MURRAY COUNTY 4-H NEWSLETTER

Registration for the 2026 Murray County Fair is officially open on FairEntry!

This is for ALL 4-H projects (not just livestock). Please refer to the 2026 Murray County 4-H Premium List for details on where certain projects fall under.

Click here to access the Murray County page within FairEntry.

Deadline to get projects entered is July 15, 2026, by 11:59 p.m.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out to the Murray County Extension staff!

The Murray County 4-H Premium List is available for the 2026 fair year! If you would like a paper copy, please stop by the Murray County Extension Office.

The University of Minnesota Extension has come out with a new and very helpful guide regarding the vegetable project area! Information includes how to prepare a vegetable box, judging criteria, labeling, data/ record keeping and so much more! For those families who are interested in exhibiting vegetables, we highly recommend the guide below as a reference!

Preparing Vegetables for Exhibit

Animal ID letters were mailed out earlier this week, please make sure to watch for those in your mailbox! You should've also received an email that includes all species letter, animal science updates and more!

NEW IN 2026

This year, at the Murray County fair it will be required that livestock, other than poultry and

rabbits, need to be checked by the veterinarian before entering the barns for stalling,

weigh-ins, etc. To view all the information pertaining to this topic, please visit the Murray County 4-H Animal Science Folder. Poultry will need to have bands on prior to their arrival at the Murray County Fairgrounds.

To view all the species letters, animal science updates, ID information, etc., please visit the Murray County 4-H Animal Science Folder

Murray County 4-H is offering a wide variety of different summer programs for all age groups to attend this summer! Check out the line-up below:

• SWIM Team - held on Tuesday and Thursday mornings in the months of June and July
• Plant Power - June 8
• Arts & Crafts - June 9
• The Great Waffle Challenge - June 15
• Big Ideas Mobile Lab featuring Virtual Reality Simulators (partnering with the Slayton Public Library) - June 16 (8:30 - 10:30 a.m.)
• Wild and Free Outdoor Adventures - June 16 (1 - 3 p.m.)
• SW Regional Livestock Judging Contest - June 17
• Celebrate 250th Birthday of the USA - July 13
• Flight Challenge - July 14
• Natural Resources and what can we do to help them last - July 20
• Succulent Lab - July 21

Visit the Murray County 4-H Summer Day Camp Flyer folder for more details and links to registration!

JBS of Worthington would like to open their doors to local 4-H youth to take a facility tour and learn about the variety of jobs that are available with JBS. Did you know they are looking for staff ranging from supervisors, accountants and physical therapists?

When: June 10, 2026

Time: 9 a.m.

Location: JBS

1700 MN-60

Worthington, MN 56187

Please fill out the JBS Tour Registration form for more information on what youth will need to provide and to register!

Each county is allowed a number of youth to attend the state fair or state horse show. These quotas are set each spring by state program leaders. Each county can apply for more youth from their county to attend (a "bonus") based on the excellence of their youth development programming. Tribal programs should apply through their county.

Bonus trips encourage local programs to strive for programming excellence across all animal species, and to support positive learning experiences for youth. It does not recognize individual youth or project quality.

Each county may send in one application per animal species for state fair. Each county may send in two applications for state horse show but can only win one. See all details below. Application planning starts in February or March. If you want to help your county prepare its bonus trips application.

How to Apply

Please visit the 'Bonus trips to State Fair and State Horse Show' website to apply for the respective species you are interested in. Contact Kim, Kerstin or Mallory if you need help planning an event or assist in the application process.

Junior crop scouting: Grades 3 - 5

A beginner-friendly experience with hands-on activities like plant, weed, and pest ID—perfect for building curiosity and confidence!

• Tuesday, July 28
• Held alongside the crop scouting challenge
• $10/youth
• Registration: May 1 - June 15

4-H/FFA crop scouting challenge: Grades 6+

Youth work in teams to identify weeds, insects, diseases, and field issues in real crop settings.

• Optional overnight experience (July 27) with educational workshop and hotel accommodations available
• July 28
• 💲 $25/team (3 - 5 youth) or $10 per individual
• 📝 Registration: May 1 - June 15

4-H crop scouting summer field days: Grades 3+

Hands-on field experiences across the state - great for families and youth of all abilities!

• Lamberton: July 7
• Rosemount: July 15
• Crookston: July 15
• Registration: May 1 - June 30

For more information, please visit the 4-H/ FFA Crop Scouting webpage.

State Arts-In is a 22-day experience taking place at the state fairgrounds, for youth in grades 9+. Ranking their choices of majors (tech, band, costuming, performing) at registration, these young people will gather to put together a show to perform 3-4 times daily throughout the state fair. They'll also learn about leadership, teamwork, goal setting, and develop an amazing community.

Learn more about this exciting opportunity on the Minnesota 4-H State Arts-In webpage!

New Vision Co-op is pleased to announce that it will be offering its 4-H Sponsorship program again this year. The program will be the same as last year, where participants will receive the full value that they apply for, and the County Extension will receive an additional 20% on top of that total. The deadline to sign up is June 12, 2026. Below is the link where applicants can apply for the sponsorship and get more information. https://newvision.coop/4-h/

Yes, it's that time of year already...Re-enrollment for Murray County 4-H opens today! It allows you to update your family information, address, email, etc. This is also the time to select your primary club with the option the enroll in a secondary club (for example Horse Club or Llama/ Alpaca Club). Staff want to make sure you are getting the information you need and answer any questions you may have!

Every year, starting September 15, each youth from Cloverbud to grade 13 need to be enrolled. Families can do that by visiting https://v2.4honline.com/#/user/sign-in. Update all the info, share any new project areas you might be interested in learning about so you can receive the appropriate emails throughout the year regarding information and deadlines for those particular project areas.

Here is a 4-H Online 'Tip Sheet' for enrolling/ re-enrolling to help with the process offering step-by-step instructions.

Volunteers need to be updated every third year. You should have received a message prior to September 15 if it's your year to renew. It will include directions as well as the link https://4-h-volunteer.extension.umn.edu/welcome-or-renew/renew. If it's not your year, 4-H staff will handle the rollover for you.

Thank you for taking the time to do this - the sooner your enrollment gets completed, the less emails and reminders you will receive.

Thank you for making Murray County 4-H the best it can be!😃

Please take a moment to download or print the 2025 - 2026 Murray County 4-H calendar.

We have an app available that provides easy access to all things Murray County 4-H and Fair season!

Please take the time to download and utilize for access to show programs, stalling survey, Foodstand menu and so much more!

Available in the Apple App Store or Google Play! Search 'Minnesota 4-H' to download!

With a new year, that means new scholarship opportunities are available for high school seniors and college students. Please take the time to check out the scholarship site, to learn about upcoming opportunities this spring.

Please check out the Minnesota State Cattlemen's Website for more details regarding the scholarships they are offering! Check out the scholarship page for more information!

Need activity ideas for your 4-H club? Check out our Youth Development Curriculum Library for fun, educational lesson and activity resources designed for youth workers, 4-H volunteers, and youth themselves! 86 resources and counting! More content is added every month. Current categories: Animals and livestock, civic engagement and leadership, Cloverbuds (K - 2), environment and earth science, expressive arts and communication, family and consumer science, gardening and agriculture, healthy living, icebreakers, games, and reflection activities, including youth of all abilities, independent learning, outdoor adventures, STEM, and themed 4-H club agenda samples. If you have specific content you’d like to see, contact Jessica Russo at pier0239@umn.edu.

Join the Murray County 4-H Ambassadors! We meet typically once a month for leadership opportunities, youth engagement, ambassador outings, and service projects. Youth in grades 8 and up are invited to join the Murray County 4-H Ambassadors. Fill out the attached link

https://z.umn.edu/MCAmbassador

Looking into summer, please remember that Ambassadors have a meeting in July prior to the Federation meeting for Fair Assignments and to be present to select next year's officers. Please mark July 27 at 6:00 p.m. on your calendars.

Please send a warm welcome Elizabeth Hines as she is an official 4-H volunteer within Murray County 4-H. She's looking to become more involved within our program. Elizabeth and her husband are new to the area and would love to learn more about what Murray County 4-H has to offer!

Interested in becoming a volunteer? Contact the Extension staff at (507)-836-6927.

We would love to see the positive impact you could make in our program!

Extension Educator, 4-H Youth Development

University of Minnesota Extension, Murray County

📍2848 BROADWAY AVE 📞(507)-836-1144 ✉️hausek@umn.edu

SLAYTON, MN 56172

Extension Educator, 4-H Youth Development

University of Minnesota Extension, Murray County

📍2848 BROADWAY AVE 📞(507)-836-1145

✉️thoms531@umn.edu

SLAYTON, MN 56172

Administrative Assistant, Murray County Extension

📍2848 Broadway Ave 📞 507-836-6927 ✉ carl5049@umn.edu

Slayton, MN 56172

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