Teen Opportunities, Award Forms, and Recognition (youth ages 14-18 as of 1/1/2020)

Attention Teens! Do you want to be a camp counselor? Junior Fair Board Member? Junior Leader? Outstanding 4-Her? Scholarship or Award Trip winner? Do you find yourself asking “How do I get to do that?” We suspect that as you have gotten older you have started to look for new and exciting things where you can be involved. Read on… 4-H has special opportunities for teens only where YOU can play a part!

There are many exciting opportunities that await you as a teenager in the Fairfield County 4-H Program. When you click this link, it will take you to a survey for you to share your contact information and learn more about opportunities available to older 4-H youth. Read all about them, mark which ones you are interested in and we will follow up with making sure you have the correct forms, applications, and information to proceed to the next steps!

The opportunities in awards, trips, scholarships and more available to teens in the 4-H program are incredible. Don’t miss out on learning more and getting involved! Most of these opportunities are open to 4-H members ages 14 and up as of January 1st. Some of these activities require completion of special forms while others just involve asking for more information. Regardless of what you are interested in, be sure to give us a call if you need more information or would like some help with the necessary forms.

We look forward to hearing about your responses to this interest survey: http://go.osu.edu/2020teens. Please respond by Sunday, December 1, 2019 (or as soon as possible so we can be sure to get you the information early!). Any additional paperwork required for the items you are interested in will be sent back to you (remember that it is best to submit your response ASAP so that you can have as much time as possible to complete any additional paperwork). Application forms for those opportunities who require a separate form or application will be available at http://fairfield.osu.edu on December 1st.

If members and parents would like a little extra assistance in preparing their records, feel free to call or email Leslie (740-277-4625) at cooksey.25@osu.edu or Aubry (740-277-4626) at fowler.443@osu.edu.

We encourage you all to broaden your 4-H experience and try something new. We think you’ll find many new friends and much more fun ahead!

Additionally, we invite youth who will be ages 14-18 as of 1/1/2020 to attend the Achievement Form Workshop on Thursday, December 12th from 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. at the Extension Office / Ag Center.

Junior Achievement Award Forms and Recognition (youth ages 9-13 as of 1/1/2020)

Youth members who will be ages 9-13 as of 1/1/2020 are strongly encouraged to complete the Junior Achievement Form. The Junior Achievement Form allows youth to practice good record keeping skills of their 4-H accomplishments and experiences in preparation for older youth opportunities, trips, awards, scholarships and more! For more information, contact our office at 740-653-5419 or attend the Junior Achievement Form Workshop on Thursday, December 12th from 6:00 – 7:00 p.m. at the Extension Office / Ag Center.

Fairfield County Jr. Achievement Form (pdf) Word  or  pdf For 4-H members ages 8-13 as of January 1, 2020 to complete.  This form provides a start towards completing the Ohio Achievement Record form. Completed forms (in paper copy) are due to the Extension Office by 4:00 p.m. on Friday, January 10th, 2020. There are three levels of awards:  White Clover for members in the first and second year, Green Clover for members in their third and fourth years, and Gold Clover for members in the fifth and sixth year of Traditional 4-H. A banquet will be held in April recognizing those members completing the Junior Achievement Form.

The cover letter may be found here. Also, be sure to check out our Example Jr. Achievement Form

Scholarship Opportunity: National Corn Growers Assn. and BASF Corp. – Due 12/1/2019

The National Corn Growers Association is again offering its William C. Berg Academic Excellence in Agriculture Scholarship thanks to the sponsorship of BASF Corporation. Five $1,500 scholarships are available to undergraduate college students. The five scholarship winners will be invited to visit and tour a BASF facility in 2020 and meet with key staff. Dates and details of the trip are still being developed. BASF will notify the winners directly.

To apply, students or a parent/guardian must be a member of the NCGA. Past scholarship winners and employees and the families of employees of any division of BASF or their subsidiaries or the NCGA are not eligible for the scholarship. Students may apply for membership at NCGA.comApplications must be submitted by December 1, 2019. The application is available here: http://www.ncga.com/scholarships.

Attending college next fall? Start completing the FAFSA now!

FAFSA Now Available for Next Year – Start Filling Out Now!
The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) Application for the 2020-2021 academic year are now available.

What you need to do now:

  • File the FAFSA today at fafsa.gov or on the myStudentAid app. The 2020-2021 FAFSA requires income information from your 2018 tax returns. Learn more at fafsa.gov
  • Follow the FAFSA prompts and use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool to directly import tax return information into the FAFSA.

Make it a priority. Many scholarships you may apply for are only given to students who have completed the FAFSA regardless of financial need status. Also, many universities/colleges have their own priority deadlines for completing the FAFSA – check with your respective Financial Aid office for this deadline.

Scholarship Applications for the OSU College of Food, Ag, & Environmental Sciences – Due 2/15/2020 – THIS INCLUDES THE OHIO 4-H SCHOLARSHIPS (regardless of college enrollment)!

Now Open – The Ohio State University, College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences Scholarship Application for the 2020-2021 academic year – Priority Deadline: February 15, 2020

All students in the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences are encouraged to fill out the College Scholarship Application for the 2020-21 academic year. You will only need to fill out one application to be eligible for scholarships from the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences, School of Environment and Natural Resources, and ATI/Wooster. The priority deadline for completing the application is February 15, 2020.

The simple on-line form requires you to write a short 300 word essay, list of present and previous work experience, involvement in extracurricular activities, provide details about involvement in groups. Students in the School of Environment and Natural Resources will only need to complete this application for 2020-21 as the supplemental questions are within this application. Applicants who have participated in 4-H regardless of University/College, Campus, or major are to complete this application and the additional supplemental questions when you check “Yes” on the involvement in 4-H.

www.cfaes.osu.edu/scholarships

Ohio FFA Foundation Scholarships – Due 2/1/2020

One application for four scholarship opportunities with the Ohio FFA Foundation! Applications are now open and due February 1, 2020.  Available scholarships are: Earl “Doc” Kantner Scholarship, Ohio State Fair Scholarship, Growing America’s Farmer Scholarship and HBPA Scholarship. The application includes 3 essay questions plus students must upload their current resume. Please have your essay responses and resume prepared in other documents to copy into the application, as you cannot save your work and return later. You can find the questions and eligibility requirements by visiting the Scholarship page found at https://ohioffa.org/foundation/programs/scholarships/. Questions can be directed to the Ohio FFA Foundation staff at kmann@ohioffa.org.

National FFA Scholarship is OPEN! Due 1/15/2020

The National FFA is once again partnering with ISTS (International Scholarship & Tuition Services) to host their scholarship application process. The scholarship platform allows students to create, edit, submit and accept their scholarship utilizing any web platform including a smart phone.

  • Application closes January 15, 2020
  • Supplemental Materials due January 22, 2020
  • Advisor and State Staff Notification April 15, 2020
  • Student Notification May 1, 2020

Visit the FFA Scholarship website at FFA.org/Scholarships for complete information.

Fairfield County Foundation Scholarship Application will OPEN December 1st!

The Fairfield County Foundation scholarship application for the 2020-2021 school year will open on December 1, 2019 to anyone seeking financial support to further their education. For those who are excited to get started, there are a few things you can do before the application opens!

  • Visit the Scholarship FAQ section of our website to find:
    • Insight into required documents
    • Tips on filling out the application
    • New information is added frequently, so check back often
  • Follow us on Facebook for reminders (tell your parents to follow as well)
  • Complete the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid)
    • Application opened October 1, 2019
    • We recommend filling out as soon as possible
    • You will be required to upload the first page of your Student Aid Report (SAR) and report your Estimated Family Contribution (EFC) from your FAFSA
  • Obtain a copy of your transcript
    • You will need to include information about class rank, GPA, ACT/SAT scores
    • School counselor will upload official copy of transcript for high school seniors
    • Make sure you have their email address correct
    • Current college students will need to upload an OFFICIAL transcript that they have obtained from their current school (a DARS report or a screen shot of your grades online is NOT acceptable)
  • Preliminary Review
    • If your application is fully submitted by Friday, February 14, 2020 the staff will review your application for completeness and email you with any issues by February 28, 2020 so that you can correct any problems before the final deadline on Friday, March 13, 2020.

This does not increase your chances of receiving a scholarship, but provides an opportunity for mistakes to be corrected before the deadline and decreases the possibility of your application being ineligible.

Dairy Market Steer Project is ON HOLD for 2020

Updated 12/20/2019: The Fairfield County Agricultural Society Board of Directors has decided to place a hold on the Dairy Steer project for the 2020 fair due to concerns by some of the exhibitors. This next year, we look to investigate and research further the Dairy Steer project for possible future implementation.

Previously Posted: 11/13/2019:

Fairfield County 4-H and FFA youth now have an additional opportunity to raise and market a meat animal project for the 2020 Fair in the form of the Dairy Market Steer project. Finished Dairy Market Steers must be owned and in the possession of the youth by March 1, 2020, and weigh a minimum of 1100 pounds at weigh-in at the Fair on Sunday, October 11. Each youth entering and showing an eligible finished Dairy Market Beef animal will earn a sale slot in the 2020 Junior Fair Livestock Sale.

Highlights of the requirements to participate in the Dairy Market Beef Project include:

  • A feeder steer of 100% dairy genetics must be fully owned and in possession of the youth by March 1, 2020.
  • Dairy beef steers being enrolled in the “finished” Market Steer project will be tagged, weighed and nose printed on Saturday, March 14 at Fairfield Cattle Company located at 3443 Cincinnati-Zanesville Road (S.R. 22), Lancaster.
  • While an ideal weight for finished dairy steers may range from 1250 to 1450 pounds, to be eligible to show and sell, the finished steers must weigh a minimum of 1100 pounds during weigh-in at the Fair on October 11, 2020. There is no maximum weight restriction.
  • All Dairy Market Steer projects will be housed in the dairy barn.
  • Dairy Market Steer and Dairy Feeder Steer exhibitors will compete in the same Showmanship competition.
  • Realizing that well managed dairy steers can gain 3+/- pounds per day, it is recommended that dairy steers weigh from 600 to 850 pounds at weigh-in on March 14, 2020.
  • There will be a Rate of Gain contest for all Dairy Market Steers.
  • Each youth entering and showing an eligible finished Dairy Market Steer will earn one sale slot in the 2020 Junior Fair Livestock Sale. The only exception is if one youth shows the Grand and Reserve Grand Champion Dairy Market Steer, in which case both animals will sell.
  • In 2020, no Dairy Beef Feeder Steers will participate in the Jr. Fair Sale unless less than 6 head of sale eligible finished Dairy Market Steers are exhibited. In the event less than 6 head of sale eligible finished Dairy Market Steers are exhibited, dairy feeder calves will earn sale slots to make up the difference so that the Dairy Beef will retain a minimum total of 6 sale slots in the Jr. Livestock Sale.
  • 4-H youth participating in the Dairy Market Steer Project will use the Beef Project and Record Book, same as is used for the Dairy Feeder project. FFA youth will complete their SAE record book.

Complete details of the Dairy Market Steer Project will be available prior to March 1 and published in the Jr. Fair Rule Book. In the meantime, interested exhibitors may contact Co-Dairy Superintendent Melissa Michael with questions.

Exhibitors seeking more information about finishing dairy beef steers will find information in the 4-H Beef Resource Handbook, and also might review this article by OSU Professor Emeritus Dr. Francis Fluharty entitled “Introduction to Holstein Feeding” found at http://u.osu.edu/beef/2016/08/17/introduction-to-feeding-holstein-beef/