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Dear 4-H family, Webster County Extension and Outreach continues following guidelines from Iowa State University and the CDC to ensure the safety of our 4-H members, volunteers, and staff. Our office doors are locked, but visitors are still welcome. Please ring our doorbell to visit or give us a call. Masks and social distancing are still required during any 4-H meeting or event. Project meetings are in full swing! Please review the newsletter with meeting dates and watch your email with additional information. Due to project area requirements, 4-H members must be enrolled in the following projects by May 1: Aerospace, beef, cat/pet, dog, horse, poultry, rabbit, sheep, and swine. 4-H has something for everyone! It’s important to ask yourself: “What do I want to learn this year?” Do I want to try a new skill?” We have several project areas and resources available. Feel free to reach out to me if you have a goal in mind and how we can help. Welcome, 4-H new volunteers! • Megan Alliger, Clover Kids Livestock Leader

• Mark Anderson, Beef Project Committee Member

• Sara Scharf, Clover Kids Livestock Leader

• Heather Stewart, Clover Kids Livestock Leader

• Katie Walrod, Clover Kids Livestock Leader

• Ron Webb, Shotgun Discipline Leader Have a great month!

Lindsay Kavanaugh County Youth Coordinator lindsayk@iastate.edu 515-576-2119

Webster County 4-H

Search @websterco4h

Webster County 4-H Newsletter March 2021 Issue

Douglas Dreamers at Faiferlik Martial Arts

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County Council & Youth Committee The next County Council and Youth Committee meeting is Monday, March 22 at 7:00 pm at the Fairgrounds and via Zoom.

Dog Project Participants will meet at 7:00 pm on the west side of the Fairgrounds Auditorium on Tuesdays, March 9 and 23.

Horse Project Horse project will meet at 7:00 pm on Thursdays, March 11 at the Extension Office and March 25 at the Fairgrounds Auditorium (east side).

Intermediate Trip Update Due to the unpredictability of the current pandemic, the 2021 Discover Minneapolis (alternate years Kansas City) Intermediate trip has been cancelled. No trip is worth putting our youth, volunteers, or staff at risk. We hope to be able to resume the trip in the summer of 2022, but that is still unknown at this point.

Poultry Project The meeting is scheduled for 6:00 pm on Thursday, March 25 at the Fairgrounds Auditorium.

Rabbit Project This project area will meet at 7:00 pm on Tuesday, March 23. Meetings will be held in the Fairgrounds Auditorium.

Rifle Discipline Practice will take place on Saturday, March 13 from 9:00 am to noon. Practices are held at the Rifle and Pistol Club of Fort Dodge. Don’t forget hearing protection, safety glasses, and a mask. Wear closed toe shoes and make sure long hair is pulled back.

Sheep & Goat Weigh-In The weigh-in is scheduled for Saturday, April 24 from 9:00-11:00 am at the Fairgrounds (beef barn).

Sewing Masks for Schools You can still help out with the statewide 4-H challenge called, “Sew, Your Schools Need Face Coverings.” Lindsay contacted local schools and several need additional masks (youth and adult sizes). Let’s work together to give back to these schools! If you and/or someone you know is interested in making and/or donating masks, please contact Lindsay. She will provide directions about what schools, sizes of face coverings, and where to drop off your donations. The office has extra fabric and sewing machines available to anyone who requests them. Not sure how to sew masks? There are resources available online including a tutorial video, patterns, and more.

4-Hers for 4-H This annual campaign is conducted by youth members of the State 4-H Council Finance Committee. 4-H Clubs across the state are encouraged to donate $3.00 per 4-H member and the funds raised benefit statewide financial aid, State 4-H Conference, and other projects as voted upon by the State 4-H Council. Plus, new this year, you can help your county be eligible for a special mini-grant! The campaign runs through June 1, 2021.

Cat & Pet Project 2021 is a new year with an exciting announcement! The cat, hobby animals, and pet projects will be combining project meetings and their shows during the Webster County Fair. The first meeting is scheduled for Thursday, March 11 from 7:00 to 8:00 pm at the Fairgrounds Auditorium. Please bring a donation for Almost Home Animal Shelter. If your 4-Her is interested in joining this project, please contact the office.

Camera Corps Interested in photography? All 4-H members are welcome to join Iowa 4-H Camera Corps. Please see flyer on page five for more details. To sign-up, visit: https://www.extension.iastate.edu/4h/projects/iowa-4-h-camera-corps

Citizenship Washington Focus Trip National 4-H has announced the 2021 CWF experience will be held virtually this summer. Details about the event include:

• Open to 4-H members ages 14-19

• Registration will be limited to 30 Iowa delegates (could increase at later date)

• Registration fee will be less than $300

• Event will take place once a week for 5 consecutive weeks, for a couple hours each of those days (exact dates TBD)

• Theme is Youth Voice and topics include: Civil Discourse, Informed Decision-Making, Media Literacy, Assessing Community Needs, Action Plans Registration details from National are still being worked on. Stay tuned for more information. Registration for youth may open in March. Questions? Contact Haley Jones

Clover Kids Livestock Club We are excited for our new Clover Kids Livestock Club for youth in grades Kindergarten through third grade (bucket bottle calf, sheep, and goat)! Those who expressed interest received emails with details. The next meeting is Saturday, March 27 at 9:00 am via Zoom. If your K-3rd grader is interested, please contact Lindsay.

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Volunteer Spotlight

Name: Mary Eslick

Volunteer Position:

Dayton Tigers Leader How long have you been a 4-H volunteer? 8 years

What do you enjoy most about your 4-H role? I enjoy watching the kids make and achieve their goals and growing up into responsible young adults. What do you like to do in your spare time? I like to spend time with my family and friends in my spare time. What is on your bucket list? I want to learn how to ride a horse and go to Hawaii.

What is your favorite movie line? “He’s an angry elf” - Buddy from the movie Elf

What did you want to be when growing up? When I was growing up, I wanted to be an art teacher.

NEW Coop Foundation Scholarships NEW Cooperative Foundation is once again awarding approximately five $2,000 scholarships. Students must be a dependent of a NEW Cooperative member or full-time employee. They must be enrolling in an agriculture major at a four year university, or a two year college with an agriculture short course program. This scholarship is available to graduating high school seniors, college freshmen, sophomores and juniors. The 2021-2022 scholarship program description and application are available at www.newcoop.com, under the About Us tab, NEW Coop Foundation. All applications must be submitted by March 12. If you have any questions, please contact Gary Moritz at 515-955-9034.

2021 Webster County Fair The fair is scheduled for July 14-18, 2021. Our County Council and Youth Committee members are excited to announce the 2021 Fair Theme is: “Quest to be Your Best.” Clubs have the opportunity to show off their creativity by decorating their booth based off of the theme. Photography Rule Update for 2021 The time frame for photography will be extended this year next year to allow 4-Hers to bring photography exhibits from last year as well as any photos taken this year. For 2021, all photography exhibits must have been taken after July 15, 2019.

Pop Tabs for Jacy Jacy McAlexander, a former Calhoun County 4-H member and State 4-H Council member, lost his courageous battle with cancer in 2018. He left a legacy for the State 4-H Council to continue collecting pop tabs for the Ronald McDonald House in Des Moines. The state 4-H council has a goal to collect 2,021 pounds of tabs this year in his memory. Let’s help them reach this goal by donating your pop tabs. Tabs can be dropped off at the office.

Dairy Goats Are you looking for a new and exciting way to expand your 4-H experience? Interested in showing an animal, but don’t know if you can afford one of show quality? One of the ways Iowa Dairy Goat Association encourages young people to explore this aspect of agriculture is through their Share-A-Kid program. This statewide contest is open to youth in 4th thru 12th grades and who are a member of 4-H, FFA, IDGA, or any other agricultural group. Winning applicants are selected from an essay they submit. If you are interest-ed in this opportunity visit http://www.iowadairygoat.org/share-a-kid-program/ for more details and an application form. Entries must be postmarked by March 15, 2021.

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In today's world, food safety is one of animal producers' biggest responsibilities. With over 15,000 Iowa 4-H'ers enrolled

in livestock projects, about 17 million pounds of meat is produced each year. In an effort to be better, teach better,

learn better, and grow better, FSQA transitioned out and was replaced with YQCA per state requirements.

YQCA is designed as an annual education and certification program focused on food safety, animal well-being and

character awareness for youth ages 8 to 21. The program has been designed by extension specialists and national live-

stock program managers to ensure it is accurate, current and relevant to the needs of the animal industry and shows and

is appropriate for youth.

The goals of YQCA are to:

• Ensure safety and well-being of animals produced by youth for showing and for 4-H and FFA projects

• Ensure a safe food supply to consumers

• Enhance the future of livestock industry by educating youth on these very important issues so they can become more

informed producers, consumers and/or employees in the agriculture and food industry

• Offer livestock shows a valid, national quality assurance certification for youth livestock exhibitors _______________________________________________________________________________________

4-H members planning on exhibiting the following are REQUIRED to be YQCA certified to exhibit at the county

fair and State Fair.

• Beef/Bucket Bottle/Dairy Cattle

• Swine

• Sheep

• Dairy Goat

• Meat Goat

• Rabbit

• Poultry

YQCA is available as an online program for youth and can be completed in the convenience of your home. Please note,

no in-person training will be offered this year. Complete the YQCA training online at www.yqca.org and log-in using

your 4-H Online log-in. This certification is good for one year and must be completed annually.

There is a $12 fee per child for this training (if you need financial assistance please contact the office) paid online when

you register for the course. Youth are welcome to use a laptop at the Extension Office and internet if needed by

appointment only. Materials and modules are organized by grade.

The training must be completed by June 1, 2021. Once you have completed the training, please email the certificate

to lindsayk@iastate.edu. Visit the following link for instructions on completing the online process.

Please contact the office with any questions.

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Webster County 217 S. 25th Street, Suite C-12 Fort Dodge, Iowa 50501

WEBSTER COUNTY 4-H NEWS

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. Direct inquiries to the Diversity Officer, 515-294-1482, extdiversity@iastate.edu.

March 4-H Newsletter

March 9 & 23 Dog Project

11 Cat & Pet Project

11 & 25 Horse Project 13 Rifle Discipline

22 Youth Committee & County Council

23 Rabbit Project

25 Poultry Project

27 Clover Kids Livestock Club

April 6 & 20 Dog Project

8 & 22 Horse Project 10 Rifle Discipline

15 Cat & Pet Project

24 Sheep & Goat Weigh-in

27 Rabbit Project

29 Poultry Project