University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension in Harlan County

UPCOMING EVENTS

February 21 - What’s In Your Hutch? LTL, Courthouse, Alma, 1:30 p.m.

February 23 - Child Care Providers’ Conference, Holdrege

March 3 - Homemaker Scholarship Luncheon, Ag Center, Orleans, 12:30

March 3 - 4-H Family Fun Night, Ag Center, Orleans, 6:45 p.m.

March 6 - Tree Care Workshop, Kearney (Pre-register by February 21)

March 15 - Chili Cook Off, Ag Center

March 17 - County Speech Contest, Courthouse, Alma, 7:00 p.m.

March 28 - NE 4-H Horse Judging Certification Seminar, Grand Island (Pre-Register by March 21, 2008)

March 29 - NE Horse Project Workshop, Grand Island (Pre-Register by March 21)

March 29 - “Cutting Your Horse Care Workshop”, Grand Island (Pre-Register by March 21)

March 28 - All market beef must be weighed and I.D’ed by this date for all showing purposes.

4-H FAMILY FUN NIGHT: - will be held on March 3 in Orleans at the Ag Center. The evening events will begin at 5:45 with a pizza buffet and will be over by 8:30. Here is the schedule for the evening: * “4-H Family Fun Night- Picture This”

5:45 - 6:15 Pizza Supper - Picture Frames (Photography Workshop practicing what not to do.) When you are finished you will have an entry for the county fair photography area. * 6:30 - 7:00 Picture Perfect: Tips for Taking Better Photos
7:00 - 7:15 Start Community Service Project
7:15 -7:45 Picture Perfect - Not - Photography Workshop practicing what not to do. When finished you will have entry for county fair photography exhibits.
7:45 - 8:15 Work on Community Service Project and finish Picture Frames
8:15 New Award Program
8:30 Safe Trip Home
All 4-H members, families and leaders are invited to join the fun. Please call the office to register. We want to make sure we have enough pizza.

CHILI COOK-OFF: In 2008, the Ag Center will have hosted 25 years of 4-H and Home Extension activities, events, and the county fair. Four-H and Home Extension Clubs have been allowed to use the Ag Center free of charge and it has been used hundreds of times. Now, after 25 years of service, the Ag Center needs new, lightweight tables and new chairs.

On March 15 the Harlan County 4-H Council and the Orleans Lions Club are sponsoring a Chili Cook- Off to help buy lightweight tables and more chairs for the Harlan County Ag Center in Orleans.
We need your help. You or your club are invited to be one of the chefs in the Chili Cook-Off. We will have celebrity judges on hand to review all entries to find the Best All Around Chili, Best Chili made by a 4-H member or family , Best Chili made by a 4-H Leader or Club, Best Chili made by a Civic Organization, and Best Chili in Open Class. We also will give awards for the Best Display and the Best Apron.
If you do not want to be a Chili chef, but would like to help with this project, donations can be sent to Orleans Lions Club, Box 257, Orleans, NE 68966.

4-H DANCE: The 4-H council voted to have a 4-H dance again this year. The dance and movie night will be held at the Ag Center in Orleans on April 11 from 7:30 - 10:30 p.m. The dance is open to 4-H’ers and their guests.
PHOTOGRAPHY THEMES FOR 2008: Are you ready to start your fair exhibits? The 2008 4-H photography themes for 2008 are as follows: The Unit II theme is “Celebrating Citizenship”. Exhibit prints must portray Nebraska. The Unit III theme is “Go for Gold". Exhibit prints must portray Nebraska. There will also be new classes at the county fair that will allow you to exhibit more of your photography at the local level.
4-H SPEECH CONTEST: Four-H speakers, mark March 17 on your calendar! That is the date of the Harlan County 4-H Speech Contest. The contest begins at 7:00 p.m. in the courthouse meeting room in Alma. Rules and guidelines are as follows:

Novice: Ages 11 and under. Recommended under 3 minutes and have never competed in a contest before. The 4-H’er may recite a poem, read or tell a story or do an original 4-H speech. (All Harlan County 4-H’ers under 8 will compete in this division.) (Not eligible for districts )
Junior: Ages 8-11. Recommended under 3 minutes. Must be an original speech relating to some aspect of 4-H.
Intermediate: Ages 12 and 13. Recommended 3 to 5 minutes. Must be an original speech relating to some aspect of 4-H.
Senior: Ages 14 and older. Recommended 5-8 minutes. Must be an original speech relating to some aspect of 4-H.
Public Service Announcements All divisions of PSA will be 60 seconds. The PSA must promote 4-H and be general enough so the PSA could be used anywhere in the state. PSA’s must be submitted on tape the night of the contest. Please pre-register for the county contest by March 14.
This year the four regional contests will be April 26 at North Platte, May 3 at Scottsbluff, May 23 at Norfolk, and May 29 at Lincoln.

DATES TO REMEMBER DURING 2008:

July 27 - 31 – Harlan County Junior Fair
August 23 - September 1– State Fair
September 23 - 28 – AK-SAR-BEN

DEADLINES FOR ID's and DNA:

March 28 -Market Beef DNA Due
June 12 - Market Lamb/Hogs/Goats DNA Due

THE TWO STATEWIDE LEADERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES FOR 4-H YOUTH

Opportunity 1 – Youth Curriculum Committee The Nebraska 4-H Curriculum program is seeking young leaders from across the state to serve on the NEW Youth Curriculum Committee. This committee will give youth a voice in 4-H Curriculum decisions.
Opportunity 2 – Youth Multimedia Team The Youth Multimedia Team is seeking 4-H’ers who are interested in multimedia (the use of text, audio, still images, animation, video, interactivity), technology, and communication. Youth will gain new skills, serve communities by completing projects and showcase to others the emerging technologies in the area of multimedia communication, all while promoting Nebraska 4-H Program opportunities.
For answers to questions go to the State 4-H Web site (4h.unl.edu) where you will more information, and the application materials, for both opportunities. Please note that 4-H youth are encouraged to apply for only ONE of the above opportunities.

NEBRASKA AGRICULTURAL YOUTH INSTITUTE (NAYI)

NAYI is a five day event that brings together high school juniors and seniors from across the state to help build leadership skills, explore new aspects of agriculture and encourage young people to become more involved with and remain in agriculture. All meals, lodging and activities are sponsored by the NE Dept. of Agriculture. The only expense for the student is transportation to and from the Institute. Applicants are not limited to those who are directly involved in agriculture. All students who wish to explore new opportunities or develop leadership skills are encouraged to apply for NAYI 2008. Applications, due by April 15, can be picked up at the Harlan County Extension Office.

QUALITY ASSURANCE FOR 2008

All 4-H members taking livestock projects, (even rabbit and poultry exhibitors) must have quality assurance verification in order to show their project at this year’s county fair. The guidelines are set up by the state and are the same as last year.

Youth ages 8-11 (4-H age) must attend a yearly training session. For youth ages 12 (4-H age) and over; the following options apply: An intermediate level test will be available for youth ages 12-14. If a youth takes this test at age 12 and passes, he/she is done with training until age 15. An advanced level test will be offered for youth ages 15 and over. If he/she takes this and passes, they are done with training. Or, all youth ages 12 and over may choose to attend a training or help present a program. If this option is chosen, it is a yearly requirement. Tests will be given in the Extension office; they are not take-home tests. They can be taken as many times as necessary to pass.

Again this year, Lynette will be willing to offer the training to your club members at a club meeting and will be doing the testing at that time. Testing will also be done at the Extension office. County training will be held on May 21 in Alma.

ATTENTION GOAT EXHIBITORS!

Phelps County is hosting a one day 4-H Invitational Meat Goat Show on Tuesday, July 22, 2008. The weigh in will begin at 1:00 p.m. and the show will begin at 3:00. Exhibitors from surrounding counties are invited to participate.

Meat goats may be exhibited at the state fair and Ak-Sar-Ben. Exhibitors must own and identify each animal with an official 4-H tag for each animal. The Meat Goat ID Sheet must be turned in to the Extension Office by June 12.

Contact the Extension office for more information.

CALENDARS FOR JUNE and JULY

Calendars for June and July - marked with the Harlan County pre- fair and fair events and other important dates for Harlan County 4-H’ers that are scheduled - were snail-mailed with the hard copy of the newsletter. The calendars were enclosed because many of the annual events fall on different days of the week than they have in past years. We hope that this will help you plan your summer so you don’t miss a thing.

COOKING 101

- an after-school beginning cooking school for fifth and sixth grade students is being planned for March 4, 11 and 18 in Alma at the Johnson Center. The school will consist of three after-school classes and a final meal. The cost will be $15.00. Registration will be limited to eight. Please contact the Harlan County Extension Office (928-2119) to register.

HOMEMAKER CLUB NEWS

ARE YOU WALKING?

The Homemaker Clubs’ walking contest began on February 1, but it’s not too late to enter. Contact the office for your walking form and get moving!

WHAT IS IN YOUR HUTCH?

The February Leader Training Lesson will be held at the courthouse meeting room in Alma on February 21 at 1:30 p.m. We will be discussing the different types of dinnerware and tips on how to know what you have in your hutch. The lesson is open to the public. Please call the office (928-2119) to register.

SCHOLARSHIP LUNCHEON

The Scholarship Luncheon is being held on March 3 at the Ag Center in Orleans. Club presidents will receive letters with more information. Scholarship applications for the Homemaker Club Member Scholarship are due on February 25, and the Homemaker Senior Student Scholarship is due on February 22. Either application can be picked up at the office.

THIRD GRAD POSTER CONTEST

Be a Good Neighbor is the topic for the Harlan County Homemaker Club’s third grade poster contest. The contest is open to all Harlan County third graders and letters have been sent to local schools. If you know of a third grader who would like to enter the contest, please contact the office for the guidelines.

SAVE THE DATE OF APRIL 26

Mark your calendar now for April 26. That is the day the Harlan County Homemaker Club members will be road tripping to McCook, Nebraska . Watch for more details about this day long tour. You will not want to be left at home.

Sincerely,

Tony Anderson, Extension Educator

Lynette Brown, Extension Assistant

February 2008 Hotline