4-H Livestock

Arkansas is proud to have an active, successful, and nationally-recognized youth development and educational livestock programs in 4-H.Hot Springs, Ark. – Arkansas is proud to have an active, successful, and nationally-recognized youth development and educational livestock programs in 4-H. The Arkansas Youth Livestock Program has touched thousands of lives over the years. The Arkansas junior livestock programs teach skills to youth that carry them throughout their adult lives. Feeding, exercising, grooming, and showing animals are all important aspects of the 4-H project. 4-H’ers also learn to make decisions, keep records, manage money, take responsibility for another living thing, budget time, and many other important characteristics. The “Grand Finale” for most of these projects is exhibiting their animals at the county fair, district livestock show, or the State Fair.

Projects include:

Beef

Explores beef cattle breeding, feeding, reproduction, health, meats, marketing and economics. Either market or breeding animals can be raised.

Swine

Participants learn proper methods of selecting, feeding, raising, breeding and marketing swine. Either market or breeding animals can be raised.

Sheep/Goats

Youth care for live animals while learning about animal health and nutrition, breeding, selection and marketing. In either the 4-H Sheep or Goat projects individuals learn decision making, record keeping, responsibility, sportsmanship and leadership. They may participate in market projects, breeding projects and non-competitive projects.

Livestock Judging

Livestock judging is a process of evaluating, selecting, placing, and learning the various livestock species–beef cattle, sheep, and swine. Judging is the foundation of any 4-H livestock project.

Livestock Skills

Participants will learn about different breeds of livestock, external parts of livestock, skeletal anatomy of livestock, feedstuffs used in livestock diets, equipment using in raising and showing livestock, wholesale and retail cuts of meat derived from livestock, expected progeny differences (EPDs), common calculations used to measure animal performance and profitability, and judging meats.

Veterinary Science

The 4-H Veterinary Science Project is a 5-year curriculum based project with 100 lessons and 50 activities that gives youth interested in veterinary medicine opportunities to work in the field.

Equine

Arkansas has an approximate equine population of 160,000. Sixty thousand households have horses. A combination of horse maintenance costs, capital investment, and support costs makes this a $3.5 billion industry. Recreation is the number one reason for horse ownership, with trail riding, weekend horse shows, and rodeo events the leading pastimes.

The project is career-oriented and job-training so students can determine if this is a field they would like to pursue.

For more information, visit Extension's web site, www.uaex.uada.edu, or contact Jimmy Driggers, County Extension Agent – Staff Chair, Garland County, 501-623-6841 or email jdriggers@uada.edu.

EHC Information

Are you interested in joining an existing Extension Homemakers Club? EHC is the largest volunteer organization in the state. For information on EHC call 623-6841 or 922-4703 or email jvincent@uada.edu.

Master Gardeners

If you’re interested in becoming a Master Gardener and would like more information, you’re welcome to attend their monthly meeting on the 3^rd Thursday of each month at 1pm at the Elks Lodge. You may also call the Extension office on 623-6841 or 922-4703 or email abates@uada.edu.

4-H Information

We have several 4-H clubs for our Garland county youth who are 5 to 19 years old. For more information on all the fun 4-H activities there are, call the Extension Office at 623-6841 or 922-4703 or email Linda Bates at lbates@uada.edu.

The Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service is an equal opportunity/equal access/affirmative action institution.

By Jimmy Driggers
County Extension Agent - Staff Chair
The Cooperative Extension Service
U of A System Division of Agriculture

Media Contact: Jimmy Driggers
County Extension Agent - Agriculture
U of A Division of Agriculture
Cooperative Extension Service
236 Woodbine Hot Springs AR 71901
(501) 623-6841
jdriggers@uada.edu

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The Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service is an equal opportunity/equal access/affirmative action institution. If you require a reasonable accommodation to participate or need materials in another format, please contact your County Extension office (or other appropriate office) as soon as possible. Dial 711 for Arkansas Relay.

The Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service offers its programs to all eligible persons regardless of race, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital or veteran status, genetic information, or any other legally protected status, and is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.