Alpaca 101 - 4H Club

05/30/2026

Alpaca 101 Practice Tonight

05/25/2026

At this time of year we are out working in the garden, tending plants and mowing the lawn, but did you know that lawn grass cuttings should never be fed to animals? Please remember never put cuttings into any area where livestock is grazing.

Unfortunately, grass cuttings and other plants are potentially very dangerous for livestock to eat and sadly many have died as a result of people putting lawn mowings over the fence into neighbors pastures. Thinking they are being nice. :(

5 Good Reasons not to feed cutting to animals:

COLIC: Animals may gorge themselves on piles of clippings. The large amount of grass can cause excessive fermentation in the hind gut. This can lead to colic or laminitis.

CHOKE: Animals tend to gobble down grass clippings quickly. Unlike grazing on grass out of the pasture and slowly chewing it, clippings require little effort or chewing to swallow. There is a potential risk that the clippings can get lodged in the esophagus.

MOLD: Piled up grass clippings can quickly grow mold, especially in hot and humid environments. Mold can also lead to colic. Ever seen pastures being hayed? When they leave it to dry for days, this is why.

BOTULISM: Dense piles of grass do not allow for air to circulate through grass clippings. This is an invitation for the deadly botulism toxin to develop.

POISONOUS PLANTS: Livestock unknowingly eat toxic w**ds and plants they normally would avoid when they get mixed in with the mower clippings, they can't see or taste them.

Don't feed animals that are not yours! You don't know their diet and can unknowingly kill them :(

05/24/2026

Tansy ragwort is a Class B noxious w**d found in many parts of Clark County. This aggressive plant can quickly invade agricultural areas, pastures, grasslands, roadsides, and disturbed soils, making early detection and removal essential.

Livestock usually avoid the plant because of its foul smell and taste, but it can still cause liver damage when dried or mixed into feed. This makes livestock’s accidental ingestion a serious risk.

Identification:
🌼 Growth: Usually reach 2–4 feet tall, but can grow up to 6 feet
🌼 Leaves: Deep green, ruffled or lobed, often described as kale like, up to 8 inches long
🌼 Flowers: Bright yellow, daisy like blooms arranged in flat clusters
🌼 Seeds: Each plant can produce up to 150,000 seeds per year, which can remain viable in soil for 10+ years and spread easily by wind

If you suspect you’ve found tansy ragwort in Clark County, please report it at clark.wa.gov/public-works/report-noxious-w**d-concern.

For more information visit nwcb.wa.gov/w**ds/tansy-ragwort.

05/21/2026

to put your Hands to Larger Service! Way to Show up for your community!

🎉 $1,101,870 raised! 🎉

Thanks to the incredible generosity of Tractor Supply Co. team members and customers, the Spring Paper Clover campaign raised $1,101,870 to support local youth through 4‑H.

We’re especially grateful to the 4‑H’ers who showed up in Tractor Supply stores across the country, proudly sharing their 4‑H stories and sparking conversations about what’s possible for young people.

Funds raised through Paper Clover help create access to 4‑H camp and leadership experiences, empowering youth to build confidence, skills, and connections—so they’re truly for what’s next.

Thank you for making this impact possible! 💚🌱

05/16/2026

Some of the members were working on Showmanship tonight. Practicing quartering basics :) We also talked about some toxic plants and how to identify Tansy. We learned the importance of putting our hands on our animals and body scoring. Every member received hand outs to study on all of tonights topics for their binders. With weather like this it's nice to have an indoor heated building that's for sure!

05/13/2026

05/04/2026

May the Four-H be with you!
Happy Star Wars Day!

05/02/2026

A few more photos from the Tractor Supply Paper Clover Campaign today in Ridgefield! The new alpacas learned a lot and Alpaca 101 members did an amazing job leaving everyone with the biggest smiles all while supporting 4-H!

05/02/2026

Alpaca 101 went out to support 4-H for the Tractor Supply Paper Clover 🍀 Campaign! The kids and the alpacas did an AMAZING job, introducing the public to alpacas and what 4-H means to them! Here are some of the photos!