HOWARD COUNTY EXTENSION CLOVER CONNECTION - APRIL 2014 1 x.8 Put your photo in here Michael Schaub HOWARD COUNTY EXTENSION County Youth Coordinator 132 1st Avenue West Cresco, IA 52136 mrschaub@iastate.edu 563-547-3001 Spring Fair is Upon Us... WHAT S INSIDE: Judges Training County Council Corner Scholarship Opportunities Sewing Workshop Swine/Sheep Weigh-In Project Updates 4-H News Leader s Notes Clover Kids Citizenship Update Food & Fitness Update Calendar Dog Agility Information Summer Camp Information It is Spring Fair time. Whether we re ready for it or not it is coming up quick. I hope you all are enjoying our new found nice weather and it has gotten you into the mood to work on 4-H projects. We are down to less than 83 days until the Mighty Howard County Fair so time is getting slim. Don t delay. With Spring Fair right around the corner I would like to issue a challenge for next year. Our numbers are okay for this year but I would like our numbers to be astonishing next year. Spring Fair is a time to show off your talents no matter what they may be with Presentations, Share-the-Fun, Working exhibits and Clothing. The opportunities are endless. I would like to challenge all of you to try it next year whether it s by yourself or in a group. You are all talented and we love to enjoy your talents. Crestwood FFI 4-Her Mark Farlinger teaching 2nd graders at Howard-Winn Elementary about grains. Thank you, Michael Schaub Reminder!! Spring Fair 2014 is right around the corner. County Council members preparing for Spring Fair. Howard County 132 1 st Avenue West, COUNTY Cresco, ADDRESS, IA 52136 CITY, Ph 563-547-3001 STATE XXX-XXX-XXXX Hours 8-12 Noon OFFICE 12:30 HOURS -4:30 Learn More at http://www.extension.iastate.edu/howard/4h LEARN MORE AT WWW.EXTENSION.IASTATE.EDU/4H/COUNTYNAMEHERE Iowa State University Extension programs are available to all without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, or disability.
SPRING FAIR Invite Your Friends and Family to Spring Fair We encourage you to invite all of your friends and family to take part in your special day at Spring Fair. You can use the write up to the right to encourage them to come and watch. Don t limit this to just your family but invite some friends that may want to get a look at what they can take part in. If you have members of your club that have never participated before please encourage them to come check it out. This is a great experience and opportunity that is not being taken advantage of. Let s spread the word! Hey, My Friends and Family! Come check out the fun at the Howard County 4-H Spring Fair-- April 12th at the NICC Center in Cresco. Enjoy 4-H Educational Presentations and Share the Fun Acts from 8:30-11:30. Make and take ideas and crafts with 4-H Working Exhibits from 11:30-12:15 (kids and adults love these!). Public Awards Program and style show at 1:00 PM. Come enjoy, relax, and celebrate the talents of 4-H members from across Howard County like me! Food stand is available all day! COUNTY COUNCIL AND OTHER NOTES County Council Corner The next County Council Meeting will be held at Spring Fair. We had low turnout for the last meeting so there will be some catching up that needs to be done. Even if you are not participating in Spring Fair I do ask that come for awhile and assist with some of the plans that the council has created. Spring Fair Decorating will be taking place immediately following school on Friday, April 11th. We will meet at the front doors of the NICC building at 3:30 pm. The more people that we have show up to help, the faster that we can get done. We will have to arrange the rooms for presentations and working exhibits as well as put up the AMAZING decorations that some of you created. 2014-2015 County Council Applications have been sent out for all current 8th-11th graders. If you did not receive one and think you should have please contact the Extension Office. I encourage all of you to go through the application process. This is a very fun group and you will have your opportunity to shape what you think Howard County 4-H should be. The deadline for returning applications is May 1st. Noteworthy Notes 4-H Enrollment Update At the end of last year we were sitting at 201 4-H members in Howard County. We also reached a peak of 60 Clover Kids last year. I think we are more than capable of reaching numbers much higher than this. Please do not stop encouraging others to join in on the fun. Let s see what we are capable of. 4-H Members currently enrolled: 197 4-H Clover Kids currently enrolled: 71 4-H VOLUNTEERS NEEDED The Lidtke Mill is looking for tour guides of the house and the mill for the summer. This is an opportunity for high school aged 4-Hers to gain citizenship and leadership skills. The tours run from 1-4 pm on Saturdays and Sundays, Memorial Day through Labor Day. There is a script to follow and you will be with an adult supervisor as well. If you have interest in this opportunity please contact Phyllis Stevenson at 563-566-2864. MISSION STATEMENT 4-H EMPOWERS YOUTH TO REACH THEIR FULL POTENTIAL WORKING
4-H YOUTH OPPORTUNITIES IOWA 4-H YOUTH CONFERENCE You can now register for the Iowa 4-H Youth Conference. Go to http://www.extension.iastate.edu/4h/ iowa4hyouthconference and take a look at all of the workshop descriptions that are available to this year s delegates. The Iowa 4-H Youth Conference is schedule June 24th-26th. You can do both the fair and the 4-H Conference. Also, you do not have to be in 4-H to attend the conference. That gives you the opportunity to recruit all of your friends to attend this conference and see how great 4-H is. If you have any questions please feel free to contact the Extension Office. SCHOLARSHIP College-bound Iowa youth active in 4-H and/or FFA livestock and agricultural projects may apply for scholarships available from the Iowa Foundation for Agricultural Advancement (IFAA). The scholarships are available to freshmen entering any Iowa two- or four-year post-secondary institution this fall. Applicants must major in animal science or a curriculum in agriculture or human sciences that is related to the agriculture industry. Click on the link above for the PDF information with typeable application. Due May 1, 2014. For more information on the 2014 IFAA Winner s Circle Scholarships available go to www.iowastatefair.org/ competition/sale-of-champions/winners-circlescholarships. If you have questions, contact Linda Weldon at linda@slweldon.net or call 515-291-3941. CROP SCOUTING COMPETITION The Iowa State University Integrated Pest Management Program is pleased to bring you the fourth annual Crop Scouting Competition for Iowa Youth. High school students from across Iowa are invited to compete and showcase their scouting abilities in corn and soybean. Prizes: $500 for 1st, $300 for 2nd, $150 for 3rd, $50 for 4th. Each participant will receive a free event t-shirt. Team Leaders: Each team is to be led and accompanied by an adult team leader. Teams should work with their leader to train for the event. Past team leaders have been parents, seed dealers, coop employees, and others. Preparation: A 14-part set of IPM presentations and ISU Field Guides are available to help prepare for the competition. Presentations can be found atwww.ipm.iastate.edu/ipm/cropscouting. Corn, Soybean, and Weed ID Field Guides can be purchased at https:// store.extension.iastate.edu. Registration: Cost is $50 per team, which will be returned when teams arrive at the competition. Lunch and snacks are provided. For questions, email ajsisson@iastate.edu. HEALTHY LIVING YOUTH AMBASSADORS Healthy Living Youth Ambassadors (ages 16-21) are needed to serve on the National 4-H Healthy Living Management Team. As a Healthy Living Ambassador, youth will: Participate in 4-H Healthy Living face-to-face meetings at the National 4-H Conference Center in Chevy Chase Maryland. (All travel expenses will be covered.) Work with the National 4-H Healthy Regional Coordinators to help plan and support 4-H Healthy Living programs. Inform 4-H youth, 4-H volunteers, 4-H educators, University faculty and other interested persons about 4-H Healthy Living opportunities and resources; Share program ideas and resources with youth peers that will help strengthen and expand 4-H Healthy Living programs; Actively pursue state/local partnerships and networks to expand 4-H Healthy Living programmatic efforts and learning experiences. For more information regarding the national leadership opportunity click HERE. Applications are due April 15. Contact Cayla Taylor cayla@iastate.edu for more info. 4-H PLEDGE I PLEDGE MY HEAD TO CLEARER THINKING, MY HEART TO GREATER LOYALTY, MY HANDS TO LARGER SERVICE, AND MY HEALTH TO BETTER LIVING, FOR MY CLUB, MY COMMUNITY, MY COUNTRY, AND MY WORLD.
4-H SUMMER CAMPS ARE RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER 4-H SUMMER CAMPS Youth in Howard County will once again have the opportunity to experience the fun at Pine Bluff 4-H Camp located near Decorah. We will have three overnight camps this year with two being for Junior 4-Hers (grades 4th-6th) and a two-night camp for Intermediate age youth (grades 7-8). This is an awesome time to meet new youth from across Region 4 (Northeast Iowa). The camps are packed with crazy fun and new experiences. Make sure you save the dates. Junior Camp #1: June 9th-10th Junior Camp #2: June 11th-12th Intermediate Camp: June 17th-19th SUMMER CAMP YOUTH COUNSELORS With youth summer camps coming that also means that we will be needing some camp counselors. 9th-12th graders will be needed to supervise all three camps that are scheduled. To supervise the Intermediate Camp you must be an 11th or 12th grader. Continue to watch the newsletter for more updates. If you are interested in becoming a camp counselor please contact Michael at mrschaub@iastate.edu or 563-547-3001 so we can get an application sent out to you. Application deadline for counselors will be April 15th. In addition to supervising at the camps you will also be required to attend camp counselor training that is scheduled for Friday, June 6th. Watch the newsletter for more updates coming your way. Registrations will be sent out soon and the deadline for signing up will be April 15th. CITIZENSHIP AND LEADERSHIP ACTIVITIES 4-H Food and Fitness 4-H Citizenship Group This month the Crestwood FFI 4-H Team took to the classrooms to discuss Grains. 4-Her Kolby Lefebvre talks to some 2nd graders about grains. The youth were able to try some granola at the end of the lesson. Crestwood FFI 4-Hers Andrew Born, Kaylie Henry and Hailey Praska took part in the Regional Youth Leadership Team FEEST on April 4th. School board members from all 17 schools involved with Food & Fitness were invited to attend this meal created and served by the youth. The Howard County Citizenship group had their last meeting at Mabe s Pizza in Decorah on March 23rd. It was a four-county meeting with members from Mitchell, Allamakee and Winneshiek Counties also in attendance. We had two guest speakers in attendance as a member of the Winneshiek County Democrats and a member of the Winneshiek County Republicans told the youth what it meant to be a part of those two parties. It was not an advertisement for either party but was solid on information on how to become a part of a party and how to educate yourself on the issues that matter most to you. On April 16th Citizenship Group will be heading down to Des Moines for the culmination of their work this year with the Citizenship project. We have meetings set up with members of the House and Senate and will also be taking a tour of the Capitol. In addition, to the tour the youth chose to make a donation to Blank Children s Hospital in Des Moines. MISSION STATEMENT 4-H EMPOWERS YOUTH TO REACH THEIR FULL POTENTIAL WORKING
CLOVER KIDS Clover Kids coming to an end for the year. Clover Kids don t forget to get involved in the fair this year. We went over your many options at the meeting and included some of it in your take home letter but pets, bottle calves and just about any nonlivestock project you can think of can be exhibited at the Mighty Howard County Fair. Also for you 3rd grade Clover Kids. Do not forget about your Graduation Ceremony at the Fair! Two of our locations had their final Clover Kid Sessions of the year last month with Riceville having one final go after having to cancel their January meeting. Last month the youth in Cresco and Elma learned the Science behind Insects. They also talked about how they can stay involved with Clover Kids over the summer and how to be engaged with Clover Kids or 4-H next year. Upcoming Dates: Riceville: April 14th, 3:15-5:15 p.m., Riceville High School Lunch Room LEADER REMINDERS Leader s Notes Spring Fair Information Schedules have been sent out for Share-The-Fun, Working Exhibits and Presentations. If you have a clothing project you will need to contact the Extension Office and schedule a time to come in and be judged. We encourage all leaders and youth to stay and enjoy the youth participating as well as recognizing them at the end of the day. These youth have worked very hard and they deserve our support. Ticket to Success The theme for the 2014 4-H Exhibit Building will be Ticket to Success. I would like to see some creativity with the decorations in the club booths this year. Let s show the public that we are proud of our clubs. Club Visits I will start coming around to clubs in the near future. I will most likely be contacting you before hand but if you are planning to venture off of the program book that you provided us with please notify us so I do not end up at a cancelled/moved meeting. Making Up Required Meeting We had a very nice turnout for our required Leader s Meeting the other night but we still have a few that need to get caught up. If you missed the meeting please call the Extension Office so we can set up a time for you to complete this requirement. Background Screening Paperwork We are still missing background screening paperwork from a few leaders. This needs to be done ASAP. If you do not have the paperwork please contact us and we will make sure that you receive it. 4-H PLEDGE I PLEDGE MY HEAD TO CLEARER THINKING, MY HEART TO GREATER LOYALTY, MY HANDS TO LARGER SERVICE, AND MY HEALTH TO BETTER LIVING, FOR MY CLUB, MY COMMUNITY, MY COUNTRY, AND MY WORLD.
Project Updates DOG Dog Obedience/Agility Class Schedule is attached on the last page of the Newsletter. Reminder that if you plan on exhibiting a dog at the fair you must be attending these workouts. Please also notify the Extension Office if you are enrolling in the dog project so we can make sure that the appropriate paper work is sent out to you. We also do need proof that your dog is up-to-date on shots and vaccines. If you have not done so please make a copy of these records and drop them off at the office. Project Updates POULTRY CONTINUED DO NOT DELAY!!! 4-H MARKET BROILER ORDER FORM NAME: PHONE: NUMBER OF BROILERS: Include $1.20/broiler ordered DUE APRIL 14th. No Exceptions. Minimum order of 12. Maximum Order of 25. SPRING FAIR The Spring Fair date has been set. We have again partnered with NICC to host our 4-H Spring Fair. Mark your calendars for April 12 th for the 2014 Spring Fair. Start encouraging members to think about participating. Make sure that all 4-Hers understand what all happens at Spring Fair and the awards that can be earned by participating. Spring fair is the day for all the communications projects to be presented and judged. If you have any further questions ask your leader or call the Extension Office. Entries are due March 24th to the Office. SHEEP WEIGH-IN The 2014 Sheep weigh-in is scheduled for Saturday, April 26th from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the Howard County Fairgrounds. Any sheep that will be entered for the Iowa State Fair must have a 4-H tag and retinal imaging done. This includes market lambs, commercial ewes and purebred breeding ewes. Cost is $2 per tag and $5 for retinal imaging. If you did not sign up in the sheep project area upon enrollment but plan to exhibit sheep, notify the Extension Office ASAP. POULTRY County Fair If you would like to order chicks to exhibit at the fair we will be placing the order to the hatchery on April 14th. This will allow for delivery to our office around mid-may. The ordered chicks will all be roosters. Delivery date will be announced later. Send in entry form or call Extension Office before April 14th. State Fair The 2014 State Fair 4-H Market Broiler entry form is now live and ready for entry in 4hOnline. Keep in mind, this is a separate process than for all the other regular 4-H livestock State Fair entries. NOTICE: NEW Entry Deadline for 2014: MAY 1 HORSE It is the time of year again to start getting horse workouts written into your calendar. Workouts will be held every Wednesday night starting May 7th. They will be meeting at the arena at the Cresco Saddle Club. If you have questions or would like to know more about these workouts you can call the Extension Office or get in contact with Darlene Vsetecka, Allen Stoddard, Travis Grover or Tess Kennon. Location is a correction from 4-H IS BASED ON RESEARCH
4-H NEWS FSQA Mark your calendars now for our 2014 FSQA Training. 4-H members that plan on exhibiting any animals at the county or state fair will need to be FSQA certified. Our training will be Thursday, May 22nd, 2014 at 5 p.m. at the Featherlite Building on the Fairgrounds. Riceville FFA will be holding a training at the school on Wednesday April 2nd at 2:10 p.m. We will have pizza and beverages there for you. If this date will not work for you, please let us know so that we can make other arrangements with you. OPTIONS TO GET FSQA CERTIFIED Youth in grades 4-6 must attend FSQA training each year. Youth in grades 7-9, have the option of attending training or completing a test which certifies them until 10th grade. Youth in grades 10-12 will have the option of attending a training every year, or completing a test which will certify them until they turn 20 years of age. If you are unsure whether you need to get recertified, the records can be found on your profile in 4-H online. STEM FESTIVAL Families from across Northeast Iowa are invited to Calmar on Thursday, April 24th for the Northeast Iowa Family Stem Festival. This will be an evening full of driving robots, playing with tornadoes and even piloting flight simulators. This is a free event that will be taking place at the Northeast Iowa Community College (NICC) Wilder Business Center from 4:00-7:30 p.m. For more information about this or other STEM related events please visit www.neiowastem.com. 4-H NEWS IOWA 4-H YOUTH CONFERENCE Grab a Ticket to Success and head down to Iowa State University for a three-day adventure with 1000 other teenage youth from across the state. If you have completed the 8th grade or are currently a high school aged youth, you are eligible to attend. You do not have to be a 4- Her to attend this conference. You will dive into 3 full days of entertaining speakers, workshops, mixers, dances, a banquet and a community service project. This is an incredible opportunity. It does coincide with the fair but there are some that can do both. If you have interest please contact the Extension Office. 4-H LIVESTOCK ID S Livestock identification will once again be done through 4-H Online. All identifications must be done on 4-H online by Thursday, May 15, 2014. There is no leeway with this date. To enter non-weigh in species, you will need to log into your 4-H online family record and add the needed information to the Animal ID. Weigh-In animals will be entered by Extension staff but it is the responsibility of the member to verify that all of the information is correct. If you have any questions regarding this process feel free to call us at the Extension Office. Help sheets are available at www.extension.iastate.edu/4h/ enrollement/help.htm. SUPPLIES NEEDED FOR FAIR We are looking for some supplies to use during fair. If you have any of these items and would be willing to share with the 4-H program for a week, please contact the Extension Office. Items that we are in search for: Cornhole Boards (Bags Boards) Small Picnic Tables (i.e. Playskool) We are also searching for a skilled wood worker and skilled metal worker for a couple of very small projects that we would like to put together. If interested in helping out please contact the Extension Office. 4-H IS BASED ON RESEARCH
Calendar Of 4-H Events A P R I L M AY FUTURE DATES TO KEEP IN MIND April 2nd Howard County 4-H Alumni Scholarship Interviews, Extension Office, 4:30-7 p.m. April 4th 4-H FFI Youth FEEST, 9 a.m. Decorah April 11th Orders for Chickens due to Extension Office April 12th Spring Fair April 15 Regional Summer Camp Registrations and Camp Counselor Applications are due April 16th - Citizenship Trip to Des Moines, State Capitol, Iowa Supreme Court, Blank Children s Hospital April 18th Extension Office is Closed April 24th STEM Hub Festival -NICC, Calmar Campus April 26th Howard County Sheep Weigh-In, Howard County Fairgrounds, 9-11 a.m. May 7 Horse Workouts Begin Saddle Club Arena May 11 4-H County Council Meeting 4 p.m., Extension Office May 15 4-H/FFA Livestock Entries Due on https:// iowa.4honline.com/ NO EXCEPTIONS May 22nd FSQA Training 5:30 p.m., Featherlite Center Fairgrounds May 29th Youth Committee Meeting 7 p.m., Extension Office June 6 Camp Counselors Training @ Pine Bluff June 9-10 Jr. Camp #1 Pine Bluff Camp June 11 Regional Engineering Camp, NICC Calmar June 12-13 Jr. Camp #2 Pine Bluff Camp June 17-19 Intermediate Camp Pine Bluff Camp June 24th-26th Iowa 4-H Youth Conference, Iowa State University June 23rd Exhibit day at the Mighty Howard County Fair June 25th-29th Mighty Howard County Fair June 27th County Fair Clover Kid Day Camp Aug. 7th-17th Iowa State Fair April 27th 4-H County Council Meeting, Extension Office, 4 p.m. Want to Find Out More?!? WANT TO KNOW MORE? Visit us at: http://www.extension.iastate.edu/howard/4h FIND US AT: EXTENSION.IASTATE.EDU/4H/YOUR COUNTY NAME HERE Like us on Facebook: Howard County 4-H Follow us on Twitter: @HowardCounty4H