Dear 4-H Families:

It's June and we're in the Dairy State, so I bet you know what that means - it's time to celebrate National Dairy Month!  This month-long celebration was established in 1937 as "National Milk Month" by grocer organizations to promote the distribution of surplus milk. In 1939, the name was changed to "National Dairy Month" and over the last 85 years has become a tribute to the hard-working dairy farmers and families who are behind the milk and dairy products that we see on our grocery store shelves everyday. 

The American Farm Bureau Federation shares these interesting dairy related facts:

Remember to celebrate with some area Ice Cream Socials!

Happy June Dairy Month,

Marie

Marie Witzel
4-H Youth Development Educator
920-386-3790
marie.witzel@wisc.edu

If clubs or groups have items to share, send them by noon on Thursday to be included in that week’s issue.  Anything received after 12 p.m. Thursday will be considered for the following week. The articles should be sent to Marie at marie.witzel@wisc.edu.

If you have Secretary's Minutes to share, please send them to the 4-H / Youth Program Assistant, Terra at: treider@wisc.edu by noon on Wednesday to be included in that week's issue. You can also contact the office with any questions. Thanks!

Neosho Utopians- (Charlotte Klink) We wrapped fish pond prizes at the June meeting. We also discussed our summer picnic ideas. On Saturday, June 8th we had a Brat Fry at Tractor Supply in Hartford. 

The Wisconsin 4-H Foundation is proud to announce our Senior Spotlight initiative. We are looking to recognize and highlight the incredible Wisconsin 4-H members who are aging out of the Wisconsin 4-H program. This is a great opportunity for our 4-H graduates to reflect on their 4-H experience and be recognized for all their hard work. 

Submissions will be accepted May 1 - June 30, 2024. Anyone who participates could have their story featured on The Wisconsin 4-H Foundation’s Facebook and Instagram pages and our website. They will also be entered into a random drawing for a prize from the Wisconsin 4-H Foundation. 

Our Dodge County Pig Pals Swine Spectacular Show is looking for Swine Project members, 4-H and FFA youth, that are involved with the Swine Project this year.  This is a great activity that offers people with disabilities a chance to shine in the show ring with your help.  This is also a great way to grow your leadership by partnering or working within the show in a variety of roles.  Our show is scheduled for Sunday, August 18th beginning with all arriving at 9:15 am. 

We will once again be expecting approximately 20 participants so that means we will need at least 20 swine exhibitor mentors to be partners along with 20 well trained pigs.   We will also need barn safety people, lots of them to make it a safe show, alone with ring safety, and water safety youth.  Parents and adults associated with swine project members can also volunteer.  ALL volunteers will receive a Dodge County Pig Pals T-shirt.

Please contact Mary Pat Boschert at 920-382-7943, call or text or email at billboschert@gmail.com to volunteer and answer any questions.  Thanks everyone!

The Wisconsin Working Stock Dog Association (WWSDA) wants to encourage young people to learn more about breeding, training, and handling dogs specific to working livestock. To help this goal we are offering a scholarship of up to $500.00 that can be applied to the cost of approved learning events such as lessons, clinics, or auditing a clinic.

Wisconsin 4-H and the Wisconsin 4-H Leadership Council are excited to host Fall Forum 2024!  Mark your calendars for November 2-3, 2024 at the Holiday Inn Convention Center in Stevens Point, Wisconsin. 

Fall Forum is a statewide conference that brings 4-H youth and adult leaders together to connect, collaborate, celebrate, and build excitement and energy for a new year of 4-H.  It is for youth in grades 7-13, adult volunteers, and staff.  It’s a great opportunity for youth and volunteers to discover and explore their sparks and make new friends from across the state.  Everyone will leave inspired and ready for a great 4-H year!

We need YOU to help make Fall Forum a success!  We are looking for session presenters.  Those presenters could be you, or they could be youth and adults from your county.  Please think about incredible programs in your local 4-H program and invite them to share at Fall Forum.  There are two types of sessions:

Workshops - There will be 2 workshop timeslots on Saturday, November 2nd- 1:15 -2:45 p.m., 3:15 - 4:45 p.m. These workshop sessions are designed to be engaging, hands-on and feature topics of interest to youth and adults.  Participants register for workshops in advance. (We have limited breakout space at the Holiday Inn Stevens Point, so we may have to limit the number of times workshops are offered.)

Interactive Stations - There will be 2 opportunities to share information and hands-on activities on Saturday, November 2nd - 8:00 - 10:15 a.m., 7:30 - 9:30 p.m.  Participants move from station to station freely and explore different interests and information.  Leaders should be prepared for about 100 youth and adult visitors at each station.  This is a great opportunity to lead brief hands-on activities or to offer Q&A sessions about a specific topic.

Session proposals are due by June 21st.  

The DYAC is excited to present a dairy educational morning on July 13th, 2024 at the Powers' Family Farm.  This is a great way to get a point for your dairy education card needed for the State Fair and the Dairy Youth Auction at the Dodge County Fair.  

Wisconsin State Fair is seeking agriculture-related groups (such as 4-H clubs, FFA chapters/alumni groups, or community clubs) to staff the Compeer Financial Discovery Barnyard for the 2024 Wisconsin State Fair. Groups should have a passion for educating the public about Wisconsin agriculture. Volunteer Group of the Day will receive a $1000 stipend paid to their group after successful completion of their shift, 1 daily admission ticket for each volunteer, 1 Lunch and 1 Dinner ticket for the Tommy G Thompson Youth Center Cafeteria for each volunteer, AND on-site parking!

If you are 18 years or older and interested in becoming a 4-H volunteer, we can help! We will provide new volunteers with training to ensure the safety of all youth and volunteers. The below linked trainings and a background check are required. Answers to questions about reporting and training are available on our FAQ page.

JUNE

18 - 4-H Leaders Association Meeting

JULY

4 - Happy Independence Day
OFFICE CLOSED

16 - 4-H Leaders Executive Board Meeting

22 - Orange Cards Due (Livestock)

Visit the Wisconsin 4-H Website

WI 4-H Policy Updates

An EEO/AA employer, University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension provides equal opportunities in employment and programming, including Title VI, Title IX, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act requirements.

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