DATES TO REMEMBER December 2016 December 1 Extension Council Mtg. 19 County Council Mtg.; 6:30p.m. at Extension Office 23&26 Christmas Holiday, Extension Office Closed January 2 New Years Holiday, Extension Office Closed 4 Extension Council Mtg., 7:30p.m. at Extension Office 8 Beef Weigh-in, 1-3p.m. Knoxville Regional Livestock Mkt 16 MLK Jr. Day, Extension Office Closed 16 County Council Mtg.; 6:30p.m. at Extension Office 18 4-H Foundation Mtg., 7:30 at Extension Office 25 4-H & Youth Committee Mtg., 6:30p.m. at Extension Off. February 2 Extension Council Mtg., 7:30p.m. at Extension Office 17 Junior Fun Night, 9-11p.m. at Knoxville Rec Center 20 President s Day; Extension Office Closed 20 County Council Mtg.; 6:30p.m. at Extension Office PAPERLESS NEWSLETTER I am updating my paperless newsletter list. If you would prefer to receive the Clover Courier Newsletter via e- mail please email kephartm@iastate.edu with your email address. If you wish to receive your newsletter via email you will no longer receive a paper copy in the mail each month. 2017 Fair Dates Marion County Fair: July 14th - 20th Iowa State Fair: August 10th - 20th Marion County Extension Staff County Extension Program Director: Dale Miller, dmill@iastate.edu County Youth Coordinator: Mindy Kephart, kephartm@iastate.edu Ag. Program Assistant: Lauren Petersen, lpeterse@iastate.edu Region 14 Extension Education Director Nathan Crane, ncrane@iastate.edu Youth Program Specialist: 1
Enrollment 4-H Enrollment is all online this year. If you haven't re-enrolled, please do so. You can visit our webpage (http://www.extension.iastate.edu/marion/ info/howtojoin4h.htm) for directions or stop at the Extension Office and speak with Mindy. You must be enrolled to ID your livestock for the State Fair! Thank You County Council for decorating and putting together the program for the Recognition Banquet! Everyone that has completed re-enrollment for the 2016 4-H year! Janet Ritchie for presenting awards at the Recognition Program! To everyone who attended the 2016 Recognition Program! Beekeeping Classes Have you ever wanted to learn about how to keep bees? Are you interested in becoming a beekeeper? We will be offering Beginning Beekeeping Classes at the Extension Office beginning January 12th, 2017, 6:30-8:00 p.m. Classes are scheduled for 7 weeks. Cost is $45 per household and includes a beekeepers book and handouts. Please contact Sheila Weldon (641)891-2268 or Jerry Weldon (641)891-4071. Classes will also be held at Lucas, Monroe, Mahaska, and Wapello Counties. Marion County Friends of 4-H & Youth Foundation As the year draws to an end, consider making a year-end donation to the Marion County Friends of 4-H & Youth Foundation. This group is comprised completely of volunteers and every penny raised is used for the youth of Marion County. The Marion County Friends of 4-H & Youth Foundation is a non-profit organization committed to our youth. The Foundation supports the youth of Marion County by providing community activities, financial support for educational opportunities and scholarships, community improvement projects, citizenship and leadership training opportunities. 2 For more information on how to donate, please contact the Extension Office
2017 4-H Basketball Tournament Dates: March 24 & 25 Location: Melcher-Dallas High School Bucket of Junk Do you enjoy welding, or would like to learn how to weld? This year at the Marion County Fair, we have a returning project for you to work on with an adult. The Bucket of Junk Rules are listed below. If you are interested in participating, please call the Extension Office. We will take reservations for participation in the project starting on Friday, December 16th starting at 8:30. If you are a youth that would like to participate but do not know an adult that can help you weld, please sign-up and we will find an adult to work with you. There are only 8 buckets available, so if you sign-up please be sure that you want to participate in the project. Rules: Each team will be made up of one 4-H member and one adult. If you are a youth that would like to participate but do not know of an adult who can help you, please contact the Extension Office and we will find an adult who knows how to weld to help you. Each team will get one bucket. Each bucket will have the similar junk. There will be only 8 buckets available. The first 8 members to contact the Extension Office will be given a bucket of junk. The goal is to use the items in your bucket to create a sculpture or lawn art piece. You will be asked to name your creation when you turn in the final exhibit. You may clean, sand, weld, glue, cut, bolt, fasten, bend, shape, paint or finish the items that you are provided, but no pieces may be added. Entries will be judged on artistic merit, technical merit, and the member s exhibit write-up. All entries will be judged at Dyer-Hudson on the day of regular 4-H/FFA judging. All entries must be completed and returned to the Marion County Extension Office by June 1 st. All Dyer-Hudson Building Exhibit rules apply to this project. These projects will not be eligible to advance to the State Fair. The finished products will be auctioned during the Parade of Champions at the Marion County Fair. Proceeds will go to Marion County 4-H. Special awards will be given. Please contact the Extension at (641)842-2014 or xmarion@iastate.edu for more information. 3
2017 State Fair 4-H Livestock Rule Updates/Changes ALL State Fair Livestock will be IDed and Entered through 4-H Online!!! New Horse & Dog Identification Rule For 2017, immediate family members (siblings/step-siblings) can co-identify the same horse(s) or dog(s). Each dog/horse must still be identified in 4hOnline under each sibling/4-h member Siblings must both be in 4-H to identify the same dog/horse State Fair (and recommended for county fairs) the same animal will only be allowed to show in a class ONCE for example, a 5 th grade 4-H er cannot show a horse in barrels, and the 8 th grade sibling show the same horse in barrels; however, the other sibling could show that same horse in pole bending for example Beef State Fair will be dropping the 3% shrink allowance in calculating average daily gain - the gain calculation will just simply take fair weight minus beginning weight divided by days on feed The current ADG requirement of 2.4 for market steers and 2.2 for market heifers will be adjusted down slightly to reflect the 3% shrink removal. The estimated market steer requirement will be roughly 2.3 or 2.35. Dairy Goat State Fair will implement a new rule for 4-H, FFA and Open Class no horns will be allowed on animals Horse Reminder: Halter horses MUST be owned by the 4-H member, cannot be leased; proof of ownership will be required during State Fair check-in for halter classes State Fair - adding Miniature Horse Obstacle Driving class; dropping the 2/3 year old Western Pleasure class Swine State Fair breeding gilts will NOT be allowed to sell on the truck; breeding gilts will all return home and will be released after their show on Monday For a complete list of updates and rules for the 2017 Iowa State Fair, please visit: http://www.extension.iastate.edu/4h/projects/livestock Marion County Fair Beef Rule Changes Added rule: All slick sheared steers must, prior to arrival at weigh-in at the fair, be clipped to no more than 1/4" of hair on any part of the body, except the tail switch, (the tail switch being no more than 10 above the end of the cartilage of the tail) which may be ratted and balled or may be bobbed off. Steers will be checked for hair length at weigh-in and if found in violation of this rule will be automatically moved to the fitted classes. Change Br. Heifer Rule #6 to reflect IJJBA rules (For 2016 - Breeding Heifers must be born after 9-1-14. Market Animals must be born in 2015.) New Rule 6. Breeding heifer entries must be born after Sept. 1 of two calendar years prior to current year and by Dec. 31 of the last calendar year.
Citizenship Washington Focus Trip Looking for an experience of a lifetime? Look no further than the Citizenship Washington Focus trip where you as a 9 th -12 th grader can travel by charter bus to visit Washington D.C. and the National 4-H Center. Experience leadership and citizenship on a higher level with this epic opportunity on June 16-24, 2017. Trip highlights include the Flight 93 Museum, Gettysburg Battlefield, Capitol Hill, Smithsonian Museum, Mount Vernon and the Holocaust Museum. Youth will also meet with the Iowa Congressional and Senate delegations to discuss legislative issues. Besides tours and workshops, 4-H'ers will have time for socializing and meeting new friends! Cost of the trip is $1,570. This includes lodging, transportation, tour site admissions and most meals. Registration and a $510 deposit will be required to secure a spot. Space is limited. Registration deadline is January 6, 2017. To learn more about the trip and to get registration information visit: www.extension.iastate.edu/4h/cwf. Cookie Baking Workshop January 14th, 2017 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Cost $30 Spend the day making cookies. This workshop will focus on cookies that are not as traditional as peanut butter and chocolate chip. We will try out recipes that most will have never tried before and learn some new culinary skills along the way. Please let Mindy know by January 6th if you would like to participate. This workshop will be limited to 12, so don t wait to sign up. Lunch will be provided. Financial assistance is available, please ask Mindy.
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. Marion County 210 N. Iowa Street PO Box 409 Knoxville, IA 50138 Non-Profit Organization Permit No. 35 Knoxville, IA Return Service Requested This material has been prepared by Mindy Kephart, Marion County 4-H & Youth Coordinator. If you have questions, please contact the office at 842-2014.