Iberia 4-H’ers head to nationals

Published 2:00 pm Wednesday, June 25, 2014

Iberia 4-H Senior, Tyson Chastant, reaches into a fistulated cow as part of the educational Dairy Tour at 4-H University. Participants experienced varied educational programs when not in contests.

The Iberia Parish 4-H Club made its presence felt at the 4-H University statewide competition held at Louisiana State University recently.

The 4-H University competition, which had 64 parishes compete in the four-day event last week, featured more than 40 contests, including poultry judging, wildlife habitat judging, photography and fashion design.

Of the 49 participants the Iberia Parish sent to LSU, 41 received blue ribbons or better according to assistant extension agent of 4-H youth development Bethany Elder.

“These kids have been practicing for the past month and put in a lot of hard work,” said Elder, who oversees the Iberia Parish 4-H. “We were super proud of them. These types of contests are teaching the kids life lessons. They are learning leadership skills for the real world, and they really get to see what type of person they are by doing this. Placing and finishing is just the icing on the cake.”

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The Iberia 4-H club had plenty of icing to go around with eight state winners. Three participants earned a spot in the national competition. Winners received trips to places such as Washington, D.C., and Atlanta or the opportunity to represent Louisiana in national contests held in locations across the country Elder said.

The competition ages ranged from 13-18, and also allowed participants to see what college life would be like by touring the LSU campus.

“The bonds that these kids make in the parish and across the state, that’s what it’s all about. We gave it our best and we’re really excited with the effort our young leaders put forth,” Elder said. “I was an Iberia Parish 4-H’er and I get a chance to relive my childhood through these kids. It’s really rewarding to see them progress over the years.”

Katie Magar won first place overall in Environmental Conservation Illustrated Talk, along with Ty Guillotte and Jon Segura who won first place overall for Sports Broadcasting.

Andrew Picheloup and Blake Boutte, Forestry, and Madi Walet, Wildlife Habitat Judging, will move on to the national competition.

“It was a very positive and rewarding experience. The kids worked hard, but they also learned a lot,” said assistant extension agent Christy Oliver.

Olivier said most of the preparation for the 4-H competition commences in the summer months.

“It says a lot about the character of our kids to prepare in the summer when they could be getting a job or hanging out with friends, but I believe it was worth it for them,” Oliver said.

The Iberia Parish 4-H club is open to ages 9-18.