September 26: 5:30 PM - Livestock Committee Meeting (Renville County Government Center)

September 26: 6:30 PM - Ambassador Meeting (Renville County Government Center)

September 26: 7:00 PM - Leader's Council Meeting (Renville County Government Center)

September 30: Online Re-enrollment deadline

National 4-H Week: October 6 - 12

October 7: Fall Afterschool Programming begins!

October 13: Tentative date for Leaders' Council Officer Training

October 31: Charter Deadline - Please have your charter, Secretary and Treasurer books to the office for review.

November 10: Club Officer Training

November 15: Volunteer Renewal - if you completed your Safety of Minors training on or before September 15, 2022, you will need to renew by November 15.

November 21: Tentative Annual Volunteer Training

So many things happen outside. Dive in to Natural Resources and learn all about entomology (bugs), the environment, forest resources, geology, water resources, fishing, shooting sports, and wildlife biology & management!

Check out all of the different ways to explore the environment in 4-H below!

Congratulations to all of you on all of the work that you put in preparing for the fair!

At our July Leaders' Council meeting, we voted to give each judge, or judge group a $25 gift card for their top interviewer. Below are the winners. You can stop by the office to pick yours up starting Monday, September 16!

Animal Sciences: Esmae Mead

Cloverbuds: Reed Kopel

Horticulture: Matthew Lee

Mechanical & Industrial Sciences: Avery Kopel

Aerospace, Engineering Design, Natural Resources, Science Inquiry: Dylan Haubrich

Photography & Video/filmmaking: Heidi Beckendorf

Quilting, Needle Arts, Sewing: Hannah Schlomann

Citizenship, global connections, health & wellness, safety, self-determined: Heidi Beckendorf

Crafts, Fine Arts & Creative Writing: Hannah Schlomann

Child Development, Consumer Education, Foods, Home Environment, Youth Leadership: Erika Janesh

Plant Sciences, Vegetable, Fruit & Herb Gardening: Grace Sullivan

Youth Outcome Survey:

Allison Precht

Carson Boersma

Food Stand Shifts:

Mara Strandberg

Youth Herdsmanship winners:

Feed Buckets: Group 1: Jason Amberg, Avery Kopel, Grace Sullivan

Feed Scoops: Group 12: Connor Sullivan, Coy Nelson, Madalyn Engstrom

Over the Renville County Fair, Nicole Brenny Creative was able to snap lots of great pictures of our 4-H youth!

The pictures that are linked below are free to all 4-H families. However, if you would like a higher resolution, water marks removed, or any editing done, please see the image below for her price and contact her to order yours today!

A letter from the photographer:

"Hello families of 4H,

It's your photographer Nicole Brenny. Thank you so much for having me come to take photos of you. I had such a wonderful time and I am very grateful!

Where to purchase photos: You are welcome to have a low resolution, watermarked version of your photos free of charge. If you would like to order a non-watermarked version you may do so at my website. I have created 3 galleries for the 3 different days I was at the fair. They are linked below. A watermark appears on the photos when you are viewing them in the shop, but WILL NOT be on any purchased download or print :)!

Aug 7: https://nicolebrenny.pic-time.com/uEVi0lvhHdJ3q

Aug 8: https://nicolebrenny.pic-time.com/RHNB64W4BP0ON

Aug 9: https://nicolebrenny.pic-time.com/YMx7UWDYvua0X

Printing Options: You have many different options for digital downloads and prints. You are welcome to buy the high resolution digital download to make the print yourself, but I highly recommend the professional lab I have chosen within my shop. You can order your prints from my website and get them shipped directly to you.

If for whatever reason you are searching for a professional lab that is nearby, the closest one to you that I have tested and can recommend is Photoworks in Marshall, MN.

How you can use the photos: All of the photos shared to the families including the free watermarked ones as well as the unwatermarked images available for purchase are meant for personal use only and cannot be used commercially, like to promote a business. If for whatever reason you would like to purchase a commercial license to promote your farm or business you are welcome to email me and we can chat: hi@nicolebrenny.com

Touch-ups: I am able to do touch ups if you would like. These include simple touch-ups like blemishes, flying hair, etc. They will cost between $5-$10. If you would like anything touched up, email me first with a screenshot of the image and your request. You will submit the small fee and once your retouched image is ready I will email you a link to a new gallery where you can purchase it.

Final thoughts: It was a great time taking photos of you all! I found the Renville County community to be awesome. I really hope you enjoyed the fair and that you have fun looking through the photos. Please feel free to send me any questions you may have: hi@nicolebrenny.com

I am also looking to take more photos! If you would like a photographer for an event, wedding or special occasion please keep me in mind. I also do portraits and am currently booking for senior portraits. Please let me know if you'd like a spot on the list! Just email or call to book 6122199192 or hi@nicolebrenny.com

I will also be keeping clients and future clients up to date via my newsletter. Please be sure to sign up for it! I will send out newsletters about special sales and promotions there: https://nicolebrenny.com/newsletter-sign-up

Thank you again and be sure to go to my Facebook page to tag all of your friends, there are some great moments in those photos: https://www.facebook.com/nicolebrennycreative

Also, please tag my page if you post any of my photos up :)!

Renville County Government Center room 116.

Join us to evaluate how livestock went during the county fair and start planning for next year!

Ambassadors will be meeting to review this past year and plan for 2025!

Please meet in room 117!

Renville County Government Center room 116/117

This is our Annual Meeting. We will be electing new officers, setting the budget, and voting in our revised Constitution & Bylaws, and Supporting Document.

All Leaders Council meetings are open to all Renville County 4-H members, parents & volunteers.

We will be electing all new officers at this meeting. All officers must be in 6th grade at the time of the meeting, with the exception of the youth leader (5th grade). Youth who wish to run for a Leaders Council position must: be at the Annual Meeting on 9/26, be nominated and verbally accept the nomination.

Take a look at the position descriptions below!

Please see the documents below for the agenda, minutes, treasurers report, Constitution & Bylaws and Supporting Document.

Please take a few minutes to fill out the survey linked below. This is a great opportunity to share what went well and what could be improved on. All responses will be looked at and evaluated during out Annual Meeting at the end of September.

The 4-H year ends Sept. 30 however, you can reenroll for the 2024-2025 Program year starting on September 15!

Login to 4HOnline and review, update and submit 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 is 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.

If you have any questions about re-enrolling or any other aspect of 4-H involvement, call the office at 320-523-3713.

Thank you for volunteering with Minnesota 4-H in program year 2023 - 2024. We hope you will join us to continue offering learning and leadership opportunities for Minnesota youth in your community!

Each year on Sept. 15, Minnesota 4-H marks the beginning of the volunteer renewal period (in preparation for the new program year on Oct. 1). On Sept. 15, all volunteers who were ‘Approved’ in program year 2022 - 2023 will be moved to a ‘Not-Enrolled’ status in 4-H Online. If you completed the volunteer application and screening process or volunteer renewal process prior to Sept. 15, 2021, additional action will be needed.

• If you need to renew as a volunteer, you will receive an email communication from 4-H staff with instructions for completing renewal. Please complete the renewal steps by Nov. 15 to restore your ‘Approved’ status.

• If you do not need to renew as a volunteer, you will receive an email communication from 4-H staff with a notice that 4-H staff will manually update your status to ‘Approved’ in 4-H Online. You will receive an automated notification from 4-H Online once this status is restored. Remember, eligibility to volunteer does not mean a commitment to volunteer! Contact your local 4-H Extension educator if you wish to discontinue your volunteer service.

Additional information about volunteer renewal is available from the 4-H Volunteer Resource Center.

There are a lot of opportunities listed below to be active during National 4-H week!

All official information will be listed in the October Clover Update that will be out on October 1.

We encourage you to get creative, go beyond and be ready! Share your 4-H story with your friends and colleagues!

The theme for National 4-H Week is Beyond Ready - building a ready generation in a world of change.

We will be offering 4-H Afterschool Programming at BLHS, BOLD & RCW this fall! There are two different programs:

Clover Adventures: youth in grades K-2

• Explore plant & animal science, culture diversity & traditions through pumpkins, turkeys and Christmas!
• Create take home materials (crafts), science experiments, food and much more!
• Thrive in Renville County 4-H

DATES: 3:00 - 4:30

• BLHS: 10/7, 11/4, 12/2
• BOLD/St. Mary's: 10/14, 11/11, 12/9
• RCW: 10/21, 11/18, 12/16

Clover Explorers: youth in grades 3-5

• Explore Edison robots, programming and much more!
• Create programs to operate your robots & compete in challenges with other groups
• Thrive in Renville County 4-H

DATES: 3:00-5:30

• BLHS: Tuesdays starting 11/19 through 12/10
• BOLD/St. Mary's: Thursdays starting 10/31 through 11/21
• RCW: Tuesdays starting 10/8 through 10/29

Click the link below for program dates, registration and more!

The end of the 4-H year is fast approaching, which means 4-H records are due!

The best time to start on your records is at the beginning of the year, or as soon as you know what project areas you are taking to the fair!

We understand that project records are not the fun part about 4-H. However, record keeping is something that you will do your entire life. Maybe this is in the form of taxes, feed records, breeding/genetic records, or even invoice records that you have to keep because you own your own business. Regardless of where you turn as you get older, record keeping will always be there. 4-H Project Records are a great way to start practicing now!

Below is a link for the project records. Cloverbuds will just have the one record to fill out. All other youth will need to fill out a participation summary and a project record for each project area. There are 2 level of records for youth, basic and experienced. It is up to the youth and their parents/guardians to select which one suites them best. We would suggest the basic is for those who are in grades 3-5 or are only 1 or 2 years into a project area. Youth who have been in a project area for 3+ years should fill out the experienced record.

Records are due to your club leaders. Check with your club leaders to find out when they are due!

If you have any questions, feel free to contact the Extension office!

1. Your memory will not improve with age.
2. Everyone has a different level of enthusiasm about record keeping.
3. Someday you will move out of your parent's house and will have to keep track of your own money in order to pay bills.
4. Goals that are not written down are just wishes.
5. Your Club Leader and Extension Educator would write a really awesome letter of reference for you-but you have to be able to find their contact information.
6. There are a lot of people willing to give way free money for college, but you have to fill out an application to earn it.
7. Your future college and boss will want to see how many hours you spent volunteering in your community and learning valuable skills.
8. Leaders are not born, they're grown.

1. Fill out every blank. Even if that means you are putting not applicable (N/A)
2. If possible, type up your record book.
3. Choose some great goals!

• When thinking about your goals make them SMART! Ask your self these 5 things when creating them:
1. Is it specific?
2. How can I measure it?
3. Is this achievable
4. How is the relevant to me?
5. What is my time-line?

4. Make the expense record as detailed as possible!

5. Try to fill up the space that you are given!

6. Write a great story! Share what you learned and how you grew as a person. Be creative!

7. Add extra pages!

• Include things like:
• Photos
• Handouts that were given at project meetings
• The recipe that you used if it was a food project
• Charts/graphs/time cards etc. of how often you worked on your project.

National 4-H week is always the first full week in October. Rather then hosting a formal banquet later in the year, we would host an appreciation dinner. All 4-H members, parents, volunteers, sponsors etc. would be invited. This would be a great opportunity to spotlight volunteers and hand out any awards.

Please vote below!

Where did the summer go - it seems like just yesterday we were anxiously awaiting spring and the new opportunities that it brings. As I reflect on this past summer, I am filled with gratitude for all of the help the youth, parents and volunteers gave - from helping with programs to the county fair. Thank you for all of your hard work and dedication, without you we could not have the successful fair that we had!

There were a lot of changes this year and a lot that stayed the same. I encourage all of you - youth included, to take a few minutes and fill out the post fair survey (linked above). This survey helps us to analyze the county fair and where we can improve.

I encourage you all to attend the Leaders' Council meeting on Thursday, September 26 at 7:00 PM at the Renville County Government Center. This is our annual meeting. We will be voting on our revised Constitution & By laws, voting in a new Supporting Document, electing a new officer team, setting the budget, and our goals for 2024-2025. This meeting is open to all Renville County 4-H members, parents and volunteers! Please come and make your voice heard! There is a link to the agenda above.

Our programming year is coming to an end (September 30) which means that chartering and officer election season is right around the corner! I encourage you all to work with the youth to set your club charter. This is a great opportunity to involve youth voice when setting your goals, monthly meetings and fundraising. If you plan to do any fundraising throughout the 2024-2025 program year, please let me know. There are specific guidelines that we have to follow with fundraising.

When you are planning different events for the year, please refer to the different activities that 4-H is allowed to host and participate in. (linked below)

Club charters, Secretary & Treasurer books are due the the Extension office by November 1.

If you would like me to come to a club meeting - to talk about 4-H programming, records etc., observe or help in anyway, please let me know! I would love to try to make it to all of the club meetings this year!

Again, thank you for all of your help over this past year as I continue to learn about Renville County 4-H and what makes it so great! I look forward to seeing all of your goals, plans and exciting opportunities for this next year!