Club Information

Bench Sponsors Needed

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The Junior Leaders Club is finishing up their Bottle Cap Community Service Project for 2021, and is looking for sponsors to help cover the cost of the benches. With the help of the 4-H Clubs in Fairfield County, the Junior Leaders were able to collect enough plastic caps to make 10 benches.

Each bench costs $220 and will be placed around the Fairfield County Fairgrounds. Checks can be made out to: “Fairfield County Junior Leaders” and sent to: Fairfield County Junior Leaders, 831 College Ave. Suite D, Lancaster, OH 43130. All donations need to be received by Friday, July 23rd. If your club would like to purchase a plaque to go on their bench, we will coordinate that after the benches have been purchased and delivered.

Remember: The club who collects the most caps by weight will receive a bench sponsored by the Junior Leaders and a personalized plaque for their bench. 

If your club would like to donate funds to cover a bench, please let Aubry (Fowler.443@osu.edu) know so the Junior Leaders can plan accordingly. If you have any questions, please reach out to the Extension Office at 740-653-5419.

Community Service Grants for ServeOhio Day – 4-H Club Opportunity

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Funding Available for ServeOhio Day Volunteer Projects

ServeOhio – along with partners American Electric Power Foundation and AmeriCorps – is pleased to announce the availability of grants to support community service projects organized for ServeOhio Day on June 19, 2021. ServeOhio Day coincides with the summer solstice – the day with the longest period of daylight in the year – providing the most ample opportunity to volunteer annually. Grant awards will range between $500 to $2,000.

How can the funding be used?

The grants support projects that create or improve community assets or infrastructure such as parks, schools, senior centers, community gardens or low-income homes through volunteer engagement. Funds may be used for supplies, materials and volunteer support.

Who is eligible to apply?

Non-profit and public organizations in Ohio including, but not limited to, volunteer centers, school districts, community colleges, universities, and local governments are eligible to apply.

Ready to apply?

For the application and instructions, visit the ServeOhio website. The application deadline is May 18, 2021 at 11:59 PM. We look forward to receiving your application.

Bottle Cap Weigh In: May 8th and/or May 18th

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4-H Clubs do you have bottle caps to weigh in?

Please bring all clean plastic bottle caps in a trash bag and/or box to the May Weigh-Ins at the Fairfield County Fairgrounds!

Weigh Ins will take place in the #4 Beef Barn at the Fairfield County Fairgrounds on:

  • Saturday, May 8th, 9:00 – 11:00 am
  • Tuesday, May 18th, 5:00 – 7:00 pm

If you have questions, please contact Aubry (Fowler.443@osu.edu)

 

Reminder on the rules:

  • Work within your club to collect clean plastic bottle caps and lids.
  • Collect only caps that are approved – they must be ALL plastic and clean (no food residue please)
  • Store them during our “off” time in bags – inside a box – they will get heavy
  • Bring them to the Extension Office for the Club Weigh-In 
  • Fundraise to purchase a bench for your club Contact Aubry (Fowler.443@osu.edu) for more details (optional)
  • The club who collects the most caps by weight will receive a bench sponsored by the Junior Leaders and a personalized plaque for their bench.

Acceptable Plastic Caps:

  • Empty and Clean K-Cups are now accepted as well!

Attention Livestock Exhibitors: Quality Assurance Updates

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Quality Assurance is an annual requirement of the Ohio Department of Agriculture for youth taking livestock projects to county and state fair. In Fairfield County, Quality Assurance Training is required for all members who will be exhibiting a livestock project at the Fairfield County Fair or Junior Exhibitor at the Ohio State Fair. Beef (Breeding & Market); Dairy Breeding & Dairy Feeders; Goats (Dairy, Meat, Market & Pygmy); Poultry (Breeding & Market); Sheep (Breeding & Market); Swine; Rabbits (Breeding & Market), and Alpacas/Llamas.

Deadlines for 2021:

  • Youth planning to exhibit at the Ohio State Fair must have their Quality Assurance completed by June 1st, 2021.
  • Youth planning to exhibit at the Fairfield County Fair must have their Quality Assurance completed by August 15th, 2021.

At this time, Quality Assurance CANNOT be taught by club/chapter advisors to Fairfield County 4-H/FFA youth virtually (i.e. Zoom, Google Hangouts, Google Classrooms, Facebook Live, etc.).

Here are the acceptable options to complete Quality Assurance in 2021:

  • In-Person 4-H Club/FFA Chapter Clinic taught by a 4-H/FFA Advisor who has completed the Quality Assurance Assistant Instructor Training this year (which took place on April 7th and April 26th). Advisors who attended this training will notify their members of their club/chapter QA Clinic date and will be responsible for getting all QA paperwork submitted to the Extension Office by the appropriate deadlines.
  • In-Person Countywide Make-Up Clinics: To be held on Saturday, May 8th at 9:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. and Sunday, May 23rd at 2:00 p.m.- 3:30 p.m. at the Ed Sands Building at the Fairgrounds. A third date has been added: Thursday, June 10th at 7:00 p.m. Attendance is limited and an RSVP is required. Please register online at this link for either countywide in-person QA Clinic: https://osu.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0P19iWcND165rpQ
  • In-Person Beef Quality Assurance: Members who complete an in-person BQA taught by a certified BQA instructor must submit documentation to Leslie Cooksey at cooksey.25@osu.edu.
  • In-Person Pork Quality Assurance: Members who complete an in-person PQA taught by a certified PQA advisor must submit documentation to Leslie Cooksey at cooksey.25@osu.edu. Youth MUST be age 14 or older (current age) to complete in-person PQA. Youth will receive a PQA certification number from the National Pork Board upon completion.
  • Online: Youth for the Quality Care of Animals (YQCA). This is the ONLY approved ONLINE Quality Assurance Program for youth in Ohio. For 2021, this web-based course has been approved by ODA for 8-18 year olds.
    • Go to: https://yqca.learngrow.io/Account/Login
      • Fairfield County 4-H Members should select “sign in with 4-HOnline”. It will prompt you to select a state and then enter your 4-HOnline account information. After successfully logging in, you will be given a list of active family members. Select the family member and start the account creation process.
      • Fairfield County FFA Members (who are not in 4-H) should select FFA & Independent Sign-In.
    • You will need to select the web-based training ($12.00 per member, annually).
    • For a complete list of directions visit: Getting Your YQCA Online Certification
    • When you are finished, please send name(s) and certificate number(s) to Leslie Cooksey at cooksey.25@osu.edu.

Cloverbud Volunteer Training – April 21st at 6pm

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Join Fairfield County & Tuscarawas County educators as we review what it means to be a Cloverbud 4-H Volunteer. This training is optional and open to all Ohio 4-H Volunteers!

This Cloverbud Volunteer training is open to any 4-H volunteer and will cover the Ohio 4-H Cloverbud program, State Resources, and Tips for a successful cloverbud year. This meeting will be held via zoom. Once your registration is complete, you will receive a confirmation email with the meeting link information. Register here to save your spot!

If you have any questions, please contact Aubry Fowler, fowler.443@osu.edu or 740-277-4626 or Kiersten Heckel, heckel.13@osu.edu or 330-339-2337.

 

NOW AVAILABLE – Purchase your 4-H Books from the EXTENSION OFFICE!

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In case you have not heard, 4-H Project Books are available at the Fairfield County Extension Office. This is the best way to make sure you get the correct book for your project and save a little money.

Members, check with your advisors if they are doing a club order for books. If so, make sure they have the books you want on their list. If your club is NOT doing a big order, you can email Stacy (Hicks.686@osu.edu) your book order. You will receive a confirmation email when your order is ready for pick up.

Advisors, please fill out the 2021 Ohio 4-H Project Books and Resources Volunteer Order Form. It can be found here. Please make sure to download this PDF before filling it out. Book order forms can be emailed to Stacy as well. You will receive a confirmation email when your order is ready to pick up. The Extension Office is open by appointment Tuesday and Thursday from 8:00 a.m – 4:00 p.m.

Here are some way to find the right project book for you:

  • Find the perfect book. Refer to your Family Guide in print or online to learn about the projects available this year. You can also preview books on Project Central and learn more about each project.
  • Download one for free. A special collection of project books is available for free on the Perfect Stay-at-Home Projects web page (https://ohio4h.org/stayathomeprojects). 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.)
  • Make your own. If you would rather not purchase a book in this way, self-determined projects are an excellent choice for self-motivated members eager to get started by creating their own projects. Although self-determined projects may be better suited for older 4-H members, they are available for any member and are often based on idea starters already available online. Many of the idea starters are great stay-at-home projects too, for example, Music, Bats, String Art, Climate Change, American Sign Language, etc. (For project judging, self-determined projects are judged in self-determined categories.)

If you have any questions, you may reach out to Leslie Cooksey (cooksey.25@osu.edu) or Aubry Fowler (fowler.442@osu.edu) – Fairfield County 4-H Educators.

Don’t forget to submit your enrollment. All members and advisors need to have their enrollment in by May 1st! If you have changes to make to your project list and your 4-HOnline Profile has been approved, just send Missy Koenig (koenig.398@osu.edu) an email letting her know what changes you’d like to make to your projects.

Stay safe, stay healthy! You’re all Making the Best Better in 4-H!

Healthy Living Grab and Go Resources Page

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Healthy Living Grab and Go Resources Page: Available Now!

The Ohio 4-H Healthy Living Design Team created activities that go along with many of their blog posts, and now they are organized on the Grab and Go Resources page. On the grab and go page you’ll find lesson plans that you can download and use at your next meeting. You can use one activity, or combine several related activities to create the plan for an entire meeting.

The lessons are grouped together by topics that correspond with the Healthy Officer Resource Book: nutrition; physical activity; and mental, emotional, and social health.

Additional topics include:

  • The newest section is Mindful Moments, which are short, 5-minute activities that can be used at the start of any meeting.
  • COVID-19 activities address situations brought on by the pandemic.
  • Creative Well-Being activities are fun activities that exercise creativity in different ways.

As the team writes new blog posts, they will continue to add resources to the grab and go page, so check back often. Don’t forget to click the “subscribe” button to receive an email notification about new blog content.

Fairfield County 4-H Calendar (through February) is Available!

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Click here to access the 2021 Fairfield County 4-H pdf and Google calendar.

Events and programs will be added as they are scheduled. Please note, this calendar is subject to change at anytime. Please continue to check back for the most current updates.

Additional dates to put on the calendar:

  • Cloverbud Camp: June 5th, 2021
  • 4-H Endowment Legacy Dinner: June 10th, 2021
  • Intermediate Camp: June 14th-17th, 2021
  • Junior Camp: June 29th-July 2nd, 2021
  • Summer Judging Week: July 12th-15th, 2021
  • Fairfield County Fair: October 10th-16th, 2021