1. Nebraska Extension DHM Phase/Covid-19 Risk Dial Guidance
2. New 4-H Year Begins! Enrollment is Open
3. 2021 Special Garden Project - ORDER SEED NOW!
4. 2021 Special Agronomy Project - Updated Info - ORDER SEED NOW!
5. Shooting Sports - Volunteer Information
6. 2021 Washington County 4-H Archery Club to Begin!
7. 2021 Spotlight On 4-H Newsletter
8. Virtual Learning Opportunities
9. Hippology Academy 2021
10. Great Plains Livestock Judging Circuit
11. Virtual Horse Judging Camp 2021
12. 2021 Innovative Youth Corn Challenge
13. 2022 4-H Youth in Action
14. Nebraska Cattlemen's Classic Youth Judging Contest
15. 2021 4-H Horse Stampede
16. 2021 District 4-H Horse Shows
17. Animal Science "Inspiring Your Future" Scholarship
18. Fed Steer Challenge - Deadline Extended
19. 2021 4-H Summer Camps
20. Other Statewide Events and Resources

*NEW OR UPDATED INFORMATION IS BOLDED!

January 29.........................................Deadline to Order Special Garden and/or Agronomy Seed

March 27................................................4-H Horse Stampede - East Campus-Lincoln

June 28 & 29...........................................PASE & Life Challenge Contests, East Campus-Lincoln

June 30...................................................State Public Speaking Contest, East Campus-Lincoln

July 30 - August 4, 2021........................2021 Washington County Fair

Nebraska Extension DHM Phase/Covid-19 Risk Dial Guidance

Follow Most Restrictive Guidance: State DHM or Local Health Department Covid-19 Risk Dial

CURRENTLY – ORANGE

4-H Clubs (events, activities, meetings)

Recommend meeting virtually; Facial coverings required for in person meetings; Follow additional local/county guidance.

Effective November 30, 2020

Nebraska 4-HOnline Enrollment Link: https://ne.4honline.com/Login.aspx?403D4050364539525371705375593D

Please note that the 4-H project history has been cleared and you must enter the project name and the number of years you have participated in it. You will find your history by going into your Family Account and choosing Member Reports.

You might also notice that the Virtual Robotics project shows up in the project history but has been removed this year as the curriculum is no longer available.

4HOnline Technical Error

4HOnline is currently experiencing an error in processing payments. A team is working to address this issue as soon as possible, we will notify you when the system is functioning properly. In the meantime, users are still able to go into their account and update all info to the current year for 4-H Enrollment, but your payment will not be able to be processed at this time.

NEW: Special Agronomy Project

The Nebraska Extension Special Agronomy Project gives 4-H members an opportunity to experience a crop that is grown, was grown or has the potential to be grown in Nebraska. Youth participate by receiving seed and resources to grow the crop, research traits of the crop and determine the viability of that crop in the part of the state they live. The project allows 4-H members interested in agronomy to grow something fun, new, and different.

To kick-off the inaugural year of the special agronomy project, youth will explore teosinte. The plant looks and is very similar to corn, in fact it is believed to be the wild ancestor of today's corn!

For youth to participate:

Enroll for the 2021 Special Agronomy Project by enrolling in any of the Field Crop Project levels through 4-H Online.

Contact your local Nebraska Extension Office and let them know how many seed packets you need. If you do not contact your local Extension Office, seeds might not be available for you. The county office will order seeds as a county unit then distribute them to the members.

Seeds will be sent to the County Extension Offices. Pick seeds up from your local county Extension office when the county tells you the seeds are available (should be around March or April).

4-H members enrolled in the Special Agronomy Project will:

· Receive a ‘packet’ of teosinte seeds (one packet per youth) in March/April

· Grow their seeds in their garden or pots

· Receive written resource materials AND virtual, live or recorded videos/field trips

· Be eligible to enter an exhibit at both the County and/or State Fair in the agronomy project area:

o G750011 - Special Agronomy Project - Educational Exhibit (SF259)

o G750012 Special Agronomy Project -Video Presentation

o G750013 Special Agronomy Project (Freshly Harvested Crop)

Enroll for the 2021 Special Agronomy Project through 4-H Online by enrolling in ANY level of the field crop project area and contact your local Nebraska Extension Office to order packets of seeds. The local Extension Office will order and distribute the seeds.

Contact our office by Friday, January 29, 2021 to order your seeds.

Enrollment Change: Thanks to those who have emailed or called and expressed interest in this project. For youth to participate in 2021, they will need to enroll in any level of a field crops project in 4-H Online and let the extension office know if they’d like to participate. We aren’t able to get a special class added to 4-H Online for 2021. Thank you and sorry for the confusion.

All county 4-H shooting sports programs across Nebraska are required to have 4-H enrolled and certified adult instructors. Washington County is always looking for more adults who would like to contribute their time and talents to the 4-H program. As the Washington County 4-H Archery Club is getting started for the year, they are looking for more adults who are willing to get certified.

The next Nebraska 4-H Shooting Sports Certification is taking place on January 18-19 at the Nebraska Game & Parks Outdoor Education Center in Lincoln, Nebraska. Deadline is January 8, however if it has passed, go directly to the registration information and contact information to find out if openings are still available. It may be found at https://go.unl.edu/ew5z. If you can’t make the January certification, the next certification workshop is scheduled for April in Holt County or Custer County.

To help defray costs for certification, the Washington County 4-H Council will cover costs for Washington County 4-H volunteers to attend Nebraska 4-H Shooting Sports Leader Certification Workshops. For more information about enrolling as a leader in the Washington County 4-H Program, contact the Nebraska Extension in Washington County Office at 402-426-9455 or the Washington County 4-H staff at WashingtonCounty4H@unl.edu.

In addition to meeting the certification requirements, these workshops provide additional opportunities, such as: (1) Network with other shooting sports instructors from across Nebraska. Share and learn techniques and knowledge which will develop your ability to effectively lead a local shooting sports program. (2) Learn to use shooting sports to develop youth of strong character who possess effective life skills. (3) Gain certification in one of the shooting sports disciplines. (4) Learn under expert instruction and learn to develop your skills as an instructor.

The Washington County 4-H Archery Club is part of the 4-H shooting sports program and is beginning their new season. This 4-H club is open to all Washington County youth who are ages eight to 18 years old on January 1, 2021.

Due to the limitations on meetings, we will not have an informational meeting this year. If you have questions, please call or email:

· Nebraska Extension in Washington County at washingtoncounty4h@unl.edu / 402-426-9455

o General 4-H questions

o Assistance with 4-H Enrollment

o Assistance with turning in checks/waiver/signing up for a shooting time

· Brian Jennings at brianlynj@abbnebraska.com Please put 4H archery in the subject line or 402-306-2945

o For other club or shooting related questions.

Interested youth must have all paperwork completed before attending any practices. Practices will be held at the Orion Archery Club in downtown Blair. The club is located in the basement of One Blair Place, 1526 Washington St., Blair, Nebraska.

Practice will take place once a month at the Orion Archery Club in Blair. Typically the second Tuesday of the month practice for the younger shooters (Ages 8-11 years old on January 1, 2020/shooting at 10 yards) and the fourth Tuesday is practice for the older shooters (Ages 12-18 years old on January 1, 2020/shooting at 20 yards). Based on the coaches availability, it is possible that these time frames could be adjusted.

During practices, members can shoot with their own equipment or they may borrow equipment from the club. All archery equipment is allowed except crossbows. If borrowing the club’s equipment, it is limited to recurves or genesis bows with finger releases and no sights. Competitions are based on the age of the competitor and type of equipment uses.

There will be Washington County 4-H Archery Contests that members will have the opportunity to compete. In addition, members will be qualified to attend other 4-H shooting events including the state competitions. Successful archers at the State competition will be eligible for being selected to represent Nebraska in the National competition.

Unlike some sports that give a competitive advantage to those that start young, archery is a sport that can be started at any age and produce very competitive individuals. Luann Ryon won her Olympic gold medal just three years after picking up her first bow. Archery can be addictive and provides a variety of different activities such as indoor paper targets, outdoor paper targets, field archery, 3D indoor, 3D outdoor; as well as the traditional hunting and fishing opportunities.

For more information about the state’s program or the national program, please visit the following websites: http://4h.unl.edu/shootingsports or http://www.4-hshootingsports.org

Fees for the year are; $10 for Washington County 4-H Enrollment and $17 for the Washington County Archery Club. Workdays will not be required this year, but we do ask that the archers help with the Tomcak outdoor shoot.

Practice adjustments due to COVID:

We trust that all shooters/families will be following the state recommendations for not attending practice if they have any of the symptoms or if they’ve been exposed to someone. If there are any local outbreaks or we learn new information the following guidelines may be changed. Everyone is encouraged to check their email regularly to verify if practice has been cancelled.

We will base meetings on the COVID risk-dial for Washington County which can be found at the following link.

· https://www.threeriverspublichealth.org/COVID-19/COVID-19-Updates

o Red Level: No practice allowed.

o Orange (greater than or equal to 3.1): No practice allowed.

o Orange with an increasing trend over the previous week:

§ Practice will be determined in real time and an email will be sent out Tuesday morning the day of the practice to indicate if practice will happen or not. The decision will be made on Monday.

§ If practice is allowed, it will follow the guidelines for Orange.

o Orange (<3.1): Practice is allowed.

o Yellow: Practice allowed following same guidelines as for orange except masks will not be required.

o Green: Rules will be decided at a later date.

The following guidelines will be followed but are subject to change. Each family will need to determine if they are comfortable participating or not. Because of the limitations and risks associated with COVID, we will not require attending the minimum number of practices this year, to participate in the fair shoot, unless those restrictions are lifted.

· We will only allow 4 kids on the line at a time to maintain 6ft between shooters.

· Orion waiver includes a clause for COVID

· No food or drink can be shared or handed out at practice.

· Only one family member allowed to attend the child/children from the same family.

o No non-participants allowed except for the one family member

· Face coverings are required.

o Balaclava or neck gaiters that are tight fitting are required

o Loose masks may catch in the bow string and are not allowed.

o Masks with strings or cloth strings that hold the mask behind the ear are not allowed as these masks do not fit tight enough and may get caught in the bow string.

o Everyone inside the club is required to wear a mask

o Masks can make finding the anchor point on the side of the face difficult, but this is required at this time.

· 6-foot distance is required for all participants and spectators except for those that live in the same household.

o This includes while watching, shooting, scoring and pulling arrows.

· Because of the 6-foot distance and the small number of people allowed, participants will be asked to sign up for a shooting time.

o 10 Yards Shooters Register Here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0C4CAAAB2FA0FCC43-4harchery

o 20 Yards Shooters Register Here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0C4CAAAB2FA0FCC43-4harchery1

o You may register all family members shooting 10 yards together if you want them to shoot together

o You may register all family members shooting 20 yards together if you want them to shoot together

o It is unclear at this time if we’ll be able to allow each shooter a chance to shoot twice a month or only once. We will let you know if there are enough slots open to allow youth to attend multiple practices a month.

· Equipment

o In orange and yellow, we strongly encourage people to bring their own equipment

o We will still make our equipment available and will wipe it down after each practice; however, we will not be able to allow people to share equipment during the practice.

o We will want shooters to shoot unique arrows so that we do not mix them up.

· Coaching will be done from a distance.

· We will ask the 7:45 group to remain in the parking lot until all of the 6:15pm shooters have left. A sign on the door will let you know when it is okay to enter.

Find the January Spotlight Newsletter at:

https://www.smore.com/unt6r

Looking for educational resources you can use from home? We've got you covered! 😉

Nebraska 4-H is now offering a variety of virtual learning experiences, such as Living Room Learning and Boredom Buster Challenges. We've also collected some of our favorite activity guides that are perfect for hands-on learning at home.

Check out our virtual and at-home educational resources at https://4h.unl.edu/virtual-home-learning.

From the team that brought you Living Room Learning and the 4-H Summer Fun Pack, we are proud to announce a new resource for our 4-H youth during their winter break: The 4-H Winter Fun Pack! ​Copy and paste the information below to share with your counties. Attached is a graphic to share as well!

Looking for ways to keep the young people in your life engaged this winter? Check out the 4-H Winter Fun Pack - a collection of activities that youth can do on their own at home! Each recorded session of Living Room Learning is led by a Nebraska 4-H Youth Development professional. Getting started is simple: gather supplies, click the recording and let us do the teaching.

The materials required for this resource are all things you can find at home! This resource was created with all areas of 4-H in mind, including: Family Consumer Sciences, Environmental Education and Earth Sciences, Healthy Living, STEM, Communication and Expressive Arts and more!

Access the resources here and let the fun begin: https://4h.unl.edu/winter-fun-pack

• Whether it’s your favorite photo you’ve taken this fall or one you took to the county fair, we want to see it! Submit your favorite photo for a chance to be showcased. The 4-H photography showcase offers members a project exhibition opportunity beyond traditional print media. 4-H’ers are invited to submit their favorite photo they’ve taken for a chance to have it showcased online for thousands of 4-H fans to admire. Learn more and submit a photo at 4h.unl.edu/photography-showcase.

• Looking to get involved in the 4-H rabbit project? We’ve got everything you need to know all in one place! Check out our Companion Rabbit Science Course to learn all about selecting, caring for, and showing rabbits. The course is great for middle-school youth but is open to all youth regardless of age who are looking to learn more about rabbits and the 4-H rabbit projects. Youth do not need to be enrolled 4-H members to participate. Learn more at 4h.unl.edu/companion-rabbit-science.

• Ever wonder how cats became domesticated? Interested in learning more about caring for a feline friend? How about showing a cat in 4-H or exploring careers related to cats? We’ve got answers to all these questions and more in our NEW Companion Cat Science online course! The course is free and open to all youth, parents, and leaders interested in advancing their knowledge of cats and the 4-H cat project. Youth do not need to be enrolled 4-H members to participate. Learn more at 4h.unl.edu/companion-cat-science.

• Don’t forget to tune into the Nebraska 4-H Companion Animal Webinar Series hosted on the first Thursday of each month! These webinars are a great opportunity for leaders, parents, and senior aged youth to gain knowledge in various companion animal topic areas. A new subject is covered each session with guest speakers joining to share their expertise. Register in advance at 4h.unl.edu/companion-animal-webinar-series.
  

Hippology Academy 2021

It’s back with all new topics!

This short, online, course is designed for youth, adults, leaders, and extension personnel to gain knowledge and practice on horse hippology content. Or, if you’re a horse person and just want to learn more!

Content includes practice tests, slides, and digital stations in six areas in addition to twice weekly lectures. New lessons will be available starting on Monday for each of the 6 weeks. Once available, all content will be accessible 24/7 for the duration of your subscription!

The content will first become live on February 8 and be available for 6 months from that time (August 8) if you are in the Bronze level; and for 9 months from that time (November 8), if you are in the Silver level.

We are starting our Hippology Academy 2021 on February 8!

Topics covered will be:

Equipment and Riding Styles

Stallion Reproductive Anatomy

External Parasites

Pasture Management

Donkeys

Equine Breeds

This course is targeted for older youth and adults.

Subscription levels:

Bronze Level = $50. Access to content until August 8.

Silver Level = $100. Includes 6-week access to instructors to ask questions, and access to content until November 8.

If you are a Silver level subscriber, each week, the Professor of the Week who provided the material will be available to answer questions on their topic. We encourage you to take advantage of the opportunity to 'pick the brains' of these national experts. You can upgrade from Bronze to Silver at any time.

Registration here: https://campus.extension.org/course/search.php?search=hippology

Great Plains Livestock Judging Circuit Rules

1. Open to current Nebraska 4-H and/or FFA members that are in good standing and age 10-18 as of January 1, 2021.

2. Contestants will be split into two divisions based on 4-H age: Senior (age 14-18) and Junior (age 10-13).

3. To be eligible for the All-State Team and be recognized at the 2020 Nebraska State Fair, contestants must compete in 2 eligible contests, plus the State 4-H Contest (PASE). *PASE is a REQUIRED contest in order to be on the All-State Team*

4. Points will be awarded to the top 20 individuals within their respective divisions, in reverse order of placing.

a. 1st place = 20 points, 2nd place = 19 points, 3rd place = 18 points, etc.

b. If there are less than 20 contestants within the division at a contest, the top score will reflect the number of contestants. Ex: 15 contestants in a division – 1st place = 15 points, 2nd place = 14 points, etc.

5. Rankings will be determined by only the best 2 placings at eligible summer contest, plus placing from the State 4-H Contest (PASE).

a. If a contestant attends more than 2 eligible contests, only the top 2 point totals will count.

b. EX: Contestant A places 3rd at Crete, 14th at Cuming, and 10th at PASE (while not attending any other contests). This contestant will have earned 18 points, 7 points, and 11 points, respectively, for a total of 36.

c. Contestant B goes to 5 contests plus PASE, placing 4th, 7th, 12th, 18th, and 9th, with a 14th place finish at PASE. Contestant B will get points for the 4th (17) and 7th (14) place finishes, plus the 7 points for the 14th place PASE finish for a total of 38.

d. Contestant B would be ranked higher at the end. It is beneficial to attend as many contests as possible and be able to have a bad day.

6. In the event of a tie, it will be broken as follows:

a. Average reasons scores from the contests where points are used for final rankings.

b. Placing at the State 4-H Contest (PASE).

7. There will be awards for the top-5 in both the Senior and Intermediate divisions.

a. Contestants will be recognized during the 4-H Grand Drive at the 2021 Nebraska State Fair.

For more information contact:

Blaine French

402.472.8834 or 870.217.1401

bfrench6@unl.edu

2021 Great Plains Livestock Judging Circuit Schedule

Nebraska Cattleman’s Classic- Feb. 13th Kearney, NE rkbush@frontier.net

Weld County Colorado- April 10th Greeley, CO lhooker@co.weld.co.us

Logan County Colorado- April 24th Sterling, CO jd.sexton@colostate.edu

Thayer-Nuckolls County- May 15th Nelson, NE kylie.kinley@unl.edu

Dawes County- May 21st Chadron, NE tessa.reece@unl.edu

NCTA Contest- May 26th Curtis, NE doug.smith@unl.edu

Colfax/Platte County- May 27th Leigh, NE bdolezal2@unl.edu

South Central Judging Contest- June 3rd Bladen, NE elizabeth.janning@unl.edu

Lincoln County- June 12th North Platte, NE randy.saner@unl.edu

Box Butte Western Livestock Challenge- June 17th Hemingford, NE astevens4@unl.edu

Nebraska Livestock Judging Classic- June 18th Kearney, NE kerry.elsen@unl.edu

Wheeler County- June 22nd Bartlett, NE sniemeyer1@unl.edu

PASE- June 29th Lincoln, NE bfrench6@unl.edu

The Nebraska Innovative Youth Corn Challenge is approaching its tenth-year engaging youth in crop science-based education. The Innovative Youth Corn Challenge (IYCC) was created as a partnership between the Nebraska Corn Board and Nebraska Extension. Since the Innovative Youth Corn Challenge program’s inception in 2012, 74 teams have participated in the program with 37 teams successfully harvesting and analyzing their plot data. A total of 147 youth have participated.

This program continues to evolve and has exciting changes planned for the 2021 growing season with IYCC 2.0. A citizen scientist component will encourage youth to connect with researchers on a real problem facing corn growers and assist in collecting data or designing a tool to solve a real-world problem.

The IYCC 2.0 will also feature an agricultural literacy piece which will help others understand corn production practices and highlight teams’ efforts. This will allow youth to promote their own work through creative works such as a video or other multimedia tool. Nebraska Extension will execute this evolving, innovative and in-depth program in 2021, which will be the tenth year creating agricultural, science-informed graduates in the agricultural industry.

Prizes for participation in this project include 1st place - $1,000, 2nd place - $500, 3rd place -$250, “Extra Mile” Award $200, CORN Communications Award $200 and $50 for completion of the project. In addition, each team receives a crop scouting kit valued at over $200, plot sign and the opportunity to engage with UNL agronomic professionals through “ask an agronomist” sessions.

For more information about this program and to register, go to https://cropwatch.unl.edu/youth/cornchallenge. Registration is due March 15th. Contact Brandy VanDeWalle at brandy.vandewalle@unl.edu or (402) 759-3712 for details about this program.

• Applications for the 2022 4-H Youth in Action awards are now open! This awards program, coordinated by National 4-H Council, recognizes four outstanding young people ages 15-19 making meaningful impacts in their communities. Winners receive a $5,000 scholarship, an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington D.C. for National 4-H Council’s Legacy Awards, a personal promotional video showcasing their 4-H impact story, and much more! Learn more and apply at go.unl.edu/4hyia.

The 2021 4-H Horse Stampede is scheduled for Saturday, March 27th on UNL’s East Campus. This is an outstanding opportunity for youth interested and a part of the 4-H Horse program. If you have questions, please contact our office.

The Horse Stampede includes:

• Speech Contest: (Individual event)
• Junior Division: (age 10-13 as of January 1)
• Senior Division: (age 14-18 as of January 1)
• Demonstration Contest: (Individual or Team of two)
• Junior Division: (age 10-13 as of January 1)
• Senior Division: (age 14-18 as of January 1)
• Art Contest:
• Elementary: (age 8-11 as of January 1)
• Junior: (age 12-14 as of January 1)
• Senior: (age 15-18 as of January 1)
• Champion Senior Art will be retained for use on the cover of the State 4-H Horse Show program in 2021
• Photography Contest:
• Elementary: (age 8-11 as of January 1)
• Junior: (age 12-14 as of January 1)
• Senior: (age 15-18 as of January 1)
• Champion Senior Photography will be retained for use on the cover of the State 4-H Horse Show program in 2021

-Categories include:

*Careers with horses

*Horse health and/or nutrition

*Good husbandry/grooming

*Training and showing

*Human-horse bond

*Horse service or citizenship

The 4-H Horse Bowl is also a part of this event.

The primary objective of Horse Bowl contests is to provide an opportunity for youth enrolled in 4-H horse projects to demonstrate their knowledge of equine-related subject matter in a competitive setting where attitudes of friendliness and fairness prevail. These contests will provide an educational experience for both participants and spectators.

Age Divisions

Junior: 10-13 years of age as of January 1 of the current year

I wanted you all to be aware of a scholarship opportunity for high school seniors and transfer students who are admitted animal science majors looking to enroll in the Fall 2021 semester at UNL. This is the inaugural year for the Animal Science: Inspiring Your Future Scholarship Contest and we will be awarding ten $5000 scholarships. We want students to tell us their digital story about an individual or animal who has inspired them to pursue an education and career in animal science. This can be done via video, essay, pictures, a combination of those things, or really any medium that allows them to comfortably express themselves. The website link is below that lists out the contest details and link to apply and submit their digital story. All entries must be submitted by Noon on February 15th!

Find all the information at:

https://animalscience.unl.edu/Inspiring-Your-Future-Scholarship-Competition

• Miss the application deadline for the 2021 Nebraska 4-H Fed Steer Challenge? Well, we have good news for you. The application deadline has been extended! Apply now at 4h.unl.edu/fed-steer-challenge.

We have exciting news! Registration for Summer Camp 2021 is now OPEN! Check out our exciting 4 and 5 day overnight camp offerings at the NEBRASKA STATE 4-H CAMP in Halsey! Charter bus transportation option offered select weeks from Lincoln (UNL East Campus) and Grand Island (Raising Nebraska)! Register by Jan. 31st to receive 10% off per session! Use code: EARLYBIRD21

See full camp descriptions and register online: https://4h.unl.edu/camps-centers/summer-camp/schedule

• Cat Club - https://4h.unl.edu/companion-animal/cat-club
  

• Dog Showmanship Video Series - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?reload=9&list=PL579hRei5D7xwKTqpe8kJw0GnfKK4x8l4
• Virtual Dog Club - https://4h.unl.edu/virtual-dog-club
• Companion Rabbit Science Online Course - https://4h.unl.edu/companion-rabbit-science

• Companion Animal Workshop - https://4h.unl.edu/companion-animal-judges-workshop