|
|
|
|
|
|
Clover Connection
Rowan County 4-H Newsletter
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Happy New Year! I hope your holiday season has been extra special and that you are excited for what 2025 has in store!
2025 will be a year of transition for us as we move offices, so please bear with me during this time. Our programming will look different in some ways (more details in this newsletter), but we will still offer high quality programming for our youth!
We do have a Rowan 4-H'er completing his Eagle Scout project to benefit Rowan County 4-H. He is putting up shelving for our 4-H storage area at the new Extension office. CLICK HERE if you would like to help support him financially as he raises money to cover supply costs.
This newsletter includes 4-H opportunities, save the dates, and upcoming deadlines, including (but not limited to):
-LOTS of January due dates (project record books, portfolios, achievement plans, scholarships, honor club applications)
-Animal related (horse, dairy, livestock, poultry) judging & quiz bowl practice & contest info for upcoming 2025 competitive year. Specific interest deadline for Livestock Judging & Quizbowl!
-Achievement Night: form to fill out by Feb. 3 & event details!
-New 4-H club coming in March 2025!
-4-H Embryology registration is open for teachers.
-2025 Rowan 4-H Save the Dates & new office facility update
***Find all details about the above items & more in THIS NEWSLETTER!
Make sure to click "view entire message" at the end because there's more opportunities to see!
Click here for Rowan 4-H page on Facebook
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
4-HOnline is slated to be open for 2025 enrollments on January 10, 2025 (per NC 4-H). I will send out an update once it is open for 2025 enrollment. As a reminder, your child must be re-enrolled in January 2025 to participate during the 2025 calendar year.
**As you re-enroll, please UPDATE your child's saved information and please make sure it is accurate and correct.
|
|
|
|
|
Upcoming Meetings
County Council: for youth ages 12-18 years old as of January 1
**If your child is 12-18 as of Jan 1 and they are interested in County Council, please email Laura to get on the County Council email list for all reminders and updates for this group!
-Next County Council meetings:
-Monday, January 27 at 6 PM. This will be officer elections (at our current office)
-Thursday, February 27 at 6 PM (at NEW facility)
PALS: These meetings are for any parent, alumni, leader or supporter of Rowan County
4-H. If you are interested in 4-H or new to 4-H, you are invited to attend these meetings as well! Please come share your ideas for 4-H and help us find ways to support Rowan County 4-H.
Next meeting: Monday, February 17 at 7 PM on Zoom.
Look for link in Feb. newsletter.
|
|
|
|
|
Want to check out pictures at 4-H Events?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
PREPARE NOW for completing 4-H Project Record Books (based on 2024) and Portfolios!
Due to Mrs. Laura: January 10, 2025
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Graduating High School Seniors
Apply now for NC 4-H Scholarships. Completed applications due to Mrs. Laura by January 24.
- Eligibility: Current NC 4-H members who are high school seniors with at least three years of 4-H experience.
- Submission Requirements: One PDF file containing all required documents except the Financial Need Statement (to be mailed separately). A separate PDF of the applicant's résumé is also required.
- Application: Click here to find the Scholarship Guide & Application (scroll down to under "Scholarships")
Additional local scholarships will be available soon!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
NC 4-H Honor Club applications
Apply now for NC 4-H Honor Club! You MUST plan a time to meet with Mrs. Laura PRIOR to the deadline to go over this application to make edits.
Completed applications due to Mrs. Laura by January 24.
- Eligibility: Applicants must be between 16 and 20 years of age as of January 1, 2024, with at least three years of 4-H work.
- Submission Requirements: A single PDF file of all materials and a headshot photo of the applicant.
- Application Link: NC 4-H Honor Club Application (scroll to "General Forms Related to the 4-H Program)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Rowan County
4-H'er of the Year
Apply NOW to be the Rowan County 4-H'er of the Year! The recipient will receive $100 in Cloverbucks to go towards more expensive 4-H event costs.
CLICK HERE for the application (which includes all details).
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
HORSE: If you want to stay up-to-date on all things related to the NC 4-H Horse Program, click here to sign up to receive their newsletter. Click here to access the main page for the NC 4-H Horse Program to learn more.
If interested in participation in 4-H Horse Bowl, Hippology, or Horse Judging, please look into joining the Happy Trails 4-H Club led by 4-H volunteer club leader, Maggie Boreman. They are starting practices NOW to prepare for the 2025 competitions.
LIVESTOCK: Rowan County 4-H will be having a 2025 Livestock Judging team and potentially a 4-H Livestock Quiz Bowl team.
**See flyer below if interested!**
Practices will start in January 2025. The NC 4-H livestock contests are usually in late July/early August.
This opportunity will be led by 4-H volunteer Eric Deal.
DAIRY CATTLE: Rowan County 4-H will be having a 2025 4-H Dairy Judging team & Dairy Quizbowl team. We are already practicing for these upcoming contests.
Dairy Quizbowl is being led by 4-H volunteer Calli Plott and Dairy Jugding is led by 4-H Agent Laura Allen.
POULTRY: The 4-H Poultry Judging team practices will begin in April/May 2025. The contest is usually mid July.
This is led by the Rowan 4-H Agent & Rowan Livestock Agent.
If you are interested in participating in or learning more about ANY of these opportunities, please contact the Rowan County 4-H Agent at laura_allen@ncsu.edu.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Rowan 4-H Achievement Night
recognizing 2024 4-H achievements
Friday, February 28, 2025
DROP-IN 4-7 PM at NEW
Rowan County Cooperative Extension office
(all details on flyer below)
1. Each parent should complete the Achievement Program Certificate form to make sure their child's certificate is accurate for their 2024 participation. Must be completed by Feb. 3 in order for the child to get a year of service pin and for their achievements to be printed on the form.
**If you are a graduating senior, this form MUST be completed for special recognition.
2. Families will need to RSVP to attend the Achievement Program in 4-HOnline under "events". Currently this is not available since 4-HOnline is down. I will notify you once you can do this. Due by Feb. 21.
3. County Council has chosen the theme "Moving Forward with 4-H" due to our offices moving!
4. This year's 4-H Achievement Night will look different (drop-in event at our new facility) due to our office transition during this time. However, it will be a unique way to recognize our 4-H'ers while also giving you a first glimpse into our new facility!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
There's a new 4-H club in town!
Contact Mrs. Laura if you are interested or want more information!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Registration is OPEN for 2025 4-H Embryology!
This opportunity is available to 2nd & 7th grade classroom teachers in Rowan-Salisbury Schools and Rowan County private & charter schools. It is also available to homeschool families that reside in Rowan County.
Changes in 2025:
-We will only have 2 cycles instead of 3 cycles.
-We will have 40 kits per cycle (up from 25 in prior years).
-Pick up and return will be at our NEW office facility located at 1959 Jake Alexander Blvd. West, Salisbury, NC 28147 (former Salisbury Mall). Specific details will be sent to participants.
CLICK HERE to go directly to the registration link.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
4-H Shout Outs
Thanks to all those who worked at the 4-H display collecting 4-H donations during Paper Clover Week at Tractor Supply!
We had 9 Rowan 4-H'ers attend the Dairy Judging 101 workshop held in Greensboro on December 14. It was a great day of learning!
Thank you to the Green Sprouts 4-H Club for creating 4 boxes of items to be sent to 4-H'ers affected by Hurricane Helene. Thanks also to the Tuckers and Osters for also creating boxes. Rowan 4-H'ers provided a total of 7 boxes to help our western 4-H neighbors.
Check out a reflection of some 2024 Rowan 4-H highlights and info about our upcoming 2025 (article posted in the Salisbury Post).
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Rowan County 4-H
Save the Dates:
**Please note: We have not yet moved into our new office facility, but are slowly beginning to move some storage items. Our furniture has not yet arrived at the new facility and we are unsure of when we will be fully moved. With the unknowns, it is difficult to plan programs in advance, especially not knowing what location we'll be in or where our supplies may be at that time. I also have to allow time in my schedule to actually move and get settled and organized. Programming will be extremely limited from January-July 2025. Please bare with us as our 4-H programming will look different for a bit as we transition to a new facility.
**We will NOT offer Speak Up or Summer Fun programs in 2025. We apologize for the inconvenience during our office transition and look forward to future programming at our new location!
Below are programs that WILL be happening. I do not have all dates for district & state level programs, but have shared the big ones I am aware of.
We WILL be offering School Enrichment (embryology & butterflies) in 2025. More details coming soon.
January 10: Project Record Books & Portfolios due
January 17: 4-H Piedmont Rabbit Project registration opens (flyer will be shared on social media & our website so be on the lookout)
January 17: 4-H Club rechartering paperwork due
January 24: Achievement Plans, Rowan County 4-H'er of the Year, NC Honor Club applications & NC 4-H Scholarships all due
January 25: South Central District Winter Enrichment in Stanly County (for teens 13-18 years old)
January 31-February 2: NC 4-H Volunteer Leaders' Association Conference
February 28: Achievement Night (drop-in event at NEW facility)
March 29-30: South Central District Teen Retreat at Millstone 4-H Camp (for teens 13-18 years old)
April 10: County Activity Day registration due (talent, presentations, expressive arts)
April 15: Rowan County 4-H Event Grants due
April 22: 4-H Expressive Arts competition entries due
April 25: Rowan 4-H County Activity Day
May 7: Rowan 4-H Port-a-Pit fundraiser
June 17: District Activity Day (for district level talent & presentations); held at West Iredell High School, Statesville, NC
June 22-27: Rowan 4-H attends Millstone 4-H Camp
July 8-12: NC 4-H State Horse Show, Raleigh, NC (must qualify at a district qualifying horse show in April/May)
July 21-25: NC 4-H Congress, Raleigh, NC
July 21: NC 4-H State Presentation Finals, Raleigh, NC
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Do you have Medicaid? If so, your policy most likely gives a $10-$75 voucher to be used towards youth activities, and 4-H should qualify! Please check into this for your family!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Rowan County 4-H t-shirts available for purchase! $15 each!
Same design, 2 shirt colors.
GRAY and GREEN!
Come to the office to purchase and pick up! First come, first served.
Youth Sizes: S, M, L
Adult Sizes: XS, S, M, L, XL, 2XL
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
NC 4-H International Exchange Programs (inbound and outbound)
CLICK HERE for more details for 2025 opportunities.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Rowan County 4-H Volunteer Corner
For registered 4-H volunteers with Rowan County 4-H!
|
|
|
NC 4-H Volunteer Leaders' Association Conference (which will be held January 31-February 2, 2025 in Greensboro. Please click here for more info.
|
|
|
Rowan 4-H Volunteer Reporting for 2025
If you are registered as a 4-H Volunteer in 4-HOnline it is super important that you report your hours and contacts! This greatly assists Laura with her Extension reports every year, since your hours and contacts must be reported!
Please go to dev.go.ncsu.edu/2025monthly4hreportrowan and complete your reports. Reports are due 10 days after the end of each month (January contacts due by Feb. 10). Email reminders will be sent to those who should be completing reports. It should only take about 5 minutes!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Do you know a high school senior graduating in 2025 who is interested in agriculture or culinary arts? If so, look into this AWESOME scholarship opportunity!
Mountaire Farms is excited to launch the “Farm to Table Scholarship” for the 2024/25 school year. This program will award 10 students across the state with a $2,000 scholarship towards their further education in the agriculture, culinary, or food service fields. Out of these 10 students, 2 will be selected for an additional $5,000 scholarship. At the end of the program, an awards banquet will be held where scholarship checks will be presented.
A Rowan 4-H'er won this scholarship last year ($7,000 total)! Let Mrs. Laura know if you have questions!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
NC State University and N.C. A&T State University work in tandem, along with federal, state and local governments, to form a strategic partnership called N.C. Cooperative Extension.
Extension's 4-H program is the largest youth development organization in North Carolina. We help over 247,000 young people grow into active, contributing citizens each year.
|
|
|
