Author: Jamie McConnell

New 4-H Volunteer Applications Now Available! Due January 31

by

Interested in serving as a club or committee volunteer starting in 2025? Adults who desire to volunteer their time, energy and talents to Ohio State University Extension and the Muskingum County 4-H program as a club or committee volunteer must successfully complete the volunteer selection process. Volunteer applicants must have approval from the club organizational volunteer or committee president to be considered. Upon completion of the application, the club organizational volunteer will receive an e-mail asking them to confirm the applicant as a potential volunteer for their club. Jamie will contact committee presidents directly if there is any question about volunteer applicants! 

This year, the application can be completed and submitted entirely online! The required interview will take place via Zoom and the orientation session will be in person.  

Find details and the application on our website: https://muskingum.osu.edu/join. Completed Volunteer Applications MUST be submitted by 11:59 p.m. on January 31, 2025 to begin the selection process in 2025.  All steps of the volunteer selection process must be completed by March 1, 2025 to begin volunteer service in 2025. 

Reminder to organizational volunteers: All 4-H clubs must have at least two approved volunteers by March 1, 2025. Clubs that do not have two approved volunteers on March 1 will not be considered active for the 2025 program year. 

Interested in starting a 4-H Club in 2025? Contact Jamie (mcconnell.210@osu.edu) in January for more information!

Muskingum County Youth Livestock Quality Assurance – Adult Volunteer Opportunity

by

I am currently recruiting adult facilitators to help with Quality Assurance! Facilitators don’t have to be 4-H volunteers – they could be parents, grandparents, committee volunteers, club volunteers, Senior Fair Board members, commodity group reps, etc. – but they do have to complete a two-hour self-paced online training by March 15. Once certified, certification is good for three years.

In 2025, we will continue to utilize a station-based, small group instructional approach to Quality Assurance. We will modify slightly from last year and plan to take TWO groups of exhibitors in a session evening, one arriving by 6 p.m. and another arriving by 7:15 p.m. Each group will take about 1 hour. I’m asking volunteers to be there from 5:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m. on our three program dates: April 7, 22, 30. On April 7 and 22, there is also an opportunity to sign up to help with QA Test-Out (grading tests) from 4:30-5:30 p.m.

If interested, please contact Jamie (mcconnell.210@osu.edu, 740-454-0144) by December 15 so she can submit your name for the training.

 

Farm Credit Mid-America Scholarship Opportunities

by

Farm Credit Mid-America Scholars Program
We are thrilled to announce the FARM CREDIT MID-AMERICA SCHOLARS program for 2025 (our 9th year!). This program provides $5,000 in scholarship support over a two-year period and includes leadership development workshops and experiential travel. We are seeking the next generation of leaders who are passionate about making a difference in agriculture. Ideal candidates are current freshmen or sophomores in college, pursuing a degree in agriculture from universities in Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee or Arkansas, with a minimum GPA of 3.0. For more details, please visit our website featuring last year’s Scholars: Meet the FCMA Scholars.

Customer Scholarship Program
We also offer $1,500 scholarships to students attending accredited two- or four-year colleges, universities or vocational/trade schools. Recipients of the CUSTOMER SCHOLARSHIP must be children or grandchildren of Farm Credit Mid-America customers pursuing a career in the agricultural industry. Current high school seniors, as well as college freshmen, sophomores and juniors, are welcome to apply.

If you know someone majoring in agriculture who would be a good candidate for either of these scholarships, please feel free to share this information with them. Applications can be found on our website. The deadline to apply for the Farm Credit Mid-America Scholars program is December 15, 2024, and the deadline for the Customer Scholarship program is January 15, 2025.

Over the past decade, Farm Credit Mid-America has awarded more than $2 million in financial and educational support to deserving students pursuing careers in agriculture. We greatly appreciate your support in helping us expand the impact of these scholarships on the next generation of agricultural leaders.

Questions? randy.barbee@fcma.com or 502-494-5713.

Apply for free to Ohio State’s regional campuses by December 1!

by

Apply for free to Ohio State’s regional campuses in Lima, Mansfield, Marion, Newark and Wooster (ATI)!

To align with our mission of affordability and accessibility, we’re covering the $60 application fee for first-year applicants who apply directly to a regional campus between October 1 and December 1. Our regional campuses are already dedicated to providing Ohio students and families with an excellent college education at one of the lowest tuition rates in the state.

 

Just enter fee waiver code RCW2025 when prompted in the online application to your regional campus of choice by December 1 for these big benefits:

  • No application fee
  • Automatic consideration for scholarships
  • Quick admissions decision (typically under three weeks!)

This fee waiver code is exclusively available for first-year applicants to an Ohio State regional campus in Lima, Mansfield, Marion, or Newark, or ATI in Wooster. Note: If you’re planning to apply to the Columbus campus, you should submit the Common Application and not an application to a regional campus.

 

Admission criteria

If you have never attended college, you can be admitted to a regional campus if you are an Ohio resident with a degree from an accredited high school or a GED. Note that:

  • Qualified transfer students must have — at the time of application — a cumulative GPA of 2.0 (on a 4.0 scale) on all college course work earned after high school graduation.
  • Home-schooled applicants must submit an approved “excuse from attendance” verification (or equivalent) provided by a local school district or state official. Refer to your state’s Department of Education website to determine the specific document your state uses.

 

Campus-change program

Regional campus students in good academic standing may switch to the Columbus campus any time after they have completed 30 semester hours. Some programs may have more rigorous enrollment criteria, so you’ll work with an advisor to plan and prepare.

  • A reasonable plan for a student to complete 30 semester hours: Enroll in at least 15 hours for autumn semester and 15 hours for spring semester during your first year.

 

Preparing to apply

Read about applying step-by-step: Freshmen applicants  |  Transfer applicants

 

2025 Market Beef Weigh In Details – December 9

by

2025 Market Beef Weigh-In is scheduled for December 9, 2024 from 6-8 p.m. at Muskingum Livestock Auction Company. Junior Fair Livestock Committee is asking that you complete the registration form for each steer BEFORE weigh-in. It is available online: go.osu.edu/muskmarketbeef. The form should be completed by December 9 at 12:00 p.m. Anyone who does not complete the form by this time should still complete it, but be prepared to show the confirmation e-mail at weigh-in.

Please review the following information in preparation for the event: 2025 Market Beef Weigh-In Details. This information can also be found on our website: https://muskingum.osu.edu/juniorfair.