GC Newsletter February 2025

February 6 - 4-H Spirit Day

• Wear green or the 4-H emblem and post your spirit using #NE4HMonth

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

February 13 - Volunteer Appreciation Day

• Show your appreciation for all your 4-H volunteers

February 17 - Office Closed (President's Day)

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

February 20 - Sponsor & Appreciation Day

• Thank your 4-H sponsors!

• Coordinate a community service project to give back to the community.

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 Nebraska 4-H Month!!

Ana is still out of the office but things are running smoothly. Our Robotics program is gearing up for competitions starting this month and into March. Fair schedule has been set AND our fairbook is out for final revisions!

We still have a lot of youth not signed up on 4hOnline. Please try to do that as soon as you can! 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.

Our main form of communication is on SportsYou. There is a handy calendar on there to look up dates that we have reserved. Please take the time to sign up as soon as you can!

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

~Sarah

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.

Health Forms need to be filled out if you child will be attending overnight camps, especially CWF. Otherwise, you can answer only the required questions!

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.

Happy 4-H month to all who celebrate with us! Coloring contest and Disguise Your Clover information went home with all K-5 youth from school. If you didn't get one, stop by the office.

Families can join us for a Escape Room around Garden County to learn about 4-H history AND win a prize. You can pick up your starting clues any time between now and February 26th. The hunt will continue throughout the month until the end of February 28th. We would love to have you participate!

If you need help signing up, please watch the video at https://youtu.be/wZHW2qtMlOc. It walks you through step by step on how to sign up for a training!

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 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.

This project is open to all youth of 4-H ages 5-18 and it will give them the opportunity to learn about growing, harvesting, and exhibiting this unique fruit. The Special Gardening Project lets 4-H members try herbs. The project allows experienced 4-H gardeners to grow something fun, new, and different while letting those new to gardening get their feet wet in this project area.
The focus of the 2025 project is 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.

Seeds will be available as soon as we get them in the office!

Got to the Communications Contest Smore's Newletter to find more information on all of the different contests available!!

If you have students who are curious about agriculture, choosing a college, or who just like to network with other students, here’s a chance to connect them with some of the fine folks of the CASNR department by joining the Zoom in to CASNR webinar series! The next session will be February 24, 2025, at 7pm CST.

https://go.unl.edu/vb2s

Do you have students who are interested in the livestock industry and livestock judging? Here are some great opportunities to hone their skills in the Great State and beyond. This is an outstanding opportunity for students to meet peers also interested in livestock judging as well as network with industry professionals.

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.

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 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