Thurston County 4-H News

Jennifer E. Hansen, Extension Educator, jhansen6@unl.edu

Sydney Williams, Extension Assistant, sydney.williams@unl.edu

Bobbie Hingst, Office Manager, bhingst2@unl.edu

Email: thurston-county@unl.edu
Website: thurston.unl.edu
Location: 415 Main Street, P.O. Box 665, Pender, NE 68787
Phone: 402-385-6041
Facebook: facebook.com/UNLExtensionThurston/
Twitter: @UNLThurstonCty

JANUARY

1 Office closed – New Year’s Day

5 State 4-H Achievement Applications DUE

13 4-H Council Meeting; 6:30 PM

20 Office Closed – Martin Luther King Jr. Day

FEBRUARY – Nebraska 4-H Month

4 NACEB Meeting - Lincoln, NE

10 Joint 4-H Council Meeting- (Dakota County Extension office; 6:30 PM)

17 Office Closed – Presidents’ Day

18 Thurston Extension Board Meeting – Ext. Office; 6:30 PM

MARCH

2 4-H Achievement/Kick Off Party – Pender Lanes; 12-3 PM

3 Butter Braid Sales Begins (Pick up materials at office)

4 4-H Horse Stampede entries DUE

10 4-H Council Meeting; 6:30 PM

15 Jarvis Memorial Scholarship Application DUE

17 Dakota-Thurston All Contest Day Registration is DUE by 12:00 PM!!

22 Dakota- Thurston All Contest Day, 9:30 am (United Church of Pender) (Speech, Favorite Foods, Presentation, & Music contests)

29-30 4-H Horse Stampede, Lincoln, NE

APRIL

1 Butter Braid Sales are Due by 4:30 PM!!

4 Thurston County 4-H Senior Scholarship Applications Due

10 Butter Braids delivered (to Extension Office)

12 All Contest Day (RAIN DATE)

14 Joint 4-H Council Meeting, (Dakota County Extension Office)

20-26 National Volunteer Week

25 Office Closed – Arbor Day

Thurston County 4-H Council is looking for 2 people to join the crew! We’re looking for one adult and one youth (13 and up).

If you are interested in joining our team, please contact the Thurston County Extension office at 402-385-6041 or sydney.williams@unl.edu.

It's time to get enrolled in 4-H for the 2025 4-H year! Nebraska is using the same platform as last year! To enroll, visit https://v2.4honline.com/

For returning families: Do Not create a new account; rather use your existing log-in credentials from 4-H online as used in previous years. Find instructions at https://4h.unl.edu/enroll/returning-member

For new families, find instructions here: https://4h.unl.edu/enroll/new-member

Our county has a $5 enrollment fee to be paid by check.

Cloverleaf club members pay your leader. All other clubs and Independent members pay by check to the Thurston County Extension Office.

Please contact us at 402-385-6041 with any enrollment questions!

Nebraska 4-H recognizes and awards individuals for outstanding achievements and contributions to their community, club, and their own personal development. Recognition and awards are available throughout all levels and programs of 4-H.

As a reminder, the Nebraska 4-H State Level Achievement Applications are DUE January 5, 2025 to the State 4-H Office. As long as the time stamp comes in no later than 11:59PM CT/MT, it will be accepted.

This application enables eligibility for National 4-H Conference in Washington DC in the spring, National 4-H Congress in Atlanta, Georgia, in the fall, and/or the Nebraska 4-H Foundation Scholarships. If you are interested in attending National 4-H Conference, National 4-H Congress or applying for a Nebraska 4-H Foundation scholarship, please submit your achievement application to 4hachieves@unl.edu

More information can be found at - https://4h.unl.edu/statewide-events-opportunities/awards-recognition/achievement-application/

We have collectively decided to not have a Beef Weigh - In in 2025. If you would still like to attend a weigh-in, there are surrounding counties that will have them. If you need these dates, please contact the Thurston or Dakota extension offices! Thanks 🙂

The Special Garden Project is open to all youth of 4-H age and it will give them the opportunity to learn about growing, harvesting, and exhibiting this unique flower. This project lets 4-H members try their hand at growing unusual vegetables and flowers. 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.

More information available at: https://4h.unl.edu/statewide-events-opportunities/special-garden-project/

We all know about the 4-H livestock, cooking and sewing projects. But with nearly 50 projects to choose from, there are likely some you aren’t familiar with. These five often-overlooked projects offer real-world skills and unique experiences: https://4h.unl.edu/news/nebraska-4-h-5-underrated-practical-projects

We are delighted to announce the Innovative Youth Corn Challenge, a prestigious contest open to 4-H members (aged 8 and older as of January 1st) and FFA members (in-school members). This competition is designed to guide participants through a comprehensive exploration of all facets of corn production, including aspects related to agricultural careers associated with corn production.

Key Features:

• Team Participation: Teams comprising two or more youth participants will collaboratively embark on the challenge.

• Innovative Practices: Youth will be tasked with implementing a production practice differing from the norm, with the goal of assessing its impact on increasing corn yield.

• Data Collection: The Corn Challenge management summary will systematically gather crucial information, including yields, cropping history, and production details.

• Recognition and Rewards: Outstanding achievements will be duly rewarded with cash prizes and plaques for the top three teams:

• First Place: $1,000

• Second Place: $500

• Third Place: $250

• Special Awards: In addition to the top rankings, commendable efforts will be acknowledged through the "Extra Mile" and "Ag Literacy" Awards, each carrying a value of $200.

This competition not only fosters a spirit of innovation in corn production but also serves as a platform for recognizing dedication and excellence within the 4-H and FFA communities. We encourage all eligible participants to embrace this opportunity to showcase their skills and contribute to the advancement of agricultural practices. Registration deadline is April 1st.

For detailed guidelines and participation information, please refer to the https://cropwatch.unl.edu/youth/cornchallenge webpage or contact Brandy VanDeWalle at brandy.vandewalle@unl.edu.

We are now accepting registrations for the 2024 Farrowed & Owned Swine Cohort! Registration closes on Thursday, February 1, 2025.

This opportunity is designed to enhance the educational value of the traditional 4-H swine project by focusing on swine production, accurate record keeping, and industry knowledge and engagement by the 4-H member.

**NEW for 2025**: Exhibit their Farrowed and Owned project animals at any Nebraska county fair. Exhibiting at the 2025 Nebraska State Fair is optional. All cohort members will participate in an interview at the 2025 Nebraska State Fair. Join the first session in February for more details!

Visit 4h.unl.edu/farrowed-owned to get started.

The Nebraska 4-H Horse Stampede offers a variety of 4-H horse contests that do not require live animals, including public speaking, demonstration, quiz bowl, art, and photography contests. Youth have the opportunity to display their equine knowledge through these contests both as an individual and as part of a team. The 4-H Horse Stampede is held annually at the UNL Animal Science Complex in Lincoln, Nebraska. This year's event will be held Saturday, March 29, and Sunday, March 30, 2025.

There is a $10 entry fee per participant and a $10 office fee per exhibitor. Event shirts are also available for pre-order. All orders, fees, and entry forms must be submitted online by Friday, February 28, 2025. All art and photography exhibits must be dropped off at check-in on the day of the event (see schedule for details).

Nebraska 4-H Horse show dress code is required for all in-person contests. Please see pages 23-24 of the Nebraska 4-H Horse Show and Judging Guide for details. Exception: No hats or headgear are permitted.

We are excited to announce the fourth year of the Nebraska 4-H Livestock Achievement Program. This additional opportunity for enrolled livestock project youth, is designed to promote all educational aspects of 4-H livestock projects including selection, production, leadership, and exhibition by recognizing youth striving to improve in their livestock project knowledge and leadership.

The program recognizes Members of Excellence across all 4-H livestock project areas, including: beef, sheep, meat goat, swine, dairy cattle, dairy goat, rabbit, and poultry.

The program consists of three levels that require 4-H members to plan and report a broad range of age-appropriate and project-related accomplishments. For each level, the Livestock Achievement Program provides a list of accomplishments from which 4-H members choose their goals. Each accomplishment is worth a specific number of points. Juniors, ages 8-9, submit pictures, poster, presentation, and other learning activities to receive the distinction of Junior Member of Excellence, no point value, Intermediates, ages 10-13, must complete 100 points worth of activities to receive the distinction of Intermediate Member of Excellence. Seniors, ages 14-18, must complete 150 points worth of activities to receive the distinction of Senior Member of Excellence. The Plan and Reports, linked on the webpage, show examples of the project related accomplishments they can choose, or they can identify their own with approval of their local educator.

Applications/Sign up are due June 15th through the application form link on the website. Plan and Reports, as well as Project Records will be due August 1 via the completion form on the website.

Youth completing the achievement program and receiving member of excellence recognition in the various species will be recognized during the Parade of Champions, 4-H weekend at the Nebraska State Fair.

For more information or to apply, go to: Livestock Achievement Program | Nebraska 4-H (unl.edu)

The program consists of levels that require a young person to plan and report a broad range of age-appropriate accomplishments. For each level, the Dog Achievement program provides a list of accomplishments from which 4-H youth choose their goals. The accomplishments increase in quantity and difficulty for each level. At the beginning of the 4-H year, participants plan what to accomplish and at the end of the 4-H year, they report on their completed accomplishments. Successful completion of a level's Plan & Report form results in a 4-H youth earning that level of the Dog Achievement program.

More information can be found at: https://4h.unl.edu/dog-achievement-program

For any questions, contact Grace Kim at Grace.kim@unl.edu

It is recommended on the program page that Plan & Report Forms should be to county offices at least 1 month prior to the county awards night for youth to be recognized.

The Nebraska 4-H Livestock Information Series is a resource for 4-H members, leaders, and parents to gain knowledge in various livestock-related topic areas. Each session, a new topic is covered with experts joining to share their experience and expertise. Extended learning opportunities and supporting documents are also available for each topic. Learn more at https://4h.unl.edu/livestock-info-series

YQCA is excited to launch a new scholarship program for certified youth, ranging from high school seniors to age 21, pursuing an agriculture degree or trade.

We will provide a total of $30,000 in scholarships to selected youth in 2025! Individual scholarships will be awarded in the following amounts:

• One recipient - $10,000
• Two recipients - $5,000
• Four recipients - $2,500

How to Apply

Scholarship applications are open from January 1st – February 17th. Recipients will be announced in May.

Click Here: https://yqcaprogram.org/local/scholarship-program.php

We are excited to share with you the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Engler Program. Visit the website below to find more information about Engler as well as the scholarship that is available for high school graduating seniors. https://engler.unl.edu

If you have any questions please reach out to Michelle Bassford:

Michelle Bassford, Chief Experience Officer,

Engler Entrepreneurship Program-UNL,

DINS 201AD, Lincoln, NE 68583,

(402) 472-9274, https://engler.unl.edu

The intent of the scholarship is to assist women who live 3 or more hours drive from Lincoln but wish to attend the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Applicant must reside in Love Memorial Cooperative Residence Hall on East Campus.

If you have questions email Gloria Turnbull at gloria.turnbull@windstream.net

Application deadline: postmarked no later than March 15, 2025.

Application can be found here: https://go.unl.edu/jarvismemorial2024

(One $500 Scholarship — Fall 2024/Spring 2025—non renewable)

Who is Eligible?

1. Female born high school graduate (or soon to be) OR a UN-L student who has not resided at Love Memorial Cooperative Residence Hall (LMH) OR an undergraduate transfer student from another college or university pursing any major for an undergraduate or graduate degree.

2. Applicant must be or been a member of 4-H or FCCLA or FFA (minimum of two years) or have taken a minimum of three semesters in Family & Consumer Sciences classes and live in or attend school in the following Nebraska counties: Antelope, Arthur, Banner, Blaine, Box Butte, Boyd, Brown, Cedar, Chase, Cherry, Cheyenne, Custer, Dakota, Dawes, Dawson, Deuel, Dixon, Dundy, Frontier, Furnas, Garden, Garfield, Gosper, Grant, Harlan, Hayes, Hitchcock, Holt, Hooker, Keith, Keya Paha, Kimball, Knox, Lincoln, Logan, Loup, McPherson, Morrill, Perkins, Phelps, Pierce, Red Willow, Rock, Scotts Bluff, Sheridan, Sioux, Thomas, Thurston, Wayne, Wheeler.

3. Must have applied (minimum) or been accepted (preferred) to University of Nebraska - Lincoln.

4. Must have requested residency in Love Memorial Hall, a cooperative residence hall on East Campus. Residents rotate responsibilities for cleaning a portion of the Hall and planning/preparing meals (about 1 hour per week; more time during a week when responsible for food preparation). The cost of living in Love Memorial Hall is less than half of what is charged for all other traditional dorms. Over a four year period this amounts to a savings around $24,000. More information about Love Memorial Hall is found at: https://housing.unl.edu/love-memorial-hall Students may change housing preference by submitting a written request to the Housing Office.

For more information: Web - https://housing.unl.edu;

Phone - (402) 472-3561; Switchboard—800-742-8800; Email: housing@unl.edu

Also see our website for all other scholarships that are available.

click here: https://extension.unl.edu/statewide/thurston/scholarships/