THE CLOVER GAZETTE
4-H NEWSLETTER
4-H NEWSLETTER
JANUARY 2024
EVERY 4-H SHOULD ATTEND THIS EVENT!
Exciting news! The Boulder County 4-H Adult Collaborative invites you to our Family Forum, where we'll dive into everything you need to know about completing your 4-H projects.
What's in Store:
Record Books (General and Livestock)
Demonstration
Community Service
Judging
Project Exhibitions
RSVP Here: https://tinyurl.com/4-HFamilyForum2024signup
Join us for a fun and informative evening! Let's make your 4-H journey unforgettable. See you there!
COUNCILS AND ACTIVITIES
YOUTH COUNCIL
Our Youth Council Meetings are not just gatherings; they are opportunities for collaboration, sharing ideas, and making a meaningful impact on our 4-H community. This is your chance to be the voice for your club and contribute to the exciting developments in Boulder County 4-H.
We encourage each club to send a representative to the meeting. Your insights, energy, and passion are what make our community vibrant and thriving. By joining the Youth Council, you'll be a part of shaping the future of Boulder County 4-H.
Every 4-H member is invited to attend!
Next meeting: January 10 —6:00 PM
Click HERE for more information on Youth Council.
4-H ADULT COLLABORATIVE
We welcome new members all year! The role of the council is to:
Help mentor new leaders
Provide overall guidance and ideas for the Boulder County 4-H
Learn how adults can be involved in the 4-H program.
This is a great resource if you are a new or seasoned leader. Parents/guardians of youth as well as leaders are welcome. Hope to see you all there!
We will not be having a meeting this month. Please join us for the Winter Social.
Next meeting: January 10 —6:30 PM
Click HERE for more information on this group.
HORSE LEADERS COUNCIL
Boulder County Horse Leader Council is open to:
All organizational, project, activity, and resource leaders
Interested parents.
Membership consists of all leaders enrolled in the Boulder County 4-H program. Our next meeting will be held on Monday, January 8, 2023, at 6:30 pm
Currently virtual meetings - contact Brenda Kwang for Zoom link - bkwang@bouldercounty.org
CLOVERBUDS
We will not be having a meeting this month. Please join us for the Winter Social.
Next meeting: January 23 —6:00 PM
Cloverbud Leader: Karli Hardesty
GENERAL 4-H NEWS
SAVE THE DATE-CARNIVAL
CARNIVAL is coming!!
Save the Date: March 9, Setup on March 8. Please be on the lookout for that information.
LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT CONFERENCE (LDC)
Leadership Development Conference (LDC)
(4-H Ages 14-18)
January 27-28, 2024
Boulder County Deadline: Tuesday, January 9
Payments made to: Boulder County Youth Council
MINIATURE EQUINE IN BOULDER COUNTY! INTERSTED?
MINIATURE EQUINE IN BOULDER 4-H
If you are interested in the program
as an adult volunteer, equine
provider, or 4-H youth, please
complete the interest form here:
ENROLLMENT
The 4-H enrollment deadlines are approaching and we want to be sure you are included. Don't delay in getting your enrollment completed. Here is some important information for you:
DEADLINES:
Re-enrolling members must enroll and pay before the last Thursday in January. After this deadline, there is a $20 late fee for re-enrolling members
The last Thursday in April – is the final deadline for all 4-H enrollments to be eligible to participate at the Boulder County Fair.
Enrollment:
Complete online enrollment through 4HOnline, you will be notified by email that your enrollment is “pending”. You will be moved to the “approved” status once we receive paperwork/payment from your club leader.
Payments:
Please do not bring your payment to the Extension Office. Your payment should be given to your club leader OR paid through our online payment portal.
Payment options:
Pay fees to your club leader- cash or check
Use our online option. This service to collect your enrollment fees is a convenience for our families. For this to work, families must forward their receipts to their club leader.
Scholarships are available. Please fill out the application and return it to your club leader. The payment amount will need to be paid using the options above.
Next step:
Club leaders will bring the club member's payments to the extension office. We will then go into 4-H online and approve those club members. This might take some time, so we'd appreciate your patience.
MQA AND ACMAQ
CAVY UPDATE- MQA REQUIREMENT: After reviewing the rules in other 4-H counties, looking at the goals of the project, and relating to the Cavy project members, we have decided to remove the requirement for Cavy 4-H project members to participate in an MQA training. Cavy project members are welcome to attend, but it is not a requirement for the 2024 year and moving forward at this time.
As a reminder about MQA/ACMQA, all first-year or first-year Senior (14yrs or older) participants in a livestock project (including all market, breeding, dairy, poultry, & rabbit, excluding dog, guinea pig, and horse) are required to attend an MQA training to be eligible to show or sell at the 2024 Boulder County Fair and Colorado State Fair. Watch your emails and the calendar for the 2024 training dates.
COLORADO 4-H SCHOLARSHIPS
Colorado 4-H awards scholarships annually to outstanding youth who have actively engaged in Colorado 4-H clubs for at least three years. The scholarship process is open from November 1, 2023, through March 1, 2024. Scholarship recipients will be announced in May 2024. There are opportunities available for all kinds of students, including those attending CSU or other universities, trade schools or junior colleges, transfer students, and continuing students. We encourage our 4-H participants to apply. There is $49,500 available in funding this year!
For more information on the scholarship process and scholarships available, visit https://co4h.colostate.edu/about-us/scholarships/.
If you have scholarship questions, please contact OEE_Giving@colostate.edu.
CLUB NEWS
SUPER SWINE
LONGMONT PARADE OF LIGHTS
What a blast! The St. Vrain Super Swine 4-H Club rocked the Longmont Parade of Lights with their energy and enthusiasm. This event has become a highlight for this club, and the cheers from the crowd added to the excitement and fun. Big thanks to our fantastic volunteers for helping to make this night unforgettable!
CRITTERS & CREATIONS
Winter Social
Most of the club could attend the Winter Social on Dec 6th They met up with friends & met new ones there all while enjoying the many events & pizza. Everyone who attended also brought in winter clothing & food for the Community Service project.
Longmont Parade of Lights
The club spent many hours working on a float for the Longmont Parade of Lights on the 9th. A few faithful parents built, tore down, and rebuilt a carousel and a moving Farris wheel to put on the float. The night before a snowstorm had us pack up early, but we started early the next day with the sun shining bright. We tested & strung more lights, so many that we lost count of the number of lights we strung, but it was a LOT! Once we got to our lineup, the judges came before we had all the lights in the sink or the Farris wheel going but the club did win the Bright Horizon Award! After dark the final project was amazing, and very colorful, we all had a blast building, stringing lights, and riding on the float. So many people watched our float go by, and our arms became tired from waving which also kept us warm and cheerful. We are looking forward to doing it again next year!
Community Service: Cookie making an delivery
The day after the parade we decorated 20 dozen cookies to be taken to several of our first responders around and within our community. Following our very enjoyable day of decorating several small groups then delivered these cookies with our best wishes and sincere Thank You’s to 12 different fire stations in Longmont, Lafayette, Mead, Niwot, Erie, Berthoud & Hygiene, along with the Boulder County Sherriff’s Office, Longmont Police Department and the ER at Longs Peak Hospital.
YOUTH COUNCIL PARADE OF LIGHTS
The 4-H Youth Council had a "snow"-mazing time at the Longmont Parade of Lights! The snowman-themed float brought joy to the chilly night for our 4-H members and their families. A huge shoutout to our dedicated volunteers who helped make this festive experience possible.
4X4 DOG CLUB
Happy holidays from the 4x4 dog club!
The 4x4 dog club is wishing you a wonderful holiday season. To spread the cheer we have participated in a variety of fun holiday events:
The Niwot Christmas parade: The weather was not on our side for this one. With the high of the day a frigid 21 degrees, the parade was freezing. Many groups were not able to make it to the parade due to the weather, luckily we were not one of them. Through the cold weather, the 4x4 dog club kept a great attitude and spread holiday joy while passing out candy canes. Thank you to everyone who attended the parade, it meant a lot to our club!
Holidog party: Each year in the place of a December meeting the 4x4 dog club hosts a “Holidog Party”. The party is always a blast and this year was no exception. We started with a delicious potluck and hangout. Then we sang a dog version of the 12 Days of Christmas (a club tradition). The party was full of fun games like a human rally ( dog event in which handler and dog follow a court of signs) course where players were changed to hold a tennis ball on a spoon without dropping it while completing signs like sitting on the ground, all while racing against the other team. We also did a fun left-right gift exchange. Finally, we completed our service project by collecting donations for the humane society and braiding fleece dog toys. The party was a blast, thank you to everyone who attended.
One part of our holiday service project we braid fleece dog tug toys. One of my favorite parts about this project is that dogs get to bring the toys home with them when they are adopted. Show your dog how much you love them this holiday season with this fun and low-cost dog toy! Here is a link to a set of instructions on how https://www.arlingtonva.us/files/sharedassets/public/v/1/emergency/documents/fleece-dog-toy-instructions.pdf
GENERAL PROJECTS
FRONT RANGE REGIONAL CREATIVE COOKS CONTEST
2024 Regional Creative Cooks Contest
This is the Boulder County event that will qualify participants for the State Contest in August.
The contest will be on Saturday, February 24, 2024, in Adams County.
The registration link for the contest is: https://forms.gle/P1g7RLB3iwwJW7tr6
Pay your $6 entry fee for each participant online: https://checkout.square.site/buy/FPWNJHZEPR4Q6QL2Z7NQZBXL
Click to view : 2024 Creative Cooks Rules
What is the Creative Cooks contest?
Creative Cooks is a super fun contest just for 4-H members! This contest will qualify you for the State Contest.
In this cool competition, you get to be a kitchen whiz and come up with awesome meal ideas. First things first, pick a theme that excites you and then plan a tasty menu around it. You can keep it simple or go all out – it's totally up to you!
Once you've got your theme and menu sorted, it's time to jazz things up a bit. Decorate your table, set one place setting like a pro, and even dress up to match your theme. Let your creativity run wild!
Now, the exciting part – pick one item from your menu and whip it up to perfection. You'll be serving it to our judges, who will be looking at how delicious it is, your nutrition know-how, your kitchen safety skills, and how well you stick to your theme. It's like a cooking adventure where you're the star chef! So, let your culinary creativity shine!
Check out these examples from last years contest
LIVESTOCK
LEARNING DAYS
CAT
UPCOMING WORKSHOP AND INFO. NIGHT
POULTRY
UPCOMING WORKSHOP AND INFO. NIGHT
RABBIT
UPCOMING PROJECT MEETINGS
2024 Rabbit Project Changes
New This Year
The rabbit show will still be a one-day show however ALL market rabbits will be required to remain on fairground premises until released by the superintendent on Sunday, August 11th, 2024. This will also require barn watch during the week.
Several changes are happening in the market rabbit classes. *Please take special note of the addition of the Stewer Class.
MARKET PEN Class: Exhibitor must own dam of kits included in this project. This change was added to ensure the safety of kits as they won’t reach 8 weeks of age until approximately 2 weeks before fair.
MARKET ROASTER Class: Maximum weight is now 8 lbs.
STEWER RABBIT Class: A stewer rabbit must be born between the dates of August 1, 2023, and February 4, 2024, AND weigh over 8 lbs.
Any crossbred rabbit will now fall into larger age groups consisting of only Junior
(under 6 months of age) & Senior (over 6 months of age) classes.
Note a temporary suspension of the FUR Project. We hope to reopen this class in the future.
For Additional Details Please see the 2024 Boulder County Fairbook.
CAVY
UPCOMING PROJECT MEETING
GOAT
UPCOMING PROJECT WORKSHOPS
SHOOTING SPORTS
SHOOTING SPORTS INFORMATION
Safety Class Requirements for 4-H Shooting Disciplines
Before you can shoot ANY discipline, you must attend a safety class given by a 4-H certified instructor per discipline. A 2024 4-H shooting card will then be provided with the instructor’s signature and date. Then to complete the card you will need at least 5 safe shooting practices with signatures/dates from a certified 4-H shooting instructor per discipline before the BCF shoot to compete.
Participation Guidelines for 22 Shooting Range
Only shooters who have completed a 2024 Safety Meeting from a Boulder County-certified 4-H SS leader may participate in the shooting practices. All shooters, leaders, and guardians intending to be present on a 22 shooting range must sign a waiver upon entering the range. Once you've completed a county-wide 2024 Safety meeting per discipline, a Sign-Up-Genius or equivalent sign-up requirement will arrive to you through email for EACH practice date.
Requirements for County and State Shoots
In order to compete at the county or State shoots you will also need to have proof that you completed the CO Hunter Safety Course (a copy of the Hunters Safety Card needs to be uploaded online to your account). You may practice without completing the CO Hunter Safety Course, but you must have completed the CO Hunter Safety Course to compete at the Boulder County Shoot in July. The Hunter Safety portion is NOT provided by 4-H, but if you contact Lisa Wallace to let her know that you/parent/sibling needs the course we will try to schedule one at Green Mills Sportsman Club. You can also Register yourself for a Traditional Class, to find a list of available Hunter Safety Trainings near you: https://cpw.state.co.us/learn/Pages/HE-Traditional-Classes.aspx
Required County SAFETY Meetings for the following disciplines:
Rifle (Air & 22) & Pistol (Air & 22) Safety
The first Rifle & Pistol Safety Meeting will be held on Saturday, January 6th via Zoom promptly at 6:30 PM. Please email Lisa to get the secure link to the Rifle & Pistol Safety class.
If you missed the first Rifle & Pistol Safety Meeting a second will be held Saturday, Feb 3rd via Zoom at 6:30 PM
Zoom meeting instructions: When you enter the Zoom meeting in CHAT, please type in your Full NAME AND each of the disciplines (Air Pistol; Air Rifle; 22 Rifle or 22 Pistol) you would like to try out/or plan to shoot as each discipline will require a card before you can shoot and you will ONLY get cards for what you requested. You may try out ANY discipline before enrolling into the project BUT you MUST attend & receive a safety card to shoot EACH discipline. A Sign-up-Genius will go to your family email only unless you enter an additional email into the CHAT under your name & discipline(s).
Air Rifle & Air Pistol shooting
Air Rifle and Air Pistol shooting practices will be held inside Barn A at the Boulder County Fairgrounds on Mondays promptly 5:45 to 8:00 PM. A Sign-up-Genius - will be sent to all who have completed the safety class.
January 8th
February 12th
March 11th
April 8th
May 13th
June 10th and 24th
July 8th and 18th
Archery
County Wide Practice scheduling is in the works
Shotgun
Anyone needing 2024 information & a Shotgun Safety Class please contact Sharp Shooters 4-H Club to get in on the schedule.
.22 Rifle along with .22 Pistol
Winter Practices for .22 Rifle along with .22 Pistol will be held inside at the Longmont PD Firing Range on Sundays promptly 3:30 PM to 6:00 PM. A Sign up Genius - will be sent to all who have completed the safety class.
January 28th
February 25th
March 24th
April 28th
Beginning in April outside practices will be held at Green Mill Sportsman Club -2490 Weld County Road 3 Erie, CO 80516
The full scheduling for 22 Rifle & 22 Pistol will follow this page.
Click on the image to view
HORSE
SAVE THE DATES
HORSE JUDGING: UPCOMING WORKSHOP AND INFO. NIGHT
The Boulder County 4-H Horse Judging Team will host a kickoff for the spring season on Wednesday, January 24, 2024. Interested members are welcome to attend a fun potluck at the Boulder County Fairgrounds to learn more about the team and competitive horse judging plus fulfill their 4-H judging requirement. Enrollment in the 4-H horse project is not required. For more information, find the team on Facebook @Boulder County Horse Judging or email bouldercountyhorsejudging@gmail.com.
DAIRY CATTLE
DAIRY STEER PROGRAM
Boulder County 4-H 2-year Dairy Steer Program (DSP)
The 4-H Dairy Cattle program is offering new classes. It promotes another side of the Dairy project. Learn how this project enters into our food chain other than with milk products. The dairy sector contributed 5.6 billion pounds (21 percent) of beef to the U.S. commercial beef supply. Dairy steers are well known for their ability to produce the highest quality grades of beef (Prime and High Choice cuts).
This will be a 2-year project, you will start with a bull calf, castrate, and feed him.
Dairy Cattle Project: Did you know?
Did you know that you can also do the Dairy Cattle Project and learn all the aspects of the dairy industry without you, yourself ever having to milk her?
You can start with a calf and exhibit the same heifer for 2 years (2 fairs) by following the DHRP (Dairy Heifer Replacement Program) rules & guidelines. You will also have an opportunity to sell your heifer through the Livestock Sale once she’s bred (check the rules), knowing that she will carry on in life as a producing cow. You could even apply to the Ag Youth Loan Program where you can purchase a calf for the 2-yr program or you can purchase a bred yearling that you can sell at the 2024 fair. You must have possession & ownership by the last Thursday in April (animal ID deadline) along with turning in the DHRP nomination form to the 4-H office.
If the idea of selling a dairy heifer interests you, please check out the DHRP rules and guidelines especially prior to purchasing a new heifer for this program. For more information about these programs or on the Dairy Cattle Project itself, even help in finding a dairy heifer, or a bull calf. Call Tina (303) 828-3789 or email: runrunnerrun@aol.com
FAIRBOARD BUZZ
SAVE THE DATES
Happy Holidays from the Boulder County Fair Board!
We are looking forward to the 2024 Boulder County Fair ~ Save the dates!
Aug 2 – 11, 2024
(Pre-Fair: Fri, Aug 2 – Wed, Aug 7, Full Fair Experience: Thur, Aug 8 – Sun, Aug 11)
AROUND COLORADO 4-H HAPPENINGS
OTHER COUNTY AND STATE EVENTS
Click on images to see full view
BOULDER COUNTY 4-H
BOULDER COUNTY 4-H EVENT CALENDAR
OUR TeamUp Calendar IS UPDATED OFTEN AND IS WHERE YOU WILL FIND OUR MOST UP TO DATE INFORMATION (https://teamup.com/kstehhrw3yyee6xjph)
DATES TO REMEMBER THIS MONTH
01/01 -Extension Office Closed
01/06 -Rabbit Project Safety Meeting
01/06 -Air Rifle & Air Pistol Meeting
01/13 -Poultry Project Workshop
01/15 -Extension Office Closed
01/19 -Dairy Calltle Workshop
01/24 -Family Forum
01/25 -Enrollment deadline for all returning members
01/27 -HLC Hosted Ranch Clinic
01/27 -Cavy Project Workshop/Meeting
SHARE YOUR CLUB NEWS
The Clover Gazette 4-H Newsletter is published 11 times a year. News articles are welcomed by members, leaders and clubs! Please email your articles/entries to Jeannie on or before the 20th of the preceding month.
Do you have photos you'd like to share? Please send them to Jeannie.
Fair warning: They will probably be posted on social media and used on our marketing materials.
MEET OUR TEAM
4-H Youth Development/ Outreach County Specialist
4-H Youth Development/ Livestock & Animals County Specialist
4-H Project Assistant
4-H Program Secretary
Boulder County Extensions Office
9595 Nelson Rd, Box B
Longmont, Colorado 80501
(303) 678-6238
4hinfo@bouldercounty.org
Colorado State University Extension is an equal opportunity provider.
Colorado State University does not discriminate on the basis of disability and is committed to providing reasonable accommodations.
CSU’s Office of Engagement and Extension ensures meaningful access and equal opportunities to participate to individuals whose first language is not English.
Colorado State University Extension es un proveedor que ofrece igualdad de oportunidades.
Colorado State University no discrimina por motivos de discapacidad y se compromete a proporcionar adaptaciones razonables.
Office of Engagement and Extension de CSU garantiza acceso significativo e igualdad de oportunidades para participar a las personas quienes su primer idioma no es elinglés. Col.st/ll0t3