OneFineAcre
Herd Master
Congrats.
Promise Acre: Our Journey
- Thread starter promiseacres
- Start date
Mike CHS
Herd Master
Congratulations. 4H is making a comeback here so you never know.
- Thread starter
- #623
promiseacres
Herd Master
Unfortunately many of the leadership is blind to their issues and take offense of changes to make it kid friendly..... particularly our rabbit program....
attending the rules meeting in September. Hoping we can make some changes. 
but my kids may not be showing their rabbits at our local fair.
Bruce
Herd Master
Perhaps they can't "read" if things aren't big and bold and right in their face. Start with stating you know how hard it is to run programs like this, that there are issues that come up to make it even harder. BUT without membership, there is no club.
We dealt with this with the skating club (I was on the board for 9 years). In our case it isn't that kids don't like to skate and don't want to be able to do some of the things you see on TV instead of toe picking around the rink but that the cost is prohibitive. You can skate cheap on rental skates and public ice but club ice with a max of 20 on the rink at a time (so people can do other than "hamster wheel" around and around and around), semi or private lessons, DECENT skates ... money. And when the economy is down, such things are on the top of the "cull" list.
Seems to me that "kid friendly" would be the absolute FIRST priority of a 4H program. It doesn't exist to give adults something to do with their spare time in the absence of children! I don't know what the costs are for 4H participation. I expect raising some chicks or rabbits is cheaper than larger animals. Horses? BIG BUCKS from all I've heard. I would think the club would need to ferret out potential interest among the younger people. What kind of animals do people have/want (and have the "facilities" to raise). It must be a lot easier to get sheep/goat/cattle/horse groups when people live on farms where those animals already exist. But chickens/ducks/rabbits, etc ... those are critters most people with even a small yard can raise. And why NOT other small animals that people often raise in the house like mice, hamsters, guinea pigs??
Then there is the question of "what animal groups do other nearby (xx?? miles) 4H programs have?". If the leadership of the programs can work together, there might be quite a nice showing at the fair. Who wants to show at the fair if they think their 2 rabbits will be the only ones there? Could be there are a dozen programs around thinking the same thing.
We dealt with this with the skating club (I was on the board for 9 years). In our case it isn't that kids don't like to skate and don't want to be able to do some of the things you see on TV instead of toe picking around the rink but that the cost is prohibitive. You can skate cheap on rental skates and public ice but club ice with a max of 20 on the rink at a time (so people can do other than "hamster wheel" around and around and around), semi or private lessons, DECENT skates ... money. And when the economy is down, such things are on the top of the "cull" list.
Seems to me that "kid friendly" would be the absolute FIRST priority of a 4H program. It doesn't exist to give adults something to do with their spare time in the absence of children! I don't know what the costs are for 4H participation. I expect raising some chicks or rabbits is cheaper than larger animals. Horses? BIG BUCKS from all I've heard. I would think the club would need to ferret out potential interest among the younger people. What kind of animals do people have/want (and have the "facilities" to raise). It must be a lot easier to get sheep/goat/cattle/horse groups when people live on farms where those animals already exist. But chickens/ducks/rabbits, etc ... those are critters most people with even a small yard can raise. And why NOT other small animals that people often raise in the house like mice, hamsters, guinea pigs??
Then there is the question of "what animal groups do other nearby (xx?? miles) 4H programs have?". If the leadership of the programs can work together, there might be quite a nice showing at the fair. Who wants to show at the fair if they think their 2 rabbits will be the only ones there? Could be there are a dozen programs around thinking the same thing.
- Thread starter
- #625
promiseacres
Herd Master
Some pictures of our latest camping trip. Had a lovely time. Biked, went to the beach and canoe around the lake. Saw lots of osprey. Kinzey had a good nap under the picnic table.
Bruce
Herd Master
Too cute! Glad you had a good time.
- Thread starter
- #627
promiseacres
Herd Master
Sooo... to cut my workload I put Rayne the kids 38" pony up for sale yesterday... put her priced pretty high... in any case have someone coming to see her tomorrow.
so today I deleted the ads.... she is an onery pony but have had her since she was an yearling...I remember her newborn pictures (a friend bred her) she's the same age as my DS.... 
maybe these people won't come. But I DO need to cut back.... and John wants me to get Cookies again. Need to work these horses...not been very motivated. Doesn't help my trailer is full of junk again... back again to desperately needing a barn. it never ends... to motivate my horse habit I am wanting to try a competitive mounted orientareering. But can't seem to find the time.
a friend hatched some of our eggs so I have my hen replacements... 19/24 eggs hatched!
and sold today bunny to a repeat customer. A 4Her who bought a buck this spring. Always love hearing how things are going for new owners. So with the 3 that have deposits on them I only have 17 to sell.
so today I deleted the ads.... she is an onery pony but have had her since she was an yearling...I remember her newborn pictures (a friend bred her) she's the same age as my DS.... maybe these people won't come. But I DO need to cut back.... and John wants me to get Cookies again. Need to work these horses...not been very motivated. Doesn't help my trailer is full of junk again... back again to desperately needing a barn. it never ends... to motivate my horse habit I am wanting to try a competitive mounted orientareering. But can't seem to find the time.a friend hatched some of our eggs so I have my hen replacements... 19/24 eggs hatched!
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Baymule
Herd Master
Rayne is awfully cute.......it is so hard to let go.
- Thread starter
- #629
promiseacres
Herd Master
Well never heard back from the gal after I took more pictures of Rayne... so guess they weren't that interested after all.. 
In any case trying to convince DH to go see a property... I have brought it before and it's still on the market. 19 acres, 11 is a hay field, a older house, a few older buildings, woods... down a very long lane. His hang up is its 45 minutes to his work But it's closer to our families... I would miss our church... idk I just can't accept staying here
In any case trying to convince DH to go see a property... I have brought it before and it's still on the market. 19 acres, 11 is a hay field, a older house, a few older buildings, woods... down a very long lane. His hang up is its 45 minutes to his work But it's closer to our families... I would miss our church... idk I just can't accept staying here
Bruce
Herd Master
You can tell him my DW drives that long to work 6 days a week
OK, yeah it is a haul, 35 miles one way.
OK, yeah it is a haul, 35 miles one way.
