4-H NEWS IN KEITH/ARTHUR COUNTIES

• 4-H Calendar
• Extension Office is Hiring!
• Beef Weigh Ins
• Keith 4-H Council Vacancy
• 4-H Online Updates 23-24
• BB Gun/Air Rifle & Archery Updates
• State 4-H Updates/Events
• New State Fair Age Limit
• Special Garden Project
• Nebraska 4-H Summer Camps
• Farrowed and Owned Swine Cohort
• Jarvis Memorial Scholarship for Fall 2024/Spring 2025

January 8: Keith 4-H Council Meeting

January 15: OFFICE CLOSED - Martin Luther King Jr Day

January 15: BB Gun & Air Rifle Registration Night, Fairgrounds, 6 pm

January 31: 4-H Club Treasurer's Reports due!

February TBD: Arthur 4-H Council Meeting

February - NEBRASKA 4-H MONTH!

February 3: Keith Beef Weigh Ins, Ogallala Livestock, 9-11 am

February 4: Arthur Beef Weigh Ins, Storer Feedlot, 1-2 pm

The Keith-Arthur County Extension Office has an opening for a full-time Office Manager/4-H Aide. Strong communication, organizational, and time management skills are essential plus knowledge in Word, Excel, and publisher. The job description is below or available at https://www.keithcountyne.gov/news_detail_T6_R220.php

Applications are available at the Extension Office and the Keith County Clerk's Office. Applicants may also submit a cover letter and resume, but not required. Application should be returned to the Keith-Arthur County Extension Office at 511 North Spruce, Room 203, Ogallala or tessa.reece@unl.edu. Applications will be reviewed January 15, 2023, with position remaining open until filled.

*Keith County at this time only has a hard copy of an application, no digital copies. Tessa can mail hard copies if needed.

Keith County is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Market Beef weigh ins are not required for Keith and Arthur 4-H'ers. However, it is required to attend to be eligible for different contests such as Rate of Gain, Born and Bred (Keith), etc. If youth don't attend weigh ins, please stop by the office for tags and a blank copy of the Beef Affidavit.

If you plan to compete in the Nebraska State Fair, please let Tessa (4-H Educator) know since there are specific requirements for showing such as EID tags and DNA envelopes.

The Keith 4-H Council has one vacancy for an adult member. The 4-H Council serves as a local group of elected representatives who provide guidance, solicit support and assist in carrying out programs and activities in the interest of the 4-H youth development program. The 4-H Council is made up of volunteers who are interested in promoting positive youth development and represent the demographics, delivery modes and project areas they serve. Their input, fundraising and interaction help to insure 4-H provides the needed educational programs for the area.

4-H Council members serve 3 year terms with a maximum of 2 terms (6 years). If you have additional questions about serving on the 4-H Council, you can reach out to Tessa or any current 4-H Council members.

Any adult interested in serving on the Keith County 4-H Council is encouraged to email Tessa at tessa.reece@unl.edu or call the office.

https://v2.4honline.com/ is now open for the 2023-2024 Enrollment Year! The 4-H fiscal year ended on September 30, 2023. Deadline for 4-H enrollment in both Keith and Arthur County is June 15, 2024.

If you need help with enrollment, you may contact the Extension office for help!

NEW UPDATE:

Starting in the 2023-2024 program year, project selection is now optional. By successfully completing the 4-H member enrollment by the June 15th deadline, 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.
Please note:

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

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

BB Gun & Air Rifle registration will be Monday, January 15th at 6:00 pm at the Keith County Fairgrounds in the Activity Building. After that, there will be shooting and a safety class in the Exhibit Hall. Anyone who is 8-18 years old as of January 1, 2024 is welcome.

Archery - There will not be archery practices at this time due to the volunteer being unavailable. There is potential that archery may start up for a few months around May.

As you know, in 2023, Nebraska 4-H lowered the age limit for participation in the Nebraska State Fair for all in-person events to nine years of age. That change increased our participation and provided more youth the opportunity to have an engaging learning experience. We had many positive comments from legacy families as well as new.

This fall, we have had follow-up conversations with the show superintendents and various teams that run these events during State Fair and throughout the year. Based on that feedback and our goal of increasing access, the decision has been made to change the age of eligibility in 2024 to be 8 years of age before January 1 (of the current year) for all in-person State Fair events (livestock, contests, fashion shows, contests) and other state competitions (Fonner Park State 4-H Horse Expo, PASE, communications contest). Note: there will be some events that will maintain their ages due to specific program rules (shooting sports, FIRST LEGO League Challenge robotics). Please check information on each specific event as it becomes available.

The 2024 Special Garden Project will focus on Princess of India Nasturtium. This Victorian-era heirloom flower can be grown in a variety of ways including containers. It provides a splash of color from its scarlet flowers and much of the plant can be eaten. For more information: https://4h.unl.edu/special-garden-project

4-H members enrolled in the Special Garden Project will:

• Receive a ‘packet’ of Princess of India Nasturtium (one packet per youth) in March/April
• Receive a newsletter about planting & growing nasturtium
• Be able to exhibit this unique herb at County and State Fair

If interested, please let Tessa know by February 5th tessa.reece@unl.edu.

Registration for the Nebraska 4-H Summer Camp program is now open!

The summer 2024 theme is The Power of Being 🍀 Green. Youth will get to explore and interact with their natural world in six different sessions. Youth will learn how they can use their head, heart, hands, and health to make our natural world a better place for all.

The 2024 sessions offer tailored age cohorts, providing sessions for younger campers between the ages of 8-10, and an older cohort for ages 10-14.

You can find dates, session summaries, and registration information by visiting https://4h.unl.edu/camps-register.

Registration for the 2024 Nebraska 4-H Farrowed and Owned Swine Cohort is now open until February 1st, 2024. Please see the attached flyer for more program and registration details.

Youth participating in the Farrowed and Owned Cohort will:

- Network with 4-H members across the state who are also participating in the cohort experience.

- Participate in learning opportunities hosted by Extension Swine Specialist Benny Mote about biosecurity, meat science, economics of raising swine and more.

- The cohort will meet virtually the first Sunday of the month at 7:00 p.m. CT, the months of February, March, April, May and June.

- Gain knowledge related to their project and the swine industry as a whole.

- Maintain records related to swine management and basic care.

- Exhibit their Farrowed and Owned project animals at the 2024 Nebraska State Fair with the opportunity for special recognition as a result of participating in the cohort.

Register here by February 1, 2024!

The Jarvis Memorial Scholarship must be postmarked or email a PDF file no later than March 15, 2024. The intent of the scholarship is to assist women who live 3 or more hours drive from Lincoln but wish to attend the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Applicant must reside in Love Memorial Cooperative Residence Hall on East Campus.

The application has more information about the eligibility guidelines. Besides the forms, there is a map of Nebraska highlighted in yellow for an easier way to find the boundary of eligibility.

If you have questions email Gloria Turnbull at gloria.turnbull@windstream.net.