October 2014 4-H Clover Power Newsletter
Polk County Clubs Doing Great Things!
The Iowa State Fair was a very busy time for our Polk County 4-Hers, not only exhibiting but volunteering in many different ways. One of the most popular was working at Little Hands on the Farm! A few groups are pictured: Jester Dreamers, Mitchellville Clover Kids, and the Polk County Council.
In September the Runnells Clover Kids toured Taylor’s Dairy Farm in Swan, Iowa. They were able to experience a fully functioning dairy farm. They taught the kids what it takes to get the milk from the cow to the table. It was an amazing experience for kids and parents.
On September 6th Polk County 4-H had a team of youth compete at the Des Moines Obedience Training Clubs, National Dog show at the Iowa State Fair Grounds. Representing Polk County were Josie Hill with Chummley, Marjorie Lagan with Chip, Emily Schmeiser with Hank, and Kaylee Olgren with Zoey. They competed in obedience.
Joy Niklasen-donations to Hamilton County 4-H Foundation
Joy Niklasen died Thursday, September 4, 2014 following an auto accident south of Jewell. She was previously employed as a supervisor for the Carroll and Story City Recreation and Aquatics Centers and at the ISU Extension Service as Polk County 4-H and Youth Coordinator. She was currently employed as an Administrative Assistant for North Polk High School. Memorials will be given to the Hamilton County 4-H Foundation and to a scholarship in Joy's name.
National 4-H Week – October 5-11, 2014
We encourage you and your 4-Hers to participate in National 4-H Week! Set up a display at the library, community center, grocery store, etc. To learn more and get the ideas and tools you need, visit:
http://www.4-h.org/Content/Resource-Library/Promotional-Toolkits/Toolkits/2014-National-4-H-Week-Toolkit/
Got Clover?
For National 4-H Week (October 5-11), the Polk County 4-H Advisory Board will again hold their “Wear a Shirt, Win a Shirt” campaign. All club members are asked to wear their 4-H shirt to school during that week, talk with their classmates and friends about 4-H, and invite a friend or two to a club meeting. If that friend joins 4-H, the current and new 4-Hers will each receive a free 4-H t-shirt! The 4-H Advisory Board also encourages you as leaders to show you’ve GOT CLOVER by wearing your 4-H shirt!
Living History Farms 4-H Appreciation Day
Living History Farms celebrates the dedication and hard work of 4-H youth and their efforts to further the work of head, heart, hands, and health! Present proof of 4-H membership (such as a signed letter or e-mail from your club leader) and receive free admission on Sunday, October 5. Sunday hours are 12:00p-4:00p.
Recognition
Congratulations to our 2014-2015 County Council Members! This year’s County Council includes: Jessica Bigelow, Megan DeDecker, Michael DeDecker, Lori Dvorak, Anna Feldstein, Abbey Hale, Megan Hale, Sarah Hawkins, Hannah Hawkins, Greta Krohn, Rachel Limmex, Laurel McGonegle, Rachael McIntosh, Caralyn Murphy, Rebecca Osthus, Rachel Pierick, Justin Roepsch, Emma Thayer, Zach Vermillion, Allison Vincent, and Brittany Woods.
Festival of Trees and Lights Book Drive
We need your help to collect new or like-new books for children 2-18 years of age. The books are given to the children at Blank Children’s Hospital. Book donations are needed at our office by October 31st. If your club collects 100 books on its own, we will make sure you receive individual recognition at the Festival. If you have any questions please contact Katie @ or 515.957.5771
Clarifications on Deadlines
May 15th
· All animals with the exception of Rabbits, Poultry and Cavy need to be ID in 4-H online by May 15th
· 4-Hers must be enrolled in 4-H online to exhibit at the county and state Fair
· You DO NOT need to be enrolled in a project area by May 15th to exhibit that project at the fair. We use the project areas to update just those interested in opportunities related to that project area.
July 1st
· Entries for the county and state fair are due to the Polk County Extension office
· Example: Johnny made a wooden bench but is not enrolled in Woodworking in 4-H Online. It is ok to enter it for fair!
· Example: Jenny has a breeding heifer and enrolled in beef project but did not ID by May 15. The animal CANNOT be shown at county or state fair!
Re-Enrollment for 2014-2015
The re-enrollment period will run from September 15 thru November 15, 2014. It is our hope that all of you will be able to find the time to log into your records on 4-H Online and complete the process in the next few months. In an effort to get re-enrollments done in a timely manner, we will be providing an incentive to clubs that meet the enrollment goal before November 15. The annual enrollment fee is $30. Unfortunately, this fee cannot be paid online; it is due via cash, check, or credit card to the Polk County Extension Office: 1625 Adventureland Drive, Ste. A, Altoona, IA 50009.
After November 15 we will continue to accept re-enrollments, but we will charge an additional $5 late enrollment fee. This charge will be used to offset the costs of the club incentives. All brand new members will remain at the $30 fee through May 15, 2015. Contact Carla at or 515-957-5763 with questions.
Please note:
· The enrollment fee is not applicable to Clover Kids, but they are required to enroll in 4-H Online
· As of July 1, 2014 all credit card users will be assessed a non-refundable convenience fee of 3.0% of the payment amount
4-H Find-Out Night
There will be a 4-H Find-Out Night on Thursday, October 16th at the Johnston Public Library. This come- and-go event will be from 5:30-7:00 PM. Come with questions about what 4-H is and how to join.
Contact Katie and Marci with questions!
Officer Training
The Officer Training workshop will be held Thursday, November 13 from 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. at the Polk County Extension Office. The workshop will include on overview of parliamentary procedure, working together as a group, and practicing the skills of their office. County Council will lead the workshop.
We will also provide free pizza for all who attend! You may register by calling Marci at 957-5770 or .
Girls in Science
Applications are now open for Science Center of Iowa's fourth annual Meals with Mentors dinner. The event will take place Friday, November 21, 2014, 6:00 - 9:00 pm
Girls in grades 7-12 can apply for this unique event where they will meet femaleundergraduates studying for a degree in a STEM field as well as working female scientists. The dinner will feature a keynote speaker, a fun group challenge and an icebreaker activity where girls will have an opportunity to interact with as many of the attending female scientists as possible.
Thanks to presenting sponsor DuPont Pioneer and tablesponsors, this event is free for students to attend.Applications are open through October 19, and selected students will be notified by October 31.Applications can be submitted at:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1Ngi7TEq6ab0KZuER51F8nNm6-lAVtX-koRt2zhVCrDg/viewform
Learn more at http://www.sciowa.org/engage/girls-in-science
DuPont Pioneer Seed Grants 2014 and 2015
We have great news! The Iowa 4-H Foundation was able to secure funding for the Iowa 4-H program to continue DuPont Pioneer Seed Grants for Fall 2014 and Spring 2015. The objective of these grants is to stimulate local 4-H clubs in Iowa to plan and carry out community improvement activities by providing “seed money” needed to make the projects successful. Awards are given from $50 to $500 per club project. For more information, check out: http://www.extension.iastate.edu/4h/pioneergrants or https://www.iowa4hfoundation.org/en/recognition/grants/
Hoops and Clovers
Join us on Iowa Energy’s opening night and bring your friends, family and non-4Hers! Youth have the opportunity to be part of the fan tunnel as the players run out at the start of the game. The game is Saturday, December 6th at 7 PM. Tickets cost $8 and can be purchased through Katie or Marci. Reserve your tickets today!
Citizenship Washington Focus
Citizenship Washington Focus 2015 is a nine-day trip for 4-H youth in grades 9-12 which provides a setting to experience both leadership and citizenship in an up-close, unique way at the National 4-H Center. Youth who have participated in previous trips reported CWF as the single most educational highlight of their 4-H career. The 2015 trip will take place June 5-13. Members of 4-H and adult chaperones will travel by chartered bus to Washington D.C.
Trip Highlights: Flight 93 Memorial, Gettysburg Battlefield, Mount Vernon, Iwo Jima Memorial, Nightview of Washington D.C., Arlington National Cemetery, FDR Memorial, Capitol Hill, Union Station, Air Force Memorial or Twilight Tattoo, National Cathedral or Smithsonian Zoo, Theater Productions, National Mall, Smithsonian Museum and Holocaust Museum. Besides tours and workshops, participants will have time for socializing and meeting new friends!
The trip feeis $1,550. This includes lodging, transportation, tour site admissions and most meals. Registration and a $490 deposit will be required to secure a spot. Polk County will be providing $250 toward the cost of the trip. Registrationis now openand closes November 15, 2014. To learn more about the trip and get registration information, visit: www.extension.iastate.edu/4h/cwf.
4-H National Youth Science Day: Rockets to the Rescue!
4-H National Youth Science Day (NYSD) is an exciting, interactive learning experience that engages thousands of youth across the country in conducting the National Science Experiment. The national 4-H NYSD event will take place on October 8, 2014 in Washington, D.C. The University of Arizona developed the 2014 National Science Experiment:Rockets to the Rescue! Learn more about this exciting activity which focuses on aerospace engineering. NYSD Experiment Details: The University of Arizona developed the 2014 National Science Experiment, Rockets to the Rescue!, which explores the field of aerospace engineering.
Polk County 4-H and FFA Fair Association Meeting
The Polk County 4-H and FFA Fair Association will hold their Annual Meeting on Wednesday, October 15, 2014 at 7:00 p.m. at the Polk County Extension Office. Directors for each of the four districts of the county and at large members will be elected for 3 year terms in accordance with the bylaws. Any registered voter in Polk County is eligible to vote for Fair Board members. The Polk County Fair Board meeting and election of officers will follow at 7:30 p.m.
There are a number of open board positions, so if you are interested in holding a position on the Fairboard, please contact the Nominating Nommittee Chair, Norm Veldhuizen at 306-4635.
2015 Polk County Fair Dates
The 2015 Polk County Fair is scheduled for July 22-27 at the Iowa State Fair Grounds. Start thinking of a logo and theme that you would like for the fair!
Weigh-In Dates
Please mark your calendars with the following weigh-in dates:
Market Beef – Saturday, December 20th from 8:00a – 12:00p at the State Fair Grounds – Cattle Barn
Swine – Saturday, April 4th from 8:00a –11:00a at Don Timmins’ farm in Altoona.
Sheep and Meat Goats– Saturday, May 2nd from 8:00a – 11:00a at the State Fair Grounds – Sheep Barn
Beef Weigh-in
All market beef and junior feeders will be weighed in December 20th, 2014 from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. The weigh-in will take place in the Cattle Barn of the State Fair Grounds. Each ear tag is $2.00 to be paid at the weigh-in.
Polk County produced beef will also be identified at the weigh-in using the ear tag number and producer as part of the identification. To show in the Polk County Produced class at the Polk County Fair, the beef must be born in Polk County.
The Polk County weigh-in is also a State Fair and Ak-Sar-Ben verification site. If you are planning on showing market beef at the State Fair or Ak-Sar-Ben, you will also need to weigh-in on December 20 from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at the Iowa State Fair Grounds. The cost is $5.00 per head, per event. This will be in addition to the $2.00 ear tag fee. The verification process for Iowa State Fair will be done by retinal scanning. Ak-Sar-Ben verification will continue to rely on ear tagging and hair collection for DNA analysis. 4-H’ers will need to log into 4-H On-line to verify. Animals will NOT be eligible to show at the State Fair unless they are entered into 4-H online. By verifying online, it tells us that you have looked over the information and it is correct. It is your responsibility to read and check the information.
2014 Youth Beef Extravaganza Scholarship
The 20th Annual Beef Scholarship Extravaganza will be held Friday, Dec. 12, 2014 at Kildee Hall on the campus of Iowa State University in Ames. More than $7,600 in scholarships will be awarded.This contest is open to high school juniors and seniors. It will test their knowledge on all aspects of the beef industry and beef cattle management issues. Teams will work through ten 25-minute stations covering the following topics:• Handling and Health• Nutrition• Marketing (Beef cut evaluation)• Seedstock Merchandising• Job Interview• Keep-Cull Replacement Heifers• Reproduction• Beef Management Challenge• Credit and Finance• Beef Industry Issues and Advocacy
Participants will receive explanation and feedback about the stations following the competition.