Thurston County 4-H News
May 2020
Nebraska Extension - Thurston County
Stacey Keys, Extension Assistant, stacey.keys@unl.edu
Samantha Beutler, Office Staff, samantha.beutler@unl.edu
Email: thurston-county@unl.edu
Website: thurston.unl.edu
Location: 415 Main Street, P.O. Box 665, Pender, NE 68787
Phone: 402-385-6041
Facebook: facebook.com/UNLExtensionThurston/
Twitter: @UNLThurstonCty
Upcoming Dates
May 1 - Drop/Add 4-H Projects DUE
May 8 - Horse: County ID DUE & District & State Entries DUE (POSTPONED TO JUNE 15, DISTRICT CANCELLED)
May 25 - Office Closed - Memorial Day
June 8 - Joint 4-H Council Meeting (7 pm) via Zoom
June 7-12 - CANCELLED - Big Red Camps
June 8 - CANCELLED - Ponca Counselor Training
June 9 - CANCELLED - Ponca Day Camp
June 12 - TBD - F2F YQCA Training
June 15 - ALL Livestock Affidavits DUE (including horse)
June 15 - State Fair Beef, Sheep, Swine, & Goat DNA and Online Nomination DUE
June 15 - YQCA Deadline
June 22-23 - POSTPONED/CANCELLED - PASE/Life Challenge
June 24 - VIRTUAL - State Speech Contest
Special Newsletters
COVID-19 UPDATES
Living Room Learning
Don’t forget! An all new Living Room Learning! Register at https://4h.unl.edu/living-room-learning.
Join us each Tuesday and Thursday afternoon at 2:00 PM CT/1:00 PM MT for #LivingRoomLearning! Each day, youth will participate in a hands-on virtually guided activity where they will learn about healthy living, science, technology, and more! Each session will focus on a new activity that can be done with materials found at home. These activities are perfect for youth in grades 3rd-5th.
Boredom Buster
Who needs a Boredom Buster? Every Monday & Wednesday at 2:00 pm CT.
Each week, youth will be given a problem to solve using materials found in their home. Through these hands-on virtually guided challenges youth will learn about entrepreneurship, healthy living, science, technology, and more! Boredom Buster Challenges are perfect for youth in 6th-9th grades. Each session will be recorded and made available for on-demand viewing. Youth do not need to be 4-H members to participate.
Online Livestock Judging Video Series
Summer Plans
COVID-19 Resources
The University of Nebraska–Lincoln takes the health and safety of our campus community very seriously. As the United States and global health officials continue to address the spread of novel coronavirus and COVID-19 infection, health and emergency preparedness officials at UNL are monitoring the situation in collaboration with our university and governmental partners. Any official updates regarding UNL’s response will be found on this site.
Need to Know
NO Sheep & Goat Weigh-In
Member Info
Identifying Volunteer Opportunities for Youth: 4-H Civic Engagement Ideas
4-H empowers young people to be true leaders. True Leaders are people who have confidence, will stick to a job until it gets done, and can endure through challenges. Communities across Nebraska need true leaders now more than ever.
4-H volunteers and youth across Nebraska may be looking for ideas about how they can become civically engaged, all while abiding by the guidelines shared by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
A web page with numerous ideas can be found at: https://4h.unl.edu/4-h-civic-engagement. Now is a great time to collectively use our heads for clearer thinking, our hearts for greater loyalty, our hands for larger service, and our health for better living.
More details at: https://4h.unl.edu/4-h-civic-engagement
Dakota-Thurston County 4-H Ambassadors 2020
- Alexis Bodlak - 2nd year
- Emily Luedert - 2nd year
- Brianna Bousquet - 1st year
The primary goal of the Dakota~Thurston County 4-H Ambassador Program is building communication skills to be utilized in an advocacy role for Dakota~Thurston County 4-H programs. This program as well as in other aspects of the ambassador’s life.
Club of the Month
County Fair/Events
All Contest Day Results
While our maybe changing, 4-H will always be there. This was the case for Dakota & Thurston County 4-Her’s who participated in the Virtual All Contest Day-COVID-19 edition. Youth submitted recorded videos of their contest entries for Public Speaking, Presentations, and Music. Traditionally, the Favorite Foods contest would also be held at this time but that’s harder to do virtually, so hopefully we can hold that contest at a later time. Our amazing judge, who joined us on our new venture, was Melissa Nordboe.
Public Speaking Contest Results:
Clover Kid Division
- Kate Hansen - Participation
Junior Division
- Logan Hansen – Purple
- Payton Hermelbracht – Purple
- Brylea Mosser – Purple, Junior Reserve Champion
- Jenna Raymer – Purple, Junior Champion
Intermediate Division
- Rylie Hermelbracht – Purple, Intermediate Champion (State)
- Brooke Raymer – Purple, Intermediate Reserve Champion (State)
Presentation Contest Results:
Junior Division
- Amaryn Bodlak – Purple, Junior Champion
Music Contest Results:
Dance
- Amaryn Bodlak - Purple
Instrumental Music
- Alexis Bodlak – Purple
- Amaryn Bodlak – Blue
- Brooke Raymer – Purple
- Jenna Raymer – Blue
Vocal Music
- Brylea Mosser – Blue
- Khloe Swanson – Purple, Best of Show
All ribbons and scoresheets were sent to the participants, but we hope to recognize them publically for their achievements and as champions at a later time, hopefully county fair. If you would like to view their amazing entries we invite you to go to: https://youtu.be/Uk4ojTTV9ac. We couldn’t just keep them to ourselves! We are so proud of your 4-Hers and their families for embracing this learning experience. Congratulations to all!
Dakota-Thurston County 4-H Fair Book Online
Exhibitor Livestock Policy *UPDATED*
"Exhibitors are responsible for adhering to all livestock rules. Violation of the stated rules will result in the animal being disqualified from competition. (Ex. Feeder Calf is disqualified, this means from Cow/Calf class, Feeder Calf class, and Showmanship class.) Any premium (physical or monetary, including bonus auction for that animal) will be forfeited. No refunds will be made."
4-H Horse Show Time Moved
New Photography Exhibit Data Tags
Any questions check the county fair book or check the state fairbook: https://4hfairbook.unl.edu/fairbookview.php/exhibits/5
Double check to be sure you are use the correct data tag. There are different data tags for each photography level. Current Data Tags last updated for 2020 are available at https://unl.box.com/v/4h-photography
Name: Include both first and last name.
Age: Include your 4-H age, or the age you were on January 1st of the current year.
County: Include the county where you are exhibiting – this will be required if the exhibit is select for State Fair.
Year in Photography: List the total number of years you have been enrolled in any 4-H photography project.
Years in the Current Level: The total number of years you have been enrolled in the current 4-H photography level.
Camera:
· Indicate the brand make and model of the camera, such as Google Pixel 2, Nikon Coolpix B500, or Canon EOS Rebel T7.
· Indicate whether the camera is digital or film.
Tell us about this photo (special equipment, techniques, subject, location, goals, etc.). Use this space to tell the judges what you want them to know about the photo. For abstract photos, it might be a good idea to tell the judge what the subject is or how you took the photo. For especially unique images, tell the judge how you captured the image. For images where you used advanced equipment or tried a new technique, tell the judge about it here.
Describe any edits or changes made to the picture using digital software. Use this space to explain any digital manipulation done to the photo, including digital post-production filters, cropping, or any adjustments to exposure, contrast, etc. Explain what edits or changes were made, as well as what software was used. This include mobile/smartphone apps.
(The following questions are for Level 2 and 3 exhibitors only.)
Focal Length*: This is a number indicating the length of the lens which determines how much of a scene you are able to see through your viewfinder. This is typically measured in millimeters (mm).
Example: 29mm, 35mm, 50mm.
See Level 2 Activity 1 for more information.
Type/Source of light: Be as specific as possible. Identify whether the lighting was natural or artificial. If artificial, identify the light sources, such as camera’s flash, neon lights, car headlights, flashlight, etc. For natural light, identify the type, dawn, dusk, midday, reflected, diffused, direct, light shining through a window, etc.
Example: natural, midday direct sunlight
See Level 2 Activities 3 and 5 for more information.
(The following questions are for Level 3 exhibitors only.)
Shutter Speed*: This is the length of time a camera shutter is open to expose light into the camera sensor. Shutter speed is typically measured in fractions of a second when they are under a second. Slow shutter speeds allow more light into the camera sensor and are used in low-light situations, while faster shutter speeds help freeze motion. This might also be referred to as exposure time.
Example: 1/30, 1/125, or 1/500
See Level 3 Activity 1 for more information.
F Stop*: This is a number which indicates the size of the aperture, which allows light to travel into the camera. The aperture controls the depth of field. A larger aperture opening will result in a smaller depth of field. The aperture size is expressed in f numbers or f-stops.
Examples: f/1.4, f/4, f/22
See Level 3 Activity 1 for more information.
ISO*: This is a number that indicates a film’s sensitivity to light or more commonly its speed. It is typically measured in numbers, a lower number representing a darker image, while higher numbers mean a brighter image.
Examples: 100, 200, 400
See Level 3 Activity 1 for more information.
List advanced equipment and/or techniques used and/or what manual adjustment were made. Level 3 exhibitors should be exploring and experimenting with advanced techniques. This may include but does not necessarily require using a DSLR camera, manual adjustments, or other advanced equipment. Use this space to identify and, if needed, explain what advanced equipment or techniques were used to capture this image. If manual adjustments were made, identify which settings were adjusted (ISO, F Stop, Shutter Speed).
*Note: Regardless of whether or not you made manual adjustments or used special equipment, you must still identify this information. “Auto” is not an acceptable answer. Digital cameras automatically record this information for each photo captured. The information, referred to as Metadata, is attached to the image file and goes with it when the image is downloaded to a computer for example. There are many ways to access this data. See instructions below for more information.
Remember: Use of Copywritten Images
Copyrighted writing, artwork, videos, and images may be used in 4-H educational exhibits under Fair Use for educational purposes of Copyright Law. In order to qualify for Fair Use, 4-H’ers must:
1) only use a small amount of the copy-written work,
2) add new meaning to the work to make it original,
3) rework it and use it in a totally different way, and
4) use it for nonprofit purposes (not to make money).
Giving credit to the original creator is also recommended.
Continuing Education
Thurston County 4-H Council Senior Scholarship
Congratulations to Tyra Bonneau our 2020 Thurston County 4-H Council Senior Scholarship Winner.
Thurston County 4-H High School Seniors
Projects
2020 Online Horticulture Judging Contest
Horticulture judging contest consists of three parts. The first is identification of plant material. Participants identify the plants by common name from a plant list. Specimens may be alive or preserved plant parts like stems, twigs, leaves, flowers, seeds, fruits, roots, bulbs, tubers, or plant products.
The second is a knowledge portion, usually in the form of a true/false or multiple choice quiz. Questions will test the contestant's knowledge of cultural practices for horticultural crops, plant science, pesticides, horticultural careers and other topics related to the production, processing and consumption of horticultural crops.
The last portion is judging or placings. This is where four different plants, plates of vegetables, or containers flowers are ranked from best to worst based on a set of criteria. Classes are judged on the basis of condition, quality, uniformity, true-to-type, and size.
More information about the Nebraska State contest along with a list of study materials can be found in the Fairbook http://4h.unl.edu/fairbook/plant-science/horticulture-id. Here you can find the written study materials for the knowledge portion, follow links to plant pictures for help with identification, and read how judging of plant material is done.
More details at: https://4h.unl.edu/online-horticulture-judging-contest
Online Insect Identification Contest
The Nebraska 4-H Online Insect Identification Contest provides an opportunity for participants to put their entomological knowledge to the test. The contest consists of insect identification and multiple-choice questions. Participants will gain knowledge about insects and entomology through this competition. This contest can serve as practice for county contests and the State Fair 4-H Insect Identification Contests.
The contest is open to all youth, as well as adults. Youth do not need to be enrolled 4-H members to participate. The contest will be available from Friday, June 5 through Friday, June 19, 2020.
4-H Plant and Insect Identification Contests
If you like plants and/or insects, here’s your opportunity to build skills and have fun too!
Attend to participate in one, two, three or all four contests!
Your interest - your choice! Bring a friend too!
(4-H’ers may earn a trip to a state and/or national contest!)
Thursday, June 25, 2020
Agricultural Park Exhibit Hall Club Room, Fairgrounds - 822 15th Street, Columbus NE
(Entrance to Ag Park is at intersection of 10th Av. and 15th St.)
12:15 – Welcome and Instructions
12:30 PM - Horticulture Judging, I.D. & Quiz
1:45 PM - Tree Identification
2:35 PM – BREAK with Refreshments
2:45 PM - Grass and Weed Identification
3:45 PM - Entomology (Insect) Identification
PLEASE BRING A CLIP BOARD TO USE DURING THE CONTEST
Identify plant/insect samples for each contest. For horticulture, there is also a quiz and 4 judging classes (vegetables, fruits, flowers, nursery stock). Study materials available at https://4h.unl.edu/fairbook/contests. For information, contact your local Extension office or Kelly Feehan at kfeehan2@unl.edu or 402-563-4901.
Clip & return registration by Tuesday, June 23rd to: UNL Extension, 2715 13th Street, Columbus, NE 68601
Summer Opprotunities
Special Summer 2020 Opportunity for High School Students
Are you a high school sophomore or junior who wants to positively impact the world? We encourage you to apply for a special summer session of the Cultivate ACCESS community.
Cultivate ACCESS (Agriculture Career Communities to Empower Students in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math)) aims to increase participation of youth in STEM-related agricultural careers through a holistic mentoring and development program. We are currently accepting applications for the 2020 summer session of Cultivate ACCESS starting June 1st and running through August 7th.
As a Cultivate ACCESS scholar, you will be mentored by career professionals to help you explore your career interests. You will also connect with college student ambassadors for additional mentoring and to help you prepare for life after high school. As a Cultivate ACCESS scholar, you will gain valuable employability skills including leadership, teamwork and communication.
Visit cultivate.unl.edu/scholars for application instructions or contact us at cultivate@unl.edu for more information. Don’t delay – applications are due May 15th!
Animal Science
4-H State Dog Show
Saturday, October 3, 2020 - UNL Animal Science Complex
Due dates and information:
- This year the State Dog Show Entry forms, Fees & Vaccination forms will be due to your County Extension office by the end of the day August 10th, 2020.
All the documents needed can be found on the Dog Show Webpage
https://4h.unl.edu/dog-show