Green & Growing

The annual Winter Project Fair is approaching quickly! This event is a great opportunity for members to explore the different 4-H projects or for new families that are interested in joining 4-H. Lots of project displays and activities will keep participants engaged.

Officer training will be incorporated into the Winter Project Fair again this year. There will be stations for each officer position. Members who participate in one of the officer stations will receive an officer pin as well as a certificate of participation.

What: Winter Project Fair & Officer Training Day

Date: Saturday, February 17, 2024

Time: 11:00am - 1:00pm

Where: Nationwide and Ohio Farm Bureau 4-H Center

Parking: Free parking with downloadable parking permit

Concessions: Food and snack concessions available (cash only)

The Franklin County 4-H Council is made up of representatives from each club in the county. If your club is not sending a representative, please consider sending an adult volunteer from your club. They discuss current events in the county 4-H program, help with fundraising, and guide future program offerings in Franklin County 4-H.

Date: Wednesday, February 21, 2024

Time: 7:00pm

Place: Kunz-Brundige Franklin County Extension Office

Address: 2548 Carmack Road, Columbus, Ohio 43210

The 2024 Family Guide is your place to review the entire collection of Ohio 4-H project books for the year. When choosing a project, consider your interests, background, what is necessary to start the project, and the resources available to help you complete it. All project selections must be included in your 4-HOnline enrollment before you submit it.

Do you know what you need to do in order to complete your project? Make sure you check out the Franklin County 4-H Project Requirement Guide HERE. The project requirement guides explain what is required to complete each project.

Are you filling out your 2024 family calendar? Make sure that you get all of Franklin County 4-H's events and opportunities on your calendar now. A Google Calendar and a 1-Page Calendar can be found here: https://franklin.osu.edu/program-areas/4-h-youth-development/newsletters-updates

The 2024 Franklin County 4-H Walk & Serve will be held on Saturday, April 13. Mark your calendars and invite all of your family and friends! For more information and previous impact reports, check out www.4HCouncil.org

• Area 4-H clubs adopt a local non-profit organization.
• The club members learn about that organization, how it serves the community, and how they can help meet some of those needs.
• The clubs purchase and prepare all of the supplies needed to make/assemble a cool project to be completed at the event by the public that comes to the event.
• Example: K9 Wonder Dogs 4-H Club adopts GiGi's Dog Shelter. They purchase supplies to make tie blankets and dog toys for the rescue dogs. Then at the event, the club members help the public assemble them.
• Grant funds are available to help clubs purchase supplies.

All Franklin County 4-H Clubs are encouraged to consider working with a non-profit organization and participating in the Walk & Serve this year. Contact Amy Fleshman with questions at amy1peter3.4@gmail.com

Get your walking shoes ready. The annual walk/run has been a valuable fundraiser for the Franklin County 4-H program and we're excited to announce its return for 2024! The Clover 5K will be held the morning of the Walk & Serve on April 13.

This year, clubs are asked to contribute to the Clover 5K in two ways:

1. Help provide items for the Clover 5K runner goodie bags! Clubs can find donors for these items or purchase themselves. Many company's are happy to supply some of their branded items for the bags. You just have to ask. Great ideas include pens, lip balm, small lotions, etc. Consider asking nursing homes, hospitals, insurance companies, stores, or almost any place that gives out free items at trade shows and events. Items should need to be in quantities of 100-150.
   
   
2. Provide a $25 gift card to be given as part of the age category awards after the 5K. These can also be donated by a local company.

Registration for the run and more information can be found here:

https://runsignup.com/Race/OH/Hilliard/Clover5K

You can now re-enroll in 4-H for 2024. Remember to log in with your family's email and password to find your family profile. Watch the videos below for a guide to the enrollment system.

Re-Enrollment Instructions

New Member Enrollment Instructions

Livestock Possession Dates & Requirements

All 4-H members taking livestock projects to the Franklin County Fair should download the LIVESTOCK REQUIRMENT SUMMARY which has information regarding deadlines for possession and other requirements.

Find it here: https://www.fcfair.org/juniorfair-livestock

New Livestock ID Form

Are you planning on exhibiting a livestock project at the fair? New in 2024, the Market Livestock ID Form, Rabbit ID Form, Poultry ID Form, and the Breeding Animal ID Form have been combined into one ONLINE Livestock ID Form. Be sure to check the Livestock Requirement Summary for the dates of when the forms are due (10 days following the possession deadline).

Depending on your animal, you will need to upload various photos and documents to complete the form. Have photos of your animals, Scrapie Tag/Tattoo Numbers, NPIP hatchery paperwork, bills of sale, and breed registration paperwork ready to upload. This can even be done on your phone or mobile device.

You will need to complete one form for each animal. For example: if you have 2 market lambs, you will complete the form twice.

Livestock ID Form: https://go.osu.edu/livestockidform

EquiSTEP is an annual statewide requirement for all youth participating in Ohio 4-H Horse Program activities. EquiSTEP replaces the statewide requirement of reading the Horses, Safety, and You (191R) resource and viewing the Every Time, Every Ride and Horses, Kids, and Ethics videos for youth and their families who are new to the 4-H horse program. The EquiSTEP curriculum focuses on helmet safety, equine safety & handling, equine health & nutrition, and sportsmanship and is designed to rotate topics every year. The topics for the EquiSTEP program are shared below and will rotate as the member completes the course annually.

• STEP 1: Head (Helmet Safety)

  • Helmet Safety Video (Every Year)

• STEP 2: Hands (Equine Safety & Handling)

  • YR 1 Equine Behavior

• STEP 3: Health (Equine Health & Nutrition)

  • YR 1 Assessing Horse Health

• STEP 4: Heart (Sportsmanship)

  • YR 1 Winning & Losing

  • 
    

• Here is the link to enroll in/access EquiSTEP:
  https://cfaesosu.catalog.instructure.com/courses/equistep-2024
  

• To complete EquiSTEP individually, a participant must enroll using their own unique email address. (Participants should not use their school email addresses as the course enrollment invitation will be blocked by the school’s email system.) Participants must view all five videos (introduction and STEPS 1-4) which last approximately one hour in total. Once the videos are completed, participants will be able to access the 10-question quiz. Participants must complete the quiz associated with the training and achieve a minimum score of 7 (out of 10) in order to pass the training. Once the quiz is successfully completed, participants will need to complete the course survey to trigger a certificate of completion. The certificate will be emailed to the participant’s email address as well as their county’s 4-H email address (countyname4h@osu.edu). The participant must select their correct county to trigger the email to the correct email address and they must click on the submit button at the end of the survey to trigger the email.

The EquiSTEP Program is required for ALL 4-H Horse members! Failure to complete the online course will result in the members' inability to participate in the Franklin County Fair.

Note that any horse member competing in any statewide horse events such as the Hippology Contest, Horse Bowl, or the Horse Communication Contest must complete EquiSTEP prior to the event.

Cloverbud Engineering Adventure

The Cloverbud Engineering Adventure gives Cloverbuds the opportunity to work cooperatively in teams to problem-solve using STEM (science, engineering, technology and math) skills. A new theme is selected each year and teams research a topic, build a working model of their solution to the adventure challenge and create a poster to illustrate their findings. Teams present their models and findings to a team of reviewers, learn about other Cloverbud projects, participate in age-appropriate STEM activities, and are recognized during a closing celebration.

This year’s theme is Going WILD! Whether imagining the jungles of Southeast Asia, learning about the natural wonders of United States National Parks or exploring nature in their own backyard, this year’s Cloverbud Engineering Adventure will get Cloverbuds thinking about the world we live in. Cloverbuds will explore the idea of habitats and what habitats provide for the animals and plants that live there. They will have opportunities for discovery, creativity and problem solving as they explore habitats that are around them or learn about ones that are in other parts of the world. For more information on the Cloverbud Engineering Adventure and to register, please visit u.osu.edu/cloverbudconnections/engineering-adventure/

All youth, ages 8 and in 3rd grade through 13, are invited to join the adventure at Franklin County 4-H Camp. Campers will have fun meeting other youth while participating in a variety of camp activities like canoeing, disc golf, bottle rockets, creeking, nature exploration, swimming, hiking, team challenges, high ropes, a climbing wall, zip line, campfires, crafts, and so much more!

Registration opens on February 17. Anyone who registers at the Winter Project Fair will receive $20 off of their registration fees.

Date: June 13-17, 2024 (Thursday-Monday)
More Information: go.osu.edu/camp

Did you know that Franklin County Farm Bureau is a generous financial supporter of 4-H members and the Franklin County Fair? Please consider reciprocating that support and become a member of Franklin County Farm Bureau. You don't have to be a farmer - just someone that cares about where their food comes from. Join Today https://ofbf.org/membership/

4-H members taking clothing and textile projects should mark their calendars for Saturday, April 27, 2024, for the 4-H Sew Ohio event at the 4-H Center. 4-H Master Clothing Educator Volunteers will be offering sessions for beginner, intermediate, and advanced level projects. More information to come soon.

From June 12-15, teens at the Spark EXPO will learn about agriculture and related STEAM fields from industry experts, and faculty and staff of the Ohio State College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES). Open to all Ohio students who have completed the eighth grade or ninth grade at the conclusion of the 2023-2024 school year. Participants do not need to be enrolled in the 4-H program. The event includes on-campus accommodations, meals, program materials, and transportation. Supervision is provided by adult program staff.

As part of Spark EXPO, students visit Ohio State’s Columbus and Wooster campuses and learn from Ohio State students, teachers, scientists, and researchers. Students explore careers, hear from Ohio 4-H alumni who share their career stories, and learn about the college and career-readiness program: Ohio 4-H Pathways to the Future.

The deadline to register is April 17, and details are at go.osu.edu/4hsparkexpo.

CFAES provides research and related educational programs to clientele on a nondiscriminatory basis. For more information, visit cfaesdiversity.osu.edu.

For an accessible format of this publication, visit cfaes.osu.edu/accessibility.

Email: boomershine.10@osu.edu
Website: franklin.osu.edu
Location: 2548 Carmack Road, Columbus, OH, USA
Phone: (614) 866-6900
Facebook: facebook.com/4hfranklin
Twitter: @OSUEFranklin