Spring is right around the corner! With that comes so many activities and events. Please take some time to read over the newsletter to stay up to date on 4-H happenings!

New 4-H Year Information

Enrollment

The online enrollment system is ready to go!! 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.

Kingman County Fair

Congratulations to the Whispering Willow 4-H Club for the 2025 Fair Theme!

The votes have been tallied! We will have a “Tropical Fairadise” July 23-26, 2025 at the Kingman County Fair!

Fair Changes

There are a few changes to the Fair schedule we wanted to make everyone aware of.

The Rabbit and Poultry Show will be held on Thursday, July 24 at 1:00 pm.

The Goat and Sheep Show will be held on Thursday, July 24 at 6:00 pm.

There will be time families can check in inside 4-H exhibits (except food) on Tuesday, July 22 this year. Items can be checked in from 2:00 to 4:00 on Tuesday. Check-in times will remain the same on Wednesday. 

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.

Fair Button Design Contest

The Kingman County Fair Association is proud to sponsor the Kingman County Fair Button Design Contest. The contest is open to all ages. The winning design will be featured on the 2025 County Fair Button and in Publications. We are excited to celebrate the 103^rd Kingman County Fair! The theme this year is “Tropical Fairadise.” You can find an entry form here. All submissions are due in the Extension Office or post marked to the Fair Board by March 31^st. 

County Club Day

Thank you to everyone who took part in County 4-H Club Day this year. We had a great turnout of presentations, musical numbers, and talent performances. Results from the day can be found here.   Congratulations to all of the top blue earners! If you earned a top blue and indicated that you could attend Regional Club Day, your entry has been made! The schedule for Regional Club Day will be emailed to families when it is finalized. Regional Club Day will be held on March 29 at Medicine Lodge High School. 

We wanted to allow 4-H members to have new experiences this year, so we held some new judging contests at Club Day this year. Thank you to everyone who participated this year and tried something new! We had 10 Senior and 29 Junior members take part in the Photography Judging Contest, 6 Senior and 13 Junior members take part in the Family and Consumer Science Judging Contest, 11 Senior and 18 Junior members take part in the Crops Identification Contest, and 4 Senior and 7 Junior members take part in the Livestock Identification Contest. 

Top Results are as follows:

Senior Photography

Julia Hageman – 325 points

Addisyn Hudson – 294 points

Peyton Boos – 284 points

Sean Kostner – 283 points

Emily Ogg – 236 points

Junior Photography

Faith Ziegler – 313 points

Makenna Piester – 308 points

Kylee Piester – 301 points

Jessica Dittmer – 289 points

Leah Rogers – 285 points

Senior FCS

Kaitlyn Webb – 471 points

Peyton Boos – 435 points

Stratton Young – 357 points

Blake Reese – 353 points

Brecken Bergkamp – 244 points

Junior FCS

Anna Schomacker – 261 points

Joe Thimesch – 260 points

Madison Francis – 258 points

Natalie Francis – 257 points

Kylee Piester – 252 points

Senior Crops

Stratton Young – 29 points

Kristyn McAndrew – 28 points

Addisyn Hudson – 28 points

Brecken Bergkamp – 24 points

Andrew Ziegler – 23 points

Junior Crops

Sam Thimesch – 30 points

Joe Thimesch – 26 points

McKoy Young – 26 points

Tina Ziegler – 22 points

Faith Ziegler – 21 points

Senior Livestock

Peyton Boos – 66 points

Stratton Young – 51 points

Junior Livestock

Joe Thimesch – 78 points

Sam Thimesch – 54 points

I wanted all those who took part in the Photography Judging Contest to have a complete learning experience. So instead of just taking the test part of the contest and never knowing the results, I have attached the test with answers here. This would be a great learning tool for members to go over before the fair in order to be able to answer questions the judge might ask!

Upcoming Activities

Day Off Discovery Program

Join us on Friday, March 14 for our next Day Off Discovery Program. With spring right around the corner, we will discover backyard birds. We will learn how to identify common backyard birds and make a bird feeder.  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!

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.

Leslie Krehbiel Memorial Scholarship

It is an honor and privilege to share with you information about the Leslie Krehbiel Memorial Scholarship. You can find the scholarship application and information here. 

There will be two scholarships awarded, one for a 4-H member and one for an FFA member. 

Applications for this scholarship are due by April 1, 2025, to Corey Krehbiel. His contact information is provided on the application. 

If you have any questions, please contact the Extension Office. 

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.  https://youtu.be/qC5n5YWx1rI

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.

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

Changes to Livestock Tagging and Livestock Housing Form

There will be a few changes to livestock tagging this year for all livestock projects. If you are not able to attend the weigh-in event for the species that you will be showing, you need to contact the Extension Office BEFORE the weigh-in date to set up a tagging date with one of the Agents. No pictures of animals with tags in the ears will be accepted this year.  

The other change this year is every member who is showing livestock will be asked to complete and return a Kingman County Livestock Care and Housing form. This form has the members indicate where their project animals will be housed during the project year and what the care plan is for the animals. One member can complete one form even if they show multiple animals, please just note the animals being shown at the top of the form. This form is due back to the Extension Office by May 1, 2025. 

You can find the Kingman County Livestock Care and Housing Form Here.

If you have any questions, please contact Melissa at mthimesch@ksu.edu

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!

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! 

March’s Photo Prompt is “Looking from a Low Angle.”

Building Block Engineering Project Meeting

Join us on Wednesday, March 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. 

Building Block Engineering Multi-County Project Meeting

Do you want to learn more about what it takes to have a Building Block Engineering entry at the Kansas State Fair? Join us on March 18 at 1:00 at the Barber County Annex to learn more. Kingman County 4-H member, Joe Thimesch will be sharing what is involved in a State Fair entry, transportation tips, and building techniques. There is no cost to attend this meeting. Legos and snacks will be provided. The County Extension van will be going to this event, so limited transportation (4 seats) is available. Please RSVP by March 17^th. Call the Office for more details.

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!

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

Central Kansas District 4-H invites you to ‘Take Flight with 4-H and join us for the Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS) Workshop!

Are you ready to soar to new heights? Join us for an exciting, hands-on workshop where you’ll learn safety and the basics of drone operation, compete in a flight challenge, and even win awesome prizes!

This workshop will be held March 15th on the K-State Salina Campus from 10:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. is open to youth ages 7 – 18 (parents/guardians must also register). A registration fee of $15/person will cover lunch and contest fees. All equipment for the workshop will be provided.

To secure your spot for this unique workshop, register by March 10, 2025. Use this link to get registration and payment information: CKD UAS Workshop

Please contact the Central Kansas District office at 785-309-5850 with any questions.

Club Corner

The Cunningham 4-H Club met on February 2nd, 2025. Roll call was “What's your favorite college sports team” and was answered by 22 members. This was our educational meeting and we learned about the Stafford County Flour Mill that are the makers of Hudson Cream flour. We are looking for fundraisers to raise money for our club. If your organization needs help please reach out and let us know. 4-H Club Days will be on March 1st at the Kingman Grade School. Our club also heard from several of our members with their project talks. Hank taught us about using a chainsaw, Wyatt talked about how he made a football game out of legos, Ava N. taught us about the over 100 chickens they raise and Kendall talked about his American flag wood project.This meeting we had initiation for new members, Aspen, Canyon, and Amara. Then the meeting was adjourned by Bowen and seconded by Hank. 

Brody Bock   

Cunningham Club Reporter

Whispering Willow 4-Hers have Heart!

Before our regular monthly meeting in February, members of the Whispering Willow 4-H Club took part in a national community service project started by a 4-H member in Oklahoma. This project was to provide Valentine’s cards to local nursing homes. Whispering Willow members did our part by making over 40 special Valentine’s Day cards for residents at Wheatlands. Members were able to share the Heart H with others which was special.

At the meeting, Junior Officers took the lead and ran the meeting. We decided on what we would do for our fun meeting this spring. Our club leaders told us about club day with sign-up deadlines and judging contests that will be held at that event.

Sam Thimesch

Whispering Willow 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

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 981 followers, help us reach 1000!

Dates to remember

March 14 Day Off Discovery Program

March 18 Multi-County Lego Project Meeting

March 26 County Lego Meeting, 4-H Council Meeting

March 28 Kingman County 4-H Scholarship Applications Due

March 29 Regional Club Day Medicine Lodge  

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.