Enrollment is open for 2019-2020 Jefferson County 4-H. NOTE AGE CHANGE: All 4-H youth (ages 8-18) as of January 1, 2019 are required to enroll online every year. Enrollment deadline is APRIL 1. We encourage all members to enroll using a computer and not your mobile device. Enrollment instructions for new members can be found at the Extension Office or online at https://extension.unl.edu/statewide/jefferson/4-Hforms/ Call the office 402-729-3487 with any enrollment questions.

4-H Online Enrollment Link: https://ne.4honline.com/Login.aspx?403D4050364539525371705375593D

New 4-H Member Enrollment Instructions Link: https://extension.unl.edu/statewide/jefferson/Steps%20to%20Enroll%20New%20Member.pdf

Re-Enrollment Instructions Link: https://extension.unl.edu/statewide/jefferson/Reenrollment%20Returning%20Members.pdf

Once again the Jefferson County Farm Bureau is offering the Student Project Grant program.

The grant is offered to all Jefferson County FFA & 4-H students.

The application can be found on our website at: https://extension.unl.edu/statewide/jefferson/4-Hforms/, the deadline is January 15, 2020 and they will interview each applicant on January 26th. Call the office with any questions!

We will be electing new members to the 4-H Council and are looking for interested adults and youth. The council is composed of 6 adults and 6 youth members. Adult members serve a 3-year term, while youth members serve a 1-year term and can serve 3 terms. We would like to invite anyone who’s interested in serving on 4-H Council to contact the office. Youth members need to be at least 13 years old by January 1, 2020.

Please contact us by Wednesday, January 15 at 5 pm to be considered.

The Special Garden Project is a way to offer 4-H members the chance to grow unusual and fun projects in their gardens. This year the Special Garden Project is focused on the unique Classic Magic Bachelor Button. Classic Magic Bachelor Buttons are a unique mix of plum, purple, and bicolor flowers. Not only do the flowers attract beneficial insects, the flowers are edible as well.

Youth should enroll for the Special Garden Project through 4-H Online. Once enrolled through 4-H Online, youth are then to call their local office to let them know they enrolled for the project. By enrolling through 4-H Online, youth will have access to the box folder with the educational materials including the growing newsletter & evaluation.

Call the office by January 28th to order your seeds! NO LATE ORDERS!!!!

The 4-H Photography Showcase offers a project exhibition opportunity beyond traditional print media. It is intended to help youth develop professional and technical skills as photographers while fostering creativity and encouraging self-expression. Through this opportunity, youth are encouraged to practice and apply skills learned in their photography projects throughout the year.

How Does It Work?

Each month, a new photo will be selected from the online submissions. Selections will be made based on creativity, timeliness, technical execution, originality, and appropriateness. The selected photo will be showcased across the Nebraska 4-H social media channels, including Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Youth photographers will be credited wherever and whenever their photo is shared or published.

This opportunity is open to all enrolled 4-H members. Photo recommendations, file specifications, rules, and guidelines for participation are available online at https://4h.unl.edu/photography-showcase.

There will be a face to face training on Thursday, February 13th in the afternoon at the Tri-County High School ag room for youth ages 8-18 as of that day. Youth 19-21 will have to complete the course online. This training will meet your requirements for the the 2020 fair. We will also be holding another face to face training in Fairbury in May, so if you still need training one will be held then.

NEW this year! Nebraska has started a livestock judging circuit open to current Nebraska 4-H and/or FFA members that are in good standing and age 10-18 as of January 1, 2020. Contestants will be split into two divisions based on 4-H age: Senior (age 14-18) and Junior (age 10-13). This would be a great opportunity to see and evaluate great livestock across the state. There are a total of 17 contests that youth have an opportunity to compete in. The Top 5 individuals from the intermediate and senior divisions will receive awards and be recognized as the All-State Teams during the 4-H grand drive at the 2020 Nebraska State Fair. Each student must compete in at least 2 contests and PASE in order to be eligible to be on the All-State Team in their respective division. The extension office has a list of all the contests as well as contact information. If you'd like to know more, please call the office. We'd be glad to help you!

A Nebraska 4-H Shooting Sports Leader Certification Workshop is scheduled for mid-January in Lincoln. It will be held January 18-19 at the Nebraska Game & Parks Outdoor Education Center in Lincoln. The deadline to register for the Lincoln session is January 8th.

Volunteers have the opportunity to become certified as an adult (21 years and older) or apprentice (14-20 years old) leader. Four project areas will be offered at the Lincoln Workshop - rifle, pistol, coordinator, and archery. The Coordinator certification being offered in Nebraska 4-H Shooting Sports is for individuals who work with certified shooting sports leaders, 4-H club leaders for shooting sports projects, 4-H volunteers managing shooting sports events/competitions.

Coordinators will explore and learn more about the different disciplines in 4-H Shooting Sports, how to support the different types of coaches, structuring a budget, designing a fund-raising plan, building an overall plan focused on Positive Youth Development, practice handling conflict, discover how to manage and recruit volunteers, best practices for managing events and competitions, teaching more than just “shooting” with science and healthy lifestyles, and working within your county’s 4-H structure.

There is a minimum number of participants needed to offer these disciplines at the workshop. Workshop participants will learn under expert instruction from members of the Nebraska State
4-H Shooting Sports Training Team.

The registration fee is $110.00 per person for initial certification and those individuals adding an additional discipline except for Apprentice Instructors. The registration fee for Apprentice Instructors is $90 for this workshop. This fee includes meals, supplies and program materials. The registration fee after January 8th is $160. Participants must make their own lodging arrangements. Registration on Saturday runs from 8:00 a.m. to 8:30 a.m.

For more workshop information and registration link, go to the 4-H Shooting Sports web page (https://4h.unl.edu/shooting-sports/instructor#calendar). Or contact Steve Pritchard at (402)395-2158 or (308)536-2691. Registration is available only online at the link provided in the brochure or they can register directly by clicking https://go.unl.edu/duhg

We are looking for ideas for workshops in and 2020. We would like to hear ideas of what you would be willing to attend. We would also like to hear from you regarding what times would work best for most people, after school, 1⁄2 days when school is out, etc. Please contact the Extension Office 402-729-3487 and let us know what YOU are interested in.