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Nebraska Extension in the Central Sandhills

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Nebraska Extension in the Sandhills

PLEASE SHARE WITH US YOUR NEWS so it can be included in our newsletters! Forward any 4-H news, events, or activities to Marcy at mandersen16@unl.edu

New for 2023! All livestock in contention to exhibit at the 2023 Nebraska State Fair and/or the Aksarben Stock Show will be required to submit a DNA nomination. All 4-H/FFA BREEDING livestock, market livestock and FEEDER CALVES will now be required to submit a DNA sample/envelope to be eligible to exhibit at the Nebraska State Fair. DNA nominations for the Nebraska State Fair are due to the Extension Office on June 15, 2023 by 4 p.m.

• Nebraska 4-H is seeking teens interested in leading and facilitating this year’s Ag Innovators Experience! 3 State Teen Leaders will be selected to attend the Ag Innovators Experience Training in Columbus, Ohio. An additional 20+ teen facilitators will be selected to deliver this year’s Ag Innovators Experience in their local communities. Applications are due Saturday, December 31. Learn more and apply at 4h.unl.edu/aie.

• Nebraska 4-H is seeking applications for the Omaha Fashion Week 4-H Collection. Selected applicants will model their garments during the Omaha Fashion Week Student Night on Wednesday, February 22. Applications are due by Tuesday, January 2. For more details and to apply, visit 4h.unl.edu/ofw.

One of the largest divisions we have in 4-H is Home Environment. This division takes up the most space in our fair book and if you have ever gone to state fair, you have seen it takes up a large area there too. So, what is the hype? Why are youth so excited to dig into these projects? I can tell you from experience, our youth are creative. They love to be challenged with innovative ideas and new projects. There are so many ways for them to explore their creativity in this division that it all comes out bursting at the seams!

Home Environment Exhibits are projects that are designed to be used for home decorating, home furnishing, or home management. The purpose of this division is for youth to learn design principles and develop their graphic design skills. We want to encourage youth to have well thought out design plans and explore diverse artistic techniques. Every year we see innovative designs and projects that top the year before.

So why is home environment the project of the moth in January? One of the best ways to keep our youth creative and busy during snow days and blizzardy weekends is to get them crafting! When they need to clean their room and decide to redecorate, a home environment project is the perfect way to get them moving. Maybe they need to create a new shelf or bookcase for all their trinkets, well why not make it? With the home environment division, the possibilities are endless. The open-ended classes give youth freedom to explore and design what they think will best fit.

Some project examples include furniture, accessories made from wood, glass, metal and textiles, design boards, recycled or upcycled items, and even heirloom treasures that have been restored. 4-H pushes our youth to explore their creativity and try something new. So, when your child is itching for something new this winter, point them towards a home environment project! Projects can be entered at county fair, or they can be something you enjoy at home.

For more information visit go.unl.edu/home_environment. If your 4-Her is interested in working on a home environment project and you want more information, please contact the 4-H Assistant Shaniya at s.albertus@unl.edu.

Who is Eligible? 1. Female born high school graduate (or soon to be) OR a UN-L student who has not resided at Love Memorial Cooperative Residence Hall (LMH) OR an undergraduate transfer student from

another college or university pursing any major for an undergraduate or graduate degree.

2. Applicant must be or been a member of 4-H or FCCLA or FFA (minimum of two years) or have taken a minimum of three semesters in Family & Consumer Sciences classes and live in or

attend school in the following Nebraska counties: Antelope, Arthur, Banner, Blaine, Box Butte, Boyd, Brown, Cedar, Chase, Cherry, Cheyenne, Custer, Dakota, Dawes, Dawson, Deuel, Dixon, Dundy, Frontier, Furnas, Garden, Garfield, Gosper, Grant, Harlan, Hayes, Hitchcock, Holt, Hooker, Keith, Keya Paha, Kimball, Knox, Lincoln, Logan, Loup, McPherson, Morrill, Perkins, Phelps, Pierce, Red Willow, Rock, Scotts Bluff, Sheridan, Sioux, Thomas, Thurston, Wayne, Wheeler. (Map on page 3)

3. Must have applied or been accepted (preferred) to University of Nebraska -Lincoln.

4. Must have requested residency in Love Memorial Hall, a cooperative residence hall on East Campus. Residents rotate responsibilities for cleaning a portion of the Hall and planning/preparing meals (about 1 hour per week; more time during a week when responsible for food preparation). The cost of living in Love Memorial Hall is less than half of what is charged for all other tradi-tional dorms. Over a four year period this amounts to a savings around $25,000. More infor-mation about Love Memorial Hall is found at: https://housing.unl.edu/love-memorial-hall

Students may change housing preference by submitting a written request to the Housing Office. For more information:

Web - https://housing.unl.edu

Phone - (402) 472-3561; Switchboard—800-742-8800; Email: housing@unl.edu

A Farrowed and Owned Breeding and Market Swine division for youth interested in learning more about the swine industry is available again at the Nebraska State Fair in 2023! The Nebraska 4-H Farrowed and Owned Swine Cohort is designed to enhance the traditional 4-H swine project and cultivate the next generation of leaders in the swine industry by providing opportunities focusing on swine production as a goal of the 4-H member's project, along with accurate and complete record-keeping, industry knowledge, and engagement by the 4-H member. In order to participate, youth must be 4-H age 10-18 as of January 1, 2023, complete YQCA, farrowed their project animal(s) and participate in monthly virtual educational meetings.

Youth participating in the Farrowed and Owned Cohort will:

- Network with 4-H members across the state who are also participating in the cohort experience.

- Participate in learning opportunities hosted by Extension Swine Specialist Benny Mote about nutrition, feeding, genetics and more.

- Gain knowledge related to their project and the swine industry as a whole.

- Maintain records related to swine management and basic care.

- Exhibit their Farrowed and Owned project animals at the 2023 Nebraska State Fair with the opportunity for special recognition as a result of participating in the cohort.

Register by February 1st to participate!

**Register by January 8th to participate in a special virtual educational session on farrowing.** After the registration deadline, youth will receive more detailed information via email. For more information, visit: https://4h.unl.edu/farrowed-owned.

For questions, contact Nebraska Extension Swine Specialist Benny Mote at

bmote8@unl.edu or 402-310-9878

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) will host the 2023 National 4-H Conference April 14-19, 2023 in-person at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City in Arlington, Virginia and online.

NIFA has administered the National 4-H Conference on behalf of the Secretary of Agriculture in Washington, DC since 1927. Known as “the Secretary’s Conference,” this Conference is the flagship youth development opportunity of USDA. Today, the Conference remains true to its original intent to develop the next generation of leaders while continuing to be future focused. The Conference brings together young people, volunteer leaders, county and state Extension staff, Land-grant University faculty and administrators, as well as state and federal government officials from across the United States and its Territories. During the Conference, delegates will become familiar with the government and future career opportunities and share their voice with federal agencies and congressional committees.

To learn more about the 2023 National 4-H Conference, register to attend our National 4-H Conference Information Session on December 7, 2022 3:00-4:00 CST.

Now Recruiting Leadership Positions

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) is now accepting submissions from youth and adults to serve in leadership positions at 2023 National 4-H Conference. National 4-H Conference offers opportunities for youth to learn, practice, and apply civic engagement skills through roundtable discussions, federal agency briefings, and more. These unique and engaging experiences would not be possible without the Youth Leadership Team, Collegiate Facilitators, and Adult Advisors who provide leadership to conference activities and events.

How to Apply

Those interested in the following positions should review the National 4-H Conference leadership position descriptions, complete the National 4-H Conference Leadership Interest Form, and email the completed form along with resume to National4-HConference@usda.gov, using the subject line “National 4-H Conference Leadership Interest.”

Collegiate Facilitator (New and Returning)
• Up to 16 positions open for 2023 National 4-H Conference
• Submit interest by November 18, 2022

Collegiate Facilitator Adult Advisor
• 2 positions open for 2023 and 2024 National 4-H Conference
• Submit interest by November 4, 2022

Lead Collegiate Facilitator
• 1 position open for 2023 National 4-H Conference
• Submit interest by November 4, 2022

Youth Leadership Team (YLT)
• Up to 6 positions open for 2023 National 4-H Conference
• Submit interest by November 18, 2022

Collegiate Facilitator positions (new, returning, and lead) will require a signature from the State 4-H Leader or Land-grant University Director. This signature acknowledges that the individual must be enrolled as a 4-H adult volunteer through a local Land-grant University prior to interacting with youth participants.

For questions contact Annie Ceccarini and Andrea Wikiera.