4-H YOUTH DEVELOPMENT

NEWSLETTER

21 Central District

"TO MAKE THE BEST BETTER"

DISTRICT 4-H CALENDAR

March

1st - K-State Women’s Basketball @1:00pm - Manhattan
7th - Beef Producer Day
13th – Regional Club Day in the evening at the Great Bend High School located at 2027 Morton St, Great Bend, KS
14th - EDCO Beef Weigh In at 1:00 to 2:00 pm at the fairgrounds
17th to 18th - 4-H ProjectFest 2026
20th - Sheep Producer Day & Pen Pal Program - Registration Due
21st - 4-H Super Saturday at Fort Hays University

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
25th - EDCO Small Animal Weigh In at 1 pm at the fairgrounds
28th to 29th - State YEC in Manhattan

May

1st - 4-H Online Add/Drop Deadline
1st - 4-H Camp Registration Due
20th - Food Safety/YQCA - St John Extension Office

June

9th to 11th - Wild Horse 4-H Camp near Kingman

July

EDCO Fair 6th to 11th with the theme of Stars, Stripes, and Summer Nights
SFCO Fair 13th to 18th with the theme of Rooted in the Past, Growing the Future. Celebrating 120 Years of Kansas 4-H! - See what's new below!

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

To participate, please sign up today using SignUpGenius, or simply scan the QR Code provided. When registering, use your 4-H member's name. Limited spots available!

Registration DUE: Wednesday, March 11th

An email was sent out on February 19, and it included all the details. If you have any questions, please let the office know.

Prepping for 2026 County Fair

Fair Dates for Each County

The Edwards County fair will be held from July 6 to 11, 2026, with the theme 'Stars, Stripes, and Summer Nights.'

The Stafford County fair will run from July 13 to 18, 2026, under the theme 'Rooted in the Past, Growing the Future, Celebrating 120 Years of Kansas 4-H.'

On Monday, July 13, there will be a 4-H Static Entry Check-In Night, which is not an extra fair night but a designated time to drop off and check in static exhibits. This aims to ease stress on judging day by having exhibits already in place for static judging and livestock check-in.

2026 Livestock Fair Tagging and Weigh-In Dates Announced

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

Macksville & Stafford areas -

Monday, April 13

St. John & Hudson areas -

Wednesday, April 15

EDCO's beef tagging is set for:

Saturday, March 14,
From 1:00 to 2:00 pm at the EDCO Fairgrounds.

EDCO's small-animal tagging

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, and no tagging will be made after this date. We will arrange a time for you to tag your livestock if you are unable to make the dates listed above.

Please note that you must be present on the designated weigh-in day to compete in the Rate of Gain Contest. If unable to attend on these days, alternative arrangements must be made in advance.

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

Livestock Tagging Reminder!

If you are unable to attend the set tagging dates then you must contact our office BEFORE tagging takes place to make other arrangements.

If tagging requires the office to make a home visit you will be charged a $25 flat fee.

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-H Regional and State Area Events

K-State Junior Sheep Producer Day

Saturday, April 11, 2026

Deadline - March 20, 2026

Cost - $20/person (youth & adults)

For more information and Registration

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.

4-H Dairy Cow Showmanship Clinic

On Saturday, March 21, 2026, from 10:00am to 2:00pm at the Sedgwick County Fair Grounds.

Lunch will be provided!

Day Itinerary: Clipping, Nutrition, Showmanship, Hands-On Showmanship Practice.

4-H Super Saturday

Saturday, March 21, 2026 at the Fort Hays State University, Hays, KS

Here is the registration information: Register now

Insect Art Contest

Insect Art Contest Rules & Entry Form

Uncrewed Aircraft Systems Workshop

Central Kansas District 4-H is hosting a UAS workshop on March 14th, 9:30 am-6:00 pm, at

K-State Salina Campus.

Any 4-H youth across the State aged 7-18 who is interested in UAS is eligible. Deadline: March 9, 2026. Questions: Please call 785-309-5850

Pen Pal Program is Back

States’ 4-H International Exchange Programs has announced that their Pen Pal Program will be back April 1 to June 1. 4-H’ers and others 9-18 as of April 1 are eligible to participate.

More information on parter countries for the program will be announced as available, but the communications will be in English and pen pals are likely in countries with which States’ 4-H conducts exchange programs.

Youth who are pen pals are to commit to writing a weekly message by email or letter during April and May. There will be a $10 registration fee to participate which will be payable online. We expect registrations will open in the next few weeks to meet their March 20 deadline.

Interested persons can find more information when it becomes available on the States’ 4-H website States' 4-H International Exchange Programs.

This program has filled very quickly in previous years!

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.

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

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