Enrollment Forms are Ready for Pick Up
Club leaders or parents of Independent Members are encouraged to stop by the county office to collect enrollment forms. We have Pick-A-Project booklets and 4-H Camp brochures for each family as well. Completed enrollment forms are due March 14, 2008.
4-H Beef
Below are the scheduled 4-H market beef weigh days for the Central IV Area. Please feel free to bring your calves to any of the locations.
- Feb. 2 – St. Paul Vet Clinic, 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 noon
- Feb. 10 – Eldon Lambrecht farm, 5 miles North of Loup City, 1:00 to 3:30 p.m.
- Feb. 16 – Martinson Vet Clinic in St. Paul, 9:00 to 11:30 a.m.
- Feb. 16 – Valley County Fairgrounds in Ord, 1:30 to 4:00 p.m.
- Feb. 17 – Ken Ryan farm, 5 miles East of Greeley, 1:00 to 3:00 p.m.
If you can't make one of these dates it will be your responsibility to contact Scott and make arrangements by February 23.
State Fair and Ak-Sar-Ben
To participate at the Nebraska State Fair or Ak-Sar-Ben, it is required to provide a hair sample for DNA identification. These samples will be collected at weigh days. There is a cost of $6 per animal for this. The fee is due at weigh day and no samples will be collected unless the fee is paid. Please keep this in mind as you prepare for weigh days.
Please Save the Date
Monday, February 25, 2008 is the date selected for our Central IV Winter 4-H Warm Up. We encourage leaders and parents to attend this annual event at the extension office in Ord. We realize leaders will have questions about the new state-wide 4-H policies. We hope to provide additional information to clarify the new guidelines.
Quiz Bowl, Etc.
It will soon be time to start thinking about the PASE contests, quiz bowl, skillathon and judging. Our area has a strong tradition of excellence in these events. If you are interested in becoming part of a team (and 12 years of age or older), please let your local extension office or leader know so you can be included. Contest preparation requires effort and dedication if we want to excel.
4-H Council Meeting Dates Set
Howard County — January 23, 7:00 p.m. at the Courthouse
Sherman County — January 31, 7:30 p.m. at the Courthouse
Valley County — February 5, 7:30 p.m. at the Extension Office
Greeley County — February 11, 8:00 p.m. at the Friendship Villa Dining Room in Spalding
State 4-H Scholarship Applications due March 1
Applications for 4-H Scholarships will be accepted through March 1, 2008. Scholarship of amounts from $200 to $1000 are offered. General eligibility for applicants includes: Must be a current high school senior, graduating Spring of the current year, and attending college in the Fall of the current year (unless specified by individual scholarship guidelines). Must have completed (1) year of 4-H, and be a current 4-H member unless otherwise stated. Must be in good scholastic standing (minimum of "C" average). Scholarships will be awarded after the successful completion of the first college semester. Recipient must provide a copy of first semester grades to the Nebraska 4-H Foundation before scholarship is issued.
Other eligibility requirements vary by scholarship. To view information and requirements and to download applications, a link is available at: http://4h.unl.edu/kids/scholarships.htm or you may come to our office for a printed copy.
6th Annual Spring Photography Workshop coming to Halsey in April
The Spring Photography Workshop, April 26-27, 2008 will offer classroom instruction and field demonstration workshops in the areas of Digital Photography, Outdoor and Nature, Photoshop Elements, Portraiture, Basics, Digital Painting, Lighting instruction, and U.S. Forest Service Tour. Work and learn side by side with world-class photographers. Jeff Beiermann photojournalist with the Omaha World Herald, Brad Norton photojournalist with the Kearney Hub, Randy Hampton retired photojournalist and teacher, Brad Mellema photo teacher and portrait photographer, and more!
Photographers of all skill levels age 15-adult using film or digital cameras are invited to sign up. Contact Connie Cox at mailto:ccox5@unlnotes.unl.edu or at (308) 533-2224 at the Nebraska State 4-H Camp to register. Additional information will soon be available online at: http://4h.unl.edu/camp/family/
Statewide Opportunities for 4-H Youth
Two statewide leadership opportunities for 4-H Youth, the Youth Curriculum Committee and the Youth Multimedia Team, will again be available in 2008. These groups provide 4-H'ers age 14 and older a voice in future planning, an opportunity to serve, and a chance to connect with other youth who have similar interest. Applications are available at http://4h.unl.edu and will be accepted until March 15.
Clubs may Apply for Governor's Agricultural Excellence Awards
The Nebraska 4-H Foundation and the Nebraska Investment Finance Authority (NIFA) are pleased to again offer The Governor's Agricultural Excellence Awards which recognize 4-H clubs for the work of the individuals in the club and the community service work of the entire club. Twenty-five clubs have been recognized each year since 1997. Recognition is in the form of $500 checks issued to the club's treasury to be used as described in the award application form completed by the club. A public presentation is made to representatives of the club by the Governor of Nebraska and NIFA officials.
Clubs can use the award dollars for many different programs. Conferences or workshops for others in the community, trips or tours for club members, community improvement projects in their home town, campus visits, fair grounds enhancement, inter-generational programs, and the development of a youth council are just a few examples of the ways the award can be used. While the majority of the clubs choose a project that benefits many others in their community some have chosen to celebrate their success by providing more experiences for club members.
Applications are available on-line at: http://4h.unl.edu/foundation/nifa.htm. Any club that hasn't received a Governor's Agriculture Excellence Award for the past two consecutive years is eligible to apply. Clubs must e-mail their application to the Nebraska 4-H Foundation office (mailto:pyoung3@unl.edu) by March 31, 2008. Please indicate in the subject line that it is a Governor's Ag. Excellence Application. If you have any questions please contact Pat Young at the Nebraska 4-H Foundation at mailto:pyoung3@unl.edu or at (402) 472-4748.
Register for 2008 Big Red Summer Academic Camps
The 2008 Big Red Summer Academic Camps are only five months away! To learn more about the 2008 camp offerings, click onto the recently updated Web site at: http://bigredcamps.unl.edu. New camps for 2008 include dance, landscape design, quilt design, and spiders. Also offered are the focus areas of child development, culinary arts, Culinology®, food molecular biology, golf, movie making, theatre, Unicameral Youth Conference, and Web design and animation. You can pick up Big Red Summer Academic Camp brochures at the extension office.
Food for Thought
As we head into a new year of 4-H learning and competition, it might be well for each of us to spend some time thinking about character – our own, and that which we hope to develop in the young people. The only thing meaningful in life is the character that we build. Character is the thing that causes people to trust (or mistrust) us now, and it's the only thing people will remember about us when we're gone.
Photo Themes Chosen
The theme for this year's County 8"x10" exhibit print will be "Seasons." Your photo may be representative on any one of the four seasons, and must be taken in your county since last year's fair. The state photography themes for 2008 are 1. "Celebrating Citizenship" and 2. "Go For Gold" (In celebration of the Nebraska 4-H Foundation's 50th Anniversary). Be watching for creative opportunities to depict those themes through pictures.
4-H Camps Need Staff
The Nebraska 4-H Camps and Centers are looking for talented and creative individuals to work with youth in a 4-H camp summer staff role. We are interested in hiring a team who will help our campers continually discover, learn and grow. There are three different summer staff opportunities that we will be hiring for: counselors, mentors and staff. Counselor positions are open to youth ages 15-18, the application deadline is March 15. Mentors are age 17 and up, the application deadline is March 15. Summer Program Staff must be 18 by May 1; the application deadline is February 15. All of these positions offer opportunities for growth in the areas of leadership, team work and youth development. The positions are available at all three Nebraska 4-H Camps and Centers; Eastern Nebraska 4-H Center in Gretna; Nebraska State 4-H Camp in Halsey; and South Central 4-H Camp in Alma. To apply and for further information, please visit our web site at http://4h.unl.edu/camp/staff. While you're there, please check out the 2008 4-H Summer Camps and Trips brochure and see a glimpse of the amazing things planned for this summer!
Upcoming Horse Programs
Just a quick reminder about some educational opportunities for 4-H'er riders, parents and leaders, including:
- Horse Owners Workshop - "Cutting your horse care costs" on February 16 in Fremont and on March 29 in Grand Island from 8:30 - noon
- 4-H Horse Leaders and Youth Horse Leaders Workshop on March 29 in Grand Island from 1 - 4 p.m.
- Equine 105 may be viewed at the extension office in Ord every Tuesday January 22 -February 26. Pre-registration and fee required.
- Horsin' Around held February 9-10 in Lincoln
- Horse Stampede on March 8, entries due January 31
If you would like registration forms you may contact our office, call Terri at 402-472-6411 or go to http://www.animalscience.unl.edu/extension/equine/4H/programs.html on the web.
Volunteer Profile Renewal
A system has been put in place for Nebraska 4-H leaders and extension staff to be screened once every four years. All volunteers in the Central IV area are required to renew their Volunteer Profile during 2008. The one-page form is available at our office or you can access a copy at http://4h.unl.edu/pdf/4Hf104.pdf We would appreciate your help to make sure that each organizational and project leader completes it.
Welcome Clover Kids
Clover Kids is a Nebraska program for youth age 5 to 7 as of January 1 of the current year. The programming is designed with activities and learning opportunities that are developmentally appropriate, and focuses on self-esteem, cooperative learning and positive feedback. Clover Kids is non-competitive, which means that they are not eligible for contests and they will be awarded unique Clover Kids ribbons for their fair exhibits. In addition, Clover Kids may not exhibit animals weighing over 350 pounds.
Central IV will no longer be able to have 7-year-old associate members. As you may have guessed, these changes were made to comply with requirements set forth by insurance providers and the University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension. These sorts of changes always require us to adjust and adapt and we look forward to providing positive experiences for our newest and youngest members.
