June Newsletter

Pick Up Your Pre-Entry Forms 4-H exhibits for the county fair are pre-entered in our computer program to help keep track of results and premiums. Pre-entry forms will be available to pick up on June 16. 4-H members need to fill out entry sheets and return them to the office two weeks before opening day of the fair. Give us a call if you have questions regarding the process. Also, refer to your county fair newsletters for additional information and deadlines.

You will also want to pick up a 2008 premium list from our office if you have not already done so. This list is needed to find out the class numbers of items you want to enter and to verify that your exhibits meet all the criteria.

Pre-enter any exhibits you might take to the fair. However, please be realistic about your entries and the number you can actually complete before fair time. We ask that you wait to enter horticulture items until entry day unless you know exactly what you will be taking.

4-H Council Meeting Dates

• June 9 ~ Howard County 4-H Council, 8:00 p.m. at the Courthouse
• June 11 ~ Sherman County 4-H Council, 8:00 p.m. at the Courthouse

Riding Practice Update Summer riding schedules are now in effect. Horse project members are invited to use the fairgrounds arena in Ord each Tuesday and Thursday evening starting at about 6:30 p.m. The Howard County Fairgrounds arena is open for 4-H riding practice each Friday at 7 p.m. Riders will practice at 9 a.m. on Thursdays at the Sherman County Fairgrounds.

Summer Workshops Happening Soon! We are excited to have a wide variety of educational opportunities for you to take part in this summer! We are now taking registrations for the workshops. You must pay the non-refundable registration fee in order to reserve your spot. Many of the classes have limited registration numbers and they will be taken on a first come, first served basis.

Culinology - June 10-13. Wow! Do we have a fun line-up of great culinary topics, exciting food and lots of fun (including a five course dinner)! Please join us for this great event. You can pick up a schedule at any of our offices. Registration is limited, so please sign up soon! 4-H members can attend one day of the camp for $18 or the entire camp Tuesday-Friday for $64.

Child Development Workshop - June 17, Valley County Ag Complex in Ord from 2:00 to 4 or 4:30 p.m. Sierra, Carissa and Jeanette Koelling will teach about all stages of child development, including age appropriate toys for children and how 4-H members can create them to exhibit at the county fair. During this workshop, you will even be able to create a child development toy that you can use when you go babysitting! There is a $2 fee to participate. Please register by June 10 if you would like to attend.

Robotics - June 23-27, Ord. Nebraska 4-H is offering a day camp covering basics in robotics, GPS, GIS and aerial photography for middle-school students from 8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. We are lucky enough to have a sufficient number of registrations to hold our camp in Ord. If you would like to attend, please contact Kevin Kramer at the State 4-H Office as soon as possible! His number is 402-472-2805. You will need to bring a sack lunch each day.

4-H Dog Show June 14 at Loup City The Central IV Dog Show will be in the 4-H Exhibit Hall (the middle white building) at the Sherman County Fairgrounds on Saturday, June 14 with registration at 8:45 a.m. and the show starting at 9:00. If you are enrolled in the Dog project, you should receive a registration form in the mail. Please return the completed form to the Sherman County Extension office by June 10. Proof of current vaccination for rabies, parvo and distemper will be required at registration. Showmanship divisions will be based on experience, rather than age.

DNA Reminder DNA samples can be collected on identified animals until June 15 at a cost of $6. If you have decided that you might wish to show your livestock at the Nebraska State Fair or Ak-Sar-Ben, please contact Scott right away. This applies to market goats, market lambs, market swine and Ak-Sar-Ben feeder calves.

Show Off Your Skills Favorite Foods Show will be held at the Scotia Community Building on June 18. Set up time for Juniors (age 11 or younger) is 9:30 a.m. and at 10:00 a.m. we will start judging. Set up time for Seniors (age 12 and older) is 10:30 a.m. with judging to start at 11:00 a.m. The pre-registration deadline is June 12. There will be special recognition for a 4-H'er who best carries out the theme of "Americana...red, white & blue." Use of the selected theme is optional.

Technology Camp Update It's not too early to pre-register (deadline June 10) and pay fees for the Technology Camp, set for Thursday, June 19 at the courthouse in St. Paul. The first two sessions have a maximum of 14 participants and will be held in the Bit Mobile (traveling technology lab). (1) Digital Photography, from 9:00 a.m. to noon, shows how to download, edit, crop, paste, etc. your photos and then insert into a document for a finished project. (2) Digital Storytelling, from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m., involves inserting and editing audio and visual media (podcasting). (3) Basic GPS (Global Positioning System) which runs from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. has no limit on the number attending. It will be held in the parks near the courthouse - meet first at the courthouse to begin the session.

Participants need to be age 10 or older to attend Technology Camp. There is a $5.00 fee for each session - register for all three and pay only $13. Non-4-H friends can join in the fun for $7.00 a session, or $20 for all three sessions.

Summer Show Activities The Central IV-GLW warmup beef show is set for June 20 at the Valley County Fairgrounds in Ord. Market Beef and Breeding Beef will be entered at 5 p.m. The show will begin at 6:30 (blow and go). Please come early if you can as we plan on having several activities such as skillathon, quiz bowl, and ID contests starting at 3:00 p.m. This will be fun and you can learn and enjoy showing your calf. The summer sheep and goat show is set for June 27 at Bartlett at the Wheeler County Fairgrounds with check-in at 4:30 and the show at 5:30 p.m. Fun learning activities are set for 3:00 p.m. This is for market lambs and market goats only. Come have some fun and improve your skills.

Last Call for ESI Camp UNL Extension still has a few openings and scholarships available for students who would like to attend the Entrepreneurship (ESI) camp at Halsey, June 5-7. Please see last month's newsletter for details and contact Nancy Eberle directly (402-736-4691) if you are interested in attending.

Schedule a Livestock Workshop If your club would like to schedule a livestock fitting or showing demonstration, contact Scott. He will have time to conduct one or two workshops prior to county fairs.

Quality Assurance Remember you must meet Quality Assurance requirements to exhibit livestock, rabbits and poultry at the fair. For those of you who haven't gotten it taken care of, three sessions have been scheduled.

• June 23 – Spalding Fairgrounds at 6 p.m.
• June 24 – Loup City VFW Hall at 6:30 p.m.
• June 25 – St. Paul Fairgrounds at 6:30 p.m.

FSA Offers Rural Youth Loans The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Farm Service Agency (FSA) makes loans of up to $5,000 to eligible rural youths age 10 or older for agriculture related projects. To apply or find out more, visit your local USDA Service Center.

Clover Kids Workshop Coming Soon! Mark June 26 at 7:00 p.m. on your calendar if you are a 4-H Clover Kid. We hope you will join us for an evening of fun at the Valley County Ag Complex in Ord while exploring all of the exciting things you can learn in your 4-H projects! We hope you will bring your bike (and helmet) to learn about safety and participate in the bike rodeo. Also during the evening you will be able to try your skills in the kitchen and create something fun to exhibit at the fair. There is a $5 registration fee and we ask that you please register by June 20. We look forward to working with our new 4-H members and hope to see you there!

Changes for Plant Identification Contests Central IV judging contests for Horticulture, Trees, and Grass/Weeds will be held on July 8 at the extension office in Ord at 1:30 p.m. This date is later than usual because state events will be moved back to the State Fair, which will be on August 30. Another change is the format for the horticulture contest. It will be plant identification only - no test or placing of classes. To prepare for the contest, check out the plant lists and study guides at http://www.agronomy.unl.edu/neoutreach/youthprograms.html. A new online contest is available for counties to use prior to state fair. We will take advantage of this opportunity for our Central IV event. Consequently, we will use the Tech Center at the office in Ord and all participants for horticulture will go online and use a laptop to identify the flowers, vegetables, ornamentals, etc. Because the answers will be checked later in Lincoln rather than during the contest, results for horticulture will not be available until the following week.

Tree Identification and Grass/Weeds Identification Contests will be the same as in past years - identification of 20-25 plants. A new list of species and resources for grass and weeds is posted at the above address. The two resources listed are available at your local extension office.

There is a junior division (age 11 and under) and senior division (age 12 and over) for all three contests. Ribbons and medals will be awarded. These contests will help determine who represents Central IV at the state contests. You may judge in one, two or all three county events. Participation is open to everyone and pre-registration is not required. Please join us on July 8 and increase your plant identification skills.

Central IV Clothing to be Judged July 10 Make plans to attend the Clothing Day to be held this year in Loup City at the High School. We are so excited to have a commitment from Michael James, the Ardis James Professor of Textiles, Clothing and Design at UNL. Michael James is a world-renowned quilter and textiles artist. He will be presenting workshops throughout the day along with other educational workshops. We also plan to judge modeling, all 4-H clothing, Sewing for Fun, Shopping in Style, Attention Shoppers, and knitted and crocheted exhibits during that day. Clothing project members will receive a letter containing registration forms and exhibit information. All four counties will have their clothing judged on this day so please make plans to send your exhibits if you are not able to be there in person.

State Fair and Ak-Sar-Ben Entry Info For 2008, DNA identification is required for all larger animals going to the Nebraska State Fair or Ak-Sar-Ben. Samples cost $6 per animal ($5 per feeder calf) and are due with ID sheets on June 6.

We need your state fair animal entries by July 31. The animal entry form is available on the 4-H page at our website: www.central4.unl.edu or at our office. NEW this year will be a meal served by the Nebraska Pork Producers on Sunday, August 31 from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Coliseum for all state fair exhibitors (livestock or static) and their families. Order your complimentary meal tickets and/or $3.25 advance gate tickets on the animal entry form or by calling our office by August 11.

Ak-Sar-Ben broiler orders need to be in Omaha by July 1. All show entries are due in our office by August 4. A breeding gilt show has been added for 2008. IDs and DNA for breeding gilts are due with other ID sheets on June 6.

Help Wanted We truly appreciate all of the people who work so hard to make our county fairs a positive experience for the 4-H members. Many volunteers are needed to make 4-H events and county fairs run successfully. If you previously helped at one of our Central IV county fairs, you should receive a letter asking for assistance at this year's fairs. We are asking leaders, parents and older 4-H'ers to serve as superintendents, assistants or helpers. If you are willing to help but have not been asked, please call our office; we would be happy to add you to our list.