Jefferson County 4-H

Finalized fair dates: July 15-19, 2020

Theme: Come See a Good Thing Grow'n

The 2020 Jefferson County Fairbook is available here https://extension.unl.edu/statewide/jefferson/4-Hfairbook/

Or contact the office on how to get a printed one!

The Pick Your Project, available at http://4hcurriculum.unl.edu, has been updated for the 2020 program year. Using the searchable, web-based 2020 Pick Your Project, users will be able to search for projects by keywords, curriculum areas, knowledge levels, and geographic levels.

Jordan & Kason Hauschel are building wooden benches to provide additional seating for people at the Jefferson County Fair. The benches will be $85 each and can be purchased from them. If a club or family would like to purchase one they can also get an engraved plate to put on them as well. Please contact the Extension Office if you are interested in purchasing a bench.

Pre-fair entries for foods, clothing, fashion show and livestock are due on Monday, June 15th. All entries will be done on paper this year, no on-line entries. Forms can be picked up in the office or can be found at https://extension.unl.edu/statewide/jefferson/4-Hfairbook/ . Call the office with any questions.

There’s never been a better time to compete in the Jefferson County Public Speaking Contest! Do you record hilarious TikTok videos or inform your parents and siblings about various 4-H and ag-related topics? You should submit a speech or PSA recording!

The 2020 virtual contest makes it easier than ever to practice public speaking because this year – there’s no public!

Jefferson County will be hosting the 2020 Public Speaking Contest virtually. We want to make sure everyone has an equal chance of producing a quality speech/PSA, so the performances will be submitted instead of performed live. Speeches and PSA recordings must be submitted by Tuesday, May 19 at 5 p.m.

Judging results will be announced Thursday, May 21, at noon via email and social media.

Steps to record and upload video recordings:

Record your speech using a phone, tablet, computer or video camera. File should be raw video with no editing. PSAs can have sound effects. Files should be saved in the MP3 or MP4 format.

Recording Tips:

• Use natural lighting.

• Shoot indoors (if possible) in a quiet area.

• Avoid direct sunlight.

• Avoid cluttered backgrounds

• Keep the recording device horizontal (not vertical) when shooting the video.

• Stabilize recording device (set it on a table, book, use tripod, etc.) so the shot is steady.

• Record 3-5 second before and after the 4-H’er begins speaking (if applicable)

· PSAs can be recorded using any recording device or app but must be able to be uploaded digitally and should be in an MP3 or MP4 format.

· Files should be named with the following label: Contest_AgeDivision_First NameLast Name_County (i.e., Speech_Intermediate_DarciPesek_Jefferson).

Note: Upload widgets are not optimized for mobile devices. We recommend using Chrome as your web browser. You cannot upload a folder; only file uploads are supported. The maximum length of the description field is 255 characters.

Submit speeches here:

https://tinyurl.com/jefferson2020speeches

Submit PSAs here:

https://tinyurl.com/jefferson2020PSA

Resources to help you prepare for the Public Speaking Contest available at https://4h.unl.edu/public-speaking

We follow the same rules as the regional contest. Ages are as of January 1, 2020.

Age Divisions
Four age divisions are used in the 4-H Public Speaking Contest and are based on the

4-H member's age (the age of the youth before January 1 of the current year).

• Novice Division: 4-H ages eight (8) and (9)
• Junior Division: 4-H ages eight (8) to ten (10)
• Intermediate Division: 4-H ages eleven (11) to thirteen (13)
• Senior Division: 4-H ages fourteen (14) to eighteen (18)

Speech Category Rules

• Length of Speeches:
• Novice Division: May recite a poem, read/tell a story
• Junior Division: 1 to 3 minutes.
• Intermediate Division: 3 to 5 minutes.
• Senior Division: 5 to 8 minutes.

2020 PSA Theme - "Inspire Kids to Do"

• All PSA's are 60 seconds in length and must use the required theme.
• All 4-H PSA's must include the following tagline within the last 10 seconds of the PSA: "Learn more about the Nebraska Extension 4-H Youth Development Program at 4h.unl.edu." The tagline is included in the 60 second time limit.
  
• Sound effects and public domain music may be used. Copyrighted material may not be used.
  
• All PSA's must be the original work of the presenter. Contestants may not use PSA's written and provided by the state or national staff.
  

• No team PSA's are allowed.

Check out our extension webpage for our Youtube videos we created for you! There you will find videos on how to fill out fair forms and get ideas on simple 4-H projects you can complete at home. Take advantage of these resources and see how you can still be involved in 4-H!

https://extension.unl.edu/statewide/jefferson/project-resource-videos/

Thank you to everyone who was able to join us for the Kick-off meeting to our 2021 Citizenship Washington Focus Trip. If you were unable to attend, you can watch the Zoom recording, or view the slides.

As outlined during the meeting, we are implementing a “payment plan”. This is a suggested amount to have in your account in the upcoming months. The first date for the payment plan is June 30, we suggest an amount of $300 in your CWF account with the Extension Office. The next date, and perhaps the most important for us in the office, is September 30 – we suggest an amount of $1300 in your account by this date. This date is important because it is the last date for you to commit to the CWF trip.

If you are an adult that is interested in attending and sponsoring the CWF Trip in 2021, please fill out the Sponsorship Application. The application will close on August 1, and we will announce adult sponsors on September 30, 2020. The cost for adult sponsors is 75% of the cost for youth. Based upon the $3300 estimated youth cost, we estimate the adult cost being approximately $2500. Adult sponsors are required to enroll as a volunteer on 4HOnline, pass all required screenings, and complete a virtual training.

Please let us know if you have any questions regarding the new changes to the CWF trip program requirements, the payment plan, or fundraising opportunities. As always, we are open to suggestions, especially regarding fundraising!

Please see the Animal ID guidelines for 2020 that are explained on our website at Animal ID Guidelines. Please look over the information carefully so you know how to ID your animals. If you would like a printed copy of the guidelines please contact the office.

The University has suspended all in-person programs until June 15th, so we will no longer be having a Quality Assurance Training on June 4th. When we are allowed to resume in-person training, we will schedule a new date for youth that still need to complete their certification for 2020. Youth can also complete the training online, but with the situation being so unknown right now about fair, I would hold off until we get closer to the date. Please contact the office with any questions!

Call the office for more information, but level testing is available online this year! Information and study materials are found in the Horse Project Member Manual and Advancement Level Manual at the Extension Office. We also have the Nebraska 4-H Horse Show & Judging Guide available.

Website: https://4h.unl.edu/horse/advancement

This new video series will provide students the chance to evaluate the class, listen to a critique of the class, and hopefully gain some knowledge regarding terminology for their reasons moving forward.

Each week we will add 1 to 3 classes to the series that way students will enjoy plenty of content. Youth can access these videos at 4h.unl.edu/livestock or 4h.unl.edu/self-paced-videos. Once you get to the website, simply scroll down and you should see the link for the online video series which is located on YouTube.

For more information visit:animalscience.unl.edu/unl-livestock-judging-team, or contact Blaine French, Livestock Judging Coach, at 402-472-8834 or bfrench6@unl.edu

A message for all cat interested youth:

Do you like cats? What about learning how to care for or show them? Maybe you have heard about the 4-H Cat Club in the past and wanted to join, but couldn't make the monthly meetings.

Do we have good news for you, or what? We are pleased to introduce this year's self-paced Cat Club! No more being bummed that you missed the hour long meeting every second Thursday. You will now have access to monthly lessons and activities that you can complete on your own time. The first lesson can be found here on September 5th: https://4h.unl.edu/companion-animal/cat-club

If you are interested, please stay tuned and register today!

The county fair is in need of a few superintendents for the 2020 fair. We are looking for individuals that can help us in both Open Class and our Junior Fair. In Open Class we need superintendents for: Farm and Garden Products, Needle Arts, and Baked Goods. For the 4-H/FFA part of the fair we are in need of: Ag Engineering. If you would be willing to assist in any of these areas, we would greatly appreciate your help! Please contact the Extension office 402-729-3487 or a fairboard member for further deals.

The 4-H Photography Showcase offers a project exhibition opportunity beyond traditional print media. It is intended to help youth develop professional and technical skills as photographers while fostering creativity and encouraging self-expression. Through this opportunity, youth are encouraged to practice and apply skills learned in their photography projects throughout the year.

How Does It Work?

Each month, a new photo will be selected from the online submissions. Selections will be made based on creativity, timeliness, technical execution, originality, and appropriateness. The selected photo will be showcased across the Nebraska 4-H social media channels, including Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Youth photographers will be credited wherever and whenever their photo is shared or published.

This opportunity is open to all enrolled 4-H members. Photo recommendations, file specifications, rules, and guidelines for participation are available online at https://4h.unl.edu/photography-showcase.

We are looking for ideas for workshops in and 2020. We would like to hear ideas of what you would be willing to attend. We would also like to hear from you regarding what times would work best for most people, after school, 1⁄2 days when school is out, etc. Please contact the Extension Office 402-729-3487 and let us know what YOU are interested in.

Just as a reminder, check out our Facebook page! The page name is "Jefferson County Extension & 4-H Youth Development". Along with our newsletter, we will be using this page to update our members about upcoming events, activities, and deadlines. We also hope to use this page to provide information about community outreach opportunities, scholarships, and research that is important to our followers. The staff will do our best to keep this updated and inform you all of what is going on at the office, Jefferson County, and in Nebraska.

May

19 - Public Speaking Contest Submission Deadline

25 - Extension Office Closed, Memorial Day

June

15 - Fair Entries Due

July

15 - 19 - Jefferson County Fair, Fairbury

Email: darci.pesek@unl.edu
Website: jefferson.unl.edu
Location: 517 F Street, Fairbury, NE, United States
Phone: 402-729-3487
Facebook: www.facebook.com/jeffersoncountyext

Nebraska Extension is a Division of the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln cooperating with the Counties and the United Sates Department of Agriculture.

Nebraska Extension educational programs abide with the nondiscrimination policies of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and the United States Department of Agriculture.

©2020