GC Newsletter January 2025

January 1 - Office Closed (Happy New Years!)

January 6 - 4-H Council Meeting

January 9 - Office Closed (National Mourning for Jimmy Carter)

January 13 - Livestock Committee Meeting

January 13 - Little Hands, Big Hearts Club Meeting

January 20 - Office Closed (Martin Luther King Jr. Day)

January 22 - Office Closed (STEM Day Programming)

January 26 - Beef Weigh-In

February 10 - Livestock Council Meeting @ 7:00 p.m.

February 17 - Office Closed (President's Day)

February 20 - 4-H Council Meeting @ 4:00 p.m.

March 3 - Face-to-Face YQCA at GCE @ 4:00 p.m.

May 4 - Sheep/Goat Weigh-ins 3:00 - 4:00 p.m.

2025 Garden County Fair Dates - July 29th through Aug 3rd

Happy New Year everyone!!

Just a quick note to let you know of some changes coming up. Ana is going to be taking an extended leave (Jan 24th through Feb 18th). While she is gone, Kamry Kramer is going to be filling in for her. Kamry is going to do great but I am not going to have time to fully train her so PLEASE be patient if you call with questions. When Ana comes back, Kamry will continue with her internship primarily working out of the Bridgeport office but I'm sure you will still see her around!

I highly suggest you sign up for 4hOnline before Ana leaves so you can ask her questions now!! As you are doing your re-enrollment for each kid, reminder that the health form only has to be filled out completely if your child is going to a camp. Most of you will only need to sign the release form and note any allergies on the Medical form.

As always, please call the office with any questions, and we will get back to you as soon as we can!!

~Sarah

Remind is gone!! If you haven't already, download the sportsYou app to stay up-to-date on all the happenings within our 4-H Community! This is our primary source of communication that allows families to connect with each other and have access to important forms for fair, and has an open calendar with all the upcoming events that you will need to know.

The app can be downloaded on your mobile device from your App Store (apple) or Google Play Store (android).

Once you have the app downloaded, you will need to Create an Account.

In order to join a team (Garden County 4-H), you will need to put in an access code....this one!

If you need more of a step-by-step, here's a How To Video to help you!

The app will allow you to directly talk to one of the coaches or staff members within the Extension Office, post a question, get notifications about the latest updates, see a shared calendar with due dates and upcoming events, shared photos, and easily access forms that you will need for 4-H projects and the county fair. Of course, if you have any questions, we are always here to help!

The Extension Office is excited to present a fun activity for our 4-Hers to celebrate the program that we love! Make sure to stay tuned during the first week of February to get involved in our planned event!

We cannot make this program work without volunteers. Whether you are an adult or a youth, there is a place for you!! Join the team and make difference.

4-H Council - meets every other month and works to get awards, make decisions around 4-H programs and the fair, and helps and advises the Extension Office throughout the year. Call the office if interested.

4-H and FFA Livestock Committee - youth and adults are welcome to participate. They make decisions around fairground maintenance and improvements while also running the livestock shows. They meet every other month or as needed. Call the office if interested.

If you registered your child last year, you still need to register on 4HOnline for this year!

For returning families, please do not create a new account; instead, use your log-in credentials for 4HOnline used in previous years. Instructions can be found here...

Enrollment instructions for new families can be found here...

Project Selection is NOT required when registering, but it does help us get a good idea of what projects you are interested in! However, if you are doing SHOOTING SPORTS or HORSE, you need to select those projects so you can sign an additional Parental Consent Form. If those forms are not signed, youth will not be able to practice until they are signed!

It is important that you put your youth's t-shirt size when enrolling them! Please remember to do this during the registering process.

After submitting your youth's enrollment, it would be good to periodically check your email to see if it was approved or sent back. Sometimes there is something missing in the registration and we need extra information before approving it, and once we send the enrollment back, we can't see it. If you are ever in question of whether your youth's enrollment got approved or sent back, feel free to call the office.

The Nebraska Extension Special Agronomy Project gives 4-H members an opportunity to experience a crop that is grown, was grown or has the potential to be grown in Nebraska. Youth participate by receiving seed and resources to grow the crop, research traits of the crop and determine the viability of that crop in the part of the state they live in. The project allows 4-H members interested in agronomy to grow something fun, new, and different. This year, we will be exploring a crop that can be marketed different ways depending on the variety.

In the fifth year of the special agronomy project, youth will explore sunflowers! There are two types of sunflower production in Nebraska. There are those grown for oil production, and those grown for human food consumption referred to as confectionery seeds. A portion of the oil seed production is used in the bird seed industry. Sunflowers are grown throughout the state of Nebraska with the greatest concentration in western Nebraska. The variety we will be growing is a high oleic hybrid. Its oil profile combined with a nice black seed color ensures multiple market options.

Be eligible to enter an exhibit at the County and/or State Fair in the agronomy project area.

Enroll for the 2025 Special Agronomy Project through 4-H Online by enrolling in the Agronomy project and contacting your local Nebraska Extension Office to order packets of seeds. The local Extension Office will order and distribute the seeds to members.

We currently do not have any seeds at the moment but will let families know as soon as our orders come in.

Ready to branch out and try a new project area??

Projects provide the basis of the 4-H program by offering various educational experiences. Carrying out a project will help the member "learn by doing" as well as learn "why" things happen the way they do.

There are over 200 project areas that youth can enter a project under for the fair. From showing an animal to growing produce in a garden, the opportunities are almost limitless! For more information and some ideas for future projects, click on the button below.

The Nebraska State 4-H Camp is excited to announce the 2025 season! Youth can join us for an un-BEE-livable summer and learn all about What's the Buzz? in 2025.

The 2025 What’s the Buzz? season of the Nebraska State 4-H Camp will share the importance of pollinators in Nebraska- why they’re important, how they impact agriculture, and what youth can do in their own communities to support the various native pollinators we have in Nebraska. From bees and butterflies to hummingbirds and bats- it’s going to be a week full of learning and fun!

The Nebraska State 4-H Camp is returning to Chadron and Burwell for summer camp 2025! Youth new to camping can attend a shorter camp session designed to let them experience all the best parts of summer camp in a 3 day/2 night session. Choose from one of two 5 day/4 night sessions for youth 10-14 years old and returning this year is the Leaders in Training camp for high school youth 15-17 years old! Campers will focus on developing leadership skills with an opportunity to put those skills into practice by volunteering at one of our other camp sessions!

Registration is now OPEN! More information on sessions, dates, and the link to register can be found at 4h.unl.edu/camp.

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln and the Garden County Staff are here to serve you!

Use our website below as a valuable resource for information on Beef Systems, Community Environment Community Vitality, Crop and water systems, Food Nutrition and health, and The Learning Child.

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.

Email: spaisley3@unl.edu
Website: go.unl.edu/garden4h
Location: PO Box 350, 611 Main St., Oshkosh, NE 69154
Phone: 308-772-3311
Facebook: facebook.com/gardenco4h