Nobles County Clover Digest

Please RSVP for the annual awards banquet on January 12. A meal will be provided and awards will be presented. RSVPs are due on January 2.

The Extension Office will be closed on December 24 - 27 in observance of the Christmas Holiday and on Wednesday, January 1 in observance of New Year’s Day.

Ear tags for the 2025 animal ID season are now available at the Extension Office. New this year, tags are available at no cost to Nobles County 4-H members. All market beef IDs must be in 4-H Online by February 18, 2025. All other IDs are due on May 15, 2025. All distributed tags must be accounted for in 4-H Online and tags that do not show up in 4-H Online must be returned to the Extension office. To order tags ahead of time for pick up, please complete the order form.

Nobles County 4-H is hiring a full time 4-H Educator. Applications are open until January 14, 2025.

What is the role of the Extension Educator?

The Extension Educator, 4-H Youth Development, leads and manages the county 4-H program. In this role, you will:

• build relationships with 4-H families, volunteers, and partners

• recruit, train, supervise, and support Minnesota 4-H volunteers

• plan, manage, and evaluate educational programs and events

• promote the 4-H program to reach new youth and volunteers

• provide leadership to governing boards, committees, and clubs

Job Qualifications:

Candidates must have a Bachelor’s degree and experience leading, teaching, or managing youth programs. Experience may include a combination of employment, volunteer leadership, and experience in youth development programs. Two years of experience is preferred.

The online job posting is available at https://z.umn.edu/4HEducator.

The food stand / building committee has been rescheduled to Tuesday, January 7 at 5:30 pm in the Farmers Room. Planning for the 2025 food stand will be the focus of this meeting.

The Nobles County Animal Science meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, January 14 starting at 6:00 pm in the Farmers Room at the Nobles County Government Center. All youth and adults are encouraged to attend this meeting to plan programming for the year.

The January Federation meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, January 21 at 7:00 pm at the Farmers Room in the Nobles County Government Center. The annual fundraiser packets will be distributed at this meeting.

The Rock/Nobles Youth Beef Ambassador Program is an opportunity for high school students in grades 10-12 to represent the Rock and Nobles County Cattlemen at various events throughout the area and state during 2025. This is a great opportunity to help us promote beef to consumers within our surrounding communities! Complete the application by December 31st.

Records are now all judged and can be picked up at the Extension Office. Record awards will be presented at the banquet in January.

Thank you for your involvement in Minnesota 4-H! 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 log in to 4-H Online here to complete the re-enrollment process. This guide has more information.

Looking for a fun way to meet new people and learn leadership skills? Check out the Building Leadership and Understanding (BLU) leadership workshops hosted by the Minnesota 4-H State Ambassadors! BLU is for youth in grades 6 and up. Learn more and register at z.umn.edu/4-HBLU!

Let’s Talk About Disability is a five-session series designed to provide a safe place for youth in grades 6-12 to have important conversations about disability. This series demonstrates to youth with disabilities that they are valued and welcomed by 4-H and gives all youth the tools to be supportive and effective allies. It also serves to identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and ideas related to disability inclusion and access in the 4-H program. Learn more at https://z.umn.edu/Letstalkaboutdisability.

Join local youth on January 11 from 9 AM to 11 AM at the Ortonville Senior Community Center to discover what the WHEP program is all about! Youth will participate in a mock contest, featuring a wildlife identification challenge and a wildlife management plan activity. Coaches will also learn valuable strategies to effectively work with their teams. Don’t miss this exciting opportunity to engage and grow!

4-H Camp Counseling is a great opportunity to grow as a leader and have fun outdoors! 4-H Camp is held at Shetek Lutheran Ministries on the shores of Lake Shetek; youth who are current 9-12 graders can choose to counsel at one camp session (two nights/three days) or both sessions (four nights/five days). This multi-county 4-H Camp located in southwest Minnesota will include four one-hour educational tracks. In addition, camp activities include swimming, canoeing, kayaking, outdoor games, campfire, and more! Camp counselors are expected to connect with campers throughout the entire camp experience. Applications can be found at z.umn.edu/CampCounselorApp-Shetek. Application Deadline is January 31, 2025. Selected Camp Counselors will be notified by February 21, 2025.

Do you have an idea you’re passionate about but need help getting started? The 2025 Helping Hands Award is for 4-H youth who want to turn their ideas into projects! This award funds project ideas that are led by 4-H youth in partnership with supportive adults, local businesses, and non-profit organizations. Past awards have ranged from $300 to $2000. Projects can focus on STEM, agriscience, healthy living, outdoor adventures, equity, and leadership. But don't hold back if your idea falls outside of these categories. Think about what sparks your interest and apply!

Click here for information on program requirements, a list of 2024 projects, and how to apply.

The application will close on February 14 at 11:59pm. If you have questions, please contact Matthew Keefe (Extension Development, Minnesota 4-H) at keefe175@umn.edu or 612-626-4170.

During National Volunteer Week (April 20-26, 2025), the Minnesota 4-H Youth Development program honors its 7,500 incredible volunteers and celebrates their contributions to Minnesota communities. Throughout the week (and the program year), we will feature stories of special volunteers who share their time and expertise to improve the lives of youth across the state.

Northern Lights is a volunteer recognition program designed to celebrate volunteer impact in key priority areas for our Department. Unlike other volunteer recognition efforts, this nomination process does not distinguish volunteer tenure and can be completed in about 15 minutes.

In 2025, we encourage nominations of volunteers who:

• Welcome our youngest 4-H members and families through designing and delivering Cloverbud and/or public programming.

• Create learning environments for older youth (aged 12-18) that improve their self-concept, personal agency, resilience and community connectivity.

• Champion diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility (DEIA) by creating spaces of belonging and empowerment for Minnesota youth of all identities.

Please consider nominating volunteers who bring light to their local program and community regardless of tenure with the 4-H program. Stories of first-year volunteers and/or volunteers who did not participate in 4-H as youth members are warmly welcomed. Selected nominees will be featured on our website and social media channels. Please submit your nominations by Jan. 21, 2025.

Coaches and 4-H'ers (grades 3+) interested in learning more about the Minnesota 4-H Project Bowl program should check out the website for dates, locations, rules, references and more. Get ready to learn more about your dairy, general livestock, horse, llama/alpaca, plant science, poultry and rabbit projects! Back again this year in the dairy and general livestock species is a third age division – read more about it in the project bowl rules. Learn more and register.

Are you part of a livestock or animal science PDC in your county? Do you want to learn and gather ideas from others across the state? If so, join us on Jan. 23 from 7 to 8 p.m. for a livestock PDC kickoff webinar to get your county animal science committees off to a great start. Learn more and register.

Intro to 4-H video is an online course for beginners in grades 3+. Sessions will take place weekly for three weeks. This is a great place for the curious young person to start, or to improve basic skills! The workshop will focus on storytelling, how to film, shots and camera angles, editing, and incorporating music and sounds when editing. It's also a great opportunity for youth to connect with other young video creators from across the state. Youth will use tools that they have on hand at home like phones, tablets, etc. Dates: Jan. 27, Feb. 3, and Feb. 10 from 5 to 6 p.m. via Zoom. Learn more and register.

Youth will travel to Bayfield, Wisc. with Trek and Trail Outfitting for a kayak+camp+hike experience in the Apostle Islands! Participants will be expected to join monthly Zoom meetings Feb. through July for trip preparation. This trip is limited to 15 youth and will cost $1000 (includes outfitter guides, equipment, food, lodging, and transportation). Trip dates are Aug. 3-9. The registration deadline is Jan. 3 and requires a $350 deposit. Learn more and register.

Exciting experiments, creative plant science, and curious young minds come together in this highly popular program geared towards grades 3-5, but everyone is welcome. Through three interactive 30-minute Zoom sessions taking place on the fourth Monday of January, February and March, your child will explore how plants grow in surprising ways, from avocados to cucumbers and even sweet potatoes—no backyard needed! Learn more and register.

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