Murray County 4-H Messenger
January 1, 2023
Market Beef ID due Feb 15
Andrea Ruesch Scholarship
This is a one time $1,000 scholarship form 4-H members who are high school seniors or first-year college students. They must currently be enrolled in one of the counties listed: Chippewa, Cottonwood, Jackson, Martin, Murray, Nobles, Pipestone, Rock and Watonwan.
Application is due March 1, 2023
To apply for the scholarship or for more information please follow the link. https://extension.umn.edu/4-h/4-h-scholarships-grants-and-awards#andrea-ruesch-regional-4-h-scholarship-2042663
4-H Judges Training
Attend this fun filled informational training to learn how to evaluate, educate and encourage young people during county fair conference judging. We will practice in judging, share experiences and learn how to handle sticky situations!
Who: Current and Potential 4-H Judges
When: Friday , January 27
Time: 5 pm - 8 pm
Registration begins at 4:45 pm
(A light supper will be provided)
Where: Lac qui Parle Extension Office Media Room, Madison MN
Those judging virtually will receive the link a few days before.
Register online at z.umn.edu/2023JudgesTrainingReg. The registration deadline is January 25.
For more information visit: https://z.umn.edu/2023JudgesTraining
Become a judge in an area you enjoy!
Crafts and Fine Arts,Performing Arts, Photography, Visual Arts,
Natural Resources Areas, Crop Science, Horticulture, Child Development,
Clothing, Consumer Education, Creative Writing, Food & Nutrition, Health, Safety,
Home Environment, Needle Arts, Citizenship, Leadership, Self-Determined, Mechanics, Shop/Wood Science and Engineering Design.
Community Events sponsored by Murray County 4-H and Monogram Meats with various community partners
Murray County 4-H received a very generous grant from Monogram Foods to help sponsor Murray County Community Nights. Join us January 8 from 2 - 5 pm for Winter Olympics, come as a club, a family or an individual. There will be indoor and outdoor activities including Olympic themed physical activities, arts and crafts, making quick breads. A meal of Soup and bread will be served. The goal of Monogram Foods Loves Kids and Murray County 4-H is to teach our youth that Murray County is a great place to be a part of. Our community has a lot to offer. Families attending the community nights do not have to be enrolled in 4-H, however we hope that once they learn more about our program, they will find a home with Murray County 4-H. More information will be sent out to registered 4-H families prior to each event. If you would like to help with any of these events, please contact Kim Hause.
January 8, 2 - 5 pm Winter Olympics at the Murray County Fairgrounds meal will be soups and breads and if sports aren't the favorite thing, we will have kitchen activities in the 4-H building
February 10, 6 - 8 pm Family Valentines Date Night - paired with Slayton and Fulda Public Libraries at the Murray County 4-H Building
March 3, 6 - 8 pm Game and Trivia Night with walking tacos at the Murray County 4-H Building
2023 4-H summer intern opportunities
4-H summer intern positions are located throughout the state and positions range from eight to thirteen weeks, with flexible starting dates. Each internship will provide an excellent opportunity to learn more about University of Minnesota Extension and explore job opportunities in 4-H Youth Development. Applicants for the University of Minnesota central interview process must have a high school diploma, and at least two years of undergraduate study is preferred. Now #hiring 4-H youth development interns. We’re looking for college students interested in hands-on learning about Extension and a passion to see all Minnesota youth thrive!
The application deadline is open until positions are filled, with a preference for candidates who apply by Dec. 20.
4-H Youth Development Summer Interns
- Non-U of M Students Apply here: 4-H Summer Interns, Non-U of M Students
Job Opening ID: 352591 - University of Minnesota Students Apply here: 4-H Summer Interns, U of M Students
Job Opening ID: 352593
Save The Dates for the Fundraiser
Fundraiser Pick Up date is Scheduled for March 11, 2023! Save the date!
Project Bowl information
Project Bowl is a long-standing program in Minnesota 4-H and is the second most attended event of the year. In Project Bowl, teams of 3-6 youth build skills working and thinking together while testing their knowledge in these 4-H areas: dairy, dog, general livestock, horse, llama/alpaca, poultry, and rabbit. In 2023, Plant Science Bowl will also be available at the state contest.
There are four regional bowls, which lead to the state competition. Each has two divisions: Junior (grades 3-8) and Senior (grades 4 through 4-H graduation). Regional winners advance to the 4-H State Project Bowl. Winners at the state level in dairy, general livestock, horse and poultry go on to national contests!
Get your friends together, recruit a coach, study hard, and most of all have fun during the project bowl season!
Murray County currently has a General Livestock and a Poultry Team, we have youth interested in a rabbit team. We are also looking for coaches who would be willing to work with youth weekly to learn about the species and attend the regional project bowl March 18 in Redwood Falls. - contact Kim Hause if you would be interested.
Livestock committee meeting
Extension Office closed
Federation Meeting
Let's Talk Livestock
Do you participate in 4-H Livestock Projects and are interested in learning more? Are you thinking about raising livestock and want to learn more? Then this is for you! All 4-H livestock enthusiasts are invited to join us for 4-H Let’s Talk Livestock to dive into all things livestock! This event will be a hands-on learning event around general livestock, rabbits and poultry. Join us to learn about a wide variety of topics from nutrition to reproduction to livestock products, there will be something for everyone! You will learn new tidbits that will be useful for individual 4-H projects, for livestock teams, future careers and more!
Let’s Talk Livestock will be held on Saturday, January 14, in Redwood Falls and will run from 9:30 a.m. - 3 p.m.. Participate for just $10, which includes all supplies and your lunch. Let’s Talk Livestock is open to all interested youth in grades 3 and up. Invite a friend and join us for this fun day of livestock learning!
Interested in attending? Register by January 5 in 4-H Online to attend this free virtual series; for assistance with your 4-H Online event registration, check out the event registration guide. Questions: Do you have questions about 4-H Let’s Talk Livestock? Contact 4-H Extension Educators Kirstin Koch at kochx040@umn.edu.
To learn more visit: z.umn.edu/LetsTalkLivestock
Building Leadership and Understanding (BLU)
What is BLU?
The Building Leadership & Understanding (BLU) workshops engage youth in learning about leadership topics while making new friends from across the region. BLUs are planned and facilitated by other youth - the Minnesota 4-H State Ambassadors.
Youth participants engage in a variety of activities throughout the event, including small and large group discussions, team-building activities, personal awareness experiences, and informational sessions. Each BLU has a planned social activity as well - more details sent to registered participants approximately two weeks prior to the event.
This year's BLU focuses on “Find Your Path”.
Who can attend? Youth in grades 6-9 are welcome to attend. Youth not yet enrolled in 4-H are welcome to attend, contact your local 4-H program for enrollment information. Across the state, approximately 500 youth attend the workshops each year. Attendance at each of the individual locations ranges from 60-150 youth. How much does it cost and what is included? For 2022 the BLU registration fee will be $65 for the one day BLU. Fee includes a long sleeve t-shirt, a take home item, meals and materials for workshop activities. SW Blu is held each year in Marshall, MN - February 3, 2023
To Learn more visit https://z.umn.edu/BLU2022
Horseless Horse Round Up
Palominos, Pintos, Ponies and more, join the 4-H Horseless Horse Round Up virtual series to learn all about horses (no horse required!). This virtual series is open to all youth in grades 3 and up. We will meet monthly starting on January 24 (on the 4th Tuesday) to dive into a new topic with activities, speakers and more! To learn more, go to z.umn.edu/HLHRoundUp by January 17.
Check out our topics for the series:
January 24: Horse 101
February 28: Horse Care
March 28: Horse Nutrition
April 25: Horse Safety and Behavior
May 23: Horse Diseases and More
June 27: 4-H Horse Show, Tack and Attire
Careers Down on the Farm
Explore the wonderful world of agricultural careers through hands-on activities and guest speakers. We’ll learn about being an auctioneer, implement mechanic, and much more from real Minnesota ag professionals! The free sessions will be offered on Saturday mornings January 7-28 from 10-10:30 a.m. Find full details & register here: z.umn.edu/2023CareersDownOnTheFarm
Junior Vet Kids Camp
Project Bowl Invitational
Join us on February 25th at 9am to test your agriculture knowledge in a fun game show format! Bring your own team of 4-6 youth or come as an individual (and we will form teams for you!). Come for fun and/or as a practice for the Regional Project Bowl competition in March.
Contest topics include Dairy (goat and cattle), Dog, General Livestock (Beef, Sheep, Swine, Meat Goat), Horse, Llama/Alpaca, Plant Sciences, Poultry or Rabbit. Contests may be combined depending on team numbers. Youth in grades 3 and up are welcome to attend. Location is to be determined and will be announced at a later date. Cost is $10 per person. Go to z.umn.edu/SWInvitational to register by February 15.
“Snowscapes” 4-H Photography Challenge
Minnesota 4-H Photography is excited to offer a statewide photography challenge to youth in grades K-13. In the "Snowscapes" 4-H photo challenge, youth are encouraged to select their best winter wonderland photo taken during the 2022-2023 4-H year and tell the committee why it’s special to you. Submit one (1) image (with no or minimal editing) with up to two (2) sentences explaining why it’s important by 11:59 p.m. on January 31, 2023. Find more information and rules https://extension.umn.edu/event/minnesota-4-h-snowscapes-photo-challenge.
4-H choose your outdoor adventure self guided series
What adventure will you choose?
Learn more about 4-H outdoor adventures by exploring these four project areas on your own time. Each of these topics will guide you through fun activities you can do outside. Open to all, but geared towards youth in grades 5-9
Into the outdoors
Birding
ATV safety
Exploring the forest (coming soon)
to learn more visit https://extension.umn.edu/projects-and-more/4-h-choose-your-outdoor-adventure
Don't forget to update your enrollment
I know in the last newsletter and in a few state emails they talked about continuous enrollment which we all took as Yeah I Don't have to do this every year but they meant more about staff being able to help families with challenges re-enroll than actually not touching re-enrollment every year - sorry for the confusion.
Murray County Ambassador Events for January
Kim Hause
University of Minnesota Extension, Murray County
Email: hausek@umn.edu
Website: https://extension.umn.edu/local/murray
Location: 2848 Broadway Avenue, Slayton MN USA
Phone: 507-836-1144
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/murraycounty4h