Nobles County Clover Digest

Animals are ID’d, projects are being worked on, and County Fair will be here before we know it! FairEntry Registration is open now until June 30th. You need to log in, and register for the projects and/or classes you plan on exhibiting at the fair. Here is a Quick Guide to help you through the process. If you have any questions, reach out to the office.

Summer is right around the corner and we need your help at the County Fair! Check out our Fair Help Signup Genius and put your name down for a slot. This is separate from our Food Stand Signup, which will be coming out later. If you have questions, reach out to the office.

We need your help with Pre & Post fair clean up! 6-8 members from each club are expected to attend both clean up days. The more members that are present, the faster cleanup is done. Please bring brooms, rags, buckets, basic tools, ladders, etc.

Pre-Fair Cleanup: Monday, July 21st from 5 - 6:30pm

Post-Fair Cleanup: immediately following project release on Sunday, August 10th at 5 pm

Club Assignments:

Benton: Okabena Bees

4-H Office & Plaza: Graham Lake Braves

McCarvel Display: Rushmore Central Hustlers

McCarval Kitchen: Elk Tip Toppers & Indian Lake Progressives

Olson Arena: Grand Prairie Rockets & Clovers

Join us for a youth lead workshop where we will focus on giving advice and practice on what the judging experience is like at the county fair. It will be a great, hands on experience for our youth. Parents are welcome to stay throughout the process.

When? June 30th @ 5 pm

Where? Farmer’s Room next to the Extension Office

Who? All youth 3-5 grade (if you are new to 4-H, not a 3-5 grader, and want to participate reach out to Belle (patte951@umn.edu, 507-295-5314)

Register in 4HOnline

Nobles County 4-H announces the Landon Rogers Memorial Education Program for 4-H members in the county who are actively involved in or would like to be involved in the Minnesota 4-H Beef Project. One or two winning entrants will receive Landon Rogers’ show equipment to use for the 2024 fair. The Show Equipment will be on loan from Landon’s Parents - Lance Rogers & Tami Rogers in memory of their son, Landon Rogers. Access the application materials and more information in this folder. Applications are due June 9, 2025 to the Extension Office.

Interested in signing up for Day Camps or Project Days? Registration is still open for all of our summer camps! Login to 4HOnline and get registered!

Day Camps

• June 12 9:00 - noon Art Fairgrounds
• July 2 9:00 - noon Science Experiments Brewster
• July 8 9:00 - noon Plant Science Centennial Park
• July 16 9:00 - noon Project Exploration Adrian

Project Days

• June 18 5:00 - 7:00pm Foods Projects Farmer's Room
• July 10 5:00 - 7:00pm Engineering Design Benton Hall - Fairgrounds
• July 23 5:00 - 7:00pm Art TBD

Do you enjoy working with youth and want to participate in a leadership opportunity this summer? At each day camp we hold, we are looking for older youth who enjoy working with kids and want to step up. Fill out this short Day Camp Counselor Survey to get involved!

Last week, our Food Stand Committee met and had discussions about getting ready for the county fair. You can see the meeting minutes here. If you see a Food Stand Committee Member, thank them for their help!

The 2025 Nobles County Fair Premium Book is now available on the Nobles County Extension website. Please review the book for updates for this year's fair. PAGE 5 will help you find "WHAT'S NEW" for 2025.

Nobles County 4-H is looking for donations of items for the communal show box that are used but still in good condition! Items can be brushes, combs, halters, and anything else that could be used. Items can be brought to the Extension Office!

New Vision Co-op is offering their sponsorship program. To learn more about this program, visit 4-H on the New Vision Co-op website. Deadline is June 13th.

Each year, the Minnesota State Fair awards thousands of dollars in scholarships to youth. If you are interested in applying, applications must be submitted by July, 14th. The application can be found here.

Do you have youth that are curious about livestock judging? This summer, help them take their 4-H experience to the next level by joining one of the Minnesota 4-H livestock judging day camps!

These hands-on camps focus on the evaluation of beef, meat goats, sheep and swine—an essential skill to enhance livestock project knowledge. Whether they are new to judging or want to sharpen their skills, the camps will cover the fundamentals of evaluation, key judging terms, judging logistics and more. These day camps are a fun and educational way to boost confidence and understanding of animal selection.

Camps will be held at three locations. All camps will cover the same information and will run from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Open to youth in grades 6-12.

• May 31 in Fertile at the Polk County Fairgrounds (https://z.umn.edu/LivestockJudgingFertile)

• June 13 in St. Peter at the Nicollet County Fairgrounds (https://z.umn.edu/LivestockJudgingStPeter)

• June 24 in Alexandria at the Douglas County Fairgrounds (https://z.umn.edu/LivestockJudgingAlexandria)

Registration is through 4-H Online.

It's time to begin thinking about forming a crop scouting team. Teams can be made up of 4-H and FFA youth in grades 6+ from one or multiple counties. We have another opportunity for youth in grades 3-5 to participate in a crop scouting experience as well as the state contest. Contact your local Extension office for help finding a team. If you don't have a team but still want to participate, we have coaches ready to coach youth across Minnesota. 4-H/FFA crop scouting registration opens on May 1, and the contest will take place Monday, July 28 at the University of Minnesota, St. Paul Campus. Learn more and register.

Mini golf will be taken to a whole new level with the 2025 Engineering Design Challenge (EDC): Putt It Together - 4-H Mini Golf Challenge and YOU can be part of the fun! This exciting statewide event invites youth in grades 3+ to work in a team of three or more people to design and build a Rube Goldberg™ type machine that completes a 2-part task: Hit a golf ball and sink a hole in one! The goal of the EDC is to inspire creativity, collaboration, communication, and critical thinking through engineering as youth create their machines. Individuals or families interested in being on a county team should contact your local 4-H educator. Two adult volunteers will work with each team, so everyone can be in on the fun! New this year: a “rookie” level for youth new to the challenge—they’ll be working on a machine with just five steps! The EDC showcase will be held in the 4-H Building during the Minnesota State Fair! Learn more and register.

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