Webster County 4-H Newsletter
December 2020
Happy December!
We have finally reached the end of the year! Our office would like to thank everyone for all of the hard work and great attitudes despite the crazy year! We hope 2021 will be a great year for all and we are looking forward to seeing everyone! We hope you and your families are staying healthy and safe during this time.
-The Webster County Extension Staff
Important Dates & Events
Important Dates to Remember:
- December 20 : First Beef Weigh-In
- December 21: Youth Council Meeting at AJ's Bar in Bladen starting at 7:00 p.m.
- December 23: Webster County Extension Office Closed
- December 24: Webster County Extension Office and Courthouse CLOSED
- December 25: Webster County Extension Office and Courthouse CLOSED
- January 1: Webster County Extension Office and Courthouse CLOSED for New Year's Day
The Webster County Courthouse is back open to the public. No appointment is needed to visit offices.
COVID-19 UPDATE FOR 4-H
We have gotten word that Nebraska Extension is instating a policy as of Monday, November 30th that all 4-H Club and 4-H Events/Activities must be virtual when the local health district and/or state health district is in “the Red” on the Covid-19 Health Dial.
What does that mean for our local 4-H clubs and programs?
The South Central Health District is in the “Red” on the Covid-19 Health Dial. This means that all Extension programs, including 4-H Clubs and 4-H Events must be held virtually. We will update you when we move to “Orange” and what that means for our programming.
If you have any questions – please reach out.
Beef Weigh-In
It is that time of the year again to start beef weigh-ins! Beef weigh-ins will be at the Red Cloud Animal Health clinic again this year. Please see the dates below:
- Sunday, December 20 - 2:00-4:00 p.m.
- Saturday, February 27 - 1:00-3:00 p.m.
Thank you Keri and the rest of Red Cloud Animal Health for letting us use your facility!
2020 County Awards
Tie Dye.... To Go in Webster County!!!
Webster County 4-H Photography Contest!
Fed Steer Challenge
Hastings Museum Pen Pal Program
Does your mail make you smile? The Hastings Museum believes that it should, and so does 4-H! The Webster County Extension Office is helping spread the word about the Hastings Museum Pen Pal Program. This would be a great way to spruce up your snail mail and make someone else’s day. We also believe there could be a 4-H exhibit or two in the future based on this project. To learn more about the program, visit https://hastingsmuseum.org/penpal-program/
or click on the link below!
4-H CWF Trip
Antonette Willa Skupa Turner 4-H Award
Colston Karr, Kaylee Karr, MaKenna Karr, Molly Hemberger, Steve Skupa
Camrie Fangmeyer
Toni Turner
Six Webster County 4-Hers received a special award from Antonette (Toni) Willa Skupa Turner, a friend of the 4-H. This honorary recognition 4-H award is for History, Heritage, and Heirloom Treasurers. The 4-Hers who received this award displayed a Heritage exhibit at the 2020 Nebraska State Fair. This award is in honor of Toni’s 100th birthday. The award recipients received a certificate and a special gift from Toni. Tonie is the granddaughter of Anna Pavelka, the main character in the Willa Cather Novel, “My Antonia.” Toni has done presentations to schools and around the communities about Willa Cather and the history of Webster County. She was also a part of the Extension Club and was an officer/chairman for several years. Toni really encourages youth to learn the history of their families and keep the heirloom treasurers to pass on for generations. Congratulations to the following winners: Avery Fangmeyer, Camrie Fangmeyer, Molly Hemberger, Colston Karr, MaKenna Karr, and Kaylee Karr.
New Youth Council Member
Enroll for Webster County 4-H Now!
4-H Now!
4-H Enrollment is now open! Please do these easy steps to get re-enrolled for the 2020-20201 4-H year!
- Log-In at 4honline.com or click on the link provided below
- Update all contact information that has changed
- Select your projects
- Verify the number of years that you have been in 4-H- this must be accurate!
Each member, leader, and direct volunteer must re-enroll in 4-H every year. Log in with the email that you created the account with. If you forgot or do not remember your password, please click on " I Forgot My Password" and a temporary password will be sent to your email. If you have further problems, please contact the Extension Office.
4-H Ages (As of January 1st)
CloverKid: 5-7
4-H Age: 8-18
National Western Catch a Calf
Youth Masters of Beef Advacocy Learning Cohort
December 16- January 6th Applications due December 14th by 5:00 p.m. CST.
To register, go to the following link: MBA Cohort Registration. Once registered, you will get information about logging into both Zoom sessions and the MBA site. For questions, contact Brianna Buseman, Youth Meat Extension Educator, at brianna.buseman@unl.edu
Youth who join this statewide learning cohort will gain tools and resources for being a beef advocate, work as a group to become a strong ambassador for the beef community and be able to answer tough questions about beef and raising cattle. The group will meet initially on December 16th to introduce the program, get to know their cohort and learn more about the beef industry as a whole. During the cohort time frame, youth will complete the Masters of Beef Advocacy program online through National Cattlemen’s Beef Association. In addition to completing the online program, youth will have the opportunity to continue discussion with their cohort through a series of discussion boards, additional learning resources and activities to help put what they learn into action. Youth will then log-in on January 6th for a celebration webinar to mark their completion of the program, learn more about beef in Nebraska and discuss careers in the beef industry.
Agenda for the MBA Learning Cohort:
Both zoom meetings will be recorded and distributed to those registered if unable to attend the live meeting.
- December 16, 6:30 pm: Zoom MBA Program Kickoff
- December 16-January 6: MBA program will be open and available for students to complete their training. During this time additional information, activities, and discussion prompts will be added to the Microsoft teams page for the cohort to interact with.
- January 6, 6:30 pm: Zoom MBA Program Wrap Up
2021 Special Garden Project
The Special Gardening Project lets 4-H members try their hand at growing unusual vegetables and flowers. The project allows experienced 4-H gardeners to grow something fun, new, and different while letting those new to gardening get their feet wet in this project area.
The focus of the 2021 project is the Hakurei Turnip. These are not your grandmother’s turnips. Hakurei is a white salad turnip that is smooth, round and at its best when harvested under 2”. The roots can be eaten raw or cooked, and the tops can also be cooked.
Call or email the office to sign up for this project!
Special Agronomy Project
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. Youth participate by receiving seed and resources to grow the crop, research traits of the crop and determine the viability of that crop in the part of the state they live. The project allows 4-H members interested in agronomy to grow something fun, new, and different.
To kick-off the inaugural year of the special agronomy project, youth will explore teosinte. The plant looks and is very similar to corn, in fact it is believed to be the wild ancestor of today's corn!
Teosinte produces stalks that produce several small ears with a cob and hard, trapezoidal kernels. Being related to corn, the care is very similar so we will plant and fertilize like corn. Plant the seeds 1-2 inches deep, 8 to 12 inches apart. Teosinte is a tropical grass, so wait till soils are warm before planting. Teosinte can take up to 180 days to mature but we can still admire it's similarities to corn! For more information, go to https://cropwatch.unl.edu/special-agronomy-project.
4-H Scholarships
Attention High School Seniors:
Hastings Area Chamber of Commerce Scholarship
Photography Showcase
Webster Extension Newsletter
Nebraska 4-H Winter Camps
Hello Friends of 4-H!
We’ve added some exciting winter camps and events to our calendar and we’d love to have you join us! All youth ages 6-14 are welcome (you do not need to be in a 4-H club to participate in our camp experiences).
Our school year camps are a wonderful opportunity to get away from it all and spend quality time connecting with nature, helping our community and utilizing our head, hands, heart and health on weekends or school breaks!
Through these experiences, youth will have the opportunity to explore the natural world around the state of Nebraska. These camps allow youth to connect with friends they might not see often during the school year. All of our programs follow CDC and ACA recommendation for in-person activities, with hand sanitizer, masks, and social distancing.
Scholarships available via this link: https://4h.unl.edu/camps-centers/summer-camp/scholarship
Please read more about our upcoming winter camps and events below – we can’t wait to see you there! If you have any questions – please feel free to email kzabel2@unl.edu or call 402-665-0204.
4-H December Days
Douglas-Sarpy County Extension Office
Saturday, December 12 @ 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM CT
$40
Winter is almost upon us, and we miss you! Join us at the Douglas-Sarpy County Extension Office for a fun-filled day of in-person camp magic. Test your critical thinking skills with an escape adventure! Use your hands to make a fair project that you may just be able to use in the future! Show off your baking skills and build Blessing Bottles for those in need this winter season. Leave the cold behind and warm up with us at 4-H December Days!
Halsey Winter Camp
Nebraska State 4-H Camp (Halsey) with transportation available
Saturday, January 16 @ 9:00 AM CT - Monday, January 18 @ 12:00 PM
$150
For an additional $40 transportation is available from the Douglas-Sarpy or Lancaster County Extension Offices. Drop-off will be on Friday, January 15 at 5:00 PM CT and pick up will be on Monday, January 18 at 6:00 PM CT.
Let’s get bundled up for some frozen camp fun! Join us at the Nebraska State 4-H Camp in Halsey, NE on January 16-18 for winter camp! Experience camp the way few have seen it before! We will do a bunch of winter-themed activities like sledding, building snow people and winter crafting! In the evening, we will warm up next to the fireplace for hot chocolate and s’mores! Bonus, if the weather is nice enough, we might even do archery and the zip line! We can’t wait to see you there!
Winter Adventure Lock-In
Raising Nebraska in Grand Island
Saturday, February 13 @ 1:00 PM CT - Sunday, February 14 @ 1:00 PM CT
$110
Let’s let the parents spend Valentine’s Day weekend by themselves while we experience all that 4-H Camp and Raising Nebraska have to offer! We'll expand our horizons with a new recipe and a fun project! We won’t forget to practice our camp skills. Join us to enjoy a movie night in the grain bin theater! We’ll spread our sleeping bags out under the giant pivot and watch the lights sparkle. You won’t want to miss it!
Companion Cat Science
The Webster County Extension Office will be closed December 23, December 24th, December 25th, and January 1st. Happy Holidays & Happy New Year!
Meet our 4-H Team!
Alexa Pedersen
Email: alexa.pedersen@unl.edu
Website: https://extension.unl.edu/statewide/webster/
Location: 621 North Cedar Street, Red Cloud, NE, USA
Phone: 402-746-3417
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WebsterCoExtNE
Katie Bolte
Email: katie.bolte@unl.edu
Website: https://extension.unl.edu/statewide/webster/
Location: 621 North Cedar Street, Red Cloud, NE, USA
Phone: 402-746-3417
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WebsterCoExtNE
Beth Janning
4-H Youth Development Educator
Adams/Webster Counties
Email: elizabeth.janning@unl.edu
Website: https://extension.unl.edu/statewide/webster/
Location: 621 North Cedar Street, Red Cloud, NE, USA
Phone: 402-746-3417
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WebsterCoExtNE