December 2024 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

Dec. 2............ Extension Board Meeting, 7:15 PM at Haskell

Dec. 7............ Winter Fest, at Haskell

Dec. 10.......... Coffee & Conversation, at Haskell

Dec. 14.......... Lambing & Kidding School North Platte

Dec. 15.......... Nebraska Young Artist Award Deadline

Dec. 20.......... Omaha Fashion Week Entry Deadline

Dec. 23 - Jan. 1 UNL Holiday Closedown (Haskell Offices Closed)

Jan. 14........... Coffee & Conversation, at Haskell

Jan. 20........... Martin Luther King, Jr. Day (Haskell Offices Closed)

Jan. 27........... 4-H Council Meeting

Jan. 31........... 4-H Club & Council End of the Year Reports are due

February......... Nebraska 4-H Month

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

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

Feb. 8............. Beef Weigh-In

Feb. 24........... 4-H Livestock Advisory Meeting

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

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.

The Nebraska 4-H Volunteer Orientation serves as an introduction to the 4-H Youth Development program in Nebraska. As part of the screening process, the orientation covers a variety of foundational and essential topics. Any interested individuals including current or prospective volunteers are welcome to complete the orientation. However, all new volunteers serving in direct roles, such as club leader, project leader, or workshop presenter, are required to complete the orientation. Volunteers are also required to complete the orientation as part of the re-screening process.

Attention 11th Grade Juniors!!

The University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts is seeking applications for the 28th annual Nebraska Young Artist Awards. The deadline for applications in all categories is December 15.

The awards recognize 11th-grade students from Nebraska who are talented in visual art, dance, music, theater, and film and emerging media arts (which includes film, 3D models, interactive art, sound design and video games). These students exemplify the pinnacles of creativity in one of the fine and performing arts.

For the areas of music, dance, theater, and film and emerging media arts, students must submit an online application, which includes uploading a sample of their work and a letter of recommendation from a teacher. Full instructions are available at https://arts.unl.edu/hlfpa/nebraska-young-artist-awards.

Visual art students must submit an online application and include a photo of their work for judging. The winning students will have their work displayed in the School of Art, Art History and Design’s MEDICI Gallery.

All winning students will be invited to a special recognition day on April 2. Honored students and their parents will tour the arts facilities, attend classes, meet faculty and college students, have lunch and participate in an awards ceremony.

Students selected to participate in the Nebraska Young Artist Awards will also be asked to nominate the teacher who provided them with the greatest amount of mentoring and support in the development of their special talents.

For more information, contact Chris Watson, director of recruitment for the Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts, at 402-472-0897 or chris.watson@unl.edu.

Last year, 80 youth were selected for this honor!

@unl_extension Nebraska Extension @nebraska4h Nebraska 4-H

Don't miss out on signing up for the Nebraska 4-H Fed Steer Challenge! Applications are due 12/15/2024!

The Nebraska 4-H Fed Steer Challenge is an opportunity for youth interested in learning more about the cattle industry and is designed to cultivate the next generation of leaders in the Nebraska cattle industry.
The goal of the Fed Steer Challenge is to enhance the educational value of the traditional 4-H beef projects by providing an affordable option that rewards production merit and carcass value of the market animal, along with accurate and complete record-keeping, industry knowledge, and producer engagement by the 4-H member.
Sign up and find out more at https://4h.unl.edu/fed-steer-challenge

@nebraska4h Nebraska 4-H

Nebraska 4-H is excited to participate in the 2025 Omaha Fashion Week Student Night!
4-H members ages 8-18 are invited to apply for the 4-H Collection to be shown at the Omaha Design Center on February 26, 2025. Garments must have been exhibited at the County Fair in 2024 and should be fashion-forward, runway appropriate, and display high-quality construction.
To apply, complete the online application by December 20th. Visit https://go.unl.edu/25ofw for event details and application process.

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

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.

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.

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/