Darke County 4-H

The Champaign County Rabbit & Cavy advisors are hosting their annual Ohio Rabbit & Cavy Clinic on Saturday, March 15, 2008, at the Champaign County Fairgrounds, in Urbana.

This clinic is for both the beginner and the experienced rabbit or cavy person; whether a 4-H/FFA member, adult rabbit/cavy show manager or anyone interested in raising rabbits or cavies.

Registration begins at 8:45am. Session topics include breed identification and standards, preventative health and disease, raising meat pens and single fryers, grooming and show table etiquette, wool management, record keeping and pedigrees, breeding and kindling problems, housing and facilities, nutrition, genetics and more!

Contact April LeMaster (rabbits) at 937-869-4396, or Lisa Blake (cavies) at 937-653-5435, for additional information.

Sheep and goat tagging/tattooing will be held Saturday, May 3, 2008, from 9:00am until 11:00am, or Tuesday, May 6, 2008, from 7:00pm until 8:00pm.

Each exhibitor is permitted to tag up to five market lambs and five market goats.

There will be a $1.00 per head charge for lambs and a $2.00 per head charge for goats. Additional information will be sent closer to the tagging date.

The Champaign County Rabbit & Cavy 4-H advisors are sponsoring a Rabbit & Cavy Youth Fun Show on Saturday, April 19, 2008. Registration begins at 8:00am, with the show starting at 9:00am.

Registrations will be taken the day of the show only, and the fee is $1.50 per animal.

A copy of the show flyer is available from our office upon request.
Contact Terry Griest (rabbits) at 937-788-2201, or Lisa Blake (cavies) at 937-653-5435, for additional information.

If your club/chapter has a volunteer who completed quality assurance certification during 2007, then they do not have to re-certify for 2008, providing the same certified volunteer will be doing your club/chapter’s quality assurance during 2008.

If you need certification for 2008, please contact our office.
Or, certification may also be obtained by completing the Beef Quality Assurance Test online and receiving 100%.

Youth interested in applying for the 2008 Youth Conservationist Program need to be between 9 and 18 years old (please note the new age guidelines). If selected, they must be present to receive the ewe at the Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival (MS&WF) on Sunday, agree to exhibit the ewe at least twice in 2008 at: 1) a county fair or local sheep show: and 2) the state fair in the state where the recipient lives;to breed the ewe to a registered ram in the fall of 2008; agree to either use the ewe’s fleece to personally make a woolen item or sell the fleece to a spinner, felter or weaver and submit a one to two page report, with pictures to the donor breeder by April 30, 2009.

Applications from interested youth must be postmarked by April 1, 2008. In the application/essay, youth should describe themselves, their experience with animals, explain their interest in sheep and answer the question:“Why I would like to help preserve a heritage breed of sheep.”
The total application/essay should be no more than 2 pages in length. The application must include address, phone and if available, email address. The applicant should indicate if they wish to be considered for a particular breed or any of the breeds available.

New for 2008: each applicant must include a “letter of recommendation” from their 4-H advisor, FFA advisor, veterinarian, teacher or clergy.

Interested young people should contact Elaine for an updated list of breeds available, then submit their letter of application/essay to Elaine Ashcraft, 46118 CR 58, Coshocton, Ohio 43812.For more information contact Elaine Ashcraft at 1-740-622-1573.