4-H Family Focus Newsletter

Transcription

1 Washington County Extension & Outreach th St. Washington, Iowa Phone: (319) H Family Focus Newsletter February - March 2015 W a s h i n g t o n C o u n t y p r o p e r t y t a x d o l l a r s s u p p o r t t h e W a s h i n g t o n C o u n t y E x t e n s i o n O f f i c e. T h e s e t a x d o l l a r s c o m e t h r o u g h t h e A g r i c u l t u r a l E x t e n s i o n D i s t r i c t t a x l e v y. T h e e l e c t e d n i n e - m e m b e r E x t e n s i o n C o u n c i l i s r e s p o n s i b l e f o r t h e s e f u n d s. T h e f e e s f o r s e r v i c e a r e u s e d t o o f f - s e t d i r e c t e x p e n s e s a n d t o s u p p o r t t h e C o u n t y E x t e n s i o n 4 - H P r o g r a m. T h a n k y o u f o r y o u r s u p p o r t! Thank you to all Clover Kids, parents, and visitors who were a part of County Council s first Winter Wonderland Father Daughter Dance on Jan 31. Over 70 couples enjoyed a night of dancing and fun. County Council appreciates your feedback on the event and ideas for the mother/son event they will be planning in the next year. Dates to Remember Intermediate Trip Registrations due to Extension Office 4-H Fire Up! - 2:00 p.m. - 4:15 p.m. Wash. Co. Ext. Office Shake Things Up Engineering Camp 3:30pm-5p.m. Lincoln Elementary Library Fundraiser Night at Unc & Neph s. 10% of all sales after 5 pm go to 4-H! RSVP due for Poultry Workshop on Feb 28 to the Ext. Office 4-H Photography Project Meeting #1-9am-10am, Exten- Leadership Development - 6 p.m. Fairboard Meeting Room Highlights to this Edition: Livestock Tails FSQA Training Date Money, Money, Money Scholarships Galore Event Center 4-H Fire-Up! Volunteering Leaders Meeting Odds & Ends Ready, Set, Sew! Workshop VOLUNTEER Newsletter prepared by: Amy Green 4-H/Youth Coordinator amygreen@iastate.edu Please let the office know of those outstanding 4-H volunteers who are positively impacting your experience. We want to highlight them! Washington County 4-H is always looking for volunteers. In the next few months, these are some of our needs. Please contact Amy at amygreen@iastate.edu or if you or your family would like to get involved Feb 8, 3:45-4:15pm: Recently new 4-H parents to be on a panel for the Fire Up parent discussion. Mar 8, 1:30-3:30: 2 adults to help referee/sell water at the dodgeball tournament at WHS Mar 18: 6pm-7:30pm help serve leaders supper at appreciation dinner Mar 28: Sponsor treats for 40 for Ready, Set, Sew! Workshop. Gene Mohling Reg. Ext. Education Director mohling@iastate.edu County Council 7 p.m. Extension Meeting Room Bucket Bottle Calf Project Meeting-7p.m.-Extension Office Garden Project Meeting 10 a.m. - Extension Office Poultry Project Workshop, 9:30 a.m. 11 a.m. Ext. Office 4-H Dodge Ball Tournament Washington High School gym 12:45-1pm registrations Ready, Set, Sew! Registrations due to Extension Office 4-H REQUIRED Leaders Meeting 5:15pm or 7 pm - Swine Weigh-in-Fairgrounds 8:30 a.m 9:30 a.m. Ready, Set, Sew! Workshop, 8:30 a.m. 11:45 a.m. Ext. Office March 8 Mar 16 March 18 March 21 March 28 Extension programs are available to all without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, or disability.

2 County Fair 4-H Swine Weigh-In Production Barrow weigh-in for Production Barrow Classes: No barrow should weigh more than 45 lbs at spring weigh-in. Pigs must be ear-notched and castrated prior to weigh-in. Youth may weigh-in 6 barrows. Saturday, March 21 FSQA Training All beef, swine, sheep, dairy cattle, dairy goat, meat goat, rabbit, and poultry exhibitors are REQUIRED to be FSQA certified to exhibit at the county fair and State Fair in Check 4hOnline or contact the Extension Office if you are unsure of your FSQA status. Training offered in Washington: April 25 8:30 a.m.-9:30 a.m. Washington County Fairgrounds State Fair Swine As of 2013 the Iowa 4-H Program has discontinued the 4-H Derby Swine Show at the Iowa State Fair. The Iowa 4-H program is reviewing all activities and events to ensure our resources are aligned with the greatest possible impact on youth. This change means there will be NO State Fair Swine Weigh-ins. However, ALL state fair swine will need a DNA punch tag those must be purchased from the Wash Co Extension Office, tagged by the 4-H er, returned to the Extension Office by May 10 and then entered into 4hOnline by the 4-H er by May 15. More information will be sent to swine families when the tags are in Washington and ready for check out. 196 Market calves weighed in 106 8:15a.m.-noon 7:45 a.m. 8:00 a.m. registration Check in at the basement. Wear coats for outdoor walking if needed. Special animal break out sessions will be included. Training offered in Iowa City: May 11, :30 p.m. 9 p.m. Youth with market beef Requirements are based on grade level. Grades 4-6: must attend training session every year Grades 7-9: Attend training session every year OR Pass the Intermediate Level Test Grades 10-12: Attend training session every year OR Pass the Senior Level Test Testing Out Option Tests may be taken up to 3 times in one day. Must pass with a 70% or higher. Once a test is passed, the member is certified until moving to the next age bracket. Required for SHEEP Dept. CHANGE: One production lamb is required ONLY if exhibiting 6 lambs at the county fair. There will be a production class with scan (approx. $9/head) or no-scan option for these lambs. 4-H ers may bring up to 6 lambs total to the fair. AND The Iowa State Fair requires retinal image scanning for livestock verification. ALL State Fair 4-H Commercial Ewes, Market Lambs, and Purebred Breeds must be 4-H tagged and scanned. These will be scanned at county fair weigh-in on May 2. $8 per State Fair lamb. Market Sheep/ Meat Goat Weigh-In Saturday, May 2 8:30 a.m.-11:00 a.m. Washington County Fairgrounds See the State Fair insert regarding what needs to come to weigh-in. If you are bringing multiple state fair animals, there may be a wait for scanning. If this is a problem a special time can be set for you the following week for a scanning ap- 37 Calves nominated for State Fair 13 Calves nominated for Ak-Sar-Ben Spring Preview Cattle Show County Council will host an Open Cattle Show on Saturday, April 18 at the Washington County Fairgrounds. This is a great opportunity for you to get extra work and experience with your project. Watch for registration details soon! Page 2 February - March 2015

3 IMPORTANT 4hOnline information for all livestock exhibitors!!! JAN 31, 11:59 p.m. All market beef weights must be verified by members. MAY 15: ALL animal identifications must be done through 4hOnline by MAY 15 by members. If showing, purebred breeding beef YOU MUST have the tattoo and registration numbers by May 15 OR they will be in the commercial class. NO LATE ENTRIES! Help sheets are available. They can be found: At the Extension Office From your leaders at April meetings ment/help.htm Single Source Commercial Swine Class Registrations Due Registrations and $10 deposit per head due March 1 Contact the Extension Office to get registered. All pigs from this class come from one swine producer in the county and only compete against others in this class. The Extension Office makes arrangements with the producer. 4-H ers can get up to four pigs, but show up to only three in their own Single Source derby class. They may not compete with any other pigs in any other swine class. 4-H er will get tagged/vaccinated pigs at a pick up date in April and take care of them until fair. All pigs will be scanned at the fair, and the average score will be used in the overall scoring. First time participants will be required to attend the Know Your Swine Session at the Extension Office March 11 at 6:30 p.m. Participants will have an interview with Wash Co Pork Producers on July 1 to discuss their experience before the fair for a score. Bucket Bottle Calves Must be calved between Jan. 1- April 30, 2015 Must be purchased and in possession of member within 2 weeks of birth Must be bottle fed. No nursing after 2 weeks of age Calves must be castrated or banded by May 15 Must be dehorned May identify up to 3 but only exhibit 2 at the fair Bucket Bottle Project Meeting This meeting is geared towards beginning members in this project area. Superintendents will go over rules and expectations. February 26 7:00 p.m. Extension Office All age divisions will complete paperwork, that can be purchased in the office. Overall score and placings will be determined by: Derby = 45 points, Show Ring = 10 pts. Interview = 45 pts. TOTAL = 100 pt 4-H er pays for the pigs after the fair regardless if shown or not. FYI: Showmanship Clinic in the Works! County Council is working to plan a showmanship clinic after FSQA on April 25 from 1pm-2:30 pm. Youth will be able to attend up to 2 45-minute session workshops. Guest speakers and professionals will lead the sessions. Door prizes sponsored by Farm Bureau Insurance Ann Williams, agent. More details coming soon. Talk with your County Council members about what your needs and interests are for this event! 4-H Family Focus Newsletter Page 3

4 SCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE Every county is awarded one Christina Hixson Scholarship per year. This scholarship provides half-tuition grant (estimated value of $14,000 over eight semesters) for incoming freshmen at Iowa State University. Application deadline is February 1st. Contact the Extension Office for more information or check the web at Applications are available for the Herbert Hoover Uncommon Student Award, a $5,000 college scholarship program for juniors enrolled in an Iowa high school or home school setting. This program identifies & honors up to 15 students who propose & then accomplish a project of their own choosing & design. The application deadline is March 31st. For application materials, contact your high school Guidance Counselor or download the materials at The Washington County Master Gardeners are offering a $500 scholarship to anyone pursuing a horticulture related degree or certificate from a college or university in the state of Iowa. Anyone is eligible whether in or out of high school. Application information coming soon to the Extension Office. For more information contact Nancy Adrian, There are scholarships available to freshman entering any Iowa two- or fouryear post-secondary institution this fall and scholarships available to current undergraduates attending Iowa State University. Applicants must major in animal science or a curriculum in agriculture or human sciences that is related to the agriculture industry. Winners will be announced during the 2015 Iowa State Fair annual 4 H/FFA Sale of Champions on August 22, Applications and scholarship requirements are available by visiting the Sale of Champions section of the Iowa State Fair's website: Undergraduate Application due April 1, Freshman Application due May 1. State 4-H Scholarships Iowa 4-H members are eligible to apply for 4-H Scholarships. Over 50 scholarships totaling over $60,000 will be given to youth planning to attend college. Scholarships range from $500 to $5,000. Scholarships are to be submitted online no later than Feb 1, Scholarship information can be obtained at the Extension Office or at Scholarships for current collegiate students are available as well. Farm Bureau Scholarships Available The Washington County Farm Bureau has two scholarships available. The 2015 Iowa Farm Bureau Federation Scholarship and the Washington County Jim Roberts and Celeste Hora Memorial Scholarship. Each scholarship has its own requirements and eligibility. For more information contact Washington County Farm Bureau, 319/ Applications are available at the Extension Office. Deadline for both of these scholarships is March 1, Page 4 February - March 2015

5 4-H Fire Up! Sunday, February 8, :00-4:00 p.m. Washington Co. Ext. Office This special event is geared to fire up 4-H members of three years or less and their families. This meeting is designed to provide information about 4-H, various project areas in livestock and non, fair opportunities, upcoming events, and much more. Each family will receive a 4-H Handbook and firey snacks will be provided. 4-H ers and family members planning to attend the 4-H Fire Up!, please RSVP to the Washington County Extension Office by February 2 at 319/ or e- mail amygreen@iastate.edu to RSVP. Photograpy Project Meetings : Session #1: Sat., Feb 21, 9am-10am. Topic focus: camera parts, background, red eye, tip sheets. Session #2: Sat, March 21, 9am-10am. Special guest and local photographer, Linda Drish will share information about composition, lighting and rule of thirds. She will help review some of your photos, too. Bring photos you have already taken! Camera Training: Sat, March 21, 10am-11am. Wash. Co. Extension has a Canon digital camera available for free check-out to 4-H ers after they attend the camera training. 4-H Dodgeball Tournament March 8 Washington High School Gym SAVE THE DATE Team registrations due March 4. Make a team with your friends or 4-H Club or both! It s a fun afternoon. $8/team or $2/participant Hosted by 4-H County Council 4-H Pancake Breakfast Fundraiser SAVE THE DATE April 18, 7 a.m : 30 a.m. Fairgrounds - basement All proceeds go towards 4-H enrollment fees for youth in Washington County. This event is held in conjunction with the 4-H County Council Open Cattle Show at 11a.m. Mark your calendar now for Region 15 Trip Opportunities: Region 15 Junior Camp Junior members, save this date: June to experience adventures in the outdoors at Junior Camp! Juniors from Region 15 will meet at Crooked Creek Camp in Washington for two days and two nights of friends, fun, and learning. Nights will be spent in the camp s air conditioned retreat lodge, but the days will be filled with archery, waterslides, crafts, swimming, tie-dyeing and more! We are also looking for high school youth to be counselors for junior camp. Registration information will be coming soon!! Region 15 Intermediate Trip 7th-9th grade intermediate members, information has been sent for the trip March to Omaha, Nebraska Registration forms and payment are due to the Extension Office by Feb 6. The trip will include an overnight stay with the penguins at Henry Doorly Zoo and trips to Air & Space Museum, Durham Museum and Defy Gravity Trampoline Park Space is limited for each county, so get your registrations in soon! Forms at washington/news/4-h-intermediate-trip-planned-omahamarch 4-H Family Focus Newsletter Page 5

6 State Required Leaders Meeting: March 18, 2015 Washington County Fair Board Mtg. Room 5:15 p.m. OR 7 p.m. session This meeting will include the state mandatory training. Come early or stay late and enjoy a dinner from County Council! Serving light dinner & dessert 6 p.m. 7:30 p.m. Washington Co. Extension Mtg Room YOU ARE APPRCIATED! Thank you, Washington County Farm Bureau! Washington County Farm Bureau supports 4-H in many ways. Our local Farm Bureau voted to donate $2 toward each 4-H member s enrollment fees for the year. Members received this $2 discount at enrollment time. Please contact the Farm Bureau office or a Farm Bureau member and thank them for their support of Washington County 4-H ers. WANTED: Iowa 4-H Hall of Fame SUGGESTIONS Each year we elect one person/couple from Washington County to be inducted into the Iowa 4-H Hall of Fame. This person can be living or deceased. We have so many well deserving volunteers in our county. We want suggestions from you! Send Amy an at amygreen@iastate.edu of someone you think should be inducted and why. Youth Committee will review the suggestions. This award is a great honor. Past recipients include: Esther Birney, Elmer Schneider, Mike Orris, Howard & Shirley Bohr, Gary Murphy, Robert Spenner, Marie Hora, Donnie Davison, Pat Greiner, Gale Whitacre & Harold Wylie, Nancy Adrian, Jim Frier, & Bob Emde, Recognize Our Volunteers In 2009 we began presenting awards to our 4-H volunteers throughout Washington County. We award 4-H Alumni, 4-H Family of the Year, 4-H Volunteer of the Year, Partner in 4-H and Friend of 4-H. Nomination forms are accepted throughout the year. They are available on the web at page/adult-award-nomination-forms or the Extension Office. These nominations will be reviewed in October, when all nominations have been received. Nominate someone today to honor their hard work and dedication to 4-H! LEADERS NEEDED! 4-H Members, Mentor a Clover Kid Members of Washington County Clover Kids are the future of 4-H. Take on a leadership role by mentoring a younger member. Help them get a jump start on learning about 4-H opportunities. We need your leadership! Current mentor opportunities for fair preparation: Goat & Sheep Mentoring-those 4-H ers who have shown sheep for at least one year can be paired up with a Clover Kid. The clover kid will visit your farm while you teach them about feeding, housing and showing your sheep. Following the 4-H sheep show at the fair, the Clover Kids will get to show your lamb in their special class with your help. Rabbit Mentoring those 4-Hers who have shown for at least one year can be paired with a Clover Kid at the fair to teach them about your rabbit, showmanship, animal health and then assist them in the Clover Kid Rabbit Show while they show your rabbit. Clothing Event-those 4-H ers who have participated in Clothing Selection, Fashion Revue or $15 Challenge can be paired up with a Clover Kid. Walk them through the Clothing Event experience. They meet with a judge with you by their side, and then they have a style revue during the fair. Club leaders/co leaders for Prairie Pride. Contact us ASAP with suggestions! Page 6 February - March 2015

7 WASHINGTON COUNTY FAIR DATES! Sun. July 19 Fri. July 24 Non-livestock Judging Sat. July 18 A huge thank you to everyone who helped with market beef weigh-in. The day went very smoothly with our volunteers. AND thank you in advance to those who will help at the spring weigh-ins. - Amy Follow Washington County 4-H on face- book! Join Washington County 4-H - Iowa to follow the happenings, visit with 4-H friends, and reconnect with alumni from the past. Visit the Website for all 4-H details, click on the Kids and Teens tab Attendance Reminder In order to exhibit at the Washington County Fair you must attend club meetings and be active with your club activities. Any member with more than 3 unexcused absences will not be able to exhibit at the County Fair. This rule is in the Fair Book. Keep checking your family s! Each Monday a This Week in Washington 4-H is sent to all 4-H families. Please check that out each week so you don t miss any deadlines or events. We try to include upcoming dates as well so they can be saved on yoru family s schedule. In addition to those weekly s, unique opportunities for 4-H ers come our way all the time. Those will be sent via to you depending on your grade, project interests, etc. We hope you are taking advantage of all 4-H has to offer! ANOTHER FUNDRAISER NIGHT AT... We are EXCITED to have this opportunity again on Tuesday, February 17. Take your families out for a late Valentine supper to Unc & Neph s, and they will automatically donate 10% of the sales that evening to Washington County 4-H! You do not need to pay extra, tip extra or provide additional money for a donation but they simply donate 10% of your bill to Washington County 4-H! Remember to check out project hot sheets at: Workshop for those interested in learning to sew and having fun! Ready, Set, SEW! Register by March 16 at the Extension Office. $5 for 4-H ers $10 for non 4-H ers First come, first serve. In one Saturday morning: Review basic parts of sewing machine Review basic sewing terms Review design elements Complete a sewing project Start the project record forms Work with a sewing mentor Get hands-on practice with a sewing machine Practice conference judging This Gum Drop Pillow sewing project will require you to bring: 2 total yards of fabric (It can be 2 yards of 1 print OR 1 yard each of 2 coordinating prints) Coordinating thread Sewing machine, Scissors, pins, seam ripper, needle for hand sewing 32 oz bag of polyester Fiberfill (stuffing) March Extension Office 8:30 a.m 11:45 a.m. Project Showcase at 11:45 a.m. (visitors welcome to come see the projects on display at 11:45) 4-H Family Focus Newsletter Page 7

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9 2015 Iowa State Fair 4-H Show Changes/Deadlines ***ALL dates are listed AS DEADLINES!! Those tasks listed must be COMPLETED by those dates!*** ALL ANIMALS FOR STATE FAIR MUST BE REGISTERED ONLINE BY JULY 1. More information coming soon! Those exhibiting at the State Fair are responsible for knowing all dept. rules in the State Fair premium book. Market Beef Don't forget the July 1 online registration deadline! December 13 - All animals will be retinal scanned and weighed in. Scan cost is $8.00 per head All animals will be entered by county staff onto 4hOnline ASAP Registered steers must select breed at time of weigh-in or they will show crossbred Jan 11:59 p.m. - 4-H members MUST go onto 4hOnline and verify the weights and Identification information ( Registered market steers will need to be tattooed by state fair only. Member must have tattoo numbers and original registration papers with them when checking in at state fair. Breeding Beef May 15 - All animals must be identified on 4hOnline by 4-H members ( Registered heifers: registration numbers & birthdates must be entered at time of identification. PENDING registration numbers will NOT be accepted! Commercial and Registered heifers must be tattooed. Registered heifers must have registration papers with them at check-in time at state fair. Horses May 15-4-H members MUST identify all horses on 4hOnline ( Registration numbers need to be entered at this time. Photos must be uploaded to 4hOnline (photos from 2014 are there but need activated for 2015). 4 photos - 1 right side, 1 left side, 1 front, 1 back Increase from 2 horses to 3 horses entered per exhibitor. When entering classes, members will not need to specify which horse will show in that class until check in at the State Fair. Members must bring all paperwork with them to check in. Registration papers, drug affidavits, etc. PLEASE read all ID, ownership/leasing rules online. No leasing of halter horses. Breeding & Market Sheep May 2 - ALL state fair sheep (Market Lambs, Commercial Ewes AND Purebred Ewes must have 4-H tags and retinal scans. Market lambs will be weighed-in. Retinal scan cost is $8.00 per head Market Lambs, Commercial Ewes, and purebred ewes will be entered by county staff onto 4hOnline ASAP after weigh-in. May 15-4-H members MUST go onto 4hOnline and verify the weights & information ( No-shearing rule: All market lambs, performance lambs and commercial ewes must be slick shorn upon arrival to the fairgrounds. Animals which are not slick shorn will not be allowed to stall or enter the check-in line. Suggested fleece length for purebred breeding sheep is 1/4 inch with 3/4 inch maximum, with the exception being for wool breeds which have no m maximum length. Swine March-May - Swine exhibitors must purchase DNA punch tags from the Extension Office ($9/tag), tag their state fair pigs and return the DNA envelopes by May 10 to the Extension Office. May 10 - All DNA tags, envelopes, taggers returned to the Extension Office May 15 - All animals must be identified on 4hOnline by 4-H members ( Rabbits & Poultry July 1 - Rabbits must have tattoos in the Left Ear and will be identified on 4hOnline by the 4-H member ( Poultry are not required to be identified on 4hOnline. Breeding & Meat Goats May 2 - ALL state fair meat goats (wethers AND does) AND breeding does must have retinal scans. Scan cost is $8.00 per head done at weigh-in. Meat Goats MUST have a 4-H tag. Breeding does must have a 4-H tag OR permanent tattoo. Scrapie tags do not count. May 15-4-H members MUST go onto 4hOnline and verify the weights & information ( New for 2015: Market does and market wethers will show together. New for 2015: Entry limit increased from 4 total goats to 6 total coast (max of 4 market or 4 breeding entered) Dairy Cattle & Dairy Goats May 15 - All animals must be identified on 4hOnline by 4-H members. ( Registration # & birthdates required. Dogs May 15 - All animals must be identified on 4hOnline by 4-H members. ( ALL ANIMALS FOR STATE FAIR MUST BE REGISTERED ONLINE with payment to Extension Office BY JULY 1. More information coming this spring.

10 Washington County th St. Washington, IA Return Service Requested This is Your Washington County 4-H Newsletter -March