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Don’t Let a Lapse in Biosecurity Ruin Your Fair

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Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza has been detected in dairy cattle, a goat and humans!

It’s become apparent that most any mammal can become infected with Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza

Frequently over recent months you may have heard of the current outbreak of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) in domestic poultry, H5N1. This disease has been occurring since 2022 and has been reported in 48 states, affecting nearly 100 million domestic birds.

On March 20, 2024 the Minnesota Board of Animal Health reported that a juvenile goat on a Minnesota farm tested positive for HPAI. This marked the first U.S. case of the virus in a domestic ruminant.

The following week on Monday, March 25, 2024 the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and Center for Disease Control (CDC) issued a statement confirming the identification of HPAI in dairy cattle located in Texas and Kansas. Shortly after, the USDA confirmed the detection of HPAI in a total of seven dairy herds in Texas, two in Kansas, one in Michigan, one in New Mexico, one in Idaho, and one in Northern Ohio. On April 1, the CDC reported one person in Texas who had been in contact with affected cattle tested positive for HPAI. The next week North Carolina became the seventh state to officially confirm the presence of HPAI in a dairy herd.

These findings are significant because Continue reading →

Teen Opportunity: Ohio 4-H Health HEROES – Apps due October 15th

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Application for 2023-2024 Ohio 4-H Health HEROES are open. This statewide teen healthy living advocacy group are called HEROES because they serve as Health Education Resources for Outreach, Engagement, and Service. Youth will learn about current issues and topics in healthy living, learn lessons and activities to implement in their local 4-H community, will be tasked to create an action plan to create change in their local community, and will be a part of a statewide cohort who cares about the health and well-being of Ohio youth.

Benefits of becoming a 4-H Health Hero are:

  • Learning about a variety of healthy living topics
  • Gaining valuable leadership and communication skills
  • Meeting other 4-H youth from across Ohio who are invested in healthy living
  • Leaving a positive impact on your family, friends, and community
  • Promoting the 4th H!

In previous years we have had youth focus on making change in health topics such as; mental health, vaping, opioids, and more.

Youth who are passionate about health and in grades 9 through 12 may apply! For more information, important dates, and expectations, you may check out https://go.osu.edu/HealthHEROES.  Application is due Sunday, October 15th, 2023 by 11:59 pm.

Any questions, you may contact Justin Bower, State 4-H Healthy Living and Ohio Military Kids Educator at bower.183@osu.edu or at 614-247-1979.

Are you scheduled for Skillathons?

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4-H and FFA exhibitors should schedule an appointment time for all Skillathons they wish to complete. Click here to schedule for each Skillathon you wish to participate in: http://go.osu.edu/signup4skillathon

Please note that Skillathon times are APPROXIMATE so that we can keep kids flowing through the event and an even pace. Once a member STARTS through the Skillathon line, they should be able to complete it in about 20-30 minutes.

Exhibitors need to abide to their appointment times so that we do not have a bottleneck effect with the lines. If this happens, everyone will get behind and wait much longer than anticipated.

To confirm or change appointment times, please contact Stacy Hicks at hicks.686@osu.edu.

Thanks!

 

Pop Tab Challenge: Battle of the 4-H Clubs!!

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The Fairfield County 4-H Junior Leaders have a new challenge for clubs: Save those metal pop tabs! Work within your club to collect clean, dry metal pop tabs. Please place them in a ziploc bag or similar container to be dropped off and weighed at the Fairfield County Extension Office. All pop tabs will be donated to the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Ohio to help pay the electric bill for families staying there.

The club who collects the most tabs by weight will receive a cash prize for your club to use for end of the year activities.

Metal pop tabs can be dropped off at the Extension Office (831 College Ave, Suite D, Lancaster) from NOW until 10/31/2023. If you have questions, please contact our office at 740-653-5419.

Ohio 4-H Celebration of Youth – Oct. 2

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The Ohio 4-H Foundation’s annual Celebration of Youth is fast approaching! All adults aged 21 and over are invited to join us at Leeds Farm in Ostrander, Ohio on Thursday, October 6 for an evening of fall fun on the farm. The event will begin at 5 p.m. and will include a delicious dinner, a variety of fun farm activities, and both a silent and live auction. The kids are away so the adults can play!

This year, the Ohio 4-H Foundation is providing each county with two free tickets to the event. If you are interested in this opportunity, please contact your county educator for more information. Young alumni are also eligible for our BOGO ticket package, where you can purchase two tickets for the price of one! For additional details on how to purchase a ticket to Celebration of Youth, as well as information on how to sponsor the event or donate an auction item, please visit https://go.osu.edu/COY. Questions can also be directed to ohio4hfoundation@osu.edu. We hope you will join us for a night of fellowship and fundraising for Ohio 4-H!

     

Summerfest Winners – Please send your THANK YOU NOTES! :o)

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We need to make sure our sponsors receive thanks and appreciation for supporting Fairfield County’s youth! Summerfest award winners can write thank you notes to those donors who were included on their registration cards at check-in. We encourage youth to include information about their project, award received, etc. as the sponsors enjoy reading this information! Sponsors also love pictures if members have any of their project they would like to share!

We are hiring: 4-H Program Assistant position now posted!

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We are hiring a 4-H Program Assistant here in Fairfield County. The position will be posted through June 24th.

Active OSU employees and students click on the box titled, “Current OSU Employees and Enrolled Students”, externals on the box titled, “All Non OSU Employees”.

Internals can apply directly from their Workday homepage, click on career icon, and search for position by requisition number.

External Direct Link: go.osu.edu/fairfield4hpa