1 CLOVER EXPRESS Muscatine County 4-H Newsletter May 2020 Office Assistant Please help us welcome Lauren Nerad as the new Mus- catine County Extension Office Assistant. Lauren is an Iowa State University graduate with a double major in Advertising and Agricultural Communications. She was an active member of 4-H & FFA and has livestock experience. Lauren joined our team on April 6. Welcome, Lauren! WELCOME TO THE TEAM! New 4-H Program Coordinator We are pleased to welcome Katrina McCarty as our new 4-H Program Coordinator. Katrina will graduate from Iowa State University with degrees in Agricultural and Life Sciences Education, Communications Option and Seed Science with a minor in Public Relations this May. She grew up near Spencer, Iowa, where she was an active member of 4-H and FFA. She has a passion for service, agriculture and learning new things. Katrina has previously worked in commu- nications in the seed industry and as a volunteer for the American Cancer Society. She is engaged to be married this summer. Katrina started with us remotely part-time on April 27. She will join us in the office full-time on May 26. Welcome, Katrina!
Transcript
1
CLOVER EXPRESS Muscatine County 4-H Newsletter May 2020
Office Assistant
Please help us welcome Lauren Nerad as the new Mus-catine County Extension Office Assistant. Lauren is an Iowa State University graduate with a double major in Advertising and Agricultural Communications. She was an active member of 4-H & FFA and has livestock experience. Lauren joined our team on April 6. Welcome, Lauren!
WELCOME TO THE TEAM!
New 4-H Program Coordinator
We are pleased to welcome Katrina McCarty as our new 4-H Program Coordinator. Katrina will graduate from Iowa State University with degrees in Agricultural and Life Sciences Education, Communications Option and Seed Science with a minor in Public Relations this May. She grew up near Spencer, Iowa, where she was an active member of 4-H and FFA. She has a passion for service, agriculture and learning new things. Katrina has previously worked in commu-nications in the seed industry and as a volunteer for the American Cancer Society. She is engaged to be married this summer. Katrina started with us remotely part-time on April 27. She will join us in the office full-time on May 26. Welcome, Katrina!
2
County News
2020 Muscatine County Fair Many of you may have questions regarding the 2020 Muscatine County Fair. These are rather
uncertain times and the situation changes quickly. As of today, we are proceeding with our typical
fair preparations and deadlines. What we can promise you is that 4-H members will have an
opportunity to showcase what they have learned through their livestock projects and static exhibits.
In other words, keep working on your exhibits! We will continue to be in touch as the date
approaches.
COVID-19 Updates Currently the Muscatine County Extension office remains closed to the public through May 15,
2020. Staff continues to report to the office and is available by phone or email to provide any
assistance you may need. The May 15 closure date will be re-evaluated in the days ahead.
As a reminder, all 4-H face-to-face meetings or events need to be virtualized, postponed or
cancelled through May 31, 2020.
Deadline 4-H Enrollment Reminder Just a reminder…. The 4-H enrollment deadline is May 15. Payment must be in the office by May 15 in order for your child’s enrollment to be approved. You may pay online or by check.
YQCA Training 4-H members who plan to show beef, a bucket calf, swine, sheep, meat or dairy goats, poultry, or rabbits at the Muscatine County Fair and/or the Iowa State Fair must complete YQCA Train-ing by July 1. Currently, that training is only of-fered online at yqca.learngrow.io. Your 4H Online login information will be utilized. Please contact the Extension Office if you have any questions.
Fair Resources Now Online The 2020 Muscatine County Fair Book is now available on our website. For new 4-H families, we also have a Fair Checklist which provides step by step instructions and useful links for fair participation. 4-H Project Area Hot Sheets are also available. This is a great resource for families who would like to explore various project areas and potential exhibit ideas.
Spring Leader Meeting TBA It’s that time of year again for our Spring 4-H Leader meeting. With our new 4-H Program Co-ordinator, Katrina McCarty, working from our of-fice on Tuesday, May 26, we will wait to hold our meeting after that date. Leaders….Please watch your email for more information.
Communications and Clothing Events Entries for Educational Presentations,
Extemporaneous Speaking, and the Clothing
Event are due in FairEntry by June 16. Judging
for these events will be held on Monday, July 6,
beginning at 1:00 pm at the Extension Office.
Since these events are judged before the fair,
entries need to be made earlier so that
schedules can be established and information
sent out to participants.
Educational Presentations and Extemporaneous
Speaking participants, although judged before
the fair, will give their speeches again at the fair
on Thursday, July 16, in the 4-H Exhibit Building.
Special awards will be announced at that time.
Working Exhibits are due in FairEntry by July 1.
They will be evaluated at the fair on Wednesday,
July 15, beginning at 1:00 pm.
Here are brief descriptions of the
Communications and Clothing Events. Please
see the fair book for complete description
and rules.
Educational Presentations – 4-H’ers
demonstrate communication skills by presenting
knowledge, information, or a process to the
audience. Presentations for 4th-6th graders must
not exceed 15 minutes. Presentations for 7th-
12th graders must not exceed 20 minutes.
Extemporaneous Speaking – 9th-12th graders
will be given 30 minutes to organize thoughts,
prepare a speech, and respond to questions.
This speech will be no less than 4 minutes and
no more than 6 minutes.
Working Exhibits – One or more 4-H’ers teach
the public about a topic or technique by using
hands on activities.
Clothing Event – All ages can participate, but
they must be enrolled in the clothing project and
complete a Clothing Report Form for each
category they enter.
Fashion Revue – The 4-H’er must make the
majority of their outfit. The outfit or pieces of the
outfit can be sewn, knitted, crocheted, etc.
Accessories, such as a blouse under a jacket,
can be purchased.
Let’s spread some sunshine and joy throughout Muscatine County!
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Ann Green at [email protected].
4
County News
Muscatine County’s Got Talent: 4-H Online Talent Show Muscatine County 4-H is creating an online talent show and we need your help! In the spirit of 4-H generosity, we are calling all 4-Hers to share any talent you possess to make this dream a reality. You could…..sing a song, play an instrument, do a dance, read a poem, act out a skit with your family members, etc…..this is your moment to shine!
Participating is as easy as one, two, three. In just three east steps, you can be one of the stars of our show.
1) Record yourself performing your talent.
2) Upload your video to YouTube with an unlisted link. This means your video can only be viewed by those with whom you choose to share your link. If you need instructions, please contact the Extension office.
3) Share the link to your video with Ann Green at [email protected] by Friday, May 15.
That is your ticket to be included in one phenomenal online talent show for Muscatine County!
Social distancing is challenging. So many people are not able to visit their loved ones. Our Talent Show is a great way for Muscatine County 4-H to give back to our community by bringing joy to our nursing homes, assisted living facilities and other extended family members and friends.
Join the fun!
Remember, please submit the link to your video by Friday, May 15.
Let’s spread some sunshine and joy throughout Muscatine County!
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Ann Green at [email protected].
FairEntry All county fair entries, including livestock, static exhibits (those that are in the 4-H Exhibit Building), Clothing Event and Communications are to be made through FairEntry. FFA members will also be able to enter livestock and photography exhibits through FairEntry.
County Fair livestock entries are to be made from June 2 through June 16. Livestock has an earlier deadline due to the need to create programs, assign numbers, and other administrative tasks. Livestock entries made after June 16 will be charged a $25 late fee per entry payable to the Muscatine County Fair. No entries will be accepted after July 1.
We are advising that all static exhibits be entered in FairEntry by Thursday, July 9. On static judging day, 4-H members will be provided a sheet listing all of the exhibits entered including a barcode. The barcodes will be scanned when 4-H members check in at their club’s assigned time. Static entries can be added up to the day they are judged, however, failure to enter the exhibits by July 9 will significantly slow down your check in process.
If you have any questions regarding FairEntry or the entry process, please contact the Extension Office and we will be happy to help.
5
County News
Deadline for Livestock ID Extended until June 1 Livestock ID’s are due in 4H Online no later than 11:59 p.m. Monday, June 1. All 4-H Sheep, Meat Goats, and Swine will need to have a Green 4-H/USDA tag (received from the Extension office) listed in 4H Online. Beef should have been tagged in December at the weigh in. If you have not picked up your tags yet, please stop by the office between the hours of 8:30 – 5:00. They are located in our entryway as the office remains closed to the public.
To identify your animals, login to 4H Online. Click on the Edit button next to the 4-H member’s name. Look for the Animals/Livestock link toward the top of the page. Click on that link which will take you to the animal ID page. Select a species from the drop down menu and fill in the requested information. Don’t forget to hit save! Animals that must be identified in 4H Online include beef, bucket calves, dogs, goats (meat and dairy), horse, sheep, swine, and rabbits. Rabbits must have a tattoo in their ear and be identified in 4H Online by July 1 to be shown in the 4-H show at the Iowa State Fair. Some animals, such as horses, can be shown at the fair multiple years. If you identified a horse 2019 and plan to bring the same animal back to the fair in 2020, you will need to go into 4H Online and re-activate those animals. A few species have the option of photos being uploaded into 4H Online. This is required for horses, but would be optional for dogs and swine ear notches, for examples. These procedures take extra time so do not wait until the last minute to identify your animals in 4H Online.
State Fair Sheep and Meat Goat Requirements In lieu of the COVID-19 situation and its effect on the collection of retinal images, the Iowa 4-H Program in cooperation and approval from the Iowa State Fair Board has decided to forego the retinal imaging requirement for sheep and meat goats for this upcoming Iowa State Fair 4-H show.
4-H sheep and meat goats (both breeding and market animals) will be required to upload 3 (three) photos into 4-H Online by the June 1
st
ID deadline.
4-H Online has been updated with photo upload fields. The three (3) photos must include one of each of the following:
• Clear, readable picture of the 4-H/USDA tag in the animal’s ear
• Left, full side view of the animal
• Right, full side view of the animal
All Exhibitors must enter their animals into 4-H Online by June 1
st. This date has been
extended from previous years. Each animal must be recorded with the Green 4-H/USDA tag listed and three photos of the animal uploaded into 4-H Online.
All other required fields in 4-H Online will still be needed for identification purposes (i.e. tattoo numbers, birthdates, etc. as needed for the particular species).
All 4-H Swine will need to have a Green 4-H USDA tag (received from the Extesnion office) along with an ear notch listed in 4-H Online this year.
State Fair Swine will need an additional DNA punch tag for each animal. Enclosed are instructions for State Fair Swine.
State 4-H swine are required to:
• Submit DNA samples which families will be collect and mail directly to the State 4-H office.
• Samples must be postmarked by June 1.
• Have an ear notch listed in 4-H Online. Additionally, a swine ID sheet has been enclosed to assist you in keeping track of your animals and can be used to help you enter these animals into 4-H Online. You DO NOT need to return these paper copies, they are for your own personal use.
All Exhibitors must enter their animals into 4H Online by June 1
st. This date has been
extended from previous years. Each animal must be recorded with:
• the ear notch • Green 4-H USDA tag • State Fair animals must also list the DNA punch number.
State Fair Sheep and Meat Goat Requirements In lieu of the COVID-19 situation and its effect on the collection of retinal images, the Iowa 4-H Program in cooperation and approval from the Iowa State Fair Board has decided to forego the retinal imaging requirement for sheep and meat goats for this upcoming Iowa State Fair 4-H show.
4-H sheep and meat goats (both breeding and market animals) will be required to upload 3 (three) photos into 4-H Online by the June 1
st
ID deadline. 4-H Online has been updated with photo upload fields. The three (3) photos must include one of each of the following:
• Clear, readable picture of the 4-H/USDA tag in the animal’s ear
• Left, full side view of the animal
• Right, full side view of the animal
All Exhibitors must enter their animals into 4-H Online by June 1
st. This date has been
extended from previous years. Each animal must be recorded with the Green 4-H/USDA tag listed and three photos of the animal uploaded into 4-H Online.
All other required fields in 4-H Online will still be needed for identification purposes (i.e. tattoo numbers, birthdates, etc. as needed for the particular species).
7
Muscatine County 4-H Endowment provides enhanced experiences for Muscatine County 4-H Members by way of educational trips, conferences, camp experiences and service learning. We also offer many other forms of member and volunteer recognition.
The next funding cycle for the Muscatine County 4-H Endowment is due on May 22nd.
Applications are due to the Extension office
on the following dates: February 22 August 22 May 22 November 22
Questions about the endowment can be directed to the Extension Office or any board member listed below.
Muscatine County 4-H Endowment Board Members
• Jodi McConnaha
• Chris Wulf
• Doug Hora
• Coralie Voss
• Nichole Sorgenfrey
• Marylu Watkins
• Kelsey Morris
• Alli Youngbauer
If you would like to give to the Muscatine County 4-H Endowment you can call the Extension Office for a form to fill out or you can visit
https://www.iowa4hfoundation.org/en/ways_to_give/
4-H ENDOWMENT Master Gardener
Master Gardener
Who are Master Gardeners?
Master Gardeners come from a variety of backgrounds. They are passionate about serving their communities and sharing gardening best practices. Master Gardeners are individuals who have taken the Master Gardener training and share their time and expertise as volunteers in community gardens, city beautification projects, and farmers markets to name a few. It is the acquisition of knowledge, the skill in gardening, and giving back to the community that distinguishes a Master Gardener from other gardeners.
