1625 Adventureland Drive Suite A, Altoona, Iowa 50009 | 515-957-5760 | Monday—Friday 8:00-5:00

Iowa State University Extension programs are available to all without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, or disability.

1625 Adventureland Drive Suite A, Altoona, Iowa 50009 | 515-957-5760 | Monday—Friday 8:00-5:-00

LEARN MORE AT WWW.EXTENSION.IASTATE.EDU/POLK

CLOVER POWER FEBRUARY 2016

POLK COUNTY EXTENSION

Headliner: Lookin’ snazzy for 4-H

KATIE BEARY County Youth Coordinator kbeary@iastate.edu (515) 957-5771

CARLA VANDERHEIDEN Youth & Nutrition Internal Coordinator carlav@iastate.edu (515) 957-5763

MARCI VINSAND County Youth Coordinator vinsand@iastate.edu (515) 957-5770

Polk County 4-H collaborated with Broken Arrow in Des Moines to design a personalized Polk County 4-H logo that we can wear to show support for the Clover Kid and 4-H programs. Polk County 4-H’s apparel sale is a fundraiser in which all proceeds directly support the program at the county level. We’re excited about the design and cannot wait for it to make a statement at club meetings, school, community events, and, of course, the fair! Wear white to exhibit, wear gray to brag about our program, and wear the pullover to stay warm in our winter workshops.

Orders are due to the Polk County Extension office by 5:00 pm on Friday, February 5, 2016. We have sample sizes in the office in the colors offered. Orders will be in by mid-February. For more information and the order form, please vis-it: http://www.extension.iastate.edu/polk/news/polk-county-4-h-fundraiser

Focus 2016 POLK COUNTY FAIR DATES CP SUBMISSION DEADLINES

July 20-25, 2016

Clothing Event: Saturday, July 9, 2016

Email Clover Power submissions to Marci, Carla or Katie. For March, submit by 2/25/16 For April, submit by 3/29/16 For May, submit by 4/26/16 For June, submit by 5/26/16 For July, submit by 6/28/16 For August, submit by 7/27/16

SWEET, GLUTEN-FREE TREATS!

events

PANERA BAKERS IN TRAINING PILLOWCASE WORKSHOP

Learn about gluten-free baking with Rebecca Osthus on Saturday, February 13, 2016 from 9:30-11:30 am at Meredith Middle School in Des Moines (4827 Madison Ave, Des Moines, IA 50310). You will also learn how to write an effective baking goal in preparation for the fair! Details: 16 4-H/Clover Kid members can attend; the cost is $6 per youth (due 2/13/16). The deadline to register is Sat-urday, February 6. Registration link: http://goo.gl/forms/e2ugn4TZ0C

4-H BASKET WEAVING WORKSHOP

Join your fellow 4-H’ers and Urbandale 4-H leader Jennifer Giles in a two-session basket weaving workshop. You must attend both sessions! Here are the details:

Dates: Sunday, March 13, 1:30-4:30 & Sunday, April 10, 1:30-4:30

Place: Urbandale Library (3520 86th St., Urbandale, IA 50322) Cost: $15 for materials. Must prepay by February 26 because materials are ordered, as they can't be purchased locally. Send payment to ISU Polk Co. Extension Office, ℅ Katie Beary, 1625 Adventureland Drive, Ste. A, Altoona, IA 50009

Who: 4-H’ers (4-12 grade) *Any 4-H’er under 14 needs to bring an adult or older teenager with them to assist. Class size: 18

Registration: http://goo.gl/forms/zRlDsDsqBw

Join us on March 17, 2016 at Panera at 5525 Merle Hay Road, Johnston, IA at 2:30 pm for a Baker in Training workshop! The workshop is for youth 6-12 years old. The cost is $20 per child and can be paid at the time of the event at the bakery-cafe. Each child will receive a baking hat and apron, score and bake their very own French Baguette (as well as one to donate!), enjoy milk and a cookie, and take home a Baker's Certificate to re-member the day. The workshop is limited to 10 kids.

Register: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1NMjLT12-

4hbOHgfKGPtYdMrvc3uwX8nENEwHAQINd2w/

viewform

Join Jessica Bigelow on Saturday, February 27 for a sew-ing workshop! See the flyer listed at the end of this month’s Clover Power. Registration link: http://goo.gl/forms/E2j4yXMlBN

BABY NORA

spotlight

ALTOONA ADVENTURERS VALLEY PACERS

Carla is back to work after three precious months at home with Nora Beth, born on November 2, 2015. Nora is the per-

fect combination of mom and dad: particular and stubborn! She likes music, milk, the color pink, and cuddling.

On December 20th, 2015 Altoona Adventurers held a 4-H meeting. They wrote Christmas cards to YESS (Youth Emergency Shelter and Services.) Their t-shirt design for county fair hasn’t been decided on, but they did finalize their theme for fair idea. With a season of sharing spirit they had a cookie exchange; each member brought two dozen cookies and left with two dozen different cookies. By Abby W., Reporter, Altoona Adventurers 4-H Club

On December 13, 2015, the Valley Pacers 4-H club had a meeting at Faith Lutheran Church. After their regular meeting they had a December party. First, they had a gift exchange. Then, there were presentations on holi-day crafts and holiday food. After that they played some minute-to-win-it games and made posters for Blank Chil-dren’s Hospital with encouraging messages on them. By Jordan L., Reporter, Valley Pacers 4-H Club

LIVESTOCK JUDGING TEAM COMPETES AT PORK EXPO Twelve Polk County 4-H members competed in three teams on Thursday, January 28 at the Pork Expo Livestock Judging Competition on the Iowa State Fairgrounds.

Pictured in the front row: Tricia Veldhuizen, Sydney Anderson, Tucker An-derson. Middle Row: Caitlyn Jensen, Brady Weldon, Kennadi Fulmer, Jen-kin Fulmer, Cody Hay. Back Row: Justin VandeLune, Teddy VandeLune, Carter Sanny, Ben Ewing.

LITTLE HANDS ON THE FARM

classifieds

TASTE OF CAMP

The Iowa State Fair invites your club or county to participate in a volunteer shift at Little Hands on the Farm (LHOTF). What is required of you? As a participant, your club or county commits to providing the volunteers for LHOTF for an entire shift. In return, the name of your club or county is listed on the entrance and exit gates of LHOTF; additionally, your club or county is listed on the Iowa State Fair website as a Volunteer Group. Contact Agriculture Education Coordinator Emily Wynn at ewynn@iowastatefair.org or 515-401-1544

Are you hungry for adventure? Does your mouth water when you imagine yourself zip-lining, climbing a 65-foot wall, and roasting the perfect marshmallow? Experience the sights, smells, and sounds of summer camp when you attend the 2016 Taste of Camp in Madrid, Iowa. Campers will learn about the natural environment and sciences, develop their leadership skills, and make friends from surrounding counties. Don't wait! Discover more now: http://www.extension.iastate.edu/polk/content/taste-camp-2016

YOUTH SWINE EVENTS

2016 4-H ANIMAL SCIENCE ROUNDUP

Animal & Livestock news 2016 EQUINE EXTRAVAGANZA

National Swine Registry Youth Boot Camp, February 20, 2016 More Info: nationalswine.com/shows/jr_shows/bootcamp/bootcamp_info.php

Cyclone Swine Spectacular, February 27, 2016 More Info: www.iowapork.org/iowa-pork-youth-team/

cyclone-swine-spectacular/

The annual event will be held March 4-6 at Ellsworth Community College Equestrian Center in Iowa Falls and is open to ALL youth: 4-H, FFA, or other. This is THE place to be whether you’re a seasoned equine youth or are new to the horse side of life. Quiz bowl, hippology, horse judging, photography, public speaking, posters, painting, crafts, and many other project topic areas all come together in one location. Again for this year, we will be offering a top-quality clinician for Saturday. Rules and registration forms are now posted on the 4-H Horse Equine Extravaganza website: http://www.extension.iastate.edu/4h/equineextravaganza

Once again the 4-H Animal Science Roundup will be selecting 20 youth for each species: beef, dairy cattle, horse, sheep, and swine. Roundup will be held in conjunction with State 4-H Conference June 28-30. Applications are due March 1. Information: http://www.extension.iastate.edu/4h/animalscienceroundup

LIVING HISTORY FARMS: 4-H RABBIT PROJECT OPPORTUNITY Living History Farms invites the Polk County 4-H Rabbit Project youth to participate in their Easter Celebration on Satur-day, March 26, 2016 from 8:30 am- 12:30pm. Tables will be set up in the LHF Party Barn for 4-H’ers to display their rab-bits. Visitors will walk by the tables to pet and talk about the animals. This is great practice for 4-H’ers to talk about their animals to others. A Living History Farms Volunteer Form is required for each person participating as a volunteer. To sign-up for this event or ask questions, contact Carol Stock at 515-447-1012 or carolstunes@yahoo.com

Please mark your calendars with the following weigh-in dates: Swine – Saturday, April 16, 2016 from 8:00-11:00 am at Don Timmins’ Farm Sheep and Meat Goats – Saturday, April 30, 2016 from 8:00-11:00 am at the Iowa State Fair Grounds Sheep Barn

ALL livestock ID’s will be done through 4-H Online (iowa.4honline.com)

Non weigh-in species’ ID’s are due by May 15 (they can also be done today!). To enter non weigh-in species, you will need to log into your 4-H Online family record and add the pertinent Animal ID’s to the member record.

Weigh-In animals will be entered into 4-H online by county extension staff. It will be the responsibility of the mem-bers to log into 4-H Online to verify that all information is correct within one week of the weigh-in date. Infor-mation that is not verified by the members within the verification timeframe will be locked and will not be able to be changed after that date.

If you have questions about this process, contact Marci at 957-5770 or vinsand@iastate.edu

LIVESTOCK ID’S

WEIGH-IN DATES

THE IOWA DAIRY GOAT ASSOCIATION SHARE-A-KID PROGRAM

Animal & Livestock news cont’d Each year the Iowa Dairy Goat Association (IDGA) promotes interest in dairy goats in our state. One of the ways IDGA encourages our young people in this aspect of agriculture is through the Share-A-Kid program. Winners of the Share-A-Kid program receive a free doeling, as well as one year of free membership in IDGA. Winning applicants are selected from the essays and supporting material (such as photos/artwork, etc) that they send in.

This statewide contest is open to those between the ages of 10 and 17 and who are a member of IDGA, 4-H, FFA, or other agricultural groups. IDGA can only award one goat per family per year; however, siblings are encouraged to ap-ply.

Entries are accepted from January 1 to March 15, 2016, and winners are notified by the end of April. Winners are re-quired to show their animal at a county fair or open class goat show and to stay in touch with their appointed mentor with updates every two weeks. More information and the application form can be found by visiting www.iowadairygoat.org and following the "Youth" link from the homepage.

FSQA (FOOD SAFETY & QUALITY ASSURANCE) ELIGIBILITY All food-producing livestock exhibitors currently in 4-6th grades are required to attend FSQA training. 4-H’ers currently in 7-9th grades will be eligible to take the intermediate test, and 4-H’ers in 10-12th grades will be eligible to take the senior test. These eligibilities are no longer tied to the 4-H’ers age.

This training includes exhibitors in Beef, Dairy, Sheep, Swine, Poultry, and Rabbit project areas; additionally, the train-ing includes breeding divisions of the above exhibits. Polk County will be offering FSQA Training from 6:00-8:00 pm on Tuesday, March 8, 2016 and 1:00-3:00 pm on Tuesday, March 15, 2016. These are currently the only two sessions scheduled for Polk County. Please sign up at http://goo.gl/forms/oecW0p4EHR

OBBR: DO YOU QUALIFY? OBBR (Own, Bred, Born & Raised): Do you Qualify? Answer the following questions to find out! Do you have your own sows? Do your animals reside at your own farm or a farm nearby? Do you and will you provide daily care to your sows and growing pigs throughout the duration of the project? Did you breed your sow via AI or nat-ural breeding with a herdsire? Did you farrow your sow (or she had pigs on her own) and did you take care of her and her babies? Did you or will you care for her growing pigs on a daily basis? Did you or will you complete the record book prior to the deadline? Are you willing to have a great time, and enjoy being creative when making your record book? Would you like to have additional classes to show in at the County Fair? Forms can be found at: http://www.extension.iastate.edu/polk/page/4-h-recordkeeping

RISK MANAGEMENT

ANNUAL TRAINING FOR POLK COUNTY VOLUNTEERS: FEBRUARY 11

Attention: leaders!

ARTICLE TITLE 3

Mark your calendar! The 2015/2016 Annual Volunteer Training: The HEART of Community will be held in February at

the Polk County Extension office. We will host two sessions that day: 1:00-3:00 pm and 6:30-8:30 pm. Volunteers in this

session will be prepared to help youth find their voices as they become actively engaged in their communities. The ses-

sion will include resources and models to incorporate mastery, belonging, generosity, and independence as you include

citizenship activities in 4-H settings. Plan to attend February 11; in the event of snow, plan on February 15.

This training is for ALL volunteers; it is the annual training.

If you plan a winter activity i.e. sledding, every club member must fill out the Winter Sports Waiver: http://www.extension.iastate.edu/4hfiles/RMIowa4HWinterSportsPermissionAgreement-Jan2010.pdf

Other Risk Management Reminders: http://

www.extension.iastate.edu/4h/page/4-h-risk-

management

Email Clover Power submissions to Marci, Carla or Katie. For March, submit by 2/25/16 For April, submit by 3/29/16 For May, submit by 4/26/16 For June, submit by 5/26/16 For July, submit by 6/28/16 For August, submit by 7/27/16

RECORD KEEPING LINK

Forms can be found at: http://www.extension.iastate.edu/polk/page/4-h-recordkeeping

… and justice for all The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, and where applicable, sex, marital status, familial status, parental status, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, political beliefs, reprisal, or because all or part of an individual’s income is derived from any public assistance program. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA's TARGET Center at 202-720-2600 (voice and TDD). To file a complaint of discrimination, write to USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410, or call 800-795-3272 (voice) or 202-720-6382 (TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

Calendar 2016 February 1 State Award Applications Due

1 Scholarship Applications Due

2 4-H Program Advisory Board 7:00 pm

3 County Council Meeting 7:00 pm

5 Shirt Orders due to the Extension office by 5:00 pm

13 Sweet, Gluten-Free Treats! 9:30-11:30 am

17 Fair Board Meeting 7:30 pm

27 Pillowcase Sewing Workshop Time TBD

March

1 4-H Program Advisory Board 7:00 pm

2 County Council Meeting 7:00 pm

8 FSQA Training 6:00 – 8:00 pm

12 Babysitting Clinin from 9:00 am - 3:00 pm

13 Basket Weaving Workshop Part 1: 1:30-4:30 pm

15 FSQA Training 1:00 – 3:00 pm

16 Fair Board Meeting 7:30 pm

17 Panera Bakers in Training 2:30 pm

April 5 4-H Program Advisory Board 7:00 pm

6 County Council Meeting 7:00 pm

10 Basket Weaving Workshop Part 2: 1:30-4:30 pm

16 Swine Weigh-In 8:00-11:00 am

20 Fair Board Meeting 7:30 pm

28 Leader Meeting 1:00–3:00 pm or 6:30–8:30 pm

30 Sheep and Meat Goat Weigh-In 8:00-11:00 am

May

3 4-H Program Advisory Board 7:00 pm

4 County Council Meeting 7:00 pm

15 Livestock ID’s Due in 4-H Online

15 Last Day to Enroll in 4-H (if you plan to exhibit/show at fair) 15 Polk County Fair King and Queen Applications Due

18 Fair Board Meeting 7:30 pm

30 Office Closed

… and justice for all The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, and where applicable, sex, marital status, familial status, parental status, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, political beliefs, reprisal, or because all or part of an individual’s income is derived from any public assistance program. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA's TARGET Center at 202-720-2600 (voice and TDD). To file a complaint of discrimination, write to USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410, or call 800-795-3272 (voice) or 202-720-6382 (TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

Calendar 2016 cont’d June

4 King and Queen Candidate Interviews

7 4-H Program Advisory Board 7:00 pm

8 County Council Meeting 7:00 pm

10-18 Citizenship Washington Focus (CWF) Trip

15 Fair Board Meeting 7:30 pm

22-25 Region 13 Taste of Camp

TBA Intermediate Trip, tentatively the week of June 13

TBA Photography Camp

TBA State 4-H Conference

July

1 Polk County & Iowa State Fair Entries Due to Extension Office

4 Office Closed

5 4-H Program Advisory Board 7:00 pm

6 County Council Meeting 7:00 pm

9 Clothing Event

13 Fair Board Meeting 7:30 pm

20-25 Polk County Fair

August

11-21 Iowa State Fair