May Newsletter

Nebraska Extension in Pierce County

111 West Court Street, Room 13, Pierce, NE 68767

Phone: 402-329-4821 Fax: 402-329-6417

Website: http://pierce.unl.edu

Email: Pierce-County@unl.edu

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UNLPierceCounty/

• Horse ID Sheets, Horsemanship Advancement Level requirements, entry process for State Horse Show Due - 4:30 p.m. on June 1st
• 4-H Online Enrollment https//v2.4HONLINE.com Due - June 15th
• Nebraska State Fair Nomination https://showstockmgr.com Due - June 15th

• DNA Envelopes & Livestock (Horse, Beef, Goat, Sheep, Swine, Poultry, & Rabbit) ID Sheets Due at Extension Office before -June 15th
• Clothing Judging day is Friday, July 17th
• Fair Grounds Clean Up day is Monday, July 20th
• Pierce County Fair is July 22nd - July 26th

• Now is a good time to complete the written tests for Horse Levels. Written Test horse levels must be done before July 15th for Pierce County 4-Hers. Please call the office to setup a time, so a test can be ready for you.

• All 4-H/FFA BREEDING livestock, MARKET livestock and FEEDER CALVES are required to submit a DNA sample/envelope to be eligible to exhibit at the Nebraska State Fair. Stop by the office to get your DNA envelopes.

• Families the planning on taking livestock to Nebraska State Fair need to put their animal information into the Show Stock Manager database https://showstockmgr.com and pay the nomination fee by June 15.

Go to https//v2.4HONLINE.com

Please do not create a new profile if you have previously enrolled in 4-H, even a different county or state.

ALL Youth and Volunteers/Club leaders must be enrolled by June 15th, 2026.

Please make sure to include youth T-shirts size.

The project selection is now optional with the EXCEPTION of HORSE and SHOOTING SPORTS PROJECTS due to the parental consent required for participation.

Find instructions for returning families can be found at https://4h.unl.edu/enroll/returning-member

For new families, find instructions here: https://4h.unl.edu/enroll/new-member

For volunteers/Club leaders, find instructions here: https://4h.unl.edu/enroll/returning-club-leader

Before your enrollment can be accepted, dues must be paid. You can either pay the Extension Office with cash or check or pay online with credit card.

*Enrollment Fees: 4-Hers and Clover Kids will continue to pay an fee of $5.00 per 4-Her and Clover kid.

Contact Brittany for help enrolling by calling 402-329-4821

Pierce County Fair Premium Books will be ready starting on May 15th for families that have already enrolled on 4-H Online. One Premium book will be given per family. 4-H Families will have an option to enter their county projects online again. More information will be available in the future. Paper Entry Forms will still be available to anyone that would like one.

2026 Pierce County 4-H Speech Contest and Illustrated Presentation was held on Monday, April 13, 2026, at the Extension Office Meeting Room.

In the Junior Division Public Speaking, Riley Kuhl’s speech "All about Horses" received a purple ribbon.

Luke Bauermeister received a purple and Grand Champion with his speech, "Jammin in 4-H" in Public Speaking in the Intermediate Division. Luke was awarded with a $25 registration scholarship to a 2026 4-H event of his choice, sponsored by Pierce Dental. Luke is able to represent Pierce County at state-level communication contest on June 16th and June17th in Lincoln.

Eleanor Bauermeister received a purple and Grand Champion with her speech, "Food from the Home" in Public Speaking in the Senior Division. Eleanor was awarded with a $90 registration scholarship to a 2026 4-H event of her choice, sponsored by Midwest Bank of Pierce, Security Bank of Osmond, Midwest Bank of Plainview. Eleanor will be able to attend the state-level communication contest on June 16th and 17th, in Lincoln.

In the Clover Bud division Public Speaking, Emma Kuhl’s speech was, “Sick” and Maddox Sudbeck’s was the “Our Father”. Emma and Maddox received a Clover Bud ribbon.

For Illustration Presentation Junior Division participant, Brielle Backer presented “How to Take Care of a Cow.” Brielle received purple, special recognition ribbon, and Reserve Champion Ribbon. Xavier Morfeld received a purple ribbon, special recognition ribbon, and Grand Champion with his presentation “All About Call Ducks”.

For Illustration Presentation Intermediate Division participant, Emillee Backer presented “Healthy Habits: Rethink Your Drink” She received purple, Grand Champion and received a $90 dollar registration scholarship to a 2026 4-H event of her choice. This scholarship is sponsored by Midwest Bank of Pierce, Security Bank of Osmond, Midwest Bank of Plainview. Brielle, Xavier, and Emillee will be able to attend the state-level communication contest on June 16th and 17th in Lincoln.

If you had Pre-ordered the Special Garden Seeds they are ready to be picked up at the Pierce County Extension Office.

Through the Nebraska 4-H Livestock Achievement Program, youth can receive recognition as Members of Excellence for engaging in various project-related activities. Applications are due June 15, but why wait? Visit https://4h.unl.edu/statewide-events-opportunities/livestock-program/livestock-achievement-program/ to get started.

Tractor and farm equipment safety courses are now open for registration! Teens ages 14-15 who work on farms, or others who are interested in learning about tractor and farm equipment safety practices, can register for a safety training course offered at 12 locations across Nebraska from May 26 - July 2. Learn more at https://cvent.me/0oRoRz.

Join this fun one-day camp to explore agriculture and technology through the creation of virtual reality (VR) tours. Participants will learn about local agriculture as well as Hawaii and Alaska, create tours, and publish their work for public viewing. You will also have the chance to immerse yourself in local agriculture and ask questions of ag professionals while learning about both VR Tour creation and innovative agricultural and research practices.

WHO: Youth going into grades 7th grade and up!

COST: $25 (includes lunch, snacks, and supplies for all activities)

WHEN: 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

WHERE: June 4 at Haskell Ag Lab (Concord)

Registration submitted and payment postmarked by May 26

Register at https://go.unl.edu/ag360 or use QR Code

Space is limited to 40 participants at each site.

Questions? Reach out to Brandy at (402) 759-3712 or brandy.vandewalle@unl.edu or Sarah at (308) 772-3311 or spaisley3@unl.edu

Do you know what it takes to pick the best fruit and vegetables out at the grocery store? Or do you know what judges are looking for when they judge your plants at the county fair? Have you ever wondered, what plant is that!?! We are excited to offer the opportunity to learn these and other important horticulture skills through the Online Horticulture Contest. The contest will be available June 9-23, 2026 at: https://go.unl.edu/online4hhortcontest.

Horticulture judging contest consists of three parts.

• Identification of plant material. Participants identify the plants by common name from a plant list. Specimens may be alive or preserved plant parts like stems, twigs, leaves, flowers, seeds, fruits, roots, bulbs, tubers, or plant.
• The knowledge portion, usually in the form of a true/false or multiple choice quiz. Questions will test the contestant's knowledge of cultural practices for horticultural crops, plant science, pesticides, horticultural careers and other topics related to the production, processing and consumption of horticultural crops.
• The last portion is judging or placings. This is where four different plants, plates of vegetables, or containers flowers are ranked from best to worst based on a set of criteria. Classes are judged on the basis of condition, quality, uniformity, true-to-type, and size.

More information about the Nebraska State contest along with a list of study materials can be found in the Horticulture ID Contest Fairbook. Here you can find the written study materials for the knowledge portion, follow links to plant pictures for help with identification, and read how judging of plant material is done.

More details at: https://4h.unl.edu/online-horticulture-judging-contest

Attention seniors and parents of seniors! Check out our newsletter about scholarships and other college information. Juniors, feel free to take a peak to plan ahead for next year!

Congratulations to the Class of 2026 we wish you luck on your future endeavors!

Emily Endorf

Draydin Gossman

Cayden Holan

Alexandria Huwaldt

Aubrey Jensen

Aubree Uribe

Cameron Wessendorf

Clay White

Dierck White

• 1: State Horse Show Entries DUE

• 1: State Horse Show Horse Level Testing Must be Complete

• 1: State Horse Show Horse ID's DUE

• 1: Pierce County YQCA

• 3: Pitzer 4-H Horse Judging Clinic & Contest

• 3-5: Winners Unlimited Camp (Reg. DUE May 18)

• 4: AG 360: Exploring Hawaii, Alaska, and Nebraska in VR (Reg. DUE May 26)

• 5: Baking Healthy and Creative Snacks (Reg. DUE May 29)

• 6 4-H Small Animal Progress Show

• 7 Hustler Progress Show

• 8 Let's Paint by Run-A-Ways (Reg. DUE June 1)

• 9: 4-H Council Meeting 8:00 PM

• 9: Fabric All Natural Dye Workshop (Reg. DUE June 1)

• 9-23 Online Horticulture Contest

• 11: Sewing Pillow using the dye fabric Workshop (Reg. DUE June 1)

• 11-13: Fort Robinson 4-H Horse Camp (Reg. DUE May 8)

• 13: Cuming County Cream of the Crop Dairy Show

• 15: 4-H Enrollments DUE

• 15: YQCA Must Be Complete

• 15: County Beef, Dairy, Goats, Sheep, Swine, and Rabbit ID’s DUE

• 15: DNA Collection Envelopes DUE to the Extension Office for Beef, Meat Goats, Sheep, and Swine

• 15: State Fair Online Nominations and Fees DUE for Beef, Meat Goats, Sheep, and Swine

• 15: Livestock Achievement Program Applications DUE

• 15: Quilt Workshop (Reg. DUE June 8)

• 17-18: Rocketry Workshop (Reg. DUE June 10)

• 17-19: Heartland Triple Crown Livestock Judging Series

• 19: Office Closed in Observance of Juneteenth

• 20: Arlington Progress Show (Early Reg. DUE June 15)

• 21: Red Willow County Progress Show (Early Reg. DUE June 12)

• 22: Quilt Workshop (Reg. DUE June 8)

• 23: Disaster Kit Workshop (Reg. DUE June 16)

• 26: Clover Bud Workshop (Reg. DUE June 16)

  
  

• 1: Pierce County Fair Entry Due
• 9: 4-H Council Meeting 7:30 PM
• 9: Superintendent Meeting 8:30 PM

• 17: Pierce County Clothing Day

• 20: Pierce County Fair Clean Up

• 22-26: Pierce County Fair

• 24: Red Letter Day

• 31: Red Letter Day

Nebraska Extension is a Division of the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln cooperating with the Counties and the United States Department of Agriculture. The 4-H Youth Development program abides with the nondiscrimination policies of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and the United States Department of Agriculture. ©2026