The Zanesville FamilySearch Center (3300 Kearns Drive, Zanesville) has a fun service project scheduled for Saturday, May 27th (Memorial Day Weekend) specific to Family History.  This will be a service project that can include all members of the community (young, old, ambulatory, not-so-ambulatory, computer-savvy, not-so-computer-savvy, etc.).  The service project is open to Zanesville as well as surrounding communities.  More details will be forthcoming in the coming weeks but here it is in a nutshell:

Name:  “Help Find A Family” Service Project

Date:  Saturday, May 27, 9am-3pm (2 hour shifts)

Place:  Woodlawn Cemetery, Zanesville

What:  Assist in completing the documentation of Woodlawn Cemetery for genealogy researchers using BillionGraves.com technology.

Activities:

• Cleaning of grave markers (primary age children on up).

• Take photographs of the grave markers using the BillionGraves app (iPhones or Android only).  The photos would then be uploaded to BillionGraves.com for transcription.
• Transcribing the names and dates and other grave marker information on BillionGraves.com
• Connecting the individuals and families to FamilySearch.org through BillionGraves.com website.

If interested in participating in this Service Project, please use the contact information below:

Dan Bravard, Zanesville FamilySearch Center (formerly called Family History Center)

Email:  oh_zanesville@familyhistorymail.org

Phone:  614.361.5895

Livestock Quality Assurance (QA) Certification is required for all youth exhibiting a market animal, dairy cow or dairy goat project at the Muskingum County Fair.

Certification can be obtained in one of three ways:

1) Youth can participate in a QA program provided by OSU Extension. Youth may attend any QA regardless of the animal they are exhibiting.

In-Person Program Dates

Veteran’s Building, Fairgrounds

April 4, 6-8 p.m.

April 26, 6-8 p.m.

May 8, 6-8 p.m.

• Parent attendance is not required, but encouraged.
• Plan to arrive early, as youth will not receive credit for attending if they arrive more than 10 minutes after the program starts. Youth must complete and submit the attendance card at the end to receive credit.

Zoom Sessions

$10 non-refundable registration fee per youth, paid online. Register here: go.osu.edu/muskqa2023.

May 1, 5:30 & 7 p.m.

• Session attendance is limited to 50 youth per session and pre-registration is required.
• Fee is $10 per participant, paid via credit card in advance. Registration fee is non-refundable. Your spot is only reserved once payment is made.
• Each participant needs to log in from a DIFFERENT device, as only one person can be visible on screen at a time for attendance taking purposes.
• Sessions are designed to be one hour, but could run over a few minutes.
• Participants will be required to have their camera on for the duration of the session and respond to poll questions throughout. Youth should plan to arrive early, as youth will not receive credit for attending if they arrive more than 5 minutes after the program starts.
• Attendance will be taken at the beginning and end of each session. Only registered youth can receive credit for attending.

2) Complete the Youth for the Quality Care for Animals (YQCA) Online Course.

The online module completed must be for the correct 4-H age. Only the YQCA courses currently meet ODA standards. BQA, PQA, BEST and other online programs do not meet this requirement. Families use their 4HOnline log in to complete the course. The cost is $12 per youth.

Program details: go.osu.edu/yqca

If youth complete online, they need to forward the completion certificate to mcconnell.210@osu.edu.

3) Youth can participate in the test out option.

All youth 12-14 years of age (4-H age) may take a QA test designed for their age group. If they pass the test with a score of 70% or greater, the youth will be certified in QA until they turn 15 years old.

All youth 15-18 years of age (4-H age) may take a QA test designed for their age group. If they pass the test with a score of 70% or greater, the youth will be certified in QA for the remainder of their Junior Fair years.

Youth will either take the Large Animal (Beef, Dairy, Goat, Sheep, Swine) test or Small Animal (Poultry, Rabbit) test. QA certification is good for all animal projects taken no matter which test is passed.

Youth are only permitted to take one test per calendar year. If a youth does not pass the QA test, they will be required to attend a QA program to gain certification.

A study guide is available online at: go.osu.edu/qastudyguide.

QA Test-Out Dates

Participants MUST pre-register no later than the day before the test-out: go.osu.edu/muskqatestout

April 4, 4:30-5:30 p.m., Veteran’s Building

April 26, 4:30-5:30 p.m., Veteran’s Building

• Youth may arrive to take the test anytime in the testing window, but must submit the test by the end time.
• Youth complete the test at their own pace. It is 50 questions multiple choice.

The Ohio Department of Agriculture has released a new document entitled “Ohio Youth Livestock Exhibition Rules”. They are a requirement starting with the 2023 year for all Junior Fair exhibitions. Many of these rules were already in place, simply hard to find at times because they were in different places. More information is available on the Junior Fair page of our website.

These rules apply to the following species: beef, dairy, goat, llamas/alpacas, poultry, rabbit, sheep and swine. They DO NOT apply to horses. Horse exhibitors should refer to the Uniform Rules for 4-H Horse Shows and the Muskingum County Fair Book for ownership, care and leasing information.

Specifically, this document outlines ownership and leasing requirements for animals that will be listed in the Muskingum County Fair Book starting this year. Youth with projects in the listed species are encouraged to review these guidelines, available on our website: Ohio Youth Livestock Exhibition Rules.

NEW THIS YEAR: Youth leasing breeding or dairy livestock will be required to submit a copy of their lease agreement with their Fair Entry registration, due June 30.

Sample lease agreements are available on our website:

Breeding Animal Lease

Dairy Animal Lease

Important ownership note for youth exhibiting pack and harness goats! Under these rules, youth CANNOT use the same goat for more than one 4-H project. This means that youth CANNOT show a goat in a market/breeding/dairy pygmy class and show the same goat in a pack or harness class. This also means that youth CANNOT show the same goat in a pack class and a harness class.

All youth enrolled in a horse project (except Project #173 Horseless Horse) must complete a Horse Education Program, even if they do not plan to exhibit at the fair.

Youth must complete Ohio 4-H’s EquiSTEP program. It can be accessed here: go.osu.edu/2023equistep. 

The online course is housed on ScarletCanvas and is run by the State 4-H Office. Information to access the course will in Muskingum County 4-H Family Update E-mails when it becomes available.

• Each member must sign up for the course with a unique e-mail address.
• Select ‘Modules’ to see the 5 steps.
• Watch the video(s) that correspond with each step.
• Complete the quiz associated with the training. You need to score at least a 7 out of 10 to pass the training.
• After scoring at least a 7 out of 10 on the quiz, complete the Certificate of Completion/Course Evaluation Survey. You will be emailed a certificate that notes you have completed the EquiSTEP training, please forward to Jamie (mcconnell.210@osu.edu).

All Muskingum County Youth must complete the Horse Education Program requirement by June 15.

Download the Registration Information

This unique scholarship is sponsored by Muskingum County Farm Bureau and Boyer Insurance.

This opportunity is for anyone who has an interest in agriculture and would like to learn more about opportunities within the industry. This scholarship experience gives the participant the opportunity to shadow leaders, make connections, and learn jobs in the industry. After completing the two-day experience, the participant will receive a $1,500 scholarship.

Did you know that 1 in every 8 jobs in Ohio is related to agriculture? There are so many agriculture specialties beyond farming. This opportunity will provide exposure to many of those agriculture careers by allowing the participant to spend a few hours in the day-to-day operations of these careers as well as connect with leaders in the industry which could be advantageous in the future. A daily schedule will be provided for the two-day time frame of the scholarship experience.

The applicant must be a senior at a Muskingum County High School or be home-schooled in Muskingum County and be enrolled in a postsecondary education program including, a 2 or 4 year degree program, certificate program, trade school program, or licensing program.

For more details, see the award description and application below:

AGRICULTURE INDUSTRY SCHOLARSHIP EXPERIENCE APPLICATION

Deadline to apply: April 14, 2023.

Ohio 4-H Special Needs Camp is held at Canter’s Cave 4-H Camp with support of a 4-H Foundation grant. The facility is in Jackson County, Ohio, just south of Chillicothe.  Each summer, we offer a camping experience for youth aged 8-adult who have unique needs that cannot be accommodated in a traditional camp setting. We typically have a small group of between 15-25 campers and their caregivers who spend the weekend doing all the normal camp things, modified for their needs.

This year, Camp will be June 9-11. Camper registration forms, along with some pictures and additional information about the event, are online at this site: https://4hcanterscave.osu.edu/home/experience-it/special-needs-camp

Registration due June 1.

• 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, 2023.
  • Applications available at: https://go.osu.edu/4HEYAapp
  • Two references should be submitted at: https://go.osu.edu/4HEYAref
• Requirements (in addition to application/selection process):
  • Training – Must attend one of the options for training (July 11 or July 17)
    • 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, 2023-August 31, 2024. 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 Sarah (longo.79@osu.edu

Ohio 4-H is asking us to share this survey with our families! This is your chance to weigh in on your preferred format for 4-H project books.

Complete the survey by April 14: go.osu.edu/projectbooksurvey