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Clover Connection
Rowan County 4-H Newsletter
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I hope 2025 is off to a great start for you! It's hard to believe it's already February!
As a reminder, 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, but we will still offer high quality programming for our youth!
We still don't have a definite move-in date, but hopefully SOON! Until there is a formal announcement, please continue coming to the current Extension office on Old Concord Road. You will be notified when we are operating out of the new facility.
This newsletter includes 4-H opportunities, save the dates, and upcoming deadlines, including (but not limited to):
-Animal related (horse, dairy, livestock, poultry) judging & quiz bowl practice & contest info for upcoming 2025 competitive year.
-Piedmont 4-H Rabbit Project
-Achievement Night: don't forget to RSVP!
-New 4-H club coming in March 2025!
-A few County Activity Day details
-2025 Rowan 4-H Save the Dates & new office facility update
-Additional opportunities perfect for 4-H'ers!
***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
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4-HOnline is OPEN for 2025 enrollments. As a reminder, your child must be re-enrolled to participate during the 2025 calendar year. Get this done ASAP!
**As you re-enroll, please UPDATE your child's saved information and please make sure it is accurate and correct.
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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:
-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.
https://ncsu.zoom.us/j/95234907921
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Want to check out pictures at 4-H Events?
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PREPARE NOW for completing 4-H Project Record Books (based on 2025) and Portfolios!
2025 books will be due in January 2026
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Register by Friday, February 14 for the
4-H Piedmont Rabbit Project!
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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.
LIVESTOCK: Rowan County 4-H will be having a 2025 Livestock Judging team and potentially a 4-H Livestock Quiz Bowl team. Practices are happening now. The NC 4-H livestock contests will be 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.
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Rowan 4-H Achievement Night
recognizing 2024 4-H achievements
Friday, February 28, 2025
DROP-IN 4-7 PM at
the NEW
Rowan County Cooperative Extension office
(all details on flyer below)
1. Families will need to RSVP to attend the Achievement Program by emailing laura_allen@ncsu.edu. Due by Feb. 21.
2. County Council has chosen the theme "Moving Forward with 4-H" due to our offices moving!
3. 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!
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There's a new 4-H club in town!
Contact Mrs. Laura if you are interested or want more information!
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4-H Port-a-Pit Fundraiser
Wednesday,
May 7, 2025
Plate sales will begin in March
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4-H Presentations, Talent Show & Expressive Arts competitions COMING SOON!
If you are interested in your child:
1. entering artwork/crafts for competition
2. gaining public speaking skills through giving a 4-H presentation (speech on a topic of their choice)
3. sharing their talents during a talent show
...then SAVE THE DATE for County Activity Day! More details will be forthcoming. For now, check out the presentation topics & rules to help you prepare your child for 4-H presentations!
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4-H Shout Outs
Thanks to 4-H'er Ollie Fortune for choosing Rowan County 4-H as the recipient of his Eagle Scout Project. He, along with his family and fellow Scouts, built and installed shelving in our 4-H storage areas in our new building.
Thanks to all of the Rowan County 4-H'ers, volunteers, and parents who helped move 4-H items from our old office to our new office on January 20. We had 20 people helping and got it all done in around 2 hours thanks to your help!
Congrats to members of the Happy Trails 4-H Club who recently competed in the South Central District Horse Bowl contest. They had 2 teams, one placing 4th and the other placing 6th. Kyann Race was 2nd individually, Brooklynn Parker was 7th individually, Addie Webster placed 8th individually, and Ava Heilig was 9th individually.
Nine teen 4-H'ers recently attended the South Central District Winter Enrichment in Stanly County.
Shout out to all the 4-H'ers who turned in Project Record Books & Portfolios this year. It was a record-breaking year, with 31 Project Record Books & 2 Portfolios turned in! Special thanks to the parents and volunteers who judged these books!
Rowan County 4-H volunteers recently attended the NC 4-H Volunteer Leaders' Association Conference in Greensboro, NC. Congrats to club leader volunteer, Beth Stebe, who won the District Volunteer Award for the South Central District.
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Hot Shots 4-H Club report, submitted by Beth Stebe (club leader):
The Hot Shots 4-H Club met in January for our first meeting of the year. We welcomed 12 new members and 8 families. Election of officers was conducted.
President: Levi Lynch; Vice President: Carson Halpin; Secretary/Treasurer: John Tucker; Reporters: Luther Lyerly & Declan Childers; Safety Officer: Levi Fink.
They will be inducted at our March meeting by 4-H Agent Laura Allen. A big thank you to John Tucker and his mom for providing Valentines for Veterans cards. Our team members wrote kind messages in the cards. They will be delivered to Clinics and the State Home.
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Rowan County 4-H
Save the Dates:
**Please note: We have not yet moved into our new office facility, but nearly all of my 4-H items are at the new facility. Our furniture is slated to arrive and be installed in mid-February at the new facility, but 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 bear 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.
February 21: Deadline to RSVP for Achievement Night
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 15-17: NC 4-H Electric Congress (for those who qualified)
July 20-25: Fur, Fish & Game Camp at Millstone 4-H Camp
July 21-25: NC 4-H Congress, Raleigh, NC
July 21: NC 4-H State Presentation Finals, Raleigh, NC
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Farm Apprenticeship Program Opportunity in Davidson County
A small market farm in southern Davidson County is looking for someone that might be a good fit for their farm apprenticeship program. They partner with CEFS for an apprenticeship program that partners with NC State and NC A&T to give additional educational opportunities. They are a highly diversified four season vegetable farm with a lot of great learning opportunities! Ideally the applicant would be over 18 but they are not opposed to 16 or 17 year olds for the right candidate. The CEFS program is geared toward those recently graduated or about to graduate high school as part of the program gives them funds to take college courses.
See links below that include their ATTRA job listing which has more details about the position, more info about CEFS, and a job application.
ATTRA Listing:
Link to CEFS Website:
Job Application:
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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!
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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
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NC 4-H International Exchange Programs (inbound and outbound)
CLICK HERE for more details for 2025 opportunities.
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Rowan County 4-H Volunteer Corner
For registered 4-H volunteers with Rowan County 4-H!
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Save the Date for the 4-H Conference of the Southern State at Rock Eagle 4-H Center in Eatonton, GA: October 2-5, 2025
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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!
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This popular leadership development program through NC Farm Bureau returns in 2025 and the time to apply is now!
The Institute for Future Ag Leaders is for rising high school seniors who want to pursue careers in agriculture. It’s June 15th-20th. Deadline is March 31st!
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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!
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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.
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