CLOVER POWER JUNE 2014

Transcription

1 POLK COUNTY EXTENSION CLOVER POWER JUNE 2014 Joy Niklasen County Youth Coordinator Marci Vinsand County Youth Coordinator Carla Vanderheiden Youth & Nutrition Internal Program Coordinator Polk 4H ers Doing Great Things! We know how amazing our Polk County 4-Hers are, and we want to share with you what great things they are doing! Lots of fair info inside! I m Kaytlyn Messer and I m 13 years old. I ve completed a community service project for my 4-H club, Levis-N- Lace. This is my 4 th year in 4-H and I decided to make walking canes for the elderly. I recycled old pool balls and pool cues to make sturdy walking sticks. I went to Hammer Medical Supply to purchase the correct rubber ends for the walking sticks. I presented an example of my canes to The Shores at Pleasant Hill and Eastside Senior Center. Each Senior citizen that had an unsteady balance was a good candidate for my cane. I went to different places to request old pool balls and cues. A friend of our family helped drill the cue ball and I glued them on top of the pool cue. I then cut the cue to 3 feet in length and put a rubber tip on the end to finish the cane. I supplied 7 canes to The Shores and 24 canes to the Eastside Senior Center. I was very excited making my canes. Knowing they helped the elderly walk easier gave me a great feeling of pride. I give a special thanks to Gerri s Bar and Grill, Muellers, Hammer Medical Supply and Premiere/ Plaza Bowling Lanes (Richard Shiner) for helping in making my community project a great success. Way to go and keep up the good work Kaytlyn! 1625 Adventureland Drive Suite A, Altoona, Iowa Monday Friday 8:00-5:-00 LEARN MORE AT Iowa State University Extension programs are available to all without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, or disability.

2 New to Polk County 4-H or Polk County Clover Kids? Join other new members and their families at the Polk County Extension Office in Altoona on Thursday, June 12! The Clover Kid session will be held at 5:30 PM, prior to the 4H session at 6:30 PM. We ll answer your questions about goal setting, projects, the Polk County Fair, conference judging, and anything else you would like to know! RSVP to Carla at by June Iowa 4H Youth Conference: Ticket to Success The H Youth Conference will be held June 24-26, 2014 for a great three-day adventure on Iowa State s beautiful campus! For the regular registration fee of $175, deadline is this Friday, May 30. The price then goes up to $200. The last day for all registrations is June 10. This is the same fee for both youth and adults, which 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, services and activities. When you look at your return on investment, it s priceless! We are also in need of a couple of chaperones. If you have any questions about the Iowa 4-H Youth Conference, check out the website for updates at iowa4hyouthconference or contact Marci, or vinsand@iastate.edu Successful Farming Tools of the Future Tour Make plans to attend the Successful Farming Tools of the Future Tour on Thursday, June 12, at Living History Farms in Urbandale. This event is for farmers and anyone else to explore the newest, state-of-theart agricultural tools that will make farmers more profitable in the field including demonstrations and hands-on exhibitions on UAVs (drones) in action, wearable technology (including Google Glass), crop sensors, compaction-reducing equipment, data collection and management, and more tools you can expect to use on your farm in the near future. The registration fee is $35 for four sessions, and includes lunch. Sessions begin at 9:30 a.m. and conclude at 4:00 p.m. Register online at agriculture.com/toolsofthefuture. For more information, contact Harold Reetz at Harold.Reetz@ReetzAgronomics.com. Register by June 1 to lock in the $35 rate. Certified Crop Advisers can earn up to four continuing education credits by attending the tour sessions. This is the first of three stops for The Tools of the Future Tour. MISSION STATEMENT 4-H EMPOWERS YOUTH TO REACH THEIR FULL POTENTIAL WORKING

3 ANIMAL AND LIVESTOCK NEWS AND EVENTS Rabbit Workshop Series The last session of this sthe last session of the Rabbit Workshop Series will be Sunday, June 8 th at 1:00-3:00 PM to learn about carriers, tattoos, showmanship, and other general questions. 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 FSQA Make-Up Session All food-producing livestock exhibitors currently in the 4 th -6 th grades are required to attend FSQA training. 4-H ers currently in the 7 th -9 th grades will be eligible to take the intermediate test or attend a workshop, and those in 10 th - 12 th grades will be eligible to take the senior test or attend a workshop. These include exhibitors in Beef, Dairy, Sheep, Swine, Goat, Poultry and Rabbit project areas. This also includes breeding divisions of those exhibits. Many Polk County 4-H ers completed FSQA training earlier this spring. The final make-up session will be Tuesday, June 10 at 1:00 3:00 pm at the Polk County Extension Office. This is the LAST CHANCE to complete this requirement to exhibit food-producing animals at county and/or state fair this year. If an exhibitor was in 4 th, 5 th, or 6 th grade during the school year, they will be required to attend. Those in 7 th Grade or above are eligible to test out by making an appointment with Marci at or vinsand@iastate.edu. The deadline to test out is June 23. Ak-Sar-Ben 4-H Livestock Exposition The 87 th Annual Ak-Sar-Ben 4-H Livestock Exposition will take place September 25 September 28, 2014 at the Qwest Center in Omaha, Nebraska. Entries will due to the Polk Co Extension Office on August 11. Remember that all market animals must have gone through the verification process to be eligible to exhibit at Ak-Sar-Ben. OUR VISION A WORLD IN WHICH YOUTH AND ADULTS LEARN, GROW, AND WORK TOGETHER AS CATALYSTS FOR POSTIVE CHANGE

4 ANIMAL AND LIVESTOCK NEWS AND EVENTS News for Horse Exhibitors from Horse Superintendent THE BEST WAY TO STAY IN TOUCH with communication about the fair is to join our Facebook page, Polk County 4-H and FFA Horse. The page has the current fair book including class list, sponsorship form, and clinic/show participation form for 1st & 2nd year exhibitors. You may have to scroll down a bit to find everything but it s all there to view and download. We also post information about clinics and horse shows that Polk County horse exhibitors might be interested in. SHOW UPDATES- In the interest of keeping our horses safe, I've arranged with the Iowa State Fair to disinfect the horse barn prior to our arrival at the fairgrounds in July. However, since there's a national Shetland Pony show there the week before and those animals don't leave until Sunday, it is likely that in order to have time to properly clean and disinfect the barn, we won't be able to move anything in until Wednesday morning. This means no bringing in tack & feed on Tuesday as we've done in the past. A small price to pay, in my opinion. I m also very pleased to announce that tpcreations photography will be taking pictures during entire the horse show. ARL RIDINGING CLASSES- All Polk County Horse Project participants are invited to attend open ride and practice sessions being held at the Animal Rescue League of Iowa s new indoor riding arena. The ARL has graciously offered their indoor riding arena to us for a nominal donation fee. Classes will be 6/4, 6/11, 6/18, 6/25, 7/2, 7/9 and space is limited. If you re interested in attending please contact Teresa Taylor (gltaylor@infionline.net or call/text ) or Sondra Feldstein (sondraf@uchicago.edu) or call/text ALL FIRST- AND SECOND-YEAR EXHIBITORS will be required to attend a clinic on show ring etiquette and horse handling at 10 a.m. Thursday, August 17 in the show arena UNLESS you attend at least one horse show or clinic before the fair, and turn in the proper form signed by show or clinic officials. The form is available on the Facebook page and at the Extension office. IGH POINT AWARDS will be given for English performance, Western performance, and timed games. HIGH POINT AWARDS will be given for English performance, Western performance, and timed games. WE NEED SPONSORS! All those wonderful door prizes and awards have to be paid for; the fair itself pays for ribbons and premiums but nothing else. We d like to be able to offer all exhibitors a gift at check-in, door prizes for all exhibitors, and give high point winners the choice of a jacket or chair, but it has to be paid for. Our show is growing steadily and that means it costs more to buy those nice gifts. Sponsors will be recognized in the show bill and during announcements at the show. Sponsorship forms and class lists are available on the Facebook page. The Polk County Fair is a 501c3 nonprofit organization, so donations are generally tax-deductible. CLINICS: We would love to offer more clinics. Some of you have expressed interest in hosting clinics for 4- Hers. They could be clinics with or without horses; on any topic (showmanship, show ring etiquette, fitting horses, pleasure classes, trail, games, etc) and for any specified number of participants. This is a good community service or leadership project for senior members. We can charge a minimal amount to cover costs but for insurance purposes you do have to go through the Extension Office in order to offer a 4-H clinic. Please contact Sondra Feldstein, sondraf@uchicago.edu or or Marci Vinsand at the Extension Office if you have an interest in hosting a clinic. 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.

5 POLK COUNTY FAIR: JULY AT THE IOWA STATE FAIRGROUNDS Polk County 4-H and FFA Fair Information POLK COUNTY FAIR WEBSITE AND FAIRBOOK Many resources are available at the Polk County Fair Website, Here you can find the fairbook, various forms, fair schedule, and rule and class changes or additions. The fairbook is also available at the Polk County Extension Office. This year s Polk County Fair theme is All Creatures Great and Small, 75 years of the Polk County Fair PREPARING FAIR EXHIBITS Determine the goal for the exhibit Check the 4-H project manuals Discuss ideas with a parent, leader, or other 4H er Check with the extension office for additional resources Read and follow all class descriptions, rules, and guidelines in your fairbook Plan now and prepare ahead of time to enjoy the fair! NOTE TAKERS WANTED! ATTENTION: Parents, grandparents, leaders, or any friends of 4-H! On Wednesday, July 16 learn first-hand what a judge looks for in a particular project/exhibit area on Conference Judging Day by taking notes on judge s comments. Blocks of time will be: 8:20-10:10 AM, 10:00-11:50 AM, 11:40 AM-1:30 PM and 1:20-3:10 PM Please choose a time other than the period of time when club members you know are assigned to be evaluated in the 4-H building. Help us out by encouraging other caring adults you know! Clover Kid parents and leaders are welcome as note takers, too, as it is a great learning opportunity about the different project areas. Here are the project areas to choose from: Ag, Animal & Natural Resources/Science, Engineering & Technology Child Development, Consumer Management & Health Clothing, Sewing, Needle Arts Food & Nutrition Home Improvement Horticulture (vegetables & floral) Music & Visual Arts Personal Development Photography To sign up or ask questions, please contact Tina Woods woodsies@mchsi.com. CONFERENCE JUDING DAY Conference judging will take place on Wednesday, July 16 from 8:30 AM to 3:00 PM in the 4-H Building. To find out the time your club is scheduled, check page 25 of the fairbook or ask your leader. No parents will be allowed in the judging area while their child is being judged. There will be staggered lunches for the judges and helpers, so expect judging to be very slow over the noon hour. We thank you ahead of time for your patience. If this is your first year exhibiting at the fair, ask a fellow 4-H member or club leader about the experience. Remember to check-in with the front desk just inside the main entrance to get your Exhibit Building Sheet. This is the sheet for judges to mark which ribbons you receive. It is very important to return your Exhibit Building Sheet to the information desk once your conference judging is complete without it, you will not receive premium monies after the fair. 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.

6 POLK COUNTY FAIR: JULY AT THE IOWA STATE FAIRGROUNDS Polk County 4-H and FFA Fair Information continued FORMS AND ENTRY TAGS Entry tags are required for all exhibits in the 4H Building. They are available at the extension office. If you will be exhibiting photography, posters, or preserved foods (canning), there are specific forms or labels required that can be picked up from your leader or the extension office. If you have old Photography labels please do not use them; instead use the updated labels found at Polk County Fair website, CLUB BOOTHS Clubs may decorate their club booths in the 4H building on Tuesday, July 15 from 6:00 PM until 8:00 PM. All club booths are judged on their decorations, which will take place on Thursday morning. Removal of all booth decorating material is expected to be done on Sunday, July 20 by 2:00 PM. COMMUNICATION EVENT AND POSTERS The Communication Event will be Thursday, July 17 in the 4H Building. This event is for everyone giving an educational presentation, demonstrating a working exhibit, or a senior 4-H member doing extemporaneous speaking. Communication Day entry forms can be found in the fair entry packet at on the same sheet as Share the Fun and Clothing Event. The deadline to submit entry forms is July 1. Consider adapting a presentation you have done for your club. This event is a great way to share your interests and knowledge with others. Judges can selected up to six educational presentations, four working exhibits and two extemporaneous speakers for State Fair, as well as one educational presentation and one working exhibit for Clay County Fair s District Competition. COPYRIGHT FORM Youth bringing building exhibits should be cautious of copyright/trademark issues. A sample letter for you to use to write to the copyright holder to get permission to use logos, trademarks, photographs, etc. can be found at FOOD & NUTRITION Please read the 4-H publication Inappropriate Food Exhibits for Iowa 4-H Fairs, available from the extension office or the Polk County Fair website. These are the same rules that were instituted last year. If you are preparing preserved foods (canning) be sure you are using current and approved methods through the USDA guidelines by calling the ISU Answer Line for information. EXHIBIT CHECK-OUT All static exhibits are to remain at the fairgrounds until 2:00 p.m. Sunday, July 21. Members are responsible for picking up their exhibits at that time or making arrangements for someone else to get them. It is not the responsibility of the extension staff to take any extra exhibits back to the extension office. In past years, Communication Posters have been judged on conference judging day, but THIS year they will be judged during the Communications Event. Please remind 4-H ers that they will need to put Communication Poster entries on the Communications Event form, NOT the 4-H Exhibit Building entry form (the old blue sheet). The top two posters are eligible to go to the Iowa State Fair. This year s poster themes to choose from are: 4-H is (open to 4-H ers interpretation) Join 4-H Ticket to Success (The 2014 State 4-H Conference theme) 4-H, Nothing Compares (The Iowa State Fair theme) The safest course of action: do not copy anything unless you have permission! 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.

7 POLK COUNTY FAIR: JULY AT THE IOWA STATE FAIRGROUNDS Polk County 4-H and FFA Fair Information continued CLOTHING EVENT Judging for the Clothing Event is scheduled for the morning of Saturday, July 12 at the Extension Office. The Clothing Event consists of three divisions: Fashion Review, Clothing Selection, and the $15 Challenge. Fashion Revue is a competition for youth who are modeling clothing they have made themselves. Clothing Selection is a competition for youth who are modeling clothing they have purchased from a store. The $15 Challenge is a competition for youth to choose an outfit from a garage sale, consignment store, etc. with a total cost of under $15. Entry forms are in the Polk County Fair Entry Packet; additional rules and regulations are in the fair book; both of these can be found at the Polk County Fair Website, Tips for modelling and filling out reports are also available from the Extension Office. CLOTHING DEPARTMENT Do you have difficulty writing elements and principles of design to your clothing exhibit reports? Try reading the publication, Unraveling the Mystery of Design Elements and Principles in Clothing. It is a full color brochure that provides some great examples and answers to clothing. design. You can pick a copy up at the Extension Office. COUNTY FAIR BBQ The BBQ will be Wednesday, July 16 at 6:00 PM 7:30 PM in the 4-H Exhibit Building. It will be free will donation to raise funds for the 4H Youth Committee to help New in 2014: 4-H Awardrobe Clothing Event participants (State Fair) will be able to participate as many times as they are selected at the county level in Clothing Selection, Fashion Revue, and $15 Challenge categories. But all still participate in only one area each year at the state level. However, they can now participate more than once in the same category. Entry forms are in the Polk County Fair Entry Packet. Reporting Forms are separate documents that participants need to bring with them on the July 12 judging day. The Clothing Event Superintendents are Marci Vinsand ( ) and Eileen Klemme-DeVore. COUNTY FAIR HELP NEEDED We are looking for youth to help in the 4-H building on conference judging day. Jobs include helping with the bake sale, running projects, helping set up displays and other various jobs on judging day and throughout the fair. Please contact Joy Niklasen at or niklasen@iastate.edu. cover the cost of youth recognition and scholarships for youth and adults. Your generosity is very much appreciated! KING ARTHUR CUPCAKE CONTEST King Arthur Flour will be sponsoring another Cupcake Contest at the county fair this year. First place in the adult category will receive a $75 gift certificate and the youth category will receive a $50 gift certificate. Rules are posted on the county fair website, GIFT BASKET SILENT AUCTION The Polk County Advisory Board will be hosting another Gift Basket Silent Auction, which will be on display during the fair. Proceeds will provide funds that the Advisory Board uses to promote and grow our Polk County 4-H Program. Baskets can be provided by individuals, clubs or businesses. Any one or group interested in providing a basket must pledge their participation by June 2 by contacting Kris Partridge at or kpartridge@mercydesmoines.org. 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.

8 POLK COUNTY FAIR: JULY AT THE IOWA STATE FAIRGROUNDS Polk County 4-H and FFA Fair Information continued PANCAKE BREAKFAST The County Council is having a pancake breakfast for 4Her s and their families on Friday, July 18 at 7:00 9:00 AM in the 4-H Exhibit Building. Please plan to support the County Council by attending the breakfast. DECORATE-A-BALE CONTEST Remember to decorate a bale for your club (or individual) to have a chance to win the $20 grand prize! Judging will take place Thursday, July 17 at 10:00 AM. Rules for contest are in the Contest Division in the Fair Book. TEEN DANCE The County Council is hosting a teen dance for youth ages 13 and up on Saturday, July 19 at 9:00 PM Midnight at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in the annex of the 4 -H Building. Admission is $5.00 or $2.00 with 2 canned food items ANYTHING GOES CONTEST Back by popular demand, the most wild and exciting competition of the fair! On Thursday, July 17 at 8:00 PM in the Horse Arena, clubs have an opportunity to compete for the $20 grand prize! Scoring based on speed through an obstacle course and completion of challenging games. Entry fee is $1 per club. HEALTH CERTIFICATE REQUIREMENTS FOR POLK COUNTY FAIR Cats and Dogs: A vet will be at check-in, but a current rabies certificate is required. A $1.00 fee will be assessed per dog. Rabbits and Poultry: A vet will issue a barn certificate for the rabbits and poultry. A $1.00 fee will be collected at check in for each exhibitor in each division. Beef, Dairy Goats, Meat Goats, Horses, Sheep, and Swine: The fairboard will accept 1 health certificate for the entire family with multiple species listed on the certificate. Each superintendent will need to see the health certificate at check in. Animals not having health certificates will be excused from the fair and must be taken home. ATTENTION POULTRY & RABBIT EXHIBITORS All cages need to be cleaned and checked by the superintendents before you leave the fairgrounds or you will forfeit your premium money. Only market broilers can be sold at the livestock auction on Monday. ATTENTION HORSE EXHIBITORS All horse exhibitors will be required to wear ASTM/SEI approved protective headgear with chin strap and properly fitted harness when mounted, riding and driving. Every time every ride! 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.

9 Clover Kids Robotics Workshop The Polk County SCI Club is hosting a Robotics Workshop for Clover Kids (grades K-3) at the Polk County Extension Office on Saturday, June 14 at 9:00-11:00 AM. Activities will include: How to Train Your Robot, a Lego Mindstorms demonstration, and an opportunity to program a simple Lego robot using the NXT Software. Parents or other adults must accompany their Clover Kid(s) at the workshop. Pre-registration is required as there is limited space for the workshop! To register, ulrikedg@gmail.com. Please bring a non -perishable food item to donate to the food pantry in lieu of a participation fee. Iowa State Fair Livestock and Horticulture Entries Iowa State Fair livestock and horticulture entries are due in 4-H Online ( on July 1 by 11:59 PM. Any 4-H member that has completed 5 th grade or above can enter. A help sheet to walk you through the State Fair entry process can be found at: There will not be paper copies of these entries due to the county office this year Payment along with the printed receipt needs to be turned in to the Polk County Extension office on or before July 1. Checks need to be made out to Iowa State Fair. Contact Marci if you have questions. ATTENTION Leaders! VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES Note Takers Wanted! Please encourage parents, grandparents, leaders, or any friends of 4-H to help write judge s comments and learn first-hand what a judge looks for in a particular project/exhibit area! Time blocks are broken down into just under 2-hour time periods for each judge in each department. To be able to provide this opportunity for our 4-Hers, that means we have 120 blocks to fill! Please choose a time other than the period of time when club members you know are assigned to be evaluated in the 4-H building. Help us out by encouraging other caring adults you know! Clover Kid parents and leaders are welcome as note takers, too, as it is a great learning opportunity about the different project areas. To sign up or ask questions, please contact Tina Woods at woodsies@mchsi.com. Iowa State Fair staff and volunteer applications are available for youth and adults on the web at: There are great opportunities to help in the 4-H Building! NEW 4-H MEMBERS AND CLOVER KIDS WHAT IS YOUR CLUB DOING? Join other new members and their families at the Polk County Extension Office in Altoona on Thursday, June 12! The Clover Kid session will be held at 5:30 PM, prior to the 4H session at 6:30 PM. We ll answer your questions about goal setting, projects, the Polk County Fair, conference judging, and anything else you would like to know! RSVP to Carla at carlav@iastate.edu by June 11. GIFT BASKET SILENT AUCTION Is your club or a member 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 next month s Clover Power! The Polk County Advisory Board will be hosting another Gift Basket Silent Auction, which will be on display during the fair. Proceeds will provide funds that the Advisory Board uses to promote and grow our Polk County 4-H Program. Baskets can be provided by individuals, clubs or businesses. Any one or group interested in providing a basket must pledge their participation by June 2 by contacting Kris Partridge at or kpartridge@mercydesmoines.org. 4-H IS BASED ON RESEARCH

10 Calendar JUNE JULY AUGUST 1 4H Day at Adventureland 3 4H Program Advisory Board 7PM 4 County Council 7PM 6 4H Night at the Iowa Cubs 7 King & Queen Candidate Interviews 8 Rabbit Workshop 1PM 12 New Member Meeting: County Fair Preview 14 Clover Kids Robotics Workshop Twin Cities Intermediate Trip Taste of Camp 18 Fair Board 7:30PM State 4H Conference 1 County and State Fair Entries Due to extension office 4 Extension Office Closed 8 4H Program Advisory Board 7PM 9 County Council 7PM 9 Fair Board 7:30 PM 12 Clothing Event Polk County Fair 7-17 Iowa State Fair WANT TO KNOW MORE? FIND US AT: EXTENSION.IASTATE.EDU/POLK/4H