Hamilton County Hi-Lights
March 2020
2020 Hamilton County Beef Weigh Day
10 AM-Noon at the Aurora Veterinary Clinic
If you wish to participate in the Hamilton County Fair Beef Rate-Of-Gain Contest, you are required to attend this weigh day.
*Also happening during this time
- weigh, pull DNA and tag for the Nebraska State Fair 4-H Beef Show and AKSARBEN show.
-Please have your Premise ID available.
If questions, contact Hillary Fuhrman at hillary.fuhrman@unl.edu
March is officially Hamilton County 4-H Month! A big shout out to Our 2020 4-H Queen, Taylor Janda and our 2020 Outstanding Member, Sydney May for presenting in front of the County Commissioners asking them to declare March as Hamilton County 4-H Month!
2020 4-H Swimming Party
-4 PM- 6 PM
-4-H youth are encouraged to bring non-4-H friends!
See the flyer for details!
2020 4-H Movie Night
-located in the 4-H Building on the fairgrounds
-there will be supper provided prior to movie
-the movie starts at 6:30
See the flyer for details!
Attention Hampton Middle School Students!
Who: 6th -8th-grade students
When: March 18 and April 1 from 2:15-4:30 PM
Where: Hampton Public Schools - meet in the commons area after school
Cost: $25 a student.
*SEE FLYER FOR DETAILS
YQCA (YOUTH FOR THE QUALITY CARE OF ANIMALS) FACE TO FACE TRAINING
CHECK THE FLYER FOR DETAILS ON TIMES! -> -> ->
Time for clubs to set a date for face to face YQCA training with Hillary
o Call the Ext. Office 402-694-6174 or email Hillary at Hillary.fuhrman@unl.edu
Watch for dates of classes on Facebook and in emails. Remember: you need to be enrolled for the current 4-H year before doing YQCA.
YQCA Requirements:
Nebraska 4-H youth ages 8-18, who are enrolled in any of the livestock projects listed below are required to complete YQCA annually either Face to Face or online. The deadline to complete your annual YQCA training is Monday, June 15, 2020.
Youth enrolled in any of the following projects or project areas will need to complete YQCA training.
• Beef (bucket calf, feeder calf, breeding beef, market beef)
• Dairy Cattle
• Goat (breeding meat goat, dairy goat, meat goat and pygmy goat)
• Poultry
• Rabbit
• Sheep (breeding sheep, market sheep)
• Swine (breeding swine, market swine)
For those youth who would rather complete YQCA online, visit the YQCA login page to begin https://yqca.learngrow.io/Account/Login. Select "Sign in with 4HOnline" and select "Nebraska 4-H Youth Development" from the dropdown. Use your family 4HOnline login and password information to access the courses for the active 4-H members in your family. Only active members will show in the drop-down menu for access to the course. All 4-H members will need to use the 4-H tab and not the FFA tab even if they are members of both organizations.
All registration questions with YQCA should be directed to help@yqca.org.
Broiler Information
Delivery Date would be the week of June 8-12, 2020.
Save the Date! Public Speaking Workshop
We will be hosting a public speaking workshop on APRIL 7 at 6 PM here in the Extension Office. Keep an eye out for sign-up information coming out soon!
2020 Public Speaking Contest
There will no longer be a district speech contest at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in May. The top 5 qualifiers in each division will now be able to compete in a Speech Contest during our PASE/LIFE CHALLENGE contest in June. More details to follow soon!
SPEECH •
All speeches must be original and include 4-H as the major component of the speech. • Many speakers in the Public Speaking Contest have given speeches in other contests. This is fine; however previous speeches may not be used verbatim for the 4-H contest. It is okay to use the same ideas from a speech previously delivered in competition, but it must be 4-H related. Enough changes should be made to make that speech new to the speaker and the audience. 4-H public speakers may not use an old speech written by a sibling, other 4-H members, or anyone else. • Acknowledge the source of information used in the speech. For example, an article from a magazine may be used for reference but should not be quoted directly unless you tell the audience your source. • Use of visual aids and props are not allowed • Dress appropriately. Do not wear costumes or special effects clothing. • No team speeches are allowed.
PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT (PSA) All PSA’s are 60 seconds in length. • The state theme for the 2020 Public Service Announcement is “Inspire Kids to Do” and should be incorporated in the PSA. • All radio PSA’s must promote 4-H and be general enough to be used anywhere in Nebraska at any time of the year. • All 4-H PSA’s must include the following tag line within the last ten seconds of the PSA: “Learn more about Nebraska Extension 4-H Youth Development Program at 4h.unl.edu.” The tag line is included in the 60 second time limit. The tagline Know-How, Know Now should not be used. • Sound effects and public domain music may be used. Copyrighted material may not be used. • All PSA’s must be the original work of the presenter. Contestants may not use PSA’s written and provided by the state or national staff. • No team PSA’s are allowed. • Radio PSA’s will be submitted electronically as a .wav or mp3 format along with 1 copy of the PSA text. (No CDs accepted) Award will be awarded to top purple ribbon winners in each division with the exception of Clover Kids.
4-H age divisions:
Clover Kids: ages 5-7, ½ - 2 minutes Original Speech or Any Reading (poem or story) Participation Ribbons only
Novice (first-time speaker) Novice Original: ages 8-10, 3 minutes or less Novice Reading: ages 8-10, 3 minutes or less
Junior: 8-10, 1-3 minutes Original speech related to 4-H
Intermediate: 11-13, 3-5 minutes Original speech related to 4-H
Senior: 14-18, 5-8 minutes
4th Annual Tack Swap
*click on flyer for details
2020 Livestock Judging Contest
Saturday, March 28, 2020, at the Saline County Fairgrounds, Crete, NE.
Open to all 4-H and FFA members.
Click on Flyer for more details!
Innovative Youth Corn Challenge
9th Annual Innovative Youth Corn Challenge
Do you enjoy being outside? Learning new things about crops? Considering a career involving crops, insects, diseases, soils, water or more? Do you want to help figure out how to feed our world’s growing population in a sustainable way?
Nebraska Extension and the Nebraska Corn Board are offering the ninth Innovative Youth Corn Challenge contest. This contest, open to 4-H members (age 10 & older as of Jan. 1st) or FFA members (in-school members), guides participants through all aspects of corn production, as well as agricultural careers related to corn production.
As a team (2 or more participants), youth will be challenged to implement a production practice different than normal to determine if they increased their yield. Economics and sustainability of the practice will also be considered. Yields, cropping history, and production information will be collected in the Corn Yield Challenge management summary.
Cash prizes and plaques are given. First place receives $1,000, second place receives $500, and third place receives $250. Sustainability, crop scouting and “extra mile” awards are also given as cash awards.
To participate in 2020, youth must complete and return an entry form by March 15th to the Fillmore County Extension Office in Geneva, NE. Forms can be downloaded after January 1st at cropwatch.unl.edu/youth/activities. For more information, contact Brandy VanDeWalle at brandy.vandewalle@unl.edu.
2020 Ag Innovators
It is time to recruit teens to help us lead the Ag Innovators Experience in your county and across Nebraska this year.
This year the topic is water! The “Valuable Water Challenge,” is an educational activity focusing on the importance of ecosystem services and how they produce many life-sustaining benefits. These services are
important to environmental and human health and well-being, yet they are limited and often taken for granted. The 2020 AIE challenge will specifically focus on the ecosystem services as related to clean water and its role
in securing the sustainable food supply. Youth will be challenged to better understand and contribute toward conservation practices to improve water quality.
Teens will be expected to attend training on Saturday, March 21st in Columbus and each county will need to develop a plan to reach at least 50 youth in grades 3-8th grade.
In Nebraska, we would like faculty and staff to decide locally on a teen or teens (2) that they would like to involve. Once selected, please complete this link to get me their contact information. The deadline for submitting teens to participate is February 14th. More information on training will be sent once I have all the names.
Thank you for your continued support and great work on this project. Julie Kreikemeier and Aaron Nygren will be helping with this years’ experience. Let me know if you have any questions.
2020 Pick-A-Project
Using the searchable, web-based 2020 Pick Your Project, users will be able to search for projects by keywords, curriculum areas, knowledge levels, and geographic levels. It is the intent that this feature will assist 4-H youth, volunteers and families with learning about the project opportunities using the Pick Your Project and then locating the same project in 4HOnline. Enhancements for the future of the web-based Pick Your Project continue and its integration with the new 2020 Nebraska State Fairbook will be shared soon!
To assist 4-H members, volunteers, and parents, with locating curriculum to Support 4-H projects, two resources are available:
1) a new 4-H Projects page at https://4h.unl.edu/projects
2) a Printable Project Listing at
UNL Bee Keeping Workshops
Interested in learning more about the importance of beekeeping and having your own hive?
Check out the flyer for details!
Here is a link where you can sign up:
2020 Tractor Safety Courses
Requirement a minimum of 10 students per location this year, so any help to promote it is appreciated. Anyone 14 or older is welcome to attend – it’s not just for teens and it’s not just about tractors! Participants also learn about ATV safety, first aid, and many other hazards of farming.
Please visit go.unl.edu/tractorsafety for more information.
If you ever have anything you want featured in the monthly newsletter, email deborah.fahrnbruch@unl.edu
UNL Chick Days
'Chick Days is a Nebraska 4H event that includes the following contests, egg decorating, poultry quiz bowl, photography, omelet cookery, and speech.
This contest is meant to encourage youth to explore what the poultry and food science industry have to offer.
Scholarships and cash prizes will be awarded to the senior champion of each contest.
For more information or to register, please contact Ivy Dearmont at idearmont2@unl.edu or (402)429-8632.'
4-H Horse Stampede
The horse stampede is a group of contests for youth interested in horses. These contests do not require youth to have a horse all they need is to have an interest and be willing to learn some information about horses.
- The 4-H Horse Stampede will be held on Saturday, March 28, 2020 at the Animal Science Complex. Registration starts at 8:30am (TIME CHANGE from previous years- please refer to the web page for updated information)
- Contests include: Individual Demonstration Contest (can be done in person or through zoom), Team Demonstration (can be done in person or through zoom), Speech (can be done in person or through zoom), Junior or Senior Horse Bowl (team quiz bowl contest), Art Contest (do not need to be present to participate, you can mail in the entries), and Photography Contest (do not need to be present to participate, you can mail in the entries).
- It will be held the same day as the 4-H Companion Animal Challenge so that youth can compete in both events if they choose. We will ensure there are not schedule conflicts.
- If you would like to have lunch or a t-shirt at the contest please make sure to fill out a lunch or t-shirt order form when registering for contests.
- Entries are due to me by March 6, 2020.
- For more information and registration forms: https://4h.unl.edu/horse/stampede
- Questions? Contact: Dr. Lena Luck (lena.luck@unl.edu) or Grace Kim (grace.kim@unl.edu)
4-H Companion Animal Challenge
The Companion Animal Challenge is a set of contests for youth interested in companion animals. These contests are animal-less and test youths knowledge about companion animals. New this year to the contest are a Cat Skillathon and an essay contest. 4-H youth ages 10-18 are invited to participate.
- The 4-H Companion Animal Challenge will be held on Saturday, March 28, 2020 at the Animal Science Complex.
- Contests include: Demonstration Contest, Dog Skillathon Contest, Cat Skillathon Contest, Essay Contest, Art Contest, and Photography Contest.
- This event allows youth to apply their companion animal knowledge, but does not require them to have an animal!
- It will be held the same day as the 4-H Horse Stampede so that youth can compete in both events if they choose. We will ensure there are not schedule conflicts.
- Entries are due to me by March 6, 2020.
- For more information and registration forms: https://4h.unl.edu/companion-animal/challenge
- Questions? Contact: Dr. Lisa Karr (lisa.karr@unl.edu) or Grace Kim (grace.kim@unl.edu)
Online 4-H Cat Club
If you haven't heard yet, we are excited to introduce to you our newly revised Cat Club for this year. Instead of hour-long, monthly meetings, we are now offering the club in a self-paced format using Google Classroom. We still cover various cat subjects like genetics, nutrition, grooming, showmanship, and so on, but in a more accessible way.
Click HERE for more information!
Nebraska Extension in Hamilton County
Email: hamilton-county@unl.edu
Website: www.hamilton.unl.edu
Location: 1111 13th Street, Suite 6, Aurora, NE, USA
Phone: 402-694-6174
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hamilton.unl/
Twitter: @HamiltonExten4H