October 4-H Newsletter 2022
Happy Birthday to our 4-H’ers born in October
Dates to Remember
October 1 – Enrollment opens, re-enrollments must be completed by December 31st. New enrollments must be completed prior to April 1st to participate in state or fair events. To enroll 4h.zsuite.org
October 2nd -8th – National 4-H Week, How are you celebrating? Wear your 4-H shirt or colors! Invited a friend to join! Plan a special club meeting!
October 5th-8th – Tractor Supply Company Paper Clover Campaign. Encourage family and friends to purchase a paper clover at TSC to support 4-H. 90% of funds raised stay right here in Maine and are distributed equally to counties to aid in 4-H programming.
October 14th and 15th – Northern Maine (NoMa) Homestead Festival, Grand Isle Community Center. Homesteading demonstrations and experimental learning opportunities.
Happy Harvest Season
Fall is finally here and harvest is upon us. Whether you are harvesting in the potato fields, from your own back yard or visiting a local farm we hope you are enjoying the harvest season and making the most of these shorter days.
Evergreen’s Go Back in Time
On September16th the Evergreen Club spent some time exploring the past at Victor Winslow’s museum in Mapleton. The youth were able to explore household and agriculture practices of a time gone by.
Big Showing at the Big E
Congratulations to Megan Robinson and her horse, Obviously By Socket on an outstanding showing at the Eastern States Exhibition. Megan claimed the title of Fitting & Showmanship Champion as well as 1st in Trail, Western Pleasure, and Reining, 3rd in Western All Around, 5th in Equitation, 9th in Ranch Pleasure, and 10th in Discipline Rail. Megan was also awarded the Alia Parson’s Sportsmanship Award.
State 4-H News
October, 2022
2022-2023 Re-Enrollment Process
There is a new option available for families for the new 4-H Year. Starting October 1st , families will
have the ability to log into their account and complete their re-enrollment, as well as all required
forms, online. If you were enrolled for the 2021-2022 year, you can simply visit:
https://4h.zsuite.org/ – click “Forgot Password?” and complete the prompts using the email
address you receive your 4-H communications to. There is a help menu that offers step-by-step
instructions in the system, as well as live chat for questions. You are also welcome to reach out to
your county staff or to the State Office at 4-H@maine.edu. If you would prefer to continue to
complete paper forms, they can be found online at:https://extension.umaine.edu/4h/volunteers/forms/ or by reaching out to your county office.
Independent Member Clubs!
This fall county offices are piloting a new club specifically for independent 4-H members. This is a space for
youth to come together and build relationships with their peers. We will share interests, projects, goals, and
plans for the year and then reflect on our learning throughout and at the end of the year. This is also a
great place to start if you are a new or recently enrolled independent member. We will meet 3 times
throughout the year as a group with county staff. This will be a space for youth to foster friendships with
peers and possibly come together to work on projects of similar interests. We are even hoping to get the
group to brainstorm common interests and work together on a community service project!
Register here! Meetings can be attended either in person or virtually and will be open to all ages. Dates
based on county/region.
Habitat and Wildlife Management Workshop
Come for an afternoon of outdoor fun and learning! Learn about fringe habitats and vegetation
management, investigate herpetology hotspots, and explore wetland habitats and birds of prey.
This workshop is co-hosted by the Wildlife Habitat Education Program (WHEP), Maine 4-H and
CMP. While at the workshop, you can learn more about joining 4-H and WHEP! The workshop will
take place on October 9, 2022 from 1-4pm at the Bowdoinham Wildlife Management Area.
This event is free. You do not need to be enrolled in 4-H to participate. Parents should expect to
accompany their children during the workshop. For more information and to register, visit:
Habitat and Wildlife Management Workshop.
Public Speaking Workshop
The Maine 4-H Communication Science Team invites all enrolled 4-H members to the October
19th meeting for an open workshop. The meeting will be held via zoom from 6 – 7 pm. Team
members will teach tips and tricks to improve your presentation skills. Please contact cathy.gray@maine.edu for more information.
2022/2023 4-H Volunteer Training Opportunities
As we get ready for the new 4-H year, we are looking forward to offering a variety of learning
experiences (both in person and virtual) for our 4-H volunteers. Sessions are free of charge, but
require registration. Some sessions have limited space. Visit the 4-H Volunteer Calendar of
Training Opportunities to learn more and register!
Register Now for the 4-H Unconference
UMaine 4-H Unconference will be an organized forum for 4-H volunteers, club leaders, afterschool
providers, teachers, parents and teen leaders to gather. UMaine 4-H Unconference is intentionally
designed to have YOU teach and learn from each other. There is no agenda; you come with 4-H
ideas and topics you want to talk about or learn more about, and we’ll guide the process to get
folks into groups where YOU are the experts. Save the dates: Saturday, October 22nd and
Friday, November 11th. Come to one or both. Registration and more information is available on
the website.
EFNEP Recipes: It’s Pumpkin Season!
October is a month full of festivities and surprises, and the one thing that is constant are
pumpkins! This month we have some great pumpkin-inspired recipes. Usually, we think of
pumpkins as something we carve or bake into pies (which is a good thing too!), but this amazing
fruit has a lot going for it, and it is actually a very healthy food choice! Pumpkins happen to be full
of vitamins, including vitamins A and C which help your vision, strengthen your immune system,
and can help reduce the risk of heart disease. They are also full of fiber and are low in calories.
Here are some healthy ways to enjoy pumpkin this fall: Roasted Pumpkin Seeds, Pumpkin
Muffins, or a Pumpkin Smoothie! For more delicious recipes, check out our UMaine EFNEP Mainely Dish Video Series. By Debbie
Barnett (EFNEP CEA in Kennebec, Knox, Lincoln, and Waldo counties –deborah.barnett@maine.edu).
Expanded Food & Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) offers FREE nutrition education
classes to income-eligible adults with children, or young adults 19-25 years old, and if you are
eligible for programs such as SNAP, WIC, or Head Start. Find out more online.
Update: Deadline for Free Raffle and Maine 4-H Teen Leadership Survey is October 11th
Greetings 4-H’ers, I hope you are having a fantastic beginning to autumn. This is an invitation to
complete a SHORT survey (about 30 questions/5 minutes) and enter a free raffle for a 4-H lunch
tote or t-shirt (total of seven items). The survey is for anyone age 11+ who has been active in any
4-H activity since 2017. The survey and entry window into the raffle will close Tuesday,
October 11 th ! To enter the raffle, simply add your contact information (email, phone #, etc.) to any of your
responses in the survey or send it to Andrew Hudacs in a separate email. Your responses will
help Andrew and others in Maine 4-H learn about your interests, post-high school plans, and
thoughts on 4-H leadership programs. The survey results will be used to improve Maine 4-H. If
you are a 4-H parent or club leader, please ask each child age 11+ complete a survey.
Maine Harvest of the Month
Maine Agriculture in the Classroom publishes a wonderful resource each month to help teach about different Maine crops and proteins. For October, the focus is on apples. Check out the clickable Harvest of the Month PDF to learn more!