Contents
Frontier County 4-H Speech Contest Scheduled
Livestock Assurance Training
Tractor Safety Training
Life Challenge Event
Camp Scholarships Available
Nebraska 4-H Diamond Clover Program
Nebraska 4-H Camp Staff Applications
Nebraska State 4-H Camps Now Open for Registration
Unicameral Youth Conference
Wildlife Habitat Evaluation Program
Sheep and Goat Project Members
Spring Photography Workshop at the State 4-H Camp
Rabbit Seminar
Virtual 4-H Clubs
Upcoming Events
Club Notes
1) Frontier County 4-H Speech Contest Scheduled
The 4-H Speech Contest has been scheduled for March 18 in Curtis on the NCTA Campus, in Room 21 on
the third floor of Ag Hall, starting at 6:00 p.m. Elevators are available.
Start preparing your speech if you plan to participate. 4-H’ers will not be using a podium or microphone.
They will need to practice projecting their voices and may use note cards. A new handout on speeches is available
at the extension office.
Pre-registrations are due in the extension office by March 11, 2008.
The speeches and PSAs must deal with 4-H in some manner. Here are some ideas:
• Youth working to make their community better
• Youth as partners, creating solutions to community issues
• What 4-H has done, or could do, in a community
• How 4-H gives young people a chance to work with adults as equals
Divisions will be: Clover Kid (ages 5-7); Junior Division (ages8-10); Intermediate (ages 11-12); and
Senior (ages 13-18). Remember, the ages are what age the 4-H’er was at the beginning of the calendar year.
Time limits are: Clover Kid (1 minute); Junior (1-3 minutes); Intermediate (3-5 minutes); and Senior (5-8
minutes).
We can send three participants in each division to the Regional Speech Contest which will be held in
North Platte, April 26, 2008.
The Frontier County 4-H Council will once again sponsor cash prizes for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd places in each
division.
**Radio PSA’s will be submitted on tape one week prior to the contest. The time limit for PSA’s is 60
seconds. Radio PSA’s must be submitted on cassette tape or a CD (which is playable on a CD player, not a
computer). For the Public Service Announcement (P.S.A.) division of public speaking, 4-H'ers must create and
present a P.S.A. on some aspect of the 4-H program of interest to them.
2) Livestock Assurance Training
All exhibitors of Beef, Sheep, Swine, Dairy, and Goats MUST be Livestock Quality Assurance certified
before exhibiting at the County Fair or State Fair.
4-H'ers age 8-11 are required to attend a yearly training session, the schedule is below. Ages 12-14 may
attend a yearly session or take a intermediate level test and be done until age 15. Ages 15-18 may attend a yearly
session or take an advanced level test and be done.
Dates for Frontier County Training are:
Thursday, April 17, 7:30 p.m., Curtis
Thursday, May 1, 7:30 p.m., Eustis
3) Tractor Safety Training
The Hazardous Occupation Orders prohibit all youth under 16 years of age to work with tractors, farm
equipment, etc with these exceptions:
• If tractor is under 20 PTO horsepower (garden tractor size).
• If youth is working for parent or guardian on their own land.
• If youth 14 and 15 years of age successfully completes the Tractor Safety Training offered by the
Extension Service and Vocational Agriculture.
Tractor Safety Training has been scheduled for March 10, 11, and 13 in Lexington at the Dawson County
Fairgrounds, Extension Office.
Parents are asked to attend the first session on March 10 and are encouraged to attend the others. All
sessions are open to the public. The 13th is for testing and driving at Fairbanks International east of town and just
south of Highway 30.
4) Life Challenge Event
Life Challenge is a two-day event designed to help you learn about issues related to Family and Consumer
Sciences, explore career opportunities that are available, compete with other teens from across the state and have
FUN! The event is being sponsored by Nebraska 4-H, the College of Education and Human Sciences and the
University of Nebraska-Lincoln. This year’s event is scheduled for June 30 –July 1, 2008. The Life Challenge
Event is open to any current 4-H'er who is 12 (by January 1, 2008) and older. Please call if you are interested and
want more information about the 4-H FCS Life Challenge Event.
Opportunities at Life Challenge include:
1. Family and Consumer Sciences Team Problem Solving Challenges
2. On-line Team Clover Challenge for the District winners
3. Educational and Fun Workshops with faculty members
4. Have FUN with your friends!
5) Camp Scholarships Available!
There are state and county scholarships available for camps. Some are based on need and some are based
on merit. For more information, call the Extension Office.
6) Nebraska 4-H Diamond Clover Program
The Nebraska 4-H Diamond Clover Program is designed to encourage 4-H youth to engage in a variety of
projects and activities that will enable members to acquire the life skills necessary to lead successful lives as
competent, caring and contributing citizens. The program’s overall goal is to provide 4-H members a rich and
diverse learning experience.
The program consists of six levels that require a 4-H member to plan and report a broad range of age-appropriate accomplishments. The program is designed to enable every 4-H member, willing to exert the effort,
the opportunity to be recognized, regardless of how they are involved in 4-H.
The Nebraska 4-H Diamond Clover Program is a new, statewide form of recognition and is not intended as
a replacement for existing recognition programs. Participation in this program should be considered optional, as
requiring 4-H members to participate is not appropriate.
Organizational leaders and independent members need to contact the extension office for more information
is they are interested in participating in this program.
7) Nebraska 4-H Camp Staff Applications
Youth 15-18 years of age are needed to help children have the best summer of their lives while camping at
Nebraska 4-H Camps and Centers.
Camp Counseling is:
• Developing leadership skills, self-confidence, and independence!
• Meeting friends which will last a lifetime!
• Experiencing excitement, challenges and FUN!
• Realizing your full potential!
• Helping kids be the absolute best they can be!
You may apply to be a counselor at a variety of Youth Camps offered during the months of June, July, and
August. We ask that you attend Camp Counselor Training held in May 27-30 at Halsey.
All Youth May Apply
Applications Due to Extension Office Before March 14, 2008
Call the Extension office at 367-4424 or 1-888-367-4424 for an application. Applications received after
the initial deadline may be accepted until all positions are filled.
8) Nebraska State 4-H Camps Now Open for Registration
Nebraska youth looking for a fun summer camp to attend need look no further than Nebraska State 4-H
Camps in May-August near Gretna, Alma or Halsey. Registrations are now being accepted for the Nebraska State
4-H Camps, which are open to all youth, not just those in 4-H, so plan to take a friend. In addition, campers who
register before April 1 receive a 10 percent discount.
The camps are open to a variety of audiences and age groups and offer an assortment of camp lengths,
interest areas, locations and prices. There are over 40 day and overnight camping programs and trips scheduled for
summer 2008. All Nebraska youth can enjoy a 4-H camp this summer. Whether their interests are in tubing down
the Niobrara, navigating a scavenger hunt with GPS or zipping down a zipline, fun opportunities abound.
Facilities are modern and well-maintained, and staff is employed and trained by University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension, which through the 4-H youth development program has been offering 4-H camps for over 50
years. The camps and centers all meet over 300 standards established by the American Camp Association. The
Nebraska 4-H camps and centers through their strong affiliation with UNL provide the ultimate camping
experience for all youth.
For more information about the 4-H Camps or to obtain a registration form, contact our office at 367-4424
or 1-888-367-4424. To register online, visit the Nebraska 4-H Web site at www.4h.unl.edu.
9) Unicameral Youth Conference
Would you like to …
• make a difference in your community?
• learn the fine art of debate?
• make friends with similar interests?
• be a state senator?
Then the Unicameral Youth Conference (UYC) is for you!
The 2008 UYC will be held June 8-11. This conference is for all youth who’ll be in grades 9-12 next fall
and who have an interest in politics and state government.
The conference will be held at the Nebraska State Capitol as well as the University of Nebraska-Lincoln,
Burr Hall.
If you attend this conference, you will take on the role of a state senator for three days, debate bills,
discover how a bill becomes a law, learn the importance of compromise and good debate, and much more!
Application deadline is March 25th!
There are limited number of scholarships available for youth to participate. Contact Barb Scharf for more
information regarding these scholarships. Get your application from the extension office.
10) Wildlife Habitat Evaluation Program
The Wildlife Habitat Evaluation Program is a fun and challenging outdoor adventure where youngsters,
age 8-18, learn about wildlife, conservation, and management. Guided by wildlife handbooks, specially designed
for young people, volunteer leaders help youth learn about the needs of wildlife. The junior (age 12-13) and senior
(age 14 -18) division youth then compete in the state Wildlife Habitat Evaluation Contest, June 6 & 7, 2008 at
Covenant Cedars Bible Camp near Hordville in teams (individual participation possible). The novice group (ages
8-11) does not compete at the state contest, but learns about wildlife through fun educational activities and games.
If this sounds like something you would be interested in participating in, please call the extension office by
March 14, 2008.
11) Sheep and Goat Project Members
All sheep and goats being exhibited, except wethers, need to be individually identified with USDA official
ID. Under no circumstances may sheep and goats be exhibited which originate from scrapie-source flocks or
scrapie-infected flocks."
These are tags that flock owners have and will place in the ear. So as you buy lambs and goats for the
upcoming year make sure that they have the tags when you purchase them.
If you have questions please give the office a call.
12) Spring Photography Workshop at the State 4-H Camp
The Fourth Annual Spring Photography Workshop will be held April 26-27, 2008, at the State 4-H Camp in
Halsey. This workshop is open to all experience levels and provides a chance to learn from expert photographers
such as Randy Hampton, Brad Norton, Jeff Beiermann and Tim O;’Neill. There are many different workshops
offered to improve your skills. Registration is $175 for adults and $125 for students (ages 15-19); please register
by April 21. For more information, contact Connie Cox at the State 4-H Camp at (308) 533-2224.
13) Rabbit Seminar
Do you have a rabbit? Thinking about getting a rabbit? Learn how a rabbit can be more than just a
project. Meet other rabbit owners, share ideas and have FUN! Come to the University of Nebraska’s Rabbit
Seminar, Saturday, April 5, 2008, 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m., at the Buffalo County Exposition Building on the
Buffalo County Fairgrounds in Kearney.
The session topics will be:
• Choosing a Rabbit
• Health Care & Nutrition
• Housing & Behavior
• Grooming & Showing
Each interactive session gives you practical take hope information. Pre-registration is requested. Contact
the extension office for registration form.
14) Virtual 4-H Clubs
What do you get when you combine 15 youth ages 14-18 from across the state, 2 volunteer leaders, 1 UNL Extension Foods Specialist, and mix in 18 computers, 18 phones, and 8 awesome food experiments and lessons? A recipe for a successful Virtual 4-H Club experience!New for 2008, the University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension 4-H Youth Development Program is offering a Virtual 4-H Club focused on the "Discovery of Food." Participants will discover the scientific principles of food preparation. Foods that will be explored include biscuits, cake, yeast breads, French fries, ice cream, mayonnaise, and others. Virtual 4-H Clubs are intended to take the traditional 4-H club environment to a new level by gathering a group of youth who have an interest in expanding their knowledge in a particular 4-H content area. Through the use of technology, club members and volunteer leaders from across Nebraska will participate in club meetings from their home, community, or school using a computer and a phone line. A UNL Extension Foods Specialist will present information on the topic and will work with youth to process this information in a manner that is relevant to their interests and experiences.
To learn more about the Virtual 4-H Club: Discovering Food, check out the fact sheet located at http://4h.unl.edu. Youth who are interested in being a club member of the Virtual 4-H Club must complete the online form located at http://4h.unl.edu; club members will be accepted on a first-come, first-serve basis through March 15, 2008. Volunteers who are potentially interested in assisting with the Virtual 4-H Club may indicate their interest in learning more about this role by completing the online form located at: http://4h.unl.edu by March 15, 2008; all interested volunteers will be contacted by phone from the State 4-H Office to discuss the roles and responsibilities of being a Virtual 4-H Club Leader, and at that time, leaders may denote their interest in continued participation. Club meetings will be held from April to July 2008.
15) Up-Coming Events
March
8 - 4-H Horse Stampede - Lincoln
11 - Due - Registration for Speech Contest
14 - Due - Camp Counselor Applications
15 - Market Beef Weigh-In & Tag - NCTA, Curtis 9:30-11:00 a.m.
17 - 4-H Council Meeting
18 - Speech & PSA Contest - 6:00 p.m. NCTA Campus, Curtis
April
1 - Early Bird Registration for all Camps – Save 10%
11 - Due - West Central Regional Speech Contests Registration
16 - Due - Final Enrollment & Club Goals
17 - Livestock Quality Assurance Training - 7:30 p.m. Curtis
18 - Due - Panhandle Regional Speech Contest Registration
19 - Sheep Weigh-in & Goat and Swine Tagging Day – NCTA, Curtis @ 8:00 am - 9:30 am;
Eustis @ 11:00 am - 12:30 pm
26 - West Central Regional Speech Contest
16) Club Notes
Happy Helpers Meeting – March 20, 1:15 pm, NCTA 2nd Floor, Ag Hall
We will elect officers, sign up for projects, and decide on which 4-H recognition level you are in.
Leaders – Please use this newsletter as a way to get information out to your members. You need to submit any
news to the extension office by the end of the month in order to have it appear in the next newsletter.
