TUF Youth Clubs & 4-H

Youth Ages 8+ Collectively raise and care for goats, sheep, poultry, rabbits, and horses (new in 2023) in TUF’s year long clubs. Participants will work collaboratively to learn hands-on about feeding, nutrition, record keeping, general animal care, plant care breeding, maintaining shelters and more. Read on below for club descriptions, dates and times.

You can also learn more about how TUF 4-H & TUF Livestock clubs “work” below.

Learn More

Livestock club waitlist

At TUF we facilitate a 4-H Club and Cloverbuds:

4H members ages 8+ interested in working with TUF’s livestock including goats, sheep, and poultry or garden plot will be required to join a TUF Club & register through Adam’s County 4-H. 4-H membership is NOT required to participate in TUF’s youth clubs.
Families interested in participating in Cloverbuds (ages 5+) or Rabbits are required to hold a TUF Family Membership and register through Adam’s County 4-H. TUF Cloverbuds are facilitated by volunteer leaders, and hosted the 2nd Saturday of the month. The time may vary with weather and time of year. Interested in joining Cloverbuds? Please email us at info@theubanfarm.org for more info.

Goats & Sheep Livestock Club

350.00 every 6 months for 1 year

AGES: 8+

DATES AND TIMES:

Why? To align and culminate with the National Western Stock Show held annually in January.

Our livestock clubs are growing! To ensure that we can provide a great experience and adhere to COVID-19 restrictions as they continue to shift, Goats and Sheep Club Members will be divided into two groups with associated meetings days & times. Note that meeting dates and times shift during the summer/winter to accommodate the changing weather and sunlight.

GROUP A: Tuesdays & Saturdays

TUESDAYS: Summer Hours: 4:00 - 5:00PM / Winter Hours: 5:00 - 6:00PM

SATURDAYS: Summer Hours: 9:00 - 11:00 AM / Winter Hours 10:00 - 12:00PM

GROUP B: Wednesdays & Saturdays

WEDNESDAYS: Summer Hours: 4:00 - 5:00PM / Winter Hours: 5:00 - 6:00PM

SATURDAYS: Summer Hours: 9:00 - 11:00 AM / Winter Hours 10:00AM - 12:00PM

*Certain days/special activities will require longer meetings time, for example sheep sheering days and shows. This will be communicated in advance.

Regular Activities: Raise and care for goats and sheep in TUF’s year long livestock club. Participants will work collaboratively to learn hands-on about feeding, nutrition, record keeping, general animal care, breeding, maintaining shelters and more. Participants will learn the ins and outs of raising animal for multiple production purposes.

Groups will meet twice a week. This is when the majority of the husbandry is done by the participants- including cleaning pens and water tanks, checking hay and feeding grain and minerals, handling the sheep and goats, and exercising the sheep and goats. In addition, each week participants spend time learning about all aspects of nutrition, disease management, general animal care, breeding, costs, body conformation, meat production as well as showmanship and showing animals. On an as-needed basis, participants give vaccinations, shear sheep, trim hooves, bathe and groom the animals, band tails, perform weight checks, insert ear tags, perform parasite checks, and take care of any other animal needs. As restrictions allow, participants may interact with the visitors and volunteers who come to the farm on Saturdays for self-guided tours, farm events, birthday parties, etc.

Annual Events: Club members have the opportunity to participate in three events throughout the year, The National Western Stock Show in January, the Estes Wool Fest in June and the Adams County Fair in July. Each event has a different focus and gives participants opportunities to practice and demonstrate specific skills they learned at TUF. The National Western Stock Show focuses on breeding high-quality animals, the Estes Wool Fest focuses on wool production and the Adams County Fair focuses on meat production, showmanship and record keeping. Each event also provides the animals an opportunity to be shown by the participants and to compete against one another and other animals. During each event sheep and goat participants develop their public speaking skills as they interact with judges and be tested on their animal husbandry knowledge. A 4-H membership is required for Adams County Fair Participation, this is completed externally of TUF.

NOTE: Participants are only permitted to enroll in a Market Project (i.e. husbandry for meat production) after 1 year of Livestock Club participation. This is required so that the youth can observe and understand the process start-to-finish first. Market projects include purchasing, owning, and boarding an animal at TUF, along with additional farm chores without staff supervision but with parental supervision. Additional cost are associated with market projects (i.e. purchase of animal, additional feed, etc). First year participants are permitted to participate in other projects and showing animals for other purposes.

Poultry Livestock Club

175.00 every 6 months for 1 year

AGES: 8+

LIVESTOCK CLUBS RUN FROM FEBRUARY-JANUARY

Meeting dates: ALTERNATING SATURDAYS

Summer Hours: 9:00 - 11:00 AM / Winter Hours 9:30AM - 11:00AM

*Dates may vary to accommodate Holidays that land on Saturdays throughout the year. Regular communications will be sent out confirm dates as needed.

Regular Activities: Raise and care poultry in TUF’s year long livestock club. Participants will work collaboratively to learn hands-on about feeding, nutrition, record keeping, general animal care, breeding, maintaining shelters and more. Participants will learn the ins and outs of raising animal for multiple production purposes.

Groups will meet once every other week. This is when the majority of the husbandry is done by the participants- including cleaning coops, filling waters, mucking coops, and handing chickens. In addition, each week participants spend time learning about all aspects of nutrition, disease management, general animal care, reproduction, incubating and hatching eggs, costs, body conformation, egg and meat production as well as showmanship.. On an as-needed basis, participants bathe and groom the animals, perform health and parasite checks and management, and take care of any other animal needs. As restrictions allow, participants may interact with the visitors and volunteers who come to the farm on Saturdays for self-guided tours, farm events, birthday parties, etc.

Annual Events: Club members have the opportunity to participate in the Adams County Fair in July. This event gives participants opportunities to practice and demonstrate specific skills they learned at TUF. This event also provides the animals an opportunity to be shown by the participants and to compete against one another and other animals. During each event poultry participants develop their public speaking skills as they interact with judges and be tested on their animal husbandry knowledge. A 4-H membership is required for Adams County Fair Participation, this is completed externally of TUF.

Coming soon…….Garden Club

175.00 per year, includes instruction and plot rental

AGES: 8+

DATES AND TIMES:

CLUBS RUN FROM March -November

Why? To align with the growing season.

Meeting dates: 1 - 2 Saturdays Per month (exact dates & times TBD)

*Dates may vary to accommodate Holidays that land on Saturdays throughout the year. Regular communications will be sent out confirm dates as needed.

Regular Activities & Topics:

Seed to Harvest work, including garden planning, weeding, translating, harvesting etc.

Unit 1 - See them Sprout Inspiring youth to learn: Project unit 4 is designed for members 14-18 years old Seed varieties and rotating crops Starting seed indoors Hardening off Plant properties Preventative pest control Specialty harvest Selling the harvest Horticulture careers

Unit 2 - Let's Get Growing Inspiring youth to learn: Seed varieties and rotating crops, Starting seed indoors, Hardening off, Plant properties, Preventative pest control, Specialty harvest, Selling the harvest, Horticulture careers

Annual Events: Club members have the opportunity to participate in the Adams County Fair in Aug. This is an opportunities to practice and demonstrate specific skills they learned at TUF. During each event the participants develop their public speaking skills as they interact with judges and be tested on their garden knowledge. A 4-H membership is required for Adams County Fair Participation, this is completed externally of TUF.