January 2019 Rock County Clover Update
Here's what's new on the Rock County 4-H website this month!
January Federation meeting

The 4-H Federation is open to all Rock County 4-H Volunteers and youth sixth grade and up. The group's goal is to unify and strengthen our 4-H program. Come to learn more about what is happening in Rock County 4-H. The next meeting will be January 8th at 7:00 pm at the Rock County Extension Office meeting room.

Fruit & More sales

Rock County 4-H will be selling fruit, frozen food, and puffins again this year. More information and club packets should be available on Tuesday, January 8th at the Federation meeting. Make sure to get out there and sell fruit!


January Ambie meeting

Our next Rock County Ambie meeting will be January 15th from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Extension Office Meeting Room. We will be celebrating the holidays so be prepared for a fun-filled night! If you have any ideas of activities or games that you would like to play please let Kelsey know!


January Pajama party Cloverbud meeting

Attention Cloverbuds ages K-2nd grades! Join us for our January Pajama Party Cloverbud meeting on Monday, January 28th at 6:00 p.m. at the Extension Office Meeting Room. We need at least 5 youth to sign up so please spread the word so that we can make this event happen! This meetings theme will be winter and the holidays.

Horse learning opportunities

Our Horse Superintendents and awesome volunteers have been working at providing opportunities for our Rock County 4-H youth that are currently involved or are new and would like more information about the Horse Project. Our next meeting will take place on Tuesday, January 29th at 7:00 p.m. at the Extension Office Meeting Room.  
 
If you or anyone you know is interested in learning more about our horse program and the horse project, please plan to join us for our next meeting!

Read more
Apply Now to be a 2019 4-H Camp Counselor

SW MN 4-H Camp Counselor applications are now open for youth in grades 9 and older. Check it out for more information about camp, training and application information!


Mark your calendar for beef weigh-in and market beef IDs

Make sure to mark your calendar for Beef Weigh-in which is scheduled for Thursday, January 31st (snow date is: Thursday, February 7th) at the Rock Veterinary Clinic from 1 p.m.-3 p.m. Also, don't forget that Market Beef ID's are due in 4-HOnline on February 15th!

Communication Contest-February 28

The Rock County 4-H Communication Contest is Thursday, February 28th at 6:00 p.m. at the Extension Office Meeting Room. This is open to all 4-Her's- including Cloverbuds! The deadline to sign up for the contest is February 19. Click the article for full details.


More 4-H news this month
Direct link to Rock County Extension web site

New Rock County events calendar - check it out!
Rock County 4-H has a new events calendar! This Google Calendar contains upcoming meetings, events, club meetings and much more. This will be a great way for everyone to keep up on the events happening in Rock County 4-H!

New Vision Co-op swine and beef programs
Rock county 4-H is pairing with New Vision Co-op to provide an opportunity for our 4-H'ers to show swine and beef at the county fair this year! If this is something that you might be interested in or would like to learn more about call the Extension office at 507-283-1302 or email klmaesch@umn.edu. The deadline to submit an application and payment to the office is Thursday, February 14.

Application deadline is Monday, March 4th.
 
4-H Volunteers: Sign up now to attend the SW Winter Project Leader training
Plan to join fellow 4-H adult volunteers to network and gain new ideas for helping youth learn through projects. One of our overarching 4-H program goals is that "Youth will learn by developing a passion in their area of interest." To support this goal, we need volunteers to share their interests and lead project learning opportunities to help youth identify and pursue areas of interest. It will be held on Saturday, February 23 from 9:30 am-2:30 pm at SMSU in Marshall.  
 
Do you want help getting started on a fair project related to Agronomy? Sign up for a 4-H Agronomy kit between January 1 to February 15.
 
Dairy, general livestock, and horse enthusiasts-mark your calendar! The eighth annual Southwest Animal Science Challenge will be held on Saturday February 16 at the Wabasso Public School.
 
4-H members in the SW region: make plants to attend a 4-H Agronomy Day to be held at Ridgewater College in Willmar on March 9.
 
Minnesota 4-H state director Jennifer Skuza reflects on our commitment to the safety and engagement of all youth in our state.
 
Danielle Holmes of Moorhead has received the 2019 Minnesota 4-H Salute to Excellence Volunteer of the Year Award. The award is given to an individual who has volunteered for 4-H less than ten years and selected from nominees across the state.
 
Bob and Laurie Balgeman of Mower County have been chosen as Minnesota's 4-H Salute to Excellence Outstanding Lifetime Volunteers. The award recognizes volunteers who have spent ten or more years as a 4-H volunteer. They were chosen by a panel of judges from an outstanding list of nominees.
 
Project bowl season is underway and before a team practices, a couple of items must be in place to provide a safe and supportive environment for youth and adults. These user guides for club leaders and project leaders will help you verify volunteer and youth enrollment.
 
Winter activities and outings require planning ahead to avoid risk. Ensure 4-H members and volunteers stay safe by following the "keeping youth safe" guidelines and policies.
 
Volunteers are invited to participate in a project bowl coaches training. Join us on a webinar on Tuesday, Jan. 8 from 7 - 8:15 p.m. and learn how to work with a bowl team!
 
Livestock volunteers and youth leaders from across the state are invited to this networking event aimed at enhancing cross-county networks, sharing strategies, improving programming and building relationships. Please join us at the Oliver Kelley Farm in Elk River on Jan. 26. Register by Jan. 18.
 
Registration is now open for the 2019 Building Leadership & Understanding (BLU) regional leadership workshops. BLU is open to youth in grades six and up. Five BLUs will be held at locations across the state - registration deadlines vary by location. Meet youth from across the region and build leadership skills at this event!
 
Registration for the 2019 Science of Agriculture Challenge is now open! Youth in grades 6 - 12 should register by Friday, Feb. 1. The Science of Agriculture Challenge is a great way to develop communication and problem solving skills and explore careers related to agriculture.
 
Be a 4-H Scientist! is a new curriculum for adults to engage Cloverbuds in hands-on science exploration. It is available via a free download at www.4hpolymers.org. Volunteer training will be offered around the state in 2019.


Calendar

Check out all of the upcoming events in Rock County on our website.  The events are in chronological order and can be filtered by subtopic at the top of the web page.


Kelsey Maeschen | Program Coordinator | 507-283-1302 | mnext-rock@umn.edu | www.extension.umn.edu/rock

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