JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2013 NEWS

Transcription

1 Dubuque County Extension JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2013 NEWS IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY EXTENSION AND OUT- REACH DUBUQUE COUNTY EXTENSION OFFICE West Ridge Lane, Suite 2, Dubuque, Iowa Phone: (563) Fax: (563) or Find us on Facebook! dubuquecountyextension Dear 4-H and FFA Families, I can t believe that January is already here! A big thank you to the Beef Committee and all who helped at the Beef Weigh-In on December 22nd. I would also like to thank Jen Spoerl, Mindy Smith and Charles Smith for helping with the H Lock-In! Our Youth Leaders were able to purchase 40 pairs of shoes for the Happy Feet program with the money they raised at their Steak Dinner Fundraiser in September! We have many important dates coming up so be sure to look over the calendar and mark those dates. Tyler Simmons and I will be out and about visiting clubs at your monthly meetings so be sure to say hi when you see us! I am looking forward to a great year with Dubuque County 4-H! Your County Youth Coordinator, Liz Edgington Jen Spoerl and Mindy Smith Dubuque County Extension COUNTY ADDRESS, CITY, STATE XXX-XXX-XXXX OFFICE HOURS Iowa State University Extension programs are available to all without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, or disability.

2 IMPORTANT DATE REMINDERS! January 8 Youth Action Committee Meeting 6:00PM 8 Youth Leaders Meeting 7:30PM 20 County Wide Bowling Event (Registration due Jan. 7) 25 Fighting Saints Ticket Purchase due to Extension Office February 2 Moonlight Bowling for the fairgrounds (Information enclosed on green sheet) 9 Dubuque County 4-H Night at the Fighting Saints 11 New Member Night! 25 FSQA Training at 6:00PM March Multi Region Senior Service trip (registration form enclosed) 19 FSQA Training at 6:30PM 23 Proposed Swine Weigh-In date (watch for updates) Multi Region Intermediate Trip (registration form enclosed) April - Look for Sheep weigh-in Date 13 Junior Project Day (Registration due by April 5) 20 STEM Grand Harbor May 18 Communications day State 4-H Conference! If you've completed 8th grade, you're eligible to attend. Iowa 4-H Youth Conference June 25-27, 2013 Theme: Unmask Your Opportunities You don't even have to be in 4-H to attend this conference! You will get to experience campus life, and meet new people from across the state! You will be having fun while learning by doing, dancing the nights away, and serving the community. You will get to learn new things to take back to your community and school, and in the process you might even discover something new about yourself! There are opportunities for you to share your talents with the rest of the delegation through small group discussion, the Conference Chorus, and a Talent Show! If you have a specific interest in animal science, you might want to look into becoming part of the ROUND-UP track! We'll also have a special track devoted to agronomy, called CSI: Crops. And, new in 2012, a track for wilderness education and Shooting Sports. To learn more about the Iowa 4-H Youth conference please go to: iowa4hyouthconference 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.

3 County News! Club Fruit Sales! Sally Heacock has organized the 4-H fruit sales in the past and will be doing so again for clubs that would like to do this as a fundraiser. Please speak with your club leader first before contacting Sally. Order sheets will be available in early February for clubs to pick up, and then the fruit would be delivered in March. Any clubs interested in doing this as a fundraiser should give Sally a call at H Night at a Dubuque Fighting Saints Hockey Game! On February 9th, 2013 we will be having a 4-H Night at a Dubuque Fighting Saints Hockey game. The Fighting Saints will be taking on the Waterloo Blackhawks! Doors open at 6pm and the game starts at 7:05. Tickets are $9.50 per person. Purchase your tickets at the Extension Office by January 25th! Your tickets will be ready to be picked up at the Extension office between January 27th and February 7th! Scholarships Over 80 scholarships are available through the Iowa 4-H Foundation for both incoming freshman and continuing college students. Information is posted at All application materials must be received on site or postmarked no later than March 1, New Member Night New Member night will be Februray 11th at the Extension Office from 6:00P-7:00PM. This is a chance for all new members in 4-H to learn more about the different project areas available and ask any questions about the 4-H program! Please RSVP to the Extension office by February 4th. County Wide Bowling Event! The Dubuque County Youth Action Committee is hosting a County Wide Bowling Event! It will be held on January 20th at Cascade Lanes. This is for all members of Dubuque County 4-H! There will be two shifts for bowling 1st Shift: Registration from 12:00 (noon) to 12:20 -- begin bowling at 12:30. 2nd Shift: Registration at 3:00 to 3:20 -- begin bowling at 3:30. This will be a first come first serve basis, registration forms are due by January 7th. They will have it set up to do 9 pin bowling! The cost for the event will be $6. There will also be many great door prizes! Registration form enclosed (on red paper) (Fairgrounds Bowling event on Green paper) If we sell over 100 tickets we will earn a Free Replica game Jersey that we will draw for from anyone that purchases a ticket through the Extension office! Give the Extension office a call or stop on in to purchase your tickets for this exciting game! We will need your payment before we can reserve your ticket request! Project Day Join us for Project Day on April 13th in the 4-H Building at the Dubuque County Fairgrounds! Registration begins at 9:45AM with sessions starting at 10AM. We do not have a price set for this event as of yet. Friends are welcome at this event and need not be enrolled in 4-H. Registration forms will be sent out in the March/April Newsletter. Please pre-register both 4-H ers & guests by April 5th! If you would like to volunteer your time to help with project day please contact Liz at the Extension Office. Our number is or you can eae@iastate.edu ALL volunteers are welcome and needed!

4 FSQA TRAINING! FSQA training is required for ALL 4-H and FFA exhibitors showing Market and/ or Breeding Beef, Swine, Sheep, Dairy Cattle, Bucket/ Bottle Calf, Dairy Goats, Poultry, and Rabbits at the Dubuque County Fair, Iowa State Fair, and/ or AK -SAR-BEN. FSQA Training Dates in Dubuque County Monday, February 25 6:00-8:00PM Dubuque County Fairgrounds 4-H Building Tuesday, March 19 6:30-8:30 PM Dubuque County Fairgrounds 4-H Building Members can check their FSQA certification status in 4-H Online. You must pre-register for the session by calling Liz at (563) ALL LIVESTOCK EXHIBITORS NEED TO BE FSQA CERTIFIED! Multi Region Trips! Seniors Senior Service Trip Head to Des Moines to help with service projects in the area. Taking place March 15-17, Three 4-H members from Dubuque County are able to go! If you are interested please look at the attached flyer (yellow paper) for more information. Registration must be turned in by February 1st! Juniors Camp Shalom Head to Camp Shalom in Maquoketa Iowa for a weekend filled with fun outdoor adventures in June of Look in your for more information to come! There are two ways to become FSQA certified: 1) Attend an FSQA Training Session. If youth attend an FSQA session, their certification is good for one year regardless of age. Junior members (age 9-11) must attend a training session each year. 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. -or- 2) Pass an FSQA certification test. Intermediate and senior exhibitors (ages 12-18) may use the test out option. If youth pass the FSQA certification test after their training session, their certification is good until they reach the next age category. If youth are years old and pass the test, their certification is good until age 15. If youth are and pass the test, their certification is good until age 19. FSQA test out option will only be available on the training dates. NO OTHER TESTING TIMES ARE OFFERED! Dates for other regional certification sites are available at: Intermediates/ 7-9 Graders Wisconsin Dells Take a trip to the Wisconsin Dells with 4-H members from surrounding counties. There will be an overnight stay at Chula Vista Water Park resort, New Chester Dairy Tour, water park access, snack and team building exercises! Look on attached flyer for more information! (yellow paper) Registration due March 1st!

5 Youth Action Committee is having a County Wide Bowling event! Who: ALL 4-Her s When: January 20 th Where: Cascade Lanes Why: To have a great time and get to know other 4-Her s in Dubuque County! Cost =$6 each (enclose payment with registration form, make checks payable to Dubuque County Extension, Proceeds go towards friends of 4-H) There will be 9 pin bowling, along with some great prizes! We will have two shifts: (choose one) Shift 1 starting at 12:00PM Shift 2 starting at 3:00PM Sign up as a team of 4 or 5, or be placed with someone new, the choice is yours! Hand this form into your leader or send into our office directly! Please have this into the County Extension Office by January 7 th at noon! Name: Age: Club: Shift: Shoe Size Team members (optional) 1) 2) 3) 4) 5)

6 Dubuque County Extension West Ridge Lane, Suite 2 Dubuque, IA NONPROFIT ORG US POSTAGE PAID DUBUQUE, IA PERMIT NO 41 ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED Dubuque County Extension Update Winter is typically a busy time for us in Extension as we prepare our educational programs and trainings prior to the next growing season. We have a Master Gardener training starting on January 17th. This is a great volunteer opportunity for anyone who has a passion for gardening and wants to get more involved in our community. Regional Foods Coordinator Brittany Bethel is conducting a session on February 5th for farmers who are interested in diversifying their crops by growing foods to be sold in our local markets. Dairy Specialist Larry Tranel is hosting Dairy Days in Holy Cross on February 6th, so mark your calendars and join us to learn about the latest innovations in the dairy industry. The trainings for commercial and private pesticide and manure applicators are on the calendar. Family Finance Specialist Susan Taylor has scheduled some Smart Investing programs in Dyersville, so check those out if you re interested in getting the most for your money. We take pride in offering research-based educational opportunities that respond to the needs of our community, but we need your help. Please contact us if you have ideas about the kinds of programs that will help improve the quality of life in our community or to learn more about what we re already doing. Up to date information about upcoming events can be found on our website and facebook page, or call us at Hope you had a wonderful holiday season! Jason Neises, County Program Manager