Tarrant 4-H

Howdy!

I hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving and had some time to relax with friends and family! Please note some important dates coming up regarding:

• Tarrant County Junior Livestock and Project Show Dates
• TCJLS Validation & Entries

• 4-H Foundation Opportunity Scholarship
• Tarrant County 4-H Food Show
• County Awards Interviews UPDATE
• FWSSR Parade Waivers DUE this Friday!

Sincerely,

Miss Kate

kate.marshall@ag.tamu.edu

Kate Marshall, CEA 4-H Youth Development, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension

kate.marshall@ag.tamu.edu

Jordan Peldyak, EA 4-H Youth Development, Prairie View Cooperative Extension Program

Jordan.Peldyak@ag.tamu.edu

Sanci Hall, EA 4-H Youth Development, Prairie View Cooperative Extension Program

sanci.hall@ag.tamu.edu

Andrea Amador, 4-H Administrative Assistant

andrea.amador@agnet.tamu.edu

Traveling to the Tarrant County AgriLife Extension Office:

The entrance to our building is on the West side facing our surface parking lot and Burnett St., it is not on Taylor St. The surface parking lot entrance is on West 2nd Street (Parking will be validated for those participating/staying at an event. Please bring the ticket up with you and we will provide a sticker barcode that scans to get you out free of charge). You will enter the building on the 2nd floor and then take the elevators to the 5th floor where our office is located.

Email: tarrant4-h@ag.tamu.edu
Website: https://tarrant-tx.tamu.edu/
Location: 200 Taylor Street suite 500, Fort Worth, TX, USA
Phone: 817-884-1291
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TarrantCounty4H

Please keep this link handy! This is the 2025-26 Tarrant County 4-H Calendar. County & District Event dates are listed. Please let us know if you have any questions!

Dear 4-H'ers - Please note due to some circumstances beyond our control the date for County Awards Interviews will be the 5th Monday of June in 2026. Please mark Monday, June 29, 2026 on your calendars. This is for county awards that require an interview.

Get re-enrolled here: https://v2.4honline.com/

Adults and youth will need to enroll on 4HOnline and be active to be considered an official member of Texas 4-H. An active enrollment is required in order to register and participate in all 4-H meetings, activities and events. Each year on August 15th all membership in Texas 4-H goes to inactive and all youth and adult volunteers must re-enroll.

• Youth members are required to pay a $25.00 participation fee if enrolled by October 31st, and a $30.00 fee from November 1st to the completion of the 4-H year.
• Clover kids (grades K-2) are required to pay a $10.00 participation fee.
• Adults pay a $10.00 volunteer applicant fee.

There are 4HOnline family guides to assist you in navigating the system to get enrolled.

We are trying something new this year. CYC will meet the same months that the Adult Leaders Association meets. Our schedule for 2025-26 is listed below. Our incoming officers have some BIG things being planned.

All 4-H members are welcome to attend! Be sure to join us at our November meeting and taking part in our community service activity.

County Youth Council is a great way to interact with other 4-H'ers from all over the county and build your leadership skills!

• January 26, 2026 (CYC topic will focus on Leadership)
• March 23, 2026 (CYC will be hosting a 4-H Ambassador Panel)
• May 18, 2026 (CYC will be hosting County Officer Elections)

Attention Young Hunters, Leaders, and Outdoor Enthusiasts!

Get ready for the Texas Trophy Hunters Association Youth Public Speaking Contest — the ultimate chance to showcase your voice, your passion, and your knowledge of the outdoors!

Join us at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center during 2026 TTHA OUTDOORS EXTRAVAGANZA

650 S Griffin St, Dallas, TX
Friday, January 9, and Saturday, January 10
10:00 AM – 11:00 AM

Only the first 8 contestants get a spot — once those slots are filled, that’s it. Participants will deliver a compelling 6–8 minute speech backed by real research, confidence, and originality. No props. No gimmicks. Just you, your ideas, and your voice's power.

Business attire keeps things sharp.

A Q&A session puts your knowledge to the test.

And the best part? The top four will earn the honor of presenting their speech at the Safari Club International Convention floor onstage in Nashville!

If you love the outdoors, believe in conservation, or want to build serious public speaking skills, this contest is your chance to shine.

Spaces are extremely limited — sign up before they’re gone!

ALL INFORMATION:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1TBlhnJ1sQ0Ob8seVrNXo-sxGtArGjcFH/view?usp=drivesdk

The 2025-2026 Texas 4-H Record Book Family Guide is now available. You will notice a few changes to the record book format for this coming year.

Notable Changes:

• Replaced the 4-H Story with Narratives:
• About Me Narrative (All Ages)
• College & Career Exploration Narrative (Intermediate & Senior Only)
• Essay Prompt Narrative which changes annually (Senior Only)
• Added “My Year in Photos” section
• This page is separate from the written narratives and forms.
• Section I – Projects
• All project information will be noted in this section (page limits have increased slightly)
• Encouraged to include at least 4 projects with their main project (to reflect the record book category they are competing in) being the first entry
• However, when judging, one should note QUALITY of the project experience vs QUANTITY
• A young person with 3 active projects may have a lot more of true project experience than those with 6 projects
• Removed Section IV – Other 4-H Projects (added into Section I)
• Forms can reflect all years in 4-H, not just current and previous 3 years
• This was a change because a 4-H member for example may have won a Major Livestock Show in elementary school and that is still considered one of their highest achievements even in High School
• This also mirrors the requirements of the Texas 4-H Opportunity Scholarship which allows all years of 4-H involvement
• Section V – Non 4-H Activities should still focus on more recent years since is to demonstrate your involvement outside of 4-H in more real-time
• Removed Animal Agriculture Category and replaced with Open/Self-Directed
• All record books should be typed. Handwritten books should not be submitted. We understand it may be harder for younger kids to type; therefore, an adult can take their written presentation and type into the format. This is a move towards the potential future of the submissions being in an online format only.
• DISCONTINUED ZSuites. We are exploring alternative online platforms for the future years.

Link to updated Texas 4-H Record Book information: https://texas4-h.tamu.edu/recordbooks/

Mark you calendars for Monday, January 5th for the Tarrant County 4-H Food Show. This year's theme is "Food Truck Favorites." Full details and guidelines can be found here.

Please note, youth will prepare and bring their dishes to the office that day (including Seniors). Watch for the registration/sign-up in the December newsletter! *Since most youth are still on break this day, we will start scheduling appointments at 3 p.m. that afternoon. Follow this LINK to register!

Dear 4-H'ers!

A great opportunity is coming up in January to promote 4-H and your clubs! We will once again be marching as a group in the Fort Worth Stock Show Parade. This year’s parade takes place Saturday, January 17, 2026, parade begins at 11am. This is a great event that counts as community service for the 4-H members that march, and parents are encouraged to participate as well.

Register Here to march in the 2026 Fort Worth Stock Show Parade. The deadline to register is Friday, December 5, 2025, by 5 p.m. This is a fun event where 4-Hers can get to know families from other clubs.

Every participant must complete the release form included in the registration link. One form per person marching in the parade. Forms may be mailed to 200 Taylor St, Suite 500, Fort Worth, TX 76196, email to andrea.amador@ag.tamu.edu by Friday, December 5, 2025 by 5 p.m.

The route is little over a mile long. It starts at the Tarrant County Courthouse, goes to the Fort Worth Convention Center, and then back to the Courthouse. We will meet at 10am at the Extension Office at 200 Taylor Street, Fort Worth, TX 76196, and head over to the start location at 10:30am. (We can validate your parking if you get to the lot early!) We are usually done by 12 p.m.

Please let me know if you have any questions and I look forward to having a great turnout for the parade!

-Miss Kate

The Tarrant County 4-H Roundup Contests are scheduled for Thursday, March 12th, 2026. We will schedule appointments for youth to come into the office starting at 4:00 p.m. that day. This will include:

• Public Speaking
• Educational Presentations
• Fashion Show
• Fashion Storyboard (*This is a virtual contest).

Texas 4-H Dog Validation will open on Saturday, November 1st. All validations must be completed by January 10th (this is a Saturday!!!) Below are some helpful resources to help guide families through this process.

• Guide - New Validation
• Guide - Renew Validation
• Guide - Incomplete Validation
• Guide - Delete Validation
• Guide - Resubmit Validation
• Validation Status

The video available for validation from last year.

Mark your calendars for February 16-21 for the 2026 Tarrant County Junior Livestock & Project Show. Please refer to Tarrant County Jr. Livestock for more information.

This is a reminder that if you are VALIDATING for TCJLS only, that validation is Saturday 12/6/25 at the Eagle Mountain - Saginaw FFA Barn. 8am - 11am. This will be the only validation location this year for Horses, Lambs, Goats, Swine and Cattle that are only being validated for the County Show.

Fancy Poultry Validation - 12/16/25 at Arlington Heights High School 5:30pm - 7:30pm

Market Rabbit Validation - 6pm - 8pm at the following school locations (addresses to follow)

1/20/25 - Birdville

1/21/25 - Brewer

1/22/25 - Crowley

Broiler pick up will be 1/9/26 with more information to follow.

***Entries for the Livestock and Project Show are now OPEN in Showorks for the 2026 show.

Entries MUST be made through your Club Manager. Please check with them ASAP for their submission deadline. Managers are required to turn all entries and payment into TCJLS by January 18th (This means your manager will need your entries well before this date).

The 2025/26 4-H Natural Resources Photography Contest is now OPEN! It will remain open through December 15th. Registration and contest information is detailed in the attachment below.

• This is for all Seniors who will graduate in the Spring!
• The application will open November 1st and close February 15th!
• The updated resources & guidelines will be found here: Types of Scholarships - Texas 4-H Foundation (texas4hfoundation.org)
• The portal can also be accessed at the above link.
• Interviews will take place in College Station April 24 -26, 2026.

Please visit with Miss Kate to learn more about this scholarship. Award amounts vary from $5,000 to $30,000!

Here are some handy links for our Club Managers and Adult Leaders!

• Tarrant County 4-H Calendar: https://secure.smore.com/n/jx6ak
• Texas 4-H Management (Complete Listing of 4-H Resources and Official Logos): 4-H Management - Texas 4-H (tamu.edu)

• Texas 4-H Curriculum and Resources: Curriculum and Resources - Texas 4-H (tamu.edu)

• Tarrant County AgriLife Extension 4-H Webpage: Tarrant County 4-H – Making the Best Better | Teaching, Research, Extension, and Service (agrilife.org)
• Club Manager Forms (Sign-in Sheets) link