I’m sure a number of you have now experienced teleworking (for those essential workers…THANK YOU!) So, I would love to share a little bit of the things I have learned while teleworking.
1. My Dogs Telework with Me: My dogs want to meet everyone on video conferencing, and no matter how serious the call, everyone seems to love pets.
2. Keep Moving: I take a morning walk for 15 minutes, and an afternoon walk for 15 minutes. It helps clear my mind of the new stresses of working digitally from work.
3. I Miss Your Kids: I gain so much energy and happiness from your youth – that this has been so hard. I can’t wait to share them again once this is all over!
4. I’m trying to organize way ahead, but my heart aches thinking about the what ifs. Don’t be surprised if I give you a, “I don’t know right now” response to if an event will happen. It’s not that I don’t care, but I literally don’t know.
5. I’m trying to balance keeping resources coming to families and understanding that you may just not want them right now. If you do nothing else, please do your enrollment for us. It helps me plan and plan ahead for what I hope to be a successful summer!

I recently was given the opportunity to speak at the National 4-H Healthy Living Summit at the National 4-H Conference Center in Chevy Chase, MD. The topic that was selected was Mental Health, specifically for the Ohio Health Heroes and I to discuss the Stigma of Mental Health and what we can do through our Clubs, Communities, and Action Plans to Fight the Stigma!

The presentation and notes are posted here online to my portfolio to look over and help you in your own journey of Fighting the Stigma!

For more than 100 years The Ohio State University has been home to the largest out-of-school, educational program in the United States with over 7 million young people participating last year.  This program, known as 4-H, was first developed in 1902 by A.B. Graham, Superintendent of Clark County Schools in Springfield, Ohio.  Since those early days, 4-H has grown to include rural, suburban, and urban youth and continues to focus on critical issues facing young people in their local communities.

Heather Gottke, Educator, 4-H Youth Development, further explained that Graham first initiated the concept of 4-H with the idea that if young people could “learn by doing” in the environment around them.  According to Gottke, Graham’s philosophy was that by learning about the soil, studying plants and how they grow, conducting experiments and research, youth could become more productive people and have a better quality of life.

Today, Ohio 4-H is still an exciting program for young people, said Gottke, with over 318,000 members “learning by doing” and developing themselves to their greatest potential with the motto “to make the best better.”  The vision of Ohio 4-H is developing youth to become positive, productive citizens and catalysts for effective change to improve our diverse society.  The Van Wert county 4-H program currently reaches over 500 youth.

Ohio 4-H programs are designed to engage youth in healthy learning experiences, thus increasing self-esteem and problem solving skills.  Gottke said programs address topics such as stress management, parent-teen communication, personal development, careers, environmental stewardship, and global understanding.  A wide range of content offerings encourages youth to explore science, technology, and citizenship.   Gottke also talked about the statewide 4-H effort she said Ohio 4-H offers over 200 different projects related to the needs of people living in a complex society.

“4-H is a dynamic program because of the many volunteers who support youth who are involved in clubs, special interests groups, and school enrichment programs, and many other programs Gottke said.  “Nearly 22,000 adults in Ohio give their time, energy and talents to guide and teach youth through various educational programs and activities.”

Gottke reported that 89 volunteers are involved in the Van Wert county 4-H Youth Development program.

For more information about the 4-H program, contact the Van Wert county Ohio State University Extension office at (419) 238-1214 or by emailing Heather at gottke.4@osu.edu.

We have posted information on the web with many common questions that a buyer may have. You can find it at http://go.osu.edu/vwclivestocksale  We will also post any relevant information to this page to help both youth and the buyers as we approach sale day!

A couple of things to think about as a youth exhibitor: 

1. Make sure you are taking pictures to put in a thank you for the day of the sale, and are prepared to write a thank you to those who have contributed to you. Many buyers go un-thanked each year which in turn makes it harder for youth after you to gain the trust of those businesses.

2. As a past youth exhibitor, I know it can be hard to ask businesses to attend or support you. I have personally been there – and my suggestion is to print off a nice letter asking them to attend, maybe a picture of your project, and go to the business and ask them to support you in your project. It’s not required – but I can tell you that businesses do appreciate the maturity and bravery it takes to do so. I still keep many of those relationships I built around my livestock sales to this day!

3. This year all the past buyers will receive a certificate for a thank you breakfast at the Farm Bureau tent the morning of. It is our way of saying thank you. We will be encouraging those who are towards the end of the sale order to help at the Farm Bureau building! It could be a great chance to snag a last minute buyer also!

4. Don’t forget to write thank you posters for last year’s buyer. I’ve seen many business owners beam at the thank yous that are in the barn! Get a nice poster board, write thank you to the business and hang it with pride!

5. If you are not able to be present the day of the sale – you must find find another Jr. Fair member to go through the ring for you to be represented. Please note that we are not obligated to sell an animal if no one shows up to go through the ring. If you tell the sale announcers, they will let the crowd know why you are missing.

October 2015 – The Van Wert County 4-H Endowment Board will be conducting their first Trot-N-Trough 5K Run/Walk and Chili Cook-Off fund raiser event on Saturday, October 24, 2015. The event will raise money for academic scholarships for graduating 4-H seniors, scholarships and financial assistance to 4-H youth interested in attending 4-H Camp Palmer, and 4-H club grants for community service projects and special programs.

The race was the kick-0ff of our event, with a 5K loop that went around most of the Jr. Fair grounds end, and looped the grandstands track. Participants received a free green “Trot-N-Trough” shirt for registering!

Following the race was the Chili Cook-Off! 3 Teams from the community served up chili, including Ag Credit, MMMGood, and OSU Extension. The Winner of the Event was Ag Credit, with a close second from the MMMGood team!

Chili Cook-Off OSU Extension Recipe Veggie Chili (from the USDA What’s Cooking website)

4-H Professional Notes for Recreating Your Own Event

• Measuring the course is the hardest part of a 5k!
• If you have a running company in your area, see if they will help you, or work for a small fee.
• Make sure you publish that it is a WALK and RUN. People will walk for a good cause!
• For the chili, the hardest prediction is how much to make, how many to expect, and what to provide. We went with gut instinct and still had plenty extra!
• Having a great team is irreplaceable.
• Work with your health department to find the best way to do your cook-off. For us, it was having already prepared chili brought on-site, and doing a donation system for tickets and voting.

Let me give you a brief history of why OSU Extension has a presence in our county. If you have ever visited Ohio State University main campus or watched buckeye football on TV, you may have seen two white buildings located next to the football stadium. In these are student housing and business offices. One is the Lincoln Tower, named after Abraham Lincoln. The other is the Morrill Tower name after Justin Morrill.

During the mid 1800’s, the nation was experiencing an economic time similar to the one we have currently been experiencing. To promote economic recovery, Morrill persuaded Lincoln to pass an act that would grant tracts of land in each state on which states could build universities. This was the 1860 land grant system. For example, there’s an OSU in Ohio, Rutgers in New Jersey, and Cornell in New York. In the 1890’s the land grant act was used to build 17 Historically black colleges and Universities in states where Blacks were excluded from the original land grant university.

In the early 1900’s another act was passes. This stated that land grant universities would be the university for all the citizens of a state, not just the students who attend classes on campus. This was the beginning of the Land-Grant departments of Extension in which the university faculty and staff members were placed into counties to educate residents with research-based information.

At first Extension educators focused on topics related to agriculture. But as social sciences grew, extension began to focus on topics related to home economics. Today, home economics is known as the Family and Consumer Sciences. Topics focus on relationship skills, health and nutrition, and financial management. Economic development is another added area that has been developed to help communities grow through businesses development and retention. The last program area 4-H Youth Development was actually developed here in the state of Ohio. Many people recognize the presence of 4-H in their county, but may not associate it with the land grant university.

4-H Youth development is a part of OSU Extension and is directed by staff hired through the university to serve in the community. 4-H is not a standalone youth development organization, as it funded through USDA, State, and our local current levy funding. As a part of Extension, it thrives when surrounded by the support of the other program areas to help educate the youth in the programming. Ag and Natural Resources can offer programs, information, and research that benefits youth in those projects, offer club educational presentations, and share resources such as the insects from the Entomology lab at the main Columbus campus. Programming in financial literacy, food and nutrition projects, and home care can all be added to with the help of a Family and Consumer Sciences program area. The knowledge of the University is meant to be shared with the people, and to be used to strengthen our communities.

Extension is wonderful resource in our county. Our staff in Van Wert county is a team of individual areas waiting to serve the community. We provide educational services designed to help you strengthen yourself, your family and your community. If you have a backyard pest or weed that you might like to understand how to eliminate our Agricultural Educator is here to help! We hope to strengthen families in our community to build Van Wert into something that we can continue to be proud of.

My name is Heather Gottke and I am the 4-H Program Coordinator for Van Wert County. I am employed by the Ohio State University Extension Office and have been working here for 6 years. Before I worked with Van Wert County I served many summers with Paulding County Extension, and a semester long internship with Allen County all serving the 4-H and Jr. Fair programs.

As a 4-H professional I am first and foremost a youth development specialist. I am to form and promote activities that will help our youth in this community grow and become productive members that help keep the future of Van Wert County bright and prospering. I work with our over 25 clubs in the community to help our 500 4-H members grow and learn through projects, camps, teen leaders, and community service. Some of my favorite activities that I am able to do throughout the 4-H “year” are 4-H Camp, and the Jr. Fair. Working directly with youth to achieve our goals is both hard work and satisfying.

In the community I work with a few projects that some may be familiar with. In the Fall I help with the Cows and Plows ag literacy program in cooperation with the Soil and Water District office. I love working with teachers to develop enrichment activities that are both fun and educational. I have taught a number of leadership classes for both teens and children from one time to on-going.

Throughout my work with Extension I am able to focus on projects that help the 4-H program grow and develop. I have assisted in editing the Scrapbooking project book that we currently use for the state of Ohio, helped with promotion and delivery of our IEP program, the “Winning Plan” and love to share the uses of technology with others. In the winter months I focus on planning, grant writing, and working with committees to gather the needed information for much of the events and activities that occur in the 4-H program.

The programs that I provide are only a small part of what Ohio State University Extension is. We are helping communities grow stronger. We want to help families, grow gardens, nurture agriculture, and show our children the future. The programming we offer is developed with the needs of OUR community in mind.

Many people will ask me about my day to day schedule as a 4-H professional. It is constantly changing to meet the seasons! This time of year we are preparing for the Fair with judging, work days at the fair grounds, and other special events. Before the fun stuff (the fair) can happen, I get to do a whole lot of paperwork, working out details, and planning so that when the time comes, things can go smoothly. I prepare risk management documents, plan of activities, contact outside entities for assistance, and work with partners (such as the fairboards) to make things happen.

The chaos, the excitement, and the stress all can be good and bad. While being a 4-H professional does not compare to the stress level of other professions in the same way – it is a lot of pressure. I take it very seriously that there are 500 kids (and their families) relying on me to get the job done, to fix what isn’t right, and to do it professionally. I love my job because I get to provide top-notch experiences for youth in Van Wert County through 4-H. I love it even more because I get to build positive relationships with both my youth and volunteers that I hope last a lifetime for both them and myself. And I love my job the most because when youth succeed over and over again – I’m as proud as their parents.

Thank you to all the supporters, friends, families, and even my own family for all the help throughout my first 6 years here. Without you all, this program couldn’t be where it is today. Let’s keep a good thing going!

 I often get questions about how to become a buyer and what all it means to support the Junior Fair Livestock Sale. The sale is the culmination for many livestock projects including 4-H and FFA. It is the end of the road for the many market animals that come to the fair and serves as the conclusion of the junior fair member’s project. To the many supporters of the sale it is the chance to support youth and encourage future projects. Many businesses in and around Van Wert County contribute to the success of the livestock sale every year. This year’s sale will begin at 9:00am on Tuesday September 8, 2015 at the Farm Focus Show Arena at the Van Wert County Fairground.

The most common question I often receive is “Do I have to take the whole animal home with me?” The easiest answer is simply no. The price you bid will be the premium (or extra) that the exhibitor will receive. If you wish to have the animal slaughtered for personal use, you will also be required to pay the support price for that given animal. Often people ask about our policy of the amount of trips an exhibitor may take through the ring. Exhibitors may only go one time per species of animal through the sale ring and are allowed a maximum of two trips through the sale ring. This means that youth who take more than two types of animals must choose which animals go through the ring. Exhibitors do their best to show appreciation for livestock purchases at the fair by posting signs and writing thank you’s.

The Livestock Sale Committee (in conjunction with 4-H Council) works to provide a breakfast for buyers the day of the sale and food throughout the day to keep buyers comfortable. In your support of the sale, we as a junior fair community try our best to give as much appreciation and marketing to businesses that take the time and money to support our youth and the projects they take. The Junior Fair Board, 4-H and FFA appreciate the support given to exhibitors in the program in the past.

With the changes in scheduling, we would like to remind buyers that the sale will be held on Tuesday September 8, 2015, starting at 9:00am at the Farm Focus Arena on the Van Wert County Fairgrounds. If you have any questions regarding the livestock sale, please contact the Ohio State University Extension Office here in Van Wert at (419-238-1214). New buyers are appreciated at any time, and we would love to talk to you about the many opportunities to support the Junior Fair exhibitors!

Livestock, foods, sewing, scrapbooking, and cake decorating are all fairly popular and well-known 4-H projects. But did you know that 4-H has some pretty unique projects?  I decided to look over our family guide book of 4-H projects and choose a few of my unique favorites.

4-H members can have an opportunity to explore their roots with the genealogy project, “Family History Treasure Hunt”.   Through the project they explore not only people but interesting events, and special stories from generations previous to them.  This project teaches members how to explore history, and guides them in a way that they can learn about their own heritage.

The theater arts have rose to great popularity in recent years. Many youth enjoy acting, and building stages for local theater productions.  Through 4-H, members are given the opportunity to choose from three books that focus on the theater arts.  Play the Role focuses on acting skills such as voice, speech, movement, and characterization. Puppeteering is another one of the books, and it takes a look at the origins of puppets, types of puppets, and how to make them. Finally, what would acting be without an awesome background? “Set the Stage” teaches 4-H members how to do sets, props, sound, makeup, and stage management. Sounds like all the parts of a good production to me!

Selecting the appropriate furnishings for a room can be hard. Through the home living projects members can explore simple home furnishings, learn the basics about design such as color, flooring, walls, windows, and lighting, or taking those first steps away from your parent’s home in the project, “Your First Home Away from Home”. These projects aim to help members learn not only the principles, but the management of those projects such as a remodel, or living in an apartment.

Public Issues such as hunger, community service, and positive change in communities are just a few of the many things that older members can focus on in the leadership book series. These books are newly revised and/or developed to look at the needs of our communities especially here in Ohio. The books help 4-H members build solutions to problems in their communities and guide them with the proper steps and motivation to do a great job. These projects are just a part of what a member can do, as they open up to projects were they can determine the project for their community.

As you can tell there are many unique 4-H projects that members can choose from. Other unique projects that I didn’t write about include childcare, veterinary sciences, small animals, and costume creation! For more information you can visit Ohio 4-H Project Central at http://ohio4h.org/projectcentral or our local Extension office page at http://vanwert.osu.edu.