4HOnline Enrollment

To enroll in 4-H go to v2.4honline.com or click on the QR code below. If you have never enrolled in 4-H using 4HOnline, click DON’T HAVE AN ACCOUNT and answer the questions. Once you complete your family’s information, click CREATE ACCOUNT. Enter your family’s address information and click VERIFY. Then continue to the section for adding a new member to the family and answer all questions until you finish and pay. If you were already in 4-H and have a 4HOnline account, go the website or click the QR code and enter your email address and password to sign in. Click ENROLL NOW to re-enroll or ADD MEMBER to add a new member. Select the program the member is joining. Click NEXT. Complete the information about the member and click NEXT. Continue answering the questions until you click FINISH and get to the payment section. You can pay online with a debit or credit card.

National 4-H Week

Join 4-H'ers around the country in celebrating National 4-H Week during the week of Oct. 4-10, 2026.The school week kicks off on Monday, October 5^th with National Go Green Day! Schools and clubs are encouraged to celebrate the beginning of National 4-H Week on this day! Reminder: Judging of school displays will begin October 6^th for our Show Your 4-H Pride Contest. The theme is Beyond Ready. Some of the things the judges will look for are creativity, involvement of the 4-H’ers, appeal, and originality. The Executive Committee elections and officer and leader training will be held Thursday, October 8^th beginning at 9:00 a.m. at the Ag. Building in Raceland. The event should conclude by 12:00 noon. Lunch will be provided. We look forward to seeing all of the wonderful ways our schools and communities celebrate National 4-H Week.

4-H Spirit Poster Contest

Create a poster that shows your 4-H Spirit and love of Lafourche 4-H! The guidelines for the contest are (1) Poster must be an 11 x 14 white poster board. No foam boards. (2) Do not attach anything to the poster that is more than ½ “thick. (3) Be sure to place your name, grade, and school on the back of the poster in the upper right-hand corner. The posters will be picked up at the October club meetings or can be dropped off at the 4-H Office by October 13^th. NO late entries will be accepted. Recognition and awards are in the following divisions: Elementary Division- 4^th – 5^th grade; Middle School Division- 6^th – 8^th grade; and High School Division- 9^th – 12^th grade. Every 4-H club member that makes a poster will receive a ribbon! Everyone’s a winner!

Junior Leader Times

We are off to a great start in Junior Leaders! Congratulations to the 2026-2027 Officers:

Co-Presidents: Reese Borne and Adele Stein, Central Lafourche High School

Vice President: Tristan Pertuit, Central Lafourche High School

Secretary: Sydney Pitre, Central Lafourche High School

Treasurer: Sadie Thibodeaux, Sixth Ward Middle School

Reporter: Macy Bonvillain, Central Lafourche High School

Parliamentarian: Sophie-Grace Wolverton, St. Mary’s Nativity School

Our October meeting will be held on Thursday, October 22^th, from 5:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. in the Raceland Ag Building. New members who are at least 13 years old by December 31, 2026, are still welcome to join the club! Dues are $25.00, include a t-shirt, and are non-refundable. Attendees are asked to bring a new or gently used baby doll to donate to the local nursing home memory care patients.

Junior Leader Sweet Potato, Rice & Pecan Sale

Our Junior Leaders are conducting our annual sweet potato, rice, and pecan sale. Don’t miss out on these delicious Louisiana commodities. Orders can be placed with any Lafourche Parish Junior Leader or by calling the 4-H office at 985-446-1316.All money and orders are due to the 4-H office by October 23^rd.No orders can be placed without payment. No refunds. Thank you for supporting 4-H!

Sugar and Seafood Contest Day

The upcoming Sugar and Seafood Contest will be held on November 7th at Galliano Elementary School, 148 W. 158^th St., Galliano, LA, with registration from 9:00-10:00 a.m. Cooking can be a great opportunity to teach life skills such as kitchen and food safety, nutrition, and even math. It can give a sense of accomplishment, and you get to enjoy the reward of eating the delicious, finished product! Your dishes can be brought to the contest by another person. Elementary, Middle, and Senior High school members will compete separately for purple (1^st), blue (2^nd) and red (3^rd) ribbons. Overall Champion dishes will receive trophies. Members may enter one seafood and/or one sugar dish. Categories for Seafood are Oyster, Crab, Shrimp, Fish/Other Seafood and Crawfish. Sugar categories are Cakes (homemade or mixes), Candies, Cookies, Pies, and Other Sugar Dish.

***Reminder: Safety Rules for Sugar and Seafood Cookery***

Food Safety – Food safety is an important consideration. The risk of food-borne illness is greatly increased when foods are held at room temperature for extended periods. Therefore, the dish should be prepared and chilled to refrigerator temperature and transported on ice in an ice chest to the contest. Dishes not chilled and transported in this way will be disqualified by contest officials. Dishes intended to be served hot will be warmed before the tasting. Thank you for adhering to these food safety guidelines.

Rules for this contest are:

1. Sugar dishes must use at least one-half (1/2) cup of sugar. May be granulated, brown, powdered, or any combination. Mixes are permitted as long as 1/2 cup of additional sugar is added to the recipe. Seafood dishes must use at least one (1) cup of seafood. The seafood must be fresh, frozen, pasteurized, or dried. Canned seafood is not acceptable. Surimi, an artificial crab made from fish, cannot be used. There can be no raw seafood in the final dish. Entries may contain a small amount of a second seafood but not more than ½ the amount of the primary seafood. All seafood used in the contest must be Louisiana Seafood. It is not necessary to send the entire dish. Only a couple of servings are needed for judging.

2. A copy of the recipe must be submitted with the dish on an index card.

3. Print name, grade, and school on the back of the recipe on an index card.

4. The food should be sent in a disposable container that will be thrown away after the judging is complete.

Healthy Living Illustrated Talk

The Healthy Living Illustrated Talk contest allows youth to present an illustrated talk on an area within child development, food & nutrition and health. Illustrated Talks will also be held that day beginning at 10:00 a.m. There will be three divisions in this contest:

Division I– (Grades 4-5) Contestant designs (a) standard poster 22” x 28” or PowerPoint, (b) presents a 2–3-minute explanation of poster subject or PowerPoint relating to healthy living and (c) responds to questions from the judge.

Division II – (Grades 6-8) Contestant designs (a) standard poster 22” x 28” or PowerPoint relating to healthy living, (b) presents a 2–3-minute explanation of poster subject or PowerPoint and (c) responds to questions from the judge.

Division III – (Grades 9-12) Contestant designs (a) standard poster 22” x 28” or PowerPoint relating to healthy living, (b) presents a 5-8 minute explanation of poster subject, or PowerPoint and (c) responds to questions from the judge.

Sew with Cotton Contest: NEW Categories!

This year’s Sew with Cotton Contest will be held in conjunction with the Sugar and Seafood Contest on Nov. 7, 2026. We are excited to announce new categories in middle and high school contests! Garments will be modeled by the 4-H’ers that day in front of a judge. Please have the child’s name, school and grade on an index card attached to the garment. Ribbons will be given out that day (purple (1^st), blue (2^nd), and red (3^rd).Overall awards will also be given! The rules for the contest are as follows:

1. Contestants may be in the 4th-12th grade. There will be three divisions: Elementary, Middle, and Senior.

2. 4th GRADE - drawstring apron (on our website), barbecue apron, or Eco-Friendly Tote Bag (sample directions are available on the website or by calling the 4-H Office).

3. 5^th GRADE – sassy (elastic waist) skirt (on our website), elastic waist shorts or elastic waist pajama pants (sample directions on our website or by calling the 4-H Office).

4.MIDDLE SCHOOL (Grade 6-8) – NEW!! Upcycled Fashion: All entries must be a complete outfit and not simply an embellished old one and must be wearable. Must be made of at least 75% recycled materials. Must include cotton. Do not purchase new items. No glass or glitter. No food waste. Can be accessorized.

9th– 12^th Grade-NEW!! 2 OPTIONS:

OPTION 1- IT’S SEW YOU: Contestants must make and model a complete outfit of any style appropriate for any occasion and any season of the year. Outer garments must be 100% cotton or cotton blend. Interfacing, underlining, tape, trimming, etc. can be of any compatible fabric. Can be dress, pajamas, top and bottom, etc.

OPTION 2- UPCYCLED: All entries must be a complete outfit and not simply an embellished old one and must be wearable. Must be made of at least 75% recycled materials. Must include cotton. Do not purchase new items. No glass or glitter. No food waste. Can be accessorized.

Any garment entered into this year’s contest must not have been entered into a previous Lafourche Parish Sew with Cotton Contest.

Round Robin Activities

During the Sugar and Seafood judging process, there will be various presentations/activities for those attending Sugar and Seafood Contest Day. For example, if you would like to learn more about all the possibilities in 4-H, you will want to attend 4-H 101! This and other options will be available starting at 10:00 A.M. at the Sugar and Seafood Contest on November 7^th!

Book Drive at Sugar and Seafood Contest Day

Access to books is an important component to helping children read proficiently. In line with this year’s environmental awareness theme, and to help us ensure children in our community have age-appropriate books at home, we are conducting a book drive at Sugar and Seafood Contest Day on November 7^th.These books will be used to stock our Bayou Book Boxes, free libraries that will be available throughout the parish! Please donate new or gently used children’s and young adult books. There will be boxes at the entrance. Thank you in advance for supporting this important service project.

Livestock Validation

As in past years, all market animals and commercial animals are required to be validated through a process of collecting hair samples. The animals are then tagged and “validated”. Starting this year, a 4-H agent or FFA advisor must be present during validation and tagging. You will be responsible for ensuring your animals are correctly validated by attending one of our validation events. The next “Validation Drive-Through” event will be on Saturday October 3^rd, 2026, from 8:00 AM to 10:00 AM. Validation fees are $7 per animal. All commercial beef, commercial dairy, market lambs, commercial ewes, market goats and commercial does must be validated and in 4-H Online by November 9^th, 2026. Market and commercial hogs will have to be validated and in 4-H Online before December 1^st, 2026. These are hard deadlines, so we recommend completing your 4-H online entries early. If you need assistance or have any questions, please call Toni Cortez at the 4-H office at 985-446-1316.

Regional Rabbit Show

There will be a Regional Rabbit Show held November 23, 2026, at the Agriculture Building in Raceland. Entry forms are due by November 19^th, but entries will be accepted the day of the show. Animal check-in will begin at 8:00 am. Showmanship will begin at 9:00 a.m. Judging will begin at 10:00 a.m. The entry fee is $7 per rabbit and $12 per meat pen. Please call the 4-H office if you have any questions. In an effort to stop the spread of Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease Virus and to prevent cases in our state the Louisiana Department of Ag and Forestry Animal will require Health papers on all rabbits attending a show in Louisiana. This includes out of state and in state rabbits attending a show in Louisiana. Health papers are good for up to 60 days. You must obtain Health Papers from a vet prior to the show. Dr. Anna Ozio, DVM, will be issuing health papers at the 4-H office from 5 P.M. to 6 P.M. on Monday November 16^th, 2026.If using Dr. Ozio, you must submit the rabbit vet form to her office by November 9^th, 2026, or a late fee will be charged. The form can be found on our parish website at www.lsuagcenter.com. Health papers must be submitted with rabbits on show day. Contact Miss Toni for information at [email protected].

Southwest Region Challenge Camp

Are you in 7^th or 8^th grade and up for some fun challenges? If so, don’t miss our Challenge Camp on November 17–18, 2026, at the Acadian Baptist Center in Eunice! Priority will be given to first-time campers. This is a fun, overnight camp with lots of challenging activities with 4-H members from across the Southwest Region! Please call the 4-H Office at 985-446-1316 to sign up! You can mail or drop off your payment to the 4-H Office at 115 Texas Street, Raceland. The cost, which includes travel, lodging, T-shirt, and meals at the camp, is $100 per person and is non-refundable. We will be traveling by chartered bus with Assumption and Terrebonne Parish 4-H’ers as well. All checks can be made payable to the Lafourche 4-H Foundation and are due to the 4-H Office by October 26^th. Hurry! Registration is limited to 12 campers and two junior counselors and is first come, first serve! Don’t delay! Register today! This information has also been sent out via 4HOnline.

Shooting Sports

Missed the registration meeting? It is still not too late to join! Disciplines available are Air Rifle, Archery, BB, Hunting Skills, Muzzleloading, Rifle, and Shotgun. Please use the QR Code to register. Payments can be mailed or dropped off to the 4-H Office (115 Texas Street, Raceland, LA 70394).

4-H Volunteers

Volunteers are what keeps our thriving 4-H program running! Without the support and devotion of the great people of Lafourche parish, we would not be as successful as we are. If you are interested in being a 4-H volunteer please create a profile and enroll here: 4honline.com .All volunteers, such as cookery judges, overnight camp chaperones, club leaders, speaking contest judges, and shooting sports parents must be enrolled. Thank you in advance for being a 4-H volunteer!

Lucky Clover Tickets

We will again give Lucky Clover tickets to 4-H’ers for participation in all 4-H parish and state contests. Each time you participate in a contest, such as a poster contest, you will receive a Lucky Clover ticket. All tickets will be given to 4-H’ers prior to Achievement Day, and a drawing for the prizes will be held that day. You will have to be present at Achievement Day to win the prizes. Earn those tickets! Start participating now to win!

SEWcial Club

Attention 4^th-12^th graders! It’s not too late to join our new 4-H SEWcial Club. Club members will learn lots of stitching and sewing skills, sewing safety, and create fun projects! Use the QR code below to register! Non-refundable yearly membership dues are $25 and can be dropped off or mailed to: Lafourche 4-H Foundation, Attn: SEWcial Club, 115 Texas St., Raceland, LA 70394.Use the QR Code to register.

Robotics Club

If you are interested in learning how to design, build, and program robots, join our new Lafourche 4-H Robotics Club! Use the QR code below to register! Our non-refundable yearly membership fee is $25 (includes a t-shirt) and can be dropped off or mailed to: Lafourche 4-H Foundation, Attn: Robotics, 115 Texas St., Raceland, LA, 70394. The club is open to Lafourche 4-H members in grades 4-12!

Camp Catch Phrase Contest

What’s a great theme for 4-H Summer Camp?4^th – 6^th graders can send in your most creative ideas for a slogan that is brief and “catchy,” capturing the spirit of 4-H Camp—in 7 words or less along with illustrations. Illustrations must accompany the phrase and will be part of the contest. No AI-generated or digitally created images will be considered. All artwork must be original and hand- drawn by the submitting 4-H member. The winner will receive a $50 monetary award, and it will be used on all publicity for camp and on the camp T-shirt. Think fast...the deadline is November 30, 2026. Your submission must include your full name, grade, age, parish and 4-H Club, complete mailing address, and phone number. Individuals may submit multiple entries (please submit together) by this date to Grant Walker 4-H Educational Center, Camp Catch Phrase, 3000 Hwy. 8, Pollock, LA, 71467.

Monthly 4-H Focus – Bicycle Safety

Riding bikes is something that most kids like to do whether it’s just for fun, exercise or to get them somewhere they need to be. This month focuses on bicycle safety, including the proper safety gear to wear, hand signals to use when riding your bike, obeying road signs, and general biking safety rules.

For more information on any of the activities listed, please contact Suzanne Troxclair at [email protected] or Toni Cortez at [email protected] or call 985-446-1316.