Reporter's Corner

County Club Day

Now is a great time to start planning and practicing your County Club Day performances. County Club Days will be held Saturday, February 28th at Pioneer Ridge Middle School in Gardner, KS. What event(s) would you like to register for? Refer to this handout for a list and description of the various events and make sure to review each event's guidelines.

Registration will open January 5th and 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 days webpage for registration links.

Mark your calendars: Regional Club Day will be Saturday, March 21st in Baldwin City, KS at the Baldwin Junior High School.

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.

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.

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 training 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 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 and 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.

County Sewing Project Meetings

Attention sewers OR those who want to sew! County wide sewing classes will resume on Thursday, January 8th and will meet each week until the fair. Plan to attend these meetings each Thursday from 6:30 - 8:30 PM at the Extension Office. If you have any questions, contact Martha Powell or call (913-302-5812).

Fiber Arts Project Meeting

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. 

January 1st and 2nd

Johnson County Extension Office Closed

Offices will reopen January 5th

Monday, January 5th 7:00 PM

County Council Meeting

Council will meet every other month on the odd-numbered months.

Contact: Cyla or Lexi 

Location: Johnson County Extension Office (Room 1070/1075)

Thursdays, January 8th, 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

Allen County Entomology Meeting

Join the SE Kansas Entomology project meeting and learn something new about the fascinating world of insects! The meeting will be on Saturday, January 10th at 1:00 PM at the Allen County Extension Office meeting room. 4-H'ers will be working on pinning insects again so bring your pinning boards, pinning supplies and 3 or 4 insects to pin. Vicky would like each 4-H'er to look up an insect nickname and bring a short project talk on how the insect got its nickname. A few examples are:

• Dragonflies are called Devil's Darning Needles
• Ladybird Beetles are called Lady Bugs
• Sphinx Moths are called Hummingbird Moths



Remember to put your insects you want to pin in a relaxing chamber on Friday before the meeting on Saturday. Contact Vicky Wallace with any questions.

Citizenship in Action

Would you like to have more influence in laws and rules that affect your life? Then you’ll want to attend Kansas 4-H Citizenship in Action! This two-day event is sponsored by the State 4-H Youth Leadership Council. The purpose of the event is for Kansas youth to learn how the state legislative process works and how their voice and participation in decision-making can make a difference in their local communities. The legislative visit will not only familiarize youth with the capitol building, but will also show them how they can affect the legislative process.

When: February 15th-16th, 2026

Where: Topeka, KS (Hotel Topeka at City Center)

Who: Youth 13-18 years old by January 1 of the current year

Registration: Register by 1/26 - take note: attendance will be capped this year and registration could close before 1/26 if the cap is met before the deadline - register early so you get a spot!

Find more details and information on the CIA webpage.

4-H Horse Judging Contest

The State 4-H Horse Judging Contest will be held Friday, January 23rd in Topeka at the Stormont Vail Events Center in conjunction with EquiFest of Kansas. Kansas 4-H is partnering with the Kansas Quarter Horse Youth Association to bring a quality educational event for youth interested in horses.

There will be two contests -

• State 4-H Contest (open to Kansas 4-H members ages 9-18) and an
• Open youth contest (open to all ages of youth).

The first place senior 4-H team will have the opportunity to represent Kansas at the Western National 4-H Roundup next January in Denver. 

Complete contest information is available on the website. 

Note the following: 

• Registration is through the EquiFest registration.
• Early bird registration due January 2nd; late registration due January 9th
• It is requested that a coach or Extension Agent register the team from their Extension unit, rather than multiple people registering. If the coach registering is not an agent, please communicate with your local Extension agent that you will be entering a team.

Questions? Email Kelsey.

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.

2026-2027 Kansas 4-H Scholarships

The Kansas 4-H Scholarship program is open to graduating high school seniors, current college students, and graduate students who have been part of the 4-H experience. Each scholarship has its own criteria, and you may qualify for several. You will only need to fill out one application to be considered for all available scholarships. The scholarship process combines the State 4-H Scholarships and the Vanier Family Scholarship Program (VFSP) applications together.

The scholarship application is on the Kansas 4-H website, along with many details on the scholarship offerings and application requirements. The deadline for the Kansas 4-H Scholarships is Monday, January 5, 2026.

SevenDays Organization Opportunities

Based in Kansas City, the SevenDays organization provides opportunities encouraging all people to increase kindness through knowledge, mindset and behavior. Their mission is to overcome hate by promoting kindness and understanding through education and dialogue, with a vision to make a ripple to change the world by connecting communities. SevenDays value youth development, interfaith dialogue and cooperation, community connections, health & wellness and more! Check out their website to see all their upcoming opportunities - scholarship for seniors, an art contest, Youth Leadership Team and more! Take note: the scholarship deadline is January 9th.

Cool Science Artwork Competition

Cool Science is a free and public art competition held each year for all K-12 artists.

Cool Science is a collaboration between the UMass Lowell, UMass Boston, Massachusetts College of Art and Design, University of Kansas, and Kansas City Art Institute. 

In 2019, Cool Science received a National Science Foundation grant that helped it expand the project beyond Massachusetts to Kansas, Missouri, and Southern New Hampshire. However, students from any location around the world are welcome to participate. 

This year, they are asking young artists to answer one of the following challenge questions with a visual work of art: 

1. What can we learn from nature about adapting to a changing climate?
2. How are Massachusetts and its cities and towns preparing for climate change?
3. How can we lower temperatures in urban heat islands?

Cool Science will select the best entries for display on public buses in the Spring 2026. The honorees will be recognized at their art exhibit celebrations next year. Submission guidelines are available, and all artwork submissions are due January 9th, 2026.

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