We Need Your Input – General Project Judging Survey

Plan A. Plan B. Plan C. I am not sure what letter plan we are on at this point, but I want to give you an update regarding the Clermont County Fair. As many of you might have heard, the Clermont County Senior Fair Board voted last week to rescind their motion to hold a virtual Junior Fair for 2020 and approved to hold a modified Junior Fair. What does that mean? That means we get to have a live, in-person Junior Fair! That also means, fair will look very different this year so, we ask for your patience as we change plans and implement new protocols.

General Project Judging Survey

All members registered for a general project are asked to complete the survey below, to let us know what your plans are for project judging. This will help us determine what measures need put into place to make it a safe event for everyone or, if we need to alter the judging dates. If you are not planning to participate in project judging, please fill out the survey to let us know. Please respond by noon on Friday, June 19. Registration for interview appointments will be released at a later date.

https://osu.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9o74QLsHUjzOsMl

Project Books

Download one for free. A special collection of project books is available for free on the Perfect Stay-at-Home Projects web page. Click on the book you want, and when the file opens on your screen, save or print it from there. Horseless Horse and Science Fun with Physics are being added soon (For accessible formats of these publications, visit cfaes.osu.edu/accessibility)!

Buy one online. If you would like to buy a print copy of a Perfect Stay-at-Home project or any other project book, you can order directly from extensionpubs.osu.edu with one of these special discounts for Ohio residents: FREE2020 (for free shipping) OR 20IN2020 (20% off the entire order). Use the coupon that works best for you. Orders can be shipped directly to a person’s home as long as it is an Ohio address. Please review your order carefully. No returns are accepted. There is no restriction on the number of times a coupon can be used. See printable ordering instructions HERE.

General Project Guidelines 

Project guidelines can be accessed at the link below.  These guidelines
https://clermont.osu.edu/program-areas/4-h-youth-development/clermont-county-4-h-project-requirements

Information regarding livestock, skillathon and royalty will be released next week.

Keep working on your projects!

Clermont County Virtual Youth Quality Care for Animals (QA)

The moment many of you have been waiting on has arrived. The Virtual Youth Quality Care for Animals (QA) training sessions have been set. And we are going to move fast!

  1. June 19 11am
  2. June 22 9:30am
  3. June 23 10am
  4. June 25 9:30am
  5. June 25 2pm
  6. June 26 9:30am
  7. June 26 2pm

Join us on a date and time that best fits your schedule from the comfort of your couch, recliner, outside patio, camper or even if you are traveling. These sessions will be offered via Zoom. All you need is:

  • a device -phone, laptop, or tablet with internet capabilities
  • a way to hear -speaker or earbuds
  • a camera -we need to see your smiling face during the session

You must register at Clermont Virtual QA for which session you want to attend. There are 7 sessions and times to choose from and only 25 registrations for each. Those that are a household can register and participate as a unit. All participants will need to be seen in the camera and all participants will need to participate in the Question and Answer segments.

On the day of your event, you will receive an email with the connection information for the session. (Unless I figure out how to set it up in the survey for automatic sending).  Many of you have been using Zoom for your teleschooling and are familiar but please make sure you connect a few minutes early as the Zoom door will be locked when we begin at the designated time. “Early is on time, on time is late, late is unacceptable”

All QA training must be completed by June 30 to be eligible to show at the 2020 Modified Clermont County Junior Fair. If you are not able to participate virtually, you can still take the online YQCA training which must be completed and a copy of the certificate sent to neal.331@osu.edu with a completion date of June 30 or earlier.

4-H and FFA have not been cancelled and neither has the Junior Fair. Keep on keeping on!

Ohio 4-H Teen Leadership Council – Applications Available!

Ohio 4-H Teen Leadership Council (TLC) applications for the 2020-2021 year are now available!  Please note, because it is only a one year term, current TLC members who wish to continue their service must re-apply.

Applications and more information for this group are now available online at: go.osu.edu/TLC.

 

Here are some highlights about the responsibilities of the council:

  • Age: Individuals must be 14-18 as of January 1 the year of application to apply for council member, committee member, committee chair, and officer.
  • Number of Meetings/Events: See the program structure outline on the application for specific numbers of meetings and events. Members are required to attend at least 75% of meetings and events.
    • Working Events: Members are required to work a number of statewide events at the Ohio State Fair, and elsewhere throughout the state (Farm Science Review, Legislative Luncheon, etc.).  Each level of membership differs in the number of events that are required.  See the program structure for more information.
  • Location of meetings: Meetings are typically held at the Ohio 4-H Center in Columbus, Ohio, but there are occasionally instances when they are held elsewhere due to events on Ohio State’s Campus.  In these instances, meetings may be held at locations close to campus.  Refer to the application for the locations for the 2020-2021 year.  Members will be notified prior to the location change.
  • Additional Opportunities: Depending on the level of involvement, council members have the option to apply for additional opportunities including the National 4-H Conference, Ohio 4-H Foundation Board, and other opportunities that may arise.

Non-Livestock Project Workshop

Need a push to put the finishing touches on your general project?  Join the Non-Livestock Project Clinic “Virtually Everything You Need To Know About Completing Your 4-H Project” on June 22nd and June 23rd beginning at 6 pm. Registration deadline is June 19th.

Registration link: https://osu.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_87bY2obnzoJURjD

The workshops are taught by 4-H Professionals and knowledgeable volunteers covering specifics of how to complete your projects. Participants will learn more about project requirements, completing their book, and tips to prepare for judging.

Session Topics

  • Shooting Sports
  • Cake Decorating
  • Self Determined
  • Clothing and Textiles
  • Small Animals
  • Wood Working
  • Natural Resources
  • Food and Nutrition
  • Gardening
  • Dogs
  • Photography
  • Home Design
  • Scrapbooking
  • STEM

Flyer

A Healthier Option for Family Favorite Meal

Every family has “go to” recipes or meals that they eat regularly. It sometimes can be difficult to think of different ways to prepare favorite foods to make them healthier. If pizza night is a “go to” for your family, try making your crust whole grain! These mini pizzas from Celebrate Your Plate use whole wheat English muffins or whole wheat pitas. Whole grain products are a great way to get extra fiber and important vitamins and minerals in our diets.

Staying Hydrated with Fruit-Infused Water

With temperatures rising, it is important to stay hydrated by
drinking water. One way to add flavor to your water without
added sugar is to include sliced fruit.  CelebrateYourPlate.org
has created the recipe below.

Bees of Ohio Field Guide

Want to learn more about bees? What bees are native to Ohio? What is the anatomy of a bee? Learn more in the Bees of Ohio Field Guide.

 

Are You Interested in Learning About Food Preservation?

vegetablesMany people took an interest in gardening while in quarantine, therefore home food preservation is a big topic this year.  Gardeners and other lovers of fresh produce are often interested in extending the season’s bounty by learning more about home-preserving fruits and vegetables.

The OSU Extension Food Preservation Team is hosting live “Office Hours” events to be held bi-weekly through the end of July.  Each of these Tuesday sessions will be held from 4:00-5:00pm.  Sessions will start with a short presentation and the remainder of time will be for open Q&A.  The presentations will be recorded and posted for those who can not attend live.   All recordings will be posted after each event at: go.osu.edu/FoodPreservationOfficeHoursRecordings.

Please register in advance by clicking the title below. 

June 16 Canning & Freezing Vegetables
June 30 Canning and Freezing Fruits
July 14 Making Pickles
July 28 Making Salsa

Being Physically Active as a Family

Olivia Newton-John said it best when she sang, “Let’s get Physical, physical.” Exercising as a family
can keep you healthy, and it can also create meaningful moments! Below are 10 tips to help you and
your loved ones become and stay active as a family.

Get Your Pressure Canner Ready!

shelves of fruit & vegDoes your pressure canner need tested? Schedule an appointment with OSU Extension today to keep your family safe!

It’s just about time to fetch canners out of the basement or garage.  Fresh summer produce is on its way.  When was the last time your dial gauge pressure canner was tested for accuracy?  If it’s been more than one year, it’s time for a re-check.  OSU Extension Clermont  County will be testing dial gauge pressure canners on Wednesday June 17, and June 24, from 10:00am-1:00pm at the OUS Extension Office located on the Clermont County Fairgrounds (1000 Locust St, Owensville, OH) by appointment only.  There are additional pressure canner testing events happening across the state.  You can register for an appointment at https://go.osu.edu/2020pressurecannertesting or by calling 513-732-7070.  Appointments are 15-minutes, so please arrive on time.  You only need to bring the pressure canner lid to be tested.

Home canning is a relatively simple process, but many variables can affect your finished product.  There are so many resources with unsafe information that it is important to make sure you are following the most recent safe home canning guidelines. One guideline for home canning foods safely is using a pressure canner to process low-acid foods, such as vegetables, meat, poultry, and fish.  These low-acid foods must be pressure canned at the recommended time and temperature to destroy Clostridium botulinum, the bacterium that causes botulism food poisoning. Home canning low-acid foods in boiling water canners is absolutely unsafe because 212 degrees F is not high enough to destroy botulinum bacteria.

With good reason, most people have a healthy regard for the possible dangers of pressure canners.  Usually this respect is based on an old story of a pressure canner “blowing up” in someone’s grandmother’s kitchen.  Regardless, it is important to realize that pressure canners are safe if the safety precautions are followed and the canner is used properly.  Dangers arise when the unit isn’t maintained and/or used properly. To make sure your pressure canner is working properly, all dial-gauge pressure canners should be tested for accuracy each year.

Remember, home food preservation can be safe, simple and easy to learn!