Dakota County 4-H News

DAKOTA COUNTY OFFICE STAFF

Angela Abts—4-H & Youth aabts2@unl.edu

Julie Boyle—Food Nutrition and Health julie.boyle@unl.edu

Tammy Dunn—Office Manager tpeterson3@unl.edu

Brenda Sale—SNAP-ED bsale@unl.edu

Email: dakota-county@unl.edu
Website: https://dakota.unl.edu
Location: 1505 Broadway Street, Dakota City, NE, USA
Phone: 402-987-2140
Facebook: facebook.com/UNLDakotaCounty
Twitter: @NEDakota4HExt

Facebook: Nebraska Extension in Dakota County

Instagram: NE Extension Dakota County

JUNE

2 - Extension Board meeting

9 - 4-H Council meeting

15 - Apply to State Livestock Achievement program (final report 8/1)

15 - ALL LIVESTOCK ID'S AFFIDAVITS DUE

15 - State Fair livestock nominations/DNA due

15 - Final enrollment/project deadline

17/18 - P.A.S.E. UNL

19/20 - Premier Communications Event - UNL

JULY

4 - Office closed - Independence Day

7 - Extension Board meeting

12- 16 - Fonner Park State 4-H Horse Show

16 - ALL County Fair Fair pre-entry deadline

26 - Fairgrounds Cleanup Day

28 - 4-H clothing Day, Fairgrounds

27-August 3 - County Fair Week

DAKOTA~THURSTON COUNTY FAIR - July 30th - August 3rd, 2025

NEBRASKA STATE FAIR - August 22nd - September 1st, 2025

HARD COPIES OF THE FAIRBOOK ARE PRINTED AND AVAILABLE IN THE EXTENSION OFFICE. IF YOU CAN PICK UP FOR YOUR CLUB MEMBERS THAT WOULD BE AWESOME!

Please let Tammy know.

June 15th, 2025

4-H Enrollment

Project enrollment

Livestock ID''s/Affidavits

These are hard deadlines set by the State 4-H Program. If you miss these deadlines you will not be able to show your projects at the county fair or beyond.

JUNE 15TH

It's your last chance to enroll and update your projects.

4-H Online Enrollment deadline June 15!

Please go to 4-Honline and check to see if all the projects you are interested in trying out have been selected.

For those who have not enrolled in 4-H for 2025 (or started an enrollment but not completed it), it's not too late! Visit https://v2.4honline.com/ to enroll. Please contact us at 402-987-2140 with any questions.

Nebraska 4-H requires all members enrolled in a livestock meatanimal project (beef, sheep, swine, goat, poultry, rabbit) to completeannual quality assurance certifi cation through the Youth for theQuality Care of Animals program. The program has recently movedto a new online system available at

YQCAProgram.org. Learn more about YQCA requirements and find help documents at

4h.unl.edu/yqca

.

YQCA must be completed by July 17th.

Deadline Day - June 15th! (Reminder this is a Sunday)

Before Sunday, June 15th please make sure you have all these things checked off...

EVERYONE:

• Enrolled at https://v2.4honline.com (all youth and leaders)
• Projects selected on 4honline

LIVESTOCK EXHIBITORS:

• Tags from office (Beef, Swine if State Fair)
• ID Sheets/Affidavits (Beef, Dairy, Goats, Sheep, Rabbits, Swine, Horses)
• Going to State Fair? DNA for ALL animals & Online nomination https://showstockmgr.com
• If going to AKSARBEN, they have a different online nomination system, but can use the same DNA envelope for State Fair. Check out their website for more information on that.

Families are responsible for tagging their own livestock and turning in ID sheets. Tags are available at the Dakota county Extension Office for $3 each. If you think you may attend the State Fair or Ak-Sar-Ben, pick up some DNA envelopes, they are no charge, you pay the nomination fee online at a later date. ID sheets are available in our office or get them from our website at: AFFIDAVITS

Create a Door sign. Stop by the Extension Office to pick up your blank door sign. Pay a deposit of $5, this will be returned to you when you bring it as an entry to the County Fair.

Complete this as a club project, do it as a workshop with the Extension Office, create one with your family.

Be creative, use principle of design rules, neatness counts!

It will be really fun to see all the different designs!

These are still available, please stop in and pick up !

Are you enrolled in a 4-H Clothing & Textiles Project? (If you aren't, there is still time by June 15th!)

Remember all sewing, knitting, crocheting, quilting and modeling projects are entered by July 17th. The judging or Clothing Day is Monday, July 28th at the Dakota~Thurston County Fairgrounds, in the Expo Building.

Need some help with your sewing projects? Angela and Tammy are both pretty good seamstresses.

Do you love to shop and show off your bargain shopping savvy?

Enter a project in the Outfit Challenge. (If you enroll in a sewing project, you'll receive information about Clothing day and entering your Outfit Challenge.)

Outfit Challenge

Sewing & textiles Information

https://extension.unl.edu/statewide/dakota/4-h/

If you scroll down a bit you will find 4-H resources. Check it out for a plethora of information!

On behalf of Dakota and Thurston Counties 4-H Councils, we wish to thank you for your support of the 4-H Program in our community. 4-H offers our youth numerous opportunities. 4-H’ers gain self-

If you are willing to donate a trophy or trophies for the top winners. Trophies are presented at the 2025 Dakota-Thurston County Fair at a cost of $25.00 each.

Please complete a donation form and mail/return to the Dakota Cunty Extension Office

Donation form

Website Link: https://showstockmgr.com/

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.

Refer to the 4-H State Fair Livestock Identification and Nomination Requirements for additional information on 4-H exhibitor eligibility at the State Fair.

If you have any questions on how to submit your online nominations, you can review the 2025 Step-by-Step Nomination Instructions document.

Special Note: 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.

2025 Entry & Nomination Dates:

DNA Envelope Order Window: May 1st - June 26th
Broiler Order Window: May 15th - July 15th
DNA Nominations must be completed and Envelopes Postmarked: July 1st
Entry Window: August 1st - September 5th

ATTENTION: You must purchase envelopes BEFORE completing the online nomination process. After you get your envelopes you will log in and complete the nomination in the nomination portal. Please read the Nomination Process document below for complete instructions. Reminder: Official nomination and DNA submission is required for market and breeding beef, feeder calves, market and breeding goats, market and breeding sheep, and market and breeding swine.

Ak-Sar-Ben Stock Show

Technology Use in Sustainable Agricultural Systems

Technology has advanced at incredible rates. Robots can vacuum our floors. Drones can deliver packages. Have you ever wondered how these technologies can be used in agriculture? Join us to explore the role of technology in sustainable agricultural systems! Students will attend hands-on sessions to learn about drones, robots, and the methods to assess soil and water quality. Meet the scientists and experts working with agriculture technology.

This fun filled day of activities will be followed by an ice cream social open to the public.

Students entering 6th - 8th grades
Commuter Only
Northeast Community College
Norfolk, Nebraska
June 12th, 2025

Register here:
Registration closes May 23rd.

The Nebraska Soybean Board is excited to announce its continued support for the 2025 Summer Soybean Institute, a hands-on, multi-day program designed to equip 20 middle and high school educators with the knowledge and resources to integrate soybeans into cross-curricular learning, highlighting their impact on science, math, economics and agriculture. This year’s institute will be held on July 1-2 and July 8-10, 2025.

Educators can choose to attend sessions at either the University of Nebraska Haskell Agricultural Laboratory in Concord or the FEWS2 Hub on East Campus of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. Participants who complete all five days will receive a stipend of $1,050, a $250 lesson plan implementation bonus, and up to $1,000 for classroom supplies to enhance their teaching environments.

The application deadline is May 1, 2025, with priority given to cross-curricular teams of teachers. For more information and application details, interested parties are encouraged to visit the 2025 Summer Soybean Institute page or email k12partners@unl.edu.

https://agronomy.unl.edu/extension-outreach/field-days-and-workshops/2025-summer-soybean-institute/

Young Nebraska Scientists, conducted by Nebraska EPSCoR with funding from the U.S. National Science Foundation, offers camps for middle and high school students throughout the state. The program focuses on Science, Technology, Engineering and Math topics and is a great way for teens to sample a career or campus, meet friends and mentors, and find their future.

Camp fees include meals and lodging, except day camps. National Science Foundation funding helps keep camp fees low, plus need-based scholarships are readily available. Faculty from Nebraska colleges and universities are camp session leaders, and camp staff include university students.

Summer 2025 opportunities for middle school students (grades 6-8) include the Secret Life of Metals from July 21-23 at Creighton University in Omaha, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; lunch provided. Camp cost is $60 and the program follows day camp format.

Opportunities for high school students (grades 9-11) include the STEM in Your Apple, which takes place July 4-6. This camp takes place at UNL Food Science/Nebraska Innovation Campus in Lincoln, with a visit provided to camp sponsor Kimmel Orchards in Nebraska City. Camp cost is $75 and the program follows residential format.

Also for high school students is Explorations in Biology at Nebraska Wesleyan University in Lincoln from June 16-19. Camp cost is $150 and the program follows residential format.

Biodiversity at UNL Cedar Point Biological Station in Ogallala is for high school students and takes place July 6-12. Camp cost is $150 and follows residential format.

Quantum Camp, a new, online camp for high school students, takes place July 29-31. It is led by University of Nebraska at Kearney Physics faculty with Nebraska's National Science Foundation-Funded EQUATE, or Emergent Quantum Materials and Technologies, research collaboration. Camp cost is $20.

The program also offers one-day food science camps at Nebraska Innovation Campus in Lincoln. Registration closes two weeks before each camp starts. Dairy Camp – Ice Cream will by May 29, Pizza: Rise of the Dough will by June 19 and The Science of Chocolate will be July 22.

Learn more and apply now online. Email yns@nebraska.edu with any questions.

More details at: https://yns.nebraska.edu/camps

Heavy Equipment Career Exploration

Register today for the Heavy Equipment Career Exploration day set for Monday, June 23, 2025 at Central Community College - Hastings Campus in Hastings, NE. Sessions include:

* Navigate and drive virtual heavy equipment simulators

* Behind the wheel experience with a variety of Heavy Equipment Pieces

* Learn about the Hastings CCC Heavy Equipment Program

* Career panel

* Optional campus tours

Check-in is from 9:30 am to 10:00 am. Lunch is included. The day ends at 4:30 pm with optional campus tours. Registration cost is $35.00. Register at https://go.unl.edu/heavyequipment . Registration will close on Friday, June 13, 2025 at 5 pm or until all spots are filled.

This is a joint program with Nebraska Extension, Nebraska 4-H, Central Community College, and Nebraska Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP).

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 10-24, 2025 at: http://go.unl.edu/online4hhortcontest

Horticulture judging contest consists of three parts. The first is 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 products.

The second is a 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 Fairbook https://4hfairbook.unl.edu/fairbookview.php/contests/45 . 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

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

The Nebraska State 4-H Camp is excited to announce the 2025 season! Youth can join us for an un-BEE-livable summer and learn all about What’s the Buzz? In 2025. Please share the following message and attached graphics with your 4-H families.

The 2025 What’s the Buzz? season of the Nebraska State 4-H Camp will share the importance of pollinators in Nebraska- why they’re important, how they impact agriculture, and what youth can do in their own communities to support the various native pollinators we have in Nebraska. From bees and butterflies to hummingbirds and bats- it’s going to be a week full of learning and fun!

The Nebraska State 4-H Camp is returning to Chadron and Burwell for summer camp 2025! Youth new to camping can attend a shorter camp session designed to let them experience all the best parts of summer camp in a 3 day/2 night session. Choose from one of two 5 day/4 night sessions for youth 10-14 years old and returning this year is the Leaders in Training camp for high school youth 15-17 years old! Campers will focus on developing leadership skills with an opportunity to put those skills into practice by volunteering at one of our other camp sessions!

Registration is now OPEN! More information on sessions, dates, and the link to register can be found at 4h.unl.edu/camp.

This webinar series, sponsored by Nebraska Extension and delivered via Zoom, is a great opportunity to join experts from Nebraska Extension to learn and ask questions! All programs are on the second Wednesday of the month from Noon-1 pm CT.

Check out the website to learn more and find past program recordings - https://hles.unl.edu/lawn-garden/gro-big-red/

Nebraska Extension is offering a live Zoom training for individuals who would like to become a registered cottage food producer. This course meets the training requirements in LB 262, part of the Nebraska Pure Food Act of 2024. Questions? Contact Cindy Brison at cbrison1@unl.edu. Register at https://cvent.me/2Zxw21 #UNLFoodSafety

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.