4-H YOUTH DEVELOPMENT

NEWSLETTER

21 Central District

"TO MAKE THE BEST BETTER"

DISTRICT 4-H CALENDAR

April

11th - Sheep Producer Day
11th - Shutterbug Photography Event in Manhattan
13th - SFCO Macksville & Stafford Area Tagging Day
15th - SFCO St John & Hudson Area Tagging Day
15th - IPM Insect Art Contest Entries DUE
17th to 18th - SFCO Meats Judging Competition at the Oklahoma State University
18th - Photography Workshop in Kingman
20th - Beef DNA Envelope orders DUE (*State Entries Only)
24th - WildHorse 4-H Camp Counselor Applications DUE
25th - EDCO Small Animal Weigh In from 1 to 2 pm at the fairgrounds
26th - SFCO 4-H Council Meeting starting at 2 pm at the St John Extension office
26th - EDCO 4-H Council Meeting starting at 3 pm at the Kinsley Fairbuilding
28th to 29th - State YEC in Manhattan

May

1st - 4-H Online Add/Drop DEADLINE
1st - 4-H Camp Registration DUE
1st - Beef nominations DUE (*State Entries Only)
8th - FairEntry OPENS
20th - Food Safety/YQCA - St John Extension Office

June

3rd to 5th - Discovery Days in Manhattan
5th - Small Livestock & Commercial Dreeding Heifer DNA Envelope order DUE (*State Entries Only)
9th to 11th - Wild Horse 4-H Camp near Kingman
12th - FairEntry DEADLINE
12th Fashion Revue forms DUE
12th - T-Shirt orders DUE
12th - SFCO Premium Auction Requirement sheet and documents DUE
15th Small Livestock & Commercial Breeding Heifer Nominations DUE (*State Entries Only)
29th - EDCO Fashion Revue Judging starting at 5:30 pm at the Kinsley Fairbuilding
30th - SFCO Fashion Revue Judging starting at 9:30 am at the Stafford Co Annex

July

1st - EDCO Fair set up starting at 5:00 pm
6th to 11th - EDCO fair
11th - SFCO fair set up starting at 8:00 am
12th - SFCO Dog Show starting at 3:00 pm
13th - SFCO Static Exhibits Check-in from 5 to 8 pm
14th to 18th - SFCO fair
22nd - EDCO Beef & Swine Carcass Show starting at 6:30 pm at Burkhart’s
24th - SFCO 1st Swine Carcass Show starting at 6:30 pm in Ellinwood
26th - SFCO 1st Beef Carcass Show starting at 5:00 pm in Ellinwood
31st - SFCO 2nd Swine Carcass Show starting at 6:30 pm in Ellinwood

August

2ND: SFCO 2nd Beef Carcass Show starting at 5:00 pm in Ellinwood

Jewell’s Maternity Leave Reminder

Just a heads up—Jewell will be starting her maternity leave sometime in early to mid-April and returns around the beginning of July.
During this busy season, Trisha and Maribel are your go-to contacts for anything 4-H or Fair-related. Jewell is still available by text or email, as needed.
Starting in 2026, all rules and deadlines will be strictly enforced—no exceptions.
We really appreciate everyone’s patience and willingness to adapt as we move through these changes together!
Please note that Jewell's email address has been updated to jewello@ksu.edu.

4-H Council Meetings

Edwards County: Sunday, April 26th, at the Fair Building, Cookie baking will start at 3:00 pm, with the meeting to follow.

Stafford County: Sunday, April 26th, 2026, at the St John Extension Office, starting at 2:00 pm

LIVESTOCK FAIR TAGGING INFORMATION

2026 LIVESTOCK FAIR TAGGING AND WEIGH'IN DATES ANNOUNCED

For SFCO small-animal tagging sign-ups, please call the extension office to schedule a time. Small animal tagging dates:

Macksville & Stafford areas on Monday, April 13
St. John & Hudson areas on Wednesday, April 15

EDCO's small-animal tagging

On Saturday, April 25, from 1:00 to 2:00 pm at the EDCO Fairgrounds.

Families should not wait until after the scheduled tagging dates have passed to reach out. If you need an alternate time, please contact Baley or Jewell as soon as possible. Friday, May 1, is the final tagging deadline; no tagging will be DONE after this date. We will arrange a time for you to tag your livestock if you are unable to make the dates listed above.

All market livestock must be tagged by the May 1 deadline.

LIVESTOCK TAGGING REMINDER!

If you cannot attend the scheduled tagging dates, you must contact our office BEFORE tagging occurs to make alternative arrangements.

If a home visit is necessary for tagging, a $25 flat fee will be charged.

NEW STATE LIVESTOCK TAG CHANGE!

Moving forward, families will be responsible for covering the cost of EIDs and 5-digit visual tags.

You will receive an invoice from the Extension Office after tagging!

4-HONLINE ADD/DROP DEADLINE APPROACHING

REMINDER!!

Friday, May 1 is the Add/Drop Deadline for Projects in 4-HOnline.

You can log in at: https://4honline.com/#/user/sign-in

What does this mean?

Making sure that all of the projects your youth is enrolled in on 4-HOnline are what they are expecting to bring to the fair.

Please select all the projects you think your child might bring to the fair. If they are not enrolled in a project, they will not be able to bring it to the fair.

For example, if I am enrolled in six project areas, I can bring any of those to the fair. But if I am not enrolled in woodworking, I cannot bring a woodworking project.

⚠️ We will be verifying that your 4-H Online projects match what you enter in FairEntry.

This deadline is only for 4-HOnline enrollments. The deadline for fair exhibits in the FairEntry program is June 12th.

If you have any questions, please call the office!

4-H Regional and State Area Events

Insect Art Contest - Rules & Entry Form

Ag Tech Day April 4th, 2026

This event is geared for youth in grades 5-12 the unique opportunity to explore the farm and learn about both new and established technologies that are helping make farm management easier and more efficient for producers.

Stations may include:

Unmanned aircraft systems and drone technologies
John Deere technologies
Sensors
An under-canopy robot
Technology for finding and tracking insects

The event will be held at Flickner Innovation Farm from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 4. Attendees are welcome to come and go as they please, and snacks will be provided!

Ag Tech Day is FREE and open to the public, but registration is required. Please register by Wednesday, April 1. You can register as an individual or as a group. Group registration allows up to five people at a time.

Photography Workshops

Shutterbug - April 11, 2026 (Manhattan)

Shutterbug events are photography workshops put on across the state, and are a perfect opportunity to develop new camera skills, hone your creative talents and try new photography techniques. Sessions focus on topics including Portfolio, Camera Features, Panning, Close-ups, Aperture Settings & Kaleidoscopes/Reflections.

Where: Midwest Dream Car Museum, 3007 Anderson Avenue, Manhattan, KS

When: Saturday, April 11, 2026, 8:30am - 12:00 pm

Cost: $25 per 4-H member

Registration Link: Register Now

Transportation: You will be responsible for your own transportation. (If you are interested, try carpooling with others)

Please note, this will be the only statewide Shutterbug event for 2026.

4-H Photography Workshop - April 18, 2026 (Kingman County)

Participants will learn about photo composition, basic camera settings, and drone photography.

Please bring your camera with you so you can practice during the session.

Where: Saddle and Ropers Building at the Kingman Expo Center

When: Saturday, April 18, 2026, 9:00am - 12:00 pm

Cost: FREE, Registration is still required.

Registration: Please email Melissa at mthimesch@ksu.edu to register by April 10.

Transportation: Maribel will offer transportation for this event. There are only 6 seats available on a first-come, first-served basis. (Any EDCO participants wanting transportation, it would be your responsibility to meet Maribel in St. John for pick-up and drop-off.)

For both events: If you do not have a camera, we have 6 available in our district for families to check out on a first-come, first-served basis.

Youth Art Contest - Raising Awareness for Suicide Prevention from the Kansas Suicide Prevention Coalition

We invite students in grades 6–12 to participate in our Youth Art Contest, aimed at raising awareness. Messages should reflect themes of hope, help, strength, and resilience. We understand that life is not always perfect and that struggles are inevitable. We also understand that art is a way to express experiences and emotions. Our hope is that you create and share art that feels true to your experience without any graphic or gory depictions of suicide. The contest provides an opportunity for young artists to share their voices, creativity, and experiences in a meaningful way.

*AI-created content and images will not be eligible for judging.

WILDHORSE 4-H CAMP

Camp is from June 9-11 at Silver Maple Camp in Kingman County. The cost is $135 to attend, which covers all meals and lodging. Each 4-H council will provide a discount for each registered 4-H member attending.

Campers must be between the ages of 7 and 12. Counselors must be 14 years old or older.

Counselors will arrive on June 8th for training.

Some activities include Archery, Crafts, Fishing, Robotics, Nature Walks, and Dancing.

*NOTE: You DO NOT have to be in 4-H member to attend, so please feel free to bring a friend!

Counselor Applications - Please bring your form to the office by Friday, April 24th!

Fill out HERE

Campers - Please bring your form and payment to your local extension office by Friday, May 1st!

SFCO Special Contests

Please note that the BBQ Cookoff is exclusively for 4-H members, while the Clover Contest is open to everyone, including 4-H and community members.

EDCO OPEN CLASS SPECIAL CONTESTS

CHERRY PIE CONTEST

Sponsored by Edwards County Ladies League

See Open Class General Rules in the Fair Book.
Prizes to be awarded are: 1st Place of $60.00, 2nd Place of $40.00, 3rd Place of $20.00.
Cherry Pie Contest Class Number 7600

QUILT BLOCK CONTEST

Sponsored by Bossy Sister Quilting and Crop-Pro Inc

Participants will purchase a quilt block kit from the Fair Board. Kits will be available at the Extension Office, 212 East 6th Street, Kinsley, KS 67547.
See Open Class General Rules in the fairbook.
Prizes to be awarded are: 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place for construction.
Quilt Block Contest Class Number 7300

STAY TUNED FOR MORE SPECIAL OPEN CLASS CONTESTS TO COME

4-H Membership ACHIEVEMENT PINS: We have updated our website with the new applications.

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