January 2 - Office Closed (New Year's Day)

January 16 - Office Closed (MLK Day)

January 17 - Extension Board Meeting @ 5:00 PM (PREEC)

January 22 - Lambing & Kidding School Registration Deadline

January 28 - First LEGO Competition @ Scottsbluff

January 28 - Lambing & Kidding School @ Gordon

February - National 4-H Month

February 25 - Beef Weigh-In @ 8:00-10:00 AM (Flatwater Vet Clinic)

February 9 - Private Pesticide Applicator Training @ 1:00-4:00 PM (Prairie Winds Community Center)

June 1 - Horse ID Sheets Due

June 15 - 4-H Enrollment Deadline / YQCA Deadline / Animal Affidavit Deadline

To do that, text @mocofair to the number 81010!

It’s time to get enrolled in 4-H for the 2023 4-H year! Nebraska 4-H has transitioned to 4honline 2.0. To enroll, click on the button below.

For returning families, please do not create a new account; rather use your log-in credentials for 4honline used in previous years. Instructions can be found here: https://4h.unl.edu/enroll/returning-member. Enrollment instructions for new families can be found here: https://4h.unl.edu/enroll/new-member. Please note the enrollment fee for Morrill county is $5 per 4-H member/ $0 for Clover Kid member and is paid either online or at our office.

Please contact Katlyn ­­at (308) 262-1022 or krosas2@unl.edu with any questions.

There are over 200 project areas that youth can enter a project under for the fair. From showing an animal to growing produce in a garden, the opportunities are almost limitless! For more information and some ideas for future projects, click on the button below.

Please contact Katlyn at (308) 262-1022 or krosas2@unl.edu with any questions.

We would like to welcome our new 4-H Council members as well as those who are continuing their membership!

Adult Members:

Mike Cerny

Heather Daniels

Tina Dueker

Heather Spalding

Linda Safford

Kristina Whitney

Nate Edmunds

Youth Members:

Haley Edmunds

Demi Lapaseotes

Bethany Nichols

Kelton Whitney

Nebraska 4-H is now accepting nominations for a new awards program to recognize the outstanding contributions of 4-H volunteers across the state now until March 15, 2023.

The Nebraska 4-H Volunteer Recognition Awards honors adult and youth volunteers, as well as and multi-generational families, who have provided meaningful contributions to Nebraska 4-H. One Outstanding Adult Volunteer Award and One Emerging Adult Volunteer Award winner will be chosen for each of the state’s 11 Nebraska Extension Engagement zones. One statewide winner will be named in the each of the youth volunteer and multi-generational family categories.

“Our 4-H volunteers go above and beyond to serve Nebraska’s youth every year,” said Jill Goedeken, 4-H Youth Development Extension educator. “This volunteer recognition opportunity debuted in 2021 and we were thrilled at the number of outstanding 4-H volunteers nominated statewide. We are looking forward to another opportunity to recognize 4-H volunteers for their contributions to youth in Nebraska.”

The nomination period runs through March 15. Nominations can be submitted by any 4-H member, family, supporter, or Extension staff member. Nominees must fit the award categories and can be a volunteer for any Nebraska 4-H experience. Some examples may include 4-H club leader, project leader, junior leader, county or State Fair volunteer, special interest volunteer, such as robotics or shooting sports, afterschool club volunteer or 4-H camp volunteer. More information, along with the nomination form, is available online at: https://4h.unl.edu/volunteer-recognition.

Winners will be announced virtually on April 21, 2023, in which Nebraska 4-H will be celebrating the Week of the Volunteer. A special awards presentation will take place at the 2023 Nebraska State Fair.

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.

The Nebraska Extension Special Agronomy Project gives 4-H members an opportunity to experience a crop that is grown, was grown or has the potential to be grown in Nebraska. The project allows 4-H members interested in agronomy to grow something fun, new, and different.

In its third year of the special agronomy project, youth will explore tepary beans. Tepary beans are a traditional Native American food crop and are a drought-tolerant crop. Tepary Beans are among the most drought-tolerant legume crops in the world, but at one time, they were almost an endangered species in the United States. Tepary beans are an ancient crop native to the northern part of Mexico and the southwestern part of the U.S. Beans can be multiple sizes and colors, like pinto or black beans, but they offer drought tolerance other legumes don’t have. For more information, go to: https://cropwatch.unl.edu/special-agronomy-project.

This year’s National 4-H STEM Challenge will take students to be Explorers of the Deep! Explorers of the Deep focuses on the mysteries and adventures of ocean exploration—with robots! Young people learn how to use science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) to explore Earth’s Ocean and how it relates to all life on the planet.

The 2022 Challenge helps young people develop observational and critical thinking skills while exploring the interconnected nature between the ocean and humans, regardless of where they live. They will learn about the incredibly complex relationship between Earth’s oceans and the global climate. According to a recent survey, 84% of teens would like to be involved with shaping the future of our environment.

Explorers of the Deep can help empower young people to innovate and take action to drive positive change.

Learn more about this year’s 4-H STEM Challenge and how you and your students can get involved at 4-h.org/parents/4-h-stem-challenge.

Have you heard of the FarmBits Podcast? The FarmBits Podcast is a product of Nebraska Extension, focusing on digital agriculture.

The realm of digital ag is ever evolving at a pace that can be challenging to keep up with. Our mission is to help navigate these technologies by discussing current and honest information. The FarmBits Podcast will explore topics in digital agriculture in a well-rounded and accessible way, taking the shine off of new technologies through interviews with academic experts, farmers, and industry specialists.

You can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, YouTube and iHeart Radio.