Ammunition May Be Defective

An incident has been brought to my attention concerning the malfunction of .22 caliber ammunition involving multiple target rifles on a single 4-H range. This initial incident occurred in Val Verde County with their 4-H Shooting Sports program run by volunteer Gary Humphreys. The Eley Sport .22 rimfire ammunition caused damage by minor explosions to multiple rifles while being shot. No human injuries were sustained. A similar incident occurred in Kinney County. The Eley Sport ammunition involved came from lot numbers 031209011 and 061209008purchased in October 2010. Gary Humphreys is currently in contact with Eley Ammunition in San Antonio. Eley is picking up all of the remaining ammunition from the lots in question to test for malfunctions. We plan to hear from them following their investigation and will pass that information along when it becomes available. Gary Humphreys is running point on this incident since it occurred on his range. He welcomes any contact if anyone has questions concerning similar issues with the same brand of ammunition (830/703-0826; gary@humphreysgunshop.com)

In the meantime, the State 4-H Office is asking any 4-H program that may be using Eley Sport .22 caliber rimfire ammunition (especially ammunition from the lot numbers listed above) to cease use of that ammunition until further information is available from the manufacturer. It is further recommended to cease use of other Eley ammunition if similar incidents have occurred within a program and to take seriously any type of ammunition malfunction and not to disregard it as merely a single incident. Keep track of ammunition and firearm malfunctions to be able to recognize a pattern and head off any greater potential mishaps. In regards to other brands of ammunition used, it may be advisable to contact the manufacturer of your ammunition to inquire about any recalls or issues with that specific ammunition in use by a 4-H program. This type of contact may also be advisable to the manufacturer of rifles used in a 4-H program to determine the same.

Please do not hesitate to contact the 4-H Natural Resources Office if questions or concerns arise at 979-845-1214. As it is with you, the safety of our 4-H’ers and adult leaders across the state is paramount in the 4-H Shooting Sports program. This is no small incident and as such is taken very seriously.

Changing Times Call for Changing Strategies

By Luis H. Saldaña (l-saldana@tamu.edu)

Winston Churchill was recorded as stating, “There is nothing wrong with change, if it is in the right direction.” While some change slips in by cover of darkness, it is the more obvious change that grabs our attention. Some jump in with both feet while others are dragged into change, kicking and screaming. Changing demographics, economic challenges nationally and statewide and even locally can have a great impact on our 4-H program. It is those that take change and find those unique opportunities to turn them into growth and improvement that make them special. A recent report on 4-H enrollment in District 12 reflects that 4-H club membership grew 11% and other 4-H youth programs grew 10%. That is certainly change in the right direction, despite all those other challenges. This is a testament to the quality of 4-H programs across the district, and you are the reason for that change. The quality of 4-H members, parents, volunteers and county Extension agents is fundamental in the success of your program. People want to be associated with a great program, a successful one, and one that builds young people into true leaders…not for the future, NOW!

Over 58,000 youth, including over 4,800 4-H club members, across the district are what makes your program GREAT! The volunteers, parents and county Extension agents are what keep it moving which speaks volumes for what each contributes to its success. Changing times call for changing strategies and you have found those things that work To Make the Best Better!
...You Rock!

This is the first in a series of quarterly briefs for the entire 4-H family in the 20-county district (District 12). Changes in how we share information, learn, train, and experience the 4-H program add challenges in bridging an ever-growing need to stay connected. The 4-H program in D12 has been working with its newly elected District 12 4‑H Council officers to bridge strengthen the bridge and network across the district. The newly designed D12 4-H website (http://d124-h.tamu.edu/) has a clean look that is easy to navigate. New features include a dedicated page to community service, photo and video galleries, and a new “social networking” approach. Research shows that adults use the internet, blogs, and email to communicate. Teenagers, on the other hand, use SMS and MMS (texting), social networking, and other technologies to stay connected, but almost exclusively through phone technology. Herein lies the challenge. How do we keep everyone plugged in when they choose to use different technology to do so? Our approach is to add Twitter, Facebook, Blogger, and YouTube channels as a form of keeping connected. Follow, sign-up, register, and watch D12 4-H by any of these to stay connected…try it and let us know. Send me a note (l-saldana@tamu.edu) about any of our posts, videos, tweets, or any of our other strategies to keep you informed. We want to hear from you.

D12 4-H Volunteers Provide Guidance to Project Areas District-Wide

At the January 2009 meeting of Adult Leaders from across the district, seven different project areas were discussed among the various break-out groups including:

• Food & Nutrtion
• Leadership
• Livestock
• Photography
• Public Speaking
• Recordkeeping
• Clothing & Textiles

Each of the groups spent time evaluating each of these projects areas to determine how they might add value to the project experience for 4-H members across the district. The Food & Nutrition discussion resulted in several recurring themes. Some of the strategies to improve project support included

• Leader training in the summer to prepare for Food & Nutrition projects in early Fall
• Development of good educational resources for counties to support projects locally
• Use of technology to share information, ideas, and interact with other volunteers
• Varied levels of training for youth and leaders (beginner, intermediate, and advanced techniques)
• Food & Nutrition camps
• Concession stands, food safety, and proper food handling training
• Culinary Arts training
• Training for judges

One of the most frequent comments in the Food & Nutrition discussion, as well as some of the other discussions, focused on the use of technology. Videos and other online resources seemed to be a valuable tool for volunteers. Perhaps it is more likely to serve as a more convenient method to gather resources or learn. Distance education (or using the web to deliver training and information) is not new. In fact, many colleges and universities deliver training to students via the web to students that live on the respective campus. It sounds rather strange that a student who is paying tuition, fees, and dorm fees would rather stay in their room and take a class online than go to class. Regardless, it is a reality of how some prefer to learn. This discussion may serve as an extension of this idea. Web resources give us the flexibility to access information at our own discretion and perhaps this is one way to better equip 4-H leaders and volunteers to provide valuable learning experiences for 4-H members.

While this post focused only on the Food & Nutrition project, future posts on the remaining six project areas will be coming soon। Keep up with this blog by subcribing। Feel free to post comments to add to this post. I look forward to reading your comments. For those that are looking for Food & Nutrition resources....try this link to the Texas 4-H website.