Page 1 GROWS February 2018 Clover Connection Shelby Van Horn Cass County Extension County Youth Coordinator shelbyvh@iastate.edu 712-243-1132 What s Inside: Page 3 4-H Enrollment Beef Verification Deadline FSQA Page 4 Livestock Update Club Visits Share your Experience Project Success County Fair Trophy Sponsors Page 5 State Recognition Monarchs on the Move 4-H Partnership Opportunity Page 6 Annual Volunteer Training Race Across Iowa Challenge Page 7 2018 County Fair Theme Iowa 4-H Foundation Scholarships Little Hands on the Farm Uncommon Student Award Page 8 4-H Club Volleyball Results Mardi Gras Endowment Pancake Supper Page 9 Camp Wild 100 Years of Extension Page 10 Poultry Exhibitor Information February 1 Fairboard@ 7 PM 1 Market Beef Verification Deadline in 4-H Online 8 Endowment Meeting@ 6:30 PM 23 K-2 Polar Bear Day Camp at Atlantic 27 Annual Leader Training@ 6 PM March 1 Fairboard@ 7 PM 8 Endowment Pancake Supper 11 Mardi Gras 23 3-5 Winter Adventure Day Camp at Atlantic 24 State Recognition Day 29 3-5 Winter Adventure Day Camp at Griswold 30 Holiday Observation-Office Closed April 7 Swine Weigh-In 17 FSQA Training at Atlantic 21 Extension 100 Year Celebration 28 Meat Goat Weigh-In May 3 Fairboard@ 7 PM 5 Sheep Weigh-In 15 Enrollment and Livestock ID Deadline 1
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Page 3 4-H Enrollment Many of you have already enrolled in 4-H for the 2017-2018 4-H year. Thank you! If you have not, please go to ia.4honline.com and log in with your 4-H family e-mail and password. It is okay to select the I forgot my password option if you do not remember your password. There are many great help sheets at: http:www.extension.iastate.edu/4h/page/4honline-information-families-and-leaders for you to use when reenrolling. If you do not re-enroll, we cannot tell if you are participating for the 2017-2018 4-H year, we cannot enter your animals after weigh-in s, and you will not receive important information from the newsletter about upcoming events, activities and deadlines. If you have questions about enrolling, please contact the Extension Office. Beef Verification Deadline: February 1! Exhibitors who weighed-in market beef animals, either at the Cass County weigh-in on December 16 or at another location, please remember to log in to 4 -H Online in January to verify your market beef animals by February 1. This is a very important step in the ID process for all exhibitors and helps us to ensure that all data was entered correctly after weigh-ins. If you have any questions or concerns, please call the Extension Office and we will be happy to help you with this process. Beef breed steers for state fair: the breed and registration number must be identified in 4-H Online by February 1. Please contact the Extension Office before February 1 to complete this step. Registration papers are required at state fair check-in in August. If a breed is not identified by February 1, the animal will only be eligible to show as a crossbreed. You must have declared at time of weigh-in if you are planning to exhibit at the 2018 Iowa State Fair. Thank you to all volunteers, parents, and participants for you patience on weigh-in day. We had a beautiful day and had another successful weigh-in with 158 4-H and FFA calves ID d. FSQA Dates FSQA is a requirement for Cass County Youth exhibiting swine, beef, sheep, dairy, meat goats, rabbits and poultry at the 2018 Cass County Fair. Reminder this includes all market and breeding animals. We have set our dates for FSQA! On April 17 at the Cass County Community Center we will be offering FSQA test out from 5-5:45 PM and training will begin at 6 PM. We will also be offering Animal Science Day Camp for youth in grades 4-8. Animal Science Day Camp will be held June 18 from 1 PM-4:30 PM at the Cass County Community Center. There is a $5 fee to attend day camp. If you are unable to attend a face-to-face training, an online option: YQCA Youth for the Quality Care of Animals is available. There is a $12 per member fee associated with this option payable online at the time of training. Visit yqca.org to participate in the online version of the training. Please print or scan your certificate and bring it to the extension office after you have completed the training or we have no way of tracking this. **NOTE: This is the last year for FSQA testing/training. After this year all will be switched over to YQCA and youth will be required to participate in training every year. With questions contact Shelby at the Extension Office. 3
Page 4 General Livestock Update Our livestock project areas are some of our most traditional projects that teach a great deal of personal life management skills, as well as project mastery and knowledge. While they are a vital part of our program, they often require more rules and regulations for safety and organizational purposes. The best way to participate in a livestock project area is to become educated on those rules and regulations. Here are resources you can familiarize yourself with. 4-H 202: the official document on identification, ownership and eligibility for livestock shows. You are responsible for following these guidelines when exhibiting 4-H livestock. You can get this from the Extension Office or online at: https://store.extension.iastate.edu/product/194 *NOTE: this form has been updated for 2018 The State 4-H Website: this is located at www.extension.iastate.edu/4h/projects/livestock. This website is designed by State 4-H staff and has many resources for exhibitors and their families. Club Visits This year Shelby is looking to make Club Visits. If this is something you and your club would be interested in please let us know a good time and we will make it work! I am making my it my goal to visit every club one time during the 4-H year. We are very excited to visit with you and see all the hard work you are putting in during the 2017-2018 4-H year. If you are looking for someone to present special events, talk with officers, etc. I would be more than happy to help in any area! Thank you all for your hard work you are putting into your 4-H club and projects! Keep it up! Share your 4-H Experience Are you doing something really neat in your 4-H club or in your project area? Share it with your local newspapers, they are interested in showcasing your 4-H experience. Write up and article about what you are doing, share a few photos and get published in the newspaper. This is a great way to fulfill the communication requirement in your project area and share the great things you are doing in 4-H! If you need contact information for the local newspaper, contact the Extension Office. Also, if you have photos throughout the year Shelby would love to showcase you in the newsletter. Email photos to Shelby. Plan now for Project Success Right now is a great time to start planning for project success this 4-H year. Set some personal and project goals to work on this year. Be sure to sign up in 4-H online for any project area that you may be interested in. This will help us get you the information needed for those project areas throughout the year. Check out project resources on the state 4-H website: https: www.extension.iastate.edu/4h County Fair Trophy Sponsors Are you or someone you know interested in recognizing our 4-Her s for their great accomplishments at the County Fair? Consider sponsoring a trophy that is given out at shows and events. Contact the Extension Office if interested. 4
5 State Recognition Awards and Opportunities! Page 5 Your project work and involvement in 4-H deserves to receive recognition! If you are in grades nine through twelve, there are many opportunities available to you for recognition awards or to represent Cass County on state and national levels. These include National 4-H Conference, National 4-H Congress, State 4-H Council and State 4-H Project Awards. The process isn t difficult and it is a great learning experience for senior level 4-H members. All it takes is filling out a quick online application about yourself and your 4-H experience and participate in an interview on March 24, 2018 in Ames. Learn more about applying for these opportunities by contacting the Extension Office or visiting https://www.extension.iastate.edu/4h/recognition-opportunities. Applications need to be submitted online by 11:59 PM on February 1, 2018. This is a great opportunity for senior level 4-H members to grow their 4-H experience! Monarchs On the Move! Teen Leaders Wanted! This year Iowa was selected by the National 4-H Council to host the Ag Innovators Experience: Monarchs on the Move. We need your help! We are looking for youth to provide leadership by facilitating Monarchs on the Move workshops and training to other youth to host workshops as well. More about the program: Monarchs on the Move workshops are a collaborative hands-on experience that will help youth: Learn about the life cycle of butterflies Learn why the monarch butterfly is and important species Understand the challenges that impact the monarch butterfly s declining population Explore ways to increase monarch habitat Iowa is an important location for monarch reproduction and increasing the monarch population will require a coordinated effort with farmers, private citizens, governments and businesses Have fun as they experience the world from the perspective of butterflies, farmers and scientists Apply their knowledge by planting milkweed to provide habitat for monarchs and make an impact in their community! Your role as a teen leader: Iowa Teen Leaders are in charge of leading local and regional Monarchs on the Move experiences in a variety of settings including camps, clubs, schools, after school programing and other events. Monarchs on the Move is expected to reach 1000 youth across the state from April through July. This is a tremendous leadership opportunity for senior 4-H members. If you are interested please contact Shelby at the Extension Office or by email at shelbyvh@iastate.edu 4-H Partnership Opportunity with Master Gardeners Our local Cass County Master Gardeners are applying for a Growing Together Iowa grant. This would be a great opportunity for a 4-H Club to partner with the Master Gardeners for a community service project. The goal of the Growing Together Iowa program is connecting Master Gardeners with local partners to develop donation gardens where the produce harvested is donated to food pantries. Growing Together Iowa is interested in partnering with 4-H by involving youth in this project. If this is something your or your club may be interested in please contact the Extension Office.
Page 6 Annual Volunteer Training Join 4-H leaders from across Cass County in an interactive, hands on training that will help volunteers create a fun, safe, inclusive environment for all youth. During this training, 4-H leaders will be discussing youth engagement as well as sharing ideas for club management and learning from fellow county leaders. We are all excited to roll out some new training activities as we work to make these trainings more beneficial and interactive for our leaders! This training will meet your requirement for your annual volunteer training and will be held on February 27. A light supper will begin at 6:00 PM with the training beginning at 6:30 PM at the Community Center. A benefit of participating in the face-to-face volunteer training is the interaction and sharing with other volunteers. If you are not able to attend the training, contact the Extension office to learn more about participating through other training options. Please register to attend by contacting the Cass County Extension Office by February 22 so we can plan for food and materials. We hope to see a great group of leaders join us for training this year YOU are the ones who keep the Cass County 4-H program going strong! Race Across Iowa Challenge The challenge has started as of November 1. It is not too late to join! The challenge will run through June 30. Clubs can take part in a Healthy Living Club challenge by introducing a variety of healthy living practices during club meetings each month and earn miles as they race across Iowa. This 1,400 mile route destination sure fulfills the definition of a challenge, but by working together as a team and setting goals to incorporate healthy living practices each month, we hope to see you meet or surpass the final mile by the end of June! Please plan to participate as we will be having a Cass County Incentive along with many other fun activities along the way. Keep an eye out for these exciting fun events! How does it work? Each month, your club submits that month s tracker. The club will designate who will do this each month, whether it be an adult leader or a youth leader. Be sure to submit your progress monthly so we can publish results and track by county and across the state. Don t wait until the end of the challenge to submit your monthly accomplishments, because each monthly tracker is due by the 10th of the following month. The 5 clubs that log the most miles and complete the route by the end of June will be recognized for their accomplishments at the Iowa State Fair. Visit https://www.extension.iastate.edu/4h/healthyliving-club-challenge to register your club. If you have questions or need help getting your team registered please let Shelby know. 6
2018 County Fair Theme Little Hands on the Farm 2018 Cass County Fair Theme Buckets of Fun -Art Wanted! Let s have buckets of fun this year at the 2018 Cass County Fair! If you or someone you know is a great artist, graphic designer or has creative ideas, get them to design a fairbook cover for the 2018 fair. Deadline to submit fairbook cover designs is April 1! Rules: 1. Must have the 2018 Fair Theme on the cover somewhere 2. Must have the 4-H and FFA logos 3. Must have the 2018 Fair Dates July 25-July 31 4. Must say Cass County Fair Page 7 Clubs looking for an opportunity to get involved, here is an opportunity. The Iowa State Fair is looking for clubs to volunteer for a shift at the Little Hands on the Farm. This would be a great team building activity! You would receive admission tickets, a vehicle permit and Little Hands on the Farm volunteer t-shirts. For more information or to sign up your group contact Emily Wynn at ewynn@iowastatefair.org. This is a fun opportunity to showcase your creativity! I hope we can get a lot of designs to choose from. The person who s cover gets selected will have their name printed in the front cover of the fairbook along with a prize! This is open to any youth grades 4-12. Preference may be given to a 4-H or FFA member. Judging will be based on design creativity and also an image that reflects positively on the Cass County Fair and our communities. If you have any questions please contact Shelby at the extension office or email shelbyvh@iastate.edu. Iowa 4-H Foundation Scholarships The Iowa 4-H Foundation has applications available for the 4-H scholarship program with over 90 scholarship opportunities to be awarded, valued at over $100,000. A complete list of scholarships, eligibility, helpful hits, instructions, and applications are available at: https:// iowa4h.awardspring.com/home/scholarships. To date there are no applications for the Roberts 4-H scholarship that is specific to our county. Applications are due February 1. The Uncommon Student Award The Herbert Hoover Uncommon Student Award is a $5,000 scholarship program for Iowa high school juniors. The program annually identifies and honors up to 15 Iowa high school juniors who propose and then accomplish a project of their own choosing and design. Grades, test scores, essays and financial need are not evaluated. Each of the 15 finalists will receive a $1,500 cash award at the completion of the program. Three of those could earn an additional $5,000 scholarship each, for a total of $6,500! The application deadline for the Herbert Hoover Uncommon Student Award is March 15, 2018. To apply, students must be juniors in an Iowa high school or home schooled program in the spring of 2018, with a high school graduation date of spring, 2019. Visit http:// www.hooverpresidentialfoundation.org/uncommon -student.php for more information. 7
Page 8 4-H Club Volleyball Tournament Congratulations to the C&M Champions for placing 1st and 2nd with their two teams at the 4- H Club Volleyball Tournament on Sunday, January 21. We had an amazing 11 teams participate in the county-wide event. Thank you to everyone who showed good sportsmanship and team spirit! Mardi Gras set for March 11! Mark your calendars! 4-H Mardi Gras is scheduled for March 11, 2018 from 2-4 PM at the Cass County Community Center. Each club who wishes to participate must submit their club activity along with a short description to the Extension Office by Wednesday, February 28, so start thinking now on what your club would like to do and call or email to get on the list. Don t forget to be creative with your Mardi Gras game or activity! New ideas and activities can be more fun for participants and raise more money for your club. Again this year, 4-H clubs will be charged a $10 fee instead of their members who are working at their club booth having to pay to enter Mardi Gras. 4-H booth workers must wear a 4-H shirt to be eligible for the free admittance. For all those not working at a booth, admission to Mardi Gras is 50 cents and tickets are 10 cents each. Please encourage all your friends and family to attend. This event raises money for each club and is also a great low-cost opportunity for families to have fun and support 4-H. Endowment Pancake Supper Who: Anyone who loves 4-H or pancakes or both What: The annual Endowment pancake Supper to support 4-H When: March 8, 2018 from 5-7:30 PM Where: Cass County Community Center The money raised at this pancake supper is used to offset the Program Development Fee charged to all 4-Her s across the state. If we did not have this Endowment in addition to the support from the Cass County Extension Council, 4-H would cost $30 for every member in Cass County each year. Clubs will be asked to work shifts, as well as donate to the silent auction, please encourage them to do so! We had great support form local businesses last year and would like to have even more this year. The cost is $6 per person to enjoy pancakes. Children 6 and under can eat for $4. Please encourage friends, family members and neighbors to come out on March 8 to support the Cass County 4-H Program! Cass County Extension and Outreach 805 West 10Th Street Atlantic, Iowa 50022 (712) 243-1132 www.extension.iastate.edu/cass Shelby Van Horn Youth Coordinator Kate Olson Program Coordinator Lori Anderson Office Assistant Jane Hayes-Johnk Youth Program Specialist Iowa State University Extension and Outreach does not discriminate on the basis of age, disability, ethnicity, gender identity, genetic information, marital status, national origin, pregnancy, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, or status as a U.S. veteran. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Inquiries regarding non-discrimination policies may be directed to Ross Wilburn, Diversity Officer, 2150 Beardshear Hall, 515 Morrill Road, Ames, Iowa 50011, 515-294-1482, wilburn@iastate.edu. 8
Page 9 Save the Date: Camp WILD June 11-13, 2018 Take a ride on the "WILD side and mark your calendars to attend Camp Wild, June 11-13, 2018 at Camp Clover Woods near Madrid, Iowa. Camp Wild is offered for youth completing grades 5, 6, and 7 in Spring 2018. Experience adventure and excitement during three days filled with 4-H camp traditions and favorite activities, including nature hikes, challenge course, creek walk, rock wall, archery, swimming, camp songs, crafts, and campfires. Bring a friend with you, and make new ones while you are there too! Camp will run from Monday, June 11 at 11 a.m. until our closing ceremony, starting at 3:15 p.m. on Wednesday, June 13. Registration will open online March 1 st. Check out the March 4-H Newsletter for instructions for how to register. Registration Deadline will be May 15, 2018. Register before May 1, 2018 to secure your spot, and receive our $200 registration early bird price. Registration costs $220 after May 1 and before May 15. No registrations will be accepted after May 15, 2018. Cass County offers financial assistance for 4-H members attending camp, be on the lookout for the application available soon! Scholarships are also available from the Iowa 4-H Foundation, with an April 25 th deadline for application. Visit www.iowa4hfoundation.com for information or to apply. WANTED: Camp Counselors for CAMP WILD 2018 Cass County is seeking camp counselors for Camp Wild 2018. Camp will be held at Camp Clover Woods near Madrid, Iowa June 11-13, 2018. Counselors will arrive on June 10 to prepare for campers arrival. Applicants must be age 16 by June 11, 2018. Applications are due to Cass County Extension Office by Monday, April 2, 2018. Applicants selected to serve will be notified by Monday, April 9. There is no cost for counselors to attend camp. Counselors are required to attend two camp orientation and training meetings. The dates will be Wednesday, April 25th from 8-9 pm (web-based training) and Wednesday, May 23rd from 5:30-8 pm (face-to-face in Harrison County). Counselors will need to be available for CAMP WILD Sunday, June 10 until Wednesday, June 13, 2018 at Camp Clover Woods near Madrid, Iowa. Questions about this opportunity? Contact the Extension Office. Celebrating 100 years of Extension! This year Cass County is celebrating 100 years of organized county extension work. This long-established partnership with Iowa State University provides local citizens with access to education and university research. ISU Extension and Outreach is part of the federal Cooperative Extension Service a network of more than 100 land-grant institutions, including Iowa State University, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture serving communities and counties across the United States. Every county in Iowa has an elected extension council that decides how to support ISU Extension and Outreach educational programs at the county level. Cass County 100 Year Celebration SAVE THE DATE! April 21@ 11-2 PM Join the Fun! We are seeking club or project displays and activities for our 100 year celebration! Contact the Extension office to sign up! Be on the lookout for more fun activities that are going to be approaching. We are looking forward to celebrating our 100 years with you! 9
Poultry Exhibitors 2018 Order Information Page 10 The 2018 Cass County Fair will be here soon! Below is information on poultry classes that require a GROUP PRE-ORDER of birds. Poultry exhibitors interested in participating in these classes should contact Melissa Johnson (call or text 712-249-9108) by the deadlines listed in each class to make order arrangements. Hy-Line Egg Production Class We are offering the Hy-Line Egg Production Class (pen of 3) again at the 2018 county fair. Hy-Line in Spencer, IA is willing to donate Hy-Line chicks to any 4-H or FFA member interested in the poultry project at NO COST TO YOU! You will not be able to sell them at the livestock sale, but this is a great way to start a laying hen flock. These birds should be laying by fair time. This is not replacing the Commercial Egg Chicken class. Exhibitors will still be able to bring birds for both the Commercial Egg Class and the Hy-Line class. Hy-Line chickens from 2017 may be shown in the Commercial Egg Class. Please contact Melissa Johnson by February 19, 2018 if you are interested in the Hy-Line Egg Production class. At this time, pickup of these birds is scheduled for March 5 at the Fairgrounds. Exhibitors will be notified with details and time after order is placed. Each exhibitor will only be allowed to show one Hy-Line pen of 3. They will count towards your total of 15 birds that you are able to show. We recommend that you order 6 birds per exhibitor. Please remember, the birds are FREE to 4-H & FFA members! Market Chicken Class Entries in the Market Chicken class will all come from the same hatchery and families will be notified of delivery date (potentially the week of March 5) after the order is placed. Price will vary depending how many are in the total order, but plan to pay approximately $3.15 per bird. This is a separate class from the Market Broiler Class (below). Birds will be exhibited as a pen of 3, with one pen of 3 birds allowed per exhibitor. The Poultry Committee recommends each exhibitor order at least 6 birds for 4-H and 6 birds for FFA. The Market Chickens will be eligible for the Livestock Sale at county fair. Please contact Melissa Johnson by February 19, 2017 if you want to participate in the Market Chicken class. All eligible Market Chickens must be purchased through the bulk order. Market Broiler Class If you are interested in the Market Broiler class at the county fair, please contact Melissa Johnson by May 14, 2017 to place your order for your broilers. Price will vary depending how many are in the total order, but plan to pay approximately $1.15 per bird. Birds will be exhibited as a pen of 3, with one pen of 3 birds allowed per exhibitor. The Poultry Committee recommends each exhibitor order at least 6 birds for 4-H and 6 birds for FFA. The Market Broilers will be required to go through the Livestock Sale at county fair. All eligible Market Broilers must be purchased through this bulk order. Families will be notified of delivery date (potentially the week of May 28) after the order is placed. 10