Dodge County 4-H Blast

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1. 4-H Calendar
2. 2026 4-H Schedule
3. NSF Static Results
4. NSF Static Entry Information
5. Achievement Celebration
6. 4-H Day @ the Nebraska State Fair!
7. Culinary Contest @ NSF
8. NSF Dog Show Update!
9. Heat Stress in Animals
10. Screwworm Risk During Show Season
11. Nebraska Youth Beef Leadership Symposium
12. Ambassadors
13. 4-H Council

*Items in BOLD are new items*

*LOCAL (DODGE COUNTY) EVENTS IN BOLD

August 28-August 30 - 4-H Weekend at the Nebraska State Fair @ Grand Island

August 30 - 4-H Day @ the Nebraska State Fair, 2pm-4pm

September 4-7 - FFA Weekend at the Nebraska State Fair @ Grand Island

September 9 - State Fair Static Exhibit Pick Up @ Extension Office, 8:30am-4:30pm

❗October 30 - Achievement Celebration Applications & Scholarships DEADLINE❗

November 15 - Achievement Celebration, 5:00pm

December 16 - Ambassador Fulfillment of Duties Forms DUE @ 4:30pm

The results are in! 🎉 Nebraska State Fair Static Exhibit results have been posted! We are so proud of all of our Dodge County 4-H exhibitors who worked hard to prepare and showcase their projects at State Fair.

Be sure to check out the results and see how our Dodge County 4-H’ers did! 🏆👏

Congratulations to all of our exhibitors! Your hard work, creativity, and dedication truly showed. We are so proud of each and every one of you! 💙💛

📋 View State Fair Static Results: https://go.unl.edu/nsfresults

Have a 4-H static project being exhibited at the Nebraska State Fair? Please pick up your project at the Extension Office during one of the times below.

Pick-Up at the Extension Office
State Fair projects will be available for pick-up on:

• Wednesday, September 9: 8:30a.m.–4:30 p.m.
• Thursday, September 10: 8:30a.m.–4:30 p.m.
• Friday, September 11: 8:30a.m.–4:30 p.m.

🎉 2026 Dodge County 4-H Achievement Celebration

The time is near! We’re excited to celebrate the accomplishments of our Dodge County 4-H members at the 2026 Dodge County 4-H Achievement Celebration!

📅 November 15, 2026
⏰ 5:00 PM
📍 North Bend Auditorium

ALL applications are due by October 30, 2026!

The 2026 4-H Annual Achievement Applications can be found here.

Fall 2026 scholarships that are required to be submitted with Achievement Applications can be found here.

💎 Diamond Clover Program

The Diamond Clover Program is designed to encourage 4-H youth to participate in a variety of projects and activities while developing valuable skills that will prepare them for success in the future.

Learn more about the Diamond Clover Program and find the application to apply here.

💚 Nebraska 4-H Gives Back

The Nebraska 4-H Gives Back Program provides an opportunity for an individual 4-H member or a team of 4-H'ers to make a meaningful contribution to their community.

This award recognizes the positive impact 4-H youth make in their communities while celebrating the spirit of service-learning, an important part of the 4-H experience.

Find more information about the Nebraska 4-H Gives Back Program and how to apply here.

We can’t wait to celebrate all of the hard work, growth, leadership, and accomplishments of our Dodge County 4-H members! 🎉🍀

The Nebraska State Fair is thrilled to host the 4-H Day at the Nebraska State Fair. 4-H Day will be Sunday, August 30th.

To celebrate our 4-H members statewide, they are offering discounted admission for that day that is only for bonafide 4-H Members. These discounted tickets are only intended for 4-H members; family members including parents will need to purchase regular admission tickets.

The event is set for Saturday, August 29, in the Raising Nebraska Building following the Fashion Show. Registration for 4-H'ers is open in ShoWorks (https://nebr.fairwire.com) until August 10th. In this contest, youth will showcase their skills in nutrition, food preparation, menu planning, and food safety, promoting healthy decision-making. Team consisting of two 4-H members will be eligible to compete. A challenge ingredient is selected each year highlighting a Nebraska food product. The 2026 challenge ingredient is potatoes. Sweet potatoes are not included but teams may choose category of white potatoes such as russet, red, white, yellow, blue/purple, fingerling, or petite.

More information can be found at:

• https://4h.unl.edu/statewide-events-opportunities/state-fair/contest-participant/

• https://food.unl.edu/food-and-nutrition-projects-nebraska-4-h/

For 2026, the 4-H Dog Show will take place on Sunday, September 6, 2026 and will be held in the Thompson Food Indoor Arena. We are excited to share that this location will host all dog show classes, including obedience, rally, showmanship, and agility.

Bringing all events together in one location will make it easier for youth to move between classes and will help improve communication from show officials. Additionally, the arena flooring will be leveled and packed to better support dogs’ movement, helping reduce joint stress during activities such as running and jumping.

Thank you for your dedication to the Nebraska 4-H Dog Show program—we look forward to seeing you at the 2026 State Fair!

Summer show season means thousands of livestock will cross state lines as families head to junior nationals, breed shows, and state fairs. While the focus is on competition, animal health and travel requirements deserve equal attention. This year, producers should pay particular attention to interstate movement requirements and the evolving New World Screwworm (NWS) situation which is dynamic and changing daily.

Read more so you know before you go --> https://go.unl.edu/screwwormrisk

• Who: 10th, 11th, & 12th grade students interested in the beef industry
• When: November 6-8, 2026
• Where: University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Youth will be able to:

• Participate in workshops, and discuss with beef industry professionals
• Network with producers, industry professionals, and UNL faculty
• Meet students with similar interests
• Demonstrate knowledge of the beef industry by creating and marketing a retail beef product.

Applications are available August 1st; visit Department of Animal Science to access the application. The application deadline will be September 1st, 2026

Alexa Brodd - Chase Hartman - Brooke Wiese - Kelsey Bunn

These Ambassadors will advocate for Dodge County 4-H at local events and help mentor younger 4-H members, acting as role model in 4-H. Ambassadors develop their communication skills while promoting 4-H!

Youth Representatives:

Samantha Cummings - Kelsey Bunn - Lane Mehaffey - Vanessa Kriete - Kaylee Gregory - Graham Mueller

Adult Representatives:

Deb Gathman (District 1: Dodge/Scribner/Snyder) - Josh Gregory and Maria Kriete (District 2: Logan View) - Mindy Wiese (District 3: Fremont) - Rhet Mehaffey (District 4: North Bend) - Kylee Stanley - Becky Streff - Jeff Hartman - Tracy Kaiser - Michelle Cummings

The 4-H Council is the governing body of the 4-H program, helping to direct decisions in the program that effect all members and volunteers. Some adult members serve specific parts of the county. Other adults, plus all youth members, serve the county program at large. If you have issues, concerns, suggestions, or ideas, share them with a council member.

Mary Spath - Office Manager: mspath2@unl.edu

4-H

Kelly Schole - 4-H Extension Educator

Shane Ahrens - 4-H Assistant: shane.ahrens@unl.edu

Macy Flesher - 4-H Administrative Assistant: mflesher3@unl.edu

Early Childhood

Lisa Poppe - Extension Educator: lpoppe2@unl.edu

Nutrition Education Program

Shelley Thayer - Assistant Extension Educator: mthayer6@unl.edu

Statewide Rural Health

Beth Nacke - Extension Educator: bnacke2@unl.edu

Water & Cropping Systems

Mailson Freire de Oliveira - Extension Educator: mfreiredeoliveira2@unl.edu

Horticulture

Ian Peterson - Extension Educator: ipeterson4@unl.edu

Email: dodge-county@unl.edu
Website: http://extension.unl.edu/statewide/dodge/
Location: 1206 West 23rd Street, Fremont, NE, United States
Phone: 402.727.2775
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/362826330737240/?ref=bookmarks