Wednesday What-Nots 1/7

For those that may be new, welcome to Otoe County 4-H! Wednesday What-Nots are a bi-weekly email that contains information, updates, and opportunities for all involved in 4-H.

Please turn in your club's REQUIRED year-end treasure report to the Extension Office by Friday, January 30th.

The Otoe County Extension office will be closed on January 19th in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Join us at the Otoe County Fairgrounds in Syracuse at 10 a.m. for Beef Weigh-In.
Weigh-in is not mandatory unless you plan to compete in the Rate of Gain Contest at the county fair. To be eligible for this contest, market beef must be weighed at an official 4-H weigh-in. Anyone showing at State Fair will need to pull DNA, as well.

Please note, participants must be enrolled members of 4-H to take part in the contest. Clover Kids are not eligible for Rate of Gain.

If you do not intend to participate in the Rate of Gain Contest or show at State Fair, there is no need to attend weigh-in.

The Otoe County 4-H Foundation has allocated funding to provide mini-grants to Otoe County 4-H members and Otoe County 4-H clubs to strengthen 4-H Youth Development in Otoe County. Grant applications can be submitted online or paper copies can be dropped off at the Extension office by October 31 or February 28. More details and applications can be found at the Otoe County 4-H Foundation website.

The 2026 Special Garden Project will focus on the Alumia Vanilla Cream Marigold. This marigold produces creamy, yellow flowers on compact plants. This variety not only has a unique color, but it also has a very long bloom time.

Youth are encouraged to enroll for Horticulture/Plant Science through 4-H Online. Youth will then have to reach out to their local Extension Office to sign up and order the seeds. It will be up to the county office to keep track of the youth that signed up and share the educational materials including the growing newsletter & evaluation (included at the end of the growing newsletter).

Registration for the 2026 Nebraska 4-H Farrowed and Owned Swine Cohort is now open until January 30, 2026.

Youth may exhibit their Farrowed and Owned project animals at a 2026 Nebraska county fair or the Nebraska State Fair. All cohort members will participate in an interview at the 2026 Nebraska State Fair. Exhibiting your animal at the Nebraska State Fair is not a requirement for the record book and interview portion of the cohort.

Registration Due: March 2, 2026

Attention graduating seniors interested in veterinary science! The Nebraska Elite 11 Veterinarian Program is a scholarship program for Nebraska students aimed at increasing the number of new veterinarians practicing in production animal practices in rural Nebraska. Up to 20 first-time freshmen will receive the Nebraska Production Animal Health Scholarship, which covers 50% of their tuition for the first two years of their study in the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, with further scholarship opportunities for the 3rd, 4th, and PPVM program years. For more details and application guidelines, visit https://casnr.unl.edu/nebraska-elite-11-veterinarian-program/. Applications are due January 9.

Details can be found in the attached PDF or on our website at https://extension.unl.edu/statewide/otoe/awards-recognition/. Applications due today, January 7.

Tracy Ensor, 4-H Youth Development Associate Extension Educator, tensor2@unl.edu

Kristen Herrick, 4-H Extension Assistant, kherrick3@unl.edu

Ben Jewell, Rural Prosperity Nebraska Associate Extension Educator, bmcshane-jewell2@unl.edu

Cheryl Goff, Office Manager, cheryl.goff@unl.edu

Website: www.otoe.unl.edu

Location: 620 1st Street, Syracuse, NE, USA
Phone: (402) 269-2301
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Nebraska-Extension-in-Otoe-County