Shawnee County 4-H K-State Research & Extension

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February 2016

Dates to Remember:

Feb. 4—Sports Fishing

Project Meeting

Feb. 12-14—Ks.

Garden Show

Feb. 13—Club Days

Feb. 19-20—

Ambassador Training

Feb. 21—Beef Weigh-

In at Gleason’s Farm

Feb. 27—Sn. Co. Dog

Show

Visit us on the Web:

www.shawnee.ksu.edu

Candis Meerpohl

4-H Youth Development

Agent

candism@ksu.edu

785-232-0062 ext.120

Brooke Gray

4-H Program Assistant

begray@ksu.edu

785-232-0062 ext.112

Kim Seeley

4-H Office Professional

kjseeley@ksu.edu

785-232-0062 ext.111

A Word From Your Agent...

Volunteers Needed!

From Farm to You: April 19th from 8am-4pm at Domer Arena. We have 900+

Shawnee County second graders that day come learn about the importance of

agriculture. We are in need of older 4-H'ers ( 8th graders and above) to act as

group leaders throughout the day. You will guide the youth and their teachers

from station to station. Please email Kim Seeley at kjseeley@ksu.edu and let

her know if you want to be apart of this program. Half-day shifts are available.

I hope this issue of Chatterbox is finding you all enjoying our beautiful weather. It may

be temporary, so play outside while you can!

The office is in full Club Days mode and we are so excited about our event Feb. 13th.

I hope you all are practicing your talks and musical solos; we can’t wait to hear them!

The schedule will be out soon, we will post it on our website and mail one hard copy

per family that registered. We will post the online version on Feb. 1st.

If you look at the schedule and see there is a conflict, because you are in a group

event one place and an individual event at the same time, don’t panic. The day of Club

Days just check in with your room monitor BEFORE you are to perform to let them

know you will have to work in to that room later. There are a few cancellations that day

and the rooms can slip you into one of those spots. If you do not check in before you

are to perform we will not keep the room going after its time to be done to work you in.

We let our judges know how long their room goes and some of them cannot stay later.

Rooms will start at 8:30am, so please do not come to the school before 8. We know a

lot of you like to be early but we do not start paying for the building until 8, so please

be considerate of that. Lastly, if we have severe weather use your best judgement on if

you should come. We don’t usually cancel club days because it cannot be

rescheduled. But it is up to every family to decide if it is safe enough for them to make

the trip.

Regional Club Days will be March 19th at Wheatridge Middle School in Gardner, Ks.

Hope to see you all on the 13th

at Shawnee Heights Middle School!

Candis

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Club Days, February 13th

Beef and Bucket Calf Weigh-In, February 21st, 2-3pm at the Gleason’s farm

Shawnee County Dog Show, February 27th, Ag Hall

Regional Days, March 19th at Wheatridge Middle School in Gardner, Ks

OZ-Some Summer camp are June 4th thru the 7th.

Shawnee County Photo Judging, July 10th, 1-4pm

Shawnee County Fashion Revue, July 15th

Shawnee County Horse Show, July 16th-17th

Shawnee County Fair, July 21st-24th

2016 Project Meeting Expo

Have you had trouble finding a project meeting? On February 20th from 9:30-11:30am we are

going to be offering five project meetings at the same time! All meetings will be at the Extension

Office. There will be something for everyone.

The meetings will only be an hour long so you can try two if you would like! Please use the

following link to sign up for the meeting or meetings you would like to attend. Click Here to

Register for the Project Expo!

In early February the project leaders will e-mail you a supply list if there is one. We invite you to come and sample

some different 4-H projects! Leaders will have additional meeting dates at the Expo to share with you. Hope to see

you there!

Project meetings to choose from: Home Environment; Foods and Nutrition; Electricity; Knitting and Poultry.

Mark Your Calendar!

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Market Beef and Bucket Calf Weigh-In

Market Beef and Bucket Calf weigh-in is Sunday February 21, 2016 from 2-3pm at Steve and Mary Gleason’s Farm 13600 SW 33

rd St. Topeka, KS 66614. This is the only

market beef weigh-in to be eligible for the county fair and state shows. There will be another bucket calf weigh-in on May 1, 2016 for those calves that have not been born yet. 4-H tags are $1.50 a tag and EID tags for those animals that might be showing at state shows is $3.00 a tag. Please try and bring exact change. If you have questions or con-cerns call Brooke Gray at 785-232-0062 ext. 112.

County and State Event Flyers

Shawnee County 4-H will be posting event flyers that we are emailed on the Shawnee County website at www.shawnee.ksu.edu. Once you get to the homepage click on the 4-H tab which is on the left hand side and then click on event flyers. There you will find an updated list of events going on in Shaw-nee and surrounding counties. Please check this page on a regular basis for event flyers.

Livestock and Horse Judging Clinic

The Shawnee County Livestock and Horse Judging Clinic/Contest will be held on March 19, 2016 at the Kansas Expo Centre. Registration is from 12-12:45 p.m. and the contest will begin at 1:00 p.m. You can find this event flyer at www.shawnee.ksu.edu. Click on 4-H and then on event flyers.

Bread Kits

Thank you to all the families that helped assemble bread kits in December. 250 bread kits were assembled giving over 700 youth in Shawnee County the opportunity to make their own loaf of wheat bread!

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Save the Date for the Photo Workshop

Once again, the Shawnee County 4-H Photography Project Group is offering a one day

workshop to help 4-Hers hone their photography skills. It will take place at the Auburn

Community Center on March 12th from 1-4pm.

Fair Book Cover Contest!

The 2016 Shawnee County Fair theme has been chosen. Of all the ideas entered the Shawnee County Fair Board

selected “Shawnee County Fair: Sew it, Grow it, Show it”. This theme was entered by the Riverside 4-H Club.

Now the Fair Board is announcing the annual cover contest for the Fair book.

Here are the rules:

Must be on 8 1/2 x 11 paper (Must be done in Portrait Orientation NOT Landscape orientation)

Design must be in black and white, do not use color

Art can be hand drawn or computer generated, but must be original

Must include the dates of the County Fair; July 16-17 – Horse Show, July 21-24 – County Fair

Must mention Open Class

Must include the theme of the fair (Shawnee County Fair: Sew it, Grow it, Show it).

Put your name, phone number and Club on the BACK SIDE of the entry.

Entries are due to the Extension Office by February 22nd at 5PM.

There will be a $50 cash prize for the cover chosen to be on the front of the Fair Book!

Fair Superintendents Needed

The following divisions need a superintendent for the 2016 Shawnee County Fair. These fair divisions cannot happen

without a superintendent so please let Candis know if you are interested in seeing the division continue.

Arts & Crafts (Looking for two unrelated adult superintendents. This is a large division that really needs more

than one lead person.)

Ceramics

We are happy to announce we will have a Talent Show this year because a volunteer has stepped forward to lead the

division for 2016. If you would like to know all that is entailed in being a fair superintendent please call the 4-H office. We

need to have our volunteers identified by the end of February because of fair books deadlines. Thank You!

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From our State 4-H Leader

I want to express my thanks to K-State Research and Extension and Kansas State University for the opportunity to serve

as Assistant Director, State Program Leader and Department Head of the Department of 4-H Youth Development. As I

approach my five-year anniversary with K-State Research and Extension, it is my intent to retire from Kansas State

University by January 2017. With that plan, I will step back from the administrative role around June 30, 2016.

It has been my privilege to be a part of a strong organization and a great university. I would like to thank the 4-H Youth

Development staff, and all the courageous and creative Extension professionals for their contributions during my time at

KSRE. I would also like to express my thanks to Dr. Daryl Buchholz for his leadership which has helped me be more

successful in growing a strong, inclusive, high quality 4-H experience for the youth across Kansas.

Sincerely,

Barbara Stone

Kansas Junior Sheep Producer Day

By Lexie Hayes

The 2016 Kansas Junior Sheep Producer Day will be March 19, 2016 in Weber Hall on the Kansas State University

campus. Presentations and demonstrations will be provided by featured guests, the Teague Family, as well as K-State

faculty and staff members. This event will be a fun filled, educational day of activities in which youth, parents, sheep

project leaders, and adults can increase their knowledge and experience of sheep production and management. Topics

include market and breeding project selection, nutrition and feeding, management, health, meat science, wool judging,

grooming, showmanship, and show ring etiquette.

This interactive event is designed for all ages and skill levels. All participants will receive a complimentary lunch and

t-shirt (early registrations). The early registration deadline is February 24, 2016 and the fee is $15/person. Registrations

received after February 24, 2016 cannot be guaranteed a t-shirt and the fee is $20/person. A flyer containing more

information and registration details may be found on the KSU Youth Livestock website.

Kansas Junior Beef Producer Day

By Lexie Hayes

The 2016 Kansas Junior Beef Producer Day has been scheduled for March 5, 2016 in Weber Arena on the Kansas State

University campus. This event will be a fun filled, educational day of activities in which youth, parents, beef project

leaders, and adults can increase their knowledge and experience of beef production and management. Presentations

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and demonstrations by K-State faculty and staff will cover topics such as nutrition, project management, meat science,

reproduction, health, leadership, communication, showmanship, and show ring etiquette. This interactive, hands-on

educational event will stimulate your enthusiasm and provide a foundation for management and care of your youth beef

project in the coming year. A complimentary lunch and t-shirt (early registrations) will be provided.

The early registration deadline is February 10, 2016 and the fee is $15/person. Registrations received after February 10,

2016 cannot be guaranteed a t-shirt and the fee is $20/person. A flyer containing more information and registration

details may be found on the KSU Youth Livestock website.

Kansas 4-H Communication Fact Sheets Helpful for 4-H Day Presentations

By Deryl Waldren

Speaking skillfully before an audience is one of the hallmarks that Kansas 4-H members have been successfully doing

for over 100 years. Kansas youth through 4-H have learned the skills necessary to get up before an audience and

eloquently speak. 4-H has helps youth learn the skills necessary to clearly organize and present thoughts and ideas

through project talks, demonstrations, illustrated talks and public speaking presentations. The complete Kansas 4-H

communication fact sheet series is listed below. These may be helpful to Kansas 4-H families as they begin to prepare

for county 4-H day presentations. They can be downloaded free from the Kansas 4-H web site. Visit: http://

www.kansas4h.org/p.aspx?tabid=551.

Kansas 4-H Communication Fact Sheet Series Available:

Kansas 4-H Presentation Overview

4-H Project Talks

4-H Demonstrations

4-H Illustrated Talks

4-H Demonstration & Illustrated Talk Planning Form

4-H Public Speaking

4-H Public Speaking Record

4-H Presentation Brainstorming Activity

4-H Effective Presentation Tips

4-H Preparing and Using Visual Aids

Kansas 4-H Generic Record Form

Presentation Score Sheets Available:

4-H Demonstration & Illustrated Talk Scoresheet

4-H Public Speaking Scoresheet

4-H Project Talk Scoresheet

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4-H Horse Changes

By Pam Van Horn

Changes for 2016 in the Horse Program following the 4-H Horse Action Team meeting:

-New for 2016, only Achievement Level 1 will be required by 4-H member 9-8 wanting to compete at District and State

Fair. Reason - limited number of certified Achievement Level Testers and scheduled trainings being offered.

-No Roping events at the Kansas State Fair for 2016 - cost prohibitive

-Up-date Horse Show Rule Book available early Spring.

Registered Volunteers Should Enroll in 4HOnline

By Pam Van Horn

Registered 4-H volunteers and individuals in the process of becoming a registered 4-H volunteer should be enrolled in

the Kansas 4HOnline system. The State 4-H Office enters Criminal Background Check and Child Abuse and Neglect

Registry completion dates in members’ 4HOnline profiles. Local Extension units are able to utilize the Additional

Information page to track each step of the Initial Volunteer Screening. Volunteer Screening reports have been created

and exist in the Shared Directory.

Please help ensure your registered 4-H volunteers and those going through the process of becoming registered are

enrolling in Kansas 4HOnline.

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Riverside 4-H Club During the month of January, the Riverside 4-H club went to January Jamboree. We had a booth and sold nail string art for $1. We had four designs. Our booth was very popular. After it was over, we helped with the cleanup. It was a fun and creative experience for all who attended. ~Quast, Reporter

4-H Ambassadors The Shawnee County Ambassador are very busy this month with many activities to be held. With 4-H photography presentation consultation, and judging 101 at the Auburn Community Center the Ambassadors will be prepared for this summer’s fair. With Ambassadors training coming up quick on February 19-20 registrations are due February first. All new Ambassadors are required to go. Coming in three months on April 19 from 8am to 4pm will be Farm To You at Domer arena. That is it for Ambassadors this month I hope everyone is staying safe in the weather. ~Matt Krainbill, Reporter

Your Club Photos and

Articles Should Be Here!

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March

2 4-H in the Library 4:00-5:00 p.m.

3 Sport Fishing Club Meeting 6:00-7:30, EMR

3 Exchange 7:00 p.m. Sn. Co. Farm Bureau

7 Bunny Bunch 7:00 p.m., EMR

8 Extension Council Exec. Board 5:30 p.m., EMR

9 Horse Clinic, Livestock Pavilion

9 Livestock Committee, 7:30 p.m., CR

10 Events Council Exec., 6:15 p.m., CR

12 Photography Workshop, Auburn Community Center

14-15 Job Prep Bootcamp, EMR

15 Sport Fishing Club Meeting 6:00-7:30, EMR

17 Ambassador Mtg., 7:00 p.m. CR

17 Shooting Sports II, 7:00 p.m. EMR

19 Livestock Judging Clinic, Livestock Pavilion

19 Regional Club Days-Gardner KS.

20 Horse Clinic, Livestock Pavilion

22 Fair Board, 7:00 p.m., EMR

24 Horse Club 7:00 p.m., EMR

25 Deadline to submit articles to Chatterbox

28 Clothing Cares 6:30 p.m. Farm Bureau Building

28 Paw Prints, 7:00 p.m., EMR

February

1 Bunny Bunch 7:00 p.m., EMR

3 4-H in the Library 4:00-5:00 p.m.

4 Sport Fishing Club Meeting 6:00-7:30, EMR

4 Exchange 7:00 p.m. Shawnee Co. Farm Bureau

9 Extension Council Exec. Board 5:30 p.m., EMR

10 Livestock Committee, 7:30 p.m., CR

11 Events Council Exec., 6:15 p.m., CR

Events Council Meeting 7:00 p.m., EMR

12-14 Kansas Garden Show, Kansas Expocentre

13 County 4-H Club Days Shawnee Heights Middle School

14-15 Citizenship in Action

16 Sport Fishing Club Meeting 6:00-7:30, EMR

18 Ambassador Mtg., 7:00 p.m. CR

18 Shooting Sports II, 7:00 p.m. EMR

19 Deadline to submit articles to Chatterbox

19-20 KS 4-H Ambassador Training, Rock Springs

20 Project Meeting Expo, 9:30-11:30 a.m., EMR

21 Beef Weigh-in, 2-3 p.m. Gleason Farm

22 Paw Prints 7:00 p.m., EMR

23 Fair Board, 7:00 p.m., CR

25 Horse Club, 7:00 p.m., EMR

27 Shawnee County Dog Show, Ag Hall

27 4-H Day with Wildcat Women 3:30 p.m.

29 Clothing Cares Meeting 6:30 p.m. Farm Bureau Building