4-H Grows True Leaders in your Community

Given all the challenges in the world today, I am so thankful for 4-H. How did I get my start? Ottawa County (northwest Ohio) as a member of the club my dad was a member and advisor for, the Portage Mohawks. As my siblings and I joined 4-H, my mom signed on as a 4-H advisor as well. Taking no less than 7 projects a year, I raised beef breeding, market steers and hogs, and carcass steers and hogs. Additionally, I tried my hand with showing ducks and lambs each one year in addition to a lengthy list of miscellaneous projects ranging from gardening, cooking, and sewing. I was a camp counselor, a Junior Leader, and a Junior Fair Board Member. I loved every moment of it and hoped to purse a degree in Extension Education at Ohio State. I a career in agriculture and education was my goal. After working for the Farm Science Review for 7 years, this position in Fairfield County opened up, and here I am! Thank you for welcoming me into this county and continuing to love the 4-H program and sharing these great opportunities with our youth and volunteers!

What’s your 4-H story?

This organization prepares today’s youth to tackle big challenges. Just as it has done for generations, 4-H teaches children leadership, science and life skills, and how to be good citizens. The youth coming up through 4-H right now are learning and doing amazing things and sharing it with the world around them.  Just like it has for our current Junior Fair Queen, Abby Skinner, who will represent Fairfield County in the Ohio Fairs Queen Contest at the Ohio Fair Managers Association Conference next week (good luck Abby!).

I know that 4-H has meant a great deal to you as well. Your gift today will bring the amazing experience of 4-H to even more Ohio youth. Share a favorite 4-H photo, your 4-H story, and this message! Please give today.

Don’t Forget – Older Youth Applications due next Friday, January 5th by 4 pm!

If you are interested in being a Camp Counselor, a Junior Fair Board member, a Fashion & Nutrition Board member, a County Scholarship winner, an Ohio Achievement Form or Junior Achievement Form winner, the listen up!  All the above forms are due back in our office by 4 pm on Friday January 5th.

The forms can be found on our website, https://go.osu.edu/18formsandapplications. Instructions are found within this page. Remember, you need to sign your application and your parent/advisor sign the application as noted.

Camp Counselor Application checklist:

  • Turn in completed reference forms from two non-family members (one must be completed by your 4-H Advisor) in sealed envelopes (these are included in the application packet)
  • Read, sign and return your Application
  • Read, sign and return your Standards of Behavior Form
  • Read, sign and return your Camp Counselor Code of Conduct Form
  • Read, sign and return your Conselor Permission to Participate – 2018 Fairfield County 4-H Camps Form
  • Read, complete, sign and return your Ohio 4-H Health Statement (with picture attached)

Junior Fair Board Application checklist:

  • Read the new constitution and look over the calendar of events
  • Complete the Application (including member and parent signature)
  • Submit two letters of recommendation from adults (not related to you).  One must be from the Junior Fair Organization (4-H or FFA) in which you are a member.  Letters of recommendation should be in a sealed envelope from the adult wirting the letter for you.

4-H Fashion and Nutrition Board Application checklist:

  • Complete the Application (including member and parent signature)
  • Answer the questions on page 2 of the Applicaiton on a seperate sheet of paper or attach your Ohio Achievement/Junior Achievement Form
County Scholarship Application checklist:
To apply for scholarships, members must complete and submit as one application submission (please staple all items in this order in the upper left hand corner):
  • A typed and signed Fairfield County 4-H Scholarship Application
  • A typed Ohio 4-H Achievement Form
  • A current transcript of your grades (for reference purposes only)
  • A one-page letter of support from your academic advisor, guidance counselor, teacher, community leader, or employer

Ohio Achievement Form checklist:

  • Stapled in top left hand corner (please note: tabbed dividers, coversheets, or any type of folder/binder should not be used!  2 points will be deducted if this requirement is not followed!)
  • Name/information is on the cover page
  • Form is signed by 4-H member, parent, AND advisor. Do not worry about getting the signature for the Extension Educator; Leslie will sign them after you turn in the form.
  •  Entire form is typed in Arial 11 point font (all sections, including 4-H Story) & ½ inch margins are maintained. Section sizes are not altered (no horizontal lines are changed to make section bigger or smaller)
  • All Sections (A, B, C, D, E, F, G) are complete and no additional pages are added, no alterations are made to the section size (horizontal lines are not changed to make bigger or smaller)—AT LEAST one thing is listed
  • 4-H Story is typed in Arial 11 point font & complete and is no more than 2 pages, single-sided, double spaced
  • 4-H Photo page is complete with photos AND labels and is no more than 1 page
  • There are enough copies of the form for EACH category where the form is being submitted in addition to a copy for the county. (i.e. if you are submitting a form in Beef, Citizenship & Community Service, Sea Camp, and Leadership Camp, you need to submit a total of 4 complete forms—each “X” should have its own form! Plus an extra copy for the county office)

Junior Achievement Form checklist:

  • Read the instructions for each area.  Remember if you are eligible for the gold award (5th year and up), but score green in one area, you will recieve the green award.
  • Turn in completed form with parent and advisor signature. Form may be typed or handwritten.
  • Add the years you completed each item on the line (2015, 2016, 2017  or 15-17 – both are acceptable)
  • Make sure you have details in your description of the project and citizenship areas.  Answer the questions posed in each area.
  • Have a photo page with labels to go with the photos.  The photos should be of someting you did with your project or club.

Good Luck!

 

Tractor Maintenance/Small Engines Open House

The Open House for the Fairfield County Tractor Maintenance 4-H Club will be on Monday, January 8th at 7 pm.  This will be held at the Ag Center, 831 College Ave, Lancaster OH.

Tractor Maintenance & Small Engines 4-H Club

  • Do you know of someone who has an interest in maintaining engines and equipment?
  • Maybe they work regularly with dirt bikes, lawn mowers, tractors, or other small engine powered equipment.
  • The Tractor and Small Engine 4-H Club may be for them!
  • The club meets every Monday in January and February.

Members can join during the first three meetings. Membership to the traditional 4-H club program begins when a child is enrolled in 3rd grade and is age 8 as of January 1 of the current year. Any youth age 9 or above is eligible for project membership, regardless of grade level.  Projects this club provides leadership in are 541: Crank it Up, 542: Warm it Up, 543: Tune it Up, and our County Only Projects, 561.1 and 561.2, Tractor Maintenance 1 and 2. Please come prepared to enroll in all your clubs for the 2017-2018 4-H year, not just the Tractor Maintenance Projects.

For more information contact George Ruble (740-654-2464) or the Fairfield County Extension Office (740-652-7260).

Ohio 4-H Cloverbud Cloverbot Challenge is BLASTING off for 2018!

The Ohio 4-H Cloverbot Challenge is blasting off for 2018! This coming year, the theme is all about space and learning ways in which humans could live in space for extended periods. This is a great event where Cloverbuds work in teams to problem-solve using STEM skills. Teams research the topic, build a model of their solution out of interlocking bricks (ie: Mega Blocks), create a poster illustrating their work and present to families and other teams at the Cloverbot Challenge on June 9th, 2018 at the Nationwide & Ohio Farm Bureau 4-H Center. Find all the details at: https://ohio4h.org/families/cloverbuds/cloverbot-challenge.

Lauren Preston to serve as Ohio 4-H Healthy Living Advocate!

Great news! Lauren Preston, a 4-H youth member in Fairfield County has been selected to participate in the 4-H Healthy Living Advocate program! She will join over 25 4-H Healthy Living Advocates across Ohio in promoting health in their communities. Lauren is a member of the Green Extreme 4-H Club. Congrats Lauren!

Information for Livestock Owners (including 4-H youth): VFD Reminders!

Due to the changes that occurred earlier this year with medicated feeds, there has been some confusion as to whether exhibitors can use medicated feed for their livestock projects.  As a reminder, a Veterinary Feed Directive (VFD) fact sheet can be found at https://ohio4h.org/statewide-programs/animal-sciences/livestock/livestock-resources and other species’ pages.

From the fact sheet:

Am I going to be able to get medicated feed?

YES. The steps and process are more involved because you can no longer just go to a feed store and buy certain medications to mix in with your feed or buy medicated feeds containing medically important antibiotics. Producers must get a VFD order from their veterinarian and then send or take the VFD order to a feed distributor to get the VFD feed. Your veterinarian may send the VFD directly to where you buy feed.

Some additional information that may be helpful:

A VFD is only required if the medication to be added to feed is a medically important antibiotic for a food-producing species.

Medication to be added to feed……………………………VFD needed from veterinarian?

  • Medically important antibiotic (i.e. oxytetracycline, neomycin, tylosin): YES
  • Antibiotic not on medically important list (i.e. monensin, lasalocid): NO
  • Dewormer (not an antibiotic) i.e. fenbendazole, pyrantel: NO
  • Coccidia prevention/treatment (not an antibiotic) i.e. decoquinate, diclazuril: NO
  • Beta agonists (not an antibiotic) i.e. ractopamine, zilpaterol: NO

Please ask your 4-H’ers/families to consult with their veterinarians if they have questions.

 

2018 Ohio Fairs Schedule Now Available

Source: ODA Communications, (614) 752-9817, communications@agri.ohio.gov

REYNOLDSBURG, Ohio (Dec. 13, 2017) – Ohioans can start planning visits to all of their favorite fairs across the state. The Ohio Department of Agriculture today released the official dates for the 2018 fair season, which includes Ohio’s 94 county and independent fairs and the Ohio State Fair.

The Paulding County Fair will kick off the 2018 fair season on June 11, and the season will wrap up on Oct. 13 with the Fairfield County Fair. For a complete schedule, click here.

In addition to setting and approving the dates for the independent and county fairs, the department is responsible for helping to assure the safety of fair amusement rides, monitoring livestock shows to help assure honest competition and coordinating animal health efforts with local veterinarians.

Fairfield County Cattlemen’s Scholarship Applications – DUE February 1, 2018

The Fairfield County Cattlemen’s Association is once again awarding college scholarships for 2018. Applicants must have completed and exhibited a market beef, beef feeder, dairy feeder, and/or breeding beef project for at least four years at the Fairfield County Fair through either 4-H or FFA organizations. For more information, please find this scholarship details and application by clicking here.

2018 Ohio 4-H Conference Registration now AVAILABLE!

Attention 4-H teens and volunteers! The Ohio 4-H Conference will take place on Saturday, March 10, 2018 at the Columbus Convention Center. The registration form is now available online is due to the Fairfield County Extension Office by February 2, 2018, along with a payment of $35. View the registration form and registration session booklet. Youth 13 & older are invited to attend!

(Note: This is the former Teen Conference and Volunteer Conference merged into one.)