Summertime Fun!
CONTENTS - CLICK FOR MORE INFO
YOUTH FOR THE QUALITY CARE OF ANIMALS
SUMMER WORKSHOPS
COUNTY AND STATE FAIR DEADLINES
LIVESTOCK SALE
EMERGING ADULT VOLUNTEER AWARD
BOONE-NANCE COMMUNICATION CONTEST
SUMMER CAMPS - see below
SPECIAL GARDEN PROJECT
PITZER 4-H HORSEMANSHIP & TRAIL RIDE
GREAT PLAINS LIVESTOCK JUDGING CIRCUIT
TRACTOR & EQUIPMENT SAFETY TRAINING
PHELPS COUNTY 4-H SMALL ANIMAL PROGRESS SHOW
YOUNG NEBRASKA SCIENTIST CAMPS
HEAVY EQUIPMENT CAREER EXPLORATION
LOUP VALLEY 4-H HORSE CONFERENCE
SOUTH CENTRAL LIVESTOCK JUDGING
Upcoming Events
May 7 - Boone/Nance County Communication contest, 6:00 pm at the Boone County Extension Office.
May 9 - YQCA training in Fullerton at 6:30 pm at the Extension Office.
May 11 - AI Challenge submissions due.
May 15 - County Fair Livestock ID forms due at the Extension Office.
May 25&26 - Boone County Arama Shows for goat, sheep, beef, and swine. (See Event Flyers)
May 28 - Pitzer 4-H Horse Judging Contest at the Pitzer Ranch in Ericson. (See the flyer in Event Flyers). Contact Kally King if interested in being on a team. kally_n@msn.com or 402-750-2335.
May 28 - Animal Science Discover Day, NCTA campus, Curtis. Register at https://cvent.me/5YwX7d
May 31 - 1 pm - Archery, Shotgun, & .22 Rifle County Fair Match - Required for all 4-H’ers in these Shooting Sports projects. Note the change to Saturday.
June 1 - Loup Valley 4-H Horse Conference Show in Albion. For more information, email Sherry Siwinski at sherry.siwinski@unl.edu . (See Event Flyers for more show dates!)
June 1 - 1:30 pm - ATV and Tractor Driving Contests at the Fairgrounds.
June 1 - 3:00 pm - Bicycle Rodeo at the Fairgrounds. Open to all 4-Hers ages 5 to 11.
June 2 - DNA envelopes for State Fair entries due at the Extension Office.
June 4-6 - Regional Junior 4-H Camp at Whispering Cedars at Genoa.
June 4-6 - UNL Livestock Judging Camp, more info at https://go.unl.edu/judging-camp
June 7 - Phelps County 4-H Small Animal Progress Show, Holdrege. Rabbits, Poultry, Pocket Pets. For more info, call 308-995-4222.
June 7-8 -4-H Horsemanship, Trail Obstacle Course, & Trail Ride. Register at https://cvent.me/nxXQA3
June 8 - Hustler Progress Show, Cuming County Fairgrounds, West Point. Call 402-380-5229 or 402-380-3194.
June 11 - YQCA training in Antelope County at the Extension Office at 10:00 am.
June 8-13 - Big Red Summer Academic Camps at UNL. https://4h.unl.edu/statewide-events-opportunities/big-red-summer-academic-camps/camp-sessions
June 10-24 - Online Horticulture Judging Contest. https://4h.unl.edu/online-horticulture-judging-contest
June 11 - YQCA in-person training at Antelope County at 10:00 am.
June 12-14 - 4-H Horse Camp at Ft Robinson State Park at Crawford. More information later!
June 17-18 - PASE event held at UNL on East Campus. More details at https://4h.unl.edu/pase
June 19 & 20 - Premier Communication Contest, UNL East Campus. More details below!
June 21-22 - Adams County Progress Show, Hastings. Info at https://adams.unl.edu
June 23 - Heavy Equipment Career Exploration at Hastings CCC. For more information and to register at go.unl.edu/heavyequipment
July 12-16, 2025 - Fonner Park State 4-H Horse Expo, Grand Island. 4h.unl.edu/statewide-events-opportunities/horse-program/horse-expo
July 12-16 - Boone County Fair
July 25-27 - Nance County Fair
Click on image to enroll in 4-H.
FAIRBOOKS ARE HERE!
Pick one up at the Extension Office, or click the picture to see the online version.
Register now for in-person YQCA training!
Click the logo to go to website.
All livestock exhibitors aged 8 to 18 before January 1 are required to complete the Youth For the Quality Care of Animals training (YQCA) prior to exhibiting the animals. YQCA in-person training will be held May 3 at 10:00 am at the Boone County Fairgrounds, at the Extension Office Conference Room. Nance County will have the training May 9 at 6:30 pm at the Extension Office. Training will be held in Antelope County on June 11 at 10:00 am. Please register and complete the pretest prior to class.
Training can also be completed online. Be sure to submit your certificate to the Extension Office when completed. Call the Extension Office for a coupon code for $3 off the registration fee for the in-person training or the online training.
Coming Soon! Watch your email for information on Summer Workshops.
Animal ID forms must be submitted for County Fair by May 15 for Market Beef, Breeding Beef, Feeder Calf, Bucket Calf, Market Lamb, Breeding Sheep, Swine, Market Goat, Breeding Doe, Dairy Goat, Dairy, Rabbit, and Horse. ID forms are available at the Extension Office or online, Ear tags are also available at the office.
Poultry do not need to be ID’d. Cats and dogs only need a vaccination record from the Vet showing that they are current on Vaccinations.
COUNTY FAIR DEADLINES
MONDAY, JUNE 16 - ENTRY FORMS FOR FAIR EXHIBITS DUE IN THE EXTENSION OFFICE. For static exhibits, horse, cat, dog and small animal entries.
TUESDAY, JULY 1 - LIVESTOCK ENTRIES DUE IN THE EXTENSION OFFICE INCLUDING STALLS NEEDED.
Fillable entry forms available at https://extension.unl.edu/statewide/boone-nance/boonenance-county-fairs/boone-county-fair-information/
STATE FAIR LIVESTOCK DEADLINES
MONDAY, JUNE 2 - DNA SAMPLES DUE AT THE EXTENSION OFFICE
SUNDAY, JUNE 15 - SHOWSTOCK MANAGER NOMINATIONS DUE ONLINE
All livestock in contention to exhibit at the Nebraska State Fair will be required to complete an online nomination with payment through Show Stock Manager and submit a DNA collector envelope with a hair sample. This includes all 4-H and FFA breeding livestock, market livestock, and feeder calves. Each State Fair nomination will be $7.00 per animal in Show Stock Manager. 4-H and FFA livestock nominations are due on June 15, 2025. DNA samples are due at the Extension Office by June 2, as we then mail them to Grand Island.
Website Link: https://showstockmgr.com
For 4-H/FFA families who are planning on nominating the same animals for the NSF and Aksarben Stock Show, obtain your DNA envelopes from the local Extension Office or FFA Advisor. Turn in your completed DNA envelopes to the local Extension Office or FFA Advisor. Submit the DNA payment and complete the online nomination in Show Stock Manager. 4-H/FFA families will only be required to submit DNA and pay once for an animal.
After these steps, complete the online nomination process for the Aksarben Stock Show. The Aksarben Stock Nomination online nomination system will be different than Show Stock Manager. Guidance on how to nominate State Fair animals in the Aksarben Stock Show online nomination database will be provided at a later date.
LIVESTOCK SALE INFORMATION
The Boone County 4-H Council finalized the order for the Livestock Sale for the Boone County Fair. The 2025 Sale order is: Market Beef, Breeding Beef, Feeder Calf, Bucket Calf, Market Broiler Pen of 3, Market Sheep, Breeding Sheep, Market Boat, Breeding Meat Goat, Dairy Goat, Market Turkey Pen of 2, Dairy Animal, Market Swine, and Breeding Swine.
There are two major changes to the sale order. First, Feeder Calves are now included in the sale. Second, Bucket Calves are also included, but these are the ones exhibited by 4-H youth aged 8 to 18, and not by Clover Kids. See the Boone County Fair Policies on our website at https://extension.unl.edu/statewide/boone-nance/boone-county-premium-list-2025/boone-county-fair-policies/
EMERGING ADULT VOLUNTEER AWARD
Sarah Moeller has received the Emerging Adult Volunteer Award. This award recognizes current volunteers who have served less than three years in their local 4-H community., One individual is recognized for each Nebraska Extension Engagement Zone. Recipients will be celebrated during a recognition ceremony at the 2025 Nebraska State Fair.
The Nebraska 4-H Volunteer Awards honor individuals who are making meaning full and lasting contributions to their local 4-H communities.
CONGRATULATIONS SARAH!
COUNTY COMMUNICATION CONTEST
The Boone-Nance Communication Contest will be held in Albion at the Extension Office Conference Room on May 7 at 6:30 pm. New this year, the Presentation contest will be included. Information about the individual events can be found on our website at https://extension.unl.edu/statewide/boone-nance/boonenance-county-fairs/boone-county-fair-information/
Please call the Extension Office with your entry category and title by May 6 or fill out this google form by May 6:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1s6Qr-RD9Lc3foskxiQvXE8eTPPs7yVP0x7pkHYFw5Mk/edit
Camp Counselors Needed!
It's not too late to register for Junior 4-H Camp to be held at Whispering Cedars at Genoa June 4-6. Activities include swimming, zipline, rock climbing, hiking, crafts, games, singing, campfire, and making friends. Junior 4-H Camp is open to ALL youth, ages 8-11 before January 1st of this year. 12-year-olds can be put on a waiting list if registered and paid. If there is room after the May 8th deadline, they will be notified that they can attend.
Register by May 2 at 4:00 pm for the early bird rate of $110. Then until May 8 at 4 pm the rate is $135. Campers can register at https://forms.gle/a83cQ7zY9Ss4i9TN8 or pick up an application at the Extension Office. We have room for around 30 more campers. Checks should be made out to the Boone County 4-H Council and can be mailed or dropped of at the Extension Office.
We need a few more Camp counselors for Junior 4-H Camp. Counselors must be 16 to 18 years of age before January 1. You will be required to complete the Permission and Health form in 4-H Online, and the background screening before coming to camp. We need 9 more counselors from the 8 counties. Please register as soon as possible, because without you, camp can not take place.
There is still time to get some seeds for the 2025 Special Garden Project. Even if you did not reserve seeds, please drop by the Extension Office to pick up the seeds and information; we have extra seeds. This is a nice county fair project.
The 4-H Artificial Intelligence Challenge is designed for youth aged 13 - 18. Submissions must be submitted by May 11. Top two winners in each state will have the opportunity to attend the national competition in June. Click the image for more information.
Register by clicking the flyer.
Click flyer for more information.
Click flyer to register.
Click flyer to register.
Click flyer to Register
NEBRASKA LIVESTOCK JUDGING CLASSIC
The Nebraska Livestock Judging Classic will be held June 13th at the Buffalo County Fairgrounds. The $25 Registration Fee includes lunch and ice cream awards event. Registrations will be accepted the day of the event, although a phone call beforehand would be appreciated. For more information, call Kerry Elsen at 308-236-1235. For a schedule of events, go to https://nljc.unl.edu/schedule-events/
UNTIL NEXT MONTH!
Steve Pritchard - Extension Educator
Sonya Glup - Extension Associate
Boone County: 402-395-2158
E-mail: boone-county@unl.edu
Nance County: 308-536-2691
E-mail: nance-county@unl.edu