Youth Staff Amy Brainard County Youth Coordinator Codi Workman Educational Programs Coordinator

Marisue Hartung Youth Program Specialist

Lea DeCook Office Assistant

4-H Mission 4-H empowers youth to reach their full potential working and learning in partnership with caring adults.

4-H Vision A world in which youth and adults learn, grow and work together as catalysts for positive change.

SEPTEMBER 2014

4-H Enrollment

4-H enrollment and re-enrollment will continue to be completed in 4hOnline. This is a website, please visit http://iowa.4honline.com (no www.), don’t forget to include IOWA before 4honline. Enrollment in 4hOnline will be open in early September! HELP SHEETS are available for families who will re-enroll, as well as families who will be new to 4-H. New families include those who have never been enrolled in 4-H or Clover Kids in the state of Iowa. Anyone who has previously been enrolled in 4-H or Clover Kids in the state of Iowa already have an account. Please DO NOT create a new account. Call the Extension office directly (641-673-5841) if you plan to enroll in 4-H, but were not enrolled last year, and you were a member in previous years or in a different county. If you remember your email account used in 4hOnline, but don’t remember your password, all you have to do is enter that email address and select I Forgot My Password, then a new temporary password will be emailed to the account you entered fairly soon. If your email address has changed and is no longer in use, please contact the Extension office so we can fix your account.

MAHASKA COUNTY ISU EXTENSION AND OUTREACH

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FIRST Lego League (FLL)

REGISTER NOW for the 2014 FIRST Lego League season! FLL is open to anyone in 4th-7th grade. Cost is $30 for the season (this is your 4-H enrollment fee, so if you are in another club you will only pay one fee total). Anyone who is interested in joining FLL must call Amy at 673-5841 ext. 28 or email vermeera@iastate.edu to hold your spot. You will not be able to enroll until after September 1, 2014. We plan to have two teams this year, the Musco Rovers and the Cablevey OskyBots. Meeting dates and times will be set once the season begins. If you’d like more specific information about FLL, please call the Rovers coach, Mike Mitchell at 319-430-1036.

Shooting Sports Club Shooting Sports will continue shooting at Steel Clay Shooting Sports in Eddyville as weather permits. For more information, please call Bill Benson at 673-7584.

Superintendent Meeting

We will hold a county-wide Superintendent meeting on Tuesday, September 23 at 7:00 PM in the meeting room (former AEA conference room) at the Extension office. Please enter the north door up the ramp from the east parking lot. We will review the 2014 Southern Iowa Fair, Rules/Regulations, and scheduling details. We will set individual planning meetings for superintendents during this meeting. Individual planning meetings will be held throughout the months of October and November. We will focus on specific rules/regulations, the fairbook, finding fair judges and setting the fair show schedules, as well as planning any potential workshops for the 2014-2015 year. If you are planning to attend the September 23 meeting, please call Lea at 673-5841 or email decookL@iastate.edu.

Gardening Workshop

Hypertufa Container Workshop Thursday, September 18 from 6-8 PM at the Fairgrounds. Cost is $15 and includes all materials. Please wear old clothes. Workshop is limited to 15, RSVP is required by September 15. Call 673-5841 to RSVP. Jr 4-H Members must have parent present to assist them.

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County 4-H Awards

The 2014 4-H Award Applications include the following: Project Award Application - Any 4-H’er is eligible for a Project Award if the project has been enrolled in via 4hOnline and completed for the current 4-H year (Sept. ‘13-Sept.’14). (Record books are not needed by Extension office for project awards) Special Awards - Any 4-H’er who has enrolled in a project via 4hOnline and completed a project in any of the following areas may apply for a special award (Record books must be turned in with Special Award applications). Special Award areas are: Beef, Horse, Sheep, Swine, Rabbit, Horticul-ture, Dog, Meat Goat, Poultry, Dairy, Photography, & Longtime Record Keeping Outstanding Recognition Awards (must turn in a record book with applications) Outstanding Junior/Intermediate/Senior 4-H’er - Any 4-H’er with outstanding 4-H leadership, experiences and projects is eligible. Outstanding Project Area - Any 4-H’er is eligible with outstanding projects in the following areas: - Agriculture & Natural Resources - Family & Consumer Sciences - Science, Engineering, Technology & Mechanics Outstanding Senior-level Awards - Any 4-H’er who has completed 10th, 11th, or 12th grade who has been active in all aspects of 4-H, is eligible for the following: Citizenship, Leadership, Merit, Achievement, Danforth “I Dare You” Award (completed 11th-12th) Mahaska County Make a Difference Award - This award recognizes youth who demonstrate good character in an effort to enhance 4-H at either a club, county or state-level. Award Applications are due to the Extension office by Monday, September 15 at 4:30 PM. The 4-H Year-End Celebration will be held on Saturday, November 15 at 3:00 PM in the Extension office Auditorium. ***Please see individual requirements for each award opportunity***

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Iowa State Fair Exhibit Results

Congratulations to those who exhibited at the Iowa State Fair! Agriculture & Natural Resources Benjamin De Boef - Farm Display - Blue Creative Arts Allison Clark - Graph Art - Blue; Bailey Upton - Photo - Blue; Brooke Eveland - Photo - Red; Carson Breon - Photo - Red; Ean Beenken - Photo - Blue; Emily Van Donselaar - Bird Painting - Blue; Grace Manternach - Photo - Blue; Jordan Breon - Photo - Red; Kade Neifert - Photo - Blue; Leah Breon - Photo - Red; Lindsay Breon - Photo - Blue; Macy Moore - Photo - Red; Makayla Rodwell - Photo - Red; MaKenzie LaRue - Ink Art - Blue; Matthew Goemaat - Photo - Blue; Paige Miller - Photo - Blue; Samantha Edmundson - Small Barn Quilt - Blue; Sienna De Jong - Photo - Blue Family & Consumer Science Aaron Blom - Barbed Wire Trellis - Blue; Addisyn McCrea - Rug - Red; Alec Breon - Epoxy Art - Red; Elizabeth Moore - Rolls - Blue; Grace Marshall - Angel Food Cake - Red; Jacob Spears - Banana Muffins - Red; Joy Van Wyngarden - Health Poster - Red; Kayleen Van Dyke - Quilt - Blue; Lyman Marshall - Lamp - Blue; Mackenzie Overbergen - Bread - Blue; Megan Eveland - Table - Blue; Paige Shafer - Quilted Bed Runner - Red; Rachel Adams - Purchased Maxi Dress - Blue; Ryan Van Gilst - Cake Stand - Blue; Sandra Blom - Gluten Free Angel Food Cake - Blue; Trisha Van Donselaar - Sewn Apron - Blue Personal Development Harrison Zippers Club - Barn Quilt - Blue; Jaren De Bruin - Club Bench Project - Blue; Jefferson Go-Getters Club - Bench Project - Red; Molly Hayes - Picnic Basket - Blue; Briana Ver Steegh - Ticket to Success Poster - Recognition Science, Engineering & Technology Andrew Brouwer - Beverage Cart - Blue; Cauyer Lamberson - Welded Receiver Hitch - Blue; Cory Van Gilst - Welded Pig - Red; Kara De Bruin - Restored Pedal Tractor - Blue; Sam Adams - Restored John Deere Tractor - Blue; Veronica Bolibaugh - Concrete Dog Tombstone - Blue

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Iowa State Fair Livestock & Hort Results

Breeding Beef Jordan Breon - Commercial Heifer - Purple; Adam Giltner - Commercial Heifer - Purple Market Beef Jordan Ferguson - Maine-Anjou Steer - Purple; Maggie Ferguson - Crossbred Steer - Purple; Logan McCrea - Crossbred Steer - Blue; Cole Spoelstra - Crossbred Steer - Red Beef of Merit (Live Carcass Contest) Lex Judy - Window A High Cutability Grid - Purple Horticulture Jeb Shaw - Peppers - Blue, Chives - Purple Poultry Allen Hayes - P-1, B-3; Molly Hayes - P-2, B-1, R-1 Breeding Sheep Tyler Foster - B-2; Kylee Silliman - P-1, Champion Black Face Div. 2, Reserve Champion Commercial Ewe Market Sheep Tyler Foster - B-4; Kylee Silliman - P-4, Reserve Champion Div. 3 Breeding Swine Abigail Vroegh - B-1; Alexis Vroegh - P-1, B-2 Market Swine Abigail Vroegh - B-1 Breeding Meat Goat Tyler Foster - P-1; Jatin Moore - B-1 Market Meat Goat Tyler Foster - P-1; Jatin Moore - B-2; Kylee Silliman - P-1, Champion Div. 1, 3rd Overall Rabbits Katrina Elliott - P-2, B-2, Best of Variety, Best of Breed, Best Opposite Sex of Variety, Best Opposite Sex of Breed Showmanship Contests Beef: Jordan Breon - Blue Sheep: Tyler Foster - Blue; Kylee Silliman - Sr Champion Swine: Alexis Vroegh - Purple Meat Goat: Tyler Foster - Blue

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Enrollment Information (continued)

The most important thing to remember when re-enrolling is DO NOT CREATE A NEW ACCOUNT. We did pretty well with this last year, let’s try to continue this year! Anyone who creates a new account that already has an existing account will have the new account deleted immediately. If at any time you have questions about 4hOnline, please call us at 673-5841 or email vermeera@iastate.edu. Creating a new account while having an existing account is not good, so please be sure to contact the Extension office in advance. If you need to add a new member to your existing account, all you have to do is click the Add a New Family Member drop-down (in the gray box around your family name and family info), then select Youth for a new member or Adult for a new leader. Clover Kids now enrolling in 4-H clubs will not need to create a new account. Call the Extension office to find out the email/temporary password for your account. Youth transferring from a different county will not need to create a new account. Call your former county Extension office to ask them to transfer your account to Mahaska County. HELP SHEETS for 4hOnline can be found at, http://www.extension.iastate.edu/mahaska/news/iowa-4honline-help-sheets. Please use these help sheets, they are very useful! The sooner you enroll, the sooner you will begin receiving mail and emails from us. If you would like to receive the newsletter and other information from us in the mail, please go to your family account (in the gray box on the 4hOnline screen after logging in) and Edit your family. You can select Mail or Email for your correspondence preference. Those who select Email will only receive email newsletters and other information from us. Please see page 11 for mailing details.

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Clover Kids Kdg-3rd Grade Program

We need leaders for the 2014-2015 school year! If you are interested in becoming a volunteer leader for Clover Kids, we have openings at Oskaloosa, Oskaloosa Christian, and North Mahaska. If interested, you must fill out and pass a background screening and be approved by our Extension Council. Please call 641-673-5841 or email Codi Workman at cworkman@iastate.edu for full details.

RICOCHET: An Extreme Leadership Adventure!

Mahaska County 4-H was fortunate enough to receive funds from United Way to purchase materials for the Ricochet program. This program is designed for middle school students and provides them with opportunities to gain skills in leadership, communication, citizenship, and teamwork through hands-on activities, games, problems to solve, and community projects. We will begin the Ricochet program this fall. Be looking for a flyer at your school and check out our website and Facebook, we will post details as soon as they are ready!

4-H Records

4-H encourages youth to keep records and learn the skill of record keeping. 4-H’ers should develop a record keeping system that includes: Completion of a 4-H record for at least one project. Completion of a Yearly 4-H Summary or 4-H Story Visiting with your leader(s) about your projects. 4-H record keeping forms are available at the Extension office and on our website at www.extension.iastate.edu/mahaska/4h, in the tan colored box on the lower right side, “4-H Fair & Award Forms”. Through whatever record keeping system a 4-H member chooses, it should reflect goals, accomplishments, what was learned, and future plans. If you would like to keep your records in a green 4-H record book cover, those are available at MCEO for $5.00 each. We also have an electronic format available that can be given out on a CD. The electronic format is a PowerPoint document.

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4-H Communications Event Results Congratulations to all who participated in the Communications Event during the Iowa State Fair!

Educational Presentations: Jamie Stewart - Excellence; Jessie Eveland - Excellence; Jeb Shaw - Merit; Julie Wanders - Recognition; Lisa Wanders - Recognition; Macy Moore - Merit; Trisha Van Donselaar - Merit Share-the-Fun: Allen & Molly Hayes - Recognition; Cory Van Gilst - Recognition; Jordan Breon - Recognition Working Exhibits: Bailey Edmonds - Merit; Lydia Denniston - Merit; Megan & Brooke Eveland - Merit; Trisha Van Donselaar & Amanda Fay - Merit Extemporaneous Speaking: Bailey Edmonds - Excellence; Taryn Shaw - Excellence

4-H Award Interviews Sept. 25

Anyone applying for the following awards must complete a 4-H Achievement Conference (Interview) on Thursday, September 25 from 4:00 PM-8:00 PM, time is approximate and may change depending on number of applicants. Award areas that require an interview are: Outstanding JR, INT, SR; Outstanding Ag & Natural Resources; Outstanding Family & Consumer Science; and Outstanding Science, Engineering & Technology/Mechanics; Achievement; Citizenship; Leadership; Merit & Danforth. If you are unable to attend the interview on the 25th, don’t fret! You will be able to schedule time prior to the 25th to record a video interview where you will be asked the same questions as those who will attend the interviews.

Plant Some Shade

Plant Some Shade will take place again this year. Tree Distribution will be held on Saturday, October 18. Please visit www.extension.iastate.edu/mahaska to find details and an order form.

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State Fair Exhibits

Congratulations to those who have been selected to have exhibits at the Iowa State Fair! Agriculture & Natural Resources Benjamin De Boef – Farm Display Mechanics Cory Van Gilst – Welded Pig, Sam Adams – Restored Tractor, Kara De Bruin – Pedal Tractor, Cauyer Lamberson – Welded Hitch Woodworking Andrew Brouwer – Cedar Beverage Cart Photography Lindsay Breon, Lexi Randau, Kade Neifert, Jordan Breon, Ean Beenken, Macy Moore, Carson Breon, Makayla Rodwell, Matthew Goemaat, Paige Miller, Brooke Eveland, Leah Breon, Bailey Upton, Sienna De Jong, Grace Manternach Leadership Jaren De Bruin - Benches Citizenship Harrison Zippers – Fairgrounds Barn Quilt, Jefferson Go-Getters – Fairgrounds Bench Self-Determined Molly Hayes - Basket Poster Communications Briana Ver Steegh – Ticket to Success Food & Nutrition Sandra Blom – Gluten Free Angel Food Cake, Mackenzie Overbergen – Bread, Elizabeth Moore – Sweet Rolls, Jacob Spears – Banana Muffins, Grace Marshall – Angel Food Cake Clothing & Sewing Rachel Adams – Purple Striped Maxi Dress, Trisha Van Donselaar – Sewn Apron, Paige Shafer – Quilted Bed Runner, Kayleen Van Dyke – Quilt Health Joy Van Wyngarden – Healthy Snacks Display Poster Creative Visual Arts MaKenzie LaRue – Ink Sketch – Cat, Samantha Edmundson – Barn Quilt, Emily Van Donselaar – Bird Painting, Allison Clark – Graph Method Painting of eye Home Improvement Addisyn McCrea – Rug, Ryan Van Gilst – Cake Stand, Aaron Blom – Barbed Wire Trellis, Lyman Marshall – Tri-pod Lamp, Megan Eveland – Mosaic Tile Table, Alec Breon – Branches Wall Art

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Make A Difference Award Nomination

Mahaska County Make A Difference Award This award recognizes youth who demonstrated good character in an effort to enhance 4-H at either a club or county-level. Criteria: Members must demonstrate excellence in the character traits of trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, and citizenship. They use these skills to enhance the 4-H program in their club and/or county. Nominating Person(s): _________________________________ _____________________________________________________ I feel that ____________________________________________ (please print) has met or exceeded all of the written criteria for the Mahaska County Make A Difference Award. I specifically feel that this 4-H member shows excellent traits of ____________________________________________________. _________________________________ Adult’s Signature _________________________________ Adult’s Printed Name

Any adult may nominate a 4-H member, including 4-H Leaders and/or Parents/Guardians.

This nomination form is due to the Extension office no later

than September 15, 2014.

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4-H Teen Council We had to say goodbye to several senior members this year. We are now looking for more teens to fill their spots and more! 4-H’ers on Teen Council must be in 8th-12th grade, fill out and turn in a short application form, and must complete a brief group interview with 4-H Staff. Responsibilities of Teen Council members include the following: - Attending meetings - Planning and helping with county-wide events - Serving on committees for special events & weigh-ins - Assisting at the Southern Iowa Fair Attendance and participation are very important. The focus is for youth to meet goals, develop leaderships skills, and have the most fun they can! Application forms can be found on our website and at the Extension office. Those selected will be contacted individually by 4-H Staff. If you’re interested and would like to learn more, please talk with a current member or call the Extension office at 673-5841. We look forward to having another great group of youth again this year! Applications are due by September 15. We would like to have at least 1 member from each 4-H club on Teen Council. Application forms are available at the MCEO and at www.extension.iastate.edu/mahaska/page/how-do-i-enroll-4-h-club.

We’re going even more green!

The 4-H Youth Committee has decided that for the 2014-2015 4-H Year, we will primarily offer our 4-H newsletter online. Each year, it costs us around $2,000 to print and mail the 4-H newsletter. If you would still like to receive the printed monthly 4-H newsletter, you must not only mark your correspondence preference in 4hOnline to mail, but you must also submit the yearly 4-H Newsletter fee to help cover printing and postage costs. This fee is $10.00 for the year. We will continue to provide each 4-H club with 1 free printed copy that will be mailed to the club’s organizational leader. Thank you for your support!

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Volunteers Needed!

We are in need of new 4-H Superintendents for the following areas, please read on for more information. Livestock Sheep - Provide assistance and organization for sheep weigh-in, assist with retinal imaging for state fair verification at weigh-in, provide assistance for sheep questions throughout the year, attend 2-4 meetings per year, assist with the sheep project area and sheep show at the Southern Iowa Fair. Re-tag lambs as needed during the year. Beef - Provide assistance and organization for beef weigh-in in December, assist with retinal imaging for state fair verification at weigh-in, provide assistance for beef questions throughout the year, attend 2-4 meetings per year, assist with the beef project area and beef show at the Southern Iowa Fair. Re-tag cattle as needed during the year. Horse - Provide assistance and organization for horse clinics and events throughout the year, work closely with Mahaska County Saddle Club, provide organization and assistance for pre-fair vet check, answer 4-H & FFA horse questions throughout the year. Organize 4-H & FFA Horse Shows. Non-Livestock State Fair Exhibits - Provide assistance with State Fair Selection during Southern Iowa Fair, set up Selected for State Fair Exhibit booth at county fair, assist with State Fair Exhibitor meeting during county fair, check exhibits in on Tuesday before the State Fair begins, check exhibits out on the last day of the State Fair in the evening or Monday AM after the fair. Superintendent terms are typically for 4 years but can be shortened or extended, if needed. Anyone who is interested should contact Amy Brainard at vermeera@iastate.edu or call 641/673.5841 ext. 28. Superintendent interest forms are available at the Extension office.

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Correspondence Preferences

As we move into a new 4-H year, please be sure to have all of your contact information updated in 4hOnline. Families (including members and volunteers), please log into 4hOnline to update your family’s correspondence. After you log in to your family account, please click the Edit Family button within the gray rectangular box. You can select email or mail correspondence. This is how we will contact you for the newsletter and with other news and info throughout the year. See page 11 for details about mailing newsletters in 2014-15. Please note that the new 4-H year will not open up in 4hOnline until after September 1, 2014.

Photos of 4-H Events

Do you have any photos from 4-H events this year? Like club meetings, workshops, family nights, BBQs, county fair, state fair, etc? If so, we would love to have a copy! Please email them to vermeera@iastate.edu or stop by with a CD/Flash drive. We will add photos to our Facebook page and scroll them during the 4-H Awards Celebration on Saturday, November 15.

Secretary & Treasurer Books

4-H Clubs may turn in their completed Secretary & Treasurer Books from the 2013-2014 4-H Year by Monday, September 15 to be eligible for the Top Club Secretary & Top Club Treasurer Awards. Award recipients will be announced during the 4-H Year-End Awards Celebration on Saturday, November 15 in the Extension office Auditorium. Any club in need of a new secretary or treasurer’s book may contact the Extension office and we will mail them to the person requesting them. We also have other club officer resources available for each club to use. The 4-H Club Secretary & Treasurer Books are also available online at www.extension.iastate.edu/mahaska/page/club-support.

This newsletter was prepared and written by

Amy Brainard, Mahaska County Youth Coordinator.

Amy can be reached by calling 641-673-5841 ext. 28 or by

emailing vermeera@iastate.edu.

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4H-200… What is it??

The 4H-200 brochure is a poster that lists all of the project areas 4-H members may enroll in. The Hot Sheets also go with the 4H-200. The Hot Sheets can be downloaded from www.extension.iastate.edu/4h/page/4-h-project-hot-sheets. Hot Sheets help to introduce 4-H’ers to different project areas they may have an interest in. The Hot Sheets also include resources and ideas to expand learning in the 4-H project area. 4H-200s and Hot Sheets can be printed and picked up at the MCEO at no cost.

8th Annual K*FEST

The 8th Annual Kidtoberfest Youth & Families Event is quickly approaching. Saturday, October 11 will be here before we know it! 4-H Clubs are highly encouraged to have a booth at this event. We are putting the focus back on ISU Extension and Outreach and Mahaska County 4-H for this event. All 4-H & ISU Extension and Outreach booths will be located in the Center Court Hub this year. Cy will be present, as well as many ISU Extension and Outreach Program Specialists. If you’ve not had a booth any other year, this is the year to register and take part!! We will also need volunteers for the set-up day (Friday, October 10) and during the event. K*Fest will run from 10:00 AM-3:00 PM on Saturday, October 11 in the Penn Central Mall. To register for a booth, please visit www.extension.iastate.edu/mahaska. Cost to have a booth is free and please plan to provide an activity. Now that the mall is under new management, a petting zoo is not permitted, so please plan accordingly. You can have coloring activities, tattoos, games, etc. at your booth. If you have any questions or if you’d like to volunteer, please let Amy or Codi know by calling 673-5841 or emailing vermeera@iastate.edu or cworkman@iastate.edu.

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Iowa 4-H Hall of Fame

Congratulations to Eileen Blom, the Mahaska County inductee into the Iowa 4-H Hall of Fame on August 17 at the Iowa State Fair. Eileen has been an active 4-H volunteer and supporter for many years. She has had children go through the program, who have come back to be 4-H volunteers, and now she has grandchildren who are active in 4-H. Eileen was honored on August 17 in the 4-H Exhibits Building at the Iowa State Fair in front of many other inductees, visitors, and her family. Pictured is Eileen with her family. Congratulations, Eileen, and Thank you!

Club Recruitment Contest

We would like to encourage every 4-H club to recruit as many new members as possible again this year! The 4-H Youth Committee will award the club with the highest percentage of growth based upon their current numbers with an Ice Cream Sundae Party! This contest will end on December 31, 2014.

Horse Exhibitor Information

Congratulations to Sydney Robbins who sold the most raffle tickets during the county fair! A Breast Cancer Awareness Fun Show will be held on Saturday, October 11 at the outdoor arena on the fairgrounds. This show is being organized by the Mahaska County Saddle Club, Fremont Feed Store, and Big Gain Feeds. Call Kayla Scholtus (660-9321) or Jennifer Fynaardt (402-917-0533) for more information.

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