4-H Happenings, April 2022

April 8, 2022 4-H Happenings Newsletter, Newsletters

A monthly newsletter for Somerset County 4-H Members

Contents

Important Dates: 

County News

What Are Your Favorite STEM activities?

We have some program plans in the works and are looking for your input! Do you do STEM activities or programming for 4-H or at your school? If you have a fun or creative idea for a STEM activity for Somerset County youth, please email Karen Giles at karen.giles@maine.edu.

Animal Approval Forms

Don’t forget to submit your animal approval forms (pdf) to your county office. These forms must be submitted by the deadline for your commodity to participate in 4-H shows or other events this summer. If you think you might be interested in going to the Big E this fall, put in your animal approval form by the deadline!

  • ESE Dairy: May 1
  • ESE Horse: May 1
  • Working Steer: May 1
  • Market Lambs: June 1
  • All other sheep classes: June 30
  • All other commodities: June 30

Maine CDC 2022 Lyme Disease Awareness Poster Contest

Each year, Maine CDC hosts an annual Lyme Disease Awareness Month poster contest for K-8th graders in Maine. The topic of this year’s contest is “Tick Wise,” reminding everyone to be “tick wise” and take steps to prevent tick borne diseases, including Lyme disease. The contest rules and release waiver can be found on the Lyme Disease Poster Contest webpage.

Posters will be accepted through Friday, April 29. Winners in each category receive a one-day park pass to any Maine State Park for their family and tick removal kits for their classroom or group. One grand prize-winning poster will be chosen to feature as the 2022 Lyme Disease Awareness poster for Maine CDC.

Club News

Don’t Forget to Submit Your Secretary’s Reports!

This is a friendly reminder that each club’s secretary should be submitting a report to this office after each meeting. Photos are encouraged too! These reports help us stay in the loop with what is happening within your clubs. Secretaries may email a digital copy to extension.somerset@maine.edu or mail a physical copy to Somerset County Cooperative Extension, 7 County Drive, Skowhegan, ME 04976.

What Has Your Club Been Doing?

We would love to use this space to share stories directly from clubs. If your club leader or members would like to submit updates or an article for future issues of this newsletter, please email your ideas to emily.collins3@maine.edu. We would love to hear and share what your club has been learning and doing!

State News

Events and Opportunities

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, dates will be March 24, April 28, May 26 at 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. Register on the 4-H For All Club page.

Maine 4-H Virtual Learning HubMaine 4-H Virtual Learning Hub Logo

Maine 4-H Virtual Learning 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 meet 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.

Expanded Food & Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP)EFNEP (Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program) Logo

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.

  • EFNEP offers the following class options for adults:
    • Eating Smart, Being Active
      • 9 lesson series with live virtual classes and short videos to watch anytime.
    • Create Better Health
      • 4-lesson series with live virtual classes, follow-up materials, and access to videos.
    • 10 Steps to a Healthier You
      • 10-lesson self-paced series with interactive videos and printable worksheets.

EFNEP also offers nutrition education in the classroom and with community groups to youth in eligible schools in grades K–12.

  • EFNEP offers the following class options for youth: 
    • Food, Fun and Reading (K-2nd grade)
      • 6-lesson series, each lesson includes a parent/caregiver letter, recipe and a tip sheet for the child to share at home.
    • Create MyPlate (3rd – 5th grade)
      • 8-lesson series, each lesson includes a recipe sheet for the students to take home. 
    • Science and Our Food Supply: Using the Nutrition Facts Label to Make Healthy Food Choices (6th – 8th grade)
      • 5-lesson series, each lesson includes hands-on activities that can be done in the classroom or at home.

Not sure what class to choose?  We can help. For more information or to request a reasonable accommodation, check out the EFNEP webpage or contact UMaine Extension EFNEP via email at extension.efnep@maine.edu or via phone at 207.581.3188 or 800.287.0274 (in Maine).

Or, you can check out some of these great resources:

Mainely Dish Recipe Video Series: Step-by-step videos for simple recipes that can be done right at home.

Recipes: These recipes were created to be easy to prepare and affordable.

Spoonful Blog: Enjoy a variety of blog posts including recipes, food preservation, grocery shopping on a budget, food safety, health tips, and more!

Social Media: You can also find us on Facebook, Instagram, and Tik Tok!

Maine 4-H Offers Agriculture Symposium

You are invited to join Maine 4-H staff for the 4-H Agriculture Symposium, an immersive agriculture experience for Maine teens. The 4-H Agriculture Symposium is an overnight experience for Maine youth ages 14-18. Participants will take part in hands-on learning opportunities, engage with industry professionals on UMaine Orono and UMaine Augusta-Bangor campuses, develop leadership skills, and make friendships with teens from around the state. Current 4-H membership is not required. Assistance with transportation can be provided upon request.

The program is free and registration is required. Register on the Agriculture Symposium webpage. Current CDC and University of Maine health guidelines will be followed for all in-person events.

For more information or to request a reasonable accommodation, contact Alisha Targonski at 207.622.7546; extension.4hagleadership@maine.edu. This program is made possible with generous support from the Alton ’38 and Adelaide Hamm Campus Activity Fund.

Wildlife Workshop with WHEP and 4-H

Come for a full day of activities dedicated to learning about Maine wildlife and habitat management. Are you interested in learning about wild animals and the places the call home? Do you want to feel and examine an otter’s pelt or hold a bear skull in your hands? Then you should sign up for the Junior (9-12-year-old) Workshop! Do you want to delve deeper into ecology and food webs? Are you interested in exploring wildlife and habitat management as a career? Then sign up for our Teen (13+) Workshop! Both age groups will have the chance to participate in hands-on activities and learn from wildlife experts with the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.

These are two opportunities to participate:

  • April 19, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. at the 4-H Camp and Learning Center at Tanglewood, in Lincolnville
  • April 22, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. at the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine in Augusta

The workshops will be identical, so you only need to sign up for one! More information about the day will be emailed to you as the day of the event approaches.

Spaces are limited. Please be sure you can commit to attending before signing up. Visit the Wildlife Workshop Registration page to register today.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Erin McDonald at erin.mcdonald1@maine.edu or 207.324.2814.

Scholarships and Grants

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.

Fairs and Shows

Maine 4-H Dairy Judging Tryouts Scheduled for April

The 2022 Maine 4-H Dairy Judging Contest will be held on April 23 at Juniper Farms in Gray, ME and Pineland Farms in New Gloucester, ME. The event is open to all enrolled 4-H dairy members and will serve as the official tryouts for the 2022 Maine 4-H Eastern States Dairy Judging Team. Visit the Dairy Judging Contest webpage for a complete schedule, contest rules, and directions to the farms. For more information or to request a reasonable accommodation please contact Sadee Mahuren at sadee.mehuren@maine.edu or 207.342.5971.

ESE Approval Form Reminder

All 4-H members intending to exhibit a horse or dairy animal at Eastern States Exposition this fall must submit their 4-H animal approval form, as well as their accompanying lease forms and health documents, to their county Cooperative Extension office by May 1. Copies of 4-H approval and lease forms can be found online at 4-H Forms webpage. Please contact your county office with any questions.

2022 Intent Form for Maine 4-H ESE Equestrian Team Now Available

The 2022 Maine 4-H ESE Equestrian Team Tryouts intent to participate form is available on the 4-H Horse webpage. In order to be eligible for participation, 4-H members must submit their intent forms by May 1. Forms can be completed online or a hard copy of the form can be mailed to the Franklin County Cooperative Extension office. For more information or for questions, please contact Tara Marble at tara.marble@maine.edu or 207.778.4650.

4-H Market Lamb Intent for Fryeburg Fair

Youth planning to participate in the Market Lamb program at Fryeburg Fair need to submit the online 2021 Fryeburg Fair Market Lamb Intent form by June 1.  Alternatively, youth may print, complete, and mail a paper version of the Market Lamb Intent form (pdf).

Union Fair – New Dates in 2022

The Union Fair will be happening earlier in the summer, starting this year. The dates for Union Fair 2022 will be July 27-31, about a month earlier than in years past. Please plan accordingly, and check the Union Fair website for updates. Knox-Lincoln Extension staff produce a 4-H Union Fair Information Booklet each year. Once the 2022 pdf document is ready for distribution, it will be shared with all Maine county Extension offices. The booklet will also be available for download on the Knox-Lincoln 4-H website. Questions? Contact cynthia.rogers@maine.edu.

Leaders Meeting Minutes

March 23, 2022

Attendees: Hailey Dallarma, Eleanor Pooler, Karen Giles, Lori Swenson, Cheryl Perkins

Minutes:

Fairground Improvements: Karen and Eleanor spoke with Becki. The fairground has looked at the roof of the exhibition hall, but it doesn’t look like they’ve done anything. Bangor is taking down some of their buildings. One is brand new that they are dismantling. They are hoping Skowhegan will take it, but we don’t know what Skowhegan will do with it. It is only about 14 feet wide so it probably wouldn’t work for us. No other report of any progress in the discussion about the improvements.

Upcoming Opportunities- Intent to show and animal approval forms for ESE are coming due. Make sure that you check with the office or the Cooperative Extension website to find when your commodity is due. Horse forms were pushed back to May 1st. Tryouts are potentially July 8-10 scheduled in Skowhegan. The Skowhegan location may change or more venues added around the state. 

There is a True Leadership in Equity Institute coming up. They are getting groups of students together to come up with projects that showcase inequity in many areas. The students will go to Maryland for a workshop to work together as a team to come up with projects that they will then go back to their areas to work on. There are scholarships available for travel and lodging (These may not cover the whole price.) This is for members that are 15-19 years old. Maine representatives will meet with others from around the country. Contact the office if you want more information. 

Please remember to always go to https://extension.umaine.edu/  and search the cooperative extension or 4-H to find opportunities available in the state. 

990N Forms-  Make sure you have your 990N forms up to date. This keeps your EIN number activated. Your EIN number is necessary for tax exemption status. 

The University requires that 4-H clubs have an EIN number. 

STEAM Days- Forensics- Possible dates- tentatively Wednesday, June 22. County-wide fun day of activities to learn about forensics sponsored by the County Leaders’ Association and utilizing Tractor Supply funds. We are looking to use either the extension office or the fairgrounds. Karen will check with Becki to see if that date or a date around that time is available for us to use the fairgrounds. We will provide food. We will discuss the fall Engineering Day at a meeting in the summer.

Cheryl motioned for the meeting to adjourn. Hailey seconded. Motion passed.

Next Meeting: Wednesday, April 27, 2022 at 6:00 at the extension office