Edwards County 4-H Clover Chatter

1 Posters for 4-H Week Due Today 5-11 National 4-H Week Edwards County 4-H Clover Chatter October 2014 To Make the Best BETTER 7 Sr. Federation Meeting 6:30 p.m. at Neil & Debbie Fearn s home 8 Bone Gap Cardinals Mtg.at Bone Gap Park 6:30 p.m. 13 Art Workshop at the Extension Office 9 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. 15 Blue Ribbon Mtg. 6:30 p.m. at Farm Bureau 15 Little Wabash Ramblers Mtg. 7:30 p.m. at West Salem Community Ctr. 15 Yankee Mtg. 7:00 p.m. at West Salem Moravian Church 17 Ag Venture Day at the Park with Farm Bureau University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences Adam Feig County Director Unit #25 Leah Miller Youth Development Educator 18 4-H State Shoot at Bunker Hill! 18 Yankee Recycle Day West Salem 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. 22 Ellery Panthers Meeting 7:00 p.m. at Little Prairie Christian Church 25 Shooting Sports Meeting 9:00 a.m. at Edw. Co. Sportsmen s Club Unit #25 Theresa Reid Office Support/Extension Program Coordinator red@illinois.edu Edwards County Edwards: 350 North 7th St. Albion, IL 618-445-2934 http://web.extension.illinois.edu/elrww/ Unit #25 Edwards, Lawrence, Richland, Wabash, & Wayne 4-H is all about being part of a team, learning new stuff and going new places with old friends and new. It s about having people who care about you and encourage you to be your best. It s about changing the world while you help the people in it. That s 4-H! Join us as we celebrate with 6 million other 4-H members in the country during National 4-H Week Oct. 5 through Oct. 11. The theme That s 4-H helps tell our story to people who may not have any idea what 4-H is. What s your favorite 4-H memory.. well, that s 4-H, too! I PLEDGE... MY HEAD TO CLEARER THINKING

We re going back to Washington D.C. again in 2015! Due to the success of and interest generated by the 2014 trip to Citizenship Washington Focus (CWF), Illinois 4-H is offering a 2015 trip instead of waiting two years for 2016!! CWF is a week-long program sponsored by National 4-H Council which provides 4-H members with opportunities to learn about the federal legislative process, meet with federal legislators, make an impact on their local communities, and tour various museums and memorials in the Washington, D.C. area. Delegates will participate in Citizen Action Planning and are expected to make an impact with a special project when they return home to Illinois. The Illinois 2015 trip is scheduled for Saturday, JUNE 6 through Saturday, JUNE 13 (and could possibly include Sunday, June 14). On-line registration for the trip will open in mid-october on our CWF website page: http://web.extension.illinois.edu/state4h/events/citizenshipwashington.cfm. (Information on this page will be updated soon and will include a downloadable brochure with details.) Space is available on a first-come, first-served basis. Registration will finally close December 1, 2014. Previous delegates to CWF may not attend a second time. Attendees must be 4-H members between the ages of 14-18 as of May 1, 2015. The estimated registration fee of $900 is still tentative and will be dependent upon the final number of 4-H ers attending and possible donations. Want a say in what happens in Springfield? Have you attended The 4-H Great Debate in previous years? Interested in helping plan the next one? Then check out the information and application posted on the Illinois 4-H website (http://web.extension.illinois.edu/state4h/members/ leadership_gdpc.cfm) and submit your information by the Nov. 1 deadline! We re looking for interested young people ages 16-18 to help us plan and promote the 2015 4-H Great Debate program. Although a date for the program hasn t been set yet, we ll initially be focusing on March, 2015. Committee members will get a look at the behind the scenes work that needs to be accomplished to plan and promote a statewide event, contact speakers, assist with planning the legislative bills for discussion, and more. What a great learning opportunity! Prior attendance at the 4-H Great Debate is preferred I PLEDGE... MY HEART TO GREATER LOYALTY

Nominate a 4-H member for this year s Spirit of Community Award We all know them OUTSTANDING 4-H members. Help them get the recognition they deserve. Now through Nov. 4, 4-H members who have completed exceptional community service projects can apply to win online at http://spirit.prudential.com. Each county 4-H program can select one middle level local honoree in grades 5-8 and one high school local honoree in grades 9-12. Applications must be submitted to county Extension staff by Nov. 4. Once counties have selected their local honorees, county staff must certify their applications online by Nov. 11 to make them eligible for state-level judging. The program's goals are to applaud young people who already are making a positive difference in their towns and neighborhoods, and to inspire others to think about how they might contribute to their communities. Over the past 19 years, more than 370,000 young Americans have participated in the program, and more than 100,000 of them have been officially recognized for their volunteer efforts. State winners receive silver medallions, $1,000 awards, and an-all-expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C., for national recognition events. In Washington D.C., a national selection committee will name America s top 10 youth volunteers for 2015. They will receive an additional $5,000 award, gold medallion, crystal trophy, and a $5,000 grant from The Prudential Foundation to designate to the charitable nonprofit organization of their choice. 4-H Camp White Tail October 24-26, 2014 The 4-H Learn-By-Doing way to earn your Illinois Department of Natural Resources Hunter Safety certification! No long classroom sessions here. Archery, Riflery, Shotgun, Trees and Safety, Wildlife I.D., and much more. For more information visit the 4-H Memorial Camp website: http://web.extension.illinois.edu/4hmemorialcamp/ memorialcamp.cfm or call 217-762-2741. I PLEDGE... MY HANDS TO LARGER SERVICE

Can you help us? Your nomination could mean $2,500 for your 4-H club or county 4-H Program!! Each year, the Monsanto Fund provides money to farmers across America which allows them to give a $2,500 donation to their favorite charity. America s Farmers Grow Communities, sponsored by the Monsanto Fund, improves lives in rural communities through farmer-directed donations. The program, which launched in 2010, allows farmers to enter to win $2,500 for their favorite community nonprofit organization, such as 4-H, FFA, schools, fire departments, food pantries and more. One winner is selected in each of the 1,324 eligible counties across 40 states. To enter, you must live or farm in an eligible county (97 of Illinois 102 counties are eligible), be 21 years old or older and be actively engaged in farming a minimum of 250 acres of corn, soybeans, and/or cotton; or 40 acres of open field vegetables; or at least 10 acres of tomatoes, peppers, and/or cucumbers grown in protected culture (glasshouse, nethouse, plastic). Each year, several Illinois winners choose 4-H as their charity of choice! Thanks to all of you who help build and grow our communities. Learn more and enter online @ http://www.americasfarmers.com/recognition-programs/ grow-communities/. FOR MY CLUB, MY COMMUNITY, MY COUNTRY, AND MY WORLD

2nd Annual Illinois 4-H State Shoot Saturday, October 18th Brittany Shooting Park in Bunker Hill In order to best prepare the Illinois 4-H Shooting Sports team for national competition, Illinois has moved its statewide shooting sports competition to the fall. This will allow team members to train several months before they would compete nationally in the summer of 2015. Check with the local office for updated rules and registration information. Participants must have passed their 14 th birthday by January 1 of the current year and may not have passed their 19 th birthday before January 1 of the current year. Participants must be currently enrolled in the shooting event/discipline they enter and must be in good standing in their respective 4-H Shooting Sports Club. 4-H members may only participate in one of the following shooting events: archery/compound; archery/recurve, air rifle; smallbore rifle; or shotgun. Illinois state teams will compete at the National 4-H Invitational June 21-26, 2015 and will be selected from this event if a number of requirements are met. Previous state winners will be allowed to return to Illinois competition in the same discipline they won previously, but they may only compete in nationals one time per discipline. 4-H Week Poster Contest! That s 4-H Anyone interested in participating in the poster contest may do so. All entries must be turned in to the Extension office by close of day on October 1, 2014. You still have a little time so get your poster in! Please use a full size poster board. The contest can be done by an individual or you can do it as a club-just be creative and have a little fun! We will give a prize to the winning poster in the individual category as well as the club category!

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE FARM SERVICE AGENCY Youth Farm Loans OVERVIEW WHAT DETAILS TO KNOW The U.S. Department of Agriculture s Farm Service Agency (FSA) makes operating loans of up to $5,000 to eligible individual youths ages 10 to 20 to finance income-producing, agriculturerelated projects. The project must be of modest size, educational, and initiated, developed and carried out by youths participating in 4-H Clubs, FFA, or a similar organization. The project must be an organized and supervised program of work. It must be planned and operated with the assistance of the organization advisor, produce sufficient income to repay the loan, and provide the youth with practical business and educational experience in agriculture-related skills. WHO MAY BORROW To qualify for a loan, the applicant must: Comply with FSA s general eligibility requirements; Conduct a modest income-producing project in a supervised program of work. HOW LOAN FUNDS MAY BE USED To apply, the applicant must submit completed plans and budgets signed by the project advisor and parent or guardian along with the FSA application for loan assistance. These loans: Have a maximum loan amount of $5,000 (total principal balance owed at any one time cannot exceed this amount); Have an interest rate which is determined periodically based on the cost of money to the federal government (after the loan is made, the interest rate for that loan will not change); Will be secured, in addition to promissory notes, by liens on the products produced for sale and on chattel property, including livestock, equipment and fixtures purchased with loan funds; Have a repayment schedule which varies depending on the type of project for which the loan is made (For example, if it involves raising livestock or crops, the loan is paid when the animals or produce are normally sold). These loans can finance many kinds of income producing agricultural projects. The loan funds may be used to: Buy livestock, seed, equipment and supplies; Buy, rent or repair needed tools and equipment; Pay operating expenses for the project. FOR MORE INFORMATION To apply or find out more, visit your local USDA Service Center. A listing of centers and more information about youth and other loan programs are available on the FSA website at www.fsa.usda.gov.

Achievement Night Mark your calendars now! Our Achievement night will be on November 11, 2014 at 7:00 p.m. at the Exhibition Building. All 4-H members should come and bring your family and friends. Again, we will be having Cake and Punch sponsored by the Edwards County Farm Bureau! This is a time to celebrate 4- H in Edwards County. Awards will be given out to 4-H members for the year. Buyers Cards By now all 4-H members have probably received their buyers cards from the club leaders. Please remember this is a Thank You to your buyer for making the purchase of your animal. Please deliver them to your buyer promptly and thank them for their support. Time to Recycle old manuals Do you have old manuals from last year that were not used or are in good shape?? If so, please drop them off at the Extension Office or give them to your 4-H leader. These are very expensive and it would be a great way to recycle. Fundraiser Date Set The date for the annual 4-H fundraiser has been set for March 20, 2014. Same time and place. Mark your calendar now and plan to participate. This will be the only fundraiser for 4-H for the year so all help and support is needed! Welcome to the New 4-H year!! September 1st marked the start of the new 4-H Year! With the start of the new year comes re-enrollment/enrollment, new projects, new club officers, and much, much more!! I hope everyone is as excited to start this new year together as I am! Let s make this 4-H Year the best year yet! Stop by the office anytime with questions or concerns! Theresa

Speeches & Demonstration Date Set We will be having the annual Speech and Demonstration Contest on Monday, January 19, 2015 at 6:00 p.m. at the Farm Bureau Basement. New Reporters-Important Job! If you have been chosen to be the new club reporter for your club your duties are to report on each meeting that your club has. This report can be sent to the local paper by mail, hand delivered, or sent by email. The email for the local papers are as follows: Times Advocateectanewspaper@gmail.com Navigator Journal Registergatoreditor@nwcable.net Workshops, Workshops! The Art Workshop has filled up! Thanks to all who registered! No Sew Knotted Tie Workshop will be on November 21, 2014 at the Extension office from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. This workshop is free and open to 4-H and non-4-h members. Register online or by calling the Extension Office Today! Record Grading Done! Record grading for the 2013-2014 has been completed. All leaders will tell you that grading is a long process. This is the only way find out who the winners are of certain awards. Leaders received new enrollments, re-enrollments, folders and clovers to give out for the new 4-H year. Sr. Federation Meeting All High School 4-H members and invited and encouraged to be a part of the Sr. Federation. The organizational meeting will be on October 7, 2014 at 6:30 p.m. Officers will be chosen on this night. Each club should have two delegates that are to represent each club. Of course more would be great! Meeting will be held at Neil & Debbie Fearn s home. Come and make this year in Federation the best year ever! New Year Club Meetings The new 2014-2015 year has begun. Youth ages 8-18 by September 1, 2014 may enroll as a 4-H member. Invite a friend to your next meeting and encourage classmates to join the fun of 4-H! Join us on Facebook!!

What do you need to do in order to join 4-H?? Attend the club meeting of your choice. Pickup an enrollment form, project list, health form, and risk form from your new leader. Fill out the above forms and be sure to have a parent sign where needed and then return them to your leader. Attend monthly club meetings and activities and have fun! Yankee Recycle Day The Yankee 4-H Club will again be sponsoring a 4-H recycle day on at West Salem from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. across from the bank. Please bring your items during this time. You do not need to be in the Yankee club to participate in donating! Remember if you have any questions, contact the Extension Office. We love to have new 4-H families! Cookbooks Available Now Shooting Sports State Shoot All who attended the first shoot have been sent the information about the upcoming shoot on October 18th at Bunker Hill. We hope you will attend again and have a great time. Be sure to have your information turned in to the Extension office by Oct. 1st so we can submit it timely to the State Office. Thanks! Remember Shooting Sports is starting up again for the year and the first County meeting/shoot will be on October 25th at 9:00 a.m. At the Edwards Co. Sportsmen s Club! We have a few copies of the 4-H cookbook still available at the Extension Office. Stop in and purchase your copy for only $10. This would make a good shower gift, Christmas, or birthday gift! Holiday Tree Contest Once again we will be having a Tree Contest! See attached page for information. This event went over well last year! You ve got time so get your creative minds thinking!! Scorecards are available at the office for anyone who would like one.

4-H Holiday Tree Contest 4-H in Edwards County is an incredible experience. We need to let the public know that we are here, active and excited. There s no better way to do this, than to make sure our activities are front and center of our communities. With this in mind, all Edwards County 4-H members are invited to participate in a Holiday Tree Contest this year. Contest guidelines are as follows: 1. Members may participate as individuals, or as a group ( 2 or more). 2. Prize money will be awarded by the Edwards Co. Farm Bureau to the top two individu als, and the top two groups. Two-$50 and Two-$25 prizes will be presented in time for your February meeting. Winners will be announced on December 5th! 3. Each tree must have a 4-H theme. 4. Name of Individual, or group Making Tree Display should be visible. 5. Trees should be placed in a public location where it is visible to the general community as a promotion of the 4-H program for at least one week during the month of December. The longer it s on display, the better! (must be removed by Jan. 1st) 6. Trees must be decorated and in place by Monday, December 1, 2014. 7. You must contact the Edwards Co. Extension office (618-445-2934) to register your tree or go online to http://web.extension.illinois.edu/elrww/ to register with infor mation regarding the location of your tree and who is involved (individuals or group) by Wednesday, November 26th. We will need to know the exact date of when your tree will be in place. 8. Trees can be for promotion, community service, or any other creative idea you may have. Example: Promotion 4-H ornaments, club information, just for beauty. 9. Trees will be judged on creativity, theme & purpose. ( See Score Sheet) If you should have any questions, please feel free to contact the Edwards Co. Extension Office at 618-445-2934... Information needed to register tree 4-H Club Name Location of Tree Who is involved with the Tree: Individual, or Group ( 2 or more) Exact Date of When Your Tree Will Be in Place