Olmsted County 4-H News
November, 2021
Notes from Kristina
It has been an exciting fall as we've been returning to in-person club meetings and activities! Our enrollment numbers are quickly growing as we welcome many new families to our 4-H Program!
This winter and spring, we will offer many countywide opportunities in a variety of project areas. I encourage you to check out all the activities listed in this month's newsletter!
We would love to share stories of all the cool opportunities are 4-H'ers are taking advantage of through their clubs and other activities. Any 4-H'er or leader can submit photos and stories for us to share on our social media. This would be a great role for your Club Reporter! To make this process easier, there is now a form to submit entries to our office - https://z.umn.edu/OlmstedSocialMedia
Interested in Participating in Project Bowl?
Timeline & Competitions: Most teams start practicing in December or January. There is an optional invitational in late February and regionals are in March followed by a state-level competition. Winners at the state level in dairy, general livestock, horse, and poultry go on to national contests!
If your youth is interested, or you are interested in volunteering to help a team, fill out this survey.
If you are interested in learning more about the competition, visit the MN 4-H Regional and State Project Bowls page
Horse Project Updates
You can review all our updates on our website.
Please RSVP here for the meeting and meal by Friday, November 5.
Adult Volunteer Training & Youth Officer Training
Youth Officer Training:
- In-Person Training on Sat, Nov 13th from 9:30 am-12 pm- Olmsted County 4-H Building
- Virtual Training on Tues, Nov 16th from 6:30-8:30 pm
Adult Volunteer Training:
- In-Person Training - Sat, Nov 13th from 9:30 am -12 pm- Olmsted County 4-H Building
- Virtual - Thursday, November 4th at 6:30 pm
Register for in-person trainings & virtual youth at: z.umn.edu/SE-FALL-TRAININGS
Register for virtual adult trainings at: z.umn.edu/MN4HAVT
Get Involved in Animal Science!
Livestock superintendents at the county fair are part of our Animal Science Project Development Committee (PDC). This group meets 3-4 times a year with staff to help provide direction for the Animal Science program (including, but not limited to, the fair). Check out the flyer for the full role description and apply to be involved by December 15th. More information can be found on our website.
Animal Science Lease Database -
Are you or someone you know interested in leasing animals to Olmsted County 4-H'ers? We are collecting information to create a database of potential lease opportunities for current and new 4-H members. This list will be used by our 4-H staff to provide contact information of animal owners that may be a good fit to anyone who reaches out to the office. To learn more about leasing, check out the MN 4-H Animal Science Lease Fact Sheet.
If you are interested in leasing your animals, submit your information here.
Shooting Sports & Wildlife
We are excited to be able to offer the Air Rifle (Rochester from January - May), Trap (Stewartville - Summer), and Archery (Zumbrota - Summer) disciplines in the 2022 Shooting Sports Season. As we look towards growing our Shooting Sports & Wildlife program to more areas, we are in need of additional volunteer instructors. If you would like to see our programs offered elsewhere and are interested in getting involved as a volunteer instructor, please contact your 4-H educator to learn more about what it would entail.
For more information for youth and volunteers on the Shooting Sports & Wildlife Program and opportunities to get involved, check out our website.
Save The Dates
- Project Day - Saturdays, March 6 (in Rochester) and March 13 (TBD)
- Food Revue (Competition & Educational Opportunities) - April 2
Coming next month - Dates for all Olmsted County 4-H Summer Day Camps & Registration Information
Information for Youth and Adult Club Leaders
Don't forget to register for Adult Volunteer & Youth Officer Training (information above) - every club needs to be represented by a youth and an adult.
All 4-H youth and families need to be re-enrolled. This is the last newsletter that will be sent to families that have not yet re-enrolled. Our newsletter will be sent on the first of each month, so if any member in your club says they did not receive it, have them reach out to the 4-H office. We will assist them in identifying if there is a technical error or if they need to take additional steps to re-enroll.
We are working on building more resources to support our 4-H Families in various project areas. We have a new Olmsted County 4-H Cloverbud Recordbook that can be printed and could be filled out at club meetings together. A Grades 6-8 version is also in progress that will help youth participate in records and build up to the full Record Judging Experience as outlined on the Minnesota 4-H Record Keeping webpage.
Did you know Olmsted County 4-H has project resources that you can check out?
Leading a club meeting, cloverbud activity, or brainstorming your projects for fair next year? Our resources are available to all 4-H youth, clubs, and partners. This is a collection of curriculum, project kits based on lessons, and re-usable materials. You can view these resources here.
Contact Information
Email: mnext-olmsted@umn.edu
Website: extension.umn.edu/olmsted
Location: 1421 3rd Avenue Southeast, Rochester, MN, USA
Phone: 507-328-6214
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Olmsted4H