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Spring Fair

Citizenship Group

Region 4 Camp Dates

Camp Counselors Wanted

Senior Alumni Scholarship

County Council

Clover Kids

Swine Required Meeting

Swine & Sheep Weigh-Ins

Dog Obedience/ Agility Classes

FSQA Training & Options

Leader’s Corner

4-H Hockey Nights

State Conference

Rabbit Workshop

Scholarships

Calendar

WHAT’S INSIDE:

Spring is Coming!

Even though there has been an occasionally snowfall, temperatures have been slowly making the

climb upward! I think we can start thinking spring! As we begin March, remember it is NEVER too

early to begin planning for Spring Fair and county fair! Planning now leads to a lot less stress

come fair time (trust me on this!) Maybe this year you will decide to try a new project area and

bring an exhibit to the fair? Also, it is not too early and it is not too late to set a goal and GO for it!

Make sure when setting goals, you remember to include the 3 basic parts: action, result, and

timetable. Start planning your fair exhibits and begin identifying your non-market animals for

livestock IDs. Set your sights on your goals and dive into spring!

Don’t forget about the many opportunities coming up this spring and summer for 4-H’ers and

their families. Yes, parents, you can be part of 4-H too, you are always welcome! There are many

opportunities this summer that have deadlines this spring—like Region Camps!

Make sure to take a few minutes to mark your calendars with event dates and deadlines! Also, do

not forget to mark RSVP dates! All important dates are highlighted throughout this newsletter

and the Clover Express! A quick find of these dates are located in the “Calendar” section at the

end of the newsletter! Let’s continue to make the BEST BETTER!

Erica Holliday

Erica Holliday HOWARD COUNTY EXTENSION

County Youth Coordinator

132 1st Avenue West Cresco, IA 52136

Phone: 563-547-3001 ehollida@iastate.edu

HOWARD COUNTY EXTENSION

Howard County 132 1st Avenue West, Cresco, IA 52136 Ph 563-547-3001 Hours 8-12 Noon 12:30 -4:30 Learn More at http://www.extension.iastate.edu/howard/4h

CLOVER CONNECTION MARCH 2016

Citizenship Year 1 youth putting to-

gether 2 care packages for soldiers

for a small unit in Iraq fighting ISIS

MISSION STATEMENT 4-H EMPOWERS YOUTH TO REACH THEIR FULL POTENTIAL WORKING

COUNTY NEWS Spring Fair Sign-Up

Want to design an outfit by sewing or

purchasing? Showcase a presenta-

tion? Or perform a skit? Then Spring

Fair is the perfect opportunity for

you! Sign up today with your club

leader! Spring Fair will be held Sat-

urday, April 9 at NICC Cresco Cen-

ter. Members will be judged on their share the fun,

working exhibits, educational presentations, fash-

ion revue, clothing selection, and $15 challenge

exhibits and learn their ribbon placings. Deadline

for registration is March 18!

On to the State Capital...

Our focus on local and state gov-

ernment and citizenship will come

to end on Wednesday, March 2nd

as we travel to the State Capital.

Meet at the NICC Cresco Center at 6:15 a.m. to

catch the bus and we will return around 5 p.m.

Remember: bring money for lunch, wear nice

clothes, and bring snacks for the bus ride

SAVE THE DATE— Pinebluff Region Camps

4-H members in Region 4 will once again have the

opportunity to join in on the fun at Pine

Bluff 4-H Camp near Decorah. Find reg-

istration form attached—DUE April 15

Junior 4-H’ers (grades 4-6) are you ready to dive in

and explore the world around you? Join old and

new 4-H friends in 2

days and 1 night of hiking, exploration, crafts, tub-

ing, campfire songs, games and more! You may

even leave camp with a 4-H fair exhibit! Dates are

June 8-9 or June 13-14

Intermediate 4-H’ers (grade 7-8) the possibilities

are endless as you reach for the stars at 4-H

Camp! Take a trip to Ni-

agara Cave near Harmony, MN. Camp date is June

15-16.

WANTED: Camp Counselors

Attention High School students:

Do you enjoy working with young-

er 4-H members to create a posi-

tive experience in an outdoor set-

ting? Do you enjoy tubing, hiking, and campfires?

Then being a 4-H camp counselor may be for

you. Region 4 is looking for youth counselors to

help lead the 4-H camps at Pine Bluff. All camps

are 2 days and one night. Junior camps will June

8-9 and June 13-14. The intermediate camp date

is June 15-16. Sign up for one or more camps. 9th

-12th graders may be junior camp counselors,

while 11th & 12th graders may be counselors for

Intermediate Camp. Contact your County Youth

Coordinator for an application. Deadline to apply

is April 15.

Howard 4-H Alumni Scholarship

Reminder the Howard County 4-H

Alumni Scholarship applications

were distributed at the beginning

of February to eligible seniors. Ap-

plications are DUE Friday, March 11th. After the

completion of the application, an interview will be

schedule with the Howard County 4-H Alumni

Committee.

Mark your calendars! Our next meeting will be

Sunday, March 13 at the Extension Office. If

you can make it, we will be constructing Spring

Fair decorations. At our meeting, we will be dis-

cussing the 100th celebration skit, fair responsibil-

ities, and a summer activity!

COUNTY COUNCIL

4-H IS BASED ON RESEARCH

CLOVER KIDS

Don’t Miss Out! Only a Couple Meetings Left

MARCH Clover Kids— watch for your postcard re-

minder in the mail! Clover Kids last month studied

arts! They explored many avenues of art by using the

color wheel to create their own colors, creating bak-

ing soda paintings, and sculpting with play dough!

The kids were able to take home some play dough!

CRESCO: Tuesday, March 1st from 3:30—5:30

p.m., Notre Dame Church Basement

ELMA: Saturday, March 5 from 9:15-11:15 a.m., St. Paul’s Maple Leaf Church

RICEVILLE: Monday, March 14th from 3:15-

5:15 p.m., Riceville School Lunchroom

*Riceville February meeting make up—April 18*

LIVESTOCK INFO

Required Swine Project Meeting

Meeting will be held Monday, March 7 at 6 p.m.

at the Ag Education Center at the fairgrounds in

Cresco. This is a required meeting for youth with

pigs at the Ag Education Center. We ask that at

least one parent is present at the meeting! You will

be hearing from Dan Lane, instructor at NICC on

pig selection. Also, you will be receiving infor-

mation on weigh-in and tagging process, along

with a tour! Please RSVP to the Extension Office by

March 4!

*Members with homegrown pigs are more than

welcome to attend!

Swine Weigh-In

The swine weigh-in will be held

Saturday, March 12 from 9-11am

at the Crestwood FFA Shop. This

is for swine NOT being housed at the facility. Same

safety protocols as last year. Cost will be $2 per

tag and payment is due that day! Remember to re-

turn your postcard by March 4!

Sheep/Meat Goat Weigh-In

The sheep/meat goat weigh-in is

scheduled for Saturday, April

23 from 9-11am at the fair-

grounds. Information will be

sent to sheep and meat goat project members.

Cost will be $2 per tag. Reminder—all intact male

and female sheep and goats must have Scrapie

tag! Return postcard by the deadline!

Dog Obedience/Agility Classes

Classes began February 22 and will

continue with obedience classes eve-

ry Tuesday of this month—March

1,8,15,22,and 29 at 6 p.m. at the

NICC Cresco Center. It is not too late to sign-up for

the classes! If interested in joining, contact the Ex-

tension Office or Vicki Armstrong at (563)547-

5276.

Cresco

Clover Kids

with their

creations

from the

day!

MISSION STATEMENT 4-H EMPOWERS YOUTH TO REACH THEIR FULL POTENTIAL WORKING

LEADER’S CORNER

4-H Hockey Nights in Waterloo

The Waterloo Blackhawks are again

planning 4-H nights at two different

hockey games this spring. Discount

tickets are available for $7 (regular

price $12-$14)! Offer is good for in-

dividual 4-H families or whole

clubs. Ask Erica for more details on

the two available games—Saturday, April 2 or Sat-

urday, April 8.

State 4-H Youth Conference

Make plans to Dive to New

Depths in Ames on June 28-30.

Any members that are currently

in grades 8th-12th may attend!

Join over 1,000 youth from

across the state for 3 full days

of speakers, workshops, community service, danc-

es, and a banquet! You will get to experience cam-

pus life all while meeting new people! You will have

fun while learning by doing, dancing the nights

away, and giving back to the community! You will

gain new knowledge and in the process learn some-

thing about yourself! Mark your calendars!

Spring Fair Info

Packets have been sent out to

leaders with sign-up sheets!

Please encourage members to

participate in the opportunities

available—Fashion Revue, Clothing Selection,

$15 Challenge, Educational Presentations,

Working Exhibits, and Share the Fun. Regis-

tration forms due March 18!

Volunteer Required Training

We had a good attendance for our annual

leader’s training on February 15, but we still

have a few that need to complete the training

on “Heart of Leadership.” If you unable to

make the meeting, please call the office so we

can give you the link for the training! Training

must be complete by June 1 or you will be

removed from our volunteer list.

Fair Theme— “Dive to New Depths”

The theme for the 2016 4-H Exhibit Building

will be “Dive to New Depths”. Once again, we

will be judging club booths this year! Let the

creativity begin!

BEYOND THE COUNTY

LIVESTOCK INFO

Mark your calendar now for

our 2016 FSQA training. All 4-

H members that plan on exhib-

iting any animals at the county

or state fair MUST be FSQA

certified! Our training will be

on Tuesday, May 24 from 5-7:30 p.m. at the

Featherlite Center! We will have a light meal and

beverages for participants. Check 4-H Online to see

if you need recertified. If you will not be able to at-

tend on this date, please let the Extension Office

know ASAP so we can make other arrangements.

Options to get FSQA certified:

FSQA— Food Safety & Quality Assurance Training

Grades 4-6: attend FSQA training each

year

Grades 7-9: attend training every year

or complete a test which certifies them

until 10th grade

Grades 10-12: attend training every

year or complete a test which certifies

you until you turn 20 years of age

WANT TO KNOW MORE? FIND US AT: EXTENSION.IASTATE.EDU/4H/YOUR COUNTY NAME HERE

5

FUTURE DATES TO KEEP

IN MIND

APR IL 2 016

March 1—Swine Postcard

March 4—Swine Postcard & RSVP

for Swine Meeting

March 11 — Senior Alumni Schol-

arships

March 18—Spring Fair Sign Up

April 15— Region Camp Registra-

tion & Counselor Applications

DEADL I NE S

April 2—Elma Clover Kids 9:15-

11:15 am

April 5— Cresco Clover Kids 3:30-

5:30pm

April 7—STEM Fest NICC Calmar

April 9— Spring Fair

April 11—Riceville Clover Kids 3:15-

5:15pm

April 18—Riceville Clover Kids

(make up) 3:15-5:15pm

April 23—Sheep Weigh-In 9-11am

Fairgrounds

M ARCH 2016

May 24—FSQA 5-7pm

June 8-9—Junior Camp

June 13-14—Junior Camp

June 15-16—Intermediate Camp

June 22-26— Mighty Howard County

Fair

Calendar

March 1—Cresco Clover Kids 3:30

-5:30pm

March 1—Dog Obedience 6pm

March 2—Citizenship State Capi-

tal Trip 6:15 am at NICC Cresco

March 5—Elma Clover Kids 9:15-

11:15am

March 7—Swine Meeting 6pm Ag

Educ. Center

March 8— Dog Obedience 6pm

March 12—Swine Weigh-In 9-

11am FFA Shop

March 13— County Council

March 14—Riceville Clover Kids

3:15-5:15pm

March 15— Dog Obedience 6pm

March 17—Youth Committee 7pm

March 22— Dog Obedience 6pm

March 29— Dog Obedience 6pm

March 25—Office Closed

SCHOLARSHIPS

Rabbit Workshop in Strawberry Point

Are you new to the rabbit project look-

ing for guidance? Or an experienced

rabbit member looking for advice? Here

is an event for you! On Sunday, April 3

from 1-3 pm at Strawberry Point Civic Center.

There will be sessions on show prep, health and

care, feed, showmanship, and more! Rabbits will

be for sale. Coats Farm Rabbitry & Equipment

will hold a “make your own rabbit carrier” ses-

sion. Contact Bobbi Coats 515-450-9067 to re-

serve their supplies before March 30, 2016. If

you get the voicemail, please leave name and

phone number as well as Strawberry Point Work-

shop. Questions on workshop call Kelly Faust

563-933-6561. Visit the NE Iowa Rabbit Work-

shop on Facebook.

Hawkeye REC $500 Scholarship

Applicant’s parents or guardians

must be members of the Hawkeye

REC and plan to attend college or

technical school, especially those con-

sidering Journeyman Lineman

School. Must be a US citizen. Download an application

at www.hawkeyerec.coop. Return by April 4, 2016 with

a copy of high school transcript, letter of recommenda-

tion, and essay of minimum 300 words answering the

following: How important is social media? Provide ex-

amples of how Hawkeye REC can enhance their so-

cial media communications.

Want to Find Out More?!? Visit us at: http://www.extension.iastate.edu/howard/4h

Like us on Facebook: Howard County 4-H Follow us on Twitter:

BEYOND THE COUNTY