Fillmore County 4-H News

• Animal ID deadline is May 15th! Reach out to Heather or Alex if you need help or have questions.
• The Fillmore County LQA&E training will be held on May 20th at the Extension Office in Room 108, from 6 - 9 PM.
• Dog Practices start May 5th and are every Tuesday at 6:30 pm.
• Horse Project Drill Team meet on May 17th at the Fairgrounds

• The Extension Office will be close on May 25th for Memorial Day.
• Open Goat Show Pen Tear Down on Wednesday June 3rd at 6:30 pm at the Fillmore County Fairgrounds big barn.
• The June Auction Committee Meeting will be on June 3rd at the Fillmore County Fairgrounds at 7pm.

• The FairEntry Deadline is June 15th. Reach out to Heather or Alex if you need help or have questions.
• Regional Whitewater 4-H camp will be June 15th - 19th.

• The June Federation meeting will be on June 20th at 7 pm at the Extension Office in Room 108.

• Fillmore County 4-H Dog show will be July 11th, at the Fairgrounds.
• The 2026 Fillmore County Fair will be July 20th - 26th.

The Fillmore County LQA&E Training will be held at the Fillmore County Extension Office on May 20th from 6 to 9 pm. Anyone who needs to take LQA&E should let Alex and Heather know as soon as possible.

Use the bannered link above to navigate to the County Fair Updates Newsletter for the latest updates for Fair.

DATE & LOCATION: June 10-11, 2026 Darr Auction 909 Larson Ln, Rushford, MN 55971

COST: $40 per student Scholarships available upon request

WHO CAN ATTEND: Ages 14+

This certificate is required for 14 and 15-year-olds who wish to work with equipment over 20 horsepower off of their family farm or homestead. Must be 14 by first day of session (June 10th). Program open to all youth 14+

Email: wins0115@umn.edu

Call the Fillmore County Office: 507-765-3896

The Fillmore County Fair Board is looking to fill these positions for the 2026 Fillmore County Fair.

All positions require variable hours during the week of fair 7/20/2026-7/26/2026. Hours would range between 6:00 am and 11:00 pm.

All positions are paid positions. 16 or older is the preferred age of applicants, however, any age is welcome to show interest.

If you are interested in either of the positions, please send an email to info@fillmorecountyfair.com with name, email and position you are interested in. An application will be sent to you with more information.

Join Goodhue County in Exploring the science behind beef cattle Reproduction in a fun, hands-on learning experience!

What you will learn:

• How to read and use EPDs to make informed breeding decisions
• Discover the basics of artificial insemination
• Get up-close guided experience with real reproductive tracts and more!

Sign up at z.umn.edu/beefreproclinic

A tour of Capra Nera Creamery is scheduled to take place at 1pm on Saturday, May 16th in Winona County. This opportunity is for 4-H members in 3rd grade and up. Participants will get an overview of the farm operations, tour of the creamery, sample products, discuss dairy goat breeds and a chance for door prizes! Interested youth can register in 4-H Online!

Youth in grades 6+ are invited to participate in an opportunity to explore agriculture and food science through hands-on learning and tours. Join us on Wednesday, July 8 and Thursday, July 9 for the Agriculture and Food Science Exploration (AFSE) Day. Youth will explore careers in agronomy, animal science, and food science by participating in engaging tours and hands-on learning labs. Activities and topics for the days include:

Wednesday, July 8

• Tour of John Deere Factory and Museum in Waterloo, IA

Thursday, July 9

• Local farm tours to learn about agronomy and animal science.

• Hands-on food science labs.

• Program Graduation Ceremony.

Registration fee is $20 and the deadline to register is June 24. Learn more and register at https://z.umn.edu/AgandFoodExplorationDay

As I drive through SE MN, it is evident that Spring has arrived! Green is everywhere, along with young calves and the start of planted fields. For the home gardeners, plant sales are popping up in many counties. Check your local Extension web page to see if there is one near you.

Also, just a reminder: Spring is a busy time on the farm and on our roadways. Let’s all give each other a little grace. Slow down, be patient, and enjoy the journey. We can all get home safely.
https://extension.umn.edu/farm-safety/tractor-and-rural-roadway-safety

Have a wonderful Spring!

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.

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!

This scholarship is intended for an active, enrolled 4-H member from one of the following Minnesota Counties: Olmsted, Fillmore, Goodhue, Mower, Wabasha, & Winona. Youth eligible to apply are high school seniors (class of 2026) or college freshman pursuing a secondary education at a two year or four-year college majoring in animal science, agriculture, or environmental science. Youth should demonstrate involvement in 4-H and be active in their school and community and show scholastic proficiency. Youth are not able to be awarded the scholarship twice, although they can apply for it more than once.

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.

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.

Contact Alex at the Extension office for other scholarship opportunities.

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!

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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