CENTRAL SANDHILLS AREA 4-H NEWS

Mailing Address: PO Box 148 - Thedford, NE 69166

Email: mandersen16@unl.edu or s.albertus@unl.edu

Website: https://extension.unl.edu/statewide/centralsandhills/
Location: 503 Main Street, Thedford, NE, USA
Phone: (308)645-2267
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/centralsandhillsarea/

APRIL EDITION

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Nebraska Extension in the Central Sandhills

Don't forget to visit our Extension website at:

Nebraska Extension in the Sandhills

PLEASE SHARE WITH US YOUR NEWS so it can be included in our newsletters! Forward any 4-H news, events, or activities to Marcy at mandersen16@unl.edu

4-H offers youth a myriad of ways to get into environmental education and wildlife conservation. Youth can create animal feeders, fishing poles, identify trees, and the list goes on for all of the ways they can explore their environment and learn about wildlife. We encourage youth to get to know the land they live on and interact with. By learning more about our environment, we can make informed decisions on how to continue to raise livestock and truly be stewards of the land. I encourage 4-Hers to get started today so we can bring on a better future! Here are some class options that youth and enter at fair based on Environmental education projects:

D342001 Houses - Make a house for wildlife. Examples: bird houses (wren, bluebird, purple martin, wood duck, kestrel, barn owl, etc.) or bat house. No insect houses.

D341003 Camping/Hiking Safety

D342003 Wildlife Habitat Design - Board or poster exhibit. Choose a backyard, acreage, or farm, and design a habitat plan to meet the food, water, shelter, and space needs of at least three kinds of animals you would like to attract.

D343001 Fish Harvesting Equipment - Board exhibit. Display of equipment used in fish harvesting. Examples: fishing knot, hooks (with corks over ends for safety), and lures.

D343004 Wildlife Harvesting Equipment - Board exhibit. Display of equipment used in harvesting wildlife. Examples: expended ammunition casings (no live a mmunition permitted), steel traps, hide stretchers, fleshers, etc.

D346002 Taxidermy Any legal fish, bird, or other wild animal properly processed by the member.

If your 4-Her is interested in Environmental Education and you want more information, please contact the 4-H Assistant Shaniya at s.albertus@unl.edu.

The opening date for statewide 4-H enrollment was October 17th. You can click on the link to enroll in the new system https://v2.4honline.com. The enrollment process should be the same as what we did this last year. Enrollment stays open through June 15, and you can add and drop projects during that time. Don't forget that you must pay your $10 enrollment fee for the process to be complete.

All leaders and volunteers also need to be enrolled on 4honline. There is no fee for adults to enroll. VOLUNTEERS - PLEASE NOTE THAT IN 2023, OUR 4 COUNTIES ARE DUE IN THE 5 YEAR ROTATION FOR ALL VOLUNTEERS TO DO A NEW BACKGROUND CHECK THROUGH DHHSS. Call the office if you need more information.

Hello 4-Hers!

The 2023 Communications and Expressive Arts Contest will be held April 21, 2023 at the Hyannis School. Entry deadline is April 14th. This contest includes speaking and also music and talent classes. Please reach out to the Extension office with any questions. I have attached the guidelines and entry forms here.

Thanks,

Shaniya Albertus

Hello 4-Hers!

The Thomas County 2023 Communications and Expressive Arts Contest will be held April 25, 2023 at the Assembly of God Church in Thedford. Entry deadline is April 18th. This contest includes speaking and also music and talent classes. Please reach out to the Extension office with any questions. I have attached the guidelines and entry forms here.

Thanks,

Shaniya Albertus

· DUE June 15th, 2023

o 4-H Membership Enrollment on 4-H ONLINE

o Project Enrollment on 4-H ONLINE

o YQCA certification

· DUE JULY 1st, 2023

o County Fair Entries

o Livestock and Horse ID’s

Please take a moment to check out the sessions offered to our volunteers April 17th-20th.

Show Stock Manager is open for 2023!

Show Stock Manager Information (NOW Open for 2022!)

• https://showstockmgr.com/

The 2023 Step-by-Step Nomination Instructions can be found on the public page: https://4h.unl.edu/livestock-id.

If you need step by step instructions please contact the office and we can help you out.

New for 2023! All livestock in contention to exhibit at the 2023 Nebraska State Fair and/or the Aksarben Stock Show will be required to submit a DNA nomination. All 4-H/FFA BREEDING livestock, market livestock and FEEDER CALVES will now be required to submit a DNA sample/envelope to be eligible to exhibit at the Nebraska State Fair. DNA nominations for the Nebraska State Fair are due to the Extension Office on June 15, 2023 by 4 p.m.

With each new State Fair season, brings new possibilities and opportunities for 4-H families in Nebraska. The opportunity for 4-H to continue having its own weekend allows more flexibility for new events, entry limits, schedules, and space. We want to continue to take advantage of that!As part of that process, we continue to explore age eligibility requirements for State Fair participation. After garnering user input, researching data from other events/shows/states, and looking that overall impact on youth development, the decision has been made to change the age of eligibility in 2023 to be 9 years of age before January 1 (of the current year) for all in-person events (livestock, contests, fashion shows). More information will be forthcoming. Please note, this change applies to State 4-H contests. The eligible age range for 4-H project enrollment is still 8-18, as of January 1. Clover Kids must be 5-7 years of age as of January 1.

Three scholarships of $1000 each will be awarded.

To be eligible, applicants must:

· Have attended high school in the Panhandle of Nebraska in one of these following counties:

o Banner, Blaine, Box Butte, Cherry, Cheyenne, Dawes, Deuel, Garden, Grant, Hooker, Kimball, Morrill, Scotts Bluff, Sheridan, Sioux, and Thomas

· Be attending any of the Nebraska University Campuses, including Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture

· Majoring in Agronomy, Ag Economics, Animal Science, Vet Science, Agriculture Technology, or a related degree emphasizing agriculture.

· Be a graduating high school senior, or in the first or second year of study.

Applications are available at https://preec.unl.edu/annual-preec-scholarship

Please use the Qualtrics Link to Apply

https://ssp.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_eKh4LaBMXFCdAp0

Applications close at midnight MST, April 1, 2022.

If there are questions, please contact Deidra McCarthy at dmccarthy2@unl.edu or at (308-632-1230)

We’ve learned over the past few years how important developing programming to meet your needs in an ever-changing environment is to our mission of providing 4-H Horse Program youth with learning opportunities. With the changing needs and desires for the program, we are updating our events to better meet the current interests of youth. One of the things we consistently hear is the need for more hands-on learning, especially through workshops and clinics.

To meet that need, we are excited to offer a series of clinics during the summer of 2023 that will be led by Carla Wennberg, Western Collegiate Equestrian Team Coach from St. Andrews University. Carla brings a wealth of experience leading clinics and is a certified horse show judge for several associations across the country. Details on sites and dates will be forthcoming! Additionally, we have spent time reviewing the intent and outcomes of District 4-H Horse Shows. The intent of these shows was for youth to qualify for the State 4-H Horse Show. Throughout the years, the number of exhibitors who qualify has increased dramatically to a point where 80-90% of exhibitors qualify. These percentages, along with declining numbers indicate these District Shows are no longer serving the intent and instead causing an extra burden for families of exhibitors who want to participate in the State 4-H Horse Show. Hence, beginning in 2023, participation in a District 4-H Horse Show will not be required to participate in the State 4-H Horse Show. This is also similar to the process used by other state livestock events (i.e., State Fair, AKSARBEN, etc.) and will allow more youth the opportunity to experience the State 4-H Horse Show. As safety is always our most important concern, being able to provide more opportunities for learning through workshops and clinics will allow youth to increase their skills and further develop with their project horse(s) in preparation for the State 4-H Horse Show. Please let us know if there are any questions and thanks to the 4-H Horse Advisory Committee for their input into the process. Be on the lookout for equine related clinics across the state with nationally known Carla Wennberg from St. Andrews University in June 2023! Lena Luck, Equine Extension Specialist Grace Kim, Extension Horse Assistant

April 15 Morgan County Livestock Judging, Akron, CO, jamie.axtellecolorstate.edu

April 22 Logan County Livestock Judging, Sterling, CO, jd.sexton@colostate.edu

April 29 Scotts Bluff County Livestock Invite, Mitchell, NE, stephanie.connelly@unl.edu

May 24 NCTA Livestock Judging, Curtis, NE, doug.smith@unl.edu

May 24 4-H Horse Judging Contest, Pitzer Ranch Arena, Steve Niemeyer 308-346-4200

May 25 Animal Science Discovery Days, NCTA, Curtis NE

May 25 Colfax County Livestock Judging, Leigh, NE, bdolezal2@unl.edu

May 26 Thayer-Nuckolls County Livestock Judging Nelson, NE, amy.brockman@unl.edu

June 1 South Central Judging Contest, Bladen, NE, elizabeth.janning@unl.edu

June 2 Dawes County Livestock Judging, Chadron, NE, tessa.reece@unl.edu

June 2 Come Learn with Carla Clinic, Central City NE, Merrick County Fairgrounds

June 3 Come Learn with Carla Clinic, Lincoln NE, Lancaster Event Center

June 4 Come Learn with Carla Clinic, Albion NE, Boone County Fairgrounds

June 8-10 4-H Horse Camp - Crawford, Dawes County Extension, 308-432-3373 or tessa.reece@unl.edu

June 9 Wheeler County Livestock Judging, Bartlett, NE, sniemeyer1@unl.edu

June 15 Box Butte Western Livestock Challenge, Hemingford, NE, astevens4@unl.edu

June 16 Nebraska Livestock Judging Classic, Kearney, NE, kerry.elsen@unl.edu

June 19-21 State 4-H Youth Leadership Conference

June 21-22 PASE (Premier Animal Science Event), Lincoln NE

June 22 Premier Animal Science Event (PASE), Lincoln, NE, bfrench6@unl.edu

June 23 State Presentation & Speech Contest, Lincoln NE

July 15-19 Fonner Park State 4-H Horse Expo, Grand Island NE

If you have any questions or need more information you can also contact the Central Sandhills Area Extension Office.