Nov./Dec. 2017

Boone County Office 205 Cadillac Ct., Suite 3 Belvidere, IL 61008 Phone: 815/544-3710 Fax: 815/544-4606 Boone 4-H Staff: Melissa Irwin 4-H Program Coordinator mmirwin@illinois.edu Kelli Morrow Office Support Assistant kmorrow@illinois.edu Vanessa Mendoza 4-H Latino Coordinator vane22@illinois.edu Unit 2 Youth Educator: Johnna Jennings jbjennin@illinois.edu Unit 2 County Director: Vicky Broos broos@illinois.edu

University of Illinois/USDA/Local Extension Councils Cooperating University of Illinois Extension provides equal opportunities in programs and employment.

If you need a reasonable accommodation to participate in any program offered in this newsletter, please contact the Boone County Office at (815) 544-3710.

http://web.extension.illinois.edu/bdo

4-H Times

Don’t forget to Enroll 4-H Leaders should have handed out instructions for the re-enrollment process along with The Illinois Clover. The re-enrollment instructions can be found at: http://web.extension.illinois.edu/bdo/downloads/72562.pdf

Who can join 4-H? Any person, regardless of race, color, religion, gender, national origin, ancestry, marital status, familial status, sexual orientation or disability, may enroll as a 4-H member. Youth who are 5 through 7 years of age on or before September 1, 2017, may

enroll in a 4-H Cloverbud groups. Youth who are 8 years of age and have not reached their 19th birthday on or

before September 1, 2017 may enroll in 4-H clubs and groups.

https://il.4honline.com

Enrollment deadlines Re-Enrollment Deadline will be December 15. — preferably as soon as possible. Beef Projects & Dairy Steer project enrollment deadline — January 1, 2018 New members will still have until April 1, 2018 to enroll, but are not allowed to

enroll in Beef or Dairy Steers.

Re—Enrollment Tips

DO NOT CREATE A NEW PROFILE. If you are having trouble logging in, please contact the office.

Your personal data is all carried over from last year. Review your profile carefully and make necessary corrections.

Please review Clubs and Projects tabs. Add and Remove projects so that it reflects what you would like to do for this year. Note: The system will automatically list the clubs and projects the member was enrolled in the previous year.

If you make a selection from a drop-down menu, be sure to click the [Add] button if applicable.

Each member must select at least one project.

Beware of how your 4-H Program fee is being paid. Is your club paying your fee or are you responsible for your $20 fee?

The $20 Program fee can be paid online using a credit card. You must first add your credit card or verify your information from last year before the option to pay by credit card is activated. No refunds on credit card transactions.

Check payments for the $20 program fee can be paid to the 4-H club leader or directly to the Extension Office. Please check with your club leader how they are handling the fees.

If you have 4 or more children enrolling in 4-H, please contact our office prior to enrolling so that we may work with you regarding a $60 maximum fee.

You MUST click [Submit Enrollment] to finish the process!

All members will be in PENDING status until our office receives payment.

Page 2 4-H Times

4-H Program Fee The 4-H Program Fee of $20 per youth will apply to all members of Community Clubs, Cloverbuds, and Special Interest Groups. Thirteen dollars will stay locally and be used by our program to help support 4-H costs. Seven dollars will be forwarded to the State 4-H program to provide educational, technical, and logistical support to maintain the 4-H program on all levels.

Families will be able to pay with a credit card through the 4-H Online Enrollment system. However, if you choose to pay by check, please make your $20 payment to your 4-H Club. The 4-H club will then write one check to the 4-H Office. Please contact the office, (815) 544-3710, with any questions regarding

the handling of the program fee.

Possession of Animals Beef Cows ......................................... January 1 Beef Steers ....................................... February 1 Beef Calves & Heifers ....................... May 1 Dairy Cows ....................................... January 1 Dairy Steers ...................................... February 1 Dairy Heifers..................................... May 1 Dairy Calves ...................................... June 1 Dairy Steer Calves ............................ June 1 Goat Milking Does ............................ January 1 Goat Kids & Yearlings ....................... May 1 Sheep Lambs & Yearlings ................. May 1 Swine Barrows ................................. May 1 Poultry .............................................. May 1 Rabbits ............................................. May 1 Cats................................................... May 1 Dogs — Must be owned or leased by May 1 Horses – Must be owned or leased by May 1 Reminder: There will be no replacement of any animal that dies after the possession date. How-ever, it is permissible to have more than one animal.

Project Enrollment January 1

Beef

Dairy Steers

April 1

Horse

Dog

Dairy

Poultry

Sheep

Swine

Goats

Rabbits

Cats

All General (non-animal) Projects

4-H members must be enrolled by project deadline and abide by the livestock possession dates as follows in order to be eligible to exhibit.

Nov. 23 & 24

Thanksgiving Holiday

Winter Break

December 25—

January 1

Office Closures

Page 3 November/December 2017

Fall Food Shower Federation is sponsoring our annual Fall Food Shower. Clubs and individual 4-H members are encouraged to collect nonperishable food or cash donations and deliver it to the Extension Office on November 18 from 9-11:00 a.m. Federation will sort and deliver the food to the Salvation Army. If your club delivers food to another pantry, please contact the Extension Office with your total number of items and pounds so we can recognize your effort. Forms to report how much your club collected are available online. These forms are to be turned in with your food. Some of the food items needed include: pancake mix, saltine crackers, peanut butter, canned vegetables, macaroni & cheese, maple syrup, pudding mix, pork & beans, canned fruits, instant potatoes, instant gravy mix, cereal, jello mix, tuna, salad dressing, soups, Spaghetti-O’s, 2#pkg of macaroni and jelly.

Military Mail 4-H’ers and their families are asked to sign Christmas cards that will be distributed to soldiers by the Friends of the Troops. 4-H’ers are also asked to put their name and address on the back of the cards. You may use return address labels on the back. If you don’t want to use your address, you may put the Extension Office address on the back. It would be great if 4-H’ers would write 2-3 sentences about themselves or what they like about 4-H. Do not turn in cards in envelopes. Cards are due to the Extension Office by November 17 (cards will be accepted at the Fall Food Shower).

Hometown Christmas This is an exciting time of the year, and thanks to many of you that are participating in Hometown Christmas, others in our community will be touched with the holiday spirit.

Wednesday, November 29, starting at 3:30 p.m. Tree decorating at the Community Building

Friday, December 1 from 6:00-9:00 p.m. **Parade – 5:30 p.m.** Activities throughout downtown from the Community Building to the Apollo.

Sunday, December 3, starting at 9:00 a.m. 4-H Federation will be delivering the trees to the families. Please contact the office by Dec. 1 if you would like to help deliver the trees. All 4-H clubs and families are invited to help with the delivery. It is a terrific experience.

January 15, 2018

Attention All 4-H’ers age 15-18

State Award Applications If you are 4-H ages 15-18 and are interested in

applying for State Awards, please contact Melissa ASAP. Boone County 4-H has many outstanding members, and I would like to see you rewarded at the next level. Applications are due to the Extension Office on January 3.

Save the date!

Salvation Army 9:00 a.m.-2:30 p.m.

Registration Info. in the Next Newsletter!

Page 4 4-H Times

Award Recipients – Express Your Gratitude Many 4-H'ers received awards at the 4-H Recognition Program. Don't forget to send a thank you to the sponsor of your award. You were provided with the name and address. It is important to thank those who support the 4-H program. It is never too late to thank those who support 4-H, whether it is a Recognition Program sponsor, Auction buyer or plaque sponsor.

Congratulations and Thank You! Congratulations to all of our Boone County 4-H’ers who received awards at the Recognition Program on October 22. The award applications that were turned in were terrific, you all did a fabulous job! Special thanks to Youth Movement 4-H Club for serving as the official photographers and for designing the photo area. Thanks also to the County Clovers for setting up the Community Building, Serenity Brockman for donating the table decorations, Udder for serving refreshments, Wranglers for running the registration table and the Flaming Monkey’s and Beaver Valley Clippers for cleaning up. This event could not happen without all of you! Thank you also to Federation for donating Boone County 4-H t-shirts to promote and reward all 4-H’ers who completed Award Applications.

Dairy Bowl Dairy Bowl Practices will begin on Sunday, January 7 and will be held every Sunday afternoon from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. through February. The contest is scheduled for February 24-25 in Peoria.

Beef Beef Committee Meeting

Date: Thursday, February 1, 2018

Time: 7:00 p.m.

Place: Extension Office

Reminder — No Meetings in Nov., Dec. or Jan.

Scholarship takes you from Extension to ACES Incoming freshmen and transfer students to University of Illinois College of Agricultural, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences may apply for a NEW $2,500 scholarship. This year, 54 scholarships (two per each of Extension’s 27 units) will be awarded. To learn more and apply @

academics.aces.illinois.edu/scholarships/new-students. Click on “Incoming freshmen and incoming transfer students scholarship application.” In Step #2, select “Extension to ACES” scholarship. Questions? Your local Extension staff can help you! Just ask us.

Informational Meeting for Potential Adult Volunteers When: Tuesday, December 5 at 7:00 p.m. Where: Extension Office Meeting Room Boone County 4-H now has 3 state trained volunteers to supervise a shooting sports program. We would like to kick-off our program by starting “Archery” and “Air Rifle” Spin Clubs. In order to do so, we will need additional volunteers. Topics on our meeting agenda include: your role as a volunteer, brainstorming ideas for locations that we can meet, and how do we secure equipment to use for activities.

Page 5 4-H Times

Date: Monday, November 27 Time: 6:30 p.m. Place: Boone County Extension, Suite 5

“Mission: Adventure. Join the Team. Change the World.” was the theme that was used October 1-7 to promote 4-H this year during National 4-H week. The clubs putting up 4-H Promotional Displays this year were:

Beaver Valley Clippers Alpine Bank – Main Branch County Clovers Alpine Bank - Gateway Federation O’Brien & Dobbins Flora Producers Malcolm Pediatric Dentistry Kishwaukee Grow & Show Alpine Bank-Kirkland LeRoy Commandoes Capron School Manchester Mavericks Manchester School The Wranglers Blackhawk Bank Udder Ollmann Ernest Architect Also, I hope everyone saw the great stories and pictures the Belvidere Daily Republican printed for National 4-H Week. Thank you to everyone who submitted their stories for publication in the paper. In addition, you may have noticed 4-H yard signs around the county. Those were purchased to help promote the 4-H program. If you have a sign in your yard, please clean it and return it to your 4-H leader or the Extension Office. Thank you to everyone who helped promote 4-H during National 4-H Week!

Saddles & Spurs Horse Happenings

Horse Committee Meeting Date: Monday, November 27 Time: 6:30 p.m. Place: Pizza Hut, Belvidere *All future meeting will be held at Pizza Hut No December Meeting Everyone is welcome to attend. Email ideas or any questions you might have to Kris Hall at KLharle@yahoo.com .

Horse Bowl Practices Continue

Horse bowl and Hippology practice will continue through November and December! This is an opportunity to learn more about horses and compete against other teams. This is open to both 4-H’er with horses and those who have a horseless horse project. Please contact Donna Burlo (779-772-3023) for more information. The next practice will be on 6:00 p.m. on Friday, November 10 at the Extension Office Meeting room. Other practice dates that have been set are: Nov. 17 , Dec. 8, Dec. 15, Dec. 22, Dec. 29 and every Friday in starting in January.

Thank you to all the families who donated candy for our participation in the Ida Public Library’s Trunk-or- Treat on Friday, Oct. 27. It was a spook-tacular turn out. We were able to promote 4-H in a fun environment.

Page 6 November/December 2017

Illinois 4-H Teen Leadership Conference, Dare to Lead January 13-14, Decatur Conference Center & Hotel More Information: go.illinois.edu/4Hteens DARE to build upon your leadership skills. If you want to hang out with other teens while you learn to be a better leader, this conference is for you. TOTALLY REDESIGN WITH TEENS IN MIND. This year’s event is be open to ANY Illinois high school teen in grades 9 to 12. We’re excited to open the doors of this event to teens who belong to

any type of organization, club or sports team – any teen who desires to step up and DARE to LEAD. Workshop sessions will focus on public speaking, watching your digital identity, social media marketing, advocating for a cause, becoming a leader, finding your leadership niche, and youth and adult partnerships. Teens need to attend in a county, club, organization or school “group” (Illinois 4-H’ers included) and each group must be accompanied by an adult chaperone (age 21 or older). If you want to go, you need to contact the 4-H office NOW. The staff enter all the registrations for the county. Cost is $130 for 4-H members or $175 for other group members. Space is limited and on a first-come, first-served basis. If you are the only one from your area who is interested, ask your Extension office if neighboring counties have a group that you can join. (“Groups” are for chaperoning purposes only; they are not required for conference work.) Registration will close on Monday, December 4. DARE to LEAD – and join us!

Mission: Adventure! Who doesn’t love an adventure? We know our 4-H’ers in the 7th and 8th grades do because they fill the Illinois 4-H Jr. Leadership Conference to capacity each year, and we’re hoping to do the same for our 2018 event! Save the dates of February 24-25, 2018 and plan to travel to Springfield to join us at the President Abraham Lincoln Springfield Hotel. Look for more information & registration on the Illinois 4-H website: go.illinois.edu/4Hjlc. The Illinois State 4-H Youth Leadership Team creates a fun, hands-on weekend that’s full of 4-H educational sessions, lots of laughter, meeting new people, and learning new things! Take the mission and find the adventure - we’d love to see you there! Deadline: January 22

Registration is OPEN for 2018 CWF!

4-H Conference Opportunities

Registration is open for the Illinois 2018 Citizenship Washington Focus trip! Consider joining us for this once-in-a-lifetime trip to explore the federal

legislative process, tour various sites around the Washington, D.C. area, visit Illinois’ Representatives, and more. We’ll be travelling Saturday, July 7 to Saturday, July 14, 2018. Citizenship Washington Focus is for 4-H members ages 14-18 by May 1, 2018. Our delegates will travel by bus or air, depending upon the number of final delegates who register. We haven’t been able to finalize our 2018 costs yet (not all of our vendors have responded), but our 2017 cost to youth was $1025. We know we are potentially looking at a travel cost increase, so we are estimating a final cost of $1200. That includes a discount due to financial assistance from the Illinois 4-H Foundation. Payments are made when registering, February, and May. The initial deposit is $325. The final payment will be adjusted as needed to meet whatever the final cost will be. Space is available on a first-come; first-served basis, so don’t wait too long! More information is available on the 4-H website: go.illinois.edu/4Hcwf. Deadline: December 1

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Read the newsletter for complete details on events and locations!

Horse Bowl @ 6:00pm

Horse Bowl @ 6:00pm

Hometown Christmas Tree Decorating

Hometown Christmas Tree Delivery

Horse Bowl @ 6:00pm

Horse Bowl @ 6:00pm

Horse Bowl @ 6:00pm

Office Closed

Winter Break — Office Closed

Military Mail Due

Re-Enrollment Deadline!

Federation Meeting @ 6:30pm

Horse Committee @ 6:30 pm

Office Closed

Horse Bowl @ 6:00pm

Wishing all of our 4-H Families a very Joyous Holiday Season!

from the Boone County Extension Staff

DECEMBER 2017