Please be sure that your family's t-shirt sizes are up to date in 4H Online by June 1st so that 4-H shirts can get ordered!

If any are incorrect, please email Rali (clay.county@sdstate.edu) or call the office to get it changed.

DEADLINE to register for Showman's Best and receive a t-shirt has been extended to May 9th!

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2025-showmans-best-camp-tickets-1290783089969?aff=oddtdtcreator

Late registrations and walk ins the day of are welcome, but we cannot guarantee t-shirt availability.

Public Presentation will be May 30th starting at 5:30pm. Please be sure to have your youth registered in Fair Entry (2025 Clay County Fair is NOW OPEN) by May 23rd.

Deadline is May 16th for parents to get signed up to help with the Static Exhibit Entry Night.

Help us fund the new show pens!

https://claycountyfair.net/donation-options

Registration for 4-H summer camps are now open on the SDSU Extension website: https://extension.sdstate.edu/4-h-camps. All camp registrations are due by May 11th. A flyer is attached with more information. Please contact Kyle Beach with any questions: kyle.beach@sdstate.edu.

SDSU Extension 4-H will host SkillsX by 4-H June 2-5, 2025 at the South Dakota State University campus. This event is open to any teen (age 13-18), with an interest in developing their leadership, life, workforce, and social skills! The event will include ample opportunities for young people to meet others from across the state, while getting to further develop themselves as a young leader in their community.

This year's SkillsX by 4-H conference offers a unique opportunity for teens to explore leadership skills in an engaging and interactive way, all through the lens of board games. Throughout the event, participants will dive into team-based challenges, strategic decision making, and problem-solving scenarios inspired by popular board games. By the end of the conference, teens will not only have enhanced their leadership abilities but also discovered how fun and impactful it can be to lead with creativity, strategy, and a bit of friendly competition.

Participants can expect to participate in:

• Workshop Sessions on a variety of topics
• Keynote presentation from Terrence Talley, a renowned speaker for youth audiences
• Recreational Activities
• Campus Tours
• Variety Show
• Career Exploration Event
• Community Service
• Dances
• and so much more!
• Register by visiting: https://extension.sdstate.edu/event/skillsx-4-h.

The cost to register is as follows:

• Regular Teen Participant Registration - April 21-May 2, 2025 - $375

For more information about this event, contact Hilary Kroupa (hilary.kroupa@sdstate.edu) or Julia Thaden (julia.thaden@sdstate.edu), both reachable at (605) 688-4167.

Registration Cut off June 10th

The State Fair Book, Contestant Packets and Handbooks have been updated and are live on the SDSU Extension State Fair page. It can be accessed at: https://extension.sdstate.edu/state-fair.

The South Dakota 4-H Performing Arts Camp is June 8 – 14, 2025. South Dakota 4-H Performing Arts is a 7-day performative experience at Northern State University for youth who have completed grades 7+ that provides the opportunity to gain skills in musical theater performance.

The South Dakota 4-H Performing Arts Camp experience provides:

• A deeper dive into 3 areas of performing on stage: vocal performance, dancing, and acting.
• The opportunity to perform vocal solos, dance solos, and speaking parts.
• Experience learning from experts in the theater arts.
• A better understanding of self along with learning about leadership, teamwork and responsibility.
• Youth interested in participating as Stage Crew are welcome to attend! Stage Crew may attend the full week at full price, or a partial week at a reduced rate.

Everyone who participates in 4-H Performing Arts must be present this entire week.

• Check-in: Sunday, June 8, 2:00-2:30 p.m. Optional parent meeting at 2 p.m.
• Start time: Sunday, June 8 at 2:30 p.m. Participants stay onsite the entire camp week.
• Camp Performances: Friday, June 13 at 7:00 p.m. and Saturday, June 14 at 10:00 a.m. Performances are open to the public.
• End time: Troupe members may leave after the set is taken down and costumes are checked out after the Saturday morning show, roughly 12:00 p.m.

Performing Arts Camp is held at Northern State University. Lodging and meals will be on the University campus. Participants are responsible for providing their own transportation to and from the Northern State University for camp. Participants also are responsible for providing their own transportation, admission, lodging, and meals at the South Dakota State Fair.

The youth will perform at the South Dakota State Fair, August 30th to September 1st. All participants must be present for the duration of the fair. Any conflicts during the fair must be noted at the time of registering for 4-H Performing Arts Camp, may be school or 4-H related only, and will be taken into consideration when assigning solos and acting roles.

• Check-in: Saturday, August 30, 8:00 a.m.
• Rehearsal: Mandatory rehearsal on August 30 at 8:00 a.m-1:00 p.m. Optional practice on Friday, August 29 at 7:00-8:00 p.m.
• Performances: Saturday, August 30 at 3:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. Sunday, August 31 at 3:30 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. Monday, September 1 at 10:00 a.m.

The cost of registration is $425. The registration deadline is May 31. An early registration discount of $25 ends on May 15. Families with more than one camper attending will also receive a $25 discount by selecting the "Family of 2 Youth Participants" ticket at checkout. If you are in need of financial assistance, we encourage you to apply for the Jayna and Kylee Sanborn Scholarship. 4-H Members may also apply for a $50 scholarship through the South Dakota 4-H Leaders Association. Please contact performingartstroupe@gmail.com for more information regarding scholarships. Youth with a financial need are eligible for a $40 discount at this event thanks to our partners at Tractor Supply Company. Type in the code TSC to apply this discount to your registration (please make sure to use uppercase letters). The code can be entered in the promo code field at the top before you select your ticket(s).

For more information and to register for the event, please visit: https://extension.sdstate.edu/event/south-dakota-4-h-performing-arts-camp

Adults wishing to volunteer at a 4-H camp this summer, can fill out the application form on the extension website: https://extension.sdstate.edu/4-h-coach-and-chaperoneapplication.

For teens wishing to participate as Camp Counselors they can email Kyle Beach for more information and the application, Kyle.Beach@sdstate.edu. Applicants must be 16 years old for Poinsett 1, 2 and Storm Mountain and 17 years old for Going Beyond.

They are still looking for RN’s to volunteer as Camp Nurses. If you know of someone qualified please reach out to Kyle.

SDSU will be hosting a Natural Resources program on July 21-25 at the Oak Lake Field Station near Astoria, SD. The Natural Resources High School Program is a great way to gain exposure to the world of natural resources, including fish, plants, wildlife, soils, invertebrates and water. The Program offers opportunities to gain hands-on experiences in natural resource ecology and management. The Program is intended for high school students, entering grades 9, 10, 11 and 12, who have a strong desire to learn more about the natural world or who have an interest in pursuing a career related to natural resources. Permission of parent or guardian is required.

Activities will be led by SDSU Department of Natural Resource Management faculty and graduate students.

For more information or visit https://www.sdstate.edu/natural-resource-management/natural-resources-high-school-program.

The 2025 4-H dog show project guide is now available on the SDSU Extension website: https://extension.sdstate.edu/sites/default/files/2025-03/P-00099-2025.pdf.

SDSU Extension is selling the 2021 - 2024 South Dakota 4-H Special Foods Cookbook. The preorder will be open from March 26 to April 25, 2025. The cost of the cookbook is $35.00. The website link to order your 2021-2024 South Dakota 4-H Special Foods Cookbook is https://extension.sdstate.edu/event/south-dakota-4-h-special-foods-cookbook-preorder.

The 2021 - 2024 South Dakota 4-H Special Foods Cookbook will feature recipes from South Dakota 4-H youth who participated in the Special Foods Contest. Youth who received a purple in the Special Foods Contest at the South Dakota State Fair between 2021 – 2024 will be featured in the cookbook. Proceeds will go towards Youth-In-Action Events at the South Dakota State Fair.

Your order will be mailed 6-7 weeks after the preorder closes on April 25th to the shipping address you entered with your registration. A minimum of 100 cookbooks will need to be sold for us to proceed with printing. If the minimum number is not reached, all orders will be refunded. For more information or questions contact Amanda Stade, SDSU Extension 4- H Youth In Action Program Manager at amanda.stade@sdstate.edu.

Don’t miss this opportunity to attend the 605 Sires and Donors 4-H Youth Livestock Literacy Program on May 27, 2025, from 1:30 p.m. – 3 p.m. at 27666 443rd Ave. Marion, SD.

This Youth Livestock Literacy approved program will include a hands-on tour of the state-of-the-art facilities at 605 Sires + Donors where participants will be able to witness how conventional semen practices in the beef industry are conducted. In doing so, participants will learn about collection procedures, storage and shipment of specimens, housing of sires and donors, and more. This is a great opportunity for participants to visit and learn from a renowned sire/donor operation right here in South Dakota! The 605 Sires and Donors Team is excited to work with South Dakota youth and has graciously agreed to offer this program statewide to youth ages 8-18 as of January 1, 2025. In order to prepare for hosting this event, youth must register at the following link by May 22, 2025. https://forms.gle/wj5FLijo7TW5yUQDA If you have any questions, please contact Deanna Gall at deanna.gall@sdstate.edu.

Have a youth member who is unable to attend an approved YLL program or is looking for alternative options? Just a reminder that, although we have switched to the YLL model, programs such as BQA (beef), PQA+ (swine), and YQCA are still eligible to fulfill the YLL requirement for South Dakota 4-H livestock exhibitors. Youth members must provide proof of program completion to their county 4-H professional by July 1 in order to complete their YLL requirement for the current program year.

*Note: It is the responsibility of the youth member to register for a certified BQA, PQA+, or YQCA training if they elect to participate in one of those. Registration information can be found on each of the program's websites.*

The 20th Annual Soils Days and 41st Annual Rangeland Days will be held June 10 & 11 in Belle Fourche, SD. This event is hosted by the Butte & Lawrence Conservation Districts, South Dakota State University Extension, Natural Resources Conservation Service, and SD Section of the Society for Range Management. Please see the following trifold for more information.

Registration:

• You can register for the event by scanning the QR code on the trifold, or visiting: bit.ly/RangeSoilsDays25
• You can pay for registration by mailing your registration to the address on the trifold, or paying the first day of registration on June 10th.
• Note: PLEASE also register for any adults/support staff that are attending.

For additional contest and event details, please see the following resources and judging handbooks:

A Guide to South Dakota's Rangeland and Soils Days

Judging South Dakota Rangelands for Livestock and Wildlife Values

https://www.sdaged.org/_files/ugd/a5e020_f2c85a08422e4c1a8afa26110683c724.pdf

If you have questions, please reach out to our team:

Kaylee Wheeler, SDSU Extension Range Field Specialist, kaylee.wheeler@sdstate.edu or (605) 842-1267

Emily Roher, NRCS State Rangeland Management Specialist, Emily.Rohrer@usda.gov or (605) 570-2180

Yvette Kirkman, Butte Conservation District Manager, Yvette.Kirkman@sd.nacdnet.net or (605) 892-3368 ext 3

May 1 - Rodeo Contestant Entry Packets Due

May 2 - SkillsX Registration Ends

May 2 - T-shirt Contest Voting Closes

May 2 - Hanson County (YLL)

May 3 - Grant County Horsemanship Clinic

May 4 - Day County Horse Health Clinic (YHL)

May 9 - Registration deadline for Showman's Best to receive a t-shirt

May 10 - Tripp County Rabbit Youth Fun Day

May 20 - Bennett County (YHL)

May 22 - Deadline to register for 605 Sires & Donors YLL registration link

May 23 - Trailer Safety Workshop (YHL and YLL) - Clay County Fair Grounds

May 23 - Public Presentation registration deadline

May 26 - Horse Judging Contest (YLL) - Sugar Bowl Stables

May 27 - 605 Sires & Donors (YLL)

May 27-28 - Tripp County 4-H Horse Clinic (YHL)

May 28 - Showman's Best Camp (YLL) - Clay County Fairgrounds

May 30 - Public Presentation @ 5:30pm at the 4-H Center

May 31 - Sanborn County Horse Fun Show (with YLL and YHL training)

May 31 - 4-H Enrollment Deadline to Participate in State Events

May 31 - Registration ENDS for State 4-H Preforming Arts Camp

June 1 - Deadline to have animals entered in 4HOnline

June 1 - DNA Envelopes Due back to the office

June 1 - Youth Horse Literacy DUE (YHL)

June 2 - DNA deadline to State 4-H Office

June 2-5 - SkillsX

June 2-6 - State 4-H Camp

June 8 - Capture the Action: Photography Workshop

June 8-14 - State 4-H Preforming Arts Camp

June 9 - Fairgrounds Work Day 6pm

June 9-11 - State 4-H Camp

June 10 & 11 - 2025 Rangeland Days and Soil Days

June 12 - Special Foods 10am hosted by Yankton County

June 15 - State 4-H Project Registration Opens

June 15-18 - State 4-H Camp

June 24 - County Horse Show 9am

June 25 - Come Create Day 9am at the 4-H Center

June 27 - State Horse Show registration deadline

Office Hours Monday through Friday 8-5 (closed over noon hour)

Rali Sykes

4H Admin Assistant

Email: clay.county@sdstate.edu
Website: https://www.claycountysd.org/extensionoffice4h.cfm
Location: 515 High Street, Vermillion, SD, USA
Phone: 605-677-7111
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/19jWQKEPVq/