Sioux County Newsletter
February 2020
Calendar of Events
Feb. 9 – Panhandle Best Shoot in Hyannis
Feb. 10 - 4-H Council Meeting at 6 pm
Feb. 13 – Robotics Open House at Courthouse from 3:30 -5:30 pm
Feb. 14 – Animal Science Workshop at Bank Basement from 9 am -2 pm
Feb. 16 – Panhandle Best Shoot in Alliance
Feb. 17 – President's Day -Office Closed
Feb. 28 – Enrollment Party at the Bank Basement from 2 to 4 pm
Feb. 29 – Panhandle Livestock Judging Camp in Mitchell at 9:30 am
Important Announcements
· Save the Date for Wilderness Wonders Camp on May 27th and 28th and Fort Robinson Horse Camp on June 4th through 6th.
Robotics Showcase
The Warbots Robotic team have been busy preparing for the Qualifier Competition in Sidney and want to show off what they have learned this year. They would like to invite the public to learn about their team project and their robot on Thursday, February 13th starting at 3:30 pm until 5:30 pm at the Sioux County Courthouse Meeting Room. Come check out the robotics program and learn how to get involved!
Animal Science Workshop
On Friday, February 14th youth ages 5 and up can participate in an Animals Inside and Out activity from 9 am until 2 pm at the Security First Bank Basement. Youth will have the opportunity to participate in hands on activities to learn about animal cardiovascular, reproductive, digestive systems, animal management, and more. The fee for this workshop is $5 per youth. Youth will need to pack a lunch for the day. There is a minimum number of 5 participants in order for the workshop to be held. Youth need to register for this workshop by February 7th by contacting the Nebraska Extension Sioux County office or contacting Melissa Mracek at mmracek2@unl.edu.
4-H Enrollment Party
4-H members are encouraged to bring a friend to the 4-H Enrollment Party on February 28th. Youth will get to participate in a variety of 4-H activities. It will also be an opportunity for new families to get help enrolling their child into the 4-H program. The party will start at 2 pm in the Security First Bank Basement and go until 4 pm. Families can come and go as they please.
Diamond Clover - A Way to Level Up in 4-H
Diamond Clover is a noncompetitive aspect of 4-H that allows youth to set goals for the 4-H year which are not tied to ribbons received. Now is a great time to set goals for this year. After fair is over, youth will write down their accomplishments under the goals they selected. At the Achievement Banquet they will be recognized and receive a 4-H pin with the stone that is related to their level. The forms can be found at: https://4h.unl.edu/diamond-clover. Youth can only complete one level a year but can start at any of the levels.
New this year, the Diamond Clover program has been adapted so 4-H member who maybe do not participate in the County Fair can still apply for this recognition. Please contact the Nebraska Extension Sioux County office if you have any questions.
Panhandle 4-H & FFA Livestock Judging Clinic
Blaine French, the UNL Livestock Judging Coach and team members will be teaching a livestock judging clinic on Saturday, February 29th from 9:30 am to 4:30 pm at the Scottsbluff County Fairgrounds in Mitchell. The fee for the clinic is $5 and includes lunch. The morning will consist of learning how to judge cattle, swine, sheep, and goats with a competition in the afternoon. To register for this event contact the Garden County Nebraska Extension Office at 308-772-3311.
Results of Panhandle Best Sheridan County Shoot
Five Sioux County youth participated on Sunday at the Rushville Shoot. There was a total of 42 youth participating from the surrounding counties. Youth participated from Scottsbluff, Box Butte, Dawes, Sioux, Grant, and Kimball Counties. In the eight-year-old age division, Daniel Bronson from Hay Springs received first, Haylee Gompert from Scottsbluff was second, Kennedy Kearns from Sheridan was awarded third, Laeth Denton from Dawes received fourth, Mae Mandelko Dawes was fifth, and Braden Myers from Box Butte was awarded sixth. In the nine to ten-year-old division, Memphis Erdman from Scottsbluff was awarded first, Caylie Schaefer from Box Butte was second, Boone Button from Sioux received third, Christopher Swanson from Sheridan was awarded fourth, Jackson Roffers also from Sheridan received fifth, and Kadence Fisher from Dawes County was sixth. The eleven to twelve-year-old age division had Laney Bohl from Scottsbluff receiving first, Ashley Carr from Box Butte was awarded second, Dylan Frye from Grant placed third, Lillian DeWitt from Scottsbluff was fourth, Treyvan Pieper from Dawes received fifth, and Bridger Wallace from Scottsbluff was sixth. Other Sioux County youth were Victoria Turbivillie in eighth place and Baxter Reece in eleventh place. In the thirteen and to fifteen-year-old division, Danika Bohl from Scottsbluff received first, Keghan Schaefer from Box Butte was awarded second, Jorja Pieper from Dawes placed third, Jaime Turbiville from Sioux was fourth, Austin Rahmig from Scottsbluff placed fifth, and Chris Foster from Kimball was sixth. Other Sioux County youth participants was Rebecca Reece in eighth place.
In the eight to ten-year-old air rifle sporter competition, Memphis Erdman from Scottsbluff received first and Boone Button from Sioux placed second. The eleven to twelve-year-old division had Ashley Carr from Box Butte receiving first, Dylan Frye from Grant placed second, Lillian DeWitt from Scottsbluff received third, Laney Bohl from Scottsbluff placed fourth, and Makenna Quick from Box Butte was sixth. In the thirteen to fourteen-year-old division, Austin Rahmig from Scottsbluff received first, Danika Bohl also from Scottsbluff placed second, Chris Foster from Kimball was third, Jaime Turbiville from Sioux placed fourth, Regan Anderson from Grant was fifth, and Keghan Schaefer from Box Butte received sixth. The fifteen to eighteen-year-old division placed Jakob Schaefer from Box Butte first, Shelby Carr also from Box Butte received second, Wyatt Hebbert from Grant was third, Jada Pieper from Dawes County placed fourth, Samantha Johns from Dawes was awarded fifth, and Rasine Bolek from Box Butte places sixth.
The third area youth could complete in was the Air Rifle Precision contest. In the eight to ten-year-old division Memphis Erdman from Scottsbluff received first. Ashley Carr from Box Butte placed first in the eleven to twelve-year-old division. In the thirteen to fourteen-year-old division Austin Rahmig from Scottsbluff placed first and Danika Bohl from Scottsbluff was second. The fifteen to eighteen-year-old division placed Shelby Carr from Box Butte as first, Wyatt Hebbert from Grant was second, and Rasine Bolek from Box Butte received third.
The next Panhandle Best competition is in Hyannis on February 9th.
Wanted: 4-H Council Members
The 4-H Council is looking for new members and officers to serve on their board. The board meets once a month to discuss 4-H program events and activities. They help to provide guidance on the Sioux County 4-H Program. If you are interested please contact the Nebraska Extension Sioux County Office at 308-668-2428.
Speech Contest
This year the 4-H Speech Contest is tentatively scheduled for May 17th. The state has decided to not have a District competition but make the state competition to be more accessible for youth from across the state. The reason for this is because of some of the declining speech participants across the state. The State competition will be held during the PASE/Life Challenge event on June 24th. Sioux County will be able to send 5 competitors from each age division (Junior, Intermediate, and Senior) in both Speech and PSA. There will be a virtual option for the youth who do not want to travel to Lincoln for one day. Be looking for more information about the county workshop and contest in March.
Innovative Corn Challenge
Do you enjoy being outside? Learning new things about crops? Considering a career involving crops, insects, diseases, soils, water or more? Do you want to help figure out how to feed our world’s growing population in a sustainable way?
Nebraska Extension and the Nebraska Corn Board are offering the ninth Innovative Youth Corn Challenge contest. This contest, open to 4-H members (age 10 & older as of Jan. 1st) or FFA members (in-school members), guides participants through all aspects of corn production, as well as agricultural careers related to corn production.
As a team (2 or more participants), youth will be challenged to implement a production practice different than normal to determine if they increased their yield. Economics and sustainability of the practice will also be considered. Yields, cropping history, and production information will be collected in the Corn Yield Challenge management summary.
Cash prizes and plaques are given. First place receives $1,000, second place receives $500, and third place receives $250. Sustainability, crop scouting and “extra mile” awards are also given as cash awards.
To participate in 2020, youth must complete and return an entry form by March 15th to the Fillmore County Extension Office in Geneva, NE. Forms can be downloaded after January 1st at cropwatch.unl.edu/youth/activities. For more information, contact Brandy VanDeWalle at brandy.vandewalle@unl.edu.
Equine Health Workshop sponsored by Natural Horseman Club Presents What is Required, What is recommended for hauling your horse
Saturday, February 8
2:00pm
Crawford Nebraska Firehall meeting room
Chili and Dessert to follow
Join us as Dr. Joel Robbins, DVM from Pioneer Animal Clinic presents current information regarding what is required and what is recommended for hauling your horse safely and legally.
Dr. Robbins will also cover current recommendations for shots to combat current trends in diseases, as well as tips for keeping your horse healthy while traveling.
A representative from the Brand Office
might also be on hand to answer any questions
For further information, please call:
Jean Norman 308-430-1239
Kay Harwood 308-665-5130
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