HARLAN COUNTY EXTENSION

Enroll or Re-enroll for the upcoming 2023/2024 4-H year

at https://v2.4honline.com

• Enrollment instructions for returning families can be found here: https://4h.unl.edu/enroll/returning-member Please do not create a new account; rather use your log-in credentials for 4honline used in previous years.

• Enrollment instructions for new families can be found here: https://4h.unl.edu/enroll/new-member

Calendar of Events, Deadlines and Save the Dates

4-H Enrollment
Harlan County 4-H Ambassador Application

Upcoming Workshops, Camps & Clinics

• Inspire Academy - June 6 & June 13

• Photography Workshop with Jodi Taylor – June 27

Harlan County 4-H Fair Information

• Fair Dates, Schedule & Fair Book
• Livestock Animal Entry Information
• Premise ID
• YQCA - Due June 15
  
• Affidavits - Due June 15
  

State Wide Opportunities

• Heavy Equipment Career Exploration Event

• Tractor Safety Course
• Youth Crop Scouting Competition - Connecting Youth with Crops

• Annual Agronomy Youth Field Day

4-H Volunteer Resources

• June 1: Phelps County Small Animal Progress Show @ 8:30am at the Phelps County fairgrounds
• June 2: Bike Rodeo @ 2:00pm at the Orleans Public Park, Orleans
• June 4: Babysitting Clinic in Orleans at the Harlan County Ag Center from 9:30am - 3:30pm
• June 5: South Central 4-H Camp at Gremlin Cove, Republican City @ 9:00am - 3:30pm
• June 6: Inspire Academy from 10:00am - 3:00pm at the Harlan County Ag Center, Orleans
• June 13: Inspire Academy from 10:00am - 3:00pm at the Furnas County Blue Ribbon Building, Beaver City
• June 19: OFFICE CLOSED FOR Juneteenth
• June 26: OFFICE CLOSED FOR Training/Meetings
• June 27: Photography Workshop with Jodi Taylor from 9:00am - Noon at the Harlan County Ag Center, Orleans

July

• July 22 - 27: Harlan County Junior Fair

4-H DEADLINES

June 15: 2023 4-H ENROLLMENT

June 15: Harlan County 4-H Ambassador Applications are Due to County Office

June 15: YQCA Certificates are due to County Office (REQUIRED TO SHOW)

June 15: ALL LIVESTOCK Affidavits Due to County Office

July 12: Cat & Dog Rabies Vaccination Certificates Due to the Extension Office

July 12: Deadline to sign up for pocket pets – call the office 928-2119

July 12: Food Revue, Fashion Show and Talent Show Registration Deadlines

STATE FAIR LIVESTOCK EXHIBITORS:

June 15: ALL LIVESTOCK DNA Envelopes (showing at State and AKSARBEN) Due to County Office

June 15: ALL LIVESTOCK State Fair Online Nominations due. Entries must be done online by June 15 on https://showstockmgr.com/

Show Stock Manager Information

• https://showstockmgr.com/

Introducing the 2024 4-H Fair shirts! Congratulations to Logan Shriver for creating this design!
Special thanks to the Harlan County Fairboard for your continued support of these t-shirts and 4-H Council for supporting the contest! Thank you to all who submitted designs for 2024, we look forward to what you all will create in 2025!

4-H T-SHIRT ORDER FORM

If any parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, siblings or other 4-H supporters would like to order the 2024 4-H t-shirt or if you’d like more than 1 shirt for your child during fair time, ….please use the order form to place an order. Orders are due June 12th by noon. Checks should be made out to the Harlan County 4-H Council.

The Harlan County 4-H Council is sponsoring the 4-H Ambassador Contest for 2024.
Requirements for applying are: Must be 16 - 18 years of age January 1st of this year. At least 2 years of active membership in 4-H, including the current year.

Registration Closes: June 17
Jodi Taylor of Jodi Taylor Photography is helping us host a 4-H Photography Basic's workshop!

June 27, 2024 from 9:00am - 12:00pm at Harlan County Ag Center, Orleans, NE

AGES: 8-18 by Jan 1

COST: $10 made payable to University of Nebraska-Lincoln

*Registration Required*

** Please Use the QR code or link to register your youth for this event.

Registration link: https://go.unl.edu/photo-harlan

Monday, July 22nd at 8:00AM in Orleans, NE

REGISTRATION FORMS ARE DUE AT THE COUNTY EXTENSION OFFICE BY JUNE 15th.

Registration forms can be found here:https://extension.unl.edu/statewide/harlan/Affidavits/Horse%20show%20Registration.pdf

Registrations open June 12th and closes July 12th.
To register please use the link here: https://go.unl.edu/yde9 or QR code provided. You can also contact the office with any questions.

Tuesday, July 23 by 6:00PM

All dogs being shown must have rabies vaccination certificates on file at the Extension Office by Friday, July 12 by 4:00PM

Dogs will need to be checked in at 5:30 pm and the show will begin at 6:00 pm in the Orleans 4-H show arena. Pre-entries for the dog show are required by Friday, July 12th. The dog show exhibitors will participate by age division. This will include Clover Kids, Junior, Intermediate, and Senior divisions. 4-H’ers will be judged based on their knowledge of their dog and their ability to handle their dog. This won’t be an obedience show or split up by dog size.

Wednesday, July 24 by 3:00PM

RABBIT AFFIDAVIT PAPERS ARE DUE AT THE COUNTY EXTENSION OFFICE BY JUNE 15th.

All cats being shown must have rabies vaccination certificates on file at the Extension Office by Friday, July 12 by 4:00PM

Rabbits and Poultry must be brought to the fairgrounds and checked in on Wednesday, July 24th between 10:00am and noon.

We would also like to know about any pocket pets (turtles, fish, lizards, guinea pigs, birds, etc) that you are planning to bring and show on Wednesday, July 24th. Please let the office know about your special friends by July 12th.

The livestock sale will run the same as it has since 2022….all market swine will be for premium only.
All market swine dispersal will be the responsibility of the 4-H member. 4-H Families must make arrangements for processing/selling of your market hogs. 4-H families should promote the possibilities of purchasing a butcher hog for consumption to consumers. Harlan County Meat Processors has limited available spots for processing and may be contacted at 308-473-3018. This is first come, first serve.

Paper Livestock ID Affidavits are required by our county office.

These are for county purposes ONLY.

Identification of Livestock and Animal Entries in the 4-H show must be owned by the exhibitor and ownership certified where required on the appropriate forms in the Extension Office. The affidavit deadline and ownership certification for all animals is June 15.

• All market lambs and market goats must be identified with an official USDA farm scrapie tag.
• All market swine for county must be identified with a county 4-H ear tag (Free). All market swine for State Fair must be identified with a federally accepted 840 EID electronic identification (EID) tag. Any animal carrying an 840 EID tag will require the exhibitor to obtain a Premises ID.
• All market beef for county must be identified with a county 4-H ear tag. All market beef and stocker feeders for State Fair must be identified with a federally accepted 840 EID electronic identification (EID) tag. Any animal carrying an 840 EID tag will require the exhibitor to obtain a Premises ID.

Be sure to stop by the Extension Office to pick up your county 4-H livestock ear tags. Also, available are the EID tags for use at State Fair and AKSARBEN for Beef and Swine exhibitors.

Tag prices:

County 4-H Ear Tags for Beef and Swine are FREE

EID tag are $3.00 per tag

Entries per project area that may be made by one individual:

LIVESTOCK: (2) two breeding beef, (3) three market beef, (2) two stocker-feeders, (2) two breeding sheep, (3) three market lambs, (3) three swine, (3) three dairy cows and/or calves, (3) three meat goats, (2) two breeding meat goats does, two (2) dairy goats

SMALL ANIMALS: Two (2) Cats, no more than two (2) entries per class small animals, rabbits (1) entry per class, poultry (1) entry per class, (2) turkeys, one (1) dog.

• Market Beef- Paper ownership affidavit must be turned in to the local Extension office by June 15. All market beef for county must be identified with a county 4-H ear tag. All Market beef for State Fair must be identified with a federally accepted 840 EID electronic identification (EID) tag. Any animal carrying an 840 EID tag will require the exhibitor to obtain a Premises ID.

• Breeding Beef– Any Breeding Heifer project animal enrolled in 4-H must be born between August 2022-December 2023. Breeding beef does NOT need a specific 4-H tag. Paper ownership affidavits must be turned in to the local Extension office by June 15. State Fair - Registered heifers are required to have a copy of registration papers & DNA sample submitted to the office by June 15.

• Stocker Feeder: All stocker feeders must be born within the current year (2024) but before June 1 and be identified with a farm tag. Paper ownership affidavits must be turned in to the local Extension office by June 15. State Fair – All Stocker Feeders are required to submit a DNA sample/envelope to be eligible to exhibit by June 15 also they must be identified with a federally accepted 840 EID electronic identification (EID) tag. Any animal carrying an 840 EID tag will require the exhibitor to obtain a Premises ID.
  

• Bucket Calf: All bucket calves must be born within the current year (2024) between January 1 and June 1 and be identified with a farm tag. Calves are to be fed on bucket or bottle and/or dry feed only. Calves are to be away from real or substitute mothers from June 15. Paper ownership affidavit must be turned in to the local Extension office by June 15.

• Market Swine- Paper ownership affidavit must be turned in to the local Extension office by June 15. All market swine for county must be identified with a county 4-H ear tag. All Market swine for State Fair must be identified with a federally accepted 840 EID electronic identification (EID) tag. Any animal carrying an 840 EID tag will require the exhibitor to obtain a Premises ID.

• Market Lambs and Market Goats- All market lambs and market goats must be identified with an official USDA scrapie tag. Paper ownership affidavits must be turned in to the local Extension office by June 15.
• Age Classification of Market Lambs - All market lambs are required to be born on or after December 1, 2023.
• Definition of Market Sheep - Wether and ewe lambs are eligible for market classes. Short scrotum, cryptorchid or ram lambs are not eligible as market lambs.
• Age Classification of Market Meat Goats – All market goats are required to be born on or after November 1, 2023. Market goats are to have milk teeth and there shall be no evidence of breaking of the skin or eruption of the two permanent front teeth.
• Definition of Market Goats - Market goats may be doe or wether kids. Short scrotum, cryptorchid or buck kids are not eligible as market goats.

• Breeding Sheep and Goats- All ewes and does (registered and commercial) must be identified with an official USDA scrapie tag. Paper ownership affidavits must be turned in to the local Extension office by June 15.
• Age Classification of Breeding Ewes - Ewes born September 1, 2022, or after are classed as lambs. Lambs born between 9/1/2021 and 8/31/2022 will be classed as yearlings. All ewe lambs must have all temporary teeth present. Yearling ewes and does can have yearling teeth but cannot have two-year-old teeth.
• Age Classification of Breeding Meat Goats - All doe kids must have all temporary teeth present. Yearling does can have yearling teeth but cannot have two-year-old teeth.

• Horse- All horses that will be shown at the County, District &/or State Horse Show must be appropriately identified on the Nebraska Horse identification affidavit and Entry form turned into the local Extension office by May 6 for State (subject to change) and June 15 for County Only.

• Rabbits & Poultry – Paper ownership affidavit must be turned into the local Extension office by June 15th. Rabbits and Poultry must be owned and raised by the 4-H’er during the year exhibited. A member may make one entry in each class and must be present for judging. County-only rabbits will not be required to have an ear tattoo. State Fair Rabbits do require ear tattoos.

• Dogs- All dogs being shown, are required to have a rabies vaccination certificate from vet. Vaccination forms MUST be turned into the Extension office 1 week prior to dog show. A 4-H’er may enter one dog and it must be on a leash. 4-H’er and dog will be judged on 4-H’ers knowledge of their pet and ability to handle their dog. This is not a dog obedience show. The show will be divided into 4-H’er age divisions.

• Cats– All cats being shown, are required to have a rabies vaccination certificate from vet. Vaccination forms MUST be turned into the Extension office 1 week prior to cat show. No more than two cat entries by one exhibitor and no more than two entries per class will be allowed.

Reminders

· The due dates listed above mean that all tagging is complete, the animal information completed and in the possession of the local Extension office.

What is a premise ID?

A premises identification number (PIN) is a unique code that is permanently assigned to a single physical location. A premise ID is administered by each State and allows animal health officials to quickly and precisely identify where animals are located in the event of an animal health or food safety emergency. A Premise ID does not identify the animal but instead the location of that animal.

To get a Premise ID Number:

Complete the Premises ID Registration Form

Email the completed form to agr.cvi.ne@nebraska.govor mail to:

Nebraska Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Protection 301 Centennial Mall South P.O. Box 94787 Lincoln, NE 68509-4787

If you have any questions, contact Britney Hagood, Animal Disease Traceability Program Manager, at 402-471-6865 or britney.hagood@nebraska.gov

Link: https://nda.nebraska.gov/adt/premises.html

ALL YQCA MUST BE COMPLETED & CERTIFICATES

SUBMITTED TO THE EXTENSION OFFICE

NO LATER THAN JUNE 15 @ 4:00pm

YQCA is required annually.

Nebraska 4-H requires all youth ages 8-18 enrolled in livestock projects to complete annual quality assurance certification through Youth for the Quality Care of Animals (YQCA). YQCA is a national multi-species quality assurance program focused on three core pillars: food safety, animal well-being, and character development. Requirements

YQCA certification is required for all 4-H members enrolled in any of the following projects:

· Beef (bucket calf, feeder calf, breeding beef, market beef)

· Dairy Cattle

· Goat (breeding meat goat, dairy goat, meat goat)

· Poultry

· Rabbit

· Sheep (breeding sheep, market sheep)

· Swine (breeding swine, market swine)

Web-based Training at https://yqcaprogram.org. The online YQCA course costs $12 per individual regardless of age.

Each participant that completes either the ILT or WBT MUST complete a pre-test and a post-test.

Test-out options are only available to youth in the first year of Intermediate (age 12) and Senior (age 15) age levels. There is no test-out option for Juniors. Participants will have only one chance to take the test-out option. If youth fail, they will not be provided another opportunity to test out of that age level.

Test-out costs are:

Intermediate: $36 ($12 x 3 years of certification) Senior: $48 ($12 x 4 years of certification).

YQCA TIPS

• 4-H Families will register and pay online at: https://yqcaprogram.org

• 4-H’ers use their 4-H Online Account
• Please note: 4-Hers must be enrolled as an active member for 2024 before taking the YQCA training.

Federal law prohibits children under 16 years of age from using certain equipment on a farm
unless their parents or legal guardians own the farm. However, certification received through this
course grants an exemption to the law allowing 14- and 15-year-olds to drive a tractor and to do
field work with certain mechanized equipment. Certification is earned by completing a Hands-On
Safety Day with written test (Certification Day 1), then completing the Tractor and Equipment
Safety Training with driving exam (Certification Day 2). Successful completion of a Certification
Days 1 and 2 will result in certification for 14 and 15 year old youth to be employed on farms and
ranches.

July 9, 2024 in Curtis, NE at NCTA campus.

Open statewide to ALL youth ages 9-18 as of 1/1/24. Parents and adults are welcome!

FREE event with lunch provided by Ag Valley Coop and water bottles by Farm Credit.

Hands on activities with 2 different age tracts to learn how agriculture is changing with precision technology:

• “Aerial Crop Scouting” using drones,
• Insect/Arthropod Scavenger Hunt & Trapping,
• GPS Soil Sampling,
• Soil Lab Science,
• Exploring Herbicides & Fungicides
• Practice Your Mini Drone Flying!

Learn from local Nebraska Extension & Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture Crop & Water Educators/Researchers, Bayer Crop Scientists & Nebraska Extension Digital Ag Educator.

Register online at go.unl.edu/agronomy-youth-field-day by July 2nd . Plan a road trip to Curtis and bring a carload of youth with you!

For more information, contact Nebraska Extension-Frontier County at (308)367-4424 or email kathy.burr@unl.edu.

Youth Crop Scouting Competition - Connecting Youth with Crops

Looking for a fun club project? Want to unite your club members? Running out of ideas for club meetings? If you answered, “yes” to any of these questions, help is on the way! Nebraska Extension is pleased to present the 11th annual Crop Scouting Competition for Nebraska youth. Youth interested in crops can learn about crop growth & development and basic crop scouting principles.

Don’t know a lot about crops? Ask a local agronomist to assist by providing a short lesson on crop production. You can have the agronomist meet with youth a little during each meeting or outside of the meeting. This is one way to engage those youth interested in crops.

This contest will be held at the Eastern Nebraska Research & Extension Center near Mead, Nebraska on August 7, 2024. The event will include both indoor and outdoor events. Teams of junior high and high school students (those completing 5-12th grades) from across Nebraska are invited to participate. This event is limited to the first ten teams who sign-up!

Clubs or other organizations may enter a team composed of three to five participants. An adult team leader must accompany each team of students. Team leaders could be FFA advisors, crop consultants, extension staff, coop employees, etc.

Top-scoring teams win prizes: $500 for first, $250 for second, $100 for third place. Top two teams will be eligible for regional competition held in Nebraska this year.

Teams will be expected to know the basics of scouting corn and soybean fields. This includes crop staging; looking for patterns of crop injury; disease, insect and weed seedling identification; etc. Other topics many include but are not limited to, pesticide safety, nutrient disorders, and herbicide injury.

More information about the crop scouting competition and instructions on how to register a team are available online at cropwatch.unl.edu/youth. Register at: https://go.unl.edu/cropscoutingreg

Teams must be registered by July 15. This program is sponsored by Nebraska Independent Crop Consultant Association, Ward Laboratories, the Nebraska Soybean Board and Nebraska Extension.

Nebraska 4-H offers a variety of resources for 4-H Clubs and leaders. A 4-H Club is an organized group of five or more youth who meet regularly with adult volunteers or 4-H staff for a long-term, progressive series of educational experiences. The purpose of a 4-H club is to provide positive youth development and foster educational opportunities to meet the needs of young people.

For 4-H Club Leader Resources follow this link https://4h.unl.edu/resources/club-leaders

Email: Harlan-County@unl.edu
Website: https://extension.unl.edu/statewide/harlan/
Location: Alma, NE, USA
Phone: 308-928-2119
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/harlancountyext

Nebraska Extension is a Division of the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln cooperating with the Counties and the United States Department of Agriculture. The 4-H Youth Development program abides with the nondiscrimination policies of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and the United States Department of Agriculture.