SHERIDAN COUNTY NEWSLETTER

June 3 - Tractor Safety Training

June 15 - Succulent Summer Creations from 1 to 4 pm

June 16 - Marvelous Muffins from 1 to 3 pm

June 17 - Western Livestock Challenge from 9 to 2 pm

June 17 - Showmanship from 3 to 6 pm

June 19 - Office Closed

June 22 - Jump into Summer from 9 to 3 pm

June 25 - Welding Workshop from 1 to 4 pm

June 29 - Stitch and Create from 9 to 4 pm

July 7 - Clover Kid Workshop from 9 to 2 pm

July 12 - Fairgrounds Clean Up from 5 to 7 pm

July 14 - Buyer Outreach at 9 am

DEADLINE DATES:

June 15 - 4-H Online, Animal Affidavits, T-shirt Form, YQCA

July 1 - Fair Entry Form, Vaccination Forms, and Horse Level Testing

July 15 - Fashion Show Narration

The Sheridan County 4-H Fairbook pages have been updated. New on the website this year, Sheridan County Fair has its own section. Under the Fair section you will find direct links to animal affidavidits, fairbook pages, and fair forms. The fairbook pages are separated out into three areas: contests, animals, and static. Please contact the Nebraska Extension Sheridan County office if you have any questions.

Thanks again to Farm Credit Services of America for sponsoring a Fair t-shirt. Please complete the order form for the shirts this year by June 15th.

Animal Affidavits are due on June 15th for breeding animals (sheep, goats, beef), dogs, cats, dairy, horse, rabbits, stocker feeders, bucket calves, market beef, market lambs, market swine, and market goats. If you attend a weigh-in, you completed the animal affidavits already. Animal affidavits can be found at the Sheridan County Fair website.

Fair Entry forms are utilized to tell the office what projects 4-H members will be bringing to the County Fair. Please utilize the new Fairbook pages to enter the codes. The Fair Entry forms are due on July 1st.

Congrats to Aracely Mata for drawing the winning Fair artwork Design around the 2026 Sheridan County Fair theme Legacy and Liberty.

Below is the tentative Fair Schedule. Please note the change in the sale photos, the Cake and Cookie Jar Auction, and the Livestock Sale.

Reminder – there will be a $100 camping fee at the fairgrounds during fair week. The fee helps to make updates around the fairgrounds. Parking passes are now available to purchase at the Extension Office. Checks need to be made out to the Sheridan Ag Society.

This year for Family Fun Night we are hosting a Business Showmanship competition. The species this year is SWINE. We would like 4-H members who are taking this project to invite a Business professional to show their animal against other local business professionals. It will take place on Wednesday, July 22nd starting at 7 pm. This is a great opportunity for youth to meet and interact with local businesses. The 4-H Council has compiled a list of potential business professionals to ask, please contact the Extension Office for some of the names. Also please let the office know if you are planning to have someone show your project animal. See the form below.

New this year to help ensure buyers are informed of the change in the fair sale, 4-H members will be gathering on July 14th at 9 am to split into groups and visit businesses inviting them to the Fair sale. Members near Hay Springs will meet at Lister Sage at 9 am, Rushville members will meet at the Extension Office at 9 am, and Gordon members will meet at the City Park at 9 am.

It is not too late to sign up for summer workshops. We have a few spots left in all but one workshop and we added a welding opportunity! You can find our complete packet below or at https://extension.unl.edu/statewide/sheridan/4-h/4-h-workshops/.

• Youth do not have to be 4-H members to attend workshops.
• Workshops are subject to cancellation if minimum participation is not reached.
• Most workshops have a maximum number of participation, these will be filled on a first come, first serve basis.

• Online: https://go.unl.edu/sheridan4h26summer
• Paper: see attachment below

Western Livestock Challenge and Tractor Safety Training requires a separate registration form. Please see below.

When: June 15th from 1 pm to 4 pm

Where: Rustic Greenhouse

Who: Ages 8+

Cost: $10 made out to Rustic Greenhouse

Register by: June 1st

When: June 16th from 1 to 3 pm

Where: Extension Office

Who: Ages 8+

Cost: $15

Register by: June 1st

When: June 17th from 3 pm to 6 pm

Where: Sheridan County Fairgrounds

Who: Ages 8+

Cost: $5

Register by: June 1st

Are you interested in upping your showmanship game or is your goal to win the Large Animal Round? Attend this workshop to get the showmanship tips and tricks.

When: June 22nd, 9 am to 3 pm

Where: Sheridan County Extension Office

Who: Ages 8+

Cost: $45

Register by: June 10th

Please pack a sack lunch.

Come create 4 projects in 1 day! Youth will create a bookshelf, doormat, tray, and a crate ottoman!

When: June 25th, 1 pm to 4 pm

Where: Hay Springs School

Who: Ages 8+

Cost: $25 to Hay Springs FFA

Register by: June 15th

Create a Horse Shoe welding project for fair!

When: June 29th, 9 am to 4 pm

Where: Sheridan County Extension Office

Who: Ages 8+

Cost: $25

Register by: June 15th

Please pack a sack lunch, bring a pair of jean shorts.

Design a new outfit at this summer workshop. Youth will burn hats, design a t-shirt and create a skirt from jean shorts.

When: July 7th, 9 am to 2 pm

Where: Sheridan County Extension Office

Who: 5-7

Cost: $20

Register by: July 1st

Please pack a sack lunch.

Design a new outfit at this summer workshop. Youth will burn hats, design a t-shirt and create a skirt from jean shorts.

LOG N Camp is a Panhandle based leadership camp for jr. high youth. During this one-night camp, we will explore how to be a leader through team games, service-learning project, hiking, fishing, and so much more while at the Trails West YMCA Camp in Scottsbluff, NE. Students currently in 5th through 7th grade can apply. The cost of the camp is $80 per student. Transportation can be arranged through your local Extension office. Some counties offer camp scholarships if financial assistance is needed.

The deadline to apply is June 1st at https://go.unl.edu/logn26.

For more information, contact Sarah Paisley at 308-772-3311 or spaisley3@unl.edu; Melissa Mracek at 308-762-5616 or mmracek2@unl.edu; or Jana Schwartz at 308-632-1480 or jschwartz2@unl.edu.

Nebraska 4-H requires all youth enrolled in livestock projects to complete annual quality assurance training through Youth for the Quality Care of Animals (YQCA).

Youth enrolled in any of following projects or project areas will need to complete YQCA training;

• Beef (bucket calf, feeder calf, breeding beef, market beef)

• Dairy Cattle

• Goat (breeding meat goat, dairy goat, meat goat)

• Poultry

• Rabbit

• Sheep (breeding sheep, market sheep)

• Swine (breeding swine, market swine)

There are 3 ways to complete this certification:

1. Web-Based Training - Web-based annual training is available through the YQCA learning management system. The online YQCA course costs $12 per individual regardless of age. Each session purchased includes three modules - a knowledge builder, a skills lab, and a quiz. The knowledge builder is where content is delivered. The skills lab provides an opportunity to apply the content. The quiz test knowledge. To receive certification, 80% must be achieved on the 10-question quiz. These modules, completed in their entirety, will provide 2-3 hours of experience.
2. In-Person Training - In-person YQCA training courses cost $3 per individual regardless of age.
3. Testing Out - Test-out options are only available to youth in the first year of Intermediate (age 12) and Senior (age 15) age levels. There is no test-out option for Juniors.

Please visit: https://yqcaprogram.org/ for more information, get registered and pay fees for the in-person course, or take the online course.

Deadline to complete YQCA is June 15th! YQCA Certificates need to be sent to mmracek2@unl.edu or returned to the office.

The annual 4-H Horse Camp will be held at the Fort Robinson State Park near Crawford. The sessions include working ranch, horse stretching, riding games, creating a rope halter, and more! For youth members 8 and above the fee is $75. This includes craft, supper, t-shirt, horse stalls for Thursday and Friday night. For more information visit: https://extension.unl.edu/statewide/dawes/4-h-dawes-county/workshops-programs-camps-clubs/

It is time to be thinking of State Fair Livestock requirements!

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. For NE State Fair DNA instructions and envelopes, please stop by the Extension Office. This includes all 4-H and FFA breeding livestock, market livestock, and feeder calves.

Show Stock Manager is open for livestock nominations for the 2026 Nebraska State Fair! Website Link: https://showstockmgr.com/ Each State Fair nomination will be $7.00 per animal in Show Stock Manager. Submit the DNA payment and complete the online nomination in Show Stock Manager. 4-H and FFA livestock nominations are due on June 15, 2026.

Turn in your completed DNA envelopes to the local Extension Office or FFA Advisor by June 15, 2026.

State Fair Entry Closes August 8, 2026

For 4-H/FFA families who are planning on entering the Aksarben Stock Show, you will need separate DNA envelopes and online nominations- exhibitors will be ordering and purchasing their DNA envelopes through the AKSS website https://aksarbenstockshow.com/ The Aksarben Stock Nomination online nomination system will be different than Show Stock Manager and separate between each livestock show.

Please direct any AKSS questions to the AKSS website.

Looking for a fun club project? Want to unite your club members? Running out of ideas for club meetings? If you answered, “yes” to any of these questions, help is on the way! Nebraska Extension is pleased to present the 11th annual Crop Scouting Competition for Nebraska youth. Youth interested in crops can learn about crop growth & development and basic crop scouting principles.

Don’t know a lot about crops? Ask a local agronomist to assist by providing a short lesson on crop production. You can have the agronomist meet with youth a little during each meeting or outside of the meeting. This is one way to engage those youth interested in crops.

This contest will be held at the Eastern Nebraska Research & Extension Center near Mead, Nebraska on August 6, 2026. The event will include both indoor and outdoor events. Teams of junior high and high school students (those completing 5-12th grades) from across Nebraska are invited to participate. This event is limited to the first ten teams who sign-up!

Clubs or other organizations may enter a team composed of three to five participants. An adult team leader must accompany each team of students. Team leaders could be FFA advisors, crop consultants, extension staff, coop employees, etc.

Top-scoring teams win prizes: $500 for first, $250 for second, $100 for third place. Top two teams will be eligible for regional competition held in Nebraska this year.

Teams will be expected to know the basics of scouting corn and soybean fields. This includes crop staging; looking for patterns of crop injury; disease, insect and weed seedling identification; etc. Other topics many include but are not limited to, pesticide safety, nutrient disorders, and herbicide injury.

More information about the crop scouting competition and instructions on how to register a team are available online at cropwatch.unl.edu/youth. Register at: https://go.unl.edu/cropscoutingreg

Teams must be registered by July 15.

Families can reenroll in 4-H for the 2026 Fair Season now! Visit 4honline.com to get started. As a reminder, if you plan to participate in Shooting Sports or the Horse project, you need to add those projects and sign the consents. Other projects are not mandatory to add. Please contact the Extension Office for assistance.

Wilderness Wonders Camp was a blast this year. Youth participants practiced archery, made paracord bracelets with compasses, created a snack, played games, and so much more. A huge thank you to our amazing intern teachers Alexa Tollman and Ayla Foster and our wonderful camp counselors: Roudy Schommer, Rhett Lesmeister, Harley Payne, Ellerie Davis, Kinley Tausan, Kiley Tausan, Skyler Edelman, and Kendall Sellman.

These people are YOUR voice! Please contact any of them if you have an idea for a new or existing event or activity, have concerns with the program, or just want to have input in the decision-making process.

David Russell, Wendy Andersen, Michelle Heck, Nicole Janssen, Jake Scott, Kami Scott, Valerie Beel, Tim Campbell, Kris Stumpff, Melissa Mracek

4-H Council:
President - Brian Nelson

Vice President - Brandon Jancik

Secretary - Kaleigh Krebs

Treasurer - Chet Tausan
Members - Brad Beguin, Jackie Simonson, Hannah Hoos, Zach Kearns, and Clint Nielsen.
Youth Members: Luke Laws, Jackson Roffers, MacKenzie Simonson, and Jacob Dorshorst

Extension Board:
President - Caleb Peters
Vice President - Morgan Weyers
Secretary/Treasurer - Paige Stumpff
Members - Mark Haller and Austin Reed

Sheridan County Extension Office:

Office Manager - Wendy Andersen

4-H Extension Educator - Melissa Mracek

Livestock Systems Extension Educator - Brock Ortner

Rural Prosperity Extension Educator - Caitlin Roes

Email: sheridan-county@unl.edu
Location: 800 S Loofborrow Street, PO Box 329, Rushville, NE 69360
Phone: 308-327-2312
Twitter: @SheridanCounty