Nobles County Clover Digest

You will need to identify all 4-H animal projects; breeding heifers, cow/calf pairs, prospect calves (steers and heifers), dairy cattle, dairy goats, dog, horse, llama-alpaca, meat goats, poultry (doves and pigeons), rabbits, sheep, and swine. Animals MUST be identified in 4-H Online by May 15, 2025. Cloverbuds do not need to identify animals at this time.

See livestock identification requirements in the following letter: Nobles All Animal Types ID Letter. Reach out to the Extension Office with any questions!

Ear tags for the 2025 animal ID season are now available at the Extension Office. New this year, tags are available at no cost to Nobles County 4-H members. All market beef IDs must be in 4-H Online by February 18, 2025. All other IDs are due on May 15, 2025. All distributed tags must be accounted for in 4-H Online and tags that do not show up in 4-H Online must be returned to the Extension office. To order tags ahead of time for pick up, please complete the order form.

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.

Livestock Quality Assurance and Ethics training helps youth provide excellent care for their animals and ensure a high level of food safety to consumers. This in-person, 3-hour training must be taken by youth who exhibit 4-H livestock, and is required to be eligible for the Minnesota State Fair, and certifies you for three fair seasons. If you are unsure you need the training, please reach out to the Extension office.

It is free to register, and snacks will be provided. Registration closes on May 21.

https://z.umn.edu/2025RockNoblesLQAE

The level of training required is determined by the grade of the youth at the time the training takes place.

• Level 1 training: 4-H’ers grades 6-8 and first-year exhibitors in higher grades.

• Level 2 training: 4-H’ers grades 9-13 or 6-8 that previously completed Level 1.

When: Saturday, May 31 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Where: Generations (105 S Estey St, Luverne MN 56156

Our rabbit project is doing a "Taco's & Tattoo" night on May 13th at the Nobles County Fairgrounds from 5-7 pm. They are going to talk about different informational pieces of the rabbit project, have tacos, and they will have experienced people there that are willing to help tattoo rabbits that night. Please attend if you are able!

Youth voiced the want for the All Livestock Showmanship Clinic to happen again this year. We are looking to see how many youth are interested before we start the planning process. Please fill out the form by May 20th so we can move forward with this idea. https://forms.gle/xKengmUCkq1mpnFF8

It is a very exciting time of the year for the seniors and their families in our program! We would love to highlight this accomplishment and share a Senior Spotlight on social media. Please fill out this Senior Spotlight Google Form and email a picture to Belle (patte951@umn.edu).

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 Application to get involved!

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!

Are you interested in learning more about Horse Judging? You would learn more about how to evaluate horses, parts of the horse, backgrounds on breeds, and gain skills in defending your placings through oral reasons. If this is something that sounds interesting to you, reach out to Belle (patte951@umn.edu) and we can connect!

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.

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.

Youth who completed grades 3-6 in the spring of 2025, don't miss out on this exciting summer experience! This multi-county overnight 4-H Camp in southwest Minnesota is packed with engaging educational sessions and classic camp activities, including: swimming, canoeing, kayaking, outdoor games, team-building activities, campfires, storytelling and so much more! High school-aged camp counselors will guide and connect with campers throughout their experience. Campers will stay in group cabins with peers of the same age, and all meals and snacks are included. Adjustments can be made for health and dietary needs, please include info when registering or connect with 4-H staff. https://4-hatcampshetek.4honline.com

Minnesota 4-H is offering hands-on, in-person plant science experiences for youth this summer—and we need your help to share the excitement! These programs immerse youth in real-world agriculture, agronomy, and plant science through fun, educational activities.

To learn more about the different crop scouting events and summer field days, visit the UMN Extension Website and view the upcoming events

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.

Consider attending this year’s Ag Academy: Passion to Career in Crookston, Minn. Join us, as well as our partners at FFA, for Ag Academy: Passion to Career– a unique opportunity for youth in grades 7-11. This three-day, two-night camp runs from June 16-18, and is held at University of Minnesota, Crookston and Northland Community & Technical College. At this camp, youth will have the chance to explore different careers in agriculture, food and natural resources (AFNR) while experiencing a college campus. In addition, college professors and industry leaders will provide hands-on learning experiences on topics like animals, drones, welding, horticulture, communications and more. Transportation is available and will pick up in the following towns: Mankato, Willmar, Alexandra and Fergus Falls.

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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