Hello, Jackson County 4-H Families!

Happy New Year!

This is a big month of deadlines and fun, so read your newsletter and communications closely (like I know you always do)!

The Food Preparation Contest will be on January 28-29! This will be the kick off to the 2023 Fairs and Contests season! Pull out the kitchen supplies, forage for your chanterelles, and get to practicing your favorite recipe! See below for more details. The registration deadline is next Wednesday, January 18th, so register ASAP. It's open to all enrolled 4-H Members!

January also marks the end of the early bird enrollment period for 4-H. Please enroll and pay your fees by January 31 or the price will go up.

Finally, we're incredibly excited to offer our Southern Oregon Leadership and Activities Retreat next month over President's day weekend, February 18-20. This will be such a fun time for youth ages 12-19 to hang out, experience life on a college campus, and learn all about leadership!

More on each of these below!

Cheers,

Lena and Steven

Mason D. J., Scotland B., and Taitum C.

Special shoutout to our champions:

1st Year Junior: Sophia B.

Junior: Mya K.

Intermediate: Lena C.

Senior: Kiera M.

• Shooting Sports Leaders Meeting: Monday, January 9 at 6:30PM in SOREC Conference Room
• Horse Advisory Meeting: Monday, January 9 at 7PM on Zoom
• CloverBuddies: Tuesday, January 10 at 6PM in Extension Auditorium
• Sheep Advisory Meeting: Wednesday, January 11 at 6:30PM in Extension Auditorium
• Registration Opens for Youth Voices in Action: Sunday, January 15th (See below for details)

• Martin Luther King, Jr. Day (Extension Closed): Monday, January 16
• Foods Contests Registration Deadline: Wednesday, January 18 (see below for details)
• Swine Leaders Meeting: Thursday, January 19th in Extension Auditorium, 7PM
• 4-H Association Dinner & Auction: POSTPONED to date TBD
• Horse Live Judging Clinic & Competition: Sunday, January 22 at a Reese Creek Ranch (615 butte falls Hwy, Eagle Point)

Have you ever wanted to participate in Iron Chef? Do you have an awesome recipe? Do you simply love to cook?

All enrolled 4-H members are welcome and encouraged to register for our annual foods contest! In this contest, participants will make a dish or a small meal within an hour (or two) and present it to a judge (a local food expert) who will judge the food on taste, presentation, preparation techniques, and a whole host of criteria. It's super fun (and delicious)!

Registration Closes: Wed. January 18

Location: South Medford High School

Time: Sign up for times

Eligibility: All enrolled 4-H members (5-19), no need to be enrolled in the Foods project. No project record necessary for competition.

Registration Link: jackson4h.fairwire.com

Information and Rules: beav.es/5Xe

This year, rather than focusing on a single country, we will be focusing on a region of celebration: The Caribbean! The Caribbean states (as recognized by the United Nations) include:

• Antigua and Barbuda
• Bahamas
• Barbados
• Cuba
• Dominica
• Dominican Republic
• Grenada
• Haiti
• Jamaica
• Saint Lucia
• Saint Kitts and Nevis
• Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
• Trinidad and Tobago

We hope that youth will take a moment and select a country within this region to focus in on and learn more about their people and culture.

Registration is open for SOLAR and closes February 8th. The Southern Oregon Leadership and Activities Retreat is scheduled for February 18-20th at Southern Oregon University. It is designed for teens to learn career skills, leadership and teambuilding, and provides an opportunity to make new friends and stay in the dorms at SOU. This is open to all youth ages 12+, whether in 4-H or not!

Scholarships for 4-H Members: up to $100! Fill out the Financial Assistance form found on our website enrollment page, and turn it into the Extension Office.

Registration Link: https://beav.es/5LD

Information: https://extension.oregonstate.edu/4h/jackson/events/southern-oregon-leadership-activities-retreat

The early bird member enrollment deadline is January 31, 2023. After this date, the price jumps!

Cost per child in a family before January 31:

Children 1 and 2: $40 each

Children 3 and 4: $15 each

Further Children: $0

Cost per child in a family after January 31:

Children 1 and 2: $60 each

Children 3 and 4: $30 each

Further Children: $0

Spread the word: members can pay by cash, check, or credit/debit card through OSU Marketplace. At the end of your 4-H online enrollment, you must select "Pay by Cash/Check" regardless of how you actually intend to pay. Make sure that, in 4-H online, you click through all the way to submit. Then you can either bring cash or check to the Extension Office or pay at the fee site.

4-H Online Enrollment Site

Jackson County 4-H Fee Payment Site (card only)

Reminder: leaders will not have access to see their clubs until they are approved leaders. Member registrations will not be approved until a club has two approved leaders, so if you haven't completed all steps of leader enrollment, please be sure to complete them!

YOUTH: If there is anything you want to learn in a STEP class, please let us know :)

Charter Link

Also, remember that the 4-H Resume will be required for all members showing at fair this year (wristbands will be given to those who complete their 4-H Resume)!

4-H Resume

The National 4-H Shooting Sports Quiz Bowl starts Monday (January 16, 2023) and runs through Friday (January 20, 2023). You can register for the National Quiz Bowl HERE and find study resources HERE!

Looking to get out of the house during spring break? Youth in grades 8 through 12 are invited to attend the Youth Voices in Action leadership conference in Salem, Oregon. Youth will have developing their leadership skills, practicing public speaking, and working in teams while meeting with state agency representatives and legislators to solve real life problems.

Check out this link for more information!

Dates for Youth Voices in Action: Tuesday March 28th to Friday March 31st.

Registration opens 1/15/2023 -- and closes 3/10/2023.

On January 21st, 10am-3pm , at all Grange Co-Op retail locations except White City, Store Managers and Human Resource staff will be available to do “on the spot” interviews in preparation for the spring season. Below is a QR code that will direct you to a preregistration form to reserve an interview spot for the day.

Grange Co-Op believes that 4-H members have the potential, given their interests, to be a great fit for the Grange Co-op. 😊

Grange Co-op has been a community member and respected employer in the Rogue Valley for over 85 years. They are looking for friendly and motivated individuals who have a passion for serving customers and creating a personalized experience, while at the same time enjoy gardening, pets, farm and ranch.

This publication will be made available in an accessible alternative format upon request. Please contact Steven McIntyre, Education Program Assistant at steven.mcintyre@oregonstate.edu

Oregon State University Extension Service prohibits discrimination in all its programs, services, activities, and materials on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity (including gender expression), sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status, familial/parental status, income derived from a public assistance program, political beliefs, genetic information, veteran's status, reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs).