Dakota County 4-H News
SEPTEMBER 2026
NEBRASKA EXTENSION DAKOTA COUNTY
DAKOTA COUNTY OFFICE STAFF
Angela Abts—4-H & Youth aabts2@unl.edu
Julie Boyle—Food Nutrition and Health julie.boyle@unl.edu
Tammy Dunn—Office Manager tpeterson3@unl.edu
DAKOTA COUNTY 4-H
Email: dakota-county@unl.edu
Website: https://dakota.unl.edu
Location: 1505 Broadway Street, Dakota City, NE, USA
Phone: 402-987-2140
Facebook: facebook.com/UNLDakotaCounty
Twitter: @NEDakota4HExt
2026 DAKOTA~THURSTON COUNTY FAIR IS IN THE BOOKS
What a joy to see all our amazing 4-H youth and their families at the Dakota~Thurston County Fair. Watching our youth grow and develop, gain self-confidence and knowledge is so much fun. Seeing faces light up as they receive their ribbons and other awards, knowing they are making the best better is truly rewarding.
News releases have been written, results recorded, premiums calculated and awards ordered and being distributed. All this could not be done with out our many volunteers, sponsors and donations.
Take that extra minute or two to thank a volunteer, sponsor or donor, either in person or a hand written note is always appreciated. Write a sentence or two and maybe include a picture thanking that trophy sponsor or Bonus Auction donor. They need to know we appreciate their continued support.
Trophy/Award winners: At fair you received a 1/2 sheet certificate with the donors name and address on it. If you can't locate that, contact the Extension Office and we can provide that information to you.
NEBRASKA STATE FAIR
Congratulations to all our Dakota County 4-H youth that participated in the Nebraska State fair with either static exhibits, or livestock. You can find the results here: https://nebraska4hresults.com/
Static: Benjamin Albrecht, Isaac Albrecht, Jaxson Bates, Age Boyle, Charlee Bylsma, Audric Cavenee, Brooks Estochen, Payton Hermelbracht, Rylie Hermelbracht, Axel Kramper, Grayson Leedom, Logan Leedom, Ainsley Madison, Brooke Raymer, Derek Stroot, Gianna Stroot
Livestock: Gauge Thomsen, Beau Thomsen, Finn Thomsen Mia Lyons, Kinlee Dunn, Cameron Buderus, Payton Hermelbracht, Rylie Hermelbracht, Benjimen Bousquet, Rachael Bousquet, Maxon Mitchell, Aiden Estochen, Brooks Estochen, Kinleigh Estochen
2026 STATE 4-H HORSE EXPO
The middle of July is the 4-H Sate Horse show, held at Fonner Park in Grand Island. Dakota County had three 4-H'ers participate. To participate at the state 4-H horse show. Level tests need to be completed and the horses need to be ID'd in May.
Charlee Bylsma - 3 blues, 2 reds
Payton Hermelbracht -1 blue
Rylie Hermelbracht - 5 blues, 1 red
Payton Overfelt - 1 blue, 1 red
Congratulations!
NATIONAL 4-H WEEK OCTOBER 4TH - 10TH
Help 4-H members and families celebrate National 4-H week October 4th - 10th, 2026.
Go Green on Monday October 5th. Wear green, light up your house in green. Work with your city or village to go green.
Thankful Thursday, October 8th. Thank your parents, thank a sponsor, thank a volunteer, thank fellow club members, thank our Ambassadors, Thank you Gramma. Show your gratitude for those that support the 4-H program.
Watch for more details.
SHARE YOUR FAVORITE 4-H PHOTO
Every 4-H fair experience is a chance for youth to put their skills into action. Whether volunteering, exhibiting, showing, or leading, 4-H'ers are demonstrating the confidence, responsibility, and real-world skills at the fair that prepare them to be Beyond Ready for work and life.
Upload ONE favorite photo of yourself, or a favorite 4-H'er, participating in a fair experience that shows those real-world skills in action, or share a favorite fair experience in the guestbook at http://go.unl.edu/ne4hfairseasonphotos!
A statewide fair 4-H photo gallery will be created to share during the Nebraska State Fair, celebrating how the impact of the Nebraska 4-H program goes beyond the ribbon, reaching youth in every county across the state.
DAKOTA`THURSTON 4-H AMBASSADOR APPLICATION OPEN!
Dakota- Thurston 4-H Ambassadors Application Open!
This is an awesome opportunity for our older Dakota or Thurston County 4-H members!!
4-H Ambassador Eligibility:
• Youth 14-18 years of age (age on January 1st).
• Youth will serve a two year term (can reapply for another term).
• Enrolled as a 4-H member (Dakota or Thurston).
• Must be an active member for at least two years prior to application.
Applications are due to the Nebraska Extension Office in Dakota County by Wednesday, October 15, 2026.
Contact the Dakota County Extension office for the application. https://extension.unl.edu/statewide/dakota/4-h/dakota-county-4-h-ambassadors/
4-H PROJECT SHOWCASE
Show off your favorite 4-H project -- or even one that didn't go as planned! Every project tells a story of learning, helping youth build the skills to become healthy, productive, and engaged leaders who are Beyond Ready for work and life.
Submit your project for the 4-H Project Showcase by September 15 to be featured during National 4-H Week in October and throughout the year at 4h.unl.edu/project-showcase.
More details at: https://4h.unl.edu/project-showcase
JUDGE'S REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN!
Calling all potential 2027 county and state fair 4-H judges!
Sign up now to be a part of the Nebraska 4-H judging team. Help Nebraska youth be beyond ready for work and life through 4-H project exhibits by serving as a 4-H project judge!
Deadline to sign up: September 30, 2026
Register here: https://go.unl.edu/2027judgesregistration
Join us and help shape the future of 4-H!
SHOOTING SPORTS INSTRUCTOR TRAININGS
Would you like to become a Shooting Sports Instructor, start a Shooting Sports club or update your certifications? Sign up for a variety of dates and locations in October.
October 3rd - A Nebraska 4-H Shooting Sports Leader Update Session is scheduled for early October in Imperial. It will be held October 3rd, 9am to noon, at the Chase County Fairgrounds. The early bird deadline to register for the Update training is September 23rd.
October 3rd & 4th - A Nebraska 4-H Shooting Sports Instructor Certification Workshop is scheduled for early October in Imperial. It will be held October 3-4 at the Chase County Fairgrounds. The early bird deadline to register for the Imperial session is September 23rd, 5 pm.
October 17th & 18th - A Nebraska 4-H Shooting Sports Instructor Certification Workshop is scheduled for mid-October near Ashland. It will be held October 17-18 at the Ashland Gun Club near Ashland. The early bird deadline to register for the Ashland session is October 7th, 5 pm.
For more information visit the shooting sports website.
https://4h.unl.edu/statewide-events-opportunities/shooting-sports-program/
NASA TechRise STUDENT CHALLENGE FOR MIDDLE & HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTGS
NASA TechRise is a free NASA challenge for middle and high school students. It invites student teams to submit experimental ideas to fly on a commercial space-industry high-altitude balloon for suborbital flight.
The challenge includes information sessions for your department or organization upon request, free educational resources to foster classroom learning, and an exciting student virtual field trip in the fall. Sixty winning teams will also receive $1500 to build their experiment, a spot to test it on a NASA-sponsored flight, and technical support from NASA TechRise advisors. The challenge is a great way to get hands-on with a NASA project this school year, and we encourage teams of all skill levels to apply. Updated challenge resources (including videos, slide decks, and educator pacing guides) can all be found on the challenge website when the challenge opens.
Millard North High School from Omaha had a winning team in 2025-26, and you can see their short video on the challenge website.
More details at: https://www.futureengineers.org/nasatechrise
RED LETTER DAYS
High school juniors and seniors interested in Nebraska are encouraged to visit campus on a Red Letter Day! This experience includes a campus tour with a student guide, academic appointments, lunch, financial aid and housing sessions, and clubs and organizations browsing fair. Register at go.unl.edu/visit
APPLY FOR FREE TO UNL THROUGH NOVEMBER 1ST
High school seniors interested in UNL are encourage to apply for free through November 1st! Use go.unl.edu/apply with the code HUSKER to access the application.
2026 VIRTUAL FOOD PRESERVATION
If you would like to learn the safe, science-based methods of food preservation plan to enroll in the FREE Virtual Educational Series offered via zoom by Nebraska Extension.
Register at least one week ahead of each class. All participants will receive an email link to log-into the ZOOM program. Each class will be held from 12:00 to 1:00PM CT.
May 20 – Making Jams & Jellies
June 10 - Boiling Water Canning
June 17- Dehydrating Foods
July 15 - Freezing Foods
July 22 - Pressure Canning
August 12 - Tomatoes or Salsa
August 20 - Pickling
September 15 - Squash/Pumpkins
More details and registration can be found at:
https://go.unl.edu/virtualfoodpreservation.
For additional questions, contact your local Nebraska Extension office or go to www.food.unl.
