The office will open Tuesday, February 13th at 8:30 AM and be closed from 2-4 PM due scheduling conflicts and limited staffing.

The deadline for completed applications is quickly approaching! Must be completed and turned in by August 4th!!

It is time again for youth to be thinking about the Junior Fair Royalty Contest. Youth 15 to 18 are eligible to compete for King or Queen; youth 12 to 14 are eligible to compete for Prince or Princess; and youth 9 to 11 are eligible to compete for Junior Prince or Junior Princess. (Ages are as of January 1, 2022). Youth enrolled in the following organizations are eligible to participate in the Junior Fair Royalty contest: 4-H, FFA, Skills USA, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts or Farm Bureau Youth.

Interested youth need to complete an application and be interviewed. An application may be requested from the OSU Extension Office, to be mailed or picked up or find it online at morgan.osu.edu. Completed applications, including all required signatures, are due on August 4, 2023 by dropping it off or mailing it to OSU Extension, P.O. Box 179, McConnelsville, OH 43756. Youth need to schedule their own interviews for Monday, August 17^th by calling the Extension Office at 740-962-4854.

The Royalty crowning will be held at the Morgan County Fair on Tuesday September 5, beginning at 4:30pm at the small stage. The chosen Queen, King, Princess and Prince will be required to participate in various activities during the Morgan County Fair, with the Junior Princess and Junior Prince assisting. The Junior Fair Queen will be invited to participate in the 2024 Ohio Fair Manager’s Queen Contest.

We kicked off our first Cloverbud STEM day and had a great turnout! We had 19 Cloverbuds, all of which showed their excitement upon arrival. The theme for the April STEM Day was Swing into Spring. Junior Leaders and Older Youth In Training led a spring themed activity and gave a lesson to go with it. The picture collage below shows the Cloverbuds engaging with the Junior Leaders and Older Youth in Training at each of the different stations. The stations were Natural Bird feeder where they discussed different types of birds and what those birds eat, Rain Painting where they discussed the benefits of rain, and the great Monarch Migration where the cloverbuds were all led through what it is like to live as a monarch butterfly.  To conclude the event, the Cloverbuds ate birds nest made out of pretzels and candy chocolate eggs served with some fruit! Thank you to all the participants, Junior Leaders, and Older Youth in Training that made this event possible!

If you are interested in joining us for our next STEM day it will be June 14th!

Our final STEM Day of the year had a great turn out! We had 24 Cloverbuds, all of which showed their excitement upon arrival. The theme for the June STEM Day was Space. Each Junior Leader was able to plan and lead an activity. The picture collage shows the Cloverbuds engaging with the Junior Leaders and Older Youth in Training at each of the different stations. The stations were Galaxy in a Bottle, Fizzing Moon Rocks, and Phases of the Moon. Each Junior Leader led their own activity, and the Older Youth in Training led the Cloverbuds around to each of their stations. To conclude the event, the Cloverbuds ate Rocket Ship Kabobs with strawberries, blueberries, and marshmallows. Thank you to all the participants, Junior Leaders, and Older Youth in Training that made this event possible!

Cloverbud STEM Day

Cloverbuds explore a variety of topics related to health, environment, community, and STEM(Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics). The Cloverbud program provides an excellent opportunity for each individual to reach his/her highest potential because early life experiences affect future development. Cloverbud STEM day includes activities led by older youth in the county.

The program is Monday, June 6th from 10:00am – 12:00pm at the Morgan County fairgrounds (Multipurpose Building). The theme for this Cloverbud STEM Day is “Space” which includes all things related to planets, the moon, and rockets. There is a $5 per participant fee for materials and payments are accepted up until the day of the event (cash/check).

Space is limited to 18 due to our low numbers of older youth. Make sure to complete your registration by June 1st to allow enough time for staff and activity leaders to prepare and gather supplies.

To register follow this link: https://go.osu.edu/cbstem2022

Whether you raise poultry in your backyard, as a hobby, or as a 4-H project, biosecurity should be one of your top priorities. In light of recent cases of HPAI, or Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza, it is important to have a plan in place should any flock health issues arise.

This webinar will discuss biosecurity and health management practices for backyard flocks and 4-H poultry projects, and how to apply those practices to some of the more common poultry diseases.

Date: Tuesday May 31st

Time: 6:30 PM

Speaker: Tim McDermott, DVM, Franklin County Extension

To register, visit https://go.osu.edu/poultrybio22

More resources; Ohio Poultry Association, go.osu.edu/ohbackyardflocks and USDA Defend the Flock, go.osu.edu/usdadefend 

The Add/Drop/Change  deadline is approaching. 4-H members that completed their enrollment by April 1st are able to Add, Drop, or Change 4-H projects until May 15th, 2022. Please stop by the Extension Office to fill out the form. Office hours are Monday-Friday from 8:00 AM-4:30 PM.

If you have any questions, call the office at (740) 962-4854.