1 CLAYTON COUNTY EXTENSION AND OUTREACH CLOVER CONNECTION DECEMBER 2015 WHAT S INSIDE: Enrollment Page 2 First Lego League Page 3 Food & Fitness Page 3 Beef weigh In Page 4 Livestock Clinic Page 4 Pioneer Grant Page 5 Beef Conference Page 5 Calendar of Events Page 6 Clover Kids Page 6 Leader Corner Page 7 Welcome! Holly Loan has accepted the position as Executive Coordinator at Clayton County Extension and Outreach. She began her duties November 9. Holly is an ISU graduate and lives in Elkader with her husband Andrew and their four children. Holly will be promoting the cooperative extension work in the county as well as overseeing the county office. Stop by and welcome Holly to ISU Extension and Outreach! TAMMY MULLER, County Youth Coordinator tamuller@iastate.edu SHANNON DURBIN, K-12 Program Coordinator sdurbin@iastate.edu CLAYTON COUNTY EXTENSION & OUTREACH 563-245-1451 Dear Friends, THANK YOU! Pizzazz Night was a successful event. Special thanks to Johnson s Reception Hall and the County Council members for the great job. Thank you to everyone who came and supported the Clayton County 4-H program. Congratulations to all the winners. The holiday season is the perfect time to think about community service projects. Whether you do them as a 4-H club or as an individual, community service has always been an important part of 4-H. Happy Holidays! Tammy Muller Congratulations! 2015 4-H Club Community Service Award Winners Lodomillo Leaders, Woodcenter Eagles, Woodberry Clovers and Garnavillo Hawks 4-H Clubs. 2015 4-H Week Promotion Contest Winner Highland Helping Hands 4-H Club Thank you to everyone who purchased quilt raffle tickets from the 4-H Citizenship group. They raised $1011. PO Box 357, 120 S Main Street, Elkader, IA 52043 563-245-1451 8am 12 and 1 5 pm Monday Friday LEARN MORE AT WWW.EXTENSION.IASTATE.EDU/4H/CLAYTON Iowa State University Extension programs are available to all without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, or disability.
2 FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE AVAILABLE Iowa 4-H Foundation Offers Financial Assistance to Pay Enrollment Fees Financial assistance is available from the Iowa 4-H Foundation for families who need help paying their annual program fee. Those interested in obtaining assistance for the program fee payment are encouraged to go to https://www.iowa4hfoundation.org/en/funding_opportunities/ and click on Apply for Iowa 4-H Program Fee Financial Assistance located under the headline Iowa 4-H Program Fee. Contact the Extension Office for questions about filling out the form. ENROLL NOW Time to re-enroll in 4-H * Existing 4-H families (K-12 grades) please re-enroll at https://iowa.4honline.com. See directions below or contact the Extension Office for additional assistance. If you do not have access to the internet, club leaders have paper forms. * New families to 4-H, must enroll on paper forms. Please contact your 4-H club leader for enrollment, code of ethics and medical forms. MISSION STATEMENT 4-H EMPOWERS YOUTH TO REACH THEIR FULL POTENTIAL THROUGH YOUTH-ADULT PARTNERSHIPS AND RESEARCH-BASED EXPERIENCES.
3 FIRST LEGO LEAGUE 2015 THEME TRASH TREK Cyborg Narwhals Take Home Project Award at FLL Competition in Denver The Cyborg Narwhals 4-H Club participated in the FIRST Lego League Competition on Saturday, November 21 in Denver, IA. The team consisting of Central District Area Students from ages 9-14 included Hailey Mahoney, James Eberhardt, Mark Hertrampf, Delbert Grimm, Sean Wilwert, Dereje Pollock, Korey Schantz, Keaton Klingman, and Hunter Grimm. The youth presented on Core Values, Robot Design, and Project, as well as tackling robotic challenges on the board. This year s theme was Trash Trek. The team took home the Project Award. The Cyborg Narwhals decided on their project after taking home trash bags for the weekend and analyzing what they had collected. The team noticed lots of recyclable items they collected after a sporting event. They then went to a game and tallied the trash they saw going into the bins. From their tallies the top trash items were 108 candy wrappers, 56 plastic bottles, and over 100 Styrofoam cups. There solutions included switching the candy the concession stand carries to cardboard boxes which are recyclable, making more accessible and visible recycling for plastic bottles and paper/cardboard, and offering travel mugs for hot coco at football games. The team shared their ideas with the Superintendent, Concession Stand Coordinator, and Activities Director and Athletic Boosters. The team looked up prices from printing places and contacted the movies theater about pricing options. They also created a skit for the judges to describe their process. 4-H member, Trevor Moser showed them how he recycled barrels from Fitzgerald Surge to create recycling bins for the Fairgrounds. The Cyborg Narwhals are coached by ISU Extension and Outreach Project Coordinator, Shannon Durbin, and assisted by Central s Stacy Weber with help from volunteer, Kristin Klingman. FOOD & FITNESS MFL Mar Mac welcomes FFI AmeriCorps Member, Brandi Crozier B randi Crozier has stepped in to fill an appointment for Food & Fitness serving the MFL MarMac district. As an active member of the MFL MarMac community, she is passionate about health and wellness education and activities, especially when they can be used as a tool to reach out to those with socio-economic barriers that may not have access to this knowledge and/or resources through other means. Brandi looks forward to working with students and staff in the district to continue building a healthy community. Brandi is filling the position left vacant by Kelly Wille. 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.
4 BEEF WEIGH IN Market Beef Weigh-in is December 19 Clayton County 4-H and FFA members planning to exhibit market beef projects during 2016 need to have their animals weighed and ear tagged to make them eligible for competition. The weigh-in will take place on Saturday, December 19, 2015 at the Edgewood Livestock Commission in Edgewood from 8:30 a.m. until 11:30 a.m. A maximum of 10 head can be identified. State Fair qualifying animals will be retinal imaged starting at 9:00 a.m. Tags will be $1.50 per tag. The state fair scanning fee is $5 per animal. Market beef classes for the 2016 Clayton County Fair will be in three divisions--market Steers, Market Heifers, and Straight-Bred Dairy Market Steers. County fair classes within each division will be established from the beginning weights (weight of the calves on December 19, 2015). The beef show at the county fair is scheduled for Friday, August 5, 2016. ADVANCED FEEDER CLASS Advanced Feeder Class Market beef exhibitors are encouraged to exhibit in the Advanced Cattle Feeder Class. There are three live divisions Junior, Intermediate and Senior plus 6 carcass classes - Market Beef Pen, Market Beef Individual, Dairy Steer Pen, Dairy Steer Individual, Market Heifer Pen and Market Heifer Individual. Please sign up at the weigh-in if you are interested in this class. Exhibitors must keep accurate feed records. All commodity type feedstuffs will be standardized monthly based on the average month price provided by Innovative Agriculture Services. Judging will be in June at the Edgewood Livestock Sales Commission. LIVESTOCK CLINICS Livestock Clinics Hubbard Feeds is hosting cattle, goat, swine and sheep show clinics in December. Thursday, 10 at the Dairy Center, NICC in Calmar and Friday, December 11 at the Fairgrounds in Manchester. Clinics run from 6-9 pm. General session followed by specie breakout sessions. RSVP Please indicate the number of people attending (first and last name) and which clinic you want to attend by Friday, December 4 to: Dianne.Haught@hubbardfeeds.com LIVESTOCK REQUIREMENTS 4-H 202 Document: Iowa 4-H Livestock Show Requirements For information on the 4-H Livestock Requirements (4H202) visit http://www.extension.iastate.edu/4h/projects/livestock. OUR VISION A WORLD IN WHICH YOUTH AND ADULTS LEARN, GROW, AND WORK TOGETHER AS CATALYSTS FOR POSTIVE CHANGE
5 PIONEER GRANTS DuPont Pioneer Offering Grants DuPont Pioneer is offering support for the Seed Grant Program for Iowa 4-H club community improvement projects. The objective of these grants is to stimulate local 4-H clubs in Iowa to plan and carry out community improvement activities by providing seed money needed to make the projects successful. Grant amounts will range from a minimum of $50 to a maximum of $500, to the selected 4-H clubs in Iowa. Successful projects are those that enlist partnerships with other community entities, demonstrate engagement by the full 4-H club, and make a positive impact on the community. Local clubs should fill out the application using the Information & Tips sheets. All application materials should be submitted to the county Extension office by December 15. Go to www.extension.iastate.edu/4h/pioneergrants for more information. BEEF CONFERENCE North Central Iowa Youth Beef Conference Join us, Saturday, January 23, from 9:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the beautiful Ellsworth Community College Agriculture and Renewable Energy Center, Iowa Falls. S.T.E.M. in BEEF is the theme this year! Youth will learn how Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math are involved with beef production. Cost is $5.00 per person, includes lunch. Qualifies as FSQA certification! You don t have to be a beef project member to come join the fun while learning more about raising and producing beef. Registration form can be found at Franklin County Extension http:// www.extension.iastate.edu/franklin/4h For more information contact Jackie Dohlman, CYC at jackied@iastate.edu or call 641-456-4811. PIZZAZZ NIGHT WINNERS Honorary 4-H Members: Bill & Judi Althoff, Edgewood 4-H Alumni Member: Linda Zuercher, Postville State Conference Voucher Winners: Ryan Moon, Jacob Fenton, Emma Ehlers & Noelle Kerns 4-H IS BASED ON RESEARCH
6 NOVEMBER 2015 Calendar of Events December 3 Leader Training Webinar, 6-8:30 pm, Extension Office 19 Market Beef Weigh-In, 8:30 11:30 am, Edgewood Livestock Commission 20 County Council Meeting, 7 pm, Extension Office, Elkader 24 25 HOLIDAY, Extension Office Closed The Month of December is Hi Neighbor Month Write to a Friend Month Safe Toy and Gift Month Read A New Book Month Universal Human Rights Month Stress Free Family Holiday Month www.extension.iastate.edu/4h/clover Leaders & Volunteers: We will be having a Clover Kid Day planning meeting on Thursday, January 7 at the Extension Office at 6:30 pm. We will be finalizing plans for the 2016 countywide Clover Kid Day. This year s It s a County Fair! will be Saturday, February 20. We need your ideas & input! Come join the FUN! FUN WINTERTIME IDEAS Make snow sculptures or snow angels in fresh snow. Go ice-skating, tubing, or sledding. Cut snowflakes out of paper. Walk out letters in the snow to spell your name. Visit an older relative or friend and encourage them to talk about the holidays when he/she grew up. Read holiday books to your child or have them read to you every day. Put a puzzle together. MELTING SNOW SCIENCE What you need: Snow balls/frozen water Plates/Bowls Pepper Salt Cold water Hot water What you do: Freeze 5 equal sizes of snow (snowballs) or freeze water in 5 equal size containers. Set each on its own plate/bowl. Ask the children to predict which will melt the snow or ice faster: cold water, hot water, salt, pepper, or doing nothing. Then test their predictions! Play age appropriate board games. Play card games. It s enrollment time! Don t forget to re-enroll in 4-H. Clover Kids must also re-enroll in 4-H each year. Go to https://iowa.4honline.com to re-enroll. OUR VISION A WORLD IN WHICH YOUTH AND ADULTS LEARN, GROW, AND WORK TOGETHER AS CATALYSTS FOR POSTIVE CHANGE
7 LEADER NEWS Leader s Corner Check out the Iowa 4-H Volunteer website: www.extension.iastate.edu/4h/volunteers/ WANTED: 4-H Club s Programs Club programs for the 2016 year are REQUIRED and due at the Extension Office by January 1. Please include the time, location and general description for each meeting. The Risk Management Policy and insurance covers those events that are listed on the club program or called in to the Extension Office prior to the event. The Extension Office is available to type your programs or you can email or drop them off copy ready. Required volunteer training for 2015-16 Encouraging the HEART of Leadership Volunteers who are club, project, or Clover Kid leaders, SESS leaders or assistant leaders are required to attend an annual training that strengthens their positive youth development knowledge and skills. This year leaders will be invited to participate in the 2015 North Central Region Volunteer e-forum. Clayton County will offer this training on Thursday, December 3 at the Extension Office in Elkader from 6:00-7:30 PM (live webinar) and also on Wednesday, January 20 at the Extension Office in Elkader from 7:00-8:30 pm (recorded). The alternative online training option should be available mid-january. New Volunteer Training Set for January 9 Volunteers serving as club leaders, with less than 3 years of experience, are encouraged to attend a New Volunteer Training, in addition to the annual required training. A new Volunteer training will be held January 9, 2016 at the NICC Dairy Center located on the Northeast Iowa Community College campus, located south of Calmar. Registration will begin at 9 am with training starting at 9:30 am. The New Volunteer training will include information for club leaders and assistants as well as Clover Kid leaders. Lunch will be provided. There is no registration fee. To register go to the Iowa 4-H volunteer training page: www.extension.iastate.edu/4h/page/training-registration-new-volunteers **** Registration closes a week before the training date. **** Annual Leader Appreciation Banquet is January 17 The annual 4-H Leader Appreciation Banquet will be Sunday, January 17 at Johnson s in Elkader at 7:00 pm. Reservations are required. Clubs and leaders will be receiving more information in December. Thank you to all our 4-H volunteers! MISSION STATEMENT 4-H EMPOWERS YOUTH TO REACH THEIR FULL POTENTIAL THROUGH YOUTH-ADULT PARTNERSHIPS AND RESEARCH-BASED EXPERIENCES.
8 NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION Clayton County Extension 120 S Main Street PO Box 357 Elkader, IA 52043 U.S. POSTAGE PAID PERMIT NO. 122 ELKADER, IA C l a y t o n C o u n t y 4 - H & F F A F a m i l y N e w s l e t t e r Business Meeting Agenda 1. Call Meeting to Order 2. Pledge of Allegiance 3. Roll Call & Introduction of Visitors 4. Minutes of Previous Meeting 5. Treasurer s Report 6. Committee Reports 7. Unfinished & New Business Market Beef Weigh-In Decembers 19 Club Programs Enrollments & fees 8. Adjourn/4-H Pledge