Author: Leslie Cooksey

Twisted X Celebrates the Launch of their New 4 H Collection

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Twisted X footwear proudly supports 4‑H youth and their strong commitment to environmental stewardship this April in honor of Earth Day. Encourage 4‑H’ers to share their love of the land on Instagram, Facebook, or TikTok using the hashtags #TwistedXEarthDay and #LoveoftheLand, and they will be entered for a chance to win free footwear from the Twisted X 4‑H Collection. For more information, check out: https://twistedx.com/pages/4h-collection

Older Youth Opportunity: Beef Field Day

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An older youth beef field day will be held on June 15th at the OSU ATI Beef Center in Apple Creek.

For youth 14 and older, this will be a unique opportunity to learn about the beef industry. We will have a hands-on day walking youth through the beef production cycle focusing on cow-calf management. Parents are welcome, as we have a tour scheduled in the morning of the ATI and CFAES Wooster campus with admissions staff.

For registration visit: go.osu.edu/2024youthbeefday

Registration Deadline – June 7, 2024

Cost: Youth $30, Parents $15. Lunch Included.

Limited to first 30 Youth Registrations.

Youth Beef Day Flyer 2024

Scholarship Opportunity: Dorrin and Ruth Ross Scholarship – DEADLINE EXTENDED thru April 15th

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The scholarship was established by Dorrin and Ruth Ross. Natives of Licking County, Ohio, Dorrin and Ruth married and moved to Columbus in 1935. Mr. Ross began his career as a carpenter, worked for the Curtiss-Wright Company during World War II, and spent the remainder of his career with the Ohio Parole Board, working his way from Parole officer to a supervisor before he passed away in June, 1989. Following Ruth Ross’s graduation from Bliss College in Columbus, she became a corporate secretary and the owner and broker of Gateway Realty.

The scholarship is indicative of Mrs. Ross’s interest in supporting educational opportunities for rural students, inspired by the loss of her family’s farm during the Depression, after her graduation from college. The current administrator of the scholarship is the Ross’s niece, Mrs. Glenna Gibson of Lancaster. The Dorrin and Ruth Ross scholarship program has assisted 4-H and FFA youth in Fairfield County with scholarship funds for over 25 years.

  • Eligibility Criteria – Candidates must meet one of the following criteria:
    Graduates or graduating high school seniors of Bloom Carroll High School or Fairfield Union High School;
    Past or present members of Fairfield County 4-H or Fairfield County Agriculture’s Future Farmers of American)FFA);
    Candidates must attend or plan to attend an educational institution in the U.S.

Deadline for the online application is April 15, 2024 at 5:00 p.m.

NEW for this year the application is now ON-LINE and can be found at the Columbus Foundation site or at : https://cfprograms.smapply.io/prog/rossschol

Support the Fairfield County Junior Fair Board – Kroger Rewards

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Help the Fairfield County Junior Fair Board raise money while shopping at no additional cost to you! 

Kroger Community Rewards

1. Start at Kroger.com
2. Sign in with your current Kroger account or create a new one. Note: You must have a registered Kroger Rewards card in order to participate in the Community Rewards program
3. Click the Community Rewards tab and search for “Fairfield Co 4H Advisory Committee”, then click Enroll
4. Once you select your charity, it will be saved and you will support 4-H each time you shop!
5. The 4-H Advisory Committee will allocate these funds to the JFB upon receipt

4-H Enrollment is Now Open!

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We look forward to receiving your enrollments for the 2024 4-H year. All enrollments are due through 4-H Online by April 15, 2024.

To enroll, please visit https://oh.4honline.com.

Previous families and advisors, please use the email and password from last year to enroll.  Not sure what email you used?  Please contact Haley Black at black.768@osu.edu or 740-277-4622.

New families, please visit https://fairfield.osu.edu/program-areas/4-h-youth-development/4-h-online-information for instructions and a video to help you enroll.  Your club advisors can also help you enroll. PLEASE DO NOT ENROLL IN 4-HONLINE UNTIL YOU HAVE TALKED/MET YOUR 4-H CLUB ADVISORS.

As a reminder, Cloverbud members (age 5-8 and currently in Kindergarten through 2nd grade as of Jan 1, 2024) will enroll in 710GPM. Horse Cloverbud Members should enroll in 710GPM AND COP-710HC.  Cloverbuds do not enroll in traditional project numbers, as they are a non-competitive, activity based program. Cloverbud members do have the option of purchasing the 715 My Cloverbud Year book to keep track of what they do during the club year.

Youth Opportunities at Ohio State Fair – Breaking Boundaries Pig Show

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The Ohio Pork Council (OPC) is pleased to announce that we will again be hosting the “Breaking Boundaries Pig Show” at the 2024 Ohio State Fair. This event will be hosted on Friday, July 26 at 5 P.M. in the O’Neill Swine Barn at the Ohio State Fairgrounds.

The goal of this special event is to give participants who have intellectual and/ or developmental disabilities the opportunity to care for and show pigs, which is an opportunity not typically offered at the Ohio State Fair. The show will welcome participants between 9 and 22 years old and are Ohio residents. These participants will be paired with a youth pig exhibitor who will serve as a mentor for them, as well as provide the animal for use in the show.

To give you some more insight on our event, I encourage you to look into some of the highlights of the 2023 show, found here:

OPC would love for you to share our event information with the families that have participated in your local show to help us provide these unique opportunities to a wider range of youth here in Ohio. We would be happy to provide additional resources for you to share including flyers, short write-ups, or attendance at any meetings held to share our opportunity.

For sign up links and further information please see below:

The link to sign up as a participant is: https://forms.gle/WRCVpozCGUhU89ML6

The link to find more information: https://www.ohiopork.org/events/breaking-boundaries/

 

If you have any questions, or would like more information, please let me know!

Thank you,

Kayli Mitchell, Education Director – Ohio Pork Producers Council

T: (614) 882-5887 ext. 4 | M: (740) 396-9377

E: kmitchell@ohiopork.org | www.ohiopork.org

Youth Opportunity: General Livestock Judging Webinar Series continues with Sheep

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The Ohio 4-H Animal Science Design Team Livestock Evaluation webinar series are continuing, and our fourth session is on sheep! These series are being recorded so that if someone is not able to attend, they can review it later.  Each month we will be focusing on a new topic/species in helping youth across the state prepare for various contests available to them.

Teen Opportunity: Ohio 4-H Event Youth Assistant (volunteer at the Ohio State Fair!)

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4-H Event Youth Assistant (4HEYA) applications are now available! This is an opportunity for teens 13-18 as of January 1 to get a short-term experience at the state level. Applications are available at go.osu.edu/4HEYAapp and are due by May 15, 2024. They also require 2 reference forms (one from a 4-H / Extension professional).

Here is a basic overview of the opportunity:

  • What: 4-H Event Youth Assistant (4HEYA)
  • Who: Individuals age 13-18 (as of January 1 of the year of application) and have at least 1 year prior 4-H experience.
  • Timeframe: Apply by May 15, selection, training, service to OSF, and evaluation. Complete responsibilities by August 31, 2024.
  • Requirements (in addition to application/selection process):
    • Training – Must attend one of the options for training (July 10 or July 18)
      • Please note: individuals MUST attend one of the training options. This is not negotiable. If you know you are unable to attend a training option before applying, it is best to wait another year before applying to serve in this capacity.
    • Events – Must work a minimum of 3 events at the Ohio State Fair; may work more if desired
  • Program Fee: $25/person (paid at go.osu.edu/4HEYA25);
  • Teens Receive:
    • 4HEYA Polo & Nametag
    • State Fair admission, parking ticket, and meal ticket(s)
    • Optional State Fair housing in the Rhodes Center (if desired)
    • Experience of working events at the Ohio State Fair
    • Opportunity to enhance leadership skills and be involved in the State 4-H program
  • What about the Teen Leadership Council? YES, these members may apply for 4HEYA AND TLC this year, if desired. TLC applications will be available in June and will be due the Friday following the Ohio State fair. Their term is September 1, 2024-August 31, 2025. Current TLC members are not eligible to apply for 4HEYA, as they are already fulfilling obligations at the Ohio State Fair.
  • Questions? Contact Frances (foos.61@osu.edu) or Sara (Deakin.5@osu.edu)

Tractor Maintenance Wraps Up Another Successful Year

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The Fairfield County Small Engines & Tractor Maintenance 4-H club wrapped up another year of programming with a traditional banquet on Monday, March 18th at the Amanda United Methodist Church.  The Club is one of only a handful of such clubs in the state at the county level and has been in existence for more than 75 years.

At the banquet, Mr. Adam Sharp from the Ohio Farm Bureau, a former member of the Club, spoke about the agricultural industry in Ohio and the importance of the skills and lessons we learned this year, such as problem-solving, time-management, conflict resolution, critical thinking, communication, and teamwork.

Next, Club Advisor Kim Root thanked the 2024 Club Officers: Brice Beery, President; Vice President, Carter Miller; Secretary, Grady Philson; Treasurer, Jacob Duke-Ward; and News Reporters, Henry Pratt and George Kraner.

The Advisors [Kim Root (Small Engines I), Andrew Hettinger (Small Engines II), Nate Seitz (Small Engines III), Brandt Coffman (Tractor Maintenance I), Nate Howdyshell (Tractor Maintenance II), and Clark Hunsinger (Tractor Maintenance III) also recognized their 35 students who completed the project books, hands-on projects, and/or final tests at each project level and gave each of us a certificate of completion.

The Club also thanked the hosts of the weekly meetings this year: OSU Extension Office, Millersport Agri Service Inc., Miller Farms, Fairfield County Ag Society, Travis Cupp Farm, Company Wrench, Liberty Union Agricultural Education Department, Foltz Ag Enterprises, and Specialty Tractor as well as the staff of the Fairfield County Extension and 4-H Office, Stacy Hicks and Aubry Fowler.

We can’t wait until next year to do it all again!

4-H is a non-formal educational youth development program for individuals 8 and in third grade or 9 years old through age 18 as of January 1, 2024 for more information, contact the Fairfield County Extension office at 740-653-5419.

Kim Root, Advisor

Fairfield County Small Engines & Tractor Maintenance

Submitted on behalf of Club News Reporter, Henry Pratt