Thurston Co. 4-H News
February 2023
Nebraska Extension - Thurston County
Sydney Williams, Extension Assistant, sydney.williams@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
February - Nebraska 4-H Month!
Feb 6 - Butter Braid Sales Begin
Feb 7 - 4-H Spirit Day
Feb 11-12 - Weekend of Service
Feb 14 - 4-H Volunteer Appreciation Day
Feb 20 - Office Closed - President's Day
Feb 21 - 4-H Supporter Appreciation Day
Feb 22 - 24 - Office unstaffed due to meeting in Lincoln
Feb 25 - Market Beef Weigh In - 10:00 AM to 11:30 AM @ Pender Sale Barn
Feb 27 - Thurston Extension Board Meeting; 6:30 PM TBA
Feb 28 - 4-H Professionals' Appreciation Day
March 1 - Thurston County Early Enrollment Incentive Deadline!
March 4 - Beef Weigh-in Snow Date (10:00 - 11:30 @ Pender Sale Barn)
March 6 - 4-H Horse Stampede Entries Due
March 13 - 4-H Council Meeting; 6:30 PM TBA
March 15 - Jarvis Memorial Scholarship Applications Due
March 20 - Butter Braid Sales End
March 25 - 4-H Horse Stampede; UNL East Campus, Lincoln, NE
March 30 - Butter Braid Delivery Date (To the Extension Office)
April 3 - 4-H Council (7:15 PM @ Dakota City)
April 10 - Contest Day Registrations DUE by 12:00 PM
April 15 - Speech, PSA, Favorite Foods, Presentation & Music Contest; Pender @ 9:30 AM
April 16-22 - National Volunteer Week
April 28 - Office Closed - Arbor Day
May 8 - Thurston County 4-H Council Meeting; TBA
May 15 - Thurston Co. Extension Board Meeting; TBA
May 29 - Office Closed - Memorial Day
June 1 - All Horse IDs DUE
June 12 - Thurston County 4-H Council Meeting; TBA
June 15 - 4-H Enrollment ABSOLUTE DEADLINE
June 15 - Drop/Add 4-H Projects DUE for county fair & state fair participation
June 15 - All Livestock Affidavits (including Horse County only) DUE
June 15 - State Fair Beef, Sheep, Swine, and Goat DNA and Nominations DUE
June 19 - Office Closed: Juneteenth
June 21-22 - Premier Animal Science Event (PASE); Lincoln, NE
June 23 - Statewide Communications Event - Speech, PSA, and Demonstrations; Lincoln, NE
July 4 - Office Closed; 4th of July
July 10 - Thurston Co. 4-H Council Meeting; TBA
July 15-19 - State 4-H Horse Expo @ Fonner Park, Grand Island, NE
July 21 - Dakota-Thurston YQCA Deadline
July 21 - ALL Dakota-Thurston County Pre-Fair Entries DUE
July 29 - Pre-fair clean up
July 30 - Aug 6 Dakota-Thurston County Fair
July 31 - 4-H Clothing Day Judging - TBD
Aug 10 - State Fair Animal and In Person Entries DUE
Aug 14 - Thurston Co. 4-H Council Meeting; TBA
Aug 21 - Thurston Co. Extension Board Meeting
Aug 23 - State Fair Exhibits; Grand Island, NE
Aug 25-27 - 4-H Weekend @ Nebraska State Fair
Aug 25 - Sept 4 Nebraska State Fair
MEMBER INFORMATION
4-H Online 2.0 is Now Open for Enrollment!
For returning families: Do Not create a new account; rather use your existing log-in credentials from 4-H online as used in previous years. Find instructions at https://4h.unl.edu/enroll/returning-member
For new families, find instructions here: https://4h.unl.edu/enroll/new-member
Our county has a $5 enrollment fee to be paid by check.
Cloverleaf members pay your leader. All other clubs, TC Roughriders, Rosalie Feeders, and Independent pay by check to the Thurston County Extension Office.
Please contact us at 402-385-6041 with any enrollment questions.
Beef Weigh-In
Attend the weigh-in to get your county only tags, EID tags, and DNA envelopes. Remember tags cost $3 each, so don't forget to bring along some type of payment.
All State Fair and Ak-Sar-Ben livestock will be requiring DNA samples. We encourage you to have the samples pulled.
Our snow day is Saturday, March 4, from 10-11:30 AM at the Pender Sale Barn.
Please RSVP to 402-385-6041 so we know you are coming with your beef animals!
Butter Braid Sales
4-H Summer Camps
Camp Summer Jobs!!
Big Red Camps
Big Red Summer Camps will be held June 11-16, 2023. Registration is open! Find more information at https://4h.unl.edu/big-red-camps
4-H Volunteer Awards
Nebraska 4-H is now accepting nominations for a new awards program to recognize the outstanding contributions of 4-H volunteers across the state.
The Nebraska 4-H Volunteer Recognition Awards honors adult and youth volunteers, as well as and multi-generational families, who have provided meaningful contributions to Nebraska 4-H. One Outstanding Adult Volunteer Award and One Emerging Adult Volunteer Award winner will be chosen for each of the state’s 11 Nebraska Extension Engagement zones. One statewide winner will be named in the each of the youth volunteer and multi-generational family categories.
“Our 4-H volunteers go above and beyond to serve Nebraska’s youth every year,” said Jill Goedeken, 4-H Youth Development Extension educator. “This volunteer recognition opportunity debuted in 2021 and we were thrilled at the number of outstanding 4-H volunteers nominated statewide. We are looking forward to another opportunity to recognize 4-H volunteers for their contributions to youth in Nebraska.”
The nomination form opens on February 14, 2023. Nominations can be submitted by any 4-H member, family, supporter, or Extension staff member. Nominees must fit the award categories and can be a volunteer for any Nebraska 4-H experience. Some examples may include 4-H club leader, project leader, junior leader, county or State Fair volunteer, special interest volunteer, such as robotics or shooting sports, afterschool club volunteer or 4-H camp volunteer. More information, along with the nomination form, is available online at: https://4h.unl.edu/volunteer-recognition.
Winners will be announced virtually the week of April 18, in which Nebraska 4-H will be celebrating the Week of the Volunteer. A special awards presentation will take place at the 2022 Nebraska State Fair.
For more information, visit https://4h.unl.edu/volunteers/recognition
4-H Club Important Information!!
This is the 4-H Policy Handbook's definition of a club:
8.1 Definition of a Club:
Nebraska 4-H and 4-H National Headquarters define a 4-H Club as: an organized group of at least five youth from three different families who meet regularly with adult volunteers or staff for a long-term, progressive series of educational experiences and have enrolled in 4-H Online.
8.2 Structure of a 4-H Club:
4-H Clubs are to be structured as follows:
- Enrolls at least 5 youth members from at least 3 families.
- Is advised by adult staff or volunteers who have been screened and trained in accordance with the Nebraska 4-H Policy and Procedure Handbook.
- Conduct a minimum of 6 regular club meetings (virtual or face-to-face) per year, with many holding 9-12 regular meetings throughout most or all of the year, and often supplemented by project meetings, camps, fairs, and other 4-H learning activities.
- Selects youth officers or youth leaders to provide leadership to the club.
- Meets in any location — a home, community center, military installation, library, public housing site, school, afterschool program, and/or many other places.
- Helps youth and parents/guardians adapt in cases of mobility — linking them to 4-H programs in other counties and states. Meets interests and needs of youth in same-age or cross-age groupings and using single project or multiple project formats.
Our office takes care of making sure some of these policies are followed but this is requirement that needs to fulfilled to be considered a 4-H Club and therefore hold money in the name of 4-H, which all our clubs do. This doesn’t have to come solely from the club leader, please coordinate with the secretary of your club to get this information to the office in the following years.
If you have questions or concerns please let the office know.
ANIMAL SCIENCE & AGRICULTURE
Important Nebraska State Fair Livestock Updates! Please Read!!
DNA Requirement Change
All livestock in contention to exhibit at the 2023 Nebraska State Fair and/or the Aksarben Stock Show will be required to submit a DNA nomination. All 4-H/FFA BREEDING livestock, Market livestock and FEEDER CALVES will now be required to submit a DNA sample/envelope to be eligible to exhibit at the Nebraska State Fair. DNA nominations for the Nebraska State Fair are due on June 15, 2023.
Any DNA nomination submitted through Show Stock Manager will also be eligible for exhibition at the Ak-Sar-Ben Stock Show. DNA nominations will remain at $7.00 per animal. With this update, animals will automatically be eligible for both breeding and market. Families who often paid to be eligible for both had been paying $9.00 ($7.00-Market and $2.00-Breeding) would no longer need to do that. All would pay $7.00.
Age Eligibilty Change
The age of eligibility at Nebraska State Fair is now 9 years of age before January 1 (of the current year) for all in-person events (livestock, contests, fashion shows).
Age Divisions are:
Intermediate (9-13)
Senior (14-18)
Entry Limits for Nebraska State Fair:
Poultry and Rabbit -- 5
Sheep and Goat -- 4
Swine -- 5
Beef -- 5
4-H will be awarding an Overall Registered Steer division during the Market Beef Show:
Champion and reserve champion from each breed (including AOB) will be in the drive for Overall Registered Steer.
4-H will be awarding an Overall Purebred Swine during the Market Swine Show:
Champion and reserve champion from each breed (including AOB) will be in the drive for Overall Purebred Swine.
Registration Papers for Breeding Livestock (NEW)
Registration papers must show the exhibitor's name or a co-owner who is an immediate member of the exhibitor's family and is listed with the online nomination in Stock Show Manager.
Ag Innovators
4-H Horse Stampede
Sunday, March 25, 2023 @ UNL - Lincoln East Campus, $10 Entry Fee
Registrations, Art, & Exhibits due to Extension Office by Monday, March 6, 2023
https://4h.unl.edu/horse-stampede
The Nebraska 4-H Horse Stampede offers a variety of 4-H horse contests that do not require live animals, including public speaking, demonstration, quiz bowl, art, and photography contests. Youth have the opportunity to display their equine knowledge through these contests both as an individual and as part of a team.
There is a $10 entry fee per participant. Event shirts are also available for pre-order. All order forms, fees, and exhibits must be submitted to local Extension offices by March 6, 2023.
Nebraska 4-H Horse show dress code is required for all in-person contests. Please see pages 23-24 of the Nebraska 4-H Horse Show and Judging Guide for details. Exception: No hats or headgear.
Livestock Achievement Program
Nebraska Extension is pleased to announce the another 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 two 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. 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 10 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: Nebraska 4-H / Livestock Achievement Program 4hlivestockachievement@unl.edu
Horse Judging School
Virtual Companion Animal Challenge
The 2023 4-H Companion Animal Challenge will be held virtually. Online entry forms are due by Saturday, April 1st. Essay, art, photography, and demonstration entries must be submitted digitally within the entry form, and the online trivia contest will be open from Monday, April 10, through Sunday, April 16.
More information can be found at: https://4h.unl.edu/companion-animal/challenge
UNL Chick Days
March 25, 2023 @ UNL - East Campus. Visit to learn more about this event as well as others. You will need to send registrations by mail or to: Sheila Purdum spurdum2@unl.edu by March 20, 2023!
Livestock Information Series
The Nebraska 4-H Livestock Information Series is a resource for 4-H members, leaders, and parents to gain knowledge in various livestock-related topic areas. Each session, a new topic is covered with experts joining to share their experience and expertise. Extended learning opportunities and supporting documents are also available for each topic. Learn more at https://4h.unl.edu/livestock-info-series
4-H PROJECTS
2023 Special Agronomy Project
For 2023, youth will explore Tepary Beans. These are a drought-tolerant dry edible bean that can be used like forage or hay! To participate in the Special Agronomy Project, enroll in the project through 4-H Online or call your local extension office to reserve the seed by February 15.
There are three ways to complete this at the county or state fair. First, an educational exhibit that can be in a poster format can include what you learned. Secondly, let your creativity go wild and create a video-type presentation explaining what you have learned, showing the growing process, etc. Finally, you can enter the crop itself. To do this, cut 6 stalks at the ground level and bound together with supporting information about the project.
For project specifications and details, be sure to go to the Nebraska State Fairbook at https://4hfairbook.unl.edu/fairbookview.php/rules.
2023 Special Garden Project
The Special Garden Project is open to all youth of 4-H age and it will give them the opportunity to learn about growing, harvesting, and exhibiting this unique flower. This project lets 4-H members try their hand at growing unusual vegetables and flowers. The project allows experienced 4-H gardeners to grow something fun, new, and different while letting those new to gardening get their feet wet in this project area.
The focus of the 2023 project is the Mrs. Burns' Lemon Basil, a versatile plant that can add a lemony flavor to any recipe or a fresh scent to floral arrangements.
Be sure to visit https://4h.unl.edu/special-garden-project to learn more about the project and how to get started!!
Continuing Education
Jarvis Memorial Scholarship
The intent of the scholarship is to assist women who live 3 or more hours drive from Lincoln but wish to attend the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Applicant must reside in Love Memorial Cooperative Residence Hall on East Campus.
If you have questions email Gloria Turnbull at gloria.turnbull@windstream.net
Application deadline: postmarked no later than March 15, 2023.
Application can be found here: https://go.unl.edu/thurstonjarvismemorial2022
(One $500 Scholarship — Fall 2023/Spring 2024—non renewable)
Who is Eligible?
1. Female born high school graduate (or soon to be) OR a UN-L student who has not resided at Love Memorial Cooperative Residence Hall (LMH) OR an undergraduate transfer student from another college or university pursing any major for an undergraduate or graduate degree.
2. Applicant must be or been a member of 4-H or FCCLA or FFA (minimum of two years) or have taken a minimum of three semesters in Family & Consumer Sciences classes and live in or attend school in the following Nebraska counties: Antelope, Arthur, Banner, Blaine, Box Butte, Boyd, Brown, Cedar, Chase, Cherry, Cheyenne, Custer, Dakota, Dawes, Dawson, Deuel, Dixon, Dundy, Frontier, Furnas, Garden, Garfield, Gosper, Grant, Harlan, Hayes, Hitchcock, Holt, Hooker, Keith, Keya Paha, Kimball, Knox, Lincoln, Logan, Loup, McPherson, Morrill, Perkins, Phelps, Pierce, Red Willow, Rock, Scotts Bluff, Sheridan, Sioux, Thomas, Thurston, Wayne, Wheeler.
3. Must have applied (minimum) or been accepted (preferred) to University of Nebraska - Lincoln.
4. Must have requested residency in Love Memorial Hall, a cooperative residence hall on East Campus. Residents rotate responsibilities for cleaning a portion of the Hall and planning/preparing meals (about 1 hour per week; more time during a week when responsible for food preparation). The cost of living in Love Memorial Hall is less than half of what is charged for all other traditional dorms. Over a four year period this amounts to a savings around $24,000. More information about Love Memorial Hall is found at: https://housing.unl.edu/love-memorial-hall Students may change housing preference by submitting a written request to the Housing Office.
For more information: Web - https://housing.unl.edu;
Phone - (402) 472-3561; Switchboard—800-742-8800; Email: housing@unl.edu