A whole month down for the year 2023! February is Nebraska 4-H Month, so make sure to help us celebrate this awesome program in the state of Nebraska! This month is also the start of our spring 4-H afterschool program! Be sure to check this newsletter often as it changes weekly.

-Webster County 4-H Team

A note from Kelsey:

Webster County 4-H Horse Participants & Parents

Something just for you! Doing something like this has been heavy on my mind for some time. I’m so thankful for the lasting impact 4-H and the 4-H leaders of my time did to help me grow as a rider, individual and within the industry. This is my way of giving back and rewarding the horse kids with opportunity for the hard work they do! When you have a real love and passion for horses they’re apart of you for life, no matter if your choosing to be a doctor or an equine related career, and that’s where this scholarship is different — no matter what career path your choosing to explore, you can apply. The only requirement is you must be actively enrolled in the 4-H Horse Program in Webster County, Nebraska.

I became a 4-H leader because I’ve always longed to give horse involved youth opportunities to grow themselves. Show them opportunities I wish had been accessible back then to explore the horse industry, because it’s a big world and it’s growing everyday from breeding to showing to technology.

Check out this new scholarship here: https://extension.unl.edu/statewide/webster/Legacy%20Leaders%204-H%20Scholarship.pdf

Save the date for the upcoming beef weigh-in!

• February 12, 2023- 2:00-4:00 pm @ Red Cloud Animal Health

Thank you to the ones that came to the first weigh-in. You should have received a copy of your ID sheet along with a copy of your DNA Envelope(s) (if you pulled DNA) in the mail. If you have information that was highlighted, be sure to let the office know that information.

*If you do not come to a Webster County 4-H weigh-in, you will not be eligible for Rate of Gain.

It is time to start filling our bus (or plane) for the 2025 CWF Experience! Youth can sign up now with their intent to attend the 2025, 2028, and 2031 CWF Experience. Register today by completing the ‘CWF Participant Form’ and get the correspondence and information regarding fundraising, decision making (bus or plane), and more! While exact dates for 2025 and beyond cannot be finalized, we would be gone about 10 to 14 days with 5 of that at the National 4-H Center. I would encourage families to save from after Memorial Day to the first two full weeks of June open. A final ‘Commitment MoU” CWF Form will be completed leading up to the year trip.

Start the conversation now with your family to attend as a 15 – 18 year old:

• CWF 2025 = Current Age is 13 to 16
• CWF 2028 = Current Age is 10 to 13
• CWF 2031 = Current Age is 7 to 10

Contact Twila Bankson (twila.bankson@unl.edu) for the ‘CWF Participant Form’ to show your intent today! Fundraising plans are in movement and will be announced soon!

Save the date for the 4-H sheep/goat weigh-in!

• May 23, 2023- 5:30-6:30 pm @ Webster County Fairgrounds

*If you do not come to a Webster County 4-H weigh-in, you will not be eligible for Rate of Gain.

Please see a message from the State 4-H office regarding a state fair change below:

With each new State Fair season, brings new possibilities and opportunities for 4-H families in Nebraska. The opportunity for 4-H to continue having its own weekend allows more flexibility for new events, entry limits, schedules, and space. We want to continue to take advantage of that!

As part of that process, we continue to explore age eligibility requirements for State Fair participation. After garnering user input, researching data from other events/shows/states, and looking that overall impact on youth development, the decision has been made to change the age of eligibility in 2023 to be 9 years of age before January 1 (of the current year) for all in-person events (livestock, contests, fashion shows).

More information will be forthcoming.