Rowan 4-H August Newsletter

From the 4-H Agent,

Laura Allen:

Rowan County 4-H has had a busy Summer full of learning, travel opportunities, and fun! As Summer slows down and Fall approaches our 4-H clubs are getting back into a routine, the county fair is approaching with lots of opportunities, and it's time to find ways to serve our community.

In this newsletter find information on:

-How to register to enter items (and livestock) into the Rowan County Fair

-4-H Embryology Project information & registration link (this is one of our 4-H school enrichment opportunities and is only for public, private, charter and home school teachers who have 2nd or 7th grade students)

-Upcoming County-Wide Service Project information

& more

Although the Fall is not quite as busy as the Summer, I am still in and out of the office a lot with county fair responsibilities & several professional development conferences. Email is still the best way to reach me, so email me at laura_allen@ncsu.edu for any questions.

Hope you and yours have made wonderful summer memories and are looking forward to a memorable last half of the year!

Please click "view entire message" at the end.

Click here for Rowan 4-H page on Facebook

Click here for Rowan 4-H page on Instagram

Making the Best Better,
Laura

IMPORTANT!

4-HOnline is OPEN for 2026 enrollments! If you plan for your child to participate in 2026, please get enrolled NOW.

**If any changes need to be made to your child's enrollment after it has already been approved, please email laura_allen@ncsu.edu and I can update it on the backend of the system (particularly any new medical concerns, allergies, custody changes, etc).

Please read over the NC 4-H Code of Conduct and review these rules with your child as frequently as needed. All 4-H'ers must abide by these rules as members of Rowan County 4-H.

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:
-Tuesday, September 8 from 6-7:30 pm at the Extension office

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 meetings:

-August 25, 6:15-8:30 pm at the Extension office. This will be our annual 4-H Volunteer Training & Meal. Please see the email sent with all details & RSVP by Friday, August 21.

PREPARE NOW for completing
4-H Project Record Books & Portfolios for the 2026 year!

**They will be due January 13, 2027.**

***READ BELOW FOR NEW INFORMATION FOR SUBMITTING FOR THIS YEAR.***

A NEW Project Record Book (PRB) system has now rolled out to be used for 2026 records (submitted in 2027). Please use this link to find the new PRB details. There is an online system to use this year, but for this upcoming submission, there are also old formats available. I do recommend getting using the online system or at least getting familiar with it this year, because in the coming years I think this will be the only way to upload and submit records.

All project records for 2026 (regardless of format used) must be printed and physically submitted to Mrs. Laura by January 13, 2027.

What is a 4-H Project?

Don't forget about
Achievement Plans, too!

Achievement Plan application

Get your 4-H'er involved in the
Rowan County Fair!

-Register for your child (and yourself) to submit items in the Exhibit Hall!
-Must pre-register by September 2.
-Then, all pre-registered items must be brought to the Rowan County Fairgrounds on Sunday, September 20 from 2-4 pm.
-Pick up items and award winnings (ribbons & money) on Sunday, September 27 from 2-4 pm at the fairgrounds.
**Considering submitting your child's 4-H Summer Fun creations or items they have made since learning new skills!

-Register your child for showing animals at the fair.
-If your child plans to show livestock including poultry (new this year), sheep, meat goats, and/or dairy cattle, then you must pre-register based on the rules & deadlines found here.
-If your child is participating in the 4-H Broiler, Pullet or Dairy Heifer Project, you DO NOT have to enroll them to show for those projects.
-If your child has pullets through 4-H and ALSO wants to be in the poultry show during the county fair, then you must register only for that poultry show.

Click here for the FAIR BOOK to find all Exhibit Hall categories & rules (recommend looking at this FIRST before registering)

Click here to REGISTER for entering items in the Exhibit Hall.

Click here for ALL Rowan County Fair entry information.

HORSE: If you want to stay up-to-date on all things related to the NC 4-H Horse Program, click here to sign upto 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 contact Mrs. Laura to learn about upcoming practices to prepare for 2027 contests.

All NC 4-H Horse Show (district & state) information can be found here.

LIVESTOCK: The NC 4-H Livestock Judging contest is held in in late July/early August. Some youth also participate in NC 4-H Livestock Quizbowl or Skillathon. This opportunity is led by 4-H volunteer Eric Deal. Contact Mrs. Laura if interested.

DAIRY CATTLE: If interested in participating in the NC 4-H Dairy Quizbowl contest or the NC 4-H Dairy Judging contest in 2027, please contact Mrs. Laura. Practices will start in Fall/Winter 2026 or early 2027.

POULTRY: The 4-H Poultry Judging contest is held annually in July with practices starting in April/May prior. This is led by the Rowan 4-H Agent & Rowan Livestock Agent. Contact Mrs. Laura if interested.

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.

4-H Shout Outs

Rowan County 4-H has TONS of shout outs from the last few months. Mrs. Laura has written articles for the Salisbury Post highlighting these achievements. Please click the links below to find these articles and read about the wonderful accomplishments our 4-H'ers have had this summer!

"Local 4-H'er Brings Home the Gold"

"Rowan County 4-H Summer in Review"

Special thanks to the Richard Wainwright Barber Farm Preservation Fund, Rowan County Farm Bureau, Rowan County PALS, the Friends of NRA Grant, Vaya Health, Tractor Supply (Paper Clover Week) and local donors for their support in financially helping many of our 4-H'ers attend these wonderful opportunities!

Are you a 4-H'er or a 4-H club looking for a way to serve our community? See the flyer below for details about an opportunity to serve!

This is not a 4-H specific event, but this event is being hosted at a local church that several of our 4-H'ers attend. Last year we had a big group of our 4-H'ers serve through this project!
This is a totally optional opportunity.
Pre-registration is required.

**Participants MUST be able to follow rules, keep their hands to themselves, stay in their assigned position (standing for 2 hours) and do the assigned task without contaminating the ingredients or disrupting the process. The room is large but it is crowded, loud, and fast-paced. Please be aware of this before registering. We want this to be a positive experience for your child but we also want to make sure we can follow the rules & guidelines of the host and this project.

As a special thank you, the host church is providing each participant with a free scoop of ice cream and a $5 Chick-fil-a gift card upon completion of the 2 hour shift.

To participate, you must register according to the instructions on the flyer.
Click here for the direct registration link.

Rowan 4-H Volunteer Reporting for 2026

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 go.ncsu.edu/2026rowan4hvolunteercontacts 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!