SHERIDAN COUNTY NEWSLETTER

Jan 31: Sew Fun - Extension Office - 1:00-4:00 pm

Jan 31: Shooting Sports Practice - Rushville Legion - 3:30-7:00 pm

Feb 1: Clover Buds - Hay Springs School - 4:00-5:00 pm

Feb 3: Candle Making Cabin Fever Workshop - Extension Office - 5:00-6:00 pm

Feb 6: Panhandle Best Shoot - Kimball

Feb 7: Shooting Sports Practice - Rushville Legion - 3:30-7:00 pm

Feb 13: Panhandle Best Shoot - Hyannis

Feb 14: Shooting Sports Practice - Rushville Legion - 3:30-7:00 pm

Feb 16: Clover Buds - Gordon Elementary - 3:30-5:30 pm

Feb 18: Sew Fun - Hay Springs School Cafeteria - 1:00-4:00 pm

Feb 19: Dawes County Market Beef Weigh-In 9:00-Noon

Feb 20: Panhandle Best Shoot - Alliance

Feb 21: Sew Fun - Extension Office - 1:00-4:00 pm

Feb 21: Shooting Sports Practice - Rushville Legion - 3:30-7:00 pm

Feb 22: Clover Buds - Rushville Elementary - 3:30-5:30 pm

Feb 24: Floral Arrangement Cabin Fever Workshop - Extension Office - 5:00-6:00 pm

Feb 24: Adult Sew Fun Clinic - Extension Office - 6:30-8:00 pm

Feb 27: Panhandle Best Shoot - Mitchell

Feb 28: Shooting Sports Practice - Rushville Legion - 3:30-7:00 pm

See some of the fun activities you can partake in during February:

- April 24

• Speech Contest
  
  

- May 22

• Pig, Market Sheep, and Goat Weigh-In at the Fair Grounds

- June 1 Deadline:

• 4-H Online enrollment
• YQCA Certification
• Horse Level 1 Completion
• Animal Ownership Affidavits, Horse ID, Rabbit ID, Cat ID, Dog ID, Dairy Goat ID, & Dairy Cow ID
  Items not turned in by June 1, will have a late fee of $50 per exhibitor until June 15. After June 15, youth will not be allowed to exhibit in that year's county fair.
  
  

- June 25

• Sheridan County Progress Show
  
  

- July 1 Deadline:

• Fair Project Entry Forms

- July 16

• Sheridan County Horse Show

- July 22

• Sheridan County Style Review & Music Contest
  

- July 24-30

• Sheridan County Fair

Below are a few changes and additions voted on by the Sheridan County 4-H Council. Please note that the details for some of the changes are still being worked out. Continue to be on the lookout for those.

CHANGES

• Pigs will be required to attend an ear tagging on May 22nd
• Pigs have the option to be weighed in for a Rate of Gain contest on May 22nd
• Speech Contest will be combined with Dawes County and rotate every other year on where it will be hosted. 2022 will be in Sheridan County

We will be sharing the schedule and times once everything is finalized.

Distracted driving car crashes are one of the leading causes of death of our youth and we need your help to change that. Project Yellow Light is a national scholarship competition open to all high school juniors and seniors and all undergrad college students. Create a broadcast video, radio, social video, or billboard PSA warning your peers of the dangers of distracted driving and win up to $8,000! Winners not only have an opportunity to have their work shared nationwide but also do something for the greater good.

Find out more here How It Works | Project Yellow Light

Thank you to everyone who helped with beef-weigh in! We had about 54 head weigh-in and the average weight was 770lbs.

Reminder if couldn't make the Sheridan County weigh-in, and if you are planning on showing market beef please make sure to attend the Dawes County Weigh-in on Saturday, February 19, 2022, from 9 am-Noon at Crawford Livestock. However, they will not be able to participate in the rate of gain.

Youth who are interested in participating in a livestock animal project including rabbit, poultry, swine, beef, sheep, and goat; must complete the Youth for Quality Care of Animals training prior to June 1st. After families enroll online at v2.4honline.com, they can visit https://yqca.learngrow.io/Account/Login and log in with their 4-H Online account information. Youth have the option of completing the training in person or online. The online training costs $12 per person and the in-person training only costs $3. In-person training will be held:

- March 11th, 9:00-10:00 am - Sheridan County Extension Office

- March 31st, 4:15-5:15 pm - Hay Springs Public School

Youth will need to go online to register for the training prior to this date. For help, you can email help@yqca.org or contact Marie Nelson at mnelson82@unl.edu.

Like many other youth-serving organizations, Nebraska 4-H makes youth safety a priority. Nebraska 4-H makes youth safe by screening the volunteers that work with youth. 4-H has different volunteer roles. Reach out to find out the different ways to volunteer! Depending on the volunteer roles, there are different volunteer screening processes.

Direct Volunteers (club leaders, adults who teach special interest programs, etc.)

• Complete 4-HOnline Enrollment
• Complete Volunteer Screening - done every 5 years after initial screening. Dawes next rotation will be 2023
• Attend Volunteer Training

Indirect Volunteers (superintendents, 4-H Council, etc.)

• Not required to complete 4-HOnline Enrollment
• Sign paperwork given by office

Please note that certain volunteer roles within Nebraska 4-H require additional screening or training, including 4-H Shooting Sports Instructors/Leaders, FIRST Robotics volunteers, and 4-H Horsemanship Advancement Level Examiners.

Helpful Resources:

• RETURNING Volunteer 4-HOnline Enrollment Guide
• NEW Volunteer 4-HOnline Enrollment Guide
• General Volunteer Resources

All horse riding projects require the 4-H youth to pass a written and riding test. This is a great time to study while it is too cold to go out and ride. Get to know the parts of the horse, parts of the saddle, and bridle.

Work with your horse on the ground. Carry your halter out to feed your horse each day. You can rub him down with the halter, you can put the halter on, give him pets, or let him eat while you pet him. They remove the halter, pet the horse and repeat each day. Your horse will look forward to seeing you with a halter.

Beginner sewers have the opportunity to learn how to use a sew machine and create many projects!

February 18 will be in Hay Springs in the cafeteria.

February 21 will be in Rushville at the Extension office.

4-H enrollment for the 2021-2022 4-H year is now open, please visit the new website at:

https://v2.4honline.com/#/user/sign-in. You will use the same login and password as you did in the old system if you have enrolled in 4-H in the past.

There is a $5 membership fee that can be paid online or at the Extension Office. If you will not be in Rushville, feel free to mail the payment to the 4-H Council at PO Box 23 Rushville, NE 69360.

Helpful Resources:

• NEW 4-H Member Enrollment Guide
• RETURNING 4-H Member Enrollment Guide
• Adding NEW Member to EXISTING Family Account Guide

Reminder - youth have until June 1 to enroll in Sheridan County 4-H to be eligible for the county fair. Ages 8-18 as of January 1, 2022 will have a $5.00 fee and ages 5-7 as of January 1, 2022 are free.

- Rushville Clover Buds will be on February 22nd at Rushville Elementary starting at 3:30 pm.

- Gordon Clover Buds will be held on February 16th at Gordon Elementary at 4 pm.

- Hay Springs Clover Buds will be held on February 1st at Hay Springs School starting at 4:00 pm.

Clover Bud members are youth between the ages of 5 and 7 as of January 1st, 2022. Upon participating in these workshops, youth will have Clover Bud projects to display at the 2022 Sheridan County Fair. To register your child for these FREE events please contact the Nebraska Extension Sheridan County office at (308) 327-2312.

We are starting to plan for a fun fill summer. We would love to be able to provide an overnight camp experience again, however, we need male chaperones to stay in the cabins. Male chaperones must be at least 19 years old and complete our background screening process and chaperone training. They would need to arrive by 5:30 pm on July 6th and stay until 7 am on July 7th. We would provide supper and breakfast plus a campfire experience. Please contact mmracek2@unl.edu by February 1st if interested.

The Nebraska 4-H Dog Achievement Program is an opportunity for 4-H members involved in or looking to get involved in the 4-H companion animal projects. This program encourages youth to engage in a variety of companion animal opportunities, events, and contests as they progress through four achievement levels. The program is open to enrolled 4-H members ages 8-18. Learn more at: 4h.unl.edu/dog-achievement-program

The Nebraska 4-H Horse Stampede will be held Saturday, March 26! This event offers a variety of contents that do not involve live animals, including public speaking, demonstration, art, photography, and horse bowl. Learn more at https://4h.unl.edu/horse-stampede

Communication and public speaking are important life skills gained through 4-H participation. Speaking face-to-face is one of the oldest forms of communication and is still the most effective. Come participate in our combined county Speech Contest on April 24th at the Extension Office in Rushville.

The Speech and Public Service Announcement (PSA) contests provide 4-H'ers the opportunity to learn to express themselves clearly, organize their ideas, and have confidence. The 2022 state PSA theme is “Opportunity 4 All”. Contests are open to all 4-H'ers ages 5-18 (by January 1 of the current year) -- need not be enrolled in a specific project. Youth may choose to participate in either or both the Speech and PSA contests. If questions, contact Marie Nelson at mnelson82@unl.edu or 308-327-2312.

A guide and score sheet with time limits can be found here: https://4h.unl.edu/documents/guidetomakinggreatspeeches.pdf

Nebraska 4-H is seeking 20 teens to lead the Ag Innovators Experience statewide. The challenge for 2022 is “Unlock Ag Innovations”. It will be a visually engaging, hands-on, and culturally relevant instructive escape room challenge for youth to learn about agricultural technologies.

If selected to be a facilitator, youth will need to attend a training session in Grand Island at Raising Nebraska on March 5th, 2022.

Link to Application Form: https://go.unl.edu/aie_2022

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

The 4-H Youth Development program abides with the nondiscrimination policies of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and the United States Department of Agriculture.

Copyright ©2021

Email: mnelson82@unl.edu
Website: https://extension.unl.edu/statewide/northernpanhandle/educational-programs/northern-panhandle-4-h/
Location: 800 S Loofborrow Street, PO Box 329 Rushville, NE 69360
Phone: 308-327-2312
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UNLSheridanCounty
Twitter: @SheridanCounty