4-H ECHO The source of 4-H news in Grant County 4-H GROWS Character What s Inside Calendars... 2-4 Thanks & Congratulations... 5 4-Her & Volunteer of the Month... 6 Club News... 7 Projects & Activities... 8-10 Opportunities... 11-13 Grant County Fair... 14 Announcements... 15 March 2017 Contact Us: Grant County Extension Office 916 E. Elm Street, Suite A Lancaster, WI 53813 608-723-2125 Fax 608-723-4315 Hearing Impaired Relay: 711 http://grant.uwex.edu Find Grant County 4-H on Facebook! Charisse Orth Interim 4-H Youth Development Educator charisse.orth@ces.uwex.edu April 1 - Deadline To add or change 4-H projects in order to show at the Grant County Fair. 4-H Camp Counselors Needed Camp dates for 2017 are June 24-27 We are planning the traditional 3 1/2 day 4-H camp again this year, but in order to do this we will need camp counselors. Youth Counselors need to be in the 9 th grade or above and a current Grant County 4-H member. Adult Counselors need to be 18 years of age or older and certified as a 4-H leader. Adult Counselors work closely with Youth Counselors to guide their leadership. Upham Woods requires a 1:10 ratio of the adults to youth so we need your time and commitment to make this an educational and fun camp. All new counselors are required to attend the Camp Counselor Training at Upham Woods, April 22-23. Call the UW-Extension Office at 723-2125 with questions or to get an application. The application deadline is March 1 st. Application forms are available at the UW-Extension Office or on the website at http://grant.uwex.edu/ 4-H grows confident, capable, and caring kids with the life skills to thrive in today's world and succeed in their boldest dreams for tomorrow.
March 2017 1 DEADLINE for Grant County 4-H Scholarship 1 DEADLINE for 4-H Camp Counselor Applications 3 Animal Well-Being Conference; Stratford, WI 4 State 4-H Livestock Quizbowl and Skillathon Contest; UW-Madison, Madison 4 Robotics Mini Camp; 9:00 am - 2:00 pm; South Room; Youth & Ag Center, Lancaster 6 DEADLINE for Monroe County Fur, Fin & Feather Show registration 6 Goat Information Meeting; 6:00 pm; North Room; Youth & Ag Center, Lancaster 11 Robotics Mini Camp; 9:00 am - 2:00 pm; South Room; Youth & Ag Center, Lancaster 12 Daylight Savings Time Begins - Spring Forward! 12 4-H Shooting Sports Practice; 1:00 pm; Tri County Archery, Rewey 13 MAQA Seminar; 7:00 pm; Auditorium; Youth & Ag Center, Lancaster 14 Countywide Leader s Meeting; 7:00 pm; South Room; Youth & Ag Center, Lancaster 15 DEADLINE for State 4-H Scholarships 15 DEADLINE for ECHO Articles 17-18 4-H Art Beat! Camp; Upham Woods, WI Dells 18 Robotics Mini Camp; 9:00 am - 2:00 pm; South Room; Youth & Ag Center, Lancaster 19 4-H Horse and Pony Meeting; 4:00 pm; North Room; Youth & Ag Center, Lancaster 21 Executive Board Meeting; 6:30 pm; Conference Room; UW-Extension Office, Lancaster 25 Robotics Mini Camp; 9:00 am - 2:00 pm; North Room; Youth & Ag Center, Lancaster 27 4-H Jr. Leaders Meeting; 6:30 pm; South Room; Youth & Ag Center, Lancaster 27 Out of State Exchange Meeting; 7:30 pm; North Room; Youth & Ag Center, Lancaster 28 4-H Dog Fun Night; 6:00 pm; Auditorium; Youth & Ag Center, Lancaster 28 4-H Cat Meeting; 7:00 pm; North Room; Youth & Ag Center, Lancaster 29 DEADLINE Cloverbud & Exploring Day Registration 31 DEADLINE Eastern Iowa Horse & Pony Camp Registration Countywide Leaders Meeting on March 14, 7:00 pm, Youth & Ag Center All youth and adult volunteers should plan to come to the Countywide Leaders Meeting on March 14. Some of the items on the agenda include: Camp, Plat books and 4-H Welcome signs. Have a 4-H event or meeting you would like to promote? Want to share a picture of what your club is doing? Email your articles, flyers and pictures to Charisse at charisse.orth@ces.uwex.edu 2
March 2017 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 5 6 6:00 pm - Goat Informational Meeting 12 1:00 pm - Shooting Sports Practice 13 7:00 pm - MAQA Seminar 1 2 3 4 9:00 am - Robotics Mini Camp State 4-H Livestock Quizbowl & Skillathon 7 8 9 10 11 9:00 am - Robotics Mini Camp 14 7:00 pm - Countywide Leader s Meeting 19 20 21 6:30 pm - Executive Board Meeting 26 27 6:30 pm Jr. Leaders 7:30 pm Out of State Exchange Meeting 28 6:00 pm - 4-H Dog Fun Night 7:00 pm - 4-H Cat Meeting 15 16 17 4-H Art Beat! Camp 18 4-H Art Beat! Camp 9:00 am - Robotics Mini Camp 22 23 24 25 9:00 am - Robotics Mini Camp 29 30 31 3
April 2017 1 DEADLINE to change 4-H projects for the Grant County Fair 1 Cloverbud & Exploring Workshop; 1:00 pm; North Room; Youth & Ag Center, Lancaster 5 DEADLINE Grant County Cattlemen s Scholarship 9 MAQA Seminar; 10:30 am; UW-Platteville Pioneer Farm, Platteville 9 4-H Shooting Sports Practice; 1:00 pm; Tri County Archery, Rewey 9 4-H Horse & Pony Meeting; 4:00 pm; North Room; Youth & Ag Center, Lancaster 11 Rabbit & Poultry Skillathon; 7:00 pm; North Room; Youth & Ag Center, Lancaster 14 DEADLINE IW2K Camp Registration 16 Easter - Happy Easter! 18 Executive Board Meeting; 6:30 pm; Conference Room; UW-Extension Office, Lancaster 18 4-H Cat Meeting; 7:00 pm; North Room; Youth & Ag Center, Lancaster 18 4-H Dog Information Meeting; 7:00 pm; South Room; Youth & Ag Center, Lancaster 21-23 Midwest Horse Fair 22-23 Camp Counselor Training; Upham Woods, WI Dells 22 4-H Photography Meeting; Auditorium & South Room; Youth & Ag Center, Lancaster 24 4-H Jr. Leaders Meeting; 6:30 pm; Conference Room; UW-Extension Office, Lancaster 24 Out of State Exchange Meeting; 7:30 p.m.; North Room; Youth & Ag Center, Lancaster 29 Dairy Judging Contest & Educational Seminar; 10:00 am; Troy Noble Farm 30 Communication Arts Day; 2:00 pm; Youth & Ag Center, Lancaster Deadline to change 4-H projects for the Grant County Fair is April 1. Remember that any changes need to be made by April 1 in order to show at the Grant County Fair. Members can check their projects or make changes by going into their member profile on 4hOnline.com. If you are having troubles, you can call the UW-Extension Office and they can make the changes for you. 4
Thanks & Congratulations TAKE TIME TO THANK THE FOLLOWING FOLKS FOR HELPING WITH 4-H Derek Orth for coaching the Dairy Quiz Bowl Team. Active Americans, Blake s Prairie Bombers, Blockhouse Builders, Boscobel Big Green Clovers, Busy Badgers, Cornelia Badgers, Dairyland Diamonds, Happy Clovers, Merry Mixers, Mt. Hope Cardinals, Platteville Woodchucks, Plum Valley Boosters, Stitzer Go- Getters, Town & Country Kids, Wingville Clovers, Wings Over Wisconsin, 4-H Clothing Committee, Grant County Robotics Team, UW-Platteville Sigma Alpha, Stitzer Fire Department and Grant County Cattlemen for having project sessions at Family Project Day. Grant County Milk Producers, Foremost Farms, Wapsie Valley, Premier Coop, Grant County Cattlemen Association, for donating items for Family Project Day. Belmont Sale Barn, Tom Clayton Livestock, Badgerland Financial, Southwest Tech, Scott Implement, Dewey s Tire Repair, Reynolds Electric, Grant County Dairy Promoters for sponsoring radio ads. The 4-H Family Project Day Committee: Laurie Schuler, Peggy Reimenapp, Dyan McLaughlin, Cindy Arndt, Kelly Muench and Scott Napp for organizing Family Project Day. TAKE TIME TO CONGRATULATE THE FOLLOWING FOLKS FOR A JOB WELL DONE Christina Buttles, Wesley and Matthew Winch for being on the Jr Dairy Quiz Bowl team. Allison Adrian, Abigail Adrian, Drew Noble and Randy Winch for being on the Mixed Dairy Quiz Bowl team and competing in the state contest. Family Project Day had over 250 youth participate in making a wide variety of projects. Call the UW-Extension Office if you re interested in being on the Project Day committee for 2018. 5
4-Her & Volunteer of the Month 4-Her of the Month Kristin Muench - Merry Mixers 4-H Club I enjoy several projects in 4-H, but my two favorite projects are Foods/ Nutrition and Photography. Growing up, I ve always enjoyed helping my mom in the kitchen and have loved learning how to make foods of my own throughout the years. Photography was not a hobby of mine until I was 8 or 9, but I have loved taking pictures ever since, and have learned numerous new techniques from the 4-H photography leaders. I first joined 4-H when a friend of mine recommended it to me. My favorite part of 4-H is having the opportunity to meet new people and share my knowledge of projects with other 4-H members. I think that 4-H has made me a better person and has definitely taught me how to be a better leader. Besides 4-H, there are a few other activities that keep me busy. I am involved in the Lancaster Middle School Band and also run cross country and track. This school year, I have participated in the Cesa 3 Quiz Bowl and You Be the Chemist challenge, and will be one of the Lancaster Middle School representatives at a math competition this March. Through band, I will be attending Solo & Ensemble on March 4 th, and will be performing in an ensemble as well as a duet and solo. 4-H Volunteer of the Month Peggy Riemenapp - Hazel Green Clever Clovers 4-H Club The reason I started volunteering with 4-H is that I love working with children and as I grew up as a child with 4-H also, our three children joined 4-H. We spent so much of our time doing things with our 4-H club, the community service and fund raising for different events, the socializing spent with others. It was time I was able to spend with my kids. Family time! My favorite project would be sewing and crafts. I did sewing as a child and really enjoyed it. Now both sewing and crafts are relaxing hobbies for me. Rabbits is also a favorite project. I raised rabbits myself and my children raised rabbits. Enjoyed showing rabbits at the fairs and also at other rabbit show. I enjoy the planning. But more importantly being able to watch the children create their own projects and take home great ideas for the upcoming years. Also the socialization with the other 4-H's. 4-H is important for youth, so that they learn to socialize with others. Gives them the opportunity to learn responsibility and respect. It is important for them to learn community service and help others in need. With 4-H groups they can do this as a team effort not just by themselves and share their ideas with others. 6
Club News Dairyland Diamonds by Courtney Spease: Our February meeting was held at Orchard Manner, Sunday February, 5 th. We played bingo with the residents and made a fun Valentine's Day craft for the residents also! Our next meeting will be March 5 th where we will be roller skating in Fennimore with the Happy Clovers 4-H Club! Merry Mixers by Christina Buttles, Reporter: On February 4 th the Merry Mixers 4-H Club met at Fireball Lanes for a fun evening of bowling. Family project day is scheduled for February 11 th. Our next meeting is scheduled for Sunday March 5 th at 4 pm at the Youth and Ag Center. We will be doing a woodworking project at our meeting. Plum Valley Boosters by Wesley Winch: The Plum Valley Boosters 4-H Club held their meeting on February 4 th 2017. We donated 25 dollars to Anthony Linnemen to help him go to space camp. We also donated 20 dollars to the Boscobel ice skating rink for our winter activity. Olivia Horsfall talked about photography. Ruth Goldwasser talked about speaking contests, music contests etc. We voted on a T-shirt design and color. We ended the meeting with demonstrations. They included Wesley Winch how to make corn stalks from toothpicks, Issac Wheeler- Bonillia and Noah Gratz talked about robots, Ruth Goldwasser talked about cats, Rose talked about how to make frosting. Matthew talked about how to make a homemade bird feeder, Brandi talked about how to make crescent rolls, Randy showed how to make ice cream, Maggie showed how to knit with a loom, Olivia showed how to brush a horse. Our next meeting will be held at 7:00 p.m. on March 4 at the Fennimore United Methodist Church. Members grades 4 and under will do their demonstrations along older members who need to do one yet. Potosi Happy Clovers by Dylan Udelhoven: Our meeting was held February 12 th at the Potosi Public School. We started our Cloverbud buddy program pairing younger member with older members to help them be more involved in the meetings. We discussed a possible fundraiser in May. Our club is going to go roller skating on March 4 th with the Dairyland Diamonds at the Fennimore Roller Rink and our meeting will follow. Town and Country Kids by Cal Reuter: The Town and Country Kids 4-H Club met on February 12, 2017 at the Vertical Jump Trampoline Park in Dubuque. We enjoyed the many activities at the Trampoline Park. We talked about Family project Day. Many from our group went to Project Day and enjoyed doing projects. We decided to donate $20 to Anthony Linneman to help him with fees to go to 4-H Space Camp. If you owe 4-H dues, please give them to Tammy. Our 4-H dance was February 11, and was a big success. There were 106 kids that came. The next dance is March 11, from 7-10 p.m. at CCES. Chaperones are needed for this dance, please let Joyce know if you can help out. Great work McKenna Harris with your demonstration on how to make slim. Isabella Anthony volunteered to do a demonstration at the March meeting. Members have until April 1 to make changes to or add projects that they might want to take to the fair. Remember any project you made at Project Day can be added. Our next meeting will be Sunday, March 12, at 4 p.m. at Pioneer Lanes in Platteville. After bowling we will eat pizza and have our meeting. Wingville Clovers by Hope Connolly, Secretary: We had our 4-H meeting on February 12, 2017. We had fun at our bowling pizza party in January. We voted to have a bake sale in April. Paul Connolly will continue to go to the State Meat Judging Contest in Madison. We are donating $25.00 to Anthony Linneman to help him with his trip to Space Camp. Joy brought a snack to finish off our meeting. Attention club secretaries & reporters: Please remember to send your club news to charisse.orth@ces.uwex.edu. 7
Projects and Activities 4-H Camp Counselors Needed Camp dates for 2017 are June 24-27 We are planning the traditional 3 1/2 day 4-H camp again this year, but in order to do this we will need camp counselors. Youth Counselors need to be in the 9 th grade or above and a current Grant County 4-H member. Adult Counselors need to be 18 years of age or older and certified as a 4-H leader. Adult Counselors work closely with Youth Counselors to guide their leadership. Upham Woods requires a 1:10 ratio of the adults to youth so we need your time and commitment to make this an educational and fun camp. All new counselors are required to attend the Camp Counselor Training at Upham Woods, April 22-23. Call the UW-Extension Office at 723-2125 with questions or to get an application. The application deadline is March 1 st. Application forms are available at the UW-Extension Office or on the website at http://grant.uwex.edu/ Goat Informational Meeting: March 6 at 6:00 p.m. in the North Room of the Youth & Ag Center. Members of the Goat project are invited to come to discuss fundraiser ideas and set dates for the year. Cat Meetings: Please mark your calendar for the following cat meetings. All meetings are held in the North Room of the Youth & Ag Center. The first two meetings will be only one hour long starting at 7:00 pm, on March 28 th and April 18 th. The first meeting will be informational, while the second meeting will have a speaker. The last meeting will be on June 24 th at 11:00 am to about 1:00 pm. This will be the Mock Cat Show. Attendance at one of the three meetings is required to show at the Grant County Fair. You may bring your healthy cat that has the required vaccinations, on a harness and leash. Your parents and family are also invited so everyone can learn about cats. If these dates won't work for you or you have questions, please call Julie Jacobson at 608-763-2307. We will be looking forward to seeing you and your healthy cats/kittens at all the meetings. Cloverbud & Exploring Day: Saturday, April 1 from 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm at the Youth & Ag Center. This is a fun-filled afternoon you won t want to miss! Please pre-register by calling the UW-Extension Office by Wednesday, March 29 if you can join us. Youth will have the opportunity to make several fun projects. Dog Project FUN Night: Tuesday, March 28 at 6:00 pm in the Youth and Ag Center. There will be several activities and games to play that night. I encourage parents to attend to help and have fun also. Refreshments will be provided. For more information contact Marcia Cordts at 732-7836. 8
Projects and Activities COME BE A PART OF GRANT COUNTY S 4-H COMMUNICATION ARTS DAY! The Music Group, Individual and Duet Vocal, Instrumental and Dance contest, Speaking and Demonstration contest and Drawing & Painting contest will be held April 30 at the Youth & Ag Center. 4-H Group Music, Dance, Vocal & Instrumental contest: 4-H members may choose to do a solo or duet, vocal and instrumental or dance selection. The contest is split into two age divisions, grades 3-7 and grades 8 and over. Each member may have one vocal entry, one instrumental entry and one dance entry. Clubs are encouraged to enter the Group Music Contest. 4-H Speaking, Demonstration & Illustrated Talk Contests: Open to all 4-H members in grades 3 and over. Members will be judged by the following groupings: Beginner Grades: 3-5 Junior Grades: 6-8 Senior Grades: 9 & over Participants can only enter one category: Interpretive Reading of Prose & Poetry, Original Speech, Agricultural or Environmental, Memorized Declamation or Illustrated Talk. The deadline for registrations is Monday, April 10. For a complete list of rules and entry forms check the website at http://grant.uwex.edu or contact the Grant County UW-Extension Office at 723-2125. Members can receive fair premiums and are required to pay the one time only $3 fair entry fee. Members will have the opportunity to schedule your own time slots by calling the UW-Extension Office. 5 th Annual Drawing & Painting Contest: Entry Requirements: Participants must be enrolled in the Art, Arts and Crafts, or the Drawing and Painting project. Members are limited to presenting one piece. Exhibits must be the member s original work. Exhibits will be hung on the wall in the Auditorium, so exhibits must be ready for display. Your hanger must be sturdy enough to hang the exhibit. Exhibits must have been completed in this project year. Exhibits must be labeled with your name, club, grade, title or description of the exhibit. Exhibits must be in place by 1:45 pm, on Sunday, April 30. Ribbons and peer choice awards will be awarded during the Music Contest. Exhibits will be judged against other exhibits by grade categories: Cloverbuds (Kindergarten - 2 nd grade) 3 rd - 5 th grade 6 th - 8 th grade 9 th grade and over. Check the Grant County 4-H website at http://grant.uwex.edu or contact the UW-Extension Office for entry forms and more information. Entry deadline is Monday, April 10. 9
Projects & Activities Shooting Sports Practice: 4-H members enrolled in Shooting Sports are invited to practice Air Rifle and Archery. Practices will be at the Tri County Archery, 9145 Co. Line Rd, Platteville. If you have your own equipment bring it along, if not we will provide it for you. All shooting sports members must attend two practices to participate in competition shoots for the fairs. Scheduled practices: March 12, April 9 and May 7 at Tri County Archery at 1:00 p.m., future dates will be announced at a later date. For more information contact Dave Vosberg at 943-8492 or Loren Lane at 988-4688. Upcoming Shooting Sports Certification Workshop Statewide Shooting Sports Leader Certification workshops will be held again this year, Certification workshops teach leaders how to conduct safe, supervised, shooting experiences for 4-H members enrolled in shooting sports projects. All Shooting Sports leaders must complete a 12-hour workshop to be certified. After that, leaders may be eligible to attend an eight-hour discipline workshop to receive certification in another discipline. Southern Area April 7-8, 2017 Lodi, WI Disciplines: Archery, Muzzleloader, Pistol, Rifle and Shotgun (Must have 4 in each class to offer a discipline) Registration Deadline: March 24, 2017 Cost: $70 12-hour workshop Includes instructor manuals, equipment, ammunition, Friday pm snack, Saturday lunch, and Saturday am and pm snacks. $55 8-hour discipline-only workshop Leaders who completed a certification workshop in 2012, 2013 or 2014 may only need register for a discipline workshop of choice and pay a reduced $55 workshop fee. Additional Certification Workshops can be found at http://fyi.uwex.edu/wi4hshootingsports/certification-workshops/ What do you see? What stops you in your tracks? What makes you take a moment and just stare? Last night as I was exercising at the gym, the sunset was so full of reds and pinks and oranges and yellows that it stopped me from moving. I just had to absorb the beauty of it, for it is fleeting. My pulse slowed. I breathed deeper. My body relaxed. In those moments, do you grab your camera and take a picture to remember it? Or do you just decide to appreciate it and let it live in your memory? As a photographer, you have to make that decision. Paying attention to the things around you will help you develop into a better photographer. Just as taking pictures whenever you can will help you improve. Two of the biggest things that will help you grow as a photographer are to learn more about your camera and how to use it. Our photography project has five leaders who are eager to help you learn. We hope to see you at our meetings. The next one will be Saturday, April 22 from 9:00-11:00 a.m. at the Youth & Ag Center. In the meantime, take some pictures of what stops you in your tracks. The results just might surprise you. -Eileen Dushek-Manthe, Photography leader 10
Opportunities State Fair Dairy Promotion Board Scholarships Available: The Wisconsin State Fair Dairy Promotion Board is offering $1,000 scholarships, for use during the 2017-18 school year, to third and fourthyear college students pursuing dairy-related or food science degrees at one of Wisconsin s four-year universities. Additional $1,000 scholarships will offered to high school seniors planning to pursue a dairy-related or food science degree at one of Wisconsin s four-year universities or students studying in a two-year, technical school program related to dairy or food science. Applicants will be evaluated on involvement and leadership in dairy-related activities, scholastic achievement, and career objectives. Finalists will be interviewed in mid-april, with the recipients to be recognized at the 2017 Wisconsin State Fair. The application is available at http://wistatefair.com/competitions/dairy-promo-board/. Application deadline is Friday, March 24. For more information, contact Katy Katzman at 262-903-6727 or katzman@idcnet.com. 27 th Annual Monroe County 4-H Fur, Fin & Feather Show Saturday, April 1, 2016, Sparta Barney Center, 1000 East Montgomery Street, Sparta, WI 54656 Ribbons will be awarded to all participants. Cat, small pet, pet poultry, and pet rabbit placing will be based on face-to-face judging. Rabbit and poultry breed classes will be judged according the Standard of Perfection. Champions will receive a trophy. All entries are due March 6, 2017 to Monroe County 4-H Fur, Fin, and Feather Show, c/o Monroe County University Extension, 14345 County Highway B, Room 1, Sparta, WI 54656. See entry form for information on entries made day of show. Visit monroe.uwex.edu or call 608-269-8722 to enter or for more information. State Fair Information: Please check the Wisconsin State Fair Website at http://wistatefair.com/competitions/ for information if you plan to exhibit at the Wisconsin State Fair in 2017. Eastern Iowa Horse & Pony Camp, June 18-24, Dubuque County Fairgrounds Here is the information for horse and pony members who are interested in attending the Eastern Iowa Horse and Pony camp. Forms are due March 31. Official Camper and Mentor applications are available at https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0byucvzv_uwyiskllalrpvlpqmms. 11
I WANT TO KNOW! STEM CAMP MAY 5-6, 2017 Opportunities The Wisconsin 4-H Youth Development STEM I Want to Know! Camp (IW2K! STEM Camp) will be held again this year at Upham Woods Outdoor Learning Center in Wisconsin Dells, WI. This overnight camp, open to 6 th - 8 th grade 4-H members and non-4-h ers, will take place on Friday and Saturday May 5-6. Youth will get the opportunity to learn about science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) during hands on sessions. Campers will arrive on Friday at 5:30 p.m. for check in and then will get to participate in teambuilding group activities and a large group session before heading to bed. During the day on Saturday, campers will participate in sessions that include hands on STEM activities taught by UW faculty and volunteers from around the state. Previous year sessions included topics such as food science, DNA, electricity, herpetology and robotics! After an inspiring day of learning, camp ends at 4 p.m. on Saturday. Registration for this camp is limited and fills up fast, so make sure to register as soon as possible! The Registration deadline is April 14, 2017. The cost for the IW2K! Stem Camp is $70, which includes meals, lodging and a t-shirt. Transportation to and from camp are to be arranged by the youth s family. For more information and access to the registration form, please visit http://fyi.uwex.edu/wi4hstem/events/i-want-to -know-stem-camp-2017/ Expand your Family s Horizons and Host an Exchange Student this Summer! Is your family looking for something fun to do this summer? Why not host a student from Japan, Korea, Finland, Costa Rica or Mexico! Wisconsin 4-H is offering the experience of a lifetime for 75 families to host youth and adults from around the world. These young people are anxiously waiting to get to know their new host family and share their culture. Special trips and tourism is not required! The focus of the exchange is for the youth to experience everyday American life. Youth ages 12-18 will be placed in homes with children of similar age and same gender. For more information and to complete an on-line application, please visit https://www.states4hexchange.org/. The world is waiting for YOU! Hosting an Academic Year-Long Student Have you ever wondered what it would be like to open your home and life to the exciting world of international exchanges? Learning about other cultures and countries and sharing your cultures and traditions can be done in your own home by hosting a year-long student through Wisconsin 4-H. Please contact us to discuss this great opportunity that awaits! Students that participate in the Wisconsin 4-H Exchange Program are between the ages of 15 18, and will be sophomores, juniors or seniors in high school. They come from Armenia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, The Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Servia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Uzbekistan and Ukraine through the FLEX (Future Leaders Exchange Program) run by our U.S. Department of State. We also place Japanese, Korean and Mexican students through the LEX, LABO and BFE. Delegate information is available upon request. For more information, please check out: http://www.states4hexchange.org/year-long/ or call Lilly Buchholz, WI 4-H International Programs Coordinator at 608.262.2491 or Amber Rehberg, WI 4-H Educational Programs Specialist at 608-262-1557. 12
Opportunities State 4-H Scholarships: The Wisconsin 4-H Foundation will award more than $10,000 in scholarships to outstanding Wisconsin students pursuing higher education in 2017. To be considered for financial support, applications must be received via email by the Wisconsin 4-H Foundation on or before March 15, 2017. Wisconsin 4-H Foundation scholarships are awarded to students based on demonstrated personal growth, development and leadership, academic performance and future educational goals. To be eligible for Wisconsin 4-H Foundation scholarships, students must have been a 4-H member for at least one year, have a grade point average of at least 2.5 on a 4.0 scale, and be enrolled or planning to enroll at a university, college or technical school during the 2017-2018 academic school year. For application go to http://wis4hfoundation.org Wisconsin Junior Targhee Sheep Association Announces 2017 Starter Flock Giveaway. The Wisconsin Junior Targhee Sheep Association will be giving away a starter flock of three Targhee ewes in 2017 to a lucky Wisconsin youth. Applicants must be aged 12-17 as of January 1, 2017, must be a resident of Wisconsin, and must not currently raise Targhee sheep. The winner must also be eligible and agree to exhibit their animals at both the 2017 Wisconsin State Fair open sheep show and Wisconsin Junior State Fair sheep show. The winner will receive a combination of ewe lambs, yearling ewes and/or brood ewes, and take ownership of the animals before any 2017 State Fair entry deadlines. The Targhee breed has a long history in Wisconsin, and the purpose of this program is to promote growth and visibility of the breed along with promoting youth involvement and education within the breed. Applications are available on-line at both the US Targhee Sheep Association website (http://www.ustargheesheep.org/) and the A&J Nevens Livestock website (http://myplace.frontier.com/~jrnevens/), and are due no later than April 1, 2017. For more information or questions, please contact Leslie & Jeff Nevens at 608-592-7842, or AandJNevensLivestock@frontier.com. Grant County Cattlemen Scholarships: The Grant County Cattlemen s scholarship is available to individuals with a background in the beef, veal or the dairy industry, who are graduating from high school or receiving post-secondary education currently. Applications must be returned by April 5, 2017. Applications can be found at grant.uwex.edu or contact Sam Schwer, President, at 608-822-6812. WISCONSIN 4-H & YOUTH CONFERENCE: UW-Madison, June 26-29 Approximately 600 youth attend this pre-college program in Madison each summer. Participants take part in educational seminars and assemblies and meet people from across Wisconsin. Youth must be in 7 th 10 th grade and be a 4-H member or member of another UW-Extension program. Registration opens through 4hOnline April 3-14. Cost is approximately $240 plus cost of some seminars. For more information contact the UW-Extension Office or visit http://fyi.uwex.edu/wi4hedopp/wisconsin-4-h-youthconference/ 13
Grant County Fair Wanted: Junior Fairest of the Fair for the Grant County Fair, August 13-20, 2017 Contest Rules: Contestant must be in 7th, 8th, or 9th grade in school. Complete the essay question below in 150 words or less. Why do you want to be the 2017 Grant County Junior Fairest of the Fair? How are you involved in the fair or your community? If selected, contestant can no longer seek the role of Junior Fairest of the Fair. If for any reason there is not a Fairest of the Fair selected that year there will be no Junior Fairest of the Fair for that year either. Grant County Fair Board members will select the finalist. Number of finalists based on number of applications received by deadline: April 7, 2017. The finalists will introduce themselves and be interviewed with brief questions regarding promoting the Grant County Fair on May 2, 2017. The winner will receive $100.00 plus an all event ticket into the 2017 Grant County Fair. Call the Fair Office at 608-723-2135 for an application or go online at www.grantcountyfairwi.org to download an application. Grant County Fair Poster Contest We are preparing for our 2017 Grant County Fair. This year the fair will take place August 16-20. We are again offering students a chance to help us out. We would like to do a poster contest for students to participate in, in grades 7th, 8th, and 9th. If you choose to participate, all entries must be in to the Grant County Fair Office, 916 E. Elm Street, Suite B, Lancaster, WI 53813 no later than 3:00 p.m. on May 11, 2017. The sooner the better. No entries will be accepted after that date and time. Contact Amy Olson at aolson@co.grant.wi.gov for rules and entry form. The theme for the contest is It s a Beach Party. All entries will be judged by the Grant County Fair Board. There will be a first, second and third place winner. First place entry will receive 1 season pass and $25.00. Second place entry will receive 1 season pass and $20.00. Third place entry will receive 1 season pass and $15.00. Also, in addition to a student being rewarded for their work, the instructor at the school or 4-H leader of the first place winner will receive an All Event Pass. This pass will get you into the gate and grandstand events during the fair. We will get in touch with the poster contest winners and the instructor as soon as the posters are judged. Be creative and have fun with your students. Some of the posters will be displayed around businesses in Grant County. Thank you and I look forward to hearing from you! Amy Olson Grant County Fairgrounds & Operations Director 14
Announcements Livestock Auction Seminars: Anyone planning to sell an animal in the 2017 Grant County Junior Fair Livestock Auction must attend an educational seminar as a condition of sale. Seminars are open to the public so anyone (youth and adults) can attend as they choose. We also encourage you to attend a seminar related to your project and NOT TO WAIT until the last seminar. It is important that you check this page each month for updated seminars. Swine exhibitors are required to attend an MAQA seminar. You MUST pre-register for the seminars by calling the UW-Extension Office at 608-723-2125. Seminars that do not have enough pre-registered participants will be cancelled. Saturday, March 4 - State 4-H Livestock Quizbowl and Skillathon Contest, UW-Madison Monday, March 13 - MAQA Seminar, 7:00 pm, Auditorium, Youth & Ag Center Sunday, April 9 - MAQA Seminar, 10:30 am, UW-Platteville Pioneer Farm Tuesday, April 11 - Rabbit & Poultry Skillathon, 7:00 pm North Room, Youth & Ag Center Saturday, April 29 - Dairy Judging Contest & Educational Seminar, 10:00 am, Troy Noble Farm June 8-10 - Badger Dairy Camp, UW-Madison Thursday, June 15 - MAQA Seminar, 7:00 pm, South Room, Youth & Ag Center All swine exhibitors must attend one MAQA in order to show and/or sell at the Grant County Fair and Wisconsin State Fair FFA EDUCATIONAL SEMINARS The following educational seminars will also be offered to FFA members in order to qualify to sell livestock or cheese at the 2017 Grant County Junior Livestock Auction. FFA members must attend at least one of these seminars or one of the educational seminars offered by the Grant County UW-Extension Office. Agricultural/FFA Instructors will be required to submit a list of FFA members who have attended these seminars to the Grant County UW-Extension Office by May 15. Participate in a Dairy, Livestock or Meat Evaluation Contest at one of the area FFA skills contest. March 18 Janesville March 31 Appleton March 30 UW-Platteville April 1 UW-Riverfalls April 28 State FFA Competition 15
March 2017 4-H ECHO University of Wisconsin-Extension Grant County Extension 916 East Elm Street, Suite A Lancaster, WI 53813 Change Service Requested Nonprofit Organization U.S. Postage Paid Permit No. 89 Lancaster, WI 53813 An EEO/AA employer, University of Wisconsin-Extension provides equal opportunities in employment and programming, including Title VI, Title IX, and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements. March Highlights 4 State 4-H Livestock Quizbowl and Skillathon Contest 4 Robotics Mini Camp 6 Goat Information Meeting 11 Robotics Mini Camp 12 Daylight Savings Time Begins - Spring Forward! 12 4-H Shooting Sports Practice 13 MAQA Seminar 14 Countywide Leader s Meeting 17-18 4-H Art Beat! Camp 18 Robotics Mini Camp 19 4-H Horse and Pony Meeting 21 Executive Board Meeting 25 Robotics Mini Camp 27 4-H Jr. Leaders Meeting 27 Out of State Exchange Meeting 28 4-H Dog Fun Night 28 4-H Cat Meeting 16