Kingman County 4-H Club Day is right around the corner! It is time to plan your speech or talent entry! We will also have Photography, Family and Consumer Science, and Plant Identification contests to take part in. So even if you don't want to give a speech or talent event, stop by to take part in a judging contest.

If you have any questions about an upcoming 4-H event, please let me know!

Melissa

New 4-H Year Information

Enrollment

Please use this link to complete enrollment. https://v2.4honline.com/#/user/sign-in

Projects

If you want to try a new project this year, check out the 4-H Project Selection Guide to decide what you will enroll in this year. This can be found here: https://bookstore.ksre.ksu.edu/download/4-h-project-selection-guide_4H1065

Updating the Email List

As enrollments come into the 4-H Online System, I am updating our email list. On February 28, all emails will be removed from our list that is not associated with a 4-H family. If you are removed from the email list, you will no longer receive the monthly newsletter and other important emails. Please take the time now to re-enroll and keep your email current. Once enrollment is received you will be added back to the email list.

Upcoming Activities

Day Off Discovery Program

Join us on Friday, February 7 for our next Day Off Discovery Program. At this event, we will make some fun Valentine’s Day craft projects! This event is a come-and-go program from 10:00 am to Noon and 2:00 to 4:00 pm. 

Participants do not have to be in 4-H to attend and there is not a registration fee. This will be a come-and-go format so if you can just stay for a bit, that is OK! You can see the flyer for more details here. 

4-H Council Meeting

The next 4-H Council Meeting will be on March 26 at 7:00 pm at the Extension Office. 

Watch your email and our Facebook for information about upcoming programs!

County Club Day

Club Day will be held on March 1 at Kingman Elementary School this year. Entries will be taken via Sign-Up Genius. Registration opened on January 15^th and will close on February 14^th. Click here for a Kingman County 4-H Day Newsletter with specific information about this event. 

Please note the Date Change!!! Regional Club Day will be on March 29 at the Medicine Lodge High School

Kingman County 4-H Scholarships

Calling all High School Seniors! 4-H Scholarships will be due to the Extension Office by March 28th at 5:00. The application can be found here.

YQCA Trainings

If members will be showing at the Kansas State Fair or the Kansas Junior Livestock Show this year, you will need to attend a YQCA Training. We have two training dates set to try to help with families’ busy schedules. Members only need to attend one training. Training dates will be March 10 and April 10. Each training will be held at 6:00 at the Extension Office. Members will need to register for the training at yqcaprogram.org and there is a $3 fee to attend. 

If these dates don’t work for you, please contact the Office for more options.

Please note that YQCA has recently changed its website. The correct address is yqcaprogram.org.

Here is a video from YQCA on registering for an instructor lead training. If you have any questions, please let me know.  

We have added points to the 4-H Activity Sheet for attending the in-person YQCA trainings.

Livestock Tag Information

This year any animals that will only be showing at the Kingman County Fair will use a county-specific ear tag. All tags will be available at weigh-in dates. If an animal will be showing at the Kansas State Fair or Kansas Junior Livestock Show, EID tags will still be required. Members must know at the tagging events which tags they will need. Cost for the County Tags will be $2 for Beef, $1.50 for Swine, Sheep, and Goats. EID tags will cost $3.50 each for each species.

Beef weigh-in is SUNDAY, March 2, 2:00-4:00 pm at the Fair Grounds

Small Animal weigh-in is April 26, 7:00-9:00 am at the Fair Grounds

Save the Date for 4-H Camp!

Kingman County will be going back to 4-H Camp this summer at Wild Horse 4-H Camp. This is held south of Kingman at Silver Maple Camp Grounds. Save the date for camp! It will be June 16-17 for counselor training and June 17-19 for Camp. More details to come!

Kingman County Fair

Fair Pre-Entry Date Set

All Fair Pre-Entries will be due on the Fair Entry system by May 9. We are aware that this is an early deadline, however, the Fair Board needs time to order awards and Fair T-Shirts without as much waste as in the past. Please note, that entries can be made and then scratched when the fair gets closer. So, I recommend making entries on everything that your members might take. Example: five entries for foods, seven entries in visual arts, and that extra educational poster or notebook. If something happens that something doesn’t get made or finished, just toss that card closer to the fair. There is a deadline of June 13 to confirm these pre-entries. No additional entries can be made at this deadline, but if anything needs to be removed that can be done. Watch for more details to come.

Project Engagement Information

This year I would like to encourage members and their families to be active and engaged with 4-H project work all year! Watch this area for information you can use on your own time to grow project knowledge and special Countywide events for different projects!

Photography Showcase Project

This year I would like to encourage members to take pictures all year long! In each newsletter, I will give members a photo prompt and you can take pictures and send me your best 2 by the 20^th of each month. You can email me the file at mthimesch@ksu.edu or text me the files at 620-243-3766. I will apply a watermark to your image and then post a showcase each month on our Facebook page. I will also showcase photos on our digital frame here in the office. If a member isn’t in photography but would like to give it a try, this would be a great opportunity for that! 

February’s Photo Prompt is “What I Love.”

Building Block Engineering Project Meeting

Join us on Wednesday, February 26 for a County Wide Building Block Engineering project meeting. The project meeting will be held from 5:30 to 6:30 in the Extension Office. Legos will be provided, but come ready to talk about a favorite building technique. 

Frames!

If you are in need of a frame for your Visual Art project, please stop by the office. We had a very generous donation of different sized frames just for 4-H members to use!

HirePaths

This month instead of sharing project curriculum, I would like to share a new partnership with Kansas 4-H and HirePaths. HirePaths has a mission to inform and excite parents and guardians, as well as K-12 teachers, about options young people can pursue after high school to quickly and affordablely launch a successful, well-paying career. This includes on-the-job training programs, apprenticeships, and technical and community college education. If you check out their website at hirepaths.com, you can find a career quiz, fun stories about many different professions, and great videos that show kids learning about careers firsthand. If you have an eye for video production, there is a new video production contest with HirePaths and Kansas 4-H. Information about this contest can be found at https://www.kansas4-h.org/events-activities/contests/hirepaths/HirePaths.html

As a family, try to set a day this month when you can try one of these fun activities.

Club Corner

Due to winter weather and school being closed, Whispering Willow held our January club meeting on Zoom. Members agreed on a Fair Theme to take to the 4-H Council. Leaders told us about upcoming events.  

Sam Thimesch

Club Reporter

This year I would like to share club highlights each month in the 4-H newsletter. If club reporters would like to email me a short paragraph about what your club is doing each month, I will include that here! Please email that to me at mthimesch@ksu.edu by the 20^th of each month.

State Events

State 4-H Scholarships and the Vanier Family Scholarship Changes

The Kansas 4-H Scholarship and Vanier Family Scholarship application process is now open. Applications are due by March 1, 2024, at 11:59 PM. To learn more about the scholarship process use the following link or click here (https://kansas4-h.org/resources/awards-and-recognition/scholarships.html). Scholarships are available to current high school seniors and undergraduate students. There are several scholarships that graduate and professional students are eligible for.

Registration now open for the K-State Junior Producer Days!

Since 2025 is an odd year, we will host Junior Swine Producer Day and Junior Meat Goat Producer Day (beef and sheep are in even years). Registration is now open and we look forward to seeing everyone in Manhattan in March!! All attendees must register, which includes all youth, parents, and adults. You must register by the deadline to receive a t-shirt. Information to register online is included below.

What are the junior producer days?

The junior producer day events are one-day family educational programs to learn about the selection and management of swine and/or meat goat youth livestock projects, as well as a variety of aspects related to the animal science industry. Each day is dedicated to one specie. These events are open to all ages and skill levels including youth, parents, extension agents, ag teachers, project leaders, and other volunteers. The tentative program and topics for each day are included on the flyers. This is a family event! Parents and youth are invited to come learn together!

Where will these events be hosted?

The 2025 K-State Junior Producer Days will be hosted at the Stanley Stout Center, which is in Manhattan, north of campus, near the KSU Sheep & Meat Goat Center and KSU Purebred Beef Unit. A map and more specific directions will be provided to families who register the week leading up to the event.

NEW THIS YEAR – LIMITED REGISTRATION!

Registration for each junior producer day will be capped at 400 participants this year. Register early to reserve your spot! Space will be filled on a first come, first serve basis through the online registration process.    

K-State Junior Swine Producer Day

Date – Saturday, March 1, 2025

Registration Deadline – February 5

Cost - $20/person by February 5

*Only those who register by February 5 will receive a t-shirt.

**Both youth and adults attending (including parents) need to register.

***No refunds.

****Participation is limited to the first 400 registrants.

*****Late registration fee after February 5 is $25/person and these participants will not receive a t-shirt.

Online Registration - https://commerce.cashnet.com/KSUASIND

K-State Junior Meat Goat Producer Day

Date – Saturday, March 22, 2025

Registration Deadline – February 26

Cost - $20/person by February 26

*Only those who register by February 26 will receive a t-shirt.

**Both youth and adults attending (including parents) need to register.

***No refunds.

****Participation is limited to the first 400 registrants.

*****Late registration fee after February 26 is $25/person and these participants will not receive a t-shirt.

Online Registration - https://commerce.cashnet.com/KSUASIND

IPM Insect Art Contest

The K-State Research and Extension Pesticide Safety and IPM Program is hosting its annual insect-themed art contest, open to all ages and skill levels in Kansas! This year, the theme is “By the Light of the Moon: Insects at Night.” The goal is to explore which insects are active or inactive at night and why, then create artwork that fits the contest theme.

Art may be a drawing or painting, digital art, or a 3-D piece such as sculpture, stained glass or other media. There are five age categories in which 1st – 3rd place will be awarded:

• Kindergarten – 2nd grade
• 3rd grade – 5th grade
• 6th grade – 8th grade
• High school
• Adult

Entries must be received or postmarked before April 15, 2025. 

Visit https://www.ksre.k-state.edu/pesticides-ipm/ for details!

Discovery Days

Discovery Days will be held June 4-6, 2025 on the K-State Campus. Watch for more details to come.

Follow us on Facebook

If you would like to stay up to date with what is happening at K-State Research and Extension – Kingman County and the Kingman County 4-H Program, follow us on Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/kingmancountyextension Currently we have 978 followers, help us reach 1000!

Dates to remember

Feb. 5 Livestock Committee Meeting 6:30 Extension Office

Feb. 7 Day Off Discovery Program

Feb. 12 PDC Meeting 6:00

Feb. 14 Club Day Entries Close

Feb. 17 Extension Office Closed

Feb. 26 Building Block Engineering Project Meeting 5:30

Mar. 1 County Club Day KES

If you have questions regarding the information in this newsletter, please contact me at:

Kingman County K-State Research and Extension Office

Melissa Thimesch

125 N Spruce

Kingman, KS 67068

620-532-5131

mthimesch@ksu.edu

K-State Research and Extension is committed to providing equal opportunity for participation in all programs, services, and activities. Program information may be available in languages other than English. Reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities, including alternative means for communication (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, and American Sign Language) may be requested by contacting the event contact Melissa Thimesch two weeks prior to the start of the event at 620-532-5131 or mthimesch@ksu.edu. Requests received after this date will be honored when it is feasible to do so. Language access services, such as interpretation or translation of vital information will be provided free of charge to limited English-proficient individuals upon request.

Kansas State University Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service

K-State Research and Extension is an equal opportunity provider and employer.