This fall Haralson County 4-H members have been very busy, and their activities continue as they prepare for spring.

Just a few weeks ago, nine 4-H members competed in the Royal Alpaca Challenge in Conyers, Ga., at the International Horse Park. At the alpaca show, which was approved by the Alpaca Owners and Breeders Association, participants competed four categories: confirmation, obstacle course, showmanship and costume.

In the confirmation competition, alpacas’ are examined by judges to determine how good of an example of the breed the animal is, and they analyze the quality of the animal’s build and fleece. In the obstacle course, owners must lead their alpacas through a series of tasks to test their agility and concentration. In the showmanship category, it is the showers themselves who are judged rather than the alpacas. Handlers are judged on their showing skills as well as their knowledge about their alpaca and alpacas in general. The last category, the costume category, is a fun one for handlers, who dress their alpacas and themselves in matching costumes and present their ensembles to the judges.

4-H members Zoey Cash, Thomas Cox, Natalie Hardin, Nathan Hardin, Savannah Ross, Megan Smith, Jacob Smith, Josh Smith, Justin Swofford and Peyton Teem all participated in this year’s Alpaca Challenge.

“This is the biggest show the majority of [the 4-H members] have been to,” said Haralson County Extension Agent for 4-H and Youth Development Keena Hardin. “[At the show] they are able to talk to other breeders and learn more about animals, and because the show is sponsored by the state, 4-H members got to help with setup, check-in and registration, which helped them learn responsibility.”

Hardin also said the event was a great opportunity for her 4-H members to network outside of the 4-H organization since they were the only handlers there who were with a 4-H group. The Haralson County 4-H Alpaca club took eight alpacas with them to the competition, which boasted more than 300 competing alpacas, and still brought home a few prizes.

Natalie Hardin placed second in the Sub Junior Obstacle competition, and Haralson County 4-H members dominated the categories of Junior Obstacle, in which Justin Swofford placed first, Josh Smith placed second, Nathan Hardin placed fifth and Zoey Cash placed sixth, and Intermediate Showmanship, with Savannah Ross placing second, Megan Smith placing third and Thomas Smith placing fifth. Zoey Cash and Justin Swofford also placed first and second, respectively, in the Junior Showmanship category. Savannah Ross placed third in Intermediate Obstacle, and Thomas Cox placed fifth. In the final category, Costume, Jacob Smith placed first, Zoey Cash placed second and Thomas Cox placed third.

While the Alpaca Club was busy in Conyers competing against other breeders and handlers, the 4-H Cloverleafs (fifth and sixth grade 4-H members) were preparing their Project Achievement projects, which were presented to judges the first week in December.

Project Achievement is a competition between 4-H members in which they choose a particular topic to present as their project. Competitors must give an oral presentation to judges on their topic, which can range from food-related, to public speaking to the performing arts. Competitors can earn first, second or third place in their category.

Twenty six 4-H members competed in Project Achievement, and some will be heading for Rome, Ga., on Jan. 30 to compete in the Project Achievement northwest district competition.

“We stress that the local Project Achievement is good experience to help them build their self confidence,” Hardin said.

Those who go on to district competition often use the time between shows to perfect their projects. The same is true for Junior and Senior 4-H members (4-H members in grades seven through twelve), who recently participated in a Portfolio Lock-in.

“Junior and Senior 4-Hers must keep a portfolio of their activity from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31 of 2009, and it documents everything they’ve done with 4-H as well as their church, school and other activities,” Hardin said.

Junior and Senior 4-H members must maintain a portfolio of their activities if they plan to compete in their Project Achievement event as it counts toward a percentage of their overall score.

4-H members are also gearing up for a livestock judging contest to be held Jan. 22 in Athens by practicing their showmanship and knowledge of beef cattle, sheep and swine before the upcoming competition. In this contest, 4-H members must judge livestock and determine which animal is the best in its class.

“The 4-Hers have to place them in a class of first through fourth (from best to worst) and give an oral set of reasons to the judges why they placed each animal where they placed it,” Hardin said. “They will compete against other counties in the region.”

Competitors must learn the basic qualifying guidelines for an ideal animal and then learn to analyze each animal’s traits and faults classify them based on their findings.

“While they are practicing we try to help guide them in their discussions and decisions,” Hardin said, “to prepare them for the competition.”

In the meantime, several Cloverleaf are preparing for the Pea Nutrition competition Jan. 11. In this competition, Cloverleafs are asked to create their own recipe for a peanut butter sandwich. Judges then read the recipes and choose the best out of the bunch to come to the competition and make their sandwiches. The judges then taste the sandwiches and judge the creations as well as the creators on technique and execution.

“They get really creative with these recipes,” Hardin said. “They can add anything else they want to the peanut butter, and they do – everything from honey to marsh mellows.”

Hardin says there is no shortage of activities for area 4-H members to participate in, and anyone wanting to join is more than welcome. Anyone interested in the BB Team, which has just recently begun practicing, is also encouraged to enquire at the Haralson County Extension office in Buchanan or call 770-646-2026.