2025 4-H Animal Science Bonanza

NH 4-H Animal Science Bonanza is back for 2025! This event kicks off the new year and introduces youth and families to the world of animal science with 4-H and prepares 4-Hers for the show season ahead. The day features hands-on workshops about animal nutrition, veterinary science, marketing, anatomy, and more! All ages and experience levels are welcome and encouraged to attend.

TENTATIVE SCHEDULE:

9:00am-9:30am: Check-in/ registration

9:30am-10:15am: Workshop Session 1

10:30am-11:15am: Workshop Session 2

11:15am-12:00pm: Lunch*

12:00pm-12:45pm: Workshop Session 3

1:00pm-1:45pm: Workshop Session 4

 *All youth will have a turn in the skillathon room for one of their workshop sessions*

2:00pm-2:30pm: NH 4-H Big E Animal Teams Panel

* Families should plan to bring their own lunch. Food will be available for purchase throughout the day from the Colts & Fillies 4-H Club (cash or check only).

WORKSHOP DESCRIPTIONS:

· Chiropractic Services for Animals: When people think of a chiropractor, they usually think of how they can benefit human health, but did you know there are chiropractors for animals? Receiving this kind of therapy can be beneficial for both performance and production animals. Elizabeth Morris, D.C, and Cheshire County 4-H alumni will share how she is able to offer her chiropractic services to people and animals alike!

· Anatomy in Real Life: 4-H preaches “learning by doing” and this workshop is just that! Kaylie Madore, a former USDA meat inspector, will be taking participants through various systems of the animal’s body with real organs and tracts. This is a great way to see firsthand how an animal’s body functions and visualize how their systems work together to help them function.

· Building Animal Science Presentations: 4-H includes several public speaking opportunities, and creating presentations about a 4-H animal project is a natural pairing! Wade Weber, NH State 4-H Leader, will take youth through the basics of making an effective presentation involving agriculture, and the basics of public speaking. This is a great time to start thinking about your presentations for County 4-H Presents or The Big E!

· Positive Reinforcement Training: Sarah Stout is a talented horse trainer that follows the Harmony Horsemanship method. She is going to talk about how to use positive reinforcement and work with a horse's natural instincts in breaking and training in order to create a respectful and confident horse-human partnership.

· Pasture Management and Forage Quality: Ensuring animals have enough high-quality forage is an important part of their diet. Join Carl Majewski, UNH Extension Food and Ag Field Specialist as he discusses methods to keep pastures in ideal shape and identify high-quality forages to feed your 4-H projects.

· What to Feed and When to Feed It: Producers have a variety of feedstuffs available for them to include in their rations, and it can be difficult to know what your animal needs the most. Sarah Allen, UNH Extension Dairy Specialist, will help 4-H members identify different feed components and how they can benefit their projects. Additionally, the workshop will go over body condition scoring, and how feed can help different scenarios a 4-H can encounter with their project.

· Roles of Therapy Dogs: Therapy dogs have numerous roles and benefits, and Amy Treat, Walpole Elementary School Counselor, has been able to highlight these in her job with students. Learn about how therapy dogs can assist in different scenarios, and the training required, and even meet one of her dogs, Beatrice!

· Preventing Injury with Conditioning Horses: Lisanne Dorion is the chef-equip for the US Endurance Team. She will discuss the importance of proper strengthening and conditioning programs for horses to improve performance and prevent injury.

· NH 4-H Big E Animal Teams Panel: To close out the day, learn from senior 4-H members and recent 4-H alum about what it takes to join one of the NH 4-H Big E Animal teams. Youth 12 and older can attend The Big E with their 4-H animal projects to compete in the shows as a state team, and partake in some friendly competition with the other New England 4-H programs.

EVENT REGISTRATION:

Registration will be open November 4 - December 18 through Z-Suite. Youth ages 8-18 are invited to participate in this event. Non 4-H participants are welcome! 

For event registration questions please contact Hannah Majewski, 4-H Animal Science Field Specialist at Hannah.majewski@unh.edu.

If any accommodations are needed in order to participate fully in this event contact Hannah Majewski at Hannah.majewski@unh.edu or (603) 255-3508 by December 18, informing us of your need, to allow us time to make the necessary arrangements.

COST:

There is a $10.00 fee per participant that is due at the time of registration. Youth receiving scholarships to attend should contact Hannah.majewski@unh.edu for assistance with the registration process.

No person shall be denied the opportunity to participate in this program because of inability to pay.

SHOW CLOTHES SWAP:

All participants are invited to bring their lightly used show clothes and boots that they no longer use and participate in a swap!