4-H Clover Fourcast – A monthly 4-H newsletter is sent out to each 4-H family via e-mail by the first of each month. This newsletter contains information and calendar about all the up-coming information regarding the 4-H program. It is available on-line at www.extension.umn.edu/local/wright
Adult Leader/Volunteer - Any adult who is interested and willing to give time to the 4-H Youth Development program to help with youth currently enrolled in the program. Adults who will be regularly volunteering with their club or county must also complete the 4-H volunteer screening process, which includes a brief application and a background check. More information about this important process can be found online at https://extension.umn.edu/4-h/volunteering-4-h
County Ambassador – group of 4-H youth leaders, 9th grade and above, who promote 4-H and volunteer to support the program at the county level.
Animal ID – Special forms (also referred to as ownership affidavits) that members enrolled in sheep, swine, beef, dairy, horse, goat, dog, lama or rabbits are required to complete and submit by an established deadline if they desire to exhibit animals at a county or state event.
BLU (Building Leadership & Understanding) - The State 4-H Ambassadors offer an overnight leadership retreat for youth in grades 6-12 from multiple counties. Each retreat focuses on learning and development skills in leadership, communication and community service.
Camp
· Day – Day long events held through out the county during the summer. Participants learn through activities including educational sessions, recreation, food, fun and crafts. Open to non 4-H members.
· Residence – overnight camp experience for participants grade 2-8. Held at the Camp Koronis in Paynesville
Camp Counselor – A member 7th grade and up who receives training and works with youth at overnight or day camps. A training session is held for interested youth. Youth learn what is expected of a camp counselor and meet other 4-H’ers from throughout the area.
Citizenship - One of the philosophies upon which 4-H was founded. Every 4-H’er does his/her part to be an active citizen and to be involved in the community.
Citizenship Washington Focus - 4-H members who have completed ninth grade are eligible to attend this week long event in Washington, D.C. Seminars and workshops exploring current issues are held at the National 4-H Conference Center. This is an opportunity to learn about our government and how it works, while meeting other youth from across the country.
Clothing & Textiles Judging/Fashion Review – An opportunity for members enrolled in the clothing project to showcase the garments they have made or purchased and to be evaluated on them. Fashion Review participants model the outfits. It’s a great chance to practice poise and to build confidence in front of people Judging and the Public Fashion Show held on the fairgrounds during the County Fair. Court of Honor members are chosen in each age group with the winners advancing to the State Fair.
Cloverbud – A youth who is kindergarten through 2nd grade enroll in the Cloverbud program. Cloverbuds is designed to be a non-competitive with special activities & projects for younger members focused on general project exploration.
Club Key Leader – An adult from each club responsible for helping club officers run meetings, planning club activities and is a liaison between club and county 4-H staff.
Club Meeting– 4-H Clubs hold regular meetings with most clubs holding them monthly. A meeting may consist of a business meeting, an educational program that might include demonstrations by members, recreation and refreshments. Club meetings can be held in-person or online
Club Officer Training – Training for newly elected club officer teams to learn their officer role. Clubs officer teams participate together and create goals for the year. This is held during the Regional Leadership Summit in November.
Communication Arts Contest - An event in conjunction with the County Fair where youth may present Public Speaking, Interpretive Reading, Creative Writing, Photo Story, Cartooning or a Promotional Poster. Youth are judged in grade levels.
Community Pride/Service – an activity that serves your community. A club decides on a community need, develops an action plan, carries it out and reports on the progress. Some examples include; Food Shelf donations, yard clean-up at local nursing homes and Feed My Starving Children
Conference Judging - Conference style judging provides an opportunity for fair exhibits to be evaluated through a discussion between the judge and the 4-H member. 4-H’ers and judges can discuss the learning and future goals.
County Fair - County Fair offers 4-H members the opportunity to exhibit the work they have done within their projects. Exhibits are conference judged, where the 4-H’er talks with the judge about the project. Each member receives a ribbon for each exhibit. Animal shows are held throughout the week. Exhibits in many project areas are chosen to go on to the State Fair.
The county fair is an exciting opportunity to highlight a 4-H member’s experiences during the year. County fair is a time to share what 4-H has to offer with members of the larger community. The Wright County Fairgrounds is located in Howard Lake, MN.
Demonstrations/Illustrated Presentations – Demonstrations/Illustrated Presentations are public presentations that give 4-H’ers an opportunity to share something they have learned with others. Demonstrations may include visual aids and hands-on learning by the audience. Members usually demonstrate at their club meetings. Members may also participate in the county-wide event where winners are selected to give their presentation at the Minnesota State Fair.
Dog Training – A countywide dog-training program is available in Obedience, Showmanship and Agility. Members who participate in dog training may choose to participate in the County Dog Show. Members who qualify at this show advance to the State Dog Show.
Enrollment – 4-H Members must enroll at www.4HOnline.com each year. Enrollment contains information about each member to use in communication, projects a member has selected to participate in and more. Instructions for enrolling online can be found here.
Extension Office – located in the Wright County Public Works Building, 3500 Braddock Ave NE, Buffalo, MN 55313, 763-682-7394
Facebook – Wright County 4-H is on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Wright.County.4H Check here for photos, program updates, event information and more!
Federation/Advisory Council – Youth and adults representing each of the 4-H clubs in the county meet to discuss program direction, events, activities and issues that will help to build and strengthen the county 4-H program. The Advisory Council is made up elected youth and adult officers that lead the Federation meetings. All 4-H members and volunteers are invited to attend these meetings to give their input. Meeting are usually held the 4th Monday of most months at 7pm
Food Review– This is an event for members in the Food project. Members prepare a nutritious meal of their choice and a table setting display. They share their knowledge about nutrition, meal preparation, etc to a judge at the County Fair. State Fair trips are awarded.
Foodstand – The 4-H Foodstand is a fundraising opportunity during the county fair. 4-H families and clubs operate the Foodstand. Profits from the Foodstand support local 4-H events and activities
Horse Shows – These shows are held at scheduled times during the Wright County Fair. Winners from the county horse show are selected to advance to the State 4-H Horse Show held in September.
Interstate Exchange – An opportunity for 4-H members to travel to other states or hosting 4-Hers from across the nation. This is a great way to meet 4-Hers and learn about their state. Participant must be 6th grade or older.
Judging Teams - Judging teams provide members the opportunity to use decision making skills by comparison. Livestock teams analyze the animal’s conformation and potential productivity. Consumer judging teams determine which product the “best buy” is given a certain set of criteria. Points are also given for oral reasons for the decisions. Possible judging teams include Horse, General Livestock, Dairy, Poultry and Rabbit
Livestock Quality Assurance and Ethics Training (LQA&E) – Training for 4-H members who are in the livestock projects. It is a training designed to educate the participants on proper handling techniques, animal nutrition and showing ethics. This training is a requirement for any member wishing to exhibit livestock at the MN State Fair.
Member & Adult Volunteer Recognition Banquet – An event in the fall for all 4-H families to come together and join in the recognition of 4-H members, adults, and clubs who have done an outstanding job during the past 4-H year. Awards are given out and a meal is served
Minnesota 4-H Foundation – The Foundation works to generate private funds to support 4-H through businesses, corporations, associations, foundations and individual donors.
Minnesota State 4-H Ambassadors – A select group of youth leaders from across the state who conduct trainings and events for other youth. State Ambassadors provide leadership and assistance to the State 4-H Program during YELLO, BLU, TEEL. and the State Fair. They are also available as a program resource across the state.
Minnesota State 4-H Website – Here you will find general information on 4-H, information and education about all project areas that MN 4-H supports with resources and learning opportunities, and more! Go here to learn about the over 100 project areas available in 4-H and what supporting programs exist. https://extension.umn.edu/4-h/about-4-h
National 4-H Week – The first full week in October is recognized as National 4-H Week and marks the beginning of the 4-H year. Clubs may plan special activities and/or put up displays to increase awareness of the 4-H program.
New 4-H Family Navigation– This is a night of fun and information for new 4-H members and their parents. It is held two times a year.
Official 4-H Ear Tag – A special identification tag available at the Extension Office that must be inserted into the ear of beef, sheep, and swine projects by ownership deadline if they are to be eligible for exhibition at county and state events
Project – Each year when a new or returning 4-H member enrolls, they have the opportunity to sign up for projects they would like to participate in during the year. A project is an area of interest that a 4-H member has and wants to learn more about. Project areas could include: Animals, Mechanical Sciences, Natural Resources, Clothing, Needle Arts, Foods, Creative Arts, Photography, Cloverbuds, Youth Leadership and many more.
Project Bowls - Project Bowls are an exciting way for youth to explore a project area. Youth participate in a “game show” type competition where teams of 3-6 youth are challenged on their knowledge of 4-H project areas and develop teamwork, self-confidence and decision making skills. There are regional and state contests in the spring. There are project bowls in dairy, dog, general livestock, horse, poultry, rabbit & wildlife.
Project Evaluation Sheets – These sheets are often used by judges at the county fair when evaluating project work. Members can access these sheets on-line to help them evaluate their own learning and skill development. http://www1.extension.umn.edu/youth/mn4-h/projects/
Project Workshop Day – A workshops for members, offering hands-on learning in different project areas. Held throughout the year.
Project Bulletin/Curriculum - curriculum of activities/ideas to correspond with 4-H project areas. Over 190 exciting, experientially based curriculum products for youth and volunteers are available on this site http://www.4-hmall.org/Home.aspx
Project Development Committees (PDC) – Adult and youth from clubs work on the county level as a group to set the guidelines and plan educational events for members enrolled in certain project areas.
Project Meeting – A time when members, enrolled in a specific project, meet to work on their projects. Meetings may be planned and guided by project leaders on club or on county level. Members may also elect to work on their own or with the help of parents or others. Not all project areas have scheduled meeting times.
Project Record – At the beginning of each 4-H year, each member receives a record on which he/she plans, describes, and records the work that they accomplish and the knowledge they gain through their project. These records can be turned in for at the end of the year for leaders to evaluate, give suggestions and offer encouragement for the 4-Hers demonstrated achievements. Records can also be submitted for county judging and awards. Records forms can be found here.
Regional Leadership Summit – An event that happens each fall with Meeker, McLeod, Sherburne, Benton, Stearns and Wright County. Adult volunteers and 4-H club officers participate in training for their roles at the club or county level.
Share the Fun – Share the Fun is a performing arts event. Clubs or individuals develop skits or a performance while learning about teamwork and the performing arts. Individual or group acts are then performed on a stage for the audience and evaluated by a judge.
Shooting Sports – For members, 3rd grade or older to learn about the responsible and safe operation of a firearm taught by certified instructors. Classes are available in Archery, Air Rifle & Pistol, BB, Shotgun, .22 rifle, Black Powder and Wildlife.
Shooting Sports & Wildlife Invitational – A state event held at a selected site in Minnesota which is open to 4-H members who have completed their required hours in specific disciplines.
Members compete in events such as Air Rifle and Air Pistol, Archery, BB Gun, .22, Shotgun, Black Powder and Wildlife.
State Arts-In – Teens who have completed 9th grade and up, have the opportunity to participate in a weeklong encounter with the visual and/or performing arts. Participants perform in a 30-minute musical, prepare sets and do sound or sew costumes. After a week of preparing, the participants have a break and then return for 10 days of the State Fair to do what they learned during the preparation week.
State 4-H Dog Show – An event held in September at the State Fairgrounds in St. Paul.
Participants and their dogs earn the opportunity as a result of their superior performance in county competition.
State 4-H Horse Show - An event held in September at the State Fairgrounds in St. Paul that is open to 4-H Horse Project members who have completed 6th grade and excelled in county-level competition earning the chance to advance to the state show.
State Fair - Youth completing 6th grade and older may have the opportunity to advance their exhibit to the Minnesota State Fair according to their placing at county fair. The 12 day fair is held in St. Paul concluding on Labor Day
TEEL – (Teens Engaged in Emerging Leadership) - a workshop that builds on the leadership skills older youth have developed through their lived experience both within and outside of 4-H. Teens will engage in large and small group discussions and learning designed and facilitated by a team of older youth and young adult leaders.
University of Minnesota Extension – Wright County – Extension is the outreach arm of the University of Minnesota and operates Wright County 4-H. The Extension office is located at the Wright County Public Works Building, 3500 Braddock Ave NE, Buffalo, MN 55313
Wright County 4-H Website – Our County website is your spot for Wright County 4-H. Here we post general information, our monthly newsletter, registration information for events, and our master calendar of events and more. Check back frequently to get info on the latest events and to view the interactive calendar of events. The monthly newsletter gives a helpful snapshot of all available county programs. This might be a good place to start to understand the scope of county program offerings. https://extension.umn.edu/local/wright
YELLO – (Youth Exploring Leadership & Learning Out Loud) - Youth, grades 7th-12th have the opportunity to experience a weeklong leadership/personal development conference. Youth hear well known speakers and meet 4-H’ers from across the state.
Youth Leader – Any youth, grade 6 and up, is considered a youth leader. These youth give assistance in club and county management, projects, events and activities.
COUNTY 4-H PROGRAM FUNDING
4-H MEMBERSHIP DUES
Club Dues - Each club determines if they will charge club dues and the amount per member.
This money goes directly into each club treasury and is used by that club only.
4-H FUNDRAISING
In order to supplement the cost of our 4-H program, activities, events, awards, scholarships and
various other needs, extra funding is always necessary. At the present time, the following fundraisers take place.
County Fair Foodstand - Wright County 4-H operates the 4-H Foodstand at the County Fair in late July/early August. Members and adult take orders, prepare/serve food and assist with clean-up. Each club is assigned a shift to work in the Foodstand sometime during the Fair.
Wright-Hennepin Dinner – 4-H helps to host the Wright-Hennepin shareholders’ annual dinner. Youth members and adult volunteers help to serve the food, assist with table setting and clean-up.
SCHOLARSHIPS
General - Partial registration scholarships are available for various out-of-county 4-H trainings or workshops. Members are required to “report back” to the Federation meeting after their event has taken place in order to receive their scholarship money.
Financial Assistance – Scholarships based on financial need are available for any 4-H program. Contact the Extension Office for information.