Stevens County March News

Happy March and National Food Shelf Month!

In this newsletter, we will explore National Food Shelf Month, wish our project bowl youth good luck with their competitions, encourage youth to sign up for 4-H camp, and share a few regional opportunities (catalog of opportunities) that are available to our 4-H families!

“Food insecurity doesn't have a zip code, age limit or tax bracket. Someone you know is struggling with food insecurity whether you are aware of it or not” (Susie West, UMN Extension Educator).

Last fall, Stevens County 4-H received funds to partner with our local food shelf and/or nutrition organization. Our goal is to intentionally begin this discovery of food insecurity and essential items from the month of March-onward. As we begin the month of March, I want to encourage us, as a Stevens County 4-H Program, to look into opportunities to serve our community specifically related to providing food and essential items to families. Let’s read through the two terms below defined by the USDA webpage on Definitions of Food Security to help us all understand the definitions of food insecurity and hunger.

• Food insecurity—the condition assessed in the food security survey and represented in USDA food security reports—is a household-level economic and social condition of limited or uncertain access to adequate food.

• Hunger is an individual-level physiological condition that may result from food insecurity

.

Why do these terms matter? Well, as we read through the below statistics, I want to encourage us to think through how many people in our community may be struggling with being food insecure or hungry.

“The 2023 data from our food shelf partners and our food access partners shared that

7.4 million food shelf visits occurred in Minnesota in 2023. That is up 2 million visits from last year. Food shelf visits have more than doubled in the last 2 years.” (UMN Supershelf Research).

Due to 4-H being a positive youth development organization centered around hands-on educational opportunities, we want to provide impactful education and service experiences to our 4-H families and communities in this field. Take a look at the opportunities to volunteer that we are promoting to our Stevens County 4-H families and youth! Your club leaders will receive a more indepth food awareness plan of action shortly!

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.

Every act of kindness and service action helps make our world a better place. I want to encourage you all to read through “The Tale of the Starfish” story which explains the importance of taking one step forward towards making a difference even when the overall goal seems large. Food insecurity is a huge challenge, but taking one step forward to help overcome it, will make a difference to someone in our community. And that someone matters. Stevens County 4-H, the time is ours to do so.

-Savannah Aanerud, 4-H Extension Educator

Helpful resources:

• Hunger Facts from Second Harvest Heartland

• Definitions of Food Security from the USDA

• Extension’s Role with Health Food Shelf Transformations

• List of Essential Items

“Horton has been an active club for many generations. Since dating back as far as the 1940s, probably even longer. Originally called Horton Riverside because of the Pomme de Terre River running right through Horton township. Many things have changed over the years, like the homemade pies for the fair, farm tours, most meetings held in the home, a leader for each project; but hard work, fun and learning many things has stayed the same. Today, Horton has 26 members. Many who don't even live in Horton township. Horton meets monthly in various places, homes, library, Riverview Dairy, and the Stevens County Fairgrounds, to name a few. Many members volunteer for community service projects, bring livestock to the fair and many other projects. Horton 4-H members are growing and thriving in Stevens County.”

-provided by Bridget Backman (Horton 4-H volunteer and past club leader)

Want to learn more about this club? Reach out to the club leaders Monica Price and Nikki Knobloch for more information (or connect with Savannah Aanerud).

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

Poultry Bowl | March 2 Competition

4-H’ers | Mason R., Ashley R., Alayna R., Brinley P.

Coaches | Dawn R. and Lisa P.

Dairy Bowl | March 16 Competition

4-H’ers | Kaleb H., Ahna H., Karsten H., Parker A., Angela A.

Coaches | Brad H., Joni H., and Steve A.

Horse Bowl | March 16 Competition

4-H’ers | Hannah L., Kallista B., Krista D., Britney W.

Coaches | Julie K., and Jordan S.

Rabbit Bowl | March 16 Competition

4-H’ers | Ella J., Renly Q., Olivia O., Ilse R., Jacey L., Joshua P., Mona Q.,Connor O.

Coaches | Shannon O., Tammy S., JoAnn Lonergan., and Nissa R.

Best of Luck to these individuals and coaches!

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.

Interested in having your Extension Educator (Savannah Aanerud) join you for a club meeting? Reach out to your club leaders to schedule a time with Savannah!

“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.

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.

Minnesota 4-H offers various camps throughout the year for 4-H youth to attend, one of them being BLU (Building Leadership & Understanding) for grades 6th-9th. On February 16-17 at Camp Friendship in Annandale, 2 Stevens County 4-H members attended this regional overnight camp, Andie Eckel and Marissa DeVries. While attending BLU, participants interacted and made connections with other youth, learned how to be an active listener, and learned what kinds of energy exist in Minnesota and how they can conserve energy. Echo Schaefer, another Stevens County 4-H Member and Minnesota 4-H State Ambassador, helped plan and facilitate this event along with BLU at Camp Omega in Waterville on February 9-10.

"I have never been to Building Leadership & Understanding (BLU) before. This was a new experience for me. I enjoyed connecting with other youth across the state and making memories with my fellow state ambassadors".

-Echo S.

Dairy Beef Adventure | Register by March 1 (Stevens County 4-H opportunity)

We welcome you to participate in the 4-H Dairy Beef Adventure this year! Please view the flier for this here. Deadline to register is March 1! This is a GREAT opportunity for youth interested in learning more and getting started in the beef project. Please read below for more info!

Quick program summary: Youth participants will receive a bottle calf or weaned calf and starter feed for their project. In addition, they will have access to industry experts such as our nutritionist, veterinarian and experienced producers. Cost is $250 for youth wanting a bottle calf and $550 for those wanting a weaned calf. All participants will also receive a t-shirt.

All calves will be the same age (the difference is when the members get their calves). They could be shown in the beef prospect steer calf class, but would fit much better in a prospect dairy beef steer class (they would not be state fair eligible as calves). Youth in the dairy beef adventure program will own their calves.

If you would like to sell your calf, you can continue raising your calves after the fair and exhibit them in 2025 as crossbred dairy steer (so a 2 year project potential!). If you would like to sell your calf after the fair, we can help connect you with potential buyers.

Registration Details:

Youth can register at z.umn.edu/2024 dairy beef adventure. All youth will pay the fee at the calf selection on March 9. If finances are a concern, please reach out to Savannah:)

View flier for the Dairy Beef Adventure here.

Feeding for Success Workshop (regional opportunity)

Wondering how to help your 4-H market animals reach a healthy rate of gain? Want to learn more on how to feed your 4-H production animal to make sure they are getting the proper nutrition for growth? Join us in learning how to determine your feeding program goals for your market or production animal from nutritionists and Extension Educators who specialize in livestock species.

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.

Want to test your skills and knowledge in general livestock (beef, sheep, swine, and meat goat)? Check out this new opportunity to participate in a General Livestock Skill-a-Thon contest right here in Minnesota on April 13 in Redwood Falls.

4-Hers in grades 3-13 are invited to attend this free event. Participants may register as a team or individually by April 1. Additional information and registration can be found at z.umn.edu/GLSkillaThon.

The SW Region Winter 2024 edition of our Catalog of Opportunities is full of unique experiences throughout the next couple of months.

View the catalog here.

February-March | Winter Shooting Sports Series

March | National Food Shelf Month

March 2 | Poultry Project Bowl Competes

March 4 | Livestock committee meeting @ 6 p.m. (WCROC)

March 11 | Awards & Recognition Committee at 7:00 p.m. (Extension Office Room)

March 16 | Dairy, Horse, Rabbit Project Bowls compete

March 25 | Leaders Council Meeting @ 7 p.m. (WCROC)

March 31 | Food Partnership Challenge project deadline

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

April 13 | Stevens County 4-H Archery Invitational

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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