In-person 4-H club meetings and workshops are currently permitted as everyone has made progress to lower our county into the “Yellow” on the COVID Risk Dial. 4-H clubs must put some planning into hosting an in-person reorganizational meeting.

To allow for proper social distancing, please arrange to have access to a large enough space to spread out, have attendees sit as families, and strongly encourage using sanitizer and wearing masks. Think about using a heated shop, or garage, instead of a more confined family dwelling to gather at. Treats and activities that encourage close face to face exposure should be avoided at the re-organization meeting.

Enrollment Link:

https://ne.4honline.com/Login.aspx?403D4050364539525371705375593D

For 2021, all volunteers need to go through a screening to assist with 4-H related activities (including 4-H County Fair activities). There are two different types of volunteers, and screenings that go with these volunteers. You must fill out the form prior to volunteering.

• Direct Volunteers – All 4-H Volunteers who work directly with youth (examples include: ring personnel at livestock shows, room monitors for contests, etc)– must complete the Direct Volunteer Form (Printable or Electronic or through 4HOnline – still open for volunteer enrollment) & DHHS Background Check ($5 fee). Must be approved prior to completing the volunteer activity. If you have enrolled as a volunteer on 4HOnline, then you have already done this!
• Indirect Volunteers – Any person who provides support services for Youth Activities (examples include: opening gates, announcers, superintendents, 4-H Building host, weigh-in, etc.)– must complete the Indirect Volunteer Application (Printable or Electronic) and must be approved prior to completing the volunteer activity. If your volunteer has enrolled as a volunteer on 4HOnline or filled out the Direct Volunteer form, they do not need to fill out the Indirect Volunteer Application.

Due to the uncertainty of COVID-19 and how long it will be a significant health threat, our Washington D.C. group of Gage, Jefferson and Saline counties has decided to postpone a trip until 2022. We just don’t want the youth to spend that kind of money and not be guaranteed even if we are able to go that we would get to see and do all the things we would like to do and have done in the past.

With that being said, this gives youth more time to fund-raise for the trip. If you have ideas or suggestions of new fundraising, please contact the office!

Please let us know if you have any questions regarding the new changes to the CWF trip program requirements, the payment plan, or fundraising opportunities. As always, we are open to suggestions, especially regarding fundraising!

Horse Advancement Level Testing

Winter months are a great time to work on Horse Advancement Levels. Information and study materials are found in the Horse Project Member Manual and Advancement Level Manual at the Extension Office. We also have the Nebraska 4-H Horse Show & Judging Guide available.

Website: https://4h.unl.edu/horse/advancement

A message for all cat interested youth:

Do you like cats? What about learning how to care for or show them? Maybe you have heard about the 4-H Cat Club in the past and wanted to join, but couldn't make the monthly meetings.

Do we have good news for you, or what? We are pleased to introduce this year's self-paced Cat Club! No more being bummed that you missed the hour long meeting every second Thursday. You will now have access to monthly lessons and activities that you can complete on your own time. The first lesson can be found here on September 5th: https://4h.unl.edu/companion-animal/cat-club

If you are interested, please stay tuned and register today!

Do you know what it takes to pick the best fruit and vegetables out at the grocery store? Or do you know what judges are looking for when they judge your plants at the county fair? Have you ever wondered, what plant is that!?! We are excited to offer the opportunity to learn these and other important horticulture skills through the Online Horticulture Contest. The contest will be available June 4-21, 2021 at: https://go.unl.edu/21onlinehortcontest.

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 details at: https://4h.unl.edu/online-horticulture-judging-contest

How Does It Work?

Each month, a new photo will be selected from the online submissions. Selections will be made based on creativity, timeliness, technical execution, originality, and appropriateness. The selected photo will be showcased across the Nebraska 4-H social media channels, including Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Youth photographers will be credited wherever and whenever their photo is shared or published.

This opportunity is open to all enrolled 4-H members. Photo recommendations, file specifications, rules, and guidelines for participation are available online at https://4h.unl.edu/photography-showcase.