October 14, 2026

Marie's Message

At the Dodge County 4-H Leadership Launch on September 29, 2026, 22 youth leaders in grades 3-13 and 16 adult volunteers, representing thirteen 4-H clubs, took part in 4-H club officer training. Through their participation, youth participants deepened their understanding of their 4-H club officer roles and responsibilities, learned ways to work collaboratively with each other in 4-H clubs, and practiced effectively leading business meetings and making group decisions. After the program: 84% of youth participants agreed they helped make a group decision, 89% of youth participants believed their ideas mattered, 84% of youth participants felt more confident to lead their 4-H clubs, and 89% of youth participants felt supported by adults at the program.

During the Club Planning Marketplace, clubs identified goals focused on strengthening belonging, helping members discover their sparks, increasing youth leadership opportunities, and creating more engaging club experiences. Clubs commonly planned to use icebreakers, peer mentoring, youth-led discussions, and interactive activities to ensure all members feel welcome, explore new interests, and have a meaningful voice in club decisions. Many clubs also committed to increasing community service and finding new ways to actively involve younger and newer members.

The clubs have each gotten the information returned to them. If you talk about it in your clubs, please remember that I am available for a club visit and can highlight the Sparks in your club.

Have a great week!
Marie

Marie Witzel
Positive Youth Development Educator
127 E. Oak St.
Juneau, WI 53039
920-386-3790
marie.witzel@wisc.edu

If clubs or groups have items to share, send them by noon on Monday to be included in that week’s issue. Anything received after 12 p.m. Monday will be considered for the following week. 

Please send any 4-H or youth development related emails to marie.witzel@wisc.edu

Thank you so much for giving so much of yourself-- you are appreciated! In honor of recognizing your milestone year, we have dedicated 4-H pins to celebrate your achievement. If you would like to receive your pin, please send an email so we know to get it ready for you!😀  Send an email to: kmflanders@wisc.edu

Astico Perseverance (Blake Kurth): Astico Perseverance 4-H Club held its October meeting with 30 members present and welcomed five new members. Members shared reports from recent club and county activities, discussed plans for the November meeting at the care center, and approved funding for a costume contest, an officer gathering, and the club's annual gingerbread house activity. The meeting concluded with reminders to share photos from club events for the club historian and continued planning for upcoming fall and winter activities.

Richwood Rangers (Caleb Meitner): At the 4H meeting on October 3rd, we had the President and Vice President nominations, Piper was nominated president and Sam was nominated Vice President. After the 4H meeting we did highway cleanup on county road M. Some of the things we found were 3-4 48 inch fluorescent light bulbs, and 3-4 diesel exhaust fluid [DEF] boxes among other things.

Need help? Reach out to schedule an appointment, and we can assist you with completing your online enrollment and training at the Extension Office.

Reminder: After submitting your volunteer enrollment, please watch for your HireRight background check and/or complete the required 4-H Online volunteer training. These steps must be completed before your enrollment can be approved. For the training, be sure to scroll to the very bottom of the final screen so the course is marked as complete.

Enrollment needs to be completed by November 1st, 2026.

Reminder for 3rd Grade Members:
In Dodge County 4-H, 3rd grade members must enroll in the Exploring project and may add one additional project of their choice. If they choose Beef as their additional project, they are only eligible to exhibit in the Beef Feeder Class at the Dodge County Junior Fair. It looks like they will need to add the Exploring project and decide which one additional project they would like to complete this year.

Reminder for Adult Volunteers:
All adult volunteers must complete the required volunteer training and background check process before they can be approved and participate as a 4-H volunteer. If you have not yet completed these requirements, please do so as soon as possible to avoid delays in your volunteer approval.

Enrollment needs to be completed by November 1st, 2026

THIS SATURDAY!

Registration is limited to 30 youth participants. An adult must accompany youth. Adults do not need to register.

Registration deadline: October 16th or when the event is filled to capacity, whatever happens first. October 21st is the last day to withdraw from this event. Any registration withdrawal after this date will be responsible for payment regardless of attendance.

Registration is through 4-H Online.

Registration is open September 29 - October 28, 2026 (or until all spaces are full, whatever comes sooner). No late registration or onsite registrations will be offered.

Looking to connect with 4-H members from across Wisconsin while growing your skills and exploring your interests? Consider applying for a Wisconsin 4-H Ambassador Team! Opportunities are available in Leadership, Agriculture, Arts, and the new Outdoor Ambassadors program. Youth in grades 9-12 can develop leadership skills, make new friends, represent Wisconsin 4-H at statewide events, and help shape future programming. Applications open October 1 in 4-H Online and close November 15, 2026. Visit the Wisconsin 4-H website for more information about each ambassador team and application details.

The 2027 National Poster Contest Theme "From Source to Sea. Every Drop Has A Journey" (this title must be included on each poster)

The Dodge County Land and Water Conservation Dept. will be participating in the 2027 NACD poster contest. The poster contest is open to public, private and home-school students’ kindergarten through 12th grade.

Divisions: Grades K-1, Grades 2-3, Grades 4-6, Grades 7-9, Grades 10-12
Poster Size: 11"x17" (preferred size) 12"x18" or 14"x22" accepted

Posters are evaluated on the following criteria:

Conservation message
Visual effectiveness
Originality
Universal appeal

Poster Contest Date: January 13, 2027
Posters Due: January 6, 2027

Dairy-activity form

The 2026-2027 Dodge County Dairy-Activity Card is currently in review, but participation in the Cream of the Crop Dairy Challenge in September, competing in various World Dairy Expo contests, and attending World Dairy Expo this week all qualify for points on next year's card. Signatures are easy to get later on after the contests, but if you're just attending, take a picture in front of something iconic to prove you were there. Most importantly: Have fun!

Next DYAC meeting

Date: Nov. 18, 2026, 7:30 p.m.
Location: Dodge County Administration Building

General questions? Contact DYAC via e-mail: dodgecountydyac@gmail.com.

OCTOBER

 17 - Drone Demo Day

20 - Leader's Executive Board Meeting

21 - Project Learning Lab: Animal

PYD Media Collection Project Resources Follow the link to learn more about the collection and request materials.

4HOnline  Log in to your account at the Wisconsin 4-H Online Sign in page

Visit the Wisconsin 4-H Website

WI 4-H Policy Updates

The University of Wisconsin–Madison Division of Extension provides equal opportunities in employment and programming in compliance with state and federal law.

University of Wisconsin-Madison, Division of Extension
Dodge County 4-H
Extension Dodge County  127 E. Oak Street  Juneau, WI 53039-1329
tel: 920.386.3790    fax: 920.386.3928