4-H Friday News Blast for 2.14.2020

The 4-H Photography Showcase offers a project exhibition opportunity beyond traditional print media. It is intended to help youth develop professional and technical skills as photographers while fostering creativity and encouraging self-expression. Through this opportunity, youth are encouraged to practice and apply skills learned in their photography projects throughout the year.

How Does It Work?

Each month, a new photo will be selected from the online submissions. Selections will be made based on creativity, timeliness, technical execution, originality, and appropriateness. The selected photo will be showcased across the Nebraska 4-H social media channels, including Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Youth photographers will be credited wherever and whenever their photo is shared or published.

This opportunity is open to all enrolled 4-H members. Photo recommendations, file specifications, rules, and guidelines for participation are available online at https://4h.unl.edu/photography-showcase.

For questions, please contact Danielle Dewees at ddewees@unl.edu.

More details at: https://4h.unl.edu/photography-showcase

We have been fortunate to have Sondra Buell serve as our Cass County Extension Office Manager for the past five years. During this time she has shared her technical expertise through the day to day operations in our office but more importantly she has shared her passion for fostering learning and development for Cass County 4-H members and families. Her warm smile and helping hand has been a staple in our office.

Sondra has decided to retire from the Cass County Extension Office with her last day set for March 20, 2020. She looks forward to sharing her passion in other areas including the Living Nativity they host at the 3B Homestead each winter, investing time in her church leadership roles, visiting her children more, and doing some traveling with her husband, Mark. Sondra won’t be far though, we look forward to her volunteering during the fair and hopefully leading a workshop or two to continue sharing her passion for learning with our 4-H members and families!

We wish Sondra the very best in retirement and thank her for her dedication and service to Cass County!

Due to retirement the Cass County Extension Office is seeking applicants for the Office Manager Position. Interested parties can find information here: https://go.unl.edu/pdd0

Application deadline is February 17, 2020. Contact Lauren Stohlmann with any questions.

The Cass County 4-H Council seeks to promote and support positive youth development and club experience for youth in Cass County through offering a grant program to support club efforts. Grant applications are available now at the link below. Applications are due to the extension office by March 7, 2020.

Grant Application Link

It’s a new year, and we’re introducing a new application season for the Youth in Action program! From January 29 - April 27, youth can share their stories of developing passion, finding purpose and inspiring others by applying for the 4-H Youth in Action Awards for a chance to earn a $5,000 scholarship and a trip to Washington, DC!

LEARN MORE

There is a Shooting Sports Leader Meeting scheduled for Monday evening, February 17th starting at 6:30 pm at the Cass County Extension office. We will talk about proposed updates to the program, enrollments, and review the requirements to participate in county contests. A more formal agenda with RSVP information will be sent out closer to the date – please contact Tracy at tracy.ensor@unl.edu for more information.

For the month of February, every time a $2.50 red My Heart Reusable Bag is sold at Hy-Vee 16418 Westside Drive, Plattsmouth NE, Nebraska 4-H Foundation will receive a $1 donation.

Sponsored by the Nebraska Investment Finance Authority, the purpose of the Nebraska 4-H Foundation's Governor's Agricultural Excellence Award is to recognize 4-H clubs for the work of the individuals in the club and the community service work of the entire club. Winners receive a $500 cash prize to be used by the club as described in the application.

Apply now!

Join the UNL Livestock Judging Team to learn the in's and out's to become successful in livestock evaluation. Youth will have the opportunity to evaluate all species as well as be provided coaching in giving oral reasons. The camp offers two different formats, either a one day camp or a multi day, overnight camp option. More Information, including how to register, is available here.

The Lozier Sponsorship for the Trades program is available to high school seniors entering into a college program in the Skilled and Technical Sciences field. The Lozier Sponsorship will pay for student tuition, books, tools, and provide a part time job so the student can “earn while they learn” for two years at Metropolitan Community College. Four sponsorship are being offered. Today, Lozier employee 13 sponsorship students and graduates. Contact Allison Lasley at Allison.Lasley@Lozier.biz or Ralph Kleinsmit at Ralph.Kleinsmit@Lozier.biz with any questions. Application Deadline is February 15, 2020

www.lozier.com/careers/sponsorship-for-the-trades/

Many hog buyers, including WholeStone Farms which is the buyer that purchased our Cass County 4-H direct ship hogs, are no longer accepting hogs from fairs and/or shows of any kind effective immediately. Due to this change there will be no opportunity for direct shipping hogs exhibited at the Cass County Fair beginning in 2020. Exhibitors will be responsible for removing all hogs from the fairgrounds at the conclusion of the fair.

Some Local Locker Options:

Elmwood Meat Plant (402) 994-5655

Plattsmouth Locker (402) 296-5110

MK Meats in Unadilla (402) 828-4400

Pelican’s Meat Processing in Johnson (402) 868-4105

Cass County Extension Office is seeking a summer 4-H intern for mid-May through mid-August. Send cover letter and resume to: Lauren Stohlmann lstohlmann2@unl.edu OR Cass County Extension Office, Attn: Lauren Stohlmann, 8400 144th Street, Suite 100, Weeping Water, NE 68463. Deadline for submission is February 21st. More information can be found at https://go.unl.edu/2020-cass-4h-intern

Thanks to everyone who has volunteered as superintendents to fill "retirements". We are still looking for one more friendly face to lend a helping hand as our new Community Service Superintendent. Let the office know if you are interested in volunteering in this role!

Nebraska 4-H Month, traditionally held during February each year, is an opportunity to celebrate 4-H locally, recruit new members and volunteers, and have fun! This year, Nebraska 4-H Month will kick off the statewide Share Your Adventure call to action. We want to see what 4-H is like from your perspective! Whether you're a 4-H professional, volunteer, council member, club leader, project leader, club member, camper, or even alumni - if you have a 4-H adventure to share, we (and our followers) want to see it! Share your story on social media with a photo or video, and be sure to tag @Nebraska4H and #NE4H.

The Cass County 4-H Council is again this year offering camp awards up to $200 for a Cass County 4-H member to attend a summer 4-H camp, county or state level, of their choice. To apply for the award complete the application posted on our website and return it to the Cass County Extension Office by March 10.

Application: https://go.unl.edu/djgx

Enrollment is open for the 2020 program year! Club members, club leaders, independent members, project leaders, and superintendents must re-enroll each year.

To date 287 individuals have enrolled/re-enrolled:

• 237 youth and
• 50 volunteers.

Be sure to check out the following resources:

4-H Online Enrollment Instructions
Pick Your Project
2020 Project Listing

Get started!

You must be an ACTIVE 4-H member in 4-H Online before you can register for a YQCA Training. To be active your re-enrollment will need to be approved in the extension office so it may take a day or two to process once you submit information in 4-H Online.

4-H Online: https://www.4honline.com/
YQCA Registration: https://yqca.learngrow.io/Account/Login (use your 4-H Online log-in information to register)

Please contact the Extension Office if you need assistance in re-enrolling in 4-H Online.

Training Dates:

April 9: Juniors 6:00pm - 7:00pm, Seniors 7:30pm - 8:30pm

June 4: Juniors 9:00am - 10:00am, Seniors 10:30am - 11:30am

Kudos to 4-H Western Feeds for making Valentine's for Vets at their last meeting.

Kudos to Nehawka Swine 4-H Club for proudly wearing their 4-H shirts to school on Wednesday to celebrate Nebraska 4-H Month!

Looking ahead ...

1. Cass County Extension Office Closed for Presidents' Day - Monday, February 17, 2020
   

2. Shooting Sports Leaders Meeting at Extension Office- February 17, 2020 @ 6:30pm

3. Cass County 4-H Internship Application Due - February 21, 2020

4. Governor's Agriculture Excellence Award Due - March 1

5. Freel/Lepert Family Scholarship Deadline - March 1, 2020
6. David Knabe Memorial Scholarship Deadline - March 1, 2020
7. Cass County 4-H Council Grant Application Deadline - March 7, 2020
8. 2020 Horse Judging School - March 7, 2020
9. 2020 Adult/Leader Equine Advancement Level Workshop - March 8, 2020
10. 2020 Equine 4-H Youth 3 & 4 Advancement Level Workshop - March 8, 2020
11. 4-H Camp Scholarship Applications due to the Extension Office - March 10, 2020
12. Chick Days at UNL - March 14, 2020 in Lincoln
13. Innovative Youth Corn Challenge Registration Due - March 15, 2020
14. 4-H Re-enrollment Deadline - March 15, 2020
15. Cass County 4-H Council Meeting - March 16, 2020
16. 4-H Public Speaking Workshop - March 24, 2020
17. Spring Rabbit Show in Lancaster County - March 28, 2020
18. 4-H Horse Stampede - March 28, 2020 at UNL
19. 4-H Companion Animal Challenge - March 28, 2020
20. Horse Stampede 2020 4-H Horses .. March 29, 2020
21. Weeping Water Whiz Kidz Scholarship Deadline - April 1, 2020
22. YQCA Training in Cass County - April 9, 2020
23. Cass County 4-H Public Speaking Contest - April 20, 2020
24. Otoe County Livestock Judging Clinic ... April 25, 2020
25. Horse IDs, Level Testing, Entry for District and State Deadline - May 8, 2020
26. 4-H Project Deadline for county fair - May 15, 2020
27. Cass County 4-H Council Meeting - May 18, 2020
28. 2020 Winner Unlimited Livestock Judging Camp at UNL (one-day camp) - June 2
29. 2020 Winner Unlimited Livestock Judging Camp at UNL (multi-day camp) - June 3-5
30. YQCA Training in Cass County - June 4, 2020
31. Online Horticulture Judging Contest - June 5-22, 2020
32. Big Red Camps in Lincoln - June 7-12
33. New 4-H Member Enrollment Deadline - June 15, 2020
34. Cass County 4-H Animal ID Sheets Due - June 15, 2020
35. YQCA Certification Completion Due to Extension Office - June 15, 2020
36. District Horse Show information - June 15, 16, 17, 18, 19
37. PASE/Life Challenge Contest at UNL - June 22-24, 2020
38. Tractor Safety Training - July 1-2, 2020
39. State Horse Show at Fonner Park - July 12-16, 2020
40. County Fair Online Pre-Entries Due - July 15, 2020
41. Cass County 4-H Dog Contest - July 18, 2020
42. Cass County 4-H Council Meeting - July 20, 2020

1. Nebraska Cattlemen's Classic Judging Contest - February 15, 2020
2. NACEB Scholarship Deadline - March 16, 2020
3. Nebraska Agricultural Youth Institute Application Deadline - April 15, 2020

1. Hort Update (new Dec 17 + past issues)
   
2. Gardening articles by Sarah Browning (New articles posted almost every week)
3. Nebraska Extension Publications ... online Library

4. Private Pesticide Training in Cass County (see below) - February 20, 2020

5. Cass Otoe Cattlemen Meeting at Cass County Extension Office - February 27, 2020

6. Windbreak Renovation Workshop in Pawnee City - March 5, 2020

7. Cass Otoe Cattlemen Meeting at Cass County Extension Office - April 2, 2020
   

At the start of every decade, the U.S. Census Bureau conducts a count of the people living within the borders of the United States. The results are used to determine everything from the number of elected representatives to a community's grant application for broadband access. To help with this endeavor, Nebraska Extension is partnering with the Census Bureau to promote census data collection.

Visit https://extension.unl.edu/2020-census/ to learn how we can do our part.

Outreach materials are available at: https://2020census.gov/en/partners/outreach-materials.html

Resources for producers choosing between Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC) by March 15 deadline.

In late 2019 and early 2020, Nebraska Extension and the USDA Farm Service Agency in Nebraska collaborated to host a series of nearly 40 farm bill educational meetings to assist producers as they make farm bill-related program decisions. The 2018 farm bill, signed into law in December of that year, reauthorized the existing Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC) safety net programs that were in the 2014 Farm Bill, however producers will need to make new program enrollment decisions by the March 15 deadline.

The presentation delivered at these meetings across the state is available here, as a full-length video and as smaller segments, broken out by topic.

This recorded presentation was led by Brad Lubben, extension policy specialist and associate professor in the Department of Agricultural Economics at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and Cathy Anderson, chief specialist of production and compliance programs with the USDA Farm Service Agency in Nebraska.

For additional information and to access the video series: https://go.unl.edu/farmbillvideo.

UNL Extension has released a new video resources on farm/ranch succession and transition planning at https://agecon.unl.edu/video-farm-succession-workshop.

One of Allan Vyhnalek’s workshops was recorded and split into 12 parts, organized by topic (including planning, assumptions of parents and families, communication, negotiation and more).

The page at https://agecon.unl.edu/succession has additional resources available.

Lauren Stohlmann, Extension Educator and Unit Leader, lauren.stohlmann@unl.edu

Katie Kreuser, Extension Educator, katie.kreuser@unl.edu

Tracy Ensor, Extension Assistant, tracy.ensor@unl.edu

Krystl Knabe, 4-H Support Staff, krystl.knabe@unl.edu

Sondra Buell, Office Manager, sondra.buell@unl.edu

General Mailbox, cass-county@unl.edu

Email: cass-county@unl.edu
Website: www.cass.unl.edu
Location: 8400 144th Street, Weeping Water, NE, 68463
Phone: 402-267-2205
Facebook: facebook.com/UniversityofNebraskaLincolnExtensionCassCounty
Twitter: @UNLCassCounty