Hall County 4-H Newsletter

New and returning 4-H families may now enroll at https://v2.4honline.com. (Returning 4-H families, please enroll under the same email login that was used the previous year; do not create a new account.) Enrollment fees remain $10 per youth. Fees may be paid online during the 4-H enrollment process or by check/cash at the Hall County Extension Office.

Reminders for 4-H Project Selection:

• Project selection in 4-H Online is optional (with the exception of projects listed below).
• Horse and shooting sports projects will continue to require project enrollment due to the parental consent required to participate in these projects.
• Youth are only eligible to exhibit in a specific project area or contest in a single county.

Adult Volunteer Enrollment: This enrollment is meant for volunteers who are club leaders, project leaders or workshop facilitators who work directly with youth. All other volunteers, such as 4-H Council members, Fair Superintendents or workshop/event helpers DO NOT need to enroll in 4-H Online.

If you have any questions regarding the enrollment process, please call the Extension Office at 308-385-5088. We are here to help!

If you are a youth 4-H member and did not get a Hall County Fair t-shirt this year, please stop by the office to get your shirt! We also have a few navy 4-H shirts (from 2023) in various sizes left. If you outgrew your previous 4-H shirt or need a replacement, please stop by the Extension Office and pick one up!

Hall County 4-H will continue using the Remind app (in addition to email & social media) to communicate important 4-H news, events & deadlines to 4-H families. Get information for Hall County 4-H right on your phone! Two-way text messaging makes it more convenient for families to receive important information. Plus, it’s free and easy to use!

Options to sign up for Remind:

• Option 1 - Click the link to sign up, https://www.remind.com/join/4h-hall.
• Option 2 - Text the message @4h-hall to the number 81010.

See the attached pdf below.

Please call Crystal at 308-385-5088 for assistance.

The 2024 Hall County 4-H Achievement Event was held on Sunday, October 6th at the Scarecrow Patch. It was a beautiful day for families to celebrate 4-H members’ achievements. Listed below are this year’s winners, including membership awards for 5 years and 10+ years. Cash awards were also given to select 4-H youth from Fonner Park and to shooting sports champions from Hornady Manufacturing. Congratulations and thank you to all who attended!

Clover Kids - Head, Heart, Hands and Health awards:

Emma Allan, Crystal Dibbern, Charlotte Klinginsmith, William Klinginsmith, Stetson Turek

Nebraska 4-H Diamond Clover awards:

Level 1: Jase Battershaw, Charlotte Goding, Elise Krueger, Cassi Langholz, Tessa Rundle

Level 2: Jaxsen Battershaw

Level 3: Joslynn Battershaw, Grace Johnson, Noah Johnson, Hope Krueger, Kiera Lindiman, Cash Watts

Level 4: Noah Krueger

Level 5: Hailey Allan, Morgann Watts, Reba Watts

Level 6: Kade Kosmicki, Eva Lindiman

Nebraska 4-H Achievement Application awards:

Noah Johnson, Katelyn Turek

Special Award Drawing:

*4-H Council offers a special award drawing to those who have completed Diamond Clover or Nebraska 4-H Achievement applications. This year’s drawing winner was Jase Battershaw.

Congratulations!

Years of Membership:

• 5-year members - Libby Buettner, Bryten Collins, Emmitt Hanquist, Michael Kayl, Suri King, Paxton Oliver, Pacer Simpson, Jordan Smith, Brooklyn Woitaszewski
• 10-year members - Peyton Allan, Micah Bird, Rylee Codner, Maddisyn Collins, Cydnee DeLosh, Wyatt Enevoldsen, Anna Hanquist, Reagan Hovie, Emma Jacobs, Jack Jacobs, Kaitlyn Klein, Claire Knuth, Kade Kosmicki, Colton Krueger, Khale Lindiman, Zephyr Mowinkel, Luke Powell, Cody Schimmer, Katelyn Turek, Morgann Watts, Reba Watts
• 11-year members - Tessa Buller, Tyler Collins, Kendal Knuth, Sara Philmalee, Ryan Scholz, Jaycee Smith, Adrian Svitak
• 12-year members - Claire Gartner, David Hadenfeldt, Turner Happold, Greta Knuth, Addisyn Mowinkel, Casey Olson, Kaylee Powell, Alison Schimmer, Adriane Stoltenberg
• 13-year members - Callie Collins, Larkyn Eckstrom, Kaycee Tompkin
• 14-year members - Zachary Hovie, Rhett Kosmicki, Spencer Scholz

• Who: Any youth interested in sewing, ages 5-18.
• When: Saturday, November 9, 2024
• Where: Hall County Extension meeting room
• What Time: 1:00-4:00 pm
• November Project: Community Service sewing project
  

Club Leaders: Annette Schimmer and Barb Hovie

• Annette 308-379-7191 | netterz95@gmail.com
• Barb 308-379-5208 | barbarahovie@gmail.com

PLEASE contact Annette or Barb if you plan to attend, or if you have questions. A list of supplies needed will be sent via email before the meeting.

*The club will be doing a community service project at this meeting, so all sewers are welcome and encouraged to attend!

• If you have not finished your Fair/Award thank you’s, now would be a great time to thank those sponsors!
• Please cash ALL County Fair and State Fair checks ASAP!
• If you were unable to attend the 4-H Achievement Event, please pick up your awards at the Extension Office.

Hall County 4-H Council is seeking new members for 2025, youth and adult members. Youth must be 14 years old before Jan. 1, 2025 and will serve 1 year terms, three terms maximum. Adults serve 2 year terms, three terms maximum (6 years). Please contact Megan at the Extension office to be added to the list of possible future 4-H Council members!

Be on the look out…… winter face-to-face Livestock Quality Assurance training dates will be announced soon!

*YQCA Training is REQUIRED for all youth (4-H age 8-18) planning to show beef, swine, sheep, goats, dairy, poultry & rabbits at County and/or State Fair. Clover Kids are not required to take the course.

*New for 2025: 4-H members showing bucket calves only will now be required to take Quality Assurance training. Read your monthly newsletters & check your email for more information.

Save these dates on your calendars!

• Market Beef Weigh-In: Saturday, January 4, 2025, 8-11 am at Platte Valley Vet Clinic in Alda (snow date 1/11/25)
• Market Sheep/Goat Weigh-In: May 19, 2025, time TBD

Check out Third City Archers indoor youth league! This will be at the indoor facility located at 317 N Elm Street in Grand Island. See practice dates in the attached photo. Please email thirdcityarchersgi@gmail.com for more information.

FYI: There will be a NEW Hall County 4-H INDOOR Archery Competition this year (more information to come), so the youth league offers lots of opportunities for practice!

Go to 4h.unl.edu/shooting-sports for more information about the Nebraska 4-H Shooting Sports program & to view the calendar of upcoming statewide shooting sports competitions!

In order to run a club, county, or multi-county 4-H shootings sports program, leaders and instructors must be certified by Nebraska 4-H. Volunteers must attend a Leader Certification Workshop designed to cover the needed knowledge and guidelines to become a Certified 4-H Shooting Sports Leader/Instructor. Go to 4h.unl.edu/shooting-sports/instructor for information regarding upcoming leader certification workshops & updates. If you are interested in becoming a certified shooting sports instructor for Hall County 4-H, please contact LaDonna Obermiller at 308-385-5088.

It is afterschool programming season! Hall County 4-H is bringing the 4-H experience to the Wood River Afterschool Program. Students have explored their creativity by designing Sharpie Tile Art, inventing a new Oreo Cookie, and crafting Cheeto Art. They have explored Green Screen technology and have grown their natural resource knowledge by building Water Cycle bracelets. We are excited to be back for another season and seeing some familiar faces!

iGrow Classroom kits have been a hit! Hall County 4-H staff have been offering engaging, hands-on activities packaged together in a kit to teachers in Hall County. This year, a record number of kits have been created and delivered including Project Kindness Kits, Stop the Pass Kits (teaching how to stop the spread of viruses), and seed starting kits. Over 5,300 students in 233 classrooms experienced activities provided by your local 4-H team! One teacher shared "The kits were an excellent reinforcement of learning."

Mobile iGrow displays have been making the rounds to 8 Hall County elementary schools and Nebraska Extension programs, reaching over 2,600 students. These interactive displays include hands-on activities, increasing students’ knowledge of where our food comes from, careers, and how agriculture is important in our everyday lives. For more information, contact Hall County 4-H staff at 385-5088.

216 local 5th grade students took part in the Animals Inside & Out Program at College Park. This hands-on educational program is designed for students to learn more about the science of animals, gain knowledge of how animals’ bodies work, explore different body systems and become aware of careers related to animal science and agriculture. Thank you to Friends of 4-H for helping to cover the cost of this event! For more information about this program, contact Megan at 385-5088.

The Nebraska 4-H Fed Steer Challenge is an opportunity for youth interested in learning more about the cattle industry and is designed to cultivate the next generation of leaders in the Nebraska cattle industry. The goal of the Fed Steer Challenge is to enhance the educational value of the traditional 4-H beef projects by providing an affordable option that rewards production merit and carcass value of the market animal, along with accurate and complete record-keeping, industry knowledge, and producer engagement by the 4-H member.

Applications are open and due December 1, 2024 for the 2025 program year. For more information

regarding the Fed Steer Challenge, or to apply to participate in 2025, visit https://4h.unl.edu/fed-steer-challenge.

The Nebraska 4-H Foundation offers 4-H members the opportunity to apply for scholarships. The Nebraska 4-H Foundation awards up to $22,000 worth of scholarships each year to 4-H’ers from across the state. All scholarship applications must be submitted via the Annual Achievement Application and are due January 3, 2025. For guidelines and more information, go to the Nebraska 4-H Foundation website: www.ne4hfoundation.org/scholarships.

Calling all 4-H volunteers, local fair superintendents, parents and caregivers and any adult who wants to find THEIR spark through volunteering with 4-H!

You're invited to join us for one of our upcoming Volunteer Road Show events:

• Hastings – November 12
• Scottsbluff – November 14
• Virtual – November 17
• Lincoln – November 18
• Norfolk – November 19

You'll discover new opportunities for your members, network with other volunteers, and build your skills working with youth. Session topics include:

• North Central Region 4-H Volunteer Impact Study
• County Fair Superintendent Training
• Club Service Activities = Fair Exhibits
• Animal and Livestock projects opportunities
• Beyond Ready

A $15 registration fee covers a meal and all supplies.

Learn more and register at https://4h.unl.edu/volunteer-road-show.

Nebraska 4-H has made some changes to the volunteer screening policy and procedures. Beginning October 2024, all 4-H volunteers serving in a direct volunteer role, such as a club leader, project leader, or workshop presenter, will screen every five years based on their anniversary date. With this change, ALL volunteers serving in a direct role will screen during the 2024-2025 program year.

When enrolling in 4-H Online, volunteers will be redirected to the new screening vender, Sterling Volunteers. The new screening is a criminal background history check and will take approximately 5 minutes to complete. The cost of the screening is $16 and is paid during the screening process online. Volunteers must successfully pass their screening in order to serve in a 4-H volunteer role. All returning volunteers need to re-screen by March 15, 2025.

These changes were made to ensure all youth and volunteers are protected through increased volunteer screening level and enhanced user experience.

Important Notes:

• If you completed the Volunteer Orientation piece (40 minute video) last year, you do NOT have to complete the Orientation again this year.
• If you have a current Nebraska Conceal & Carry permit, you may NOT have to complete the screening/background check. We will need a copy of your permit for review.
• If the $16 fee for screening is a hardship, please contact Crystal at the Extension Office.

Raising Nebraska is the ideal space for 4-H, providing an engaging and flexible learning environment.

• Utilize one of the numerous spaces within our 25,000 square foot exhibit hall.
• Youth can explore more than a dozen interactive educational exhibits about agriculture and natural resources.
• Spaces come with state-of-the-art technology to support meetings and presentations.
• No rental fee for 4-H groups.
• Conveniently located on the State Fairgrounds at Fonner Park in Grand Island.

Contact Mandy Sullivan at (308) 385-3967 or mandy@RaisingNebraska.net for more information.

• November 11 - Veteran's Day; Extension Office is closed.
  

• November 28-29 - Thanksgiving; Extension Office is closed.

• December 24 - Christmas Eve; Extension Office will close at 12 pm.

• December 25 - Christmas Day; Extension Office is closed.

Email: hall-county@unl.edu
Website: hall.unl.edu
Location: 3180 W Hwy 34, College Park, Grand Island, Nebraska, USA
Phone: 308-385-5088
Facebook: facebook.com/HallCounty4HNebraska
Twitter: @4HHoopla

<a href="https://www.vecteezy.com/free-photos/thanksgiving">Thanksgiving Stock photos by Vecteezy</a>