February 2025 News

UNL Extension Dixon County

57905 866 Road

Concord, NE 68728

(402) 584-2234

Email: dixon-county@unl.edu

Website: https://extension.unl.edu/statewide/dixon/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064661410461

February is Nebraska 4-H Month

Feb. 1............. 4HOnline Enrollment Soft Deadline

Feb. 3............. Extension Board Meeting, 7:15 PM at Haskell

Feb. 6............. 4-H Spirit Day for Nebraska 4-H Month

Feb. 8............. Beef Weigh-In, 10:00 AM - Noon, Haskell farm

Feb. 13........... 4-H Volunteer Appreciation Day for 4-H Month

Feb. 16........... Jr. Leader Soup Dinner, 11:00AM-1:00PM, Dixon Community Center

Feb. 17........... Presidents Day (offices are open)

Feb. 20........... 4-H Supporter Appreciation Day for 4-H Month

Feb. 20........... RSVP Deadline for Achievement Celebration headcount

Feb. 23........... Achievement Celebration, South Sioux City YMCA, 6:00-8:00 PM

Feb. 24........... 4-H Livestock Advisory Meeting, 7:00 PM, at Haskell

Feb. 26........... Omaha Fashion Week 4-H Collection Show

Feb. 27........... Give Back Day for Nebraska 4-H Month

Feb. 28........... "Pop" Into 4-H - Get Enrolled in 4-H

Feb. 28........... Entry Deadline for 4-H Horse Stampede

March 1.......... Deadline to order seeds for the Special Garden and Special Agronomy Projects

March 9.......... Daylight Saving Time Begins - Spring Forward

March 15........ Volunteer Screening & Orientation Deadline

March 17........ 4-H Council, 7:00 PM, at Haskell

March 29-30... 4-H Horse Stampede

We are excited to introduce you to our updated website:

https://extension.unl.edu/statewide/dixon/

Please check it out and bookmark it for future reference.

By successfully completing the 4-H member enrollment between now and June 15, youth will be eligible to participate and exhibit in any project area, contest, county, and state fairs. While project selection is optional, it is encouraged for youth to select projects they are interested in exploring.

The soft deadline is February 1, in order to be on mailing lists and receive news from our office.

Please note:

- 4-H age is based on age as of January 1, 2025.

- Youth are only eligible to exhibit in a project area or contest in a single county.

- Horse and shooting sports projects will continue to require project enrollment due to the parental consent required to participate in these projects.

- Archery is the only shooting sports category in our county. If you are interested in other areas of shooting sports, please contact Wayne or Cedar Counties.

https://v2.4honline.com/

https://4h.unl.edu/enroll

-The Absolute deadline to enroll is June 15, 2025, in order to be eligible to show at the 2025 Dixon County Fair and the 2025 Nebraska State Fair. This is also the deadline to submit what projects are coming to the county fair.

Nebraska 4-H has switched to a new company to complete background screenings for enrolled 4-H volunteers - Sterling Volunteers. All DIRECT volunteers (those serving on 4-H Council, Club Leaders, Workshop Leaders, Shooting Sports Instructors, or other instructors/volunteers directly teaching and working with youth) must enroll through 4Honline AND be re-screened this year. To complete the process:

• Enroll as a volunteer at v2.4honline.com. At the end of the enrollment process, it will direct you to a Sterling Volunteer website. This is where you will complete the screening portion of enrollment.
• Complete the Sterling Volunteer Screening! You will not be approved as a volunteer until this process is complete. Our office will receive confirmation when you have completed the Sterling Volunteer process. Note, if your birth date is not correct on your enrollment, please contact the office before proceeding with enrollment. The volunteer screening will cost $16, plus fees, which is paid online by the volunteer. The Dixon County 4-H Council will reimburse Dixon County 4-H Volunteers, by submitting proof of payment to our office.
• After you complete the Sterling Volunteer screening, you will be directed to complete a volunteer orientation.

If you have questions about the volunteer enrollment process or whether or not you need to enroll as a direct volunteer, please contact the office.

Screening and Orientation needs to be completed by March 15, 2025.

Nebraska 4-H requires all youth 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. 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)

YQCA is required annually.

Face-to Face Training In-person YQCA training courses cost $3 per individual regardless of age. Dates can be found on the YQCA website!

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

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 with 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).

4-H Families will register and pay online

https://yqcaprogram.org/

Winter Break would be an excellent time to complete YQCA certification!

How to Apply:

Scholarship applications are open from January 1st – February 17th. Recipients will be announced in May.

Link for application and more information: https://yqcaprogram.org/local/scholarship-program.php

Please reach out to help@yqcaprogram.org with any questions.

Nebraska Extension will be hosting a round of the Fundamentals of Feeding the Cow webinar series in January! Learn more and register at https://go.unl.edu/feedingthecow.

Registration is now open for the 2025 Nebraska 4-H Farrowed and Owned Swine Cohort! Please share the attached flyer with any families who may be interested. Please note the added opportunities for youth who exhibit swine at the county level. **NEW for 2025**: Exhibit their Farrowed and Owned project animals at any Nebraska county fair. Exhibiting at the 2025 Nebraska State Fair is optional. All cohort members will participate in an interview at the 2025 Nebraska State Fair. Join the first session in February for more details! Refer to the cohort webpage at: https://4h.unl.edu/farrowed-owned.

Apply by February 1, 2025

2025 Price for EID ear tags and 4-H ear tags are $3.00 each, with tax included. Please have your payment ready at the weigh-in. Receipts available upon request. Make checks payable to “University of Nebraska – Lincoln”.

Hard copies of affidavits will be available, or download, print, and prepare them before. Signatures of a parent and at least one child are needed to make the affidavit valid. Affidavit link: https://go.unl.edu/dixoncounty4h-mktbf-affidavit

DNA envelopes will be completed at the weigh-in, for those showing beyond the county fair. These need to be signed by a parent, and every child exhibiting at the State Fair or AKSARBEN.

We have new DNA envelopes for this year. Any you have saved up from last year will not be accepted.

We're thrilled to announce the Nebraska Extension Special Agronomy Project, providing a unique experience for 4-H members to delve into the world of crops in our state.
About the Project: Youth participants will receive seeds and resources to cultivate a crop, explore its traits, and assess its viability in their region. This year, we're celebrating the 5th year of the special agronomy project by spotlighting sunflowers.
Why Participate?
• Grow something fun, new, and different.
• Be eligible to showcase your project at the County and/or State Fair in the agronomy category.
How to Get Involved:
• Enroll for the 2024 Special Agronomy Project through 4-H Online by selecting the Agronomy project.
• Contact your local Nebraska Extension Office to order your packets of seeds.
For project specifications and additional details, check out the Nebraska State Fairbook at Fairbook Link.
Let's cultivate knowledge and growth together! #NE4H #AgronomyProject @UNLExtension211

The Nebraska 4-H Horse Stampede offers a variety of 4-H horse contests that do not require live animals, including public speaking, demonstration, quiz bowl, art, photography, horse judging, and hippology contests. Youth have the opportunity to display their equine knowledge through these contests both as an individual and as part of a team. The 4-H Horse Stampede is held annually at the UNL Animal Science Complex in Lincoln, Nebraska. This year's event will be held Saturday and Sunday March 29 & 30, 2025.

The 2025 Special Garden Project will focus on the Goldie Husk Cherry. This old-fashioned fruit from the tomato family has sweet berries inside golden husks. The fruits have many uses and can be eaten raw, dried, frozen, canned, or made into tasty treats like pies, desserts, or preserves. (I assure you the husk cherry is different than a groundcherry, which is a weed in Nebraska, that looks very similar, but isn’t edible). For more information visit: https://4h.unl.edu/special-gardening-project

If you or your club is interested, please be sure to add it to your projects!

Order your 2025 SGP seeds by March 1st to ensure your order is placed.

We're thrilled to announce the Nebraska Extension Special Agronomy Project, providing a unique experience for 4-H members to delve into the world of crops in our state.

About the Project: Youth participants will receive seeds and resources to cultivate a crop, explore its traits, and assess its viability in their region. This year, we're celebrating the 5th year of the special agronomy project by spotlighting sunflowers.

Why Participate?

• Grow something fun, new, and different.

• Be eligible to showcase your project at the County and/or State Fair in the agronomy category.

How to Get Involved:

• Enroll for the 2025 Special Agronomy Project through 4-H Online by selecting the Agronomy project.

• Contact the Nebraska Extension Office to order your seeds by March 1.

The Nebraska 4-H Online Horticulture Judging Contest provides youth an opportunity to test their knowledge of growing fruits, vegetables, flowers, and ornamental plants. The contest is open to all youth, as well as adults. Youth do not need to be enrolled 4-H members to participate. The contest will be available from 8:00 AM on Tuesday, June 10, 2025, through 8:00 AM on Tuesday, June 24, 2025.

Through the Nebraska 4-H Livestock Achievement Program, youth can receive recognition as Members of Excellence for engaging in various project-related activities. Applications are due June 15, 2025. This can be started anytime, so why wait?

https://4h.unl.edu/statewide-events-opportunities/livestock-program/

If your interested in Haskell Ag Lab events and news, you can stay up to date by subscribing to their e-newsletter! Follow the link to read past issues and subscribe to the email list.

https://extension.unl.edu/statewide/hal/haskell-happenings-newsletter/

This course is a valuable educational opportunity for anyone interested in flying drones for commercial or public application, including emergency management, law enforcement, real estate and land management, photography and agriculture.

“The course is geared toward professional pilots who intend to make drone flying an aspect of their career or work duties,” said Dr. Dirk Charlson, Nebraska Extension educator and course instructor, who has 10 years of experience flying drones and teaching drone courses. “If you are just curious about drones, this course might not be for you.”

Registration and details at https://cropwatch.unl.edu/2024/remote-pilot-exam-prep-course-resumes-january-2025-nebraska?fbclid=IwY2xjawHP-yVleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHVyegqiTMlEB3YGtv8svPWVQ7Chyh7-2o_Ce5rWJhR3-mEoJHMSwvt3JTQ_aem_ntNrn0JBfHSRdgsE1i29xQ

Registration is OPEN for our 2025 NE Soil Health Conferences; reserve your seat before it is too late! These events will strengthen our connections with stakeholders and our Soil Health community. Join us to explore key topics in sustainable agriculture, including: Carbon Stocks, Crop-Livestock Integration, Nitrogen Management, Cover Crop Resources. Gain insights from leading experts and discover practical strategies for enhancing soil health. More details below. Pre-registration is required. Feel free to forward this invitation within your network.

Registration & Details: https://cropwatch.unl.edu/soil-health-program/events

Landscape and other green industry professionals have an opportunity learn from Extension Educators about plant pests, plant choices and common client issues. The 2025 ProHort Lawn and Landscape Update will be happening in person at the Dodge County Extension office in Fremont on Thursday, February 20th from 9-3:30. $35 per registrant. Register at https://web.cvent.com/event/2f5a0703-fb5c-4198-ac9f-15533dc42065/summary. Direct any questions to ian peterson - ipeterson4@unl.edu; 402.727.2775. ISA and NAA credits available.

Dixon County 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 by the nondiscrimination policies of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and the United States Department of Agriculture.

Accommodation requests related to a disability should be made in advance to the Dixon County Extension Office.