Liberty County 4-H members recently competed in the annual Cotton Boll and Consumer Jamboree competition Nov. 4 in Lyons.
Sponsored by the Georgia Cotton Commission, the event taught 4-Hers how to evaluate cotton as a commodity as well as how to select a consumer item based on their needs.
According to local 4-H and Youth Development Agent Kasey Bozeman, the competition was divided into two parts. For the Cotton Boll portion, 4-H members had to create an original commercial or speech about cotton as a commodity. Bozeman said the students had to conduct research in order to complete this task.
The second part of the contest involved evaluating consumer items. Participants traveled to four different stations, each of which had four variations of the same product. This year’s products were yogurt, raincoats, savings accounts and luggage.
At the stations, 4-Hers were presented with a scenario and then ranked the products based on the given criteria.
“In preparation, once a week we would have a meeting and focus on a different item,” Bozeman said. “They would have to learn all the different features of the item, so they could figure out which would be best for the scenario at the competition.”
A total of 18 Liberty County 4-H members participated in the competition. The junior team, comprised of students in grades 5-8, placed fourth overall. Members of the junior team were: Jonathan Adams; De’Vyon Carr; Nadia Crowley; Emma Davis; Adriana Frantz; Alexis Hunter; Amani Jackson; Brady Kuhl; Alaila Lyons; Atiana Manibusan; Max Morrison; Molly Morrison; Seraphina Morrison; and Hunter Ray.
Adams was the third-highest scorer in the overall contest.
The senior team, made up of students in grades 9-12, placed seventh in the competition. Senior-team members were: Roman Buentipo; Jordyn James; Sophia Rodriguez; and De-Quan Rogers.
4-H program assistant Gypsy James served as team coach for this year’s CBCJ competition.
“Young people need to know consumer-decision skills,” she said. “This contest does a great job at preparing 4-Hers with the tools necessary to make wise decisions when dealing with finances.”
Approximately 16 counties participated in the district-level competition. 4-H divides the state into four districts. Liberty is in the Southeast District, which has 39 counties.
To learn more about 4-H programming in Liberty County, call Bozeman or James at 876-2133 or email uge3179@uga.edu.