News & Views

Saline County F

eb

rua

ry 2

01

8

State 4-H Camp Discounts The summer of 2018 is approaching fast! No summer is complete without a Nebraska 4-H camp experience. Summer camps are open to everyone between the ages of 5 and 18. Camp descriptions can be found at: https://4h.unl.edu/camps or stop by the office for a brochure. Nebraska State 4-H camps are offered at these locations: Halsey and Gretna with more than 40 day and overnight camping programs and trips. Whether your child’s interest is in animals, arts, nature and outdoor skills, science, tubing and kayaking, or just plain adventure, 4-H camps provide opportunities for all youth and all interests. You can save 10% on camp registration fees if you register for camp before April 15, 2018. If you received a camp scholarship, you will be receiving a letter and camp brochure in the mail from our office. A copy of the summer camp schedule is included in this issue of the News & Views.

Camp Scholarships From 4-H Council The 4-H Council is offering extra scholarship money to those who did not apply for camp scholarships. If you are interested in attending summer camp, amounts of $25 (Camp

Renegade), $50 (ages 8-10) and (ages 11 & older); $100 for Big Red Camps are available.

Funds are limited from 4-H Council - First Come-First Served until May 1 or funds are depleted. Please call our office to inquire about receiving one of these scholarships. NOTE: Call our office for camp registration procedures before you begin your online registration process.

Looking For Your Career Portfolio?

We still have Career Portfolios at our office needing to be picked up. Please check with your leader first to make sure they have not picked yours up before coming into our office. Seniors will need their Career Portfolio to turn in with their 4-H Council Scholarship application.

ONLINE 4-H ENROLLMENT FOR 2018 2018 4-H enrollment is now open using 4HOnline (https://ne.4honline.com). All current 4-H families should have received an email from our office inviting you to re-enroll or enroll new members. Youth & leaders must re-enroll each year. The process is quite simple and the website is very user friendly. The website and instructions can be found at: http://saline.unl.edu/4-h-enrollment. Here you will find instructions for your enrollment status (new member or leader, returning member or leader). DO NOT CREATE ANOTHER FAMILY PROFILE. Simply login in and re- enroll or add a new family member to your profile. Your projects from last year will roll over, you MUST review your projects and add or delete projects for 2018. It is your responsibility to make sure the 4-H’ers in your family get enrolled by the March 1st deadline as the site will close. Leaders please remind your club members to get enrolled. You will not pay the enrollment fee online. To finalize your enrollment, please remit $6 per 4-H’er to the Extension Office. Checks are payable to Saline County 4-H Council. We are happy to assist you with your enrollments but will not be making the enrollments for you. Please call our office if you have questions when enrolling.

4-H Leaders Enrollment All 4-H organizational and project leaders will need to complete their enrollment using the 4HOnline system to either re-enroll or make a new enrollment if enrolling as a leader for the first time. Instructions can be found at: http://saline.unl.edu/4-h-enrollment. Use the set of instructions that pertains to your leader status (new, returning leader with or without existing family). “With existing family” means that your leader affiliation will be found in your family profile with youth children. If you do not have children enrolled, you are considered “without existing family” and should follow those instructions.

FEBRUARY is Nebraska 4-H Month The month of February is dedicated to 4-H! Use this month to promote 4-H and the benefits it offers; recruit new club members, promote 4-H in Saline county; thank your club leaders and volunteers; wear your 4-H t-shirt to school; tell others what you enjoy about 4-H or what you have learned; or have a club meeting to celebrate the accomplishments of club members. Email a photo of you wearing your 4-H t-shirt, wearing green, celebrating or promoting Nebraska 4-H month and we will post them to our Saline County 4-H Facebook page. Email them to eric.stehlik@unl.edu or becky.vales@unl.edu. We want to hear your 4-H story! Maybe it’s showing a rabbit or interview judging. Share a short video or photo that shows your 4-H experience. Videos or photos may be shared through social media using the #NE4H and #TrueLeaders hashtags.

2018 4-H Enrollment Information

4-H Youth Enrollments - Due March 1st Remember 4-H members must be 8 as of January 1. Youth 5-7 will be enrolled as Clover Kids. 4-H member enrollment MUST be completed using 4HOnline enrollment by March 1st and will be considered complete when you have paid the $6 membership fee to the Extension Office. Remember, members may enroll for a project in only one county or club. We have a number of members who belong to two different clubs and they cannot enroll in the same project in both clubs. Two clothing levels are the same project area, as are market and breeding sheep. If you have questions please call the UNL Extension Office in Saline County at 821-2151. You will make your 4-H enrollments at the following link: http://saline.unl.edu/4-h-enrollment

Club Enrollment Time As clubs begin to reorganize, be sure to welcome new members and engage the parents into the club also. Introduce the parents to each other, asking all parents to help with something throughout the year, will give them a sense of belonging, and will aid you down the road.

First Year 4-H Members First year 4-H members are strongly encouraged to limit their enrollment to no more than 5 projects. We want members to get started right in 4-H. We know there are lots of fun and interesting projects, but our records show most beginning members only complete a couple projects. So the 4-H Council encourages members to limit themselves and have a good first experience before you tackle all those other interesting projects.

Clover Kids Youth who enroll as Clover Kids (ages 5-7) will be allowed to show in Open Class livestock classes at County Fair only if they complete an ID and enter the age appropriate animal by June 15. Clover Kids may show Bucket Calves, Cats, Goats, Rabbits, Poultry, Sheep, Small Animals (such as hamsters, guinea pigs, fish, pet birds, etc), and Swine. State 4-H rules prohibit Clover Kids from showing animals more than six months of age and no more than 350 lbs. at the time of the show. Safety concerns are sighted for not showing animals beyond these guidelines. (Most feeder calves, all breeding heifers, market beef and horses will not fit in these ranges). Exhibitors are encouraged to show animals that they can control without endangering themselves, other exhibitors and spectators. Clover Kids are to show only the animals they have recorded on the ID sheet. These policies will be enforced for the safety and protection of all youth involved.

New 4-H Foods & Food Preservation Manuals for 2018! The foods and nutrition projects will be switching curriculums! New this year will be 4-H Cooking 101, 201, 301 and 401. Six Easy Bites, Tasty Tidbits, You're the Chef, Foodworks, and Fast Foods will no longer be offered. We will also be adding Home Food Preservation manuals for Freezing, Drying, Boiling Water Canning, and Pressure Canning. Many of the fair projects will stay the same but look forward to some new additions. More information at: https://go.unl.edu/2018foodsmanuals. Stay tuned for more . . .

Keep Up With 4-H News If you want to keep up on the latest information whether it be deadlines, scholarships, camps, workshops, and other 4-H activities, be sure to check the UNL Saline County Extension website, Facebook page, Friday 4-H News Flash

and calendar. Information on a variety of subjects is available but also the latest Saline County 4-H news. Email is the fastest way for us to get information out to you on short notice. If you have not shared your email with us, please do so or be sure to include it on 4-H enrollment forms. Please be sure to include an email when you register your children for the 2018 4-H year. We will send you information about workshops, deadline reminders, etc.

Showmanship Sponsors The last few years we have awarded tumblers, duffle bags, embroidered jackets, wind-pants and other items instead of a trophy to the Showmanship winners. Although we have sponsors already designated to showmanship awards, we need additional monetary support to be able to supply these awards. If you would like to contribute a monetary donation for Showmanship awards or know of someone who may, your financial assistance support of any amount is welcome. Please call our office at (402) 821-2151 for more details.

County Fair Trophy/Award Sponsors Needed Currently we are in need of sponsors for the following awards: Champion Heavy Weight Barrow; Champion Maintainer Breeding Heifer; Reserve Champion Maintainer Breeding Heifer; Champion Lottery Goat; Reserve Lottery Goat; Champion Lottery Lamb; Reserve Lottery Lamb; and Champion Dog Showman. Champion awards are $15 and Reserve Champions are $12. If you would like to sponsor or know someone who may be interested, please call the Extension Office soon so that the sponsor name may be included in the fairbook.

* 4-H Livestock News *

Lottery Pig Sign-Up Deadline - March 1 4-H members can sign up for one gilt & one barrow. Delivery at the fairgrounds is tentatively April 1st or 8th. Cost is to be determined by the number of head we guarantee the breeder. Cost is as follows: 30-50 head - cost is $125 per pig. 50 & more - cost is $100. 4-H youth ages 8-18 (Jan. 1st) and FFA age eligible

youth may participate in the Lottery Pig contest. We do need you to sign up for the number of Lottery Pigs you want NO LATER THAN MARCH 1st. Call our

office or complete the web form at: https://go.unl.edu/lotterypigreservation2018. If we don’t hear from you, we will assume you do not want pigs. Once you sign up you are committed to the number of pigs you reserved. There will be no changing the number of pigs you want on delivery day as the price will have been determined by the number of pigs we provide the breeder on March 1st. Youth will randomly be drawn to select the pig(s) of their choice. Hogs will be weighed & youth will be responsible for completing the ID form by June 15.

Youth for Quality Care of Animals Certification All youth ages 8-18 and FFA exhibitors MUST c o m p l e t e Youth for the Quality Care of Animals ( Y Q C A ) certification by June 15th to be eligible to exhibit beef, sheep, goats, swine, rabbits, and poultry at the County Fair, State Fair, & Ak-Sar-Ben. Youth have three options this year: the online course, Face to Face training or test out (Intermediate & Senior age youth ONLY). Intermediate (ages 11-14) and Senior (ages 15-18 or older (FFA)) age youth can also take the written test to test out. We recommend you study before coming in to test. Practice tests are available on the current LQA site. Please call before coming in to test. The website to sign up for a Face to Face training or to complete the online course can be found at: https://yqca.learngrow.io. You will need to know your 4HOnline enrollment username/email and password. To sign up for a Face to Face class, you MUST have your 2018 4HOnline enrollment complete. Instructions for completing either option can be found at: https://go.unl.edu/yqcahelpandinstructions; scroll down to Youth For the Quality Care of Animals. A list of Face to Face classes in surrounding counties if available at: https://go.unl.edu/yqcaf2ftrainings You will receive a certificate of completion for either method. (Print the certificates and we will give you credit when you bring them in.) CREDIT IS NOT GIVEN UNTIL WE HAVE THE CERTIFICATE! No certificate = no certification! The certificate is our record of your completion.

Lottery Lamb and New Lottery Goat Sign-up We are in the process of working out the details for the Lottery Lamb and new Lottery Goat. Interested youth need to call the Extension Office at 402-821-2151 to sign-up. Once we have the details and cost determined, we will notify those who have expressed interest. Progress Shows & Other Educational Events Please visit the 4-H page of our website under Animal Science, then “Progress Shows, Clinics & Events” as we have added links to progress shows, livestock judging contests, and other educational opportunities for youth. New information is added as it becomes available to us, so check the page often.

* 4-H Horse News * Horse Levels Testing Now would be a great time to begin working on your first advancement level or your next level. Written tests, club demonstrations, written reports, feed charts, and health care papers can all be done now so as Spring approaches you can complete your riding skills tests. In order to compete at the county fair, 4-H’ers must have completed level 1. District and state horse show participants must pass level 2 or higher for some events prior to submitting entries. Riding tests can only be administered by a certified examiner. Advancement levels information can be found at: http://4h.unl.edu/horse/advancement. Call our office if you have any questions.

4-H Horse Stampede Held on the University of Nebraska–Lincoln East Campus, the 4-H Horse Stampede is scheduled for Saturday, March 10, 2018. This event offers a variety of 4-H horse contests that don't require live horses, including public speaking, demonstration, quiz bowl, art, and photography contests. Youth have the opportunity to display their equine knowledge through these contests both as an individual and as part of a team. There is a $10 entry fee per contestant. A Brown Bag lunch and T-shirt is available through a pre-order form. More information and entry forms can be found at: https://4h.unl.edu/horse/stampede

Entry forms and fees are due at the Extension Office by February 6th.

District Horse Show June 14 has been set for the District Horse show in Lincoln. Youth ages 10 & older as of Jan. 1st are eligible providing that they have completed the required levels testing. To be eligible, youth must have passed Level 2 of the Horse Advancement Levels by time of entry. Please contact our office if you have questions. Entries are due to the Extension Office by May 11th.

Governor’s Agricultural Excellence Awards The Nebraska 4-H Foundation and the Nebraska Investment Finance Authority (NIFA) is offering The Governor’s Agricultural Excellence Awards which recognize 4-H clubs for the work of the individuals in the club and the community service work of the club. A $500 check issued to the club is to be used as described in the award application form completed by the club. Clubs can use the award dollars for many different programs. Conferences or workshops for others in the community, trips or tours for club members, community improvement projects in their home town, campus visits, fair grounds enhancement and inter-generational programs are just a few examples. Any club that did not receive a Governor’s Agricultural Excellence Award in 2017 is eligible to apply. Find the applications at http://ne4hfoundation.org/ and should be emailed to pjeffries1@unl.edu. The application deadline is March 2, 2018. Please consider “Agricultural” in the broadest terms when you are discussing this program. Contact the Nebraska 4-H Foundation if you have any questions by calling (402) 472-1178.

* 4-H Scholarship News *

Scholarship Opportunities High school seniors should visit the “Scholarships” link on the 4-H page of our website. The Saline County 4-H Counci l scho larship and FCE scholarship applications are now available online. We have added information about scholarships we have received to date and will add other scholarship information as it becomes available.

* Fair Book Animal Class Changes * Based on recommendations of those in attendance at the Livestock Advisory Committee meetings the following changes will be implemented for 2018.

BEEF: ADDED: Maintainer Breeding Heifer Classes Shorthorn Breeding Heifer Classes - Does not include Shorthorn Plus All registered breeding heifers - Registration papers will need to meet specific breed percentages as listed in the fairbook. The percentages are the same as State Fair requires to show in a breed class. DELETED: Pen of 3 breeding beef, Pen of 3 market beef and Pen of 3 feeder calves. __________________________________________

GOAT:

ADDED: Lottery Goat if interest warrants DELETED: Mother-Offspring Class __________________________________________

SHEEP: DELETED: Pen of 2 breeding lambs & Pen of 2 Market Lambs __________________________________________

HORSE:

CHANGE: Name change—Ranch Horse Pleasure will now be titled Ranch Riding. This is a pattern class. __________________________________________

4-H Club, Leader, and Officer Resources Are you needing help with parliamentary procedure, roll call ideas, or educational meeting topics. Looking for a template for a meeting agenda or guides to help your officers? You can find all this and more at: https://4h.unl.edu/resources/club-leaders

~ SAVE THE DATES ~

4-H CLOVER DAYS

JUNE 7, 14, & 21

Babysitting Clinic & CPR/First Aid Training Youth ages 11 & up are invited to attend the Babysitting Clinic on Friday, March 30th from 8 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Participants will learn the basics of safety, food preparation, child development, and more! The cost is $3.00. Babysitting Clinic participants need to bring a

sack lunch and registration fee. From 2:00-3:30 p.m. a separate CPR (Red Cross certified) and first aid training will be held for

those youth wishing to become certified in CPR training. The cost for the CPR/first aid training is $17. Both will be held at the Saline County Extension office (Wilber). Space is limited—call 402-821-2151 to reserve your spot. Registration deadline is Friday, March 23rd.

Market animals: Both 4-H & FFA will be using EID tags and DNA for all market beef and market swine exhibited at the State Fair and Ak-Sar-Ben. NEW-County Fair Market Swine will use EID tags as the official identification method. Ear notches may be recorded but WILL NOT serve as the primary identification method. The cost of the EID tag will be $2 per tag. The cost of DNA samples will be $6 per DNA sample. Breeding animals: Animals exhibited at the County Fair, State Fair and/or Ak-Sar-Ben will need to have a Breeding nomination card completed and on file at the Extension Office by June 15th. Breeding heifers will require a tattoo (4-H & FFA). NEW—Market & Breeding sheep and goats will use a Scrapie tag as the official identification method for commercial animals. Purebred animals will need a Scrapie tag & number matching registration papers (herd tag or tattoo. Please refer to the chart below and at this link: https://go.unl.edu/animalidentificationanddeadlines More information and form of animal identification can be found at: https://go.unl.edu/animalidentification2018 Youth will have until Aug. 10 (State Fair online entry deadline) to declare if a particular animal will show as 4-H or FFA. However, once you declare an organization at State Fair, you may not switch for Ak-Sar-Ben (4-H show only). You will need to pick up the DNA sample envelopes and tags from our office. NEW FOR ALL STATE FAIR OR AK-SAR-BEN NOMINATED ANIMALS: FAMILY IS RESPONSIBLE TO GO ONLINE AND ENTER THIS INFORMATION FOR ELIGIBILITY at STATE FAIR OR AKSARBEN (June 15 absolute deadline) @ www.stockshowmanager.com

Livestock Identification For 2018 Read carefully as there are changes!

Don’t wait until the last minute to make your animal identifications. Will animals be shown at County Fair only, State Fair or Ak-Sar-Ben? Identification documents are different for

State Fair/Ak-Sar-Ben so you will need to know BEFORE you come to the office to get tags.

ATTENTION:

If you received a camp scholarship last Fall or have requested one through 4-H Council this Spring,

call our office for camp registration procedures before your begin you online registration process.

The 4-H Council is offering extra scholarship money to those who did not apply for camp scholarships last Fall.

Scholarship amounts are: $50 (ages 8-10) and (ages 11 & older); $100 for Big Red Camps

Funds are limited from 4-H Council - First Come-First Served until May 1 or funds are depleted. Please call our office to inquire about receiving one of these scholarships.

NOTE: Call our office for camp registration procedures before you begin your online registration process.

ATTENTION:

If you received a camp scholarship last Fall or have requested one through 4-H Council this Spring,

call our office for camp registration procedures before your begin you online registration process.

News & Views Nebraska Extension - Saline County Saline County 4-H Council Box 978 Wilber NE 68465-0978

Return Service Requested

Non-Profit Bulk Rate U.S. Postage Permit # 12 Wilber, NE

Nebraska Extension is a Division of the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln cooperating with Counties and United States Department of Agriculture.

Nebraska Extension educational programs abides with the nondiscrimination policies of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and the United States Department of Agriculture.

Nebraska Extension Youth Development - Saline County 306 W 3rd Street, P.O. Box 978, Wilber NE 68465 • Phone: (402) 821-2151; Fax (402) 821-3398

Website: www.saline.unl.edu • Email: saline-county@unl.edu

Visit us on the web at: www.saline.unl.edu

Dates to Remember

March 1st 4-H Enrollments due online

March 1st

Deadline to reserve Lottery Pigs

March 15th 4-H Council scholarship deadline

March 30th

Babysitting Clinic/CPR Training

April 1st FCE scholarship deadline

April 15th

State 4-H Camp Early Bird Discount

July 17-22

Theme: Red, White & Blue - This Fair’s For You!