County Club Day

County Club Day will be held Saturday, February 28th at Pioneer Ridge Middle School in Gardner, KS. There are many ways to be involved in this fun, county-wide event!

• Give a presentation or showcase a talent. Refer to this handout for a list and description of the various events and make sure to review each event's guidelines. Registration is now open. Registration will close January 23rd, 2026. Note: there are two registration forms - one for individual/duo/ensemble events and one for group/club events. Visit the club day webpage for registration links.

• Serve as a room monitor! Room monitors are an essential role for this event and ANYONE can sign up to room monitor. You do not have to be registered to perform at this event to be a room monitor. Room monitor sign-ups will be coming soon. Important note: serving as a room monitor satisfies a requirement on membership pin applications! Never been a room monitor before? No worries! It is easy and we will show you what to do!

• Attend this event to watch fellow club members and 4-H friends showcase their talents!

• There will be a few county level judging activities led by other K-State Extension Agents at this event. Judging activities help deepen your project knowledge and strengthen critical thinking skills. Taking part in a county level judging experience also satisfies a requirement on membership pin applications!

Kitchen Restore Community Service Project

The Johnson County 4-H Council is hosting a donation drive to benefit the Kitchen Restore Project. The Kitchen Restore Project strives to improve the nutrition, food safety awareness, health, and quality of life of Johnson County residents through the provision of basic kitchen items to those with minimal or no resources for cooking. Clubs are encouraged to gather donations, which will be collected at the County Council meeting on March 2nd, 2026. Donations will also be collected at the County Food Fare, or they may be dropped off at the Extension Office. View the flyer for more information!

Fair Theme & Artwork Competition

The 2026 Johnson County Fair theme will be "The Greatest Show in Johnson County."

So many votes were cast! Thanks to everyone who took the time to vote!

Now we want YOUR artwork! Please submit your artwork showcasing the theme and elements of the county fair to the office. The winning artwork submission will be featured on the fair book cover. Email submissions to the Extension Office by February 15th.

Save the Date: Upcoming Events

• Friday, March 6th - Food Fare "Around the World." More details to come soon!
• Saturday, March 21st - Regional Club Day in Baldwin City, KS (Baldwin Jr. High School)

JCEEF Grant Applications

Have a great idea for an experience? Know of a County-Wide Project group that could use additional funding to broaden their reach or another educational learning opportunity that could benefit a large group of Johnson County youth? 2026 grant applications are open for the Johnson County Extension Education Foundation (JCEEF), now through February 13th. Applications will be reviewed by JCEEF. Application forms can be mailed in or completed online. 4-H’ers have benefitted from this grant opportunity before through a speaker's series, photo stand displays for the County Fair, and continuing to fund background check fees for volunteers. Read more about the grant request procedure. If you have any questions on the application process, please reach out to Cyla or Lexi.

Horticulture Classes

Do you have a green thumb? Do you wish that you did? Do you want to start a vegetable garden? Well, if you are looking for some classes that can help you with plants of all types, then consider signing up for the 4-H Horticulture classes.

Starting on Tuesday, January 20th at 6:00 PM, these classes will be led by Horticulture agents Markis Hill and Anthony Reardon. The goal of these classes is to establish a baseline of horticultural knowledge for 4-H members who may be interested in submitting a project at the county fair, competing in the horticulture judging competition, or simply want to be better stewards of the land.

Students will learn:

• Basic plant ID characteristics
• How to establish and care for a vegetable garden
• Basic maintenance of a landscape
• Career paths available in the horticulture industry
• How to care for houseplants
• Occasional Tours (To be determined)

Classes are free to join and will be held monthly, on the third Tuesday, throughout the year (except July). Members can catch details and upcoming topics in Clover Clips. All 4-H youth, including Cloverbuds, are welcome to join. Free seed and plant giveaways are available for participants.



If you are interested, please RSVP via the sign-up.

4-H Chocolate Fun

Do you like chocolate? Do you want to make something for your loved ones for the holiday? Lauren C. from the Lucky Clovers 4-H Club will be leading this hands-on class to create Valentine treats with chocolate writing, chocolate molding and making a chocolate dessert bowl. Join us for this fun class on Tuesday, February 24th from 6:00 - 8:00 PM. Registration required.

Spring Break Classes - March 17th

Leathercraft Class

Instructor Randy Cornelius will touch on the basics of leathercraft including some history of leather, how leather is made, and the basic seven tools used to carve floral designs on leather. This class is geared toward youth above the age of 12 and is simply an introduction for those who have never done leathercraft before. Hands on work of carving and tooling a design will be done on a leather coaster.

The class will be held on Tuesday, March 17th from 1:30 - 4:30 PM at the Johnson County Extension Office, Room 1055. The class fee is $25 per participant. All the tools, leather, and other supplies will be provided. Each youth will also be supplied a leatherworking manual that is theirs to keep. Participants will need to bring two #2 lead pencils or a mechanical pencil, a 12” ruler, and a pair of scissors. The class is limited to 10 spots. Preregistration is required. Email Randy with any questions about the class.

Livestock Judging

If you are interested in joining or learning more about the Johnson County 4-H Livestock Judging team, please fill out this form. Livestock judging is a great way to learn more about each species, desirable genetics and traits for your animals, and gain confidence in communication skills. This team will also compete at the 4-H Livestock Sweepstakes contest. Please contact Cyla or coach, Wyatt Reece, with questions.

YQCA

Youth for the Quality Care of Animals (YQCA) is a national, multi-species youth livestock quality assurance program that focuses on food safety, animal wellbeing, and character development, through age-appropriate educational curriculum for ages 7-21. This program is an annual certification that grows with the youth, so the learning modules are different every year.

Who needs to be certified?

• ALL Johnson County Fair Exhibitors: Youth ages 8 and older exhibiting in the beef, goat, sheep and/or swine project must be YQCA certified by June 15, 2026 in order to exhibit at the fair.
• ALL Exhibitors at State Livestock Shows: Youth ages 7 and older who will be exhibiting market or breeding animals in the Kansas State Fair Grand Drive or Kansas Junior Livestock Show (KJLS) are required to obtain certification.

How do I get certified? Certification can be done by taking a minimum one-hour in-person training or an online training. Both types of trainings are registered for and paid for by going to the YQCA website. All registrations and payments are handled through the YQCA website and must be done before attending either type of training. The online training is $12 per youth and the in-person training is $3 per youth. (If a family needs financial support, contact the Extension Office.)

Johnson County 4-H will hold two in-person trainings at the Extension Office on Tuesday, February 10th at 6:00 PM and Tuesday, May 5th at 6:00 PM. Registration is required to attend a training. If you cannot attend one of the in-person trainings that our county offers, you may also attend a training in another county. It is not required that you complete your certification in the county you show in. To find other counties' trainings, view other available dates on the YQCA website.

Families are responsible for turning in a printed copy of their YQCA certificate or emailing a copy to the Extension Office by June 15th, 2026. No late submissions (after June 15th) will be accepted. Additional details can be found on the Johnson County 4-H Livestock webpage.

Livestock Tagging

All market and commercial breeding animals, including beef, sheep, goats, swine, and bucket calves, must be tagged by Extension staff on or before the designated tagging deadlines to be eligible to show in the 4-H division at the Johnson County Fair. The cost of the Kansas 4-H EID ear tag is $3 per animal.

Tagging dates and times are as follows and will all take place at the Johnson County Fairgrounds. In an effort to meet state guidelines please note that tagging dates will be held earlier for the 2026 show year. Read more about best management practices for local livestock tagging.

Johnson County Fair Livestock Limits

Please note that there will be no limits for the number of market animals you can show for the 2026 Johnson County Fair. Previously no exhibitor of cattle, swine, goats and sheep could show more than 3 market animals. This change was a collective decision made between the Extension Office, the Johnson County Fair Board, and the 4-H Livestock Superintendents to help encourage more participation in these project areas.

State Livestock Nominations

4-H members planning to show their animals at the Kansas Junior Livestock Show (KJLS) and/or the Kansas State Fair must submit nominations to the KSU Youth Livestock office. Market beef nominations are due by May 1. Commercial heifer, swine, sheep, and meat goat nominations are due by June 15. Information regarding state livestock nominations, ordering DNA envelopes, and the nomination process can be found on the webpage.

Fiber Arts Project Meeting

County-wide Poultry Project Kickoff

Join us Wednesday, March 4th from 6:00 - 7:00 PM at the Extension Office to kickoff the 4-H Poultry Project in Johnson County. Hear from this year's new superintendent Alicia Van Gotten, ask questions and share knowledge with other poultry families. Door prizes will be awarded at the conclusion of the meeting (must be present to win).

Whether this is your first or tenth year in the Johnson County poultry project, you are encouraged to attend! We will be discussing new biosecurity protocols, showmanship expectations and plans for barn improvements. 

For first year poultry project families, we will discuss Poultry 101, where to buy project chicks, care and show processes. Bring your questions! Treats provided by the Blue River Wranglers Poultry Project.

Please RSVP if you plan to attend. Can't make the meeting? We will share a link to attend virtually. Feel free to email questions in advance to Alicia.

Building Block Engineering Project Meeting

The 2026 Johnson County Building Block Engineering Project Kickoff will be Tuesday, March 10th from 6:00 -7:00 PM at the Extension Office! Hear from superintendent Ben Powell, ask questions and share ideas with other Building Block Engineering families. We will have some mixed bins of Legos for 4-H'ers to experiment with while we go over the project expectations and guidance for required paperwork. Treats will be provided by the Blue River Wranglers Lego Group.

Anyone interested in learning more about Building Block Engineering (commonly referred to as BBE, or the Lego project) is invited! No supplies needed. Please RSVP if you plan to attend.

Save the Date: Foods Project Information Session

Our Nutrition, Food Safety, and Health Agent, Chelsea King, and the 4-H Foods and Nutrition Superintendent, Sue Pio, will host an information session via Zoom on Thursday, April 30th (6:00 - 7:00 PM). This session is designed to help exhibitors prepare for the fair’s food projects. We’ll walk through the fair book together, highlighting key rules and guidelines, and cover practical tips, such as calculating your frosting percentage, to ensure your entries meet judging standards. The session will conclude with a Q&A, giving you the chance to ask questions you may have around foods for the fair. 

Thursdays, January 15th, 22nd and 29th 6:30 - 8:30 PM

County-Wide Sewing Meetings

All levels welcome. Bring your sewing machines!

Contact: Martha Powell

Location: Johnson County Extension Office

Saturday, January 17th 9:00 - 10:30 AM

County Fiber Arts Project Meet-up

Join fiber arts leaders for a morning of crafting. Bring a project to work on, meet new people and learn from these leaders.

Contact: Emily Kozlowski or Sarah Kallansrud

Location: Groundhouse Coffee (103 S. Elm Gardner, KS 66030)

Monday, January 19th

Johnson County Extension Office Closed

Martin Luther King Jr. Day Observed

Monday, January 19th 6:00 PM

Johnson County Entomology Project Meeting

You are invited to join us on the third Monday of each month at the Johnson County Entomology Project Meetings. At these meetings we dive into the art of collecting and learning about insects! Whether you're a seasoned collector or just starting out, this hands-on meeting is perfect for anyone looking to improve their skills and take their insect collection to new heights. All skill levels welcome!

At the January meeting we will focus on the various habitats that we can find insects. If you are looking for a new project where you can learn more about the world and nature, entomology is an excellent choice, and this meeting will give you the right place to start learning about the insects and how they live! Be sure to bring a few insects that want help with pinning and identifying.

Registration: None required

Contact: Patrick Delancy

Location: Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church (Room #115) 13145 Blackbob Road, Olathe, KS 66062

Tuesday, January 20th

Johnson County Horticulture Project Meeting

Join us for the first of several monthly horticulture meetings.

Registration: Sign up

Contact: Anthony or Markis

Location: Johnson County Extension Office

Tuesday, February 10th 6:00 PM

YQCA In-Person Training

Complete your required YQCA training at this session.

Registration: Registration required

Contact: Cyla or Lexi

Location: Johnson County Extension Office

Save the Date: K-State Junior Producer Day

Junior Producer Days are hosted to provide educational material and hands-on experiences for youth, parents, leaders, extension agents, and ag teachers. Various speakers share information on topics such as selection, nutrition, showmanship, fitting, reproduction, feeding, and disease control. Talks, demonstrations, hands-on activities, and door prizes are present at all events. Beef and Sheep days are hosted in even years, and Swine and Meat Goat days are hosted in odd years.

Both events will be held at the Bilbrey Family Events Center in Manhattan, KS.

YQCA Scholarship

Youth for the Quality Care of Animals (YQCA) will be continuing the scholarship program they launched in 2025. Last year, Kansas had two of the seven national scholarships awarded. Review the requirements below and apply by February 15th.

Eligibility Requirements:

To be considered for this scholarship, applicants must be in the age range of a high school senior to 21 years of age. Applicants must have experience with an animal project in one of the species covered by YQCA (beef cattle, dairy cattle, swine, sheep, goats, poultry, or rabbits). All applicants must show a commitment to pursuing a career path in agriculture, livestock, or food systems. Applicants must meet one of the following education and career pathway requirements:

• High School Seniors: High school seniors may apply if they have been accepted into an accredited college, university, or certification program in an agriculture-related field.
• High School Graduates: High school graduates must be currently enrolled in one of the following:
• A 2- to 4-year college or university agriculture program
• An agriculture-related certification program

K-State Invitational Youth Meat Judging Contest

A spring youth meat judging contest will be hosted again this year on Sunday, March 1 in the KSU Meats Lab on the K-State campus in Manhattan. This will be a wonderful opportunity for youth to see actual meat product.

Registration for the contest is live. The deadline to register is February 27.  

Save the Date:

Public Garden Tour

The Johnson County Public Garden Tour will be held on Friday, June 12th and Saturday, June 13th. This garden tour is unique! Each garden is owned and maintained by one of the Johnson County Extension Master Gardeners. By opening up these private gardens to the public you get a rare chance to wander through your neighbor's backyard and see and learn from local experts. Online ticket sales will open March 15th. Tickets are expected to sell quickly, so don't forget to get yours early. Visit the website for more information and to get a sneak peek at the properties on the 2026 tour!

Clover Clips Submission

The deadline for submissions for Clover Clips will be on the 15th of each month. If you have a submission that you would like to have considered for an edition of Clover Clips please send it to Erin at Erin.Yeung@jocogov.org