Stevens County April News🌼

In this newsletter, we will reflect on our efforts from National Food Shelf Month, update families on a new communication tool we are launching, wish our state project bowl youth good luck with their state competitions, encourage youth to sign up for 4-H camps, and share important animal science opportunities/due dates coming up!

Thank you so much for your efforts in helping play a role in learning about and taking a stand against food insecurity this past month. At the KMRS/KKOK Spring Expo, the folks who volunteered had over 65 conversations with those in our community about food insecurity and how our community can donate to our local food shelf. The grant money that we received last fall was also recently given to the Stevens County Food Shelf. They were ecstatic to receive the financial support and shared that they would specifically use the money towards purchasing essential/personal care items.

My hope and goal is that we will consider how we can take action on food insecurity throughout the entire year, not just during National Food Shelf month. Please consider the below year-round opportunities that you can volunteer for!

Opportunities to Volunteer:

• Challenge your club to collect essential items this spring. View a list of essential items here.

• Raise awareness for essential items and collect food/resources at the 2024 KMRS/KKOK Spring Expo (March 15-16).

• Create social media posts for the month of March to raise awareness of food insecurity.

• Volunteer at our local food shelf.

• Volunteer to work at the June/July summer food drops (75-100 are needed).

• Give radio interviews spreading awareness.

• Schedule a tour with our local food shelf to learn more about how it is operated, the community reached, the food/essential items needed, etc.

• Purchase backpacks for the Back to School Program.

• Volunteer at the Farmers Market.

• Help stock food with the Backpack Program.

• Write a newspaper article of what you and/or your club is doing to serve.

• Purchase gift cards (at Willies, etc.) and hand them out during food shelf hours.

THANK YOU VOLUNTEERS FOR SERVING our community

As we move forward past March, my challenge to you and our clubs is if we can commit to volunteering at the June 11 Stevens County Food Drop. This will include packing and distributing food to those in our community (75-100 volunteers are needed). More information and details on this will be provided as soon as it is received.

Let us not forget the importance of service (hands to larger service) as we echo what 4-H stands for in our everyday lives. Martin Luther King Jr. once shared that “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is: What are you doing for others?”. Stevens County 4-H families, how can we continue to be a blessing and serve others in our community? One way we can do this is by helping those in our community who are hungry.

Monday night, April 8th, Stevens County 4-H Citizen Washington Focus trip participants (Tabitha, Echo, Jacey, and Scarlet) will be participating in the Pizza Ranch Community Impact fundraiser.

The 4-Hers will clear tables while you support 4 Stevens County 4-Hers who will be traveling to Washington DC in June. While they are in Washington DC they will participate in leadership sessions, meet with government officials, as well as see our nation’s history through the monuments & sight seeing.

Thank you Pizza Ranch for supporting this opportunity!

We are using a new communication tool to communicate with our Stevens County 4-H families! Going forward you will be receiving most of your information from the Stevens County 4-H office via Spond. If you have not done so already please accept the invite that was sent out last week! Link to sign up here.

The Pep & Progress 4H club was started in 1959. Eventually the

Framnas club merged into Pep & Progress as well. There was limited

information regarding the history this club, but they focused on many

different things over the years. For the 2023 4-H year, the club focus

was on goats. They started with an industry speaker, played a trivia quiz

that the winner got to borrow a goat to show at the Stevens County

Fair, took a field trip to a goat farm and designed their club banner

around the goat theme. The Pep & Progress 4-H club stays busy all year

with meetings and community service projects. They meet every 3rd

Sunday of the month at 2pm at the dairy barn on the Stevens County

fair grounds.

-provided by Jessie Staples (Pep & Progress 4-H Assistant Club Leader)

Want to learn more about this club? Reach out to the club leaders Jen Schaefer and Jessie Staples for more information (or connect with Savannah Aanerud).

Learn more about our Stevens County 4-H Clubs here.

Congratulations to the Rabbit, Horse, Poultry, and Dairy Stevens County 4-H Project Bowl teams for their hard work and dedication in preparing for their Regional 4-H Project Bowl Invitationals held on March 2, 2024, for Poultry and March 16, 2024, for the others. Our Stevens County 4-H junior rabbit bowl team and senior horse bowl team received 2nd place, and our senior poultry team received 1st place at the regional 4-H competition and will compete at the Minnesota 4-H State Project Bowl competition on April 6, 2024, in Sauk Rapids.

Tammy Socha, one of the 4-H Rabbit Bowl coaches, says "We are very proud of how these kids did at the regional contest! They have learned a lot and had fun in the process. They are gaining knowledge that will benefit them in many ways but especially in their future showing experience with their rabbits at the county and state fairs. Project bowl teaches kids how to be better educated and informed showmen and producers of their species. We are excited to advance to the state project bowl with the junior rabbit team!"

Find full results under the MN 4-H UMN Extension website under “4-H project bowl”

Stevens County 4-H’ers! We are EXCITED to be offering our very first Stevens County 4-H Archery Invitational on April 13!

Come test your skills with archery where you will have the opportunity to showcase your archery skills and learn from peers, coaches and volunteers in a positive environment.

The archery invitational will be held in Gym 91 in the Morris Area High School in Morris. Registration begins at 9 a.m., with the event starting at 10 a.m. Youth in grades 4 through one-year post-high school are invited to participate! The cost is $20. Register in 4-H Online by April 8th.

Find more information about this event here.

Are you passionate about working with Cloverbuds and 3-5th graders? Interested in learning more about the outdoors? Then volunteering to help lead after school adventures with Savannah may just be for you! She needs 2 screened volunteers present to help lead this program! Look below for the dates/times that this is being offered. If this interests you, please connect with Savannah at aaner032@umn.edu!

Tuesdays | April 9, 16, 23 | K-2 Grade

Thursdays | April 11, 18, 25 | 2-5 Grade

This starts right after school and goes until 4:30 p.m. at the Hancock school cafeteria!

Topics covered | Owl pellets, animal tracks, birding, geocaching

4-H camp is a great way to have fun outdoors and meet new friends! This multi-county 4-H camp will be held in west central Minnesota on the beautiful campus of the University of Minnesota, Morris. Educational sessions and camp activities will include water games, outdoor games, campfire and more. High school-aged camp counselors will connect with campers throughout the entire camp experience. Camp will begin on June 25 at 10 a.m. and end on June 27 at 3 p.m. Open to youth in grades 3-6.

How to sign up?

1. Registration is handled through 4-H Online. For assistance, refer to the event registration guide at https://z.umn.edu/4-HOnline

EventSignUp; call the Extension Office at 320-208-6575 with any questions. Remember to rank your track choices from 1-6, put 0 if no interest. Track choices will not be confirmed until payment is received.

2. Send your half of the payment of $80, made payable to the University of Minnesota to UMN Extension Regional Office, Attn: Brian McNeill, 46352 State Hwy. 329, Morris, MN 56267. For credit card payments, see camp brochure for instructions. Stevens County 4-H will pay the other half of the $160 fee.

Youth Exploring Leadership and Learning Opportunities (YELLO) is a 4-H leadership conference for youth in grades 7 and up that prepares youth to learn and lead in their communities. YELLO is planned and facilitated by the Minnesota 4-H State Ambassadors.

The 2024 conference will include engaging and interactive activities. The conference will be held June 12-15, 2024.

This year YELLO will take place at the University of Minnesota Morris in southwest Minnesota!

Find more information and register here.

• Click on the Spring 4-H Animal Science Opportunities to view what we are currently offering.

• Click on Stevens County 4-H Animal Science Update to grasp an understanding of important changes to this year’s classes.

• Click on the Spring 4-H Horse Update to stay up to date on current happenings.

May 15 Animal Science Identification Due Date

Please read through the 2024 Animal Science ID letter for further updates and information.

As a Cloverbud, to identify your animal science projects, you do not need to complete all of the forms that older 4-H'ers do. We have tried to simplify the process; you will just need to complete this online Google form.

Note, that this is just preliminary animal identification, you will need to register for your actual animal science classes later this summer with your FairEntry information by July 10. Although Cloverbud animals do not need a 4-H tag necessarily, they do need to meet the Minnesota Board of Animal Health Official Identification requirements. For those requirements, see https://www.bah.state.mn.us/official-id/

Families may choose one of two acceptable ways to guide and monitor involvement in non-mounted activities:

1. The responsible person is in control of the animal with the cloverbud at their side.

2. The cloverbud is in control3 of the animal with the responsible person at their side to assist or take control of the animal when needed or as directed by staff, volunteers or show managers.

*exception* When a cloverbud is mounted on a horse, the horse must always have a lead line and be under the control of the responsible person.

More information on Cloverbuds can be found here.

Do you have a dog in your household? Do you want to learn more about how to care for and train your dog? Explore careers that involve working with dogs? Compete in a 4-H dog show? Then the 4-H dog project may just be for you! Krista Duncan and Hannah Liljenquist are two excited 4-H’ers who are excited to get a 4-H dog project up and running here in Stevens County! We are checking in to see if there is an interest in learning about the dog project here!

Please fill out this quick and easy google form with your interest here.

The drill team offers 4-H'ers interested in the horse project a chance to develop leadership and teamwork skills while learning more about horses. In the drill team, you'll learn coordination, timing, speed and synchronizing with other riders. Variety and creativity in dress and routine are encouraged. For grades 6 and up.

We are looking to see what the interest is so that we can start strong next spring/summer!

• Please fill out the Google Form here if interested.

• Learn more about the drill team here.

“Clover Connect” is a NEW Stevens County 4-H Program that will serve to match 4-H youth with an older member who will help provide guidance and mentorship throughout the 4-H year. Utilizing hands-on engagement, mentors will help provide a positive learning experience in project areas relating to both static and livestock. They can also assist you at the Stevens County Fair with 4-H livestock shows and general entry day!

Learn more about this program and sign up here.

April | Hancock After School Outdoor Adventures

April 8 | Stevens County CWF fundraiser 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. (Pizza Ranch, Morris)

April 11 | Food Stand Committee @ 5:45 p.m. (Faith Lutheran Church, Morris)

April 13 | Stevens County 4-H Archery Invitational

April 15 | Stevens Co. Leaders Council Meeting @ 7 p.m. (West Central Research and Outreach Center)

May 15 | Animal Science ID due

Let Savannah know if you have any questions by calling Stevens County 4-H at 320-208-6575 or email her at aaner032@umn.edu!

• Minnesota 4-H Website
  

• Stevens County 4-H Website

• Stevens County 4-H Facebook Page

• Stevens County 4-H Instagram Page

• Stevens County 4-H Calendar

• Stevens County 4-H SmugMug Pictures

• Join or re-enroll as a 4-H Member

• 4-H Volunteer Page

• Projects 4-H has to offer

Email: mnext-stevens@umn.edu
Website: extension.umn.edu/local/stevens
Location: 400 Colorado Ave., Ste. 103, Morris, MN 56267
Phone: 320-208-6575
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Stevens-County-4-H-101660486563830/
Twitter: @UMNExt

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