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Many local Extension office have received farmer calls lately asking how the COVID-19 emergency will affect pesticide recertification. The “Stay at home” order began prior to the end of March 2020, leaving those remaining private pesticide and fertilizer training programs postponed or suspended for the moment. On a normal year, the 3-year private applicator re-certification cycle ends on March 31. Additionally, Ohio Department of Agriculture’s new pesticide applicator testing program was also suspended for now.  Among others, this will affect those who wish to mix, load or apply approved dicamba products (Xtendimax, FeXapan, Engenia or Tavium) to Xtend traited soybeans, as these products are now restricted use.

With the signing of House Bill 197, Ohio’s COVID-19 emergency response legislation, the March 31, 2020 deadline for private pesticide applicators (farmers) and the May 31, 2020 deadline for agricultural fertilizer certificate holders to renew their license and get training has been extended.

The deadline is now 90 days after the state of emergency Executive Order ends or December 1, 2020, whichever comes first.

All in-person OSUE training events are cancelled or postponed through at least May 15. We will continue to update you as meetings are scheduled. You may continue to check these websites for more information: www.pested.osu.edu or https://agri.ohio.gov/wps/portal/gov/oda/divisions/plant-health/news-and…

The deadline for in-person programming for all Ohio State University Extension programming has been extended from April 20th to May 15th. 

As you may be aware, The Ohio State University announced the suspension of face-to-face instruction and the move to virtual instruction for the remainder of the semester. Events deemed nonessential are postponed between now and at least May 15, 2020. Based on these guidelines, all in-person meetings of Extension groups including but not limited to 4-H clubs, committees, and advisory groups, are postponed or canceled until at least May 15. Activities are encouraged to continue virtually when possible.

These actions are in alignment with necessary precautions recommended by the World Health Organization, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Ohio Department of Health.

Thank you for your patience with our county OSU Extension Staff, state 4-H Office and state Extension leadership as we navigate the process. Although this has caused a disruption, all Extension professionals are still working remotely, and many 4-H club members are working on their projects. We’re committed to doing our part to help prevent the spread of coronavirus. We also know that when we choose to act together, we can have incredible positive impacts.

We have updated all cancelations/postponements on our website here: https://brown.osu.edu/news/covid-19-updatescancellations-brown-county

This does include the April 25th Pork Quality Assurance, we plan to offer in-person QA at a later date. If an adult is in need of PQA they can contact James Morris at morris.1677@osu.edu. If youth wish to complete QA online they can visit https://brown.osu.edu/program-areas/4-h-youth-development/quality-assurance. Please note this is an option, not required for youth to complete online QA as we plan to offer in-person options when we are allowed.

The Brown County 4-H Enrollment Deadline is still April 1st. Please visit http://oh.4honline.com to enroll. Need help? Visit http://go.osu.edu/enrollmenthelp or contact us for assistance.

Did your usual conference get canceled? Looking to fill the void of the big basketball tournament? Ohio State University Extension is here to help with a new virtual education program for farmers.

Agriculture and Natural Resources Madness: A Tournament of Education will include 64 educational events broken into daily brackets. Each day, a virtual educational session will be held at 9 a.m., noon, and 3 p.m. The education tournament is free of charge and will likely continue until mid-May.

Join us to learn more about getting started with online meetings and prepare for upcoming programs. This will also be a great time to discuss topics you would like to see us address in the future. Create a free account now and follow this link  https://osu.zoom.us/j/555659016;    to join us on the day of the meeting.

The following was sent to 4-H families on 3/19/2020 as a 4hOnline Email. It is also posted on our website with other 4-H newsletters at http://brown.osu.edu/4hnewsletters

Hello 4-H Families!

I know you are hearing from me more then normal, but I want to make sure you have all the information you need. Plus, there are some 4-H updates you need to be aware of! I’m going to touch base on a few things and answer some FAQs at the end of the email. I’m also posting this as a newsletter on the website and in 4-HOnline for you to access later and probably for easier reading. Right now, I’m sending out updates to everyone, as things slow down, I’ll shift back to sending targeted emails. To find it on the website: https://brown.osu.edu/4hnewsletters

Enrollment: As I’ve stated before, the April 1^st enrollment deadline is still in effect. If you have submitted your enrollment online, you are set. It may still say pending. We confirm members and make them active once the head advisor has confirmed the members. If you need to submit your enrollment, please log into http://oh.4honline.com and submit your enrollment. This also goes for volunteers. We have several people who have not submitted their online enrollment. If you are a returning volunteer who did not attend the in-person training, you still need to complete the online modules. Please let me know if you need me to resend the instructions. If you need help with enrolling, please visit http://go.osu.edu/enrollmenthelp to see walkthroughs of how to enroll and videos to help. I’ll address a few things in the FAQs also. Still having issues? Contact us for help.

New Members: Do you know a new member who wants to join 4-H? If they would like to join your 4-H club, direct them to your 4-H advisor and they can help them with the online enrollment process. If someone still needs connected with a club, please have them contact me. If the member knows what club they want to join, they do not have to contact me.

Swine Exhibitors: Arriving in swine exhibitors’ mailboxes as early as yesterday is a letter from the Senior Fairboard discussing the banning of Ractopamine a feed additive commonly known by the brand Paylean. The Brown County Agricultural Society (Senior Fairboard) voted at their March meeting to ban the use of ractopamine in all swine projects. This is market-driven and is a zero-trace policy. The letter is posted on our website here: https://brown.osu.edu/sites/brown/files/imce/Program_Pages/4H/Junior_Fair/ractopamine%20SFB%20letter.pdf

Meetings: All club meetings/ functions are canceled/postponed/virtual from now until at least April 21^st. Clubs do not have to hold virtual meetings, but it is allowed. Resources have been shared with organizational advisors. Additional resources are available from the state 4-H office: http://go.osu.edu/advisorinfo Clubs will need to work together to ensure enough meetings are held. We hope meetings are able to resume after April 21^st but this is a rapidly changing situation. Thank you for working with us to still make this a great 4-H year.

Create with Christy: During at least the extended school break I am doing Facebook Live sessions on Tuesday’s and Thursday’s at noon. These are 15-20 minutes long on educational topics. They are not 4-H specific but can be used. This week we covered SMART Goals and Writing Letters. Feel free to join in or watch the previous videos.

Quality Assurance: We still plan to offer in-person Quality Assurance dates. We have a PQA (April 24^th) and General QA (May 26^th) scheduled. We will update everyone if these dates should change due to restrictions etc. If you would like to complete your QA online, you may do so. There is a $12 fee that is the expense of the exhibitor. For more information on QA and online options visit: https://brown.osu.edu/program-areas/4-h-youth-development/quality-assurance

Camp: As of now we are moving forward as if Camp is happening as planned. I may be the most upset if that isn’t the case, but now is a great time to work on scholarship letters for camp! Check out our camp dates and scholarship information here: https://brown.osu.edu/4hcamp

STEM Camp information is live on the website here: https://4hcanterscave.osu.edu/node/38 ; contact me for scholarship information!

ALL of our camps are open to all youth. 4-H membership not required!

Project Books: Because our office is closed, we are not able to receive project books at this time. If members want to order books directly, they can do that at https://extensionpubs.osu.edu/ This is at a higher cost and will have shipping charges. The state office is working on some options, but this will not occur until after April 1^st. But if you want to order project books you can, but make sure you tell your advisor so they do not order books for you also!

Yours in 4-H!

Christy

Christy D. Clary

Extension Educator, 4-H Youth Development
OSU Extension, Brown County
Clary.42@osu.edu
Main Line: 937-378-6716
Direct Line: 937-892-3021

Frequently Asked Questions

1. I submitted my enrollment and I need to add/change projects, what do I do?
   1. If your profile is active you can add/change projects by logging into your profile, going to the participation page and then selecting projects. You can do this until 11:59pm on April 1^st.
   2. If your profile is pending, you can email kratzer.11@osu.edu or clary.42@osu.edu and tell us what project changes you want to take and we will do it for you.
2. Why is my 4-HOnline profile pending still?
   1. Members: your profile will remain pending until your club advisor confirms you are a part of that club.
   2. Returning Volunteers: you may need to still complete your volunteer training online if you didn’t complete an in-person training – due by April 1^st to be recognized as a volunteer in 2020. Contact me at clary.42@osu.edu if you need me to send you the instructions again.
   3. New Volunteers: I will be in contact with how we are going to complete training in 2020 with current social distancing restraints.
3. I can’t get logged into my profile? It tells me you aren’t accepting online enrollments.
   1. First try refreshing your browser. When I get this error, I usually just have to try again.
   2. Try switching browsers. The system only works for Chrome or Firefox.
   3. I do not recommend trying to do it on a phone, but a phone is better then Internet Explorer.
   4. Reset your password, even if it is correct that sometimes will fix issues.
   5. Refer to http://go.osu.edu/enrollmenthelp
   6. Feel free to reach out, sometimes we have to send things to the person in charge of this for all of Ohio.
4. I have someone who wants to join 4-H for the first time, what do they do?
   1. If a new member has been in contact with a club advisor, they can submit their online enrollment following the steps for a new member. They do not need to contact me.
   2. If a new member needs help finding a club, refer them to me or to your club head advisor!
5. Is XYZ event happening (occurs after April 21^st)?
   1. As of now, Yes. We are moving forward as if all 4-H events after April 21^st are happening. If that changes due to the current CDC, State of Ohio and Ohio State University suggestions and policies we will let you know. Please know that we understand there are a lot of questions right now. We are asking a lot ourselves. We hope that taking the measures we are across the country will help us get back to all our events faster!
   2. Please reach out if you have questions, comments or concerns. We will do our best to help you out, even if that is just a friend to talk to.

Don’t forget to download the Brown County 4-H App! Calendar links to our Facebook, Blog, and Instagram, as well as letters like this, are there!

Download “4-H Now” and select Brown County in your app store!

The Brown County Extension Office will be temporarily closed beginning Wednesday, March 18, 2020 at 4:00 p.m. Our staff will remain available during normal business hours. See more information below. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience.

An email was sent on 3/12/2020 to 4-H Families and Volunteers regarding 4-H programs in Brown County over the next few weeks. ANR program participants will be contacted via email as information is known on their programs. Please be sure to review the information. The safety of our community is our top priority. We realize that our COVID-19 policy guidelines will cause disruption, but the risk of not acting outweighs the inconvenience of these temporary measures. We will share updates as more information becomes available.

Known Program Changes as of 3/18/20

• March 12^th Camp Counselor Training – Cancelled
• March 17^th Junior Leaders – Cancelled
• March 18th Master Gardener Seminar — Cancelled, will not be rescheduled
• March 19th Pesticide/Fertilizer Recertification- Cancelled: We are working with The Ohio Department of Agriculture on rescheduling and deadline adjustments.
• March 4-H Committee – Cancelled
• March 28^th Craft Show and Easter Egg Hunt – Cancelled – vendors will be contacted via email.
• April 1^st Enrollment Deadline: Has not changed; all enrollments must be submitted online at https://oh.4honline.com.
• April 2nd Calvinng Workshop- Cancelled: This will be rescheduled later this fall.
• April 6th Pike County PQA: Cancelled
• April 13^th New Volunteer Training – currently no changes
• April 16^th 4-H Committee – Cancelled, virtual meetings may be held. Please submit fundraiser requests to kratzer.11@osu.edu
• April 21^st 4-H Conference – Cancelled
• April 25th Pork Quality Assurance- Cancelled

4-H Clubs must follow the following guidelines

Based on these guidelines, all 4-H Clubs must postpone/cancel all face-to-face meetings between now and April 21.

In addition to all 4-H club meetings, the following list of 4-H events qualify as non-essential between now and April 21. Based on these guidelines, these non-essential activities must be postponed/ cancelled/ or held virtually. Examples include (this list is not exhaustive and subject to change at any notice):

• 4-H committees, including advisory, saddle horse, endowment, etc.
• Club kick-offs, open houses, etc.
• Community service projects
• Educational clinics
• Events put on by advisory or county committees or clubs, including fundraisers
• Fundraisers
• Social events (egg hunts, square dances)
• Teen leader groups

NOTE: Senior Fair Board will need to make the determination for fair-related committees

Below is the email that went to 4-H Volunteers and Members on 3/12/2020. We will continue to update individuals and families as the COVID-19 situation evolves.

March 12, 2020

Dear 4-H Families, Volunteers and Supporters:

As you may be aware, The Ohio State University has announced the suspension of face-to-face instruction and the move to virtual instruction effective immediately through March 31. Events deemed nonessential are postponed between now and April 21, 2020. There will be evaluation whether they should continue in person beyond this time. Our primary concern is for the health and safety of all our people. Virtual meetings are encouraged.

Based on these guidelines, all 4-H Clubs must postpone/cancel all face-to-face meetings between now and April 21.

In addition to all 4-H club meetings, the following list of 4-H events qualify as non-essential between now and April 21. Based on these guidelines, these non-essential activities must be postponed/ cancelled/ or held virtually. Examples include (this list is not exhaustive and subject to change at any notice):

4-H committees, including advisory, saddle horse, endowment, etc.

• Club kick-offs, open houses, etc.
• Community service projects
• Educational clinics
• Events put on by advisory or county committees or clubs, including fundraisers
• Fundraisers
• Social events (egg hunts, square dances)
• Teen leader groups

NOTE: Senior Fair Board will need to make the determination for fair-related committees.

One of the best ways to prevent the spread of viral illnesses is to minimize the circumstances in which individuals might interact and transmit the diseases. The safety of our community is our top priority. We realize that our COVID-19 policy guidelines will cause disruption, but the risk of not acting outweighs the inconvenience of these temporary measures. We will share updates as more information becomes available.

Please read through the following date changes and mark your calendar accordingly.

Schedule changes for the next 4 weeks:

• March 12^th Camp Counselor Training – Cancelled
• March 17^th Junior Leaders – Cancelled
• March 4-H Committee – Cancelled
• March 28^th Craft Show and Easter Egg Hunt – Cancelled – vendors will be contacted via email today.
• April 1^st Enrollment Deadline: Has not changed; all enrollments must be submitted online at https://oh.4honline.com.
• April 13^th New Volunteer Training – currently no changes
• April 16^th 4-H Committee – Cancelled, virtual meetings may be held. Please submit fundraiser requests for events happening after April 21st to kratzer.11@osu.edu
• April 21^st 4-H Conference – Cancelled

Camp Counselors and Junior Leaders will be contacted directly about meeting dates.

All information in this letter is subject to change as this situation evolves. Please watch for any further communication. The best way to reach us is via email:

• Christy Clary, OSU Extension Educator, 4-H – clary.42@osu.edu
• Cindy Kratzer, Office Associate – kratzer.11@osu.edu

Thank you for your patience and understanding as we work through this evolving situation.

Yours in 4-H,

Christy

Christy D. Clary

Extension Educator, 4-H Youth Development
OSU Extension, Brown County
Clary.42@osu.edu    937-378-6716