Burt County 4-H Hotline Newsletter

• Oct 5-11: National 4-H Week
• Oct 13: Office Closed – Columbus Day
• Oct 20: 4-H Horse Planning Meeting
• Nov 11: Office Closed - Veteran’s Day
• Nov 24: 4-H Livestock Planning Meeting
• Nov 27-28: Office Closed - Thanksgiving Holiday
• Dec 1: Leader Training & 4-H Static Planning Meeting

It may have been a while since you were last in 4-H, or you may still be a 4-H’er doing amazing things. We want to know how your 4-H experience started and how it’s going. Share a photo of yourself from early on and one of you today and a short description of how 4-H has made you Beyond Ready in your life and career.

Share your photo at: https://4-h.org/events/how-it-started-how-it-s-going/

Mark your calendars and make plans to celebrate National 4-H Week with us on October 6-11!

https://4-h.org/resources/professionals/marketing-resources/4-h-week-toolkit

we’re excited to announce a special, funded opportunity for Nebraska teens to attend the 2026 Ignite by 4-H Conference in Washington, D.C., March 25–29, 2026.

This opportunity is specifically for youth who have a strong interest in AI, computer science, or STEM fields. Selected youth will have all major expenses covered, including conference registration, hotel, meals, and group travel from Omaha to Washington, D.C. Youth must be 13-19 years old at the time of the trip, but the experience is designed for high schoolers, so the trip is most beneficial for students who are in at least 9th grade.

We’re asking interested teens and a parent/guardian to complete a short Interest Form by October 27, 2025: https://go.unl.edu/ai-igite26

The form includes a few questions for teens to share their interest in AI/CS and how they would apply what they learn to benefit others in their 4-H club, school, or community.

🟢 Please help us spread the word! Share this opportunity in your counties - especially with teens involved in Big Red Camps, robotics, Tech Changemakers, coding clubs, or other STEM experiences. This is a great fit for motivated youth looking to grow their leadership and tech skills.

Saturday, October 25, 2025

10:00 AM to 12:00 PM

Haskell Ag Lab

Cost: $15 per Rocket Kit

Registration Deadline: October 17th (https://go.unl.edu/rocketsoctober)

Attention Youth! Here is a great opportunity to see large rockets in Action on Saturday, October 25th. There will be a class on how to build a rocket. The rockets will be launched that day at the Haskell Ag Lab and participants will get to watch larger rockets as well. A great opportunity to get a 4-H rocket projected started early and to learn more about rocketry. Please bring sack lunches. Hope to see you there! For more Information about the Live Rocket Launch, please visit this website at https://www.nebraskarocketry.com.

https://extension.unl.edu/statewide/burt/4-h-achievement-applications/

You've had a successful 4-H year! Now to bring everything full circle we want to you to reflect and share. A large part of a truly fulfilling experience is reflecting on what we learned and what we would we would differently and I want to hear all about it and what you've learned! So let's start filling in those Achievement Applications! And don't forget to mark down if you want to apply for county awards.

AWARD APPLICATIONS DUE: Monday, December 15, 2025

Step 1: Write your story (add pictures if you want) – No “My Year in Burt County!” Just put all the things you participated in into your Achievement Application!

Step 2: Fill out County Award Sheet

Step 3: Print or email to stacey.keys@unl.edu

Available Achievement Applications & Forms (*NOTE AGES – they’re a bit different)

• Clover Kid (5-7) [doc] [pdf]
• Clover Kid Achievement Rubric
• Junior Novice (8-12, preferably first year exhibitors) [doc] [pdf]
• Junior (8-12) [doc] [pdf]
• Junior Achievement Rubric
• Senior (13-18) [doc] [pdf]
• (if you’re a Senior in High School completing this application is the only way to apply for Nebraska 4-H Foundation Scholarships)

The deadline for this year's 2025 Burt County Achievement Applications is Monday, December 15, 2025! We are doing an earlier deadline so that Seniors have a chance to revise before the STATE DEADLINE of January 5!

I can’t wait to hear all your stories! If you need help, please reach out! These applications can lead to great things and it’s all about what you learned in 4-H!

https://4h.unl.edu/diamond-clover

And if you’re filling out the “Achievement Application” you’ve probably already accomplished the requirements for Diamond Clover. The Diamond Clover consists of six levels that require a young person to plan and report a broad range of age-appropriate accomplishments. For each level, the Nebraska 4-H Diamond Clover program provides a list of accomplishments from which 4-H youth choose their goals. The accomplishments increase in quantity and difficulty for each level. At the beginning of the 4-H year, participants plan what to accomplish and at the end of the 4-H year, they report on their completed accomplishments. Successful completion of a level's Plan & Report form results in a 4-H youth earning that level of the Diamond Clover program. This is the epitome of 4-H involvement and a great way to document your growth through your experience. Just get the paperwork of your accomplishments submitted by Monday, December 15, 2025. Let me know if you have any questions!

💵 Fair Premium Checks

Fair premium checks have been mailed! Keep an eye on your mailbox and remember — you’ve got 90 days to deposit it.

Get those thank-you notes sent out! Just a few sentences about your fair experience go a long way in showing appreciation and keeping our donors engaged and supportive of 4-H.

📝 Who to Thank

• Fair Premiums – Thank the Burt County Ag Society

• Blooming Bucket Premiums – Thank the Burt County 4-H Council

• Selected for State Fair Premiums – Thank First Northeast Bank of Nebraska

• Bedding for Beef Exhibitors – Thank Tom & Jon Weitzenkamp

• Livestock Auction Premiums – Thank your 4-H Buyers individually

Nebraska 4-H is excited to bring the 4-H Volunteer Road Show to volunteers statewide this November! The 4-H Volunteer Road Show will rotate host locations each year, get registered today at the location near you OR attend the virtual session! NEW for 2025: All registered participants will go in a drawing for a Shop 4-H digital gift card! Please see the attached flyer for details regarding the dates, locations and times. The Volunteer Road Show is a great opportunity to experience project training and new ideas to bring back to your 4-H community. All 4-H volunteers, parents/caregivers and any adult wanting to find THEIR spark while volunteering with 4-H is welcome!

• Virtual - Nov. 9
• Arlington - Nov. 11
• Virtual - Nov. 13
• Central City - Nov. 17

Visit https://4h.unl.edu/volunteer-road-show for more specific information and registration link. Registration closes one week prior to each Road Show session. Registration is $15 per person and includes a meal and all supplies for in-person attendees. Registration for Virtual attendees is $10, they will receive a packet of supplies to use during the program.

Schedule for In-Person Locations

5:30 pm Arrive, Eat, Welcome

6:00 pm Avoid 4-H Volunteer Burnout: Avoid 4-H Volunteer Burnout by learning how to implement some practical steps for your own 4-H club structure.

6:30 pm Building Strong Relationships with Youth at Every Stage – Are you looking for ways to build a strong relationship with you through each stage of their 4-H experience? Learn ways to intentionally build relationships with youth of all ages.

7:00 pm Curriculum Training

Human Development – Searching for your next club project? Experience a hands-on Human Development project! This includes a lesson and fair exhibit idea(s) ready to take back to the 4-H experience you lead.

Beyond Ready – Discover how volunteers can ensure youth are Beyond Ready for life and work by experiencing a lesson you can take back to the 4-H experience you lead! Ready to provide your 4-H members with some career exploration activities - this is perfect for you!

8:00 pm Safe Travels Home

As a dedicated Burt County 4-H Fair Superintendent, volunteer, or advocate for our 4-H youth, your voice matters! We’re planning ahead for the 2026 4-H Horse Program, and your input helps shape the best possible experience for our youth exhibitors.

Join us for the 4-H Horse Planning Meeting on Monday, October 20 at 7 p.m. in the Secretary Building at the Fairgrounds.

If you have items you’d like added to the agenda, please contact the Extension Office at 402-374-2929.

Your ideas and experience help create meaningful opportunities for youth to learn, grow, and lead—both in and out of the show ring!

Help Shape the Future of 4-H!
All Burt County 4-H families, volunteers, and superintendents are invited to our 2026 4-H Livestock Planning Meeting on Monday, November 24 at 7:00 p.m. in the Secretary’s Building at the Fairgrounds.

This is your chance to share ideas, discuss updates, and help plan the year ahead for our 4-H livestock program. Your input directly impacts the experiences and opportunities we can provide for our youth.

If you have agenda items or suggestions, please contact the Extension Office at 402-374-2929.

Help shape the year ahead for Burt County 4-H! We’ll cover club basics and leader requirements, share ideas and best practices for leading a successful 4-H club, and make key decisions about contest opportunities for our county’s 4-H youth. Don’t miss your chance to be part of the planning and preparation for another great 4-H year!
📅 Monday, December 1, 2025
🕖 7:00 PM
📍 Secretary’s Building, Burt County Fairgrounds

If you have items to include on the agenda, please contact the Extension Office at 402-374-2929.

The UNL College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources is bringing back Zoom In To CASNR for the 2025-2026 academic year!

Zoom In To CASNR is a virtual visit session where prospective students can talk to department representatives and current students to learn more about CASNR. This was an initiative that was created in hopes of providing a more accessible campus visit for students who might not be able to come to UNL East Campus.

Scholarship Challenge = $5,000 for College

When: Friday, December 5th 9:30-3:00 pm

Where: Food Innovation Center, 1901 N. 21 St., Lincoln, NE 68508

Who: This is an ideal event for high school juniors or seniors looking for practical science degree program who would like the opportunity to learn about food science and technology.

Registration deadline is November 17, 2025. Register here: https://foodscience.unl.edu/food-science-scholarship-challenge/

Graduating Nebraska 4-H members, here’s your chance to earn support for your next step! The Nebraska Association of Fair Managers will award two $500 scholarships — one to a qualifying 4-H male and one to a qualifying 4-H female — who plan to continue their education beyond high school.

Applications are due to the Extension Office by November 30. Don’t miss this opportunity to be recognized for your dedication to 4-H and your future goals!

Scholarship can be found here: https://go.unl.edu/cvn8

Don’t want to wait for the newsletter to come out to learn the upcoming information? No worries! We post the most recent and updated information on the local Facebook page as soon as we get new information of upcoming events and opportunities. @BurtNeExt