4-H Friday NewsBlast for 12/04/2020

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The Nebraska Extension Special Agronomy Project gives 4-H members an opportunity to experience a crop that is grown, was grown or has the potential to be grown in Nebraska. Youth participate by receiving seed and resources to grow the crop, research traits of the crop and determine the viability of that crop in the part of the state they live. The project allows 4-H members interested in agronomy to grow something fun, new, and different.

To kick-off the inaugural year of the special agronomy project, youth will explore teosinte. The plant looks and is very similar to corn, in fact it is believed to be the wild ancestor of today's corn!

For more information go to: https://cropwatch.unl.edu/special-agronomy-project

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December 16- January 6th Applications due December 14th by 5:00 p.m. CST.

To register, go to the following link: MBA Cohort Registration. Once registered, you will get information about logging into both Zoom sessions and the MBA site. For questions, contact Brianna Buseman, Youth Meat Extension Educator, at brianna.buseman@unl.edu

Youth who join this statewide learning cohort will gain tools and resources for being a beef advocate, work as a group to become a strong ambassador for the beef community and be able to answer tough questions about beef and raising cattle. The group will meet initially on December 16th to introduce the program, get to know their cohort and learn more about the beef industry as a whole. During the cohort timeframe, youth will complete the Masters of Beef Advocacy program online through National Cattlemen’s Beef Association. In addition to completing the online program, youth will have the opportunity to continue discussion with their cohort through a series of discussion boards, additional learning resources and activities to help put what they learn into action. Youth will then log-in on January 6th for a celebration webinar to mark their completion of the program, learn more about beef in Nebraska and discuss careers in the beef industry.

Agenda for the MBA Learning Cohort:

Both zoom meetings will be recorded and distributed to those registered if unable to attend the live meeting.

• December 16, 6:30 pm: Zoom MBA Program Kickoff
• December 16-January 6: MBA program will be open and available for students to complete their training. During this time additional information, activities, and discussion prompts will be added to the Microsoft teams page for the cohort to interact with.
• January 6, 6:30 pm: Zoom MBA Program Wrap Up

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Douglas-Sarpy 4-H Virtual Reality Workshop with UNMC iEXCEL!

Workshop will take place online from 4:30pm-6:00pm on December 8th!

Register Here: https://cvent.me/wzGyya

Registration closes December 6th at 11:59pm.

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Nebraska is seeking eligible youth interested in participating in the 2021 4-H Shootings Sports National Championships at the

Heartland Public Shooting Park and Events Center in Grand Island on June 20-25, 2021 in the events of smallbore pistol, muzzleloader or hunting skills discipline.

4-H youth who are interested in participating in Smallbore Pistol, Muzzleloader or Hunting Skills are required to complete the online “4-H Shooting Sports National Championships Interest Form.” This form can be found at - https://forms.gle/mKJ4E4N8zQdVFxB1A or HERE . Deadline to complete the online Interest/Intent Form is December 18th, 2020, 5 pm CST. Participants must have passed their 14th birthday before January 1 of the current year and may not have passed their 19th birthday before January 1 of the current year in which the 4-H Shootings Sports National Championships is held. More details will be available at a later date.

A selection process, if needed, will be announced if there is sufficient interest from youth in participating in the 2021 National Match. Please share this with your club members. Feel free to contact Steve Pritchard at (402)395-2158 or (308)536-2691, or spritchard1@unl.edu if you have any questions. Thank you for your interest in the Nebraska 4-H Shooting Sports Program.

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Hunting Skills is an exciting and challenging discipline. We are seeking members that are interested in competing on the Hunting Skills team for 2021.

There is a lot involved in preparing for this discipline, studying game guides and wildlife identification and management, hunter scenario and map and compass and shooting practices too.

This discipline requires a commitment to work hard to learn what is needed but it is also interesting and fun.

At Nationals there are two types of competition:

1. Testing on these topics:
1. Wildlife identification using tracks, scat, skulls, pelts, and sounds.
2. Hunting scenario utilizing game laws of Nebraska and hunter ethics.
3. Map and compass course and wildlife management testing.
2. Shooting scores for 3-D archery, Sporting Clay's and .22 silhouette (1/2 scale targets).

This is a long week of shooting and testing but it is a great time to challenge yourself and make some new friends.

There is a lot of studying and range practicing before nationals, but it is a fun week!

Contact Tracy @tracy.ensor@unl.edu for more details

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The National Western Catch-A-Calf program has re-opened the 2021-22 NWSS CAC Application website and the new deadline is January 15, 2021. Go to: https://nationalwestern.com/catch-a-calf-program/?fbclid=IwAR3LBfau6HJKcroQJmU7Q9RlYClb-qVSWTzpwXh7LhgHHzhA_7amYd_B2N0

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It’s getting chilly outside, but that doesn’t have to stop the fun of 4-H camp! Nebraska 4-H winter camps are open to all youth ages 6-14. Youth do not need to be enrolled 4-H members in order to join us for some winter camp fun! All of the Nebraska 4-H camp programs follow CDC and ACA recommendations for in-person activities with hand sanitizer, masks, and social distancing. Check out all of the Nebraska 4-H winter camp sessions and register at 4h.unl.edu/school-year-camps.

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The 2021 State Horse Expo is looking for volunteers to help keep the show running smoothly next summer during the July 10-14, 2021 event. No horse experience is necessary and volunteer duties consist of exit gate, entry gate, ring steward/judge helper, announcer, ribbon person, etc. Contact Grace Kim at ekim23@unl.edu to sign up.

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4HOnline is now up and ready for you to enroll! Remember you must enroll every year! Be sure to enroll your Clover Kids also. Please email Tammy @ tcavanaugh2@unl.com if you have any questions.

**Sign up for the Special Garden Project while you are enrolling! 👇

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The 2021 Nebraska 4-H special gardening project is focused on the tasty Hakurei Turnip! These are not your grandmother’s turnips. Hakurei is a white salad turnip that is smooth, round, and at its best when harvested under 2 inches. The roots can be eaten raw or cooked and the tops can also be cooked. The special gardening project offers 4-H members an opportunity to grow fun and unusual projects in their gardens. Sign up when you enroll in 4-H at 4HOnline, and email cass-county@unl.edu to order seeds.

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NEW! Cass County 4-H is excited to offer these expertly curated kits for checkout to our members and 4-H leaders! Perfect for club meetings, homeschooling, interest-led learning, and family activities. Visit http://go.unl.edu/casskits for details, or contact Tracy at tracy.ensor@unl.edu

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Don't forget to complete your Year End Club Treasurer's Report! They are due January 31, 2021 Click here to complete your clubs report! You can email it to Tammy @ tcavanaugh2@unl.edu or bring it by the Extension Office.

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It's never to early to get your YQCA training out of the way! Click the picture and get started today! Please email your certificate to Tammy @ tcavanaugh2@unl.edu, drop them off at the Cass County Extension Office or mail them in!

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We still have premium money and awards that need picked up. If you are unable to pick up your awards or premium money, but someone has offered to pick them up for you, you must fill out an authorization form. Please email Tammy @ tcavanaugh2@unl.edu to request access to the form.

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Know a Cass County 4-H'er that is doing good things, competing in events? working to be better? Let us know we would love to give them a "SHOUT OUT"! You can email Tammy @ tcavanaugh2@unl.edu .

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4-H Calendar - Be sure to check often for updates!

1. December 25, 2020 Cass County Extension Office CLOSED Holiday Break
2. January 1, 2021 - Cass County Extension Office Closed Happy New Year!
3. January 2, 2021 - Beef Weigh In
4. January 31, 2021 - Year End Treasurers Reports Due - REQUIRED
5. June 14, 2021 - District 4-H Horse Show - Scottsbluff
6. June 15, 2021 - District 4-H Horse Show - Burwell
7. June 16, 2021 - District 4-H Horse Show - Columbus
8. June 17, 2021 - District 4-H Horse Show - Lincoln
9. June 18, 2021 - District 4-H Horse Show - McCook
10. June 28-29, 2021 - Life Challenge
11. June 28-29,2021 - Premier Animal Science Event (PASE)
12. June 30, 2021 - State 4-H Public Speaking Contest
13. July 10-14, 2021 - Fonner Park State 4-H Horse Expo

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Lauren Stohlmann, Extension Educator and Unit Leader, lauren.stohlmann@unl.edu

Katie Kreuser, Extension Educator, katie.kreuser@unl.edu

Tracy Ensor, Extension Assistant, tracy.ensor@unl.edu

Tammy Cavanaugh, 4-H Support Staff, tcavanaugh2@unl.edu

Sandy Prall, Office Manager, sprall2@unl.edu

General Mailbox, cass-county@unl.edu

Email: cass-county@unl.edu
Website: www.cass.unl.edu
Location: 8400 144th Street, Weeping Water, NE, 68463
Phone: 402-267-2205
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UNLCassCounty/
Twitter: @UNLCassCounty

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