Olmsted County 4-H News
March 2023
Notes from 4-H Staff
Welcome Mika Miller! Mika, our new .5 Extension Educator has started her role in Olmsted County (with her other .5 time spent in Winona)! Mika grew up on her family's dairy farm outside of Plainview and graduated from the University of Wisconsin - River Falls with a degree in Animal Science. She lives in Lewiston and enjoys spending time outdoors and caring for her goats. Mika has been supporting Winona and Dodge County 4-H the last couple of years and is excited to be working with Olmsted! Her email is: mill7335@umn.edu.
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Farewell! After almost 5 years supporting the Olmsted County 4-H program, Kristina has accepted a new position as a 4-H Regional Extension Educator supporting local staff and programs related to Civic Engagement and Leadership. Some examples of where you may see her in this role include county and state ambassador programs, youth officer trainings, and leadership events like BLU and YELLO. A huge thank you to all 4-H families for all the opportunities, learning, and growth that we have achieved together!
The full-time Olmsted Extension Educator Position will be posted in the coming weeks. In the meantime, continue to reach out to Christine and Mika for your needs. Kristina will also be supporting the transition behind the scenes, as well as supporting youth leaders through her new role.
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Don't forget March is a Full Council Month - All clubs need to have a representative at the March 20th meeting. This is an important time to get countywide updates, be part of decision making, and to get to know other clubs!
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Get involved with the Fall Festival: As previously shared, all clubs need to have representation on our Fall Festival Committee (ideally a youth and an adult). Our kick-off meeting will be March 19th at 4 pm at the Fair Board Office. Please email mill7335@umn.edu to let Mika know you are planning to attend.
Summer Programming
Day Camps in Olmsted County (Grades K-5)
Registration is now open in 4HOnline!
Who: Youth in grades K-5 are invited to participate and grade 3-5 campers will get to experience being junior camp counselors! While participating in many of the same activities, the junior camp counselors will be introduced to leadership skills as they support younger youth.
What: Campers will enjoy a variety of theme-related activities including science, art, recreation, snacks, and more! All June/July camps will include the start (or completion) of a project that can exhibited at the Olmsted County Fair!
Where/When: All Camps run 9 am-3:30 pm with an extended day option.
Walk on the Wild Side - Exploring Animals - June 28
Detective for a Day - August 9
Outdoor Adventures - August 16
All Are Welcome! Looking to share these camps with friends? Send them to: z.umn.edu/OlmstedDayCamp
Be a Day Camp Counselor!
Do our Day Camps sound fun? Are you in Grades 6+ and interested in taking on a leadership role? Join us as a day camp counselor! Counselors assist with activities and sometimes lead parts of Day Camps alongside our intern. You can apply to be a counselor through the 4HOnline Olmsted County Day Camp Counselor Experience event.
Regional 4-H Camp at Whitewater State Park
Who: Grades 3-8
What: Youth will spend three days and two nights enjoying swimming, hiking, nature activities, games, art, music, crafts, educational programs, great food, cabin life, reflective campfires and more!
Where: Whitewater State Park
When: June 22-24 (Grades 6-8) and June 25-27 (Grades 3-5)
Registration is open in 4HOnline! For full details, visit the Extension website.
*Thanks to our countywide fundraisers, youth are eligible to be reimbursed for half the program fee by Olmsted County 4-H. To apply, complete the reimbursement form: z.umn.edu/OlmstedReimbursement
4-H at the Olmsted County Fair
Later this month, all families will receive a mailing with a packet of County Fair information. One of the key documents in this is the premium book. The premium book includes all the details for the livestock and static projects your family can bring to the fair. Use it as your guide in signing up for projects in the FairEntry website, where you will register for all projects and animal classes between May 16th and June 15th. (an email will go out when the system goes live).
For families exhibiting livestock - don't forget to stop by the office to pickup ear tags and have them IDed in 4HOnline by the May 15th deadline. For questions on ID requirements, Visit the Minnesota 4-H Animal ID webpage.
Livestock Quality Assurance (LQA)
Reminder: LQA&E Training in Rochester is THIS SATURDAY, March 4! Register in 4HOnline by Friday if you plan to attend! Find more information on our website
Club Volunteer Shifts at the Fair
Many volunteers in a variety of roles are required for a great county fair experience. Clubs should fill 2 static judging day spots, 1 set-up, 1 takedown, and 1 security spot. We ask that spots are filled with 1 youth and adult or one youth grades 9+. To thank you for fulfilling your club's commitment (all volunteer roles filled), your club will receive $200. We know it's early, but the sign-up is now live for anyone wanting to stay on top of their schedule! z.umn.edu/OlmstedFairVolunteer
*New* Club Project Fun!
Our Executive Board has decided to add a theme to some of our club projects. Watch for the 2023 premium book for details on how your club could win a pizza party for winning the best in theme prize!
Beef Project
Join the Beef Project Development Committee to plan for the 2023 4-H year! Next meeting - Monday, March 12 at 5:30 pm at the Fair Board (WPA) Office (1402 Fairgrounds Ave SE Rochester, MN 55904)
Food Revue and Cake Decorating
Did you know that Olmsted County holds a Food Revue and Cake Decorating event judging prior to the fair? This event is held in a slightly different format to encourage learning about food and nutrition from youth in multiple counties. Registration is in 4HOnline for all ages - Sunday, April 30th from 4-6 pm. Learn more about the event and project area here.
Horse Project
Did you know that we have a Olmsted County 4-H Horse Project facebook page? Follow us for reminders on upcoming Horse Project Events!
- Tack Swap - April 1st from 10 am-3 pm in Aune Hall - Check out our website for full Information. This is one of our 4-H Horse Project Fundraisers. Consider getting involved in the following ways:
- Volunteer for a shift at the event - Proceeds support other Horse Project events!
- Reserve a table to sell your items and share with others who may be interested. (There is a Facebook event you can share to any horse pages you are a part of!)
- Next Meeting - Our next meeting will be May 21st at 4 pm. Agenda Topics will include: upcoming summer horse opportunities, fair award sponsorships, and more!
Dog Project
There is a dog project information meeting at 7 pm on March 23 at the fair board office! 4-H'ers interested in the dog project are invited to learn and ask questions about the 4-H dog training project.
Come learn about the goat project - dairy and meat!
Save the date for a goat project information meeting at 1 pm on April 15! RSVP to the Extension Office to receive more details.
Information for Youth and Adult Club Leaders
To find a summary of recently shared Information for Youth and Adult Club Leaders, quick links, and club leader FAQs, visit our webpage article.
- Club Activities: In addition to resources shared last month, MN 4-H has published some fun, new activities in a variety of themes and themed agendas. You can check them out on the Youth Development curriculum Library webpage.
- Since December, the newsletter has been sent to only re-enrolled families! Make sure to remind your club to re-enroll if they haven't done so yet. The Olmsted County 4-H Newsletter is sent on the first of each month, so if someone didn't receive it, have them contact the office and we'll figure out why.
- Please ensure you have a representative on the Fall Festival Committee. If not, please know that it is the club leaders responsibility to be on email list for the event and communicate updates and expectations to the club.
Contact Information
Email: mnext-olmsted@umn.edu
Website: extension.umn.edu/olmsted
Location: 1421 3rd Avenue Southeast, Rochester, MN, USA
Phone: 507-328-6214
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Olmsted4H