POLK COUNTY EXTENSION CL VER P WER March 2014 Is it spring yet?! We sure hope so, very soon! It s that time of year to start thinking about all the events going on in the spring. To celebrate the St. Patrick s Day holiday we would like to encourage all of you to participate in the Hoops and Clovers Iowa Energy Basketball Game with your 4-H Club on March 17. It is a great opportunity to socialize with club members and other 4-Hers from around the county and support and promote Polk County 4-H at the game. Sincerely, Joy & Marci We always like to hear about what clubs are doing in the county. This month we would like to focus on Ankeny Achievers 4-H Club. In February, they made 6 egg casseroles that were donated to the Salvation Army Feeding Program. Multiple members brought food items that they had prepared. They were also able to share something special about the food item, and learned about special family stories associated with the foods, ingredients in the foods, helpful hints for a good food product at the fair, and even some pointers on exhibiting canned items at the fair. The club also started a sewing project that they will complete in March. Way to go Ankeny Achievers! 1625 Adventureland Dr., Suite A, Altoona, IA 515-957-5760 Monday - Friday 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM LEARN MORE AT WWW.EXTENSION.IASTATE.EDU/POLK/
Polk County T. V. Stars In July 2013, Woodbury County contacted their organizational advancement specialist about producing a 4-H TV spot. They wanted to inspire 4th-8th grade youth to join 4-H and educate them about STEM-based programming offered by 4 H. Their idea was to show a variety of STEM-based programs in a fantastical way to catch the attention and excitement of the young people. In support of the K-12 Youth Outreach signature issue, organizational advancement recommended producing the spot as a state-wide effort. Organizational advancement managed the production of the spot working with partners and state agencies to meet branding specifications. Some of the actors and actresses are even Polk County 4-Hers. The resulting spot builds awareness of 4-H, inspires youth to join 4-H, and is not dated nor location specific, so can be played anytime, anywhere. The spots can be viewed at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zr9qlkmgfk0 2014 Polk County Fair Theme The Polk County Fair Board received a dozen ideas from numerous clubs and 4-H ers for this year s theme. This year s fair theme will be: All Creatures Great and Small, 75 th year of the Polk County Fair. The winning theme was submitted by Southside Pride 4-H Club New 4-H member? Have Questions? Come join other 4-H members and their families in this series to learn about what it means to be a 4-H member. We ll answer your question about goal setting, projects, the Polk county fair, Conference judging and anything else about 4-H that you would like to know. Join us for the fun, the learning and the rewards that come with being a member of Polk County 4-H! Please RSVP to Carla at carlav@iastate.edu by the day before the event. Each of the following workshops begin at 6:30 pm at the Polk County Extension Office, Altoona. March 13 - Goals, Projects and Exhibits May 8 - Record Keeping June 12 - County Fair Preview Hoops and Clovers The Iowa Energy Basketball team is holding a 4-H recognition night! They are offering discount tickets for the game that may be picked up at the Polk County Extension Office. The tickets will be $7 for 4-H ers and their families. The game will be held on March 17th at 7:00 PM. As an extra bonus, the kids may participate in an on court fan tunnel! If you have any questions please contact Joy at 515-957-5771 or niklasen@iastate.edu. Willow Trellis Workshop Ellen Sattler, Polk County 4-Her, will lead the class in constructing a willow trellis. Participants will gather willow and create their own trellis. Class will be held Sunday March 30 th, 12:30 to 5:00 p.m. at Chichaqua Longhouse, 8700 NE 126 Ave, Maxwell, IA 50161. No previous experience needed. Participants need to bring; small bow saw, sharp anvil pruning shears and a small hammer. Nails will be supplied. Participants should wear clothes that can get dirty and shoes that can get wet. Pre-registration required, deadline is March 25 th. Minimum age is 12. Fee is $15.00 Please contact Joy to register at 515-957-5770 or niklasen@iastate.edu. Volunteer Opportunity The Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden is going to be holding their spring plant sale May 8-11. They are looking for youth to volunteers as plant runners to help customers carry plants from the building to their cars. If you are interested, please contact Susan Cory at 515-323-6293 or scory@dmbotanicalgarden.com.
IFAA Incoming Freshman Scholarships 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 fouryear 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. The deadline is May 1, 2014. For more information on the 2014 IFAA Winner s Circle Scholarships, go to www.iowastatefair.org/ competition/sale-of-champions/winners-circle-scholarships. If you have questions, contact Linda Weldon at linda@slweldon.net or call 515-291-3941. Little Hands on the Farm The Iowa State Fair would like to invite your club or county to participate in a shift of volunteers at Little Hands on the Farm. As a participant, your club or county would commit to providing the volunteers for the exhibit for an entire shift. In return they will list the name of your club or county on the entrance and exit gates of Little Hands on the Farm, as well as on the Iowa State Fair website as a volunteer group. Shifts are filling up quickly so if you would like further information on what days and shifts are still available, please contact Emily Brewer; ebrewer@iowastatefair.org; Iowa State Fair; Agriculture Education Coordinator;515/262-3111 ext. 244 Volunteer Opportunity at the Iowa 4-H Center The Iowa 4-H Center is gearing up for the 2014 summer camping season and they need help with several projects to be ready in time for summer! These projects will take numerous helping hands- both big and small- so they are looking for youth and adults! On April 26, come as an individual, family, 4-H club or volunteer group for some awesome bonding time in the great outdoors. Volunteer projects will range from simple to complex and include: splitting and stacking wood, trimming bushes, painting, staining, raking leaves, cleaning cabins, trail work, picking up trash, and other spring cleaning activities. Pack a picnic lunch, load up the crew and join them as they ready the 4-H Center for the upcoming camping season! Call the camp office at 515-795-3338 or email 4hcentermail@iastate.edu to sign up. Taste of Camp Polk, Madison, Dallas, and Warren counties will be hosting the 2nd Annual Taste of Camp at the Iowa 4- H Center near Madrid, Iowa on June 18-21, 2014. This is a great opportunity for 4-H ers and Clover Kids to experience all the fun at camp! A 4-day 3-night experience is offered for Junior and Intermediate 4-Hers, and a shortened 2-day 1-night experience is offered for Clover Kids. Senior 4-Hers are offered a leadership opportunity as cabin leaders. To learn how to register, visit http:// www.extension.iastate.edu/polk/news/taste-camp. Financial aid is available through the Iowa 4-H Foundation due by April 25th. To learn how to apply, visit https:// www.iowa4hfoundation.org/fundingopportunities. Please contact Joy with any questions at 515-957-5771 or niklasen@iastate.edu. 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.
Discover The Twin Cities Intermediate Trip (7 th & 8 th grade) Make plans to join the fun on June 16 th & 17 th to discover some great places in Minneapolis & St. Paul. Along with 4-H ers from Dallas, Jasper, Madison, Mahaska, Marion, Polk, Poweshiek and Warren counties. This is a great opportunity to meet other Iowa 4-H ers! The itinerary includes stops at Cabela s, Mall of America, tour Target Field, Como Zoo and visit Valleyfair. The bus will leave Des Moines at 7:30 AM on June 16 th and return home in the evening on the 17 th. The price for the entire trip is $215. If you are interested in attending please contact Joy Niklasen at 515-957-5771 or niklasen@iastate.edu, Polk County s allotted spots have been filled and your name will be added to a wait list to fill other counties unused spots. Iowa 4-H Youth Conference 2014 The dates have been set for June 24-26, 2014 for a great three-day adventure at ISU for Iowa s youth. We also wanted to share that the registration cost for this year s conference has been set as well. Delegate registration costs will be $175 per person. This is the same fee for both youth and adults and covers 2 nights of lodging, 7 meals, 3 keynote speakers, transportation for workshops and community service, facility rental, 2 dances, and a t-shirt, among other supports and services. When you look at your return on investment, it s priceless! If you have any questions about the Iowa 4-H Youth Conference, check out the website for updates at: http://www.extension.iastate.edu/4h/iowa4hyouthconference or contact Marci, 515-957-5770 or mvinsand@iastate.edu. Rabbit Workshop Series It s time to prepare your rabbit for the county fair! Throughout the series, you will learn about the different rabbit breeds, tattooing of rabbits, and proper showmanship. All workshops are FREE and will be held at the Polk County Extension office in Altoona. To register, please contact the rabbit superintendent, Bill Wolfe at 515-556-5123. Sunday, March 23rd, 1:00-3:00 PM Tattooing, Showmanship, General questions Saturday, May 3rd, 1:00-3:00 PM Grooming, Tattoos, Showmanship, General questions Sunday, June 8th, 1:00-3:00 PM Carriers, Tattoos, Showmanship, General questions Dog Obedience Classes Beginning Soon It s that time of year for the Dog Obedience Project to start. Our orientation and organizational meeting will be Wednesday, March 26th, 2014 at 6:30 pm at the Extension Office in Altoona. As required by the USDA we will need a copy of your dog s vaccination record before you can start attending classes. A waiver form will be required, and your dog will need to be ID d in the 4-H On-Line system before you may begin classes as well. Do not bring your dog to the meeting on the 26th. Regular meetings will begin on the following Sunday March 30th at the Des Moines Obedience Training Center at 1423 SW Army Post Rd., and they will continue on Sunday afternoons up to the fair in July. Beginners will start at 1:30 and everyone else will begin at 2:30. Please contact Sally Martin at 515-967-5358 if you have questions or need to make alternate arrangements for orientation. OUR VISION A WORLD IN WHICH YOUTH AND ADULTS LEARN, GROW, AND WORK TOGETHER AS CATALYSTS FOR POSTIVE CHANGE
Weigh-In Dates Please mark your calendars with the following weigh-in dates. Swine Saturday, April 5 th from 8:00 11:00 at Don Timmins farm in Altoona. Sheep and Meat Goats Saturday, May 3 rd from 8:00 11:00 at the State Fairgrounds Sheep Barn Attention Swine Exhibitors Are you showing pigs or wanting to show pigs but have no idea how to select them? We have some help for you! If you would be interested in a workshop on- how to select your show pigs, please contact Bart Weldon at bart.weldon@live.com. Dates and times for the workshop are variable based upon need. Livestock ID s Once again ALL livestock ID s will be done through 4-H Online (iowa.4honline.com). As always, non weigh-in species ID s will be due by May 15th (However they can also be done today!) To enter non-weigh in species, you will need to log into your 4-H Online family record and add the pertinent Animal ID s to the member record. Weigh-In animals will be entered into 4-H Online by county extension staff. If you have questions about this process feel free to contact Marci at 957-5770 or vinsand@iastate.edu. FSQA (Food Safety & Quality Assurance) Eligibility All food producing livestock exhibitors currently in the 4 th -6 th grades are required to attend FSQA training. These include exhibitors in Beef, Dairy, Sheep, Swine, Poultry and Rabbit project areas. 4-H ers currently in the 7 th -9 th grades will be eligible to take the intermediate test, and those in 10 th -12 th grades will be eligible to take the senior test. These eligibilities will no longer be tied to the 4-H ers age. This also includes breeding divisions of those exhibits. Polk County will be offering FSQA Training in the evening of March 11 th and afternoon of March 18 th. These are currently the only two sessions scheduled for Polk County. Be sure to check your calendars to make sure that one of those dates will work for you and your family, or contact Marci (vinsand@iastate.edu ) to make arrangements for an alternative FSQA certification site. Sheep Project Workshop Ever wonder: What goes into taking a lamb to the fair? What do you look for in a quality lamb? What does it mean to be slick shorn? These questions and more will be answered by the sheep superintends at a sheep workshop to be held on March 29 th 9:00AM - 12:00PM at the Polk County Extension Office. Please contact Marci at 957-5770 or vinsand@iastate.edu to reserve a spot by March 27 th. Poultry Workshop Do you have poultry or do you have an interest in poultry? Would you like to learn more about the project area and what it all requires well here is your chance. The poultry superintendents will be hosting a workshop on March 22 nd 2-4 PM at the Polk County Extension Office. Please contact Marci at 957-5770 or vinsand@iastate.edu to reserve a spot by March 20 th. The 2014 Polk County Fair is scheduled for July 16-21 at the Iowa State Fairgrounds.
Leaders Corner ATTENTION Leaders Hoops and Clovers The Iowa Energy basketball team is holding a 4-H recognition night! They are offering discount tickets for the game that may be picked up at the Polk County Extension Office. The tickets will be $7 for 4-H ers and their families. The game will be held on March 17th at 7:00 PM. As an extra feature the kids may participate in an on court fan tunnel! If you have any questions please contact Joy at 515-957-5771 or niklasen@iastate.edu. Willow Trellis Workshop Ellen Sattler, Polk County 4-Her, will lead the class in constructing a willow trellis. Participants will gather willow and create their own trellis. Class will be held Sunday March 30 th, 12:30 to 5:00 p.m. at Chichaqua Longhouse, 8700 NE 126 Ave, Maxwell, IA 50161. No previous experience needed. Participants need to bring; small bow saw, sharp anvil pruning shears and a small hammer. Nails will be supplied. Participants should wear clothes that can get dirty and shoes that can get wet. Pre-registration required, deadline is March 25 th. Minimum age is 12. Fee is $15.00 Please contact Joy to register at 515-957-5770 or niklasen@iastate.edu. ***Spring Leader Meeting*** Please make plans to attend the Spring Leader Meeting on April 24, 2014 from 1:00-3:00 pm OR 6:00-8:00 pm at the Polk County Extension Office. Volunteer Opportunities -The Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden "plant runners May 8-11. Please contact Susan Cory at 515-323-6293 or scory@dmbotanicalgarden.com. -Little Hands on the Farm-The Iowa State Fair August 7th 17th. Contact Emily Brewer; ebrewer@iowastatefair.org; Iowa State Fair; Agriculture Education Coordinator;515/262-3111 ext. 244 -Spring Cleaning at the Iowa 4-H Center, Saturday, April 26- The Iowa 4-H Center needs help with several projects to be ready in time for summer! These projects will take numerous helping hand- both big and smallso they are looking for youth and adults! Come as an individual, family, 4-H club or volunteer group for some awesome bonding time in the great outdoors. Call the camp office at 515-795-3338 or email 4hcentermail@iastate.edu to sign up. What is your club doing? Is your club participating in a fun community service opportunity? If so, we would love to hear about it! Please share with us your happenings and we will place it in the next months Clover Power. Volunteer Training Makeup If you were unable to make February 11th training. Training webinar and materials are located at https:// learn.extension.org/events/1261. Please complete your training by May 15 th. Following the presentation, you must go to: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/793h7bx and fill out the online evaluation via Survey Monkey. This survey collects anonymous data and will not verify that the volunteer participated in the training. To verify your participation to county office you must send an email to niklasen@iastate.edu with the following information to get credit: volunteer name, title of webinar, date viewed, and three things I learned or will use. Enrollment Fees Please remind your members to pay their enrollment fee to the Polk County Extension Office. It is $30 for new members, and $35 for returning members. They can send a check to 1625 Adventureland Drive, Ste A, Altoona 50009 or pay over the phone with a Master Card, Visa, or Discover by calling Carla at 515-957-5763.
8 Phone Numbers, E-Mail and Website Addresses Joy Niklasen 957-5771 niklasen@iastate.edu Polk County 4-H Club Page http://www.extension.iastate.edu/polk/4h 4-H County Youth Coordinator Marci Vinsand 957-5770 vinsand@iastate.edu 4-H County Youth Coordinator Carla Vanderheiden 957-5763 carlav@iastate.edu Youth & Nutrition Internal Program Coordinator Andrea Nelson 957-5775 nelsonar@iastate.edu Executive Director Jeff Macomber 993-4281 jmacombe@iastate.edu Youth Development Specialist The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, and marital or family status. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Many materials can be made available in alternative formats for ADA clients. To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326- W, Whitten Building, 14th and Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call 202-720-5964.
DATES TO REMEMBER March 1 Deadline for Financial Aid for Camp from the 4-H Foundation 4 4-H Program Advisory Board 7-8:30 pm 5 County Council Meeting 7:00 pm 11 FSQA 6:00 8:00 pm 17 Hoops and Clover 7:00 pm 18 FSQA 1:00 3:00 pm 22 Poultry Workshop 2:00 4:00 pm 23 Rabbit Workshop 1:00 3:00 pm 29 Sheep Workshop 9:00 am-12:00pm 30 Willow Trellis Workshop 1:00 4:30 pm April 1 4-H Program Advisory Board 7-8:30 pm 2 County Council Meeting 7:00 pm 5 Swine Weigh-In 8:00-11:00am 16 Fair Board Meeting 7:30 pm 24 Leader Meeting 1:00 3:00 pm or 6:00 8:00 pm 24 Deadline for Financial Aid for Conference from the 4-H Foundation 3 Sheep Weigh-In May 3 Rabbit Workshop 1:00 3:00 pm 6 4-H Program Advisory Board 7-8:30 pm 7 County Council Meeting 7:00 pm 15 Livestock ID s Due 15 Last Day to Enroll in 4-H 15 Polk County Fair King and Queen Applications Due 21 Fair Board Meeting 7:30 pm June 3 4-H Program Advisory Board 7-8:30 pm 4 County Council Meeting 7:00 pm 7 King/Queen Candidate Interviews 8 Rabbit Workshop 1:00 3:00 pm 16-17 Intermediate Trip 18-21 Taste of Camp 18 Fair Board Meeting 7:30 pm 24-26 State 4-H Conference 26 Office Closed FIND US AT: EXTENSION.IASTATE.EDU/4H/POLK 222 July 1 Polk County & Iowa State Fair Entries Due to Extension Office 4 Office Closed 8 4-H Program Advisory board 7-8:30 pm 9 County Council Meeting 7:00 pm 9 Fair Board Meeting 7:30 pm 12 Clothing Event 16-21 Polk County Fair 7-17 Iowa State Fair August 12 AkSarBen Entries Due to the Extension Office