Washington County 4-H Newsletter

Welcome to our Family Newsletter! The most up-to-date information about events and activities going on in Washington County 4-H. Please pass along to friends and family that might be interested in attending a 4-H event. You will also receive the monthly Clover Update at the beginning of each month highlighting regional and state events.

Is your newsletter getting cut off? Washington County does have a lengthy newsletter and it often times will be cut off for gmail accounts and perhaps others. Meaning you have to hit a link to get the whole newsletter. The best way to view our newsletter is to open it in a new browser.

Washington County 4-H’ers – it is time to re-enroll for the 2024-2025 4-H year! There will not be a $25 enrollment fee this year! Please log in to your family account and re-enroll your 4-H members and any screened adults from your household now, no reason to wait, check it off your list!

We will be holding a goat workshop for those interested in or fairly new to showing goats on Saturday, Oct. 5 at the Washington County Fairgrounds.

We will meet on the east side of the goat barn from 1-3. We will talk about showing opportunities for both 4-H and open class, have some demonstrations on ring etiquette, showmanship tips and basic animal husbandry for goats. We will end with a short question and answer session and some information for anyone interested in leasing an animal.

Please join us, humans only. We will have a few goats there for the demonstrations. The restrooms on the fairgrounds will be closed, so please plan accordingly. There is a gas station just across the street that has bathrooms.

When-Saturday October 5th 1-3 pm

Where- Washington County Fairgrounds -East Side of the Goat Barn

12300 40th St N
Lake Elmo, MN 55042

No Cost or registration required

Both children and adults are welcome to come and learn. Children 12 and under must be accompanied by an adult.

National 4-H Week (Oct. 7-12) is an annual celebration of the impact 4-H makes on youth and communities across the United States. Watch our social media for ways you can participate.

Our annual 4-H Open House is a great way to learn all about what Washington County 4-H has to offer! This well-established youth program brings together young people in grades Kindergarten through 13th (one year past high school) to pursue their passions and interests in a supportive community.

Join us on Friday, October 11th from 5-7pm at the Washington County Fairgrounds to meet the different 4-H clubs in our area and see what kinds of activities we offer: performing arts, animal science, STEM, dog training, community service projects, and much much more! We will have fun hands-on activities, animal guests, and delicious treats for everyone!

If you would like more information on the event or how to enroll in 4-H, please visit our website at z.umn.edu/washco4h or email ashton@umn.edu.

Please share this event with your friends and community!

We are always looking to add additional Certified Trainers to our Shooting Sports Program! 4-H requires Trainers to be certified through 4-H. Washington County has a large Shooting Sports Program with over 65 kids participating this past year! The training is designed for adults who would like to be certified in one of the following disciplines; archery, rifle/pistol, shotgun, muzzleloading and wildlife.

If becoming a Certified Trainer is something you are interested in, there is a Training coming up in Jordan, Minnesota on October 12th. Washington County 4-H pays the registration fee. Certified Trainers first must be screened 4-H volunteers. There are 3 easy steps to become a screened volunteer: screened 4-H volunteer Trainers need to be certified every 7 years in a particular discipline. If this is something you would be interested in, please contact Ann at; churc109@umn.edu

Learn more about becoming Certified Trainer here; https://extension.umn.edu/4-h-shooting-sports-and-wildlife-program/4-h-shooting-sports-and-wildlife-leader-certification

The Horse PDC will have its first meeting of the new 4-H year on Monday, October 14, beginning at 6:30 pm at the Stillwater Gov’t Center! All horse enthusiasts are welcome to attend! We will be discussing opportunities within the horse project! We will be electing various chair positions to help with horse related projects and activities for the coming year! Please see information and opportunities about the Horse PDC here. Any questions, contact Ann at; churc109@umn.edu or Lisa Kalka at; kalkax2@live.com

Join us Thursday, October 24th for a night of real magic: science! Our very own 3M Visiting Wizard (aka Lydia’s dad) will be teaching us all about what makes science seem so magical! This event is perfect for any aspiring mad scientists in grade K+

Thursday, October 24th

Hooley Hall

6-7pm

Free!

K+

z.umn.edu/magicofscience

Washington County 4-H and R. H. Stafford Library (Woodbury) are partnering to offer a series of life skills classes for teens in grades 9-13. Topics include finances, car care, mental health, relationships, housing, and more! Most events will take place at R. H. Stafford library from 5:30pm-7pm. Please visit z.umn.edu/adulting101 to learn more and register. Questions can be directed to ashton@umn.edu

The new year just started and we want you to consider becoming an Ambassador. Ambassadors are youth in grades 7-13 who are interested in serving in a leadership role on the county level. We plan activities for Cloverbud Workshops and other county wide events, have socials and participate in community service projects. Join us the 4th Monday of every month. Questions or want to learn more?

Contact Megan at slate187@umn.edu

Register to be an Ambassador here!

It’s fall, which means it is time for Chartering! Club’s will be choosing new club officers, setting budgets and creating their 4-H calendars! Please make sure that ALL volunteers and youth listed on the Charter’s are screened and re-enrolled for the 2024-2025 year!

We want to send out a huge thank you to everyone who donated time, energy, and goods to the 4-H Food Stand this year! With your help, we were able to earn over $26k in sales! The profits from this fundraiser go directly to supporting the Washington County 4-H Federation and the programs you know and love.

An extra special thank you to our Fair Foodie Challenge winners who brought some exciting new dishes to the fair! Their creativity and hard work resulted in a stellar menu and some very happy customers.

Please also join us in thanking our Food Stand Committee members who put in many hours of volunteer work over the year! Aaron & Melissa White, Andrea & Aemilia Wollak, Mike & Laurie Saniti, Bob Hervig, Tammy & Dan Lewis, and Megan Newcomb. And last, but certainly not least, thank you to our federation treasurer, Peggy Walsh, for being a huge help with the finances of this fundraiser.

The Minnesota State Shoot was held this past weekend in Alexandria, Minnesota. Washington County had 22 youth participate in the State Shoot! Many thanks to the Trainers who prepared these youth for the state competition; Jen and Todd Anderson, Neal Feldhahn, Tim Warmka, Serena Mollenhauer, Dan Fritsche, Greg Eian, Sarah Heuser, and Jack Daniels! Complete results can be found on the State 4-H Shooting Sports page. Congratulations!

The State Horse Show was held September 13- 16 at the state fairgrounds. Washington County was well represented from youth participating not only in Games and Pleasure Classes, but Trail, Training, Hippology, Judging Teams, etc. Results can be found on the State 4-H Horse Show page. Congratulations to everyone!

The State Dog Show wrapped up their state competition for 2024 this past weekend. The State Dog Show takes place in the 4-H building on the state fairgrounds! Results can be found on the State 4-H Dog Show page. Congratulations to all! A special thank you goes out to our 4-H Dog Trainers and PDC members for their countless hours training, volunteering, and cheering on our Dog Project participants! Karl Reimer, Therese Stoebner, Tammy Lewis, Savannah Hervig, Julia Torgerson, Addy Jarosch, Tina Jarosch, Kaylee Kent, Andrea Kent, and Aemilia Wollak - Thank you for your MANY hours of service, we couldn’t do it without all of you!

Minnesota 4-H is excited to partner with the Minnesota Woodworkers Guild and Elpis Enterprises to offer a youth woodworking activity at the 5th Annual Woodworkers Expo. We invite you to save the date and join us at this family-friendly event on Saturday, October 12 from 9:00am - 4:00pm. The day includes kids workshops, demonstrations, prizes, and over 70 local and national woodworking retailers, tool manufacturers, lumber sellers, schools, organizations, and makers! Youth will have the opportunity to learn about the skill of woodworking and build their very own FREE candy dispenser or plinko game to take home with them! The youth woodworking activity will be 9:30am - 3:30pm or until supplies last. The event is free and open to the public and is located in the Progress Center Building on the Minnesota State Fairgrounds. Learn more on the event website.

Food shelves across Minnesota continue to experience record demand for food assistance. If your 4-H group has an idea to help community members access healthy food and essential supplies, let’s make it a reality!

This award program funds 4-H clubs and county/tribal 4-H programs to partner with a local food shelf, food assistance program or food organization to address food insecurity in their communities.

Each 4-H group is provided with $500 to come up with an idea and turn it into a service project. What that idea looks like and how it’s put into action is entirely up to 4-H youth, supporting adults and their partnerships. The project must be youth-led to be eligible.

Learn more and apply online to receive financial support to launch a service project. The online application will be available Oct. 1-31.

Livestock Reminders

• February 15 - Market Beef/Dairy Steer ID deadline
• May 15 - Animal ID deadline (Dog, Horse, Llama, Rabbit, Dairy, Breeding Beef, Sheep, Swine, Goat (market & dairy) and leased poultry).
• July 1 - County Fair registration due
• LQA Training - Livestock Quality Assurance training needs to be completed BEFORE County Fair to be eligible for a State Fair trip with an animal. In-person training lasts 3 fair seasons versus online training is 1 year and has a fee. In-person usually takes place mid-late June.

Washington County Fair 2025

• July 1 - County fair registration deadline. Final selection of projects and animals need to be entered in FairEntry by this date. Late entries accepted for ribbon only.
• July 26 - 4-H General project judging (Saturday)
• July 30- Aug. 3 - Washington County Fair

Youth enrollment and animal ID deadline

• Oct. 11, 2024 - Open House - learn more about what 4-H can offer.
• May 15, 2025 - Enrollment deadline for full County Fair participation and eligibility for State Fair, State Shoot, State Horse Show and State Dog Show.
• Participation is limited after May 15 (Not eligible for champions, auction, state trips) Blue, red and white ribbons only.

Registration is now open for the 2024-2025 cohort and new model! This is a 1-year adventure-based leadership program designed to provide youth in grades 6+ with intensive hands-on exploration in an area of interest associated with the outdoors, a Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA) trip, and support to lead a conservation project. The cohort follows the 4-H program year and will run from Oct. 2024 - Sept. 2025. Cost is $400, which includes two retreats and the canoe trip, and can be made in payments. Registration deadline: Oct. 4.

Learn more and register.

Save the date! The 2024 4-H Outdoor Education Summit will be held on Saturday, Nov. 23 at the Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve in East Bethel. Come for a fun-filled day of project workshops for Cloverbuds through adult volunteers! Sessions will include Cloverbud outdoor day camp, wilderness survival, skull identification, environmental service leadership, and more! Adult sessions include SS&W certification training, curriculum training, and how to lead a 4-H WHEP team. Registration will go live on Oct. 1 in 4-H Online.

Learn more and register.

**Adult Volunteer Coach Needed for this program in Washington County**

WHEP is a hands-on environmental education program dedicated to teaching wildlife and fisheries habitat management to youth. It provides participants an opportunity to test their wildlife knowledge in a friendly competition in teams of 3-4 similarly aged individuals, led by a local 4-H volunteer coach. The winning senior WHEP team (14-19 years old) will have the opportunity to attend the annual national WHEP contest, typically held the last full week of July. 4-H WHEP will replace Wildlife Project Bowl.

There will be WHEP learning sessions for coaches and youth at the 4-H Outdoor Education Summit on Nov. 23 at the Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve in East Bethel.

Learn more about WHEP.

Calling all 4-H youth and adult leaders with a passion for equity and making change in their communities in order for all members to feel belonging. Join us for the inaugural equity focused leadership summit by Minnesota 4-H - MNclusion! The summit will provide lots of hands-on learning, presentations and interactive discussions about equity and tools to support youth as changemakers in their communities. During this retreat YET members will share their projects and experiences, introduce participants to identifying equity issues and create action plans that create more inclusive environments. Youth are welcome to come individually or with a team. The weekend will include a service project, multi-generational learning experiences, roundtable discussions on important topics the youth identify, and time for everyone to make connections and deepen relationships.

November 8 - 10, 2024

Location: Camp Friendship, Annandale, MN

Registration Deadline

Registration will be open September 30 to October 21, 2024

The new 4-H year will bring many volunteers into a new role as a club leader or assistant leader. We have an upcoming webinar that will provide knowledge and tools to empower them in their role!

The new club leader webinar will be hosted via Zoom by regional volunteer systems educators on Nov. 14.

Learn more and register.

As club leaders get ready for the new program year, don’t forget to check out the youth development curriculum library to help find fresh ideas. It’s grown 30% in the past month alone!

• Check out our newest themed 4-H club agendas on origami, popcorn, mushrooms, family, clovers, spices, trades, and landfills! Each includes an arrival and roll call activity, sample meeting agenda, educational lesson, and recreation and refreshment ideas tied to a theme.
• 30-Minute Seasonal Science is a series of nine activities that help youth in grades K-5 explore innovation through scientific experimentation and do-it-yourself crafting categorized by season.
• Birding Adventures is a group of four stand-alone independent learning guides that help youth explore the world of birding, even in the winter!
• Pumpkin Party is a 1.5 to 2 hour experience that teaches youth in grades K-5 about the lifecycle of a pumpkin through storytime, crafts, and a pumpkin growing experiment.

University of Minnesota Extension works across the lifespan. We create and support positive non-formal learning opportunities for youth. We foster resilient, healthy and secure futures for families and seniors. Extension works with Minnesotans to make informed decisions leading to better health and well-being. Learn more at: https://extension.umn.edu/families-and-youth

University of Minnesota Extension improves food literacy, physical activity, food safety and healthy food access for Minnesotans and the food service industry. Learn more at: https://extension.umn.edu/food-health-and-nutrition

The best plants and gardening practices for Minnesota gardeners, homeowners and hobbyists to grow healthy lawns, landscapes and gardens. Learn more at: https://extension.umn.edu/yard-and-garden

Ann Church - Livestock (Beef, Dairy, Llama, Sheep, Swine, Poultry, Rabbit), Horse, Shooting Sports, Federation, Community Clubs, Fair, Charters and Finance, Grant writing, Foods & Creative Arts projects.

Megan Slater - Youth Teaching Youth, Ambassadors, Performing Arts, Resident/Day Camps, Dog, Goat, Cloverbud.

Ashton Kulesa - STEM, Project Workshops, New Families, Promotion, Food Stand, Outreach and Libraries.

Contact information is listed below.