Clover Digest
September 29, 2023
In This Week’s Clover Digest you can expect:
Celebrate National 4-H Week!
Turn in your records
Records Judging
Submit Award Nominations
Federation Officer & Advisory Committee Applications Open
October Federation Meeting
Cloverbud Events Are Back!
It is time to re-enroll in 4-H
Complete your Club Charter
Sign Up for County-Wide Committees
Ribbon Sale Checks
Regional Opportunities
Celebrate National 4-H Week!
National 4-H week starts on Sunday (October 1)!
Starting on Monday, our Facebook page will have a 4-H-themed Connections game to play! Connections is a word grouping game. The goal is to group the 16 different words into 4 different themed categories. The challenge is, you do not know what the categories are AND some of the words could potentially fit under multiple categories. Complete the puzzle, take a screenshot of your completed puzzle and email it to mnext-nobles@umn.edu to be entered into a prize drawing!
You can also celebrate National 4-H Week and join in on the fun challenges from the Minnesota State Ambassadors.
Turn in your records
Records Judging
Record Judging will take place from October 5 - October 16. All records must be judged and returned to the office by October 16. At least two adults from each club are asked to help judge records. Please sign up on this document.
Submit Award Nominations
It is time to nominate members and area businesses for our annual awards. Please review this awards document and submit your nominations by October 5.
Federation Officer & Advisory Committee Applications Open
We are seeking youth officers and adult volunteers for the new 4-H year. Youth in 6th grade and up are invited and encouraged to apply for an officer position. Screened adult volunteers are invited to apply for the advisory committee. See the application links for more details.Application deadlines have been extended to October 2 at 8:00 am.
October Federation Meeting
The Nobles County Federation will meet on October 16 at 7:00 pm in the Farmers Room at the Nobles County Government Center. Advisory will meet at 6:30 pm.We will elect new officers and approve the 2023-24 budget.
Cloverbud Events Are Back!
Calling all youth in grades K-2! You are invited to join Cloverbuds! Our first gathering will be on Tuesday, October 24 at 5:30 pm at the Worthington Library. The Okabena Bees will host our event and the theme is pumpkin fun! Registration is now open via a Google Form. Please RSVP by October 18.
Other Cloverbud events will tentatively be held:
December 9
February 4
March 21
April 11
June 10
July 11
Reach out to Anna with any questions.
It is time to re-enroll in 4-H
The new 4-H year begins Oct. 1. In order to remain enrolled, you will need to show your family’s intent to participate by logging in to 4-H Online and reviewing, updating and submitting the following information:
Your family's contact and demographic information, including club, school and grade.
Each family member's health and emergency contact information.
Project areas of interest for this coming year.
Parental consent required for youth participating in shooting sports/wildlife programs.
You can login to 4-H Online to complete the re-enrollment process after Sept. 15. This guide has more information. Reach out to Anna or Wendy with any questions.
Complete your Club Charter
It is once again time to complete your annual club charter. All club charter documents can be found on the Extension Webpage. All charters must be submitted to Anna by October 13. It is essential you complete this charter in a timely and complete manner. You must complete your club calendar fully with times and locations for club meetings. New members often contact the office about when a club is meeting, so we would like to share accurate information with them.
Sign Up for County-Wide Committees
All youth, volunteers, and parents are encouraged to join county-wide committees. Club leaders, please share this sign up at your next club meeting and encourage youth and volunteers to join our committees. Please return the sign up sheet to the office by October 13.
Ribbon Sale Checks
Ribbon Sale checks are ready! By now, you should have received your check in the mail. If you have not received your check, it is likely because you need to submit a W-9 or write a thank you note(s).
IRS tax form 1099-MISC is used to report income when an individual receives $600 or more in gross profit during a calendar year. A W-9 form will need to be used to obtain the information for 1099.
All youth are required to write thank you notes to their ribbon sale buyer. Youth who attended the State Fair are required to write thank you notes to the Pork Auction supporters. Youth can stop in the office to write these.
Wendy sent emails on August 29 to members who need a W-9 and/or thank you notes. You will not receive your premium or auction checks until these tasks are complete. Please contact Wendy if you have any questions.
Regional Opportunities
4-H Science Sprouts
Join the 4-H plant science team this fall for a fun three-month adventure series on seasonal agronomy and horticulture topics.
Together, we’ll explore plant science through STEM. We will play with leaves to learn how and why they change colors. We'll also discover insects and soybeans.
Join us virtually from 5 to 5:30 p.m. on the following Mondays:
Oct. 16
Nov. 20
Dec. 18
For more information, please visit the Extension webpage. Registration is in 4-H Online; sign up by October 5 to receive a project kit.
4-H Explorers in Ag Around the World
Join us as we explore agriculture in the following countries: Brazil, China, Greenland, Italy, Madagascar, Nicaragua and Norway. This is a self-guided program with optional opportunities to connect with people in other countries.
A kickoff will be held via Zoom on Monday, Oct. 16, at 8 p.m. From there, you will be given access to a Google Site to explore a county once a week until Dec. 4. A guide will also be provided to help you explore a farming practice within each country.
Guest speakers will be joining us at 8 p.m. on Oct. 23, Nov. 6 and Dec. 6.
Registration is now open in 4-H Online until October 9.
Virtual Club Charter Training
Do you have questions about the purpose of (or completing) the club's charter? Are you hoping that the club charter can have a more meaningful purpose for your club than just being a compulsory document? If yes, then be sure to encourage your club leaders and volunteers to attend the third annual 'Fun with club charters' training via Zoom on Thursday, Oct. 5 at 8 p.m.
Registration is now available at: https://z.umn.edu/SWVolChats
Anna Rose & Wendy Baumgartner
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