Sioux County 4-H Newsletter
January 2024
Calendar of Events
Jan. 1 - NEW YEARS DAY - Office Closed
Jan. 2 - Melissa in the office from 9-3 pm
Jan. 18 - Melissa in the office all day
Jan. 25 - Make your Tracks Workshop at 4 pm
Jan. 25 - 4-H Council Meeting at 6 pm
February is 4-H Month!!
Feb. 1 - Sioux County Extension Board Meeting at 6 pm
Sioux County Office Hours
Office hours will tend to be Tuesdays-Thursdays 1 to 4 pm unless otherwise stated in the newsletter. Remind messages along with Facebook posts will be sent if the office is closed on a regularly scheduled day. If you have questions or need items please feel free to call Melissa at (402) 322-0655 or email at mmracek2@unl.edu.
Welcome Baby Reed Smith
The Northern Panhandle would like to introduce our newest member, Reed Smith Ahrens! Reed was born on December 9th. He was 5 lbs. 9 oz. and 17 1/2 in. long. Congratulations to our Food, Nutrition, & Health Educator, Ashley Ahrens and her husband Ian. Reed was welcomed home by big brother Westin and his fur brother Edwin!
New 4-H Council Members are needed
We have one adult and one to two youth Council member positions open for the new year. Members attend monthly Council meetings, provide input and advice to the Sioux County 4-H program, and help advise the Council budget. Youth need to be ages 12 and above. Youth serve a one year team and adult serve a three year term. Please reach out to Melissa Mracek at mmracek2@unl.edu if interested in serving.
State Fair Age Limit
As you know, in 2023, Nebraska 4-H lowered the age limit for participation in the Nebraska State Fair for all in-person events to nine years of age. That change increased our participation and provided more youth the opportunity to have an engaging learning experience. We had many positive comments from legacy families as well as new.
This fall, we have had follow-up conversations with the show superintendents and various teams that run these events during State Fair and throughout the year. Based on that feedback and our goal of increasing access, the decision has been made to change the age of eligibility in 2024 to be 8 years of age before January 1 (of the current year) for all in-person State Fair events (livestock, contests, fashion shows, contests) and other state competitions (Fonner Park State 4-H Horse Expo, PASE, communications contest). Note: there will be some events that will maintain their ages due to specific program rules (shooting sports, FIRST LEGO League Challenge robotics). Please check information on each specific event as it becomes available.
Youth Advisory Council for Ag and Food Systems
The Regional Youth Advisory Council on Food Systems is a project aimed at bringing together a selection of two youth leaders per state to represent 12 North-Central midwestern states (IL, IN, IA, KS, MI, MN, MO, NE, ND, OH, SD, & WI). These leaders will serve on a team focused on providing consultation, vision, and youth perspective to a grant program with the goal of expanding career development opportunities in their state and region, for underrepresented populations in agriculture and food systems careers. All leaders as part of their participation with this Advisory Council will have their travel costs covered for all required travel obligations. Youth council members will be required to participate in monthly Zoom meetings as well as travel to biannual meetings hosted in the Spring and Fall. Youth will serve for no less than one year in their role with potential to serve multiple years. Responsibilities will begin January 2024.
Time Commitment:
Youth Council members will be required to participate in monthly hour-long Zoom meetings as well as travel to bi-annual face-to-face meetings hosted in the Spring and Fall taking place over multiple days. Youth Council members will serve for no less than one year in their role with the potential to serve for multiple years. Youth Council responsibilities will begin in January 2024. Meeting schedules/times are to be determined but will be designed to fit into an afterschool or weekend timeframe.
Application Process:
For full consideration, applications must be submitted by Friday, December 29th by 11:59 pm CST at the link below. Decisions will be communicated to all applicants by Monday, January 8th. We ask that you confirm your participation by Wednesday, January 10th at 5:00 pm CST.
Requirements: Please note that membership in the 4-H program is not required at the time of your application. All Youth Council applicants must satisfy the following:
- Fall within 14-18 years of age
- Provide evidence of previous leadership or volunteer experience
- Be a highly motivated individual with a willingness to develop leadership and communication skills.
- Youth will be enrolled in the 4-H program as part of your service on the Youth Council. Not required at the time of application.
- Application is open to all youth; BIPOC Youth and/or youth belonging to other underrepresented groups are strongly encouraged to apply.
Nebraska 4-H Youth Leadership Experience Ambassador Team
We are so excited that you are interested in becoming a part of the Nebraska 4-H Youth Leadership Experience Ambassador Team.
As a part of this group, we hope you can be a voice on the youth perspective, develop & practice leadership skills that you can take back to your communities, and collaborate with Extension Staff and 4-Hers across the state to plan & implement a 4-H Youth Leadership Experiences!
The deadline for applications for the Ambassador team is Friday, January 5, 2024!
If selected our first meeting will be Sunday, February 4, 2024 at 4-6pm CT (via Zoom). From there we'll meet monthly to create an amazing experience for you and other high schoolers across the state!
The 4-H Youth Leadership Experiences will be a combination of working with state level 4-H events and contributing with your own leadership ideas across the state.
If you have questions or would like to know more please contact Julie Schultz (jschultz28@unl.edu) or Stacey Keys (stacey.keys@unl.edu)!
Making Tracks Workshop
Make your own animal tracks this winter! During this workshop, youth will create their own set of animal tracks and develop a poster about their animal and its habitat. This fair project will be ready for exhibition at the end of the workshop. Workshop will be held on Thursday, January 25th from 4 pm to 5:30 pm at the Nebraska Extension - Sioux County Office. The fee for this workshop is $5. Please register for this workshop by January 12th by contacting Melissa Mracek at mmracek2@unl.edu.
Farrowed and Owned Swine Cohort
Registration for the 2024 Nebraska 4-H Farrowed and Owned Swine Cohort is now open until February 1st, 2024. Please see the attached flyer for more program and registration details.
Youth participating in the Farrowed and Owned Cohort will:
- Network with 4-H members across the state who are also participating in the cohort experience.
- Participate in learning opportunities hosted by Extension Swine Specialist Benny Mote about biosecurity, meat science, economics of raising swine and more.
- The cohort will meet virtually the first Sunday of the month at 7:00 p.m. CT, the months of February, March, April, May and June.
- Gain knowledge related to their project and the swine industry as a whole.
- Maintain records related to swine management and basic care.
- Exhibit their Farrowed and Owned project animals at the 2024 Nebraska State Fair with the opportunity for special recognition as a result of participating in the cohort.
Register here by February 1, 2024!
4-H Livestock Achievement Program
We are excited to announce the fourth year of the Nebraska 4-H Livestock Achievement Program. This additional opportunity for enrolled livestock project youth, is designed to promote all educational aspects of 4-H livestock projects including selection, production, leadership, and exhibition by recognizing youth striving to improve in their livestock project knowledge and leadership.
The program recognizes Members of Excellence across all 4-H livestock project areas, including: beef, sheep, meat goat, swine, dairy cattle, dairy goat, rabbit, and poultry.
The program consists of three levels that require 4-H members to plan and report a broad range of age-appropriate and project-related accomplishments. For each level, the Livestock Achievement Program provides a list of accomplishments from which 4-H members choose their goals. Each accomplishment is worth a specific number of points. Junior 8-9 submits pictures, poster, presentation, and other learning activities to receive the distinction of Junior Member of Excellence, no point value, Intermediates, ages 10-13, must complete 100 points worth of activities to receive the distinction of Intermediate Member of Excellence. Seniors, ages 14-18, must complete 150 points worth of activities to receive the distinction of Senior Member of Excellence. The Plan and Reports, linked on the webpage, show examples of the project related accomplishments they can choose, or they can identify their own with approval of their local educator.
Applications/Sign up are due June 15th through the application form link on the website. Plan and Reports, as well as Project Records will be due August 1 via the completion form on the website.
Youth completing the achievement program and receiving member of excellence recognition in the various species will be recognized during the Parade of Champions, 4-H weekend at the Nebraska State Fair.
For more information or to apply, go to: Livestock Achievement Program | Nebraska 4-H (unl.edu)
2024 Special Garden Project
The Special Garden Project is a way to offer Nebraska youth the chance to grow unusual and fun projects in their gardens.
The time has come to unveil the 2024 Special Garden Project plant! The 2024 Special Garden Project will focus on Princess of India Nasturtium. This Victorian-era heirloom flower can be grown in a variety of ways including containers. It provides a splash of color from its scarlet flowers and much of the plant can be eaten
4-H members enrolled in the Special Garden Project will:
- Receive a ‘packet’ of Princess of India Nasturtium (one packet per youth) in March/April
- Receive a newsletter about planting & growing nasturtium
- Be able to exhibit this unique herb at County and State Fair
If interested, please let Melissa mmracek2@unl.edu know by February 10th.
For more information: https://4h.unl.edu/special-garden-project
Beef Weigh-ins
If your family is considering showing Market Beef in another county, you may want to attend a local weigh-in. Below are the dates of upcoming weigh-ins.
Box Butte
- Sunday, January 14th from 11 am to 1 pm
- at the Box Butte Fairgrounds in Hemingford
Dawes
- Saturday, February 17th from 9 am to noon
- at Crawford Livestock Auction
Omaha Fashion Week
Application is now open for youth to model their 2023 design on the Omaha Fashion Week runway happening February 21, 2024! Youth will experience the backstage prep by having hair and makeup done, then walking the runway in front of the fashion community! Deadline to apply is January 5, 2024. Please complete the application at https://go.unl.edu/4hofw2024.
Data Driven Field Day
Data Driven is a full-day, dynamic event that will engage youth in a world of endless possibilities in data science and literacy. This competition-based event will be focused on high-school-aged youth, with opportunities for both team and individual prizes and recognitions.
Whether youth are seasoned data experts or just dipping their toes into the data world, this unique opportunity will ignite their passion for data and empower them to create a brighter future through the power of numbers.
Date: March 16, 2024
Location: Dinsdale Family Learning Commons on UNL East Campus
Who: Teams of four 10th-12th graders!
Why: Win Scholarships! Make Connections! Meet Industry Leaders!!
Get ready to embark on an exciting journey into the world of data science and statistics! We're thrilled to invite you to "Data Driven," a unique and engaging competition that will challenge your data skills and spark your passion for numbers.
Additional Information:
- Teams will compete in 5 unique games with a focus on probability, data science, and a little bit of luck.
- Additional rewards include Nebraska swag, time with industry professionals, and more!
- Team Members should be in 10th – 12th grades, with occasional exceptions allowed for exceptional 9th graders; and all members on a team should be from the same or neighboring counties.
BONUS: Registration costs for the first 20 teams is sponsored by the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources (CASNR) at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Use code CASNR at checkout! USE CODE CASNR AT CHECKOUT.
Volunteer Impact Study - You May be Contacted
What you do makes a difference! We are excited to share that our state will be participating in the 4-H Volunteer Impact Study of volunteers in the North Central Region.
This survey is being conducted as a part of 12 state effort to document the impact of volunteering.
It will focus on three areas:
· the personal benefits of your volunteer experience;
· the impact you have on the organization by volunteering; and
· how your volunteer efforts contribute to your community in which you live and work.
A random sample of volunteers of 1000 volunteers from each state will be surveyed. This study will be conducted through an electronic survey. If you are selected you will receive an email to let you know you have been selected to participate.
You may be picked!!! If you are, please respond. We want to hear from you and learn from your volunteer experiences.
Your comments will be used to quantify the personal, organizational and public impacts of volunteers involved with 4-H Youth Development Programs in our twelve-state region.
Your impact is great and we want to hear from you!!!
2024 Summer 4-H Camps
Get Ready to Experience - The Power of Being Green!!
We are excited to have youth join us across the state again, with opportunities to experience camp with a more tailored age cohort.
Have a first time or younger camper? This year we are introducing a new camp session for our youngest camper. They'll get a taste of camp with 3 days jam packed full of learning and fun at 4-H camp!
Our older campers will have our traditional 5 day camp with more time to explore what it means to be clover green! We'll focus on how we can use our head, heart, hands, and health to make the world we live in a better place.
Families can find dates, session summaries, and registration information by visiting https://4h.unl.edu/camps-register.
Maker Day Highlights
On Wednesday, December 20th, 8 Sioux County 4-H members participated in the annual Maker Day creating a variety of holiday projects. Youth go to choose from Fabric Scrap Wreath, Wood Burn cutting Boards, Hot Cocoa Kit, Sugar Scrub, Wood Décor, Macramé Tree Ornament, and Painted Tea Towels.
Nebraska Extension Sioux County Office
Email: mmracek2@unl.edu
Website: go.unl.edu/siouxcofair
Location: PO Box 277 Harrison, NE 69346
Phone: (308) 668-2428
Facebook: facebook.com/UNLSiouxCounty