Franklin County 4-H Newsletter, MAY 2022

May 2, 2022 Franklin County 4-H Newsletter

Table of Contents

Franklin County 4-H Calendar

  • May 15: Deadline for Maine App Challenge
  • May 19: Franklin County 4-H Leaders’ Association Meeting
  • May 26: A Year in Nature SPIN Club Virtual Meeting
  • May 26: 4-H for All SPIN Club
  • June 1: 2021 Fryeburg Fair Market Lamb Intent form Due
  • June 11 & 12: Oxford County June Jamboree
  • June 22-July 27: Adulting 101: Virtual Club
  • June 25-July 1: Citizenship Washington Focus (CWF)
  • June 30: Animal Approval Form

Franklin County 4-H Leaders’ Association

The May Leaders’ Association meeting will be held in person or via zoom. Please bring your questions and ideas! We all look forward to seeing you all at 7:00 p.m. on May 19.

Zoom information will be included in the Agenda for the May meeting.

All enrolled 4-H Volunteers are members of their county Leaders’ Association. Your leadership support is encouraged and vital in deciding the focus of our county 4-H programs.

All volunteers, please keep up to date with the newest COVID information and UMaine guidance on this site.

County News

1st Ever Maine 4-H Agricultural Leadership Symposium

On April 18 and 19th youth from all over Maine gathered on both the UMA Bangor campus and the University of Maine Orono campus for an overnight event to explore careers and opportunities in agricultural education.  Youth first spent time investigating parasites, and their eggs under microscopes, and learning canine CPR at the UMA Bangor Campus with Dr. Jennifer Freese who runs the vet tech program.  They also prepared blood slides and examined them under microscopes to observe different cells and functions. That evening the teens engaged in leadership development activities to explore motivating skill sets and burnout skills.  They then had some fun with some crazy team-building games.  The next day the group went to the Orono campus to visit the Diagnostic Research Lab and Whiter Farm. At the lab, the youth meet with Dr. Anne Lichtenwalner who talked about career opportunities within animal and vet sciences.  She also connected with other staff to introduce the concepts behind mastitis and growing samples for bacteria identification and antibiotic treatment options. At Whiter Farm, the teens learned about the Equine Studies Program and the Dairy Management Program.  Teens then learned bout how to spot lameness in horses after learning about the specifics of the moving gaits of the animals with Dr. Robert Causey. They also got to meet the current Dairy herd and all the lovely cows and calves.  During the lunch hour teens sat with Professor of Sustainable Agriculture, Ellen Mallory who delved into the current hot topic issue facing farmers on PFAS and the impact on the agricultural sector in Maine. After lunch teens were able to choose their next adventure.  Some chose to head back to Whiter Farm to learn about the digestive tracks of cows and the management of pregnancy and breeding for production herds with Dr. Dave Marcincowski. Other teens decided to go to the campus greenhouses with the professor of Weed Ecology, Eric Gallandt who focused his education with the teens on weed sciences, and soil nitrogens with Sue Erich were then explored.  In 24 hours the teens did so many fascinating tasks, had a lot of fun, and got to enjoy learning about life on campus. This program was made possible with generous support from the Alton ’38 and Adelaide Hamm Campus Activity Fund and organized by UMaine 4-H staff.  If you are interested in programs like this please contact Tara Marble at tara.marble@maine.edu.
4-Her examining the rumen of a fistulated cow
Franklin 4-H member Mariah J. examining the rumen of a fistulated cow
4-Hers squeeze out rumen "juice" to then examine for healthy gut flora in the lab
Teens Marina L. and Noah B. squeeze out rumen “juice” to then examine for healthy gut flora in the lab
4-Her explores seedling sets in the Roger Clapp Greenhouses
Victoria I. explores seedling sets in the Roger Clapp Greenhouses

Franklin County Beef Club

The Franklin County 4-H Beef Club participated in the 31st Annual Fryeburg Youth Show.   After taking a break because of covid the Youth Show came back this year with excitement.  The Beef club looks forward to the youth show to help prepare them for the show season.  The long weekend was full of showmanship classes, breed class, fitting classes by the Stock Show University and ending with the New England Belted Galloway Sale.

4-Her showing beef calf
Amber Smith
4-Her showing beef calf
Jade Fitch
4-Her showing beef calf
Lorne Grondin

Baby Goat Fun!

How many goat kids will be delivered on Tara’s farm this Spring?
There are (potentially) 25 Nigerian Dwarf goat moms-to-be and they are due during the month of May (and maybe even June!).
Guess the number of babies born, and how many will be male or female and win a prize if you are correct!  The person with the closest guess will win.  To submit your guess please enter this google form here. Please only 1 guess per person! Adult and youth guesses welcome!
Goat luck to you all ??

Hannaford Community Bag Program

Franklin County 4-H, a non-profit committed to youth development, has begun generating donations through the Hannaford Giving Tag Program.

The Hannaford Giving Tag Program, which launched in February 2020, is a reusable bag program that facilitates community support with the goal to make a difference in the communities where shoppers live and work.

When a shopper purchases the $2.50 reusable Community Bag at any Hannaford store, they have the opportunity to direct a $1 donation to a local non-profit by using the attached Giving Tag. Franklin County 4-H has already begun generating donations through the use of the Giving Tag.

Hannaford Giving Bag

State News

4-H Summer Learning Series

After an incredibly successful 4-H Summer Learning Series over the past two years, Maine 4-H will once again offer virtual experiential learning workshops and clubs to youth ages 5-18 from July 5 – August 5, 2022. Planning is still taking place, but topics in previous years have ranged from engineering, art, science, animals & agriculture, food & nutrition, teen leadership, and more.

Early registration will be available to enrolled 4-H’ers on Friday, June 3, 2022 and will open to the public the following Monday, June 6. Help us spread the word to your friends and communities – enrollment in 4-H is not required to participate, this event is open to all! For more information, visit the 4-H Summer Learning Series

Fryeburg Market Lamb Intent Forms- Deadline Change

Youth planning to participate in the market lamb program at Fryeburg Fair need to submit a 2022
Fryeburg Fair Market Lamb Intent to Sell form by June 10th. An online form, as well as a pdf form,
can be found at https://extension.umaine.edu/4h/sheep/. The lamb’s tag number and bill of sale
must accompany the intent form. Market lambs must be owned and in the possession of the 4-H
member by June 1, 2022. Please contact your local Cooperative Extension office with any
questions or to obtain a printed copy of the form.

Adulting 101: 4-H Virtual Club

Are you a teen worried about impending adulthood? Do you want to know how to find answers to
your questions about money, jobs, and roommates? Consider joining the Adulting 101 SPIN Club!
Over the course of six meetings, we will learn some basic adult skills, including how to manage
stress, interview for a job, and take advantage of existing resources in your community. Each
week will cover a different topic: life/work balance and stress management; saving, spending, and
credit; nutrition on a budget; resumes and interviews; rent and roommates; and a topic chosen by
the participants! Access to a computer is required for participants, a smartphone won’t be
sufficient.
Youth ages 13 – 18 need to register by June 6, 2022 for this club which will meet via Zoom on
Wednesdays June 22 – July 27 from 4:00 – 5:30 pm.

4-H For All: Spring 2022

The purpose of this virtual club is to provide new and potential members and their families a place
to learn about 4-H; and to connect youth across the state. Youth will choose a project to complete
and learn more about 4-H and how to become involved. We want you to join and engage in our 4-
H program! There is no cost, and meetings will help challenge you to create new goals and
discover new passions. Open to youth 5-13, the last meeting will be held May 26 at 10am.
Register at: extension.umaine.edu/4h/4-h-for-all-club.

Maine 4-H Foundation Summer Camp Scholarships

The Maine 4-H Foundation has a limited number of scholarships for 4-H members for Blueberry Cove, Bryant Pond, Greenland Point, and Tanglewood. These scholarships are applied by the camp when you register and pay the deposit for camp. Scholarships are available from $50 to $200 depending on the camp expenses and needs.

Summer Camp Opportunities

Visit the Summer University Youth Programs’ Youth Summer Camps page to learn about a huge variety of camp experiences available to youth. From our traditional 4-H Camp and Learning Centers, to camps that focus on Academics, Art, Music, or Sports – there is something for everyone.

The Maine App Challenge

Love technology? Here is a chance to put your passion to a purpose and win a scholarship along the way! The Maine App Challenge is an incredible opportunity for Maine middle school and high school students who are 13 years of age and older to create a mobile application with a chance to win a scholarship and other valuable rewards. A series of innovation workshops from the University of Maine Foster Center for Innovation will help you get started! There are three scholarships available for the top mobile apps: $6,000 for first place, $3,000 for second place, and $1,000 for third place.

Other awards include: $500 to the high school with the highest participation, Tablets to the first 50 completed submissions, a guaranteed internship interview for the top 10 submissions following his/her college sophomore year.  Visit the Tyler Technology Maine App Challenge website for more information; the deadline for submissions is May 15th.

Maine 4-H Virtual Learning Hub

Maine 4-H VirtualLearning is a hands-on, virtual learning program for youth ages 5-18. Workshops will be organized by age and topic. Topics include engineering, science, animals and agriculture, teen leadership, and more.

Workshops will range from single-time events to short-term programs (typically four to six sessions). Participants will engage in hands-on activities, interact with other 4-Hers, and be positive adult role models.

No prior experience with 4-H is required to participate. This is a great way for those who are interested to learn more about 4-H.

Read what 4-H Parents, Youth, and Teachers have to say about these 4-H Virtual Learning offerings: Visit the 4-H Parents, Youth, Teachers: Stories and Testimonials page.

Oxford County June Jamboree

This year’s Oxford County June Jamboree will be held June 11th & 12th at the Fryeburg Fairgrounds.  This is an opportunity for youth enrolled in sheep, swine and horse projects to join us for our livestock clinic! We will have presenters teach about showmanship and animal care. We will be doing t-shirts, rabies vaccinations for sheep and horse, and Coggins vaccines for horses as well! Overnight accommodations and meals will not be provided (besides Saturday night pizza if you request it).  Registration cost will vary depending on number of attendees. Please see the registration page for further details. Register by May 9th.

EFNEP Recipe of the Month: Turkey Pasta Salad!

Now that we have successfully navigated through this winter, we’re looking ahead and can see summer on the horizon!  Memorial Day is the official kick-off to grilling, picnics, and fun in the sun, and this summer-inspired Turkey Pasta Salad is sure to be a hit at any cookout.  Remember to keep your food safe to eat with these Barbecue and Tailgating Food Safety Tips as well.  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.