CENTRAL SANDHILLS AREA 4-H NEWS
December 2021 Newsletter
Contact Information
Mailing Address: PO Box 148 - Thedford, NE 69166
Email: mandersen16@unl.edu
Website: https://extension.unl.edu/statewide/centralsandhills/
Location: 503 Main Street, Thedford, NE, USA
Phone: (308)645-2267
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/centralsandhillsarea/
DECEMBER EDITION
Membership For 2021-2022 Is Now Open!
In November 4honline transitioned from 1.0 to 2.0. You can click on the link to enroll in the new system https://v2.4honline.com/. If you have any questions, please reach out to Shaniya at s.albertus@unl.edu or by calling the office at 308-645-2267.
Please note, this year the Nebraska State 4-H Office will impose a statewide enrollment deadline date that will assist counties in having a consistent timeline for processing membership enrollments. Once that date is announced from the State 4-H Office, it will be released from the Extension Office.
What does this mean? ENROLL EARLY and don't miss the statewide deadline to be a Nebraska 4-H member! :-)
All leaders and volunteers also need to be enrolled on 4honline. There is no fee to enroll.
Attention: Adult members and volunteers
All 4-H volunteers and staff are required to complete the Nebraska 4-H volunteer screening process. Volunteer screening is done in order to assure a safe, positive, and nurturing environment for all youth involved with the Nebraska 4-H programs and provide protection for the child, the volunteer, the educator, the 4-H Council, the Extension Board, and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension.
Initial screening of volunteers and staff will occur when they sign up to volunteer or are employed as an Extension professional. Re-screening for volunteers will be done every five years by district regardless of when the original screening was completed. Volunteers are responsible for covering the screening fee at the time the screening is completed. Currently, the cost of the screening is $5.00. Please see click on the link below for more details.
December 4-H Featured Project- Consumer Management
As we near the end of this year, the one thing on everyone’s mind is Christmas. Parents are hoarding the presents their children have asked for and children are looking forward to new toys, books, clothes, and so on. Many families will set a budget for their Christmas giving, but most children don’t understand why this is necessary or why a $500 iPad is not what Santa hands out to all good boys and girls. This is where the 4-H project of Consumer Management comes in.
Consumer Management is a great project for kids of every age. This project focusses on the fundamentals of money and improving financial literacy. Obviously, Christmas is a good time of year to think about smart financial decisions, but this is also relevant in the 4-Hers everyday life. Whether it is managing their wages from their first job in the hay field, making smart decisions with their premium check from fair, or creating a financial plan for raising their market steer, consumer management is here to help each 4-Her build financial goals and learn more about saving their money for the future. Improving financial literacy will help our youth plan ahead to college and beyond when they participate in the 4-H Consumer Management project.
According to the Nebraska State Fair Book, “Consumer management helps participants learn more about how to make smart fiscal decisions and how to improve financial literacy. The different exhibits provide a variety of learning experiences for 4-H'ers. Participants in this category will emphasize setting smart goals and keeping a spending plan.” Exhibits can include writing 3 smart financial goals, income inventory, tracking expenses, interviewing adults about their career and jobs, understanding credit scores, and the shopping in style class “best buy for your buck”. These are just some of the many exhibits you can do in Consumer Management. For more information visit go.unl.edu/consumermanagement.
If your 4-Her is interested in working on a consumer management project and you want more information, please contact the 4-H Assistant Shaniya at s.albertus@unl.edu or call the office at 308-645-2267.
4-H Scholarships Available
The Nebraska 4-H Foundation offers 4-H members the opportunity to apply for scholarships. The Nebraska 4-H Foundation awards up to $22,000 worth of scholarships each year to 4-H’ers from across the state.
To apply for scholarships, 4-H’ers must submit the Nebraska 4-H Achievement Application for state-level review by January 15th. Youth must follow the application instructions available on the Nebraska 4-H Achievement Application webpage. If applying for multiple scholarships, only one Achievement Application should be submitted. An applicant must select the scholarship to which he/she feels qualified.
4-H youth may want to visit with the Extension Office in their county and the financial aid office at the college of their choice. There may be other grants, scholarships, or low-interest loans for which they may be eligible.
For more information click on the link below:
Applications for Catch-A-Calf are Now Open
Participants come from Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, and Wyoming to compete in the National Western Stock Show’s longest-running program of practical beef cattle management. In just over 80 years the Catch-A-Calf Contest has awarded nearly 3,000 steers to 4-H members hailing from the western United States.
The program began in 1935 when 10 boys caught 10 sponsored calves. The contest quickly caught on, and the program grew to include 52 calves by 1942. Soon after World War II, the program settled at 40 calves per year, which is where the number continues to stand today.
The program is designed so successful participants catch a calf, feed it, and return with the animal one year later as a market-ready steer at the National Western Stock Show. The steers are judged on production and carcass quality, while the participants are judged on showmanship, record books, and a personal interview.
The Grand and Reserve Grand Champion participants sell their steers at the Auction of Junior Livestock Champions held on the final Friday of the Stock Show.
Please note, this program is only open to active 2021 4-H members ages 14-18 (who must be residents) in Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska & Wyoming. Please refer to the Rules and Regulations for further information.
Nebraska Horse Advisory Committee- Now Accepting Applications!
Are you a parent, 4-H leader, horse trainer, or volunteer that would like to be more involved in the 4-H Horse program? Check out the Nebraska 4-H Horse Advisory Committee!
We are looking for passionate and involved people to add to our committee. The Nebraska 4-H Horse Advisory Committee serves as a group of representatives who provide guidance, solicit support, and assist in carrying out program activities in the interest of the 4-H youth development and horse program.
Read more about the Horse Advisory Committee at: https://4h.unl.edu/horse-advisory-committee
Applications are open from November 1st to December 3rd at 5pm central time.
Livestock Information Series
The Nebraska 4-H Livestock Information Series is a resource for 4-H members, leaders, and parents to gain knowledge in various livestock-related topic areas. Each session, a new topic is covered with experts joining to share their experience and expertise. Extended learning opportunities and supporting documents are also available for each topic. Click the link for more information. https://4h.unl.edu/livestock-info-series.
Nebraska 4-H Shooting Sports Leader Certification Workshop Offered in Lincoln
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 and 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 (14 to 20 years of age) is $90 for this workshop. This fee includes meals, supplies and program materials. Participants must make their own lodging arrangements. Registration on Saturday runs from 8:00 a.m. to 8:30 a.m.
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Participants are requested to bring their own mask and hand sanitizer. Face coverings are required to be worn inside the Outdoor Education Center. If you feel sick at all, please stay home.
Please share this information with volunteers in your county. For more workshop information and registration link, go to the 4-H Shooting Sports web page, https://4h.unl.edu/shooting-sports. Or contact your local Nebraska Extension Office or 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/ingu.
Nebraska 4-H Shooting Sports Leader Update Session in Lincoln
The time has come to provide an update for all Nebraska 4-H Shooting Sports Instructors who received their training in 2014 or before. Over the years there have been numerous curriculum changes, updates and additions, with some major curriculum adjustments in the last few years.
These Update Sessions are for adult or apprentice 4-H volunteer instructors who have previously attended a 4-H instructor training workshop in 2014 or prior years. These are an update for existing instructors, NOT a training for new instructors. You MUST be a currently enrolled Nebraska 4-H Shooting Sports volunteer leader in your county.
Discipline updates that will be offered during the evening include rifle, pistol, and archery. Instructors can only choose one of the offered disciplines.
There is a minimum number of participants needed to offer these disciplines at the session. Participants will learn under expert instruction from members of the Nebraska State 4-H Shooting Sports Training Team.
A paid registration fee by January 26th guarantees participant a spot at the session providing that the discipline session is not full. Early bird registration by January 26th is $25 for the session. Late registration fee, after January 26th, is $40. Fee includes program materials for the Update session. It does not include lodging or meal.
Please share this information with volunteers in your county. More Update Sessions will be scheduled for this year. For more workshop information and registration link, go to the 4-H Shooting Sports web page, https://4h.unl.edu/shooting-sports. Or contact your local Nebraska Extension Office or 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/ns32
Robotics Leader Needed in Hooker County
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Nebraska Extension in the Central Sandhills
Don't forget to visit our Extension website at:
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