1. Washington County 4-H Calendar
2. February is Nebraska 4-H Month!
3. Nebraska Extension DHM Phase/Covid-19 Risk Dial Guidance
4. 4-H Breakout Enrollment Challenge
5. New 4-H Year Begins! Enrollment is Open
6. 2021 Washington County Virtual 4-H Program Update
7. 2021 Washington County 4-H Public Speaking Contest
8. YQCA Certification
9. Spotlight On 4-H Newsletter
10. 2021 4-H Volunteer Training Available
11. 2021 Outstanding 4-H Volunteer - Nominations Open

1. New Dog Achievement Program
2. 2021 Innovative Youth Corn Challenge
3. 2021 4-H Horse Stampede
4. 2021 District 4-H Horse Shows
5. 2021 4-H Summer Camps
6. Other Statewide Events and Resources

*NEW OR UPDATED INFORMATION IS BOLDED!

March 18................................................2021 Virtual 4-H Program Update

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

May 7......................................................District/State Horse Entry Deadline

June 15...................................................4-H Enrollment/Animal ID/YQCA Deadline

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

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

July 8......................................................Pre-Entry Due for Washington County Fair

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

Did you know that you can find the Washington County 4-H Calendar on our webpage? View just the month or download and print the whole program year!

Visit https://go.unl.edu/washingtoncounty4hcalendar to view. As dates/events continue to be added we will update the calendar. The webpage will show the most recent date that the program calendar was updated!

We cannot thank our the Sponsors and Donors of the Washington County 4-H Program enough. Your generosity and support assists our program in covering the costs of recognition such as medals and scholarship dollars for our 4-H events and contests as well as providing special events and programs. Thank you for all that you do!

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

Test your 4-H knowledge and learn along the way as you try to “breakout” of an escape room style virtual activity! Complete the challenge along with your 4-H Enrollment during Nebraska 4-H Month (February) for a chance to be entered in a drawing to win 4-H swag!

Once you have successfully completed the 4-H Breakout send a screenshot image of your success to washingtoncounty4h@unl.edu. Please include all youth or adult volunteers who completed the challenge to ensure all names get entered in the drawing. You must also complete your 4-H Enrollment in the month of February to be eligible. If you have already enrolled just complete the 4-H Breakout Challenge to get your names entered!

Complete the challenge at http://go.unl.edu/4hbreakout. The challenge is expected to take about 30 minutes to complete. Good luck!

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.

Our 4hOnline payment system is back up! Families are now able to proceed to the payment page and complete enrollment.

All are welcome to join us, 4-H Parents, Leaders and Volunteers are encouraged to attend. The 4-H Program Update will cover 2021 fair updates, new volunteer resources for you to utilize in your clubs and more! Register by March 11, 2021 at https://go.unl.edu/20214hupdate

2021 Washington County 4-H Public Speaking Contest

The 4-H Public Speaking Contest provides an opportunity for youth to improve their public speaking skills while building confidence. If you write a speech or deliver a public service announcement (or both!) it's sure to be an enjoyable learning experience!

View the rules, regulations and the registration forms on the website by going to: https://extension.unl.edu/statewide/washington/washington-county-4-h-public-speaking-contest/

Registration forms for Washington County 4-H Public Speaking Contest is due to the Nebraska Extension – Washington County Office Monday, April 12th by 5pm.

At this time the location of the Public Speaking Contest is to be determined. It is our hope to hold an in-person event. We will share as soon as a location has been secured.

Any questions or concerns can be directed to all 4-H Staff at washingtoncounty4h@unl.edu or e-mail Jaki and jaki.zahourek@unl.edu

YQCA (Youth for Quality Care of Animals) certification must be completed by June 15, 2021 for all youth who plan to exhibit a beef, dairy, goat, hog, sheep, poultry or rabbit animal in 4-H this year. You can visit www.yqca.org to complete your certification. You will need to use your 4-HOnline user name and password to start the process. IMPORTANT—you must have completed your 2021 4-H Enrollment to begin your YQCA process. Remember you will need to send a copy of your certificate to the office to verify you have completed your YQCA certification for 2021! The perfect winter activity is completing your YQCA early!

Find the February Spotlight Newsletter at:

https://www.smore.com/cz2mu

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.

• During our next virtual field trip we’ll be exploring a career as a diesel technician. LandMark Implement, Inc. will share what it is like to work in a shop. We’ll learn about the skills every diesel technician needs, and we’ll discover the procedures they must follow each day. Finally, we’ll learn about the degree program offered by LandMark. Join us on March 3rd at 11 am CT to Discover Diesel! Register for free at 4h.unl.edu/virtual-field-trips.

• Looking to advance your horsemanship knowledge and skills? Check out our Horsemanship Study Courses! Three levels are available and are open to all youth ages 8-18 interested in learning more about horses. Youth do not need to be 4-H members to enroll in the self-paced courses. Learn more at 4h.unl.edu/horse-study-courses.

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.
  

We are excited to present our NEW 4-H Dog Achievement Program for 4-H youth! This program is similar to the Diamond Clover program you all may know about.

4-H Dog Achievement Program

The program consists of levels that require a young person to plan and report a broad range of age-appropriate accomplishments. For each level, the Dog Achievement program provides a list of accomplishments from which 4-H youth choose their goals. The accomplishments increase in quantity and difficulty for each level. At the beginning of the 4-H year, participants plan what to accomplish and at the end of the 4-H year, they report on their completed accomplishments. Successful completion of a level's Plan & Report form results in a 4-H youth earning that level of the Dog Achievement program.

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.

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)
• Demonstration Contest: (Individual or Team of two)
• Art Contest
• Champion Senior Art will be retained for use on the cover of the State 4-H Horse Show program in 2021
• Photography Contest
• 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

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