “Journée Relève” on April 11. The entire day was dedicated for events organized by young people to showcase their outstanding work and attract new members in their agricultural network. Overall, more than 30 activities were held simultaneously in a joyful and familyfriendly atmosphere. These events drew more than 800 people all across Québec, a positive sign as the spring season, flowers, youngsters and maple sap are in bloom. What a nice metaphor for a dynamic union of young farmers willing to promote their profession et show sponsors that they stand up, socialize, partner up and speak out for their future! A lot of regional unions decided to invite friends and members at traditional sugar shack gatherings, but a lot of different events took place elsewhere: conferences, 5 à 7, Wine and Cheese, Beer and Sausage,
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farm visits, etc. The comments following this special day meant to unite the troops were pretty unanimous: A lot of fun in the sun, and a bigger happening next year using the same fruitful concept! "We successfully met our main target to reach a young and energetic audience at the same time all over the land. The sun, the playful mood, the great music, the nice people and the good food have made this first edition of the “Journée Relève” a total success. We look forward to next year and we would be glad if our Canadian counterparts decided to join this feast!” said Pascal Hudon, president of the Union, while speaking to young students in agriculture at La Pocatière during an exhibition on April 11. Young men and women involved in their region are eager to continue on this momentum and keep defending their interests for the rest of the year, while having fun together whenever they can meet outside of the farm, work or school place. The success of this provincial event also pro-
Quebec 4-H News Spreader
vided a unique opportunity for media coverage on the actions of this provincial network of 16-39 year-old members passionate about agriculture. And the cherry on top, a contest was held among our members on the following topic: “Young Farmers in Movement”. Three winners claimed their prize on April 11 and around twenty photographs were taken and sent to participate in this creative concept. We have no choice but to prepare for a “Journée Relève, take 2”. Stay tuned and see you next year guys!
June 2015
TRACTOR SAFETY Quebec 4-H is looking for clubs to participate in their "Tractor Safety throughout the year" initiative this fall by hosting a clinic in their region! Help promote safety and save lives! Contact Chelsea: agliaison@quebec4-h.com for more info! We gratefully acknowledge the support of C.A.S.A and FCC in funding this project .
Thank you to Farm Safety just for Kids for providing the Resources for this issue, as well as Serge Lussier for helping us review the content.
June 2015
Quebec 4-H News Spreader
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Featured Member Andrew Boersen, Richmond 4-H Norma Tolhurst, Office and Communications Assistant
at the Provincial Level, and last year even had the opportunity to travel to PEI for a special edition of Citizenship Congress. As If that weren’t enough, he has also participated in 2 editions of National member’s conference (Montreal 2012), Toronto (2013), 2 interprovincial exchanges, and currently sits on the Provincial Programs and Regulations Committee.
Like many, Andrew started his 4-H career with Dairy, but it wasn’t long before he discovered everything he could do with 4-H.
4-H had always been a family affair for Andrew; his father had been a part of it when he was a teenager, and after his older sister joined, it seemed only natural for him to follow suit. Now 19 years old, Andrew has been an active member for over 12 years, participating in Dairy, Rabbit, Public Speaking, No one escapes dish duty and Intermediand more recently has helped organize ate Leadership Camp! a cooking project in his club. While he was in high school, he was highly involved on the executive of his club, taking on nearly all the positions at one point or another. “The year I was president I achieved so much on a personal level, and was even recognized as a Young Townships Leader, based on my involvement in 4-H.”
“It is so hard to choose just one. Everything that happened the year I was club president was awesome. I also really enjoyed participating in the Royal Winter Fair.” While keeping up with his regular projects, this fall, Andrew also assisted with the development of a cooking project for Richmond 4-H. Thanks to his experience in the culinary arts, and leadership skills gained as a member, Andrew is able to pass on the “Learn to do by doing” experience. Even though his days on the club executive may be behind him, Andrew is still an active member in the club and helps encourage the younger members to reach their potential. “If I had any advice to give 4-H members, it would be to not be afraid to take on [executive] positions. It’s something that will help you in everyday life. You become a leader that others look up to.”
His love of agriculture and hands on learning have propelled him into a career path in agriculture. Out of High School, Andrew first started in the Culinary Arts, but his love for being on the farm will bring him to Macdonald Campus this Fall to study Farm Management and Technology, with the eventual goal of working as an Agrinome, and taking over the family farm.
Throughout his 4-H Career, Andrew has participated in Junior Camps, Intermediate Leadership Camps, Provin- “ Thanks to 4-H, and being a part of cial Rally, Innovative Ag Tour and the the executive, I’ve learned how to inProvincial Square Dance Competition teract with people, deal with situations and face problems. It has given me a Cool fact about Andrew: higher overall skill set and leadership “As a kid, my dream was to be a capabilities.”
professional Hockey Player.” 10
His Favorite 4-H Memory
Quebec 4-H News Spreader
As Grand Champion rabbit showman, Andrew conducted an impromptu showmanship clinic for some other top contenders to help them prepare for the Overall Showmanship Competition at the Richmond 4-H Achievement Day. June 2015
Are you ready for Summer Junior Camp?
This year we will BEE exploring the theme of bugs and insects in a range of activities, crafts and games, (See camp details in events and opportunities section). To get you geared up for all the cool things you can learn, we thought we would share some cool fact about bees.
Honeybees are insects Honeybees have 6 legs, 5 eyes, and 2 sets of wings Most honeybees in a colony are workers, who live for about 6 weeks Each colony has 1 queen, who will live for about 2-3 years Both workers and queens are female The male honeybees are called drones, and they do no work at all There will be between 20,000-60,000 honeybees in one colony Honeybees have been around for 30 million years Only workers will sting, and only if they feel threatened Worker honeybees will die once they sting Drones have no stinger
Queens have a stinger, but don’t leave the hive to help defend it A worker bee will collect about 1/10th of a teaspoon of honey in her lifetime It takes about 556 workers to gather 1 pound of honey It takes the nectar from about 2 million flowers to make 1 pound of honey A Canadian Prairie honeybee colony can produce an average of 170 pounds of honey in a single season Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba produce most of Canada’s honey Honey is a natural, unrefined food that does not spoil Minerals found in honey include iron, copper, sodium, potassium, manganese, calcium, and phosphorous
Send in your completed puzzle with your camp registration form for your chance to win a prize! June 2015
Quebec 4-H News Spreader
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