After five decades of dedicated 4-H service across three states—including 16 years right here in Wisconsin—we wish 4-H Shooting Sports Coordinator Doug Thompson a very happy retirement. Throughout his career, Doug taught youth critical life skills that reached far beyond marksmanship. While we will greatly miss his leadership, Doug is ready for his next chapter. He already has plenty of retirement plans lined up, most of which involve a boat, a fishing pole, and the open waters of the bay. Thank you, Doug, for your incredible legacy!

Jeremy McClain is a dedicated health and well-being educator passionate about guiding others toward holistic balance and inner coherence. Drawing from a deep understanding of both physical and spiritual well-being, Jeremy empowers individuals to cultivate a life of vitality, clarity, and expanded consciousness through integrated health and wellness practices.

With a background rooted in behavior modification, sustainable peacebuilding, and Indigenous studies, Jeremy brings a unique blend of practical knowledge and intuitive insight to his work. He is committed to helping people navigate daily stressors and energetic imbalances through natural, organic methods, mindful practices, and the transformative power of physical movement and exercise.

Jeremy believes that true health reflects our connection to ourselves, the Earth, and the unseen energies that shape our lives. He invites you to join him on a journey of self-discovery, where ancient Native American wisdom meets modern science to unlock your innate capacity for healing and growth. Jeremy aims to align his passions and academic knowledge to create inclusive, evidence-based health promotion programs within Brown County Extension.

Welcome Jeremy to the team - jeremy.mcclain@wisc.edu or 920-391-4626.

🌿 Planting with a Purpose is calling all gardeners! Show off your garden and enter for a chance to win $100! 💵

📸 Get creative — the most unique and eye-catching garden wins!

📅 Deadline: July 14, 2026

How to be entered for giveaway:

✅ Sign up to donate part of your harvest: https://forms.gle/GjeGvLjMxf6Utcmq5

✅ Follow Planting with a Purpose on Facebook

✅ Email photos of your garden: plantingwithapurpose@gmail.com

Are you looking for an easy way to connect your clients, families, community members—or even yourself—to trusted local resources? This handbook is designed to do just that.

The Community Resource Handbook brings together contact information for nearly 200 organizations serving Brown County, all in one convenient place. Developed by Brown County Extension, this resource supports food security and helps increase access to low-cost services for individuals and families with limited incomes.

Whether you work directly with the community or want to keep valuable resources on hand, this guide is a must-have tool.

What You'll Find Inside:

👉 Want to be among the first to get a copy?

Click the button below to download a digital copy (free) or purchase a printed copy ($4, printed on-demand with a 2-3 week wait for pickup).

Our free Zoom sessions are on pause for the summer. We will return with fresh topics this September to May on the second and fourth Thursday 8:30-9:30am.

While we plan our fall schedule, we want to hear from you!
Please reach out if you:

Get in Touch:
Contact Patrick Nehring at 920-391-4616 or patrick.nehring@wisc.edu.

Are you ready to become a confident, informed renter? Rent Smart teaches you the essential skills needed to successfully navigate the rental market, understand tenant-landlord rights, and protect your interests.

Why Attend?

July Morning Session Details

UW-Madison Extension Brown County offers custom educational programs live online or in-person on a variety of topics related to nonprofit operation from starting a nonprofit, board roles and responsibilities, meeting operation, fundraising and grant proposals, organizational and strategic planning, volunteer inclusion, partnering with others, personality temperaments (Real Colors), team building, and other topics.  

Contact Community Development Educator/Professor Patrick Nehring at patrick.nehring@wisc.edu or 920-391-6160 to learn more about what program may be a good fit for your organization.

Date: Tuesday, July 21, 2026
Time: 6-7:30pm
Location:  Brown County Central Library, 515 Pine Street, Green Bay, WI 54301

Learn types of seeds suitable for saving, the various procedures needed, best choices for beginners, and the importance of labeling. Hands-on practice will include how to use a pollinator bag. Presented by Northeastern Master Gardeners for adults and kids interested in saving seeds for themselves or in becoming Seed Stewards for the Brown County Seed Library. Indoors if weather is bad.

Organized by Brown County Seed Library partner organizations: Brown County Community Gardens Program; Brown County Library; Green Bay Botanical Garden; New Leaf Foods, Inc.; Northeastern Wisconsin Master Gardeners; UW-Green Bay; UW-Madison Extension Brown County.

We have new openings in our Inventors' Adventure Camp!

Does your child love building, designing, and figuring out how things work? Inventors’ Adventure Camp is a hands‑on STEM experience where campers explore design and engineering through creative, interactive projects.

Campers will:

Dates: July 21–23, 2026
Time: 8:30 AM–3:30 PM
Location: STEM Innovation Center
Ages: Grade 5+
Registration Deadline: July 10, 2026

👉 Register here: 2026summercamp.4honline.com

Brown County 4-H brought hands-on science to Breakfast on the Farm, hosted by Tinedale Farms on Sunday, June 7, 2026.

Youth visiting the 4-H booth learned the mechanics of freezing by making their own bite-sized DIY ice cream using flavored creamer, ice, and rock salt.

From crispy egg rolls and savory samosas to aromatic biryani and golden empanadas, our Global Grub campers went on a delicious culinary adventure! Over three action-packed days, these young chefs explored the vibrant cultures of Southeast Asia, India, and Mexico.

By working together, they didn't just discover exciting new flavors—they also built powerful teamwork skills and gained serious confidence in the kitchen.

Our Archery Amped campers didn't just practice their aim—they built their own gear from scratch!  In this exciting hands-on camp, participants crafted custom bows, arrows, and quivers.

This creative process gave our young archers a practical lesson in the physics of bow design and arrow flight. Campers also put their math skills to work, calculating angles and tracking their round scores to see their progress in real-time.

Extension Brown County 4-H is partnering with the Brown County Library to launch the "Level Up! Library Leadership Series," a three-part program designed to turn the BCL Teen Summer Reading Volunteers into community leaders. Developed by 4-H Youth Development Educator Melinda Pollen, this initiative offers training in teamwork, confidence, and action-oriented leadership, with plans to establish a permanent 4-H library advisory board.

The series, which kicked off in June with8 participants, focuses on empowering middle and high school volunteers with skills for creating positive impacts within their libraries. 

The program is currently ongoing with sessions scheduled through early August and we're hopeful this leads to a 4-H Library Leadership group!

If you are interested in the BCL Teen Summer Reading Volunteers, CLICK HERE.

The June meeting of the YWCA Club was all about archery:  making bows and arrows and learning archery skills.

4-H at YWCA activities are held the 2nd Tuesday of each month 5:30-6:30pm.  Prior 4-H experience or YWCA membership is not required.  Select the link below to register for any future meetings (which ensures adequate supplies are prepared).  There's a new hands-on activity at each meeting! 

The next activity:  Brush Bots on July 14, 2026 5:30-6:30pm!

This series of free webinars is offering practical strategies to strengthen nutrition programs through a trauma-informed lens. Whether you work in food access, community health, or volunteer coordination, these sessions focus on improving how we support individuals and families with dignity, clarity, and care.

From Pantry to Plate: Nutrition Literacy for Food Distributions
July 10, 2026 | 12-1pm

This session focuses on building a shared language for staff and volunteers to communicate nutrition information, address common food myths, and support pantry guests with practical guidance.

UW Extension Brown County Nutrition Educator partnered with Oneida Pantry, Sam Boucher and Oneida Food Distribution Nutrition Educator, Tonya Laurent to teach nutrition and Oneida culture in two schools this past spring. The team coordinated with Oneida Youth Enrichment Services (YES) Advocate, Teachers, and Title VI Family, Engagement and Outreach Coordinator to educate 97 Oneida youth in grades 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 7th.

2nd and 3rd grade culture club students were engaged in nutrition education with hands-on gardening to encourage healthy dietary habits and promote lifelong wellness. Students were Food Adventurers and each session reviewed plant parts we eat in the Oneida language and through a fun plant parts song. Thank you to Sam Boucher for donating strawberry plants for each student. Students examined the parts of a Strawberry root that are responsible for nutrient storage and nutrient transport and took strawberry plants home to share with their families to honor the significance of the Strawberry Moon, as well as growing, harvesting, and preparing strawberries tip sheet. Tonya Laurent made a delicious Strawberry Drink where students used their 5 senses to taste a healthy recipe. Oneida culture was shared through stories, language, and through drawing a strawberry mural.

4th and 5th grade culture club students learned healthy eating habits, environmental impacts of their food, and how to identify whole foods. Students were able to confidently distinguish between unprocessed and whole foods, minimally processed foods, and heavily processed foods. Through engaging materials, Tonya shared how to incorporate plant-based meals and why to small size processed foods. UW Extension Nutrition Educator and Sam Boucher played a game with the students where they guessed how many teaspoons of sugar are in drinks. Drinks were: juice, chocolate milk, milk, sweetened tea, and water. Try to guess what drinks had the most and least amount of added sugar! Students tasted the traditional and healthy Strawberry Drink.

7th grade students developed Kitchen Basics and learned through the MyNative Plate through a series of four lessons. They played a fun, movement BINGO developed by Oneida Pantry and Food Distribution with the Oneida language. Students engaged in asking questions such as “What is good nutrition?” Good nutrition can help us have a higher quality of life, by preventing chronic diseases like diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Post surveys completed by Oneida YES Advocates indicated they would like “more classes” and stated they were “great presentations and education.” Thank you to all the partners involved in coordinating nutrition and Oneida culture for the students this past spring. We are grateful.

Learning doesn't stop when school lets out. Neither does the need for good nutrition! This year's Summer Meals Program started at community sites on June 10, 2026. Meals began at summer school buildings on June 15, 2026. ☀️

All children (not only GBAPS students) 18 years old and younger can receive free summer meals from GBAPS. Families do not have to qualify for free/reduced meals to participate.

In a Mid-West Farm Report Podcast episode, Chris Clark, a soil and nutrient management outreach specialist with the Division of Extension, tells Stephanie Hoff about her latest research looking into the micronutrients in manure.

She explains that due to EPA air quality improvements, sulfur contributions from acid rain have dropped from 10 pounds per year to less than one pound. Long-term data comparison shows that while several nutrients were tracked, boron and sulfur are the two showing the most significant downward trends in manure. 

While farmers focus on N-P-K (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium), this research highlights the importance of secondary nutrients like calcium and magnesium, and micronutrients like copper, zinc, and manganese. Many agronomists have already begun instinctively supplementing sulfur between hay cuttings because they noticed deficiencies in plant tissue and soil analyses years ago.

Just as CPR teaches you how to help someone having a heart attack, Mental Health First Aid teaches you how to help someone experiencing a mental health or substance use challenge. This skills-based course helps you identify, understand, and respond in crisis and non-crisis situations.

Attend this workshop FREE via Zoom July 28 & 29, 2026 12:30-3:30pm.

If you use SnapPlus for nutrient management planning, you're likely aware that Version 3 brings some significant changes. Extension, DATCP, and the SnapPlus Team are hosting a free six-part webinar series to walk through the new features in detail so you don't have to figure it out on your own.

Each session focuses on a specific part of the software and runs from 11am-12:30pm, including a 45-60 minute tutorial followed by one-on-one office hours with staff. Sessions cover:

You can register for all sessions or the ones most relevant to you. Registration is free.

Proper refrigerator and freezer temperatures reduce the risk of foodborne illness. Use an appliance thermometer to confirm your fridge is at 40°F or below and your freezer is at 0°F. If your fridge or freezer stops working, AnswerLine can guide you on what foods to keep or discard. 

AnswerLine is available at
1-866-540-4636 or go.wisc.edu/answerline.

Support local youth and look great by shopping here! Wisconsin 4-H is an official affiliate of the National 4-H Council Shop 4-H store.  When you use our unique affiliate link, 5% of your purchase is returned to the Wisconsin 4-H program at no extra cost to you.

2019 Technology Way
Room 113
Green Bay, WI 54311
920-391-4610
extension@browncountywi.gov

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