Fillmore County 4-H News

• New 4-H Year began on October 1st. Remember to re-enroll.
• When re-enrolling, please enter the youth's email, if they have one, (preferably not a school email) as the member email so they also receive the information we send out.
• There will be no March Ambassador Meeting.
• The March Federation Meeting will be on March 14th at 7pm , in Room 108 of the Extension Office
• Food Revue and Cake, Cupcake & Cookie Decorating Contests will be on March 28th, 2026 at United Methodist Church in Preston.
• Clothing & Textiles Project workshop and info session on Saturday, March 28th, from 9:30 am to 11:30 am at the Preston United Methodist Church.
• The Fillmore County Auction Committee will meet on April 8th at 7pm, in room 108 of the extension office
• There will be a Livestock Open House for all families interested in livestock projects on April 11th at the Fillmore County Fairgrounds
• The April Ambassador Meeting will be on April 11th at 6pm, in Room 108 of the Extension Office
• The April Federation Meeting will be on April 11th at 7pm , in Room 108 of the Extension Office.
• The 2026 Fillmore County Fair will be July 20th - 26th.

This is the final week to sign up for the Food Revue and Cake, Cupcake & Cookie Decorating Contests!!

Join us on March 28th for the Food Revue!

🍽️🥗The Food Revue combines food preparation, menu planning, and table setting skills. 4-H members and Cloverbuds participating in the Food Revue need to plan a menu suitable for an indoor or outdoor meal. The exhibitor will prepare and display one food item from the menu; select a table service and centerpiece; develop a menu card and recipe card; and set this on a table or picnic blanket. More Information can be found in the Food Revue banner below.🍛

Objective of the Show:

• To provide the member an experience in planning, preparing and serving foods as part of a meal or snack.
• To give the member an opportunity for self-expression both verbally and visually.
• To provide members an opportunity to show what they have learned.

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Join us on March 28th for the Cake, Cookie, & Cupcake Decorating showcase!

🎂🧁When you bake and decorate a cake for a special occasion, the smiling faces around the table will be your greatest reward. After a few lessons and a lot of practice you will be able to decorate beautiful cakes for birthday parties, anniversaries, and other special days. Cake & Cookie Decorating promotes youth to be creative but also mindful of how much icing they use and how delicate to be when making intricate designs. More info can be found in the Cake & Cookie Decorating banner below.🍪

Sign up for both events here or at z.umn.edu/FCFoods2026.

Deadline to sign up is March 20th, any sign ups after March 20th will be able to participate but will be restricted. Contact Alex or Heather with questions at 507-765-3896.

The General Exhibits Project Development Committee (PDC) will be hosting a Clothing & Textiles Project workshop and info session during the Food Revue and Cake, Cookie, & Cupcake Decorating Contest on Saturday, March 28th, from 9:30 am to 11:30 am at the Preston United Methodist Church.

There will be opportunities to learn about Upcycled Clothing, view books on Purchased Clothing, and even run a sewing machine! Feel free to drop in if you are interested.

Please feel free to contact Judy Frank at judykfrank@gmail.com with questions.

Make plans to attend a 4-H Meat Goat Farm tour on March 21st from 9-11am at Welter Show Goats. The event will include a barn tour as well as education about selecting a market animal, management and proper care as well as nutrition. Registration for youth in grades 3+ is open in 4-H Online.

Olmsted and Winona Counties are hosting LQA&E at Dover-Eyota High School. This training on March 28 from 9 am - 12 pm will be held in Olmsted County but is open to youth in the SE region. LQA&E training is required for all state fair exhibitors. Youth may complete an in-person training, which is good for three fair seasons, or the online YQCA (Youth for the Quality Care of Animals) training, which is valid for one fair season. If you are unsure of if you need to take LQA&E this year, Contact Alex or Heather at the Extension Office.

To sign up go to z.umn.edu/OlmstedWinonaLQAE

Join the Goodhue County meat goat project for a day of education on Friday, April 3rd (most school districts are off that Friday for Good Friday).

Agenda for the day: Meet at Millville meats at 8:30AM to learn about goat cuts, meat quality and products. Then travel to the Gustafson Engineered Solutions Shop for a presentation from Jason & Missy Hoffman about feeding/nutrition and its relationship to meat quality and production. Kurt Tesmer from Tesmer Valley Livestock will also present about consumer demand, industry trends and general market information. The day will wrap up with grilled goat burgers for sampling. The education day should be wrapped up by noon.

To register: https://forms.gle/vVstZn16jTC3maHEA

Come test your skills with archery where you will have the opportunity to showcase your archery and wildlife skills and learn from peers, coaches, and volunteers in a positive environment! Open to youth grades 4+. Register in 4-H Online by April 1, 2026. Medals will be awarded to the top individuals in the archery competition!

When: April 11, 2026

*Registration begins at 9am, competition begins at 10 am

*Youth are able to select what time works best for them to compete (there are time slot options)

Where: Morris Area Elementary School

Who: Youth in grades 4th-13th grade

Cost: $20 ($25 for walk-ins/late payment)

Find more details and register here:

https://extension.umn.edu/event/stevens-county-archery-invitational

Greetings,

The cycle of False Spring followed by snow & chilly temperatures has started in Minnesota. This, along with a glance at the calendar, reminds us that the official start of Spring will begin in March. Spring brings the good - green grass, baby animals, daffodils & tulips – along with the not so good – mud. As we look towards Spring, spend a few moments on the UMN Extension website, which has a variety of resources for spring planting for homeowners, including planning and growing guides, such as how to start seeds indoors.

I encourage you to forward this newsletter to someone else who may also find these articles and events of interest. There is always so much to share from Extension.

I look forward to County Extension Committee meetings in several of your counties this month and would like to hear your feedback about the updated newsletter format. Our goal is to share accurate, up-to-date, and relevant content throughout the year.

Lisa Dierks
Regional Director, Southeast
dierksl@umn.edu

Providing leadership to Dodge, Fillmore, Houston, Mower, Olmsted, Rice, Steele, Wabasha, Winona Counties, and the Rochester Regional Office.

If you have any questions or requests for resources to share in future newsletters, please reach out to me at dierksl@umn.edu. To learn more about a topic, click on the title of the article!

Spend time in any Minnesota county and you will almost certainly encounter University of Minnesota Extension. Faculty and staff, volunteers, participants, alumni and partners are woven into the fabric of rural, urban and suburban Minnesota life.

A new digital and print project called Minnesota 87 uses photos, stories and examples to show the many ways Extension touches people’s lives in every county. Extension’s work is driven by the needs of its stakeholders, and the examples of our work shown here demonstrate the breadth and depth of how Extension helps communities work toward a better future.
We hope you enjoy these snapshots, and that you will continue to support Extension in your community!

Visit the Minnesota 87 website

Visit the link above for more information, and to view upcoming workshop dates and locations.

Opportunity knocks for oats in Minnesota

Oats once covered millions of acres in Minnesota. Today, a new market for oats may be emerging for farmers — this time as a food-grade crop. A new oat mill, growing demand for oat products, and University of Minnesota research are creating opportunities for growers. From potential for improved crop rotations and soil health benefits to a new oat variety bred for food markets, Extension is exploring what oats could mean for farm resilience and profitability.

Climate trends tool simplifies state environmental review process

As part of Minnesota’s environmental review process, developers must now include local climate trend data, but finding reliable information can be challenging. The University of Minnesota Climate Adaptation Partnership (MCAP) is now offering a tool to make this information easily accessible at the county scale.

Resources

Tips: Great news and more opportunities

For those plugged into Extension’s Terrestrial Invasive Species Participatory Science (TIPS) projects, we’re excited to share the results of the 2025 reporting efforts and introduce the priority species for the new year. Learn more — and join the mission — on the TIPS website.

University of Minnesota Tourism Center: a year in review

The Tourism Center is pleased to share accomplishments in 2025 and highlight select projects in each of its three priority areas. Share feedback about this new format by reaching out directly to Tourism Center Director Xinyi Qian (qianx@umn.edu ).

MARL class 14 applications open

Minnesota Agriculture & Rural Leadership (MARL) is a two-year educational experience designed to develop the skills of Minnesota's agricultural and rural leaders. The program includes nine three-day in-state seminars, a six-day national study seminar and a 10-14 day international study seminar. Apply by March 31.

Needs assessment survey: Help shape future crop programming

The University of Minnesota Extension Crops Team wants to hear from row crop and forage producers and the ag professionals who work with them, including crop consultants, seed salespeople, pesticide applicators, grain buyers and other ag pros. Help us share this 12–15 minute anonymous survey. Input will directly guide relevant, practical education and resources.

Upcoming events and courses

Fridays with a Forester webinar series

Join Extension foresters to discuss some of the key issues and questions around forest and woodlands facing Minnesota land stewards. These online sessions will be very informal, open to the public and free of charge. All webinars will be 9-10 a.m.
Upcoming sessions:

• March 20: Disturbance and woodland stewardship
• March 27: Recognizing, preventing, and managing oak wilt

Organic row crops days

Organic row crop days feature researchers and organic farmers presenting about nutrient management, weed management, marketing, and new or emerging technologies in organic farming. Participants will learn more about organic nutrient management, weed management techniques, and organic crop marketing.

• March 5: Organic row crops day – Lamberton
• March 10: Organic row crops day – Clearwater
• March 17: Organic row crops and livestock research day – Morris
• March 20: Organic row crops day – Owatonna

Rice County garden day - Northfield

March 14, 8:30 a.m.-3 p.m.
Grow your gardening knowledge with Rice County Master Gardeners through educational sessions on perennial garden design, orchid care, mushroom foraging and attracting hummingbirds to Minnesota landscapes. The day will also include a vendor fair, door prizes, and a silent auction.

Get growing! A horticulture day

April 18, 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
Join the Olmsted County Extension Master Gardeners for a full day focused on gardening and horticulture. Speakers will share research-based information tailored to Southeast Minnesota gardening conditions, including best practices for home gardens and ways to adapt local landscapes to a changing environment.

Ag for All conference

March 7, 8:45 a.m.-5:30 p.m.
This educational conference is focused on the experiences of LGBTQIA+ agriculturists, with an emphasis on relevant farm production and management topics. Ag for All is open to attendees and presenters of any identity with an interest in production agriculture, food systems, and supporting LGBTQIA+ individuals working in any agricultural field.

Grow your facilitation skills

Wednesdays, April 1-22
New to leading meetings? Or want to become a better facilitator and meeting participant? If so, our four-part series on growing your facilitation skills is for you! Each 90-minute session will engage you with tools and perspectives for facilitating both in person and online meetings.

View Extension's full calendar of courses and events

This scholarship is intended for an active, enrolled 4-H member from one of the following Minnesota Counties: Olmsted, Fillmore, Goodhue, Mower, Wabasha, & Winona. Youth eligible to apply are high school seniors (class of 2026) or college freshman pursuing a secondary education at a two year or four-year college majoring in animal science, agriculture, or environmental science. Youth should demonstrate involvement in 4-H and be active in their school and community and show scholastic proficiency. Youth are not able to be awarded the scholarship twice, although they can apply for it more than once.

Contact Alex at the Extension office for other scholarship opportunities.

Alexander Coe

Fillmore County 4-H Extension Educator

902 Houston St NW # 3, Preston, MN 55965

University of Minnesota

Email: coexx049@umn.edu

Office Phone: 507-765-3896

M - F 8:00 am - 4:30 pm

Cell: 507-216-2999

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