Notes from the office...

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1 Randolph County 4-H Newsletter 18 USC 707 Did you Know? The first 4-H club was founded in However, it was actually a 3-H club, representing Head, Heart, and Hands. It wasn t until 1911 that the 4th H was added: Health. The four leaf clover was patented in 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. Notes from the office... February 2015 Volume 4, Issue 2 January was a whirlwind month (in a good way!) with the new 4-H enrollment period. We were happy to see that most of our 4- H ers were able to get themselves enrolled for another great year in 4-H. If you have not had the chance to sign up for this year, you still have time and we are still accepting paper enrollment forms. Simply contact the Extension Office to get signed up right away so you can stay updated on all the important 4-H info and happenings! Congratulations to the January Clover Connection puzzle winner Hayley Nix. Thank you to all that submitted puzzles last month. Be sure to check out this month s puzzle to see how you can be a winner! In this month s newsletter: The 4-H year is kicking into gear, so there are several club announcements, as well as lots of important project info. Also find information on different 4-H opportunities, as well as some tips on how to have a great year in 4-H. Finally, this newsletter includes info from our other Extension Office areas agriculture and health and human sciences. Be sure to check it all out! Read, Read, Read! Please make every effort to read your project manuals, fairbook, newsletters, postcards, letters, and handouts thoroughly! Stay up-to-date on your project requirements, 4-H activities, and important deadlines. We are providing you with the info now it s your responsibility to read and understand it. As always, if you still have questions, PLEASE ASK!

2 Good to Know! Attention 4-H Members!! Make sure you share the Clover Connection with your parents and 4-H helpers. Let s make sure we all know what s happening with 4-H! You can find out more about ALL the info in this newsletter by contacting the Extension Office or checking out the Randolph Co. Extension Service website. Also, if you have questions, these are the people to ask! (Contact info can be found on the back page of this newsletter.) While reading the newsletter, there will be info on where certain events are happening. Just so everyone is on the same page if a workshop, activity, or meeting is mentioned as being in the dining room, conference room, Husted Hall, or a livestock barn, that means the event is at the 4-H Fairgrounds in that particular room. If the event is not at the fairgrounds, it will be noted as such. If you have 4-H news you would like to include in the Clover Connection, submissions are due the 1st of each month. You may drop it off at the Extension Office, call, or Joanie. General 4-H News Enroll in 4-H You still have time to sign up for 4-H if you have not done so already. You need to stop by or contact the Extension Office to fill out an enrollment form. Please enroll as soon as possible so you do not miss out important info and announcements! 4-H Enrollment Fees If you enrolled online and indicated that you would pay with cash or check, please pay your enrollment fees to the Extension Office either by dropping them off during office hours or mailing them to the office. Once we receive your enrollment fee, we can fully process your enrollment and officially enter you in the system as a Randolph County 4-H member. Pick Up Project Materials If you have enrolled in 4-H and have not received your project manuals and record sheets, please stop by or contact the Extension Office. Also, every family is to receive a fairbook, which contains important rules and guidelines for each project, as well as the fair schedule. Dropping/Adding 4-H Projects & Updating Family Info Once you are enrolled in the new 4HOnline system, you will always have access to your profile on the website (in.4honline.com). You can add or drop any projects, as well as update any demographic info such as phone number or address. If you enrolled online, simply use the same username and password to log back in. If you enrolled via paper form, you can go to the website and enter the that you listed on your enrollment form and you will be sent a temporary password. You will then have the chance to create a new password and username. You can still contact the Extension Office with these changes as well. Volume 4, Issue 2 Page 2

3 Scholarship & Award News Lots of Scholarships! The Extension Office has many different scholarships available to those graduating high school. Stop by the office or check out our website. Some of these scholarships have deadlines fast approaching, so don t hesitate! If you have questions while filling them out, the Extension Office is willing to help you! Club News Club meetings & activities are here to make 4-H a great experience for you. Clubs will help you with your projects, answer questions, and are a chance to have fun with other 4-H ers. To get the most out of your time in 4-H, get involved and be a part of all the great things the program has to offer! Community Club Leaders Deerfield Lucky Clovers Donna Bickel & Debra Homan Deerfield Trailblazers Tammy Sofronko MC Challengers Gordon Jackson MC Modern Achievers Marie Jackson MC 4-H Traditions Marie Jackson MC Showmen Jim Weiler RS Grand Champions Chris Robinson & Beth Randall RS Rebel Succeeders Chris Robinson & Beth Randall Union Achievers Lisa Compton & Becca Bennett Union Blue Ribbon Lisa Compton & Becca Bennett UC Buckskins Ron Smith & Kirsten Welch UC Lucky Charms Ron Smith & Kirsten Welch White River Blue Ribbon Mike & Karla Reed Winchester 4-H Club Pat & Greg Neville Project Club Leaders Junior Leaders Joanie Thornburg & Julie Elsbury K-9 ers Sherri Bickel & Shelly Griffin Rabbits Tammy Sofronko & Marcia Holliger Randolph Riders Jeff Hutchens Shooting Sports Brent Headland (these leaders are the project club coordinators) Deerfield Trailblazers There will be a club meeting on Sunday, February 22 at 2:00pm in the conference room. We will recap and hand out awards for 2014, and talk about what s to come in Junior Leaders The next meeting will be Wednesday, February 18 at 6:30pm in the dining room. We will vote on a t-shirt design, so be sure to bring along your designs and ideas! (Please refer to the February Jr. Leader newsletter for more info on this.) There is a Jr. Leader Scholarship available to graduating seniors that plan to obtain a post-high school education. You must have completed at least two years of Jr. Leaders to apply. Applications are due by April 1. You can pick up an application in the Extension Office, online, or at the next meeting. Volume 4, Issue 2 Page 3

4 Club News cont. K-9 ers Please be reminded the club sends reminders and also has a Facebook page (Randolph County K- 9 ers) where we post and send reminders. You can add as a member also. If you want reminders, or need to update your for notifications and reminders, please send an to bickelfamily@comcast.net. Practices are held each Tuesday, weather permitting, at 6:00pm in Husted Hall. If you are in question if a practice is cancelled, please contact a leader. We try our best to get the word out! You must provide proof of vet records to practice: f you are bringing a new dog you must have at the first practice you attend; if you are bringing a dog you brought last year you have until March 1 to turn in your 2015 vet sheet. Vet sheets can be ed to you, picked up at the Extension Office or at a practice. This year s important date list is available. If you need a copy, please pick up one at practice or from the Extension Office, or request one by . New this year we have had a demand for new shirts for the club, so we are taking shirt designs until March 1. So get to drawing up a great idea after leader approval. During March, the club will vote on shirt color and design. Orders will be placed in April. We are currently shopping around to get prices to drive the cost down as best we can. If you have an idea please contact Sherri with the information. Also, pending this year we are planning to have Dawn Williams come and do a seminar on Agility and Showmanship. This will be on a weekend and it will have a small cost to help cover the costs the club will have for this training. The date will be announced as soon as we can get one worked out. As always, please contact a leader with questions or suggestions. Please let new potential members know about the practices! We are looking forward to another great year with out Randolph County K-9 er family! Randolph Riders The next member meeting will be Monday, March 2 at 6:30pm in Husted Hall. Bring along your t- shirt design ideas. Voting on the designs will be done at this meeting. New year=new possibilities! The Horse & Pony club is now seeking sponsors for We have opportunities for great business exposure while supporting the area youth! Details are available on our web site, call Shonda Kane, Fundraising Chair ( ), or randolphriders@gmail.com. Remember to visit the club website (randolphriders.webs.com) when you need any club info! Club calendar, most activity details, and forms are located there! Volume 4, Issue 2 Page 4

5 Project News Beef & Dairy Beef Weigh-In The 4-H Beef Weigh-In and Identification will be held on Saturday, March 14 from 9:00am-12:30pm at the 4-H Fairgrounds. All beef steers, market and commercial beef heifers, and dairy steers will need to be brought to the fairgrounds on this day. 4-H members will be sent more information in the mail. If you know of any new beef members that have not enrolled in 4-H, please encourage them to contact the Extension Office. Dairy Feeder Calves, Sheep, and Goats Weigh-In/Ear Tagging Mark your calendars now for the ear tagging and weigh-in scheduled for Friday, May 1 at the 4-H Fairgrounds. The dairy feeder calves will be tagged from 5:00-6:00pm, followed by the sheep and goat tagging from 6:00-8:00pm. More detailed info will come in the mail to project members! Livestock Projects New for 2015 all 4-H members enrolled in livestock projects (beef, dairy, dairy beef, dairy feeder calves, goats, horse & pony, sheep, swine) will have to identify their animals through the new 4HOnline enrollment system. This is the same system that is being used to enroll online for 4-H. There will not be paper forms to use this year all enrollments will have to be done on the computer in order to show at the fair. More info will be made available as we move closer to the date, but please be aware of this change! 4-H Project Changes for 2015 Below are the summaries of the main changes that were made to 4-H projects for the 2015 year. There were also non-livestock judging schedule changes, as well as fair show changes that are not in this list. Please be sure to check the front of the fairbook for the most up-to-date schedule. Dairy Beef Dairy beef steers (no feeder calves) will have a Rate of Gain class Dairy Feeder calves and Dairy steers will have a separate showmanship classes from Beef Goats Boer goat does can now show in either a breeding class or market class. Swine The top five barrows and the top five gilts will be chosen on show day. Round Robin If a showman wins more than one specie s senior showmanship, they must declare within one hour which specie they will represent in the Round Robin. Dairy Beef will be added as an entry. The Horse & Pony portion of the contest will be held in the Horse & Pony Arena. Livestock Auction Only hogs, cattle, sheep, and goats may be sold directly to the appraisers. All females shown in a market class must go to be processed or go to the appraiser; No keepers. Beef & Swine Will hold a Champion Drive at the conclusion of the show with the champion winners to be chosen at this time. Foods Level C (grades 7, 8, 9) have the option to do an angel food cake rather than the other category requirements. This exhibit would not have a State Fair entry. New project guidelines for upper levels. Volume 4, Issue 2 Page 5

6 Project News cont. Scrapbooking There will be an informational meeting/workshop on Monday, February 16 at 6:30pm in the dining room. If you plan to attend, please RSVP to: or call the Extension Office. Shooting Sports The Shooting Sports Organizational meeting will be Monday, February 16 from 6:15-8:00pm at the 4-H Fairgrounds. You should have received information in the mail that included forms that you need to fill out. Please bring those with you to this meeting. Also, be sure to check the Shooting Sports calendar so you are aware of when you have range instructions. This calendar can be found in the front of the shooting sports manual. Tractor Workshops will continue on the following Wednesdays: February 11, 18, 25, and March 4, 11 at 7:00pm. The February 11 workshop will be held at Don Calhoun s, and the February 18 workshop will be held at Round Barn Repair. Reminders will be sent with directions to the locations for the remaining workshops. Mini News Enrollments Still Accepted Did you forget to turn in your Mini 4-H Enrollment Form? Don t worry, we are still accepting paper enrollment forms through the Extension Office. Turn it in as soon as possible so you don t miss out on any important information related to 4-H! Project Manuals Mini 4-H members will receive their project manuals at school the toward the middle/end of February after all the enrollments are received. If you signed up for Mini Horse & Pony, Mini Beef, Mini Sheep, Mini Goats, or Mini Swine, you will receive those manuals at one of the meetings or workshops. Mini 4-H Horse & Pony The next meeting will be Monday, March 2 at 5:30pm in the dining room. Mini 4-H Project Changes Below is a list of a few changes that were made to Mini 4-H projects for the H year. Beef No longer allowed to bring in your own beef animal. For show day, 4-H ers should show a calf that they have worked with previously, rather than use a random animal. Livestock Show Schedule All Mini livestock exhibitors (beef, goats, sheep, swine) will show on Wednesday, July 22 at 2:00pm during the fair. The show order will be determined at a later date. Volume 4, Issue 2 Page 6

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9 Other 4-H News Weather Permitting! With the cold, wintery weather upon us, sometimes our plans can be altered by mother nature. When it comes to 4-H activities, every club or group may have their own cancellation policies. The Extension Office will use STAR 98.3 FM to list cancellations and/or send out an . We may also use your school announcements. If all else fails, you can contact the Extension Office or your 4-H leader to double check. 4-H Camp Area 4-H Camp will be held June 3-5 at Camp Higher Ground. All 4-H members in grades 3-8 are welcome to attend. Registration info and more details will be sent to everyone in the spring. Sheep Barn Gates The Sheep & Goat producers are working on updating the barn with new gates and are looking for donors to help cover the cost of those gates. All those that donate will be listed in the barn as a donor. Please contact the Extension Office or any sheep and goat producer member for more info on how you can help. Area Livestock Contest In Randolph County Randolph County will serve as host of the Area 7 Livestock Contest on Thursday, April 16. Be sure to check with your FFA advisor or 4-H leader to see about putting a team together. Fiber Fest Jay County is hosting their annual Fiber Fest March an entire event devoted to the fiber art. It is a great event for the whole family! From beginners to expert weavers and fiber enthusiasts, there are plenty of activities to get everyone involved. If you are interested in learning different craft techniques, there are many different class options: spinning, rug hooking, needle felting, and appliqueing. For those that are more interested in purchasing a hand-crafted item for themselves or for someone else there will be many different vendors with a wide selection of merchandise. The kids will have something to be excited about as well since there will be a petting zoo with sheep shearing. All Boy and Girl Scouts have the opportunity to earn a Fun Patch! For each scout the entry fee is only $3. Each scout is encouraged to visit as many booths as they can but they are required to visit at least eight to earn the patch. For more info, please visit Health & Human Sciences News Special Interest Lesson There will be a special interest lesson on Fruit Tree Pruning & Common Pests on Tuesday, February 24 at 6:30pm in the conference room. All are welcome to attend! Extension Homemakers District Meeting The District Meeting will be held March 10 in Wayne County. Please RSVP to the Extension Office by February 28 if you plan to attend. Living Well Day Mark your calendars now for the 2015 living well day on September 30. More info will be released within the next couple of months. Volume 4, Issue 2 Page 9

10 Agriculture News Farmer Coffee Hours Randolph County will be hosting two more Farmer Coffee Hour programs this month. On February 12, Edward Farris, Extension Educator, will present an Introduction to Succession Planning. On February 26, Bob Nielsen, Purdue Extension Specialist will present Filter the Kool-Aid Before You Drink It. The programs begin at 8:00am at the fairgrounds with breakfast provided for all attendees. RSVP to the Extension Office at to attend either of these programs. Farmers Achievement Banquet The annual Farmers Achievement Banquet will be held on Wednesday, March 11 at 6:30pm at the Union School cafeteria. Tickets will soon be available for purchase and will cost $8.00. Eastern Indiana Livestock Breeders Meeting There will be an organizational meeting with the Eastern Indiana Livestock Breeders on Tuesday, March 3 at 7:00pm at the 4-H fairgrounds. All of those interested are welcome to attend! Randolph County Ag Days Mark your calendars for the Randolph County Ag Days to be held April 8-9. The theme for this year is Harvesting the Wind, and will include the Farmer s Share Breakfast, St. Vincent Randolph health screenings, Farmer Brown s animals, kiddie tractor pull, and much more! Extension Calendar All events below are held at the Randolph County 4-H Fairgrounds, unless noted otherwise. February 2015 March K-9 ers Dog Practice, 6:00pm 2 Mini H&P Meeting, 5:30pm 12 Farmer Coffee Hour, 8:00am 2 Randolph Riders H&P Meeting, 6:30pm 16 Shooting Sports Org. Meeting, 6:15pm 3 Eastern Indiana Livestock Breeders, 7pm 16 Scrapbooking Workshop, 6:30pm 7 Horse & Pony Tack Auction 17 K-9 ers Dog Practice, 6:00pm 10 K-9 ers Dog Practice, 6:00pm 18 Junior Leaders Meeting, 6:30pm 14 Beef Weigh-In, 9am-12:30pm 22 Deerfield Trailblazers Meeting, 2:00pm 17 K-9 ers Dog Practice, 6:00pm 23 Extension Annual Meeting, 6:30pm 24 K-9 ers Dog Practice, 6:00pm 24 K-9 ers Dog Practice, 6:00pm 26 Horse & Pony Advisors, 7:00pm 24 Special Interest Lesson, 6:30pm 31 Extension Homemakers Achievement 26 Farmer Coffee Hour, 8:00am Night 26 Horse & Pony Advisors, 7:00pm Volume 4, Issue 2 Page 10

11 Puzzle Contest The puzzle contest is open to any Randolph County 4-H member (grades K-12). To participate, simply complete the puzzle and return to the Extension Office by bringing it in, mail, fax, or . All puzzles turned in with the correct answer will be put in a drawing for a 4-H prize. One entry will be chosen as the winner of this month s Clover Connection puzzle contest. Good luck! Find the 4-H animal-related projects. They can be found forward, backward, and diagonally. S Q Y T P E W V T O E S G Y X T K L H R J A W C B S R W J O I A N U P N N J E L W B Q S T Q Y G U E T U W I U V R O O M I U T O P M T N P U P I K P E E H S B L R V D H P W F T C A P N P A I E L P V F P U A T T B C H E R S S O S N H M T G L U N C N I T F M R R M U E Q R G D A I R Y I E U L D D I V I E A X J Y T K K Q T E D E C K C O V C Q O Y S C B K Z S A X E W I L D L I F E S N D U G A H G B D G C W W I E F B P V V A R F C S G J V I J I P O C Y O L G B K C Z Z P E S R I J J W N F T T J G B W I P B S R T S L R S H Q E G T G G S B V O S G R I I M T B K Q F D R A N N T H J R E N T O M O L O G Y I Q T U J T O T Y C R S U L A A O B M W E C N E I C S T E V H L M E H H Aquatic Science Dairy Goats Pocket Pets Sheep Vet Science Beef Dogs Horse Poultry Sport Fishing Waterfowl Beekeeping Entomology Pigeons Rabbits Swine Wildlife 4-H Member s Name Grade Mailing Address Phone # Puzzles are due to the Extension Office by February 28! Volume 4, Issue 2 Page 11

12 PURDUE UNIVERSITY COOPERATIVE EXTENSION SERVICE Randolph County 1885 S US Hwy 27 Winchester, IN Cooperating with U.S. Department of Agriculture PRESORTED STANDARD US POSTAGE PAID WINCHESTER, IN PERMIT NO. 15 Purdue Extension Randolph County Office Staff Julie Elsbury Extension Educator CED/ANR/4-H Youth jelsbury@purdue.edu Sue Thornburg Secretary lthornbu@purdue.edu Joanie Thornburg 4-H Program Assistant jmcollin@purdue.edu Casey Seliga Family Nutrition Program Assistant cseliga@purdue.edu Office Phone: Office Hours: Monday-Friday, 8am-4pm