Fillmore County 4-H News
- State Fair Livestock Encampment will be August 26th to the 30th.
- State Fair General Encampment will be August 30th to September 1st.
- The Extension Office will be Closed on September 7th for Holiday.
- The September Ambassador Meeting will be on September 12th at 6pm, in room 108 of the Extension office.
- The September Federation Meeting will be on September 12th at 7pm, in room 108 of the Extension office.
Local Events
Auction Checks & Thank Yous are ready
Please feel free to come into the Extension Office any time between the hours of 8:00-4:30 Monday - Friday to write thank-yous and get checks.
If you need to make other arrangements, please let us know.
Everyone will be required to fill out thank-yous before you will be able to take your check, so please allow time to do this. We will have space reserved in our Conference room for writing thank-yous. We also ask that if you are expecting a check over $2,000, you bring your Social Security number with you to write a W9 if you don't have one on file already.
If you have any Champion or Reserve Awards to pick up, those will be available as well!
Region Events
Check out other upcoming local fairs!
4-H dairy tour
Join us for the 4-H dairy tour, a unique opportunity for youth in grades 7 and up.
This three-day, two-night experience will give young people the opportunity to explore the University of Minnesota - St. Paul campus and the dairy landscape in Wisconsin.Youth will stay overnight in a hotel with adult chaperones and be transported via motorcoach.
During this tour, youth will have the chance to explore different dairy farms, processing facilities and careers within the dairy industry.
Potential tour stops include, U of M - St. Paul Campus, Marieke Gouda, Kinnards Farm, MilkSource and more!Audience
Youth in grades 7 and up
Cost
$150
Registration
Date and timeRegistration opens in 4-H Online on July 15 and closes on Sept. 21.
For assistance, refer to the 4-H Online event registration guide or contact your local Extension educator.
LocationThursday, October 15, 2026, 8 a.m. - Saturday, October 17, 2026, 5 p.m. CDT
Contact
Katie Johnson, Extension educator
Update from the desk of Lisa Dierks, Regional Director.
August Update from the desk of Lisa Dierks, Regional Director.
Farm families across the state will be recognized at Farmfest next week. It was an honor to meet many of the families in our region at the County fair award events this summer. If you see the family representing your county, please congratulate them. This award is a wonderful recognition of their hard work and dedication to agriculture and their community.
Late August brings the MN State Fair, an important time of year for our 4-H’ers and their families. Be sure to check out all you need to know to prepare for the MN State Fair on our 4-H State Fair page. If you can’t attend in person, tune into the State Fair livestream where you can view livestock shows as well as the happenings on the stage in the 4-H building.
Thank you for your ongoing support of UMN Extension!
Lisa Dierks
Regional Director, Southeast
dierksl@umn.edu
Providing leadership to Dodge, Fillmore, Houston, Mower, Olmsted, Rice, Steele, Wabasha, Winona Counties, and the Rochester Regional Office.
Read the rest of Lisas' update at this link!!If you have any questions or requests for resources to share in future newsletters, please reach out to me at dierksl@umn.edu. To learn more about a topic, click on the title of the article!
Scholarships
Foodstand Scholarship
About the Scholarship.
As of June 2025 the Foodstand Committee has started a scholarship program to encourage youth involvement on the Committee. One hundred percent of youth in the county are eligible, pending they meet the following requirements:
· Are active on the Foodstand Committee with multiple years on the committee.
· Display leadership skills within the committee and food stand.
· Dedicate time to attend meetings.
· Help with food stand set up and take down.
· Provide extra support in the food stand above and beyond a scheduled four-hour shift.
Anyone that is interested in joining the Food stand Committee or wants to see what is involved is welcome to contact Alex at the Extension Office for more details.
Youth in grades 7 through the youth’s last eligible year in 4-H who have had longevity with the committee and met the above requirements would be eligible for $200 per year of involvement, with a maximum of $1000 if involved all years from grades 7 through post-high school.
Our goal is to grow future leaders who come back to our program as alumni and support the 4-H Program.
Looking for Other Scholarships?
Contact Alex at the Extension office for other scholarship opportunities.
Club Program Resources
The Fillmore County Extension Master Gardeners have put together horticulture educational kits to be used around the county. These kits are available for check out by clubs. There are 17 different kits available each with a different project. These would be great for club leaders to use at meetings or you could invite an Extension Master Gardener to your meeting to lead the project!
The kits are free to use, but supply replenishment may be needed for some kits. The easiest and quickest way to do this is to bring a check for $20 (written to: "Regents of the University of Minnesota") when you return the kit so that we can replenish those supplies. You can also replenish them yourself.
These kits are available on a first come first serve basis, and Extension Master Gardeners have priority. However, we will do our absolute best to make turn around times short so everyone can use the kit they want!
Fillmore County Google Calendar
Contact The Educator
Alexander Coe
Fillmore County 4-H Extension Educator
902 Houston St NW # 3, Preston, MN 55965
University of Minnesota
Email: coexx049@umn.edu
Office Phone: 507-765-3896
M - F 8:00 am - 4:30 pm
Cell: 507-216-2999
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