February 2026 4-H Newsletter

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Discover with the Director

As we enter the season of expressing appreciation to those who mean so much to us, I am pressed to share my appreciation for our 4-H volunteers, many of whom are also 4-H parents. As I deliver program updates and reports at the local, state and federal levels, I find myself proclaiming with great pride how much our volunteers do for the program and mean to the program. This appreciation is one of the driving forces behind our new section of this newsletter in which outstanding and longtime volunteers are highlighted each month. The 4-H statewide team is also in discussion regarding other ways to express our appreciation this month but also year-round.

In other news, I had the distinct pleasure in January of meeting with officials with the University of California Early Academic Outreach Program (UC EAOP). This statewide team is working with youth in a similar age group, especially as it relates to delivery of academic support services. Given the opportunities for synergy with UC EAOP, we are exploring how our programs might complement each other in developing the life and work readiness skills of youth. To learn more about the EAOP and whether their services are offered in a school near you, please visit their website using this link: https://eaop.universityofcalifornia.edu/

We are also delighted to announce new additions to the statewide 4-H team:

Ms. Jodi Tannaci, Siskiyou County

Ms. Socorro de Figueiredo, Tulare County

and the appointment of

Ms. Zeva Cho, 4-H Statewide Program Manager,

to the role of Interim Assistant 4-H Director.

Congratulations to the 4-H Mini-Grant Program Steering Committee for their work and the following 4-H professionals who have been awarded 4-H mini-grants for Spring 2026, along with the county to be served and curriculum/curricula to be delivered:

Michael Ryan- Solano County - Cooking Academy
Shelley Magana- Tulare County - Junior Master Gardener
Rita Jakel- Orange County - Cooking Academy and Youth Experiences in Science
Leslie Rendon Castro- Riverside County - Youth Experiences in Science
Julie Katawicz- Santa Cruz County - EGGSellent Science

Sponsored by the State 4-H Office, the purpose of the mini-grant program is to promote opportunities to grow, strengthen, or expand a partnership with an expanded learning organization in order to engage young people in an experiential learning 4-H program.

In Community and with Steadfast, Unmovable Hope…

Volunteer Highlights

Ms. Heather Ratterman - Solano County

Ms. Heather Ratterman has truly stepped up as an exceptional volunteer for Solano County 4-H. She serves as the Financial Manager for our Volunteer Management Organization (VMO), a club and project leader for the Elmira 4-H Club, and played a key role in guiding our VMO through the transition of developing county-specific operating procedures. Ms. Heather also led the effort to transition our bank account to a more effective system that better meets our county’s needs.

In addition, Ms. Heather partners in leading the Incentives and Recognition team, helping coordinate interviews for our local scholarship program. She has also been instrumental in planning and supporting local events such as Presentation Day and other county activities.

Beyond her many leadership roles, Ms. Heather consistently brings kindness, encouragement, and a positive attitude to everything she does. Her willingness to take on responsibilities, support youth and volunteers, and strengthen our program makes a meaningful impact on our 4-H community. We are incredibly grateful for Ms. Heather’s dedication and service.

4th H for Health Challenge

4th H for Health

Did you set New Year Resolutions for 2026? The Healthy Living Advisory & Program Committee launched the 4th H for Health Challenge this year to increase best practices in healthy eating, movement, and social-emotional health. You still have time to set goals and instill new habits with youth by completing 8 activities in each category before June 30, 2026.

Download the flyer here.

Ready to record some activities? Visit the website and download your tracker. All 4-H youth who complete the challenge and submit the tracker to the 4-H State Office by June 30, 2026 will receive a Healthy Living pin and certificate!

Contact: Ally Lemmer, Healthy Living Academic Coordinator

alemmer@ucanr.edu

Healthy Living Speaker Series

Monthly Healthy Living Topic

Join the Healthy Living Advisory Committee for discussion and guest speakers on different health topics each month!

Coming up:

March 5, 2026 6-7 p.m. Outdoor Exploration

April 2, 2026 6-7 p.m. Food Waste & Resource Management

May 7, 2026 6-7 p.m. Gardening

June 4, 2026 6-7 p.m. Food Preservation

Download full schedule

Healthy Living Video Contest

The California 4-H Healthy Living Advisory & Program Committee is hosting a video contest to promote healthy eating by highlighting California grown fruits and vegetables. This contest is open to all California 4-H youth.

Requirements:

Highlight 1 fruit or vegetable on the list below.
Video is no longer than 60 seconds.
Every youth in the video must be 4-H enrolled and have video consent on file with Z-Suite.
All 4-H policies and the 4-H Code of Conduct must be followed (no cursing, promotion of alcohol, etc.).
No personally identifiable information provided (i.e. no last name, club location, etc.).
Any spoken language is allowable (examples: English, Spanish, American Sign Language).
4-H logo must be shown at some point during the video.
Signed entry form with consent to allow California 4-H to share video as the program chooses for educational purposes.
Video must be created by youth.
Choose from any of the following: Show how to prepare the food; talk about the benefits of the food; how to grow the food at home; a fun fact about the food; the history of the food; talk with a farmer about how it is grown and sold.
Fruits and vegetables:
cucumber
sweet potato
snap peas
broccoli
spinach
butternut squash
strawberries
peaches
blueberries
kiwi
mandarins
persimmons: Fuyu

Contest Deadlines: March 16, April 13, and May 11, 2026.

Youth may submit to more than one round and more than one video.

How to submit: Please upload videos to this Google Form.

Prize: $50 gift card per video winner, 2 winners per month (popular vote and Healthy Living Advisory & Program Committee vote). Winners will be notified via email by the end of the following month.

Questions? Contact: Dr. Kimberly Holmes (ksholmes@ucanr.edu) or Ally Lemmer (alemmer@ucanr.edu).

Dairy Judging Contest

State 4-H Dairy Cattle Judging Contest

The Modesto Junior College Dairy Science Program is excited to host the Dairy Cattle Judging contest for all California 4-H members in conjunction with our FFA Field Day. This is an individual contest with no 4-H team placing.

This is the state 4-H qualifying contest. Youth in the Senior 4-H Division compete to qualify to represent California 4-H at the World Dairy Expo National 4-H Dairy Cattle Judging contest in Madison, Wisconsin (October 2026). This is not a team competition so youth placing in the top 4 will qualify to represent California 4-H at the national contest.

DATE: Saturday, March 14

LOCATION and DETAILS:

● MJC ACE Pavilion Annex (north side) on West Campus.

● Dress warm. No 4-H uniforms.

● Youth should bring a large clipboard for their judging card Scantron sheet and a pencil.

● 6 Classes to judge (3 heifer classes, 3 cow classes)

DIVISIONS:

● Novice (any age) - Members new to judging regardless of age. No reasons, just written exam on PDCA scorecard, body parts of a cow and information from Holstein Foundation Dairy Judging Workbook.

● Junior Division (9-13 years old) - Written exam on Holstein Foundation Judging Workbook & 1 set of Reasons (may read notes)

● Senior Division* (14 -18 years old) - Written exam on Holstein Foundation Judging Workbook & 2 Sets of Oral Reasons (may read notes).

*Eligible for National 4-H Contest

HOW TO ENTER: To enter, please contact your local county 4-H office and kindly ask them to register your 4-H member to participate (Online entry via JudgingCard.com). Only the county 4-H office has access to register youth through the Judging Card system.

COST TO ENTER: $15 per registrant

REGISTRATION: Closes on March 7

Contact Nicole Morris, Animal Science Instructor - Dairy Science MJC (morrisn@mjc.edu) if you have any questions.

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