4-H Blast

December 19th 2024

Champion Sweatshirts are available for pickup!

The weather is turning colder, what a prefect time to wear your champion sweatshirt! Share your 4-H pride this winter and come get your Champion Sweatshirt! Look to see if your name is on the list!

Nebraska 4-H Senior Achievement Applications are DUE Sunday, January 5, 2025.

Achievement Application

The Nebraska 4-H Achievement Application is a standard application form used for the selection of county and state award winners, including Nebraska delegates to National 4-H Congress and National 4-H Conference, as well as Nebraska 4-H Foundation scholarship award recipients. Two versions of the application are available:

4h.unl.edu

Local upcoming Scholarships

York County 4-H Council Scholarship- February 15th

Open to youth who have completed their Junior or Senior year of high school AND have been active in the York County 4-H Program for at least 5 years. * Youth are not eligible for this scholarship if received the Outstand 4-H Council Scholarship in the fall.

Dorothy and Howard May Trust Scholarship - February 15th

Open to graduating seniors who are current York County 4-H member and has been active in 4-H programs and enrolled in a 4-H plant science area project for at least 5 years.

2025 Special Garden Project

The 2025 Special Garden Project will focus on the Goldie Husk Cherry. This old-fashioned fruit from the tomato family has sweet berries inside golden husks. The fruits have many uses and can be eaten raw, dried, frozen, canned, or made into tasty treats like pies, desserts, or preserves. This project is open to all youth of 4-H ages 5-18 and it will give them the opportunity to learn about growing, harvesting, and exhibiting this unique fruit.

Youth are encouraged to enroll for Horticulture/Plant Science through 4-H Online. Youth will then have to reach out to their local Extension Office to sign up and order the seeds. It will be up to the county office to keep track of the youth that signed up and share the educational materials including the growing newsletter & evaluation.

New in 2025 - open to all youth ages 8-18

Farrowed & Owned Swine Cohort

Youth working with swine

The Nebraska 4-H Farrowed & Owned Swine Cohort is an opportunity for youth interested in learning more about the swine industry. The program is designed to cultivate the next generation of leaders in the Nebraska swine industry. The goal is to enhance the educational value of the traditional 4-H swine projects by focusing on swine production, accurate and complete record-keeping, industry knowledge, and engagement by the 4-H member.

Youth participating in the Farrowed & Owned Swine Cohort will:

Network with 4-H members across the state who are also participating in the cohort experience.

Participate in learning opportunities hosted by Extension Swine Specialist Benny Mote about nutrition, feeding, genetics, and more.

Gain knowledge related to their project and the swine industry as a whole.

Maintain records related to swine management and basic care.

**NEW for 2025** Exhibit their Farrowed and Owned project animals at any Nebraska county fair. Exhibiting at the 2025 Nebraska State Fair is optional. All cohort members will participate in an interview at the 2025 Nebraska State Fair. Join the first session in February for more details!

1 - Extension Office Closed for New Years

20 - Extension Office Closed for Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Nebraska 4-H Month

6 - Wendy's 4-H Night

13 - Wendy's 4-H Night

15 - York County 4-H Council Scholarship & Dorothy & Howard May Trust Scholarship Due

17 - Extension Office Closed for President's Day

20 - Wendy's 4-H Night

27 - Wendy's 4-H Night

20 - Youth Involvement Fair

Virtual Opportunities

STEM at Home

Looking for fun STEM activities? Check out our STEM at Home collection offering fun and engaging activities for a variety of grade levels. The lessons are designed to meet the Nebraska State Standards, help youth gain knowledge, and prepare youth for the next grade level. Explore all the activities at 4h.unl.edu/stem-home

We offer a wide variety of adult volunteer opportunities, and we're excited to announce our new training resources designed to better equip our adult volunteers in engaging young people. Explore all of the new volunteer training resources at 4h.unl.edu/volunteer.

Classroom Connection

Whether your classroom is in a school, community center, park, or living room, we know learning needs to be able to happen anywhere. And Nebraska 4-H is ready to help deliver high-quality learning experiences in your classroom wherever it might be.
We’re proud to launch the new 4-H Classroom Connection, a collection of life enrichment experience designed for groups of youth in school classrooms, home school co-ops, afterschool programs, and families looking for supplemental learning experiences. All the programs are supported by a statewide network of positive youth development experts, bringing the education of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln straight to your classroom. 4h.unl.edu/classroom-connection

Link to York County Website