Sibley County 4-H Newsletter
February 2026
Once again Sibley County 4-H will be selling fruit! Every 4-H Family is to sell $150.00 worth of fruit. A better goal would be to have EVERY 4-H’er sell $150.00 worth of fruit. The money is used to pay the program fee for State Fair, State Dog Show, State Shoot, State Horse Show, afterschool programs, reduce the programming costs of 4-H, and provide scholarships for youth who attend county, regional, and state events. ALL club members are required to sell fruit because EVERY 4-H member in Sibley County is a recipient of the money raised. If a family chooses to not sell $150.00 worth of fruit, the Federation will not pay for their Program Fee for the above-listed activities.
You should have received your club fruit sales information packet in the mail and it was also sent by email on 1/21. Forms and information were mailed on Wednesday, January 28 to Sibley County 4-H Families. If you have not received it, please contact our office at 507-237-4100 or email Connie at rettm001@umn.edu or email Joleen at jdose@umn.edu. Once again this year fruit sales are offered online. All orders will need to be entered online. Look for more information in your fruit sales packet. Checks should be made payable to the club and NOT the Sibley County 4-H Federation.
ALL paper fruit sales will need to be entered ONLINE into your family’s account. Orders must be entered into myfruitsale.com by 11:59 p.m. on Monday, February 23. Then you must get a printed copy of your family’s order and any money you collected into your Fruit Sales Coordinator. The Fruit Sales Coordinator must turn everything into our office by FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 27. If you are not sure who your Fruit Sales Coordinator is, please check with your Key Leader. The fruit will be delivered on Monday, March 23 starting approximately at 8:30 a.m. We will be looking for volunteers to help unload the fruit (three to four from each club). Please let your Key Leader know if you can help out that day. Fruit will be delivered to the Sibley County Highway Department/Sheriff's Shed on Highway 19 in Gaylord.
Please make sure you get out there and SELL, SELL, SELL! This is our only fundraiser for the year and we need it to be successful! Selling fruit is one of the easiest things to sell. Just get out there and ask people to support 4-H! Good luck!
Federation Meeting
The next Federation Meeting is scheduled for Monday, March 23, 2026 at 7:00 p.m. in the Sibley County Service Center. Please plan on having EVERY club represented. REMEMBER - EVERY club that has a representative at ALL five Federation Meetings will receive a pizza party. The Federation Delegates are the link between the clubs and Federation. We will be asking each club delegate to give a brief update on your club’s happenings. If you can’t make it, please try and find a replacement!
Job Interview Contest Rescheduled
Winter Weather Check
It is again that time of year. Inclement weather is upon us! If the weather causes cancellations or postponements of 4-H events, listen to one of the following local radio stations: KDUZ - Hutchinson 320-587-2140 and KNUJ - New Ulm 507-359-2921. If any of the county schools are canceled or have an early out due to weather, the evening county-wide 4-H events are canceled. You can also check our Facebook Page!
All youth participating as a Minnesota State Fair 4-H livestock exhibitor in beef, dairy, sheep, swine, poultry, rabbits, meat goat, dairy goat and llama - alpaca must have completed a livestock quality assurance and ethics training, for which there are two training options 1) a three hour in-person workshop (LQA&E) or 2) a one hour online training (YQCA). Youth completing either quality assurance training option will receive a certificate of completion. Please review the full LQA policy.
Livestock Quality Assurance training is required for all state fair exhibitors (grades 6+) and is optional for all other members grades 3+. Youth must complete the training by the deadline set by your county to be eligible for a state fair trip. (The deadline is BEFORE your county fair--check with your Extension educators for the exact deadline.) Contact the Extension staff to determine if your current LQA&E training will expire by the 2026 County Fair (or if you haven't previously taken it).
Sibley County will be working with Blue Earth, Brown, Faribault, LeSueur, and Nicollet counties and will hold our training on Tuesday, June 2, 2026 at 5:30-9:00 (Check-in begins at 5:15 p.m.) Johnson Hall, Nicollet County Fairgrounds, 400 Union Street in St. Peter. There will be no cost for members from the above counties.
Join us for an exciting 4-H Project Day filled with hands-on learning and fun! Youth in grades K-2 will enjoy engaging activities designed just for them, while those in grades 3+ can choose from a variety of hands-on sessions, including fashion revue, shooting sports, food revue, and photography. There's something for everyone to discover. Don't miss this opportunity to learn new skills and connect with fellow 4-H members!
Date: Saturday, March 7, 2026
Time: 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Registration starts at 8:45 a.m.
Location: Lake Crystal Area Recreation Center, 621 W. Nathan Street, Lake Crystal, MN 56055
Registration fee: $10 Can be paid at the event by cash or check payable to Nicollet County 4-H.
Registration opens in 4-H Online on February 1 and closes on March 2. To register, log in (or if new to 4-H enroll), at 4-H Online (OR use a 4-H Online Public URL). For assistance, see this guide: z.umn.edu/4hEvent or contact Connie Rettmann at rettm001@umn.edu
Beef Weigh In
Central identification for market beef and dairy steers will take place on Sunday, February 1, 2026 from 12:00 – 2:00 p.m. The weigh-in will take place at the Joy Cohrs Farm, in rural Glencoe. The Beef Weigh In is optional, BUT if you want to be considered for Rate of Gain - you MUST have your market beef animal identified on this date . If you can not make it this date, please call our office at 507-237-4100. Remember: ALL Market Beef ID’s are due February 17 in 4-H Online! The required ear tags will be available on the 1st!
Wildlife Workshop
Do you need wildlife hours for State Shoot? Sibley County is offering a 4-H wildlife workshop creating a winter bird feeder using branches and suet. You could use this as a fair project or create a board telling how a suet feeder can be made or what birds visited their feeder. Cloverbuds are welcome!
The workshop will take place on Sunday, February 1 from 2:30 - 4:30 p.m. in the basement of the Sibley County Courthouse in Gaylord. Please contact Dixie (507-469-6997) to RSVP if you plan on attending so we have enough supplies for everyone.
Share the Fun and Performing Arts
Mark your calendars for Share The Fun and Performing Arts. We have set the date for Monday, July 13, 2026. Once again this year we will combine Share the Fun and Performing Arts with the Public Fashion Revue. Tentative location is set for The Warehouse in Winthrop, MN.
Movie Night
Events Through 4-H Online
There are many great events coming up that you can register for through 4-H online. Just log into your family profile and click on events. Check back often, items are always being added. Remember if there is a cost to the event, that the Sibley County Federation has scholarships available to reimburse a portion of the cost.
Project Deadlines
Project Drop/Add Deadline: The project drop/add deadline is May 15. Please make sure to add your project areas in 4-H online.
Animal Science ID Deadline: The Animal Science ID Data Entry by February 18 (for market beef) and May 15 (for all others).
Lights, camera . . . CAMP! – 4-H Camp Hollywood! We’re rolling out the red carpet and unveiling the 2026 4-H Camp Patterson theme! Get ready for star-studded fun, big adventure and unforgettable cam memories. Cue the excitement - camp is coming!
Save the Date: June 29 - July 1, 2026
CAMP COUNSELORS NEEDED!
Camp Counselor and Junior Camp Counselor applications are now available for youth in grades 7 and up! Serving as a camp counselor is a key leadership activity for many 4-H youth. Camp counselors support younger youth (who have completed 3rd - 6th graders) in learning and help them have an affirming and fun experience.
Deadline to apply is Monday, March 2, 2026 at https://z.umn.edu/26pattersoncounselorapplication
Where is 4-H Camp? Kiwanis Camp Patterson, 5050 Patterson Rd, Madison Lake.
When is 4-H Camp? Monday, June 29 through Wednesday, July 1.
PLEASE NOTE: Counselors have required training sessions beforehand.