The deadline to apply for the Jean Craig award is approaching fast!  All applications must be returned to the Mahoning County Extension Office by 4:30 p.m., Friday, August 25th.

Jean Craig Award App

The Jean Craig Award honors the memory of Jean Craig, 4-H advisor and volunteer.  Each year, the award is given to a club that exhibits an outstanding commitment to community service.

Come join us for a day filled with adventure! If you have a 4-H Cloverbud between the ages of 5 and 8 who enjoy outdoor activities, science based learning, animals, arts and crafts, bring them to our Passport to Adventure Cloverbud Day Camp August 8 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Southern Park Stables, 126 Washington Blvd. Boardman, Ohio.

This event will provide the opportunity for children to learn about nature and science while also interacting with animals at our very own petting zoo. Lunch will be provided for all participants. Cost is $10.00 per child.

Registration forms can be found online at go.osu.edu/2017cloverbuddaycamp. Registrations are due by July 28, 2017.

If you have any questions, call the Mahoning County Extension Office at 330-533-5538.

There’s always something fun going on with Mahoning County 4-H!

Enrollment:

The enrollment deadline is coming up fast, so be sure to have your club enrollment on 4-H Online by April 3rd.

4-H Endowment Dinner and Auction:

We are also now under a month until the 4-H Endowment Dinner and Auction!  We ask that all tickets are turned in to the office by Friday, April 14th, and all donation items are brought in by Monday, April 17th.  Thank you for helping make this a successful event!

To learn more about upcoming activities and events, click HERE

Everyday we teach 4-H’ers to pledge their hands to service, and with our April service initiative, we are all able to do just that!  This April, 4-H is launching “True Leaders in Service” in honor of National Volunteer Appreciation Month.

Here in Mahoning County, 4-H is partnering with the South Side Academy in Youngstown to help fill their weekender bags.  What is a weekender bag you may ask?  It is a bag of food given to the students at South Side Academy on Fridays so that the students have access to food while not in the school’s care.

To learn more about how you can help, click HERE

Mahoning County Saddle Horse Symposium

• When: April 1, 2017
  • 9 – 3:30 p.m.
  • Doors open to the public at 8 a.m.

• Where: South Range High School
  • 11300 Columbiana-Canfield Rd., Canfield, OH 44406

• Sessions:
  • Safety Seminars
  • Feed and Tack Information
  • Much much more!
• Schedule
• Program Flier

To learn more about your project requirements and what you need to do to get ready for the fair, check out the link below!

2017 Project Completion and Fair Requirements

4-H Online Training for Volunteers

Enrollment needs to be entered into 4-H Online by April 1^st. Any volunteers that need help in entering this information or need a refresher course on how to do it;

• We are offering a 4-H Online training at the Extension Office on Tuesday, March 7^th from 6:30pm – 8:30pm
• Bring your lap top with you and your completed enrollment forms and we will help you enter the information into the system
• Please call the office or email Beth to register for this training
  • 330-533-5538
  • 11958@osu.edu

Safety Poster Theme

The theme for the Safety Posters this year is Safety in Athletics 

EIN Rejections

If you have received a letter from the IRS in 2014, 2015, or 2016 stating that the IRS is revoking your tax-exempt status, we need a copy of that letter at the office to resolve the issue. Please get those to us as soon as possible (Some have already given us the letter). If you know that you received one but cannot find it, please call the office and let us know.

Meeting Dates and List of Officers

Please remember that we need the following two documents on file at the office by April 1^st:

• 2017 Club Officers
• 2017 4-H Club Meeting Dates

We have attached a copy of both documents to this message.

Volunteer training for 1.50 Policy

Volunteer Training Dates for the 1.50 Child Abuse Training are:

• Thursday, February 16^th from 6pm-7pm at the Extension Office
• Saturday, February 18^th from 10am-11am at the Extension Office

Please call or email Beth Smith to register for a time to do your training 330-533-5538 or smith.11958@osu.edu

I will also be offering 1.50 training classes at Quality Assurance on March 4^th at South Range High School and at the Horse Symposium on April 1^st at South Range High School (times to be announced)

Check out the link below to register for the OSU Junior Swine Day.  The Swine Day will be held March 25 at the Ohio State Columbus Campus and also at the Ohio State Agricultural Technical Institute in Wooster.  Registration will begin in both Columbus and Wooster at 8 a.m., and the program will adjourn at 3 p.m.

Junior Swine Day Registration and Information (2 pages)

This year youth will have three opportunities to take the Livestock Quality Assurance Test, which exempts them from attending the Canfield Fair QA program.  All dates will be held at the OSU Extension Office in Mahoning County. We recommend you come 5-10 minutes before the start time to register.

QA Test Out Guidelines

• Youth ages 12-14 who pass the QA test can test out of their annual QA program for up to 3 years. Passing of THIS test only exempts attendance at QA until the member reaches a 4-H age of 15. At that time, they would take the 15-18 year old test.
• Youth ages 15-18 years who pass the QA test can test out of their annual QA program permanently.
• These ages are as of January 1, 2017 – a youth’s 4-H age.

NOTE: The Canfield Fairboard has a policy stating, “Youth must attend the Canfield Fairboard’s QA program for at least 3 years before they can test out.”  Even if you take the test and pass, the fairboard will be double checking your eligibility and ultimately decide if your passing the test exempts you from their QA requirement.

EXAMPLES

• A 15 year old that is new to Mahoning County is not eligible to take the QA test.
• A 12 year old that is new to Mahoning County must wait until they are 15 years old to take the QA test.

This year the test will primarily be over the Good Production Practices 1, 3, and 6. We are no longer able to have the review session before the test, so we recommend that members study their 4-H Project Resource Book, focusing on the Quality Assurance section of the book.

Reservations are required

• Please call the OSU Extension Office with your Name, Age (as of January 1).
• We need your preference of test (Small Animal or Large Animal).
• You must register two days before the test to assist with test preparation.
• The size of each class is limited. The dates are:

February 20    10:00-12:00p.m.

February 20    5:00-7:00pm

February 23    6:30–8:30pm

Happy February!

To view this week’s 4-H Newsletter, follow the link below.

4-H Newsletter