Jan. SOUTHERN PLAINS 4-H NEWSLETTER
Serving Thayer and Nuckolls County - January 2024
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"2024" 4-H ENROLLMENT OPEN! ENROLL NOW!
Points to remember:
*You Must Enroll each Year! Leaders, Volunteers, Council & Youth!
*NEW THIS YEAR, Volunteer training for all Volunteers, Leaders, must be completed prior to final approval.
*Update your existing profile, DO NOT START A NEW ONE, unless you are truly NEW!
*Please review your information carefully, and make any corrections.
Zoom and Facebook Live Q&A sessions
Our first virtual Q&A session will be held January 18th at 6pm via zoom and Facebook live! This session will be covering enrollment and specific questions you may have about enrolling in 4-H. If you are unable to attend, the session will be recorded and can be found on the Southern Plains Extension Facebook page or on our website. You can submit enrollment specific questions that you have via this link before the session: https://forms.gle/dpSjLhWxANv3Lumc9
The zoom link is provided below. To join via Facebook Live go to the Southern Plains Extension and 4-H Youth Development page at the time of the event.
2024 Beef Weigh In
Beef Weigh in will be on January 20th, 2024 from 9am-11am at the Kile Vet Clinic just outside of Superior, NE. Sign up for your time slot: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0C4AA5A728A5F9C70-46378738-nuckollsthayer
Weighing in market beef animals give youth the opportunity to participate in the Rate of Gain Contest and learn how to best feed animals for gain. Also, Rate of Gain is a factor in calculating the Supreme Beef Awards.
If you can not make it to this weigh in you will have other options below, if you decide another county's weigh in date works better for you please stop in the Extension Office prior to the weigh in to pick up: County ID Forms, DNA Envelopes, and Ear Tags.
January 13th-Fillmore County, Geneva
December 13th-Webster County, Red Cloud
February 11th-Webster County, Red Cloud
Nebraska Cattleman's Classic Livestock Judging Contest
The contest will be held in Kearney on Saturday, Feb. 17th with the entry deadline being Feb. 5th. All details and entry information can be found using the following link https://nebraskaclassic.org/winter-edition/judging-contest.php.
2024 Special Garden Project
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 in containers. It provides a splash of color from its scarlet flowers and much of the plant can be eaten. Please let either office know if you would like seed by February 10th.
2024 State 4-H Indoor Archery Shoot
Below is the link to register for the 2024 4-H state indoor archery shoot. There are a few important changes to note for this year:
1. They are offering shirts- Shirt orders are due January 11th
2. New Location - Fonner Park in Grand Island!
3. Saturday shooting only this year.
State 4-H Indoor Registration/Shirt Order Link
Please send questions to Becky at bowmins@gmail.com.
Nebraska 4-H Summer Camp
Registration for the Nebraska 4-H Summer Camp program is now open!
The summer 2024 theme is The Power of Being 🍀 Green. Youth will get to explore and interact with their natural world in six different sessions. Youth will learn how they can use their head, heart, hands, and health to make our natural world a better place for all.
The 2024 sessions offer tailored age cohorts, providing sessions for younger campers between the ages of 8-10, and an older cohort for ages 10-14.
Families can find dates, session summaries, and registration information by visiting https://4h.unl.edu/camps-register.
4-H Youth Leadership Experience Ambassadors
Hey High School Age Youth!
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!
The application for Ambassadors can be found HERE!! https://go.unl.edu/2024yleamb
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)!
Farrowed and Owned Swine Cohort
A Farrowed and Owned Breeding and Market Swine division for youth interested in learning more about the swine industry is available again at the Nebraska State Fair in 2024! The Nebraska 4-H Farrowed and Owned Swine Cohort is designed to enhance the traditional 4-H swine project and cultivate the next generation of leaders in the swine industry by providing opportunities focusing on swine production as a goal of the 4-H member's project, along with accurate and complete record-keeping, industry knowledge, and engagement by the 4-H member. In order to participate, youth must be 4-H age 10-18 as of January 1, 2024, complete YQCA, farrowed their project animal(s) and participate in monthly virtual educational meetings.
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!
**Optional special virtual education session on farrowing will be held on January 7th, 2024 at 7:00 p.m. Register by January 5th to participate!**
After the registration deadline, youth will receive more detailed information via email. For questions, contact Nebraska Extension Swine Specialist Benny Mote at bmote8@unl.edu or 402-310-9878.
4-H 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!!!
Dog Obedience Class, Forming
Nuckolls County Shooting Sports will offer BB Gun!
Thayer County Archery getting ready to start soon!
Save The Date 2024 4-H State Dog Show!!
The 2024 Nebraska State Fair 4-H Dog Show will be held on Saturday, August 24, 2024. The location will continue to be at the Heartland Event Center (Rally, Showmanship, Obedience, Skillathon) and outside the Big Red Barn (Agility).
CALENDAR AT A GLANCE
Next Meeting
7:00 p.m. @ Nuckolls County Extension office
Next Meeting
7 p.m. @ Courthouse Club Room, Hebron
Next Meeting
Nuckolls County Extension Office
Email: nuckolls-county@unl.edu
Website: https://extension.unl.edu/statewide/southernplains/
Location: 825 S Main St, Nelson, NE, USA
Phone: 402-225-2381
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SouthernPlainsExt
Twitter: @SPNE4HExt
Thayer County Extension Office
Email: thayer-county@unl.edu
Website: https://extension.unl.edu/statewide/southernplains/
Location: 225 N 4th St, Hebron, NE, USA
Phone: 402-768-7212
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SouthernPlainsExt/
Twitter: @SPNE4HExt