Door County 4-H Newsletter

Hello Door County 4-H Families and Volunteers!

Welcome to Spring! I heard from several people that the electronic newsletter in March did not work quite as expected. Because of this, I will be sending it out electronically but will also mail a copy while I work out some of the issues. We have some important information coming out this month, and I do not want anyone to miss out! Please note that the printed version will be the same as the electronic version and will look very different from past printed newsletters.

Preparing for Fair is one of the topics in this newsletter. I know that sometimes it can be confusing - especially for some of our new families. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out!

Candis Dart

Door County 4-H Program Educator

candis.dart@wisc.edu

(920)746-2265

https://door.extension.wisc.edu/4-h-youth-development/

Shining Stars Egg Hunt
4-H Small Animal Swap
Volunteer Appreciation
Door County 4-H Key Award Applications
Dairy Fitting and Showing Clinic
Plant a Row for the Hungry
Fair Updates
- Fair Dates
- Premise ID Registration and Renewal
- Judging Schedule
- Premium Books
- Fair Entry
Brown County 4-H Summer Camps
State 4-H Updates
- Summer Academy
Fair Judging Schedule

April 15 Door County Fair Entry begins
April 19 Shining Stars Egg Hunt, 9:00 a.m., Brussels Town Park
April 19 Door County 4-H Horse & Pony - Show Tack Requirements Clinic
April 20-26 National Volunteer Week
April 26 Rescheduled QMAS Meeting at Otto's Meats - Group B Meeting, 9:00 a.m.
April 26-27 Door County 4-H Horse & Pony - Troy Nickel 4-H Clinic
April 27 4-H Summer Academy Registration Deadline

May 3 Small Animal Swap
May 3 QMAS Hog Weigh-In
May 3 QMAS Lamb & Meat Goat Weigh-In
May 3-4 Door County 4-H Horse & Pony - Emily Kraemer Clinic
May 3-4 State 4-H Horse Educational Contests
May 4 State 4-H Dog Speaking Contest
May 5 Door County 4-H Leaders Association Executive Committee Meeting
May 15 Last Day to Enroll in Door County 4-H and Exhibit at Door County Fair
May 24 Dairy Fitting and Showing Clinic, Kewaunee
May 24-25 Door County 4-H Horse & Pony - Maifest/Drill Team
May 31 Door County 4-H Horse & Pony - Spring Fling Fun Show

June 3 Door County 4-H Key Award Application due
June 7 Fair Entry Help Session, 9-11 a.m., Secretary's Office at Fairgrounds
June 12 Fair Entry Help Session, 4:30-6 p.m.., Secretary's Office at Fairgrounds
June 16-19 Summer Academy 2025 at UW-Madison

The 21st Annual Door County 4-H Small Animal Swap will be held on Saturday, May 3, 2025, at the Door County Fairgrounds in Sturgeon Bay. See the flyer for additional details.

Thank you to our sponsors this year - Door County 4-H Small Animal Committee, Door County Cooperative, and Marchants Foods!

April 20-26 is National Volunteer Appreciation Week. A huge THANK YOU to all of our volunteers who help to make Door County 4-H an amazing program and support our 4-H youth! We couldn’t do any of it without you and all of the hard work and time you give to our 4-H program! From volunteering their time as 4-H Club Leaders, Project Leaders, Dairy Bar volunteers, event volunteers, and so much more - we greatly appreciate the time and talents that our Door County 4-H volunteers share with us throughout the year! Thank you Door County 4-H volunteers for helping our youth and our program thrive!

Applications for the Door County 4-H Key Award are now available on our website: https://door.extension.wisc.edu/4-h-youth-development/4-h-trips-awards-etc/.

The 4-H Key Award is the highest 4-H recognition that you can receive! Youth in 11th Grade and older can apply for the Door County 4-H Key Award. Up to two Door County 4-H youth will be chosen to receive this award. Applications are due June 3rd.

The 4-H Key Award is based on consistent 4-H growth, youth leadership, and service to Club, Community, and County.

The Kewaunee County 4-H dairy project and Rustic Creek Genetics & Boarding invite you to a hands-on fitting and showing clinic on Saturday, May 24! The event will include two, 1.5 – hour sessions on fitting, showing, and all things dairy exhibition. You can attend one or both sessions, and each session will cover different information. A free lunch will be included.

All dairy youth project members are welcome to attend! This is a hands-on event, so come dressed to work outside with cattle. Register by May 21st at go.wisc.edu/s28f6n

Many families struggle to put food on the table. In Door County, 2,030 people (6.6%) rely on federally funded FoodShare benefits to purchase food for themselves and their families.

Rural food pantries regularly identify a lack of fresh produce as a problem.  With soaring food prices, families are hard pressed to provide nutrient dense foods.

None of us can single-handedly solve the problem of community hunger. But each of us can contribute. One way is through Plant a Row for the Hungry. Plant a Row simply means planting an extra row of whatever you already grow in your garden and donating that extra garden produce to your local food pantry.  Gardening gets you outside in the sun and doing good things for your neighbors. Checkout the Doing Good Together Toolkit: https://www.doinggoodtogether.org/projects/plant-a-row

Let’s get growing! We would love to help you with your initiative. FoodWIse can connect you with a food pantry manager nearby and plan ways to celebrate your effort. Contact FoodWIse Coordinator Laura Apfelbeck at llapfelbeck@wisc.edu

The 2025 Door County Fair will be Wednesday, August 13th - Sunday, August 17th.

Premium Books: Updates are currently being finalized, and the 2025 Door County Fair Premium Books will be available very soon. Printed copies will be available from the Extension Door County office, but an electronic version can be found on the Door County Fair website: https://www.co.door.wi.gov/1028/Exhibitors.
- Be sure to check the Premium Book for updates/changes to your project department.
- Animal Health Rules were updated for this year. Be sure to check to ensure that you are following all of the requirements for your animal project(s).
- Goats - The Goat Department received some big changes this year! There are now more Breed options, and wethers (castrated males) may be brought in some categories.
Judging Schedule: There have been some changes/updates to the 2025 Door County Fair Judging Schedule. The updated schedule is available on the Door County Fair website: https://www.co.door.wi.gov/1028/Exhibitors.
- A copy is also included at the end of this newsletter, but please refer to the Door County Fair website for the most up to date version.
- Days/Times for some Livestock shows and Junior Fair projects have changed - please be sure to check out the new Judging Schedule and plan accordingly!
  - Thursday:
    9:00 a.m. - Horse Pleasure Show
    3:00 p.m. - Beef Show
    6:00 p.m. - Swine Show
  - Friday
    8:30 a.m. - Dairy Show
    9:00 a.m.- Junior Fair Rabbit Breed Show
    10:00 a.m. - Junior Fair Rabbit Showmanship
    11:00 a.m. (at earliest) - Open Class Rabbit Breed Show (to follow Junior Fair Rabbit Breed Show)
    6:00 p.m. - Sheep/Goat Show
  - Saturday
    8:00 a.m. - Junior Fair Poultry Breed Show
    8:00 a.m. - Open Class Poultry Breed Show
    11:00 a.m. (at earliest) - Junior Fair Poultry Showmanship (to follow Junior Fair Poultry Breed Show)
    6:00 - QMAS Auction
  - Sunday
    10:00 a.m. - Gymkhana Show
FairEntry: All Door County Fair entries are done online using the FairEntry website. FairEntry will officially open on Tuesday, April 15th to begin entering your Fair projects. Fair entries will be due July 21st. The Fair Board wants to ensure that everyone has plenty of time to complete the FairEntry process. Be sure that you do not wait until the last minute to avoid any issues!
- The link to the FairEntry website can be found here: https://co.door.wi.gov/1354/Register-Your-Exhibits
- A step-by-step process for how to use the FairEntry website can be found in the Premium Book.
- Please reach out to Candis with any questions or concerns.
Fair Entry Help Sessions
- For assistance with entering projects in FairEntry, two Entry Assistance dates have been scheduled. These will be held at the Secretary's Office on the Fairgrounds.
  - Saturday, June 7th from 9-11 a.m.
  - Thursday, June 12th from 4:30-6 p.m.
Horse & Pony Health Paperwork (Coggins)
- All exhibitors showing a Horse at the Door County Fair must fill out this online form for each horse they are exhibiting: https://co.door.wi.gov/1261/Animals
Dog Health Paperwork (Vaccination Records)
- All exhibitors showing dogs must fill out this form for each dog they are exhibiting: https://co.door.wi.gov/1261/Animals
Door County Quality Market Animal Sale (QMAS): There are several important dates and requirements that must be completed to participate in the QMAS Auction during the Fair. Check out their website: https://www.dcqmas.org/ for additional information.
IMPORTANT: Premise ID Registration and Renewal: If you are planning to exhibit animals at the Fair, be sure that you have a Premise ID. This is REQUIRED for all exhibitors of beef, dairy, sheep, swine, horse, poultry and goats.
- A Premise ID is completely free to obtain and is mandatory for all owners of livestock in Wisconsin. Premises registration allows for much faster traces when there is an outbreak of an animal disease or an animal-borne human disease.
- Take care of this important step now so you are ready at Fair time! If you already have a Premise ID, check to make sure that it does not need to be renewed this year.
- Visit https://wiid.org/premises-registration-renewal/ to obtain a Premise ID and for answers to additional questions.

Brown County 4-H is opening their Summer 4-H Camps and Programs to Door County 4-H members! You can find out more information about these camps and how to register on our website: https://door.extension.wisc.edu/4-h-youth-development/.

Brown County 4-H is also bringing The Wonders of Physics traveling roadshow to the Green Bay area on Tuesday, May 13th! Be sure to check out this fun, free opportunity!

Summer Academy

Summer Academy is a four-day educational experience set for June 16-19, 2025 on the UW-Madison campus! Youth will participate in a track that will give them the chance to learn about potential career and college opportunities within that content area. They will be able to explore different areas on campus, participate in a bunch of different hands-on activities, see an original performance by the Wisconsin 4-H Drama Company, enter the talent show, meet new friends, and much more! Summer Academy is a wonderful learning opportunity for youth.

Registration for Summer Academy 2025 will be open in 4HOnline from March 17-April 27, 2025. Youth in grades 8-11 are invited to register! For more information and to register: https://4h.extension.wisc.edu/2025/04/03/summer-academy-registration-opens-march-17th/