4‑H Paper Clover has been extended!
Head to your nearest Tractor Supply store by Sunday, May 12th, and get your Paper Clover at checkout to show your support.
Support Sussex County 4-H Youth by donating to the 4-H TSC Spring Paper Clover Campaign April 24 to May 12, 2024.
Donate at our local TSP stores in Hampton/Augusta or Wantage, NJ or donate online https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/cms/4h.
4-H Record Book Reminders
Just reminder that you should be working on your 4-H record book though-out the 4-H Project year and at this point some sections should be complete.
At this point you should have completed your:
- Cover
- Goal Setting
- Inventory (if applicable)
Sections that may still be a work in progress but close to being completed are:
- Logging monthly activities
- Finances
- 4-H Story
Logged monthly activities should be including all monthly club meetings attended, special events held separate from club meetings (ie- fundraisers, community service projects), and county or state events such as public presentations, workshops, or a judging event.
Finances should included all the expenses and income associated with a member’s project. ANY money spent on the project during the project year (ie- supplies, animal feed, dues, entry fees) should be recorded in the project financial pages. Or if you made money-income, (ie- sold a project or received prize money) this should be record too.
If there is no income or no expenses for your project, instead of leaving the page completely blank, please indicate “not applicable” or “none”.
Your 4-H Story is your chance to tell us about your project year in your own words. Tell us about what you learned, what skill you worked on, something new you tried, something funny that happened at one meeting, about a 4-H experience that helped you grow as an individual, etc. In short, We don’t expect a short story or a full length novel, but at least a full paragraph or 2 about how 4-H has inspired you and how it has helped you become the person you are today!
Don’t forget to have your parent or guardian and your 4-H club leader sign off on your project book once it is completed!
2024 4-H Animal Project Representative
Applications for the 2024 4-H Animal Project Representatives are now being accepted. Applicants must be members in grades 7-13, with priority given to those in 11- 13th grade.
https://www.sussex4h.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/SC-Animal-Rep.-Application-rev8.2021.pdf
Additional requirements to be eligible are:
- Applicants must have completed three years in the animal project area they are applying for, and be a member in good standing in the club that relates to that project area.
- Applicants must have given a county-level public presentation during the current project year.
The S. C. 4-H Animal Project Representative application packets must be completed and turned in to your 4-H club leader. Applications received by club leaders should be submitted to the 4-H office no later than June 1.
In the event of a competition for the representative position (more than one application received for a specific species), the 4-H Office will schedule interviews judges will receive the contestants’ application packets before the interview portion.
By submitting this application, a contestant is also agreeing to attend the following mandatory events during the Fair:
– Assist with specie shows and events.
– NJSF/SCF&HS Opening Ceremonies (and parade if applicable) on the First Day of Fair.
– Queen of the Fair Contest on the first Saturday
– Be available in your species barn from 5:00pm to 6:30pm on the Thursday of the Fair to assist Round Robin participants.
– If not a participant, assist during the Round Robin event.
– *MAS Livestock Reps Only– Assist with Market Animal Dinner and Sale (Tuesday evening)
Optional events you are encouraged to attend:
– Daily Fair Tractor Parade (2pm daily during fair week)
– Branchville Memorial Day Parade
– Newton Holiday Parades
Sussex County 4-H Dairy Members Score Well
Our Sussex county 4-H Dairy members have been busy with Dairy Judging recently both at a County and State Level.
This year the County Level contest was hosted by the Bymas at By-Acre Holsteins in Wantage on Friday April 12th. Juniors and Seniors judged two classes of Holsteins aged 2 and 4 years old and also gave one set of reasons. Cloverbuds attended to do a workshop on judging with our previous 4H New Jersey State Dairy Judging Team members Zoe and Tucker Lockburner and Richard Byma. We were lucky to also have the NJ State 4H dairy judging coach Amanda Wengryn serve as our official judge for placings with cuts and listened to our senior’s reasons.
The Top Placing for our County Judging Competition was
Junior Division:
1st place Emma VanHaste, 129 points
2nd place Shelby VanEck, 128 points
3rd place Molly Swarts, 121 points
3rd place Madeline Decker, 121 points
Senior division:
1st place Eric VandeMoere, 123 points
2nd place Mason Mericle, 116 points
3rd place Luke Byma, 105 points
Many our our Sussex County Dairy members also participated in the State 4-H Dairy Judging Competition held Saturday May 4th at Dark Horse Farm. We had 2 of our Sussex County Dairy members score well, both placing 2nd in their respective age divisions.
Richard Byma (left) 2nd place overall Senior. Div. and Dean Byma (right) 2nd place Junior. Div overall. Both are in the Wantage Hustlers Dairy Club.
Other Sussex dairy members who attended and place were:
Junior Dev.
Zach Van De Moere – 6th place – Sussex Cty. Milkmakers
Senior Div.
Eric Van De Moere – 4th Place – Sussex Cty. Milkmakers
Luke Byma – 6th Place – Wantage Hustlers
Check out our newest program, STEM Saturdays! Join us as we boldly go beyond planet Earth! Explore science, technology, engineering and math with hands-on activities! Unique and engaging STEM stations, activities and games will span the topics of space exploration, our solar system, our sun! From solar eclipses to the aurora borealis, explore how our sun effects our planet. From Mars to Jupiter, build a rover that can survive and survey a nearby planet. Blast off with 4-H STEM Saturdays! Register here: https://rutgers.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_2hGE7GZ9zDEDgyO
4-H Environmental Career Night Webinar May 13th, 6-8 pm est. Join via Zoom and explore multiple environmental careers as you engage with established professionals. Careers include a Conservation Police Officer; a Park Ranger, a Community Engagement and Education Coordinator from Siuslaw National Forest in Oregon and an Agriculture and Natural Resources Agent specialized in fisheries, aquaculture, and marine resource management. This free event is open to all youth grades 7th-13th. Come ready to learn and explore careers you’ve never had the opportunity to hear about! Registration is required to access the Zoom.
Register here: https://rutgers.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_begshrSFgxtH0iO
Please note this is open to all youth grades 7-13 not just 4-H members.
Gracie’s Scholarship
Seldom in one’s life does one meet a truly dynamic personality. We all had the privilege of meeting such a spirited soul. That person was Grace Honigsberg She was not just involved in Agriculture, Agriculture was her way of life, and her life’s passion.
She was Miss Frankford Township in 2013 and a graduate of High Point High School. She was very active in Sussex County 4-H as a member in her youth and as a leader of several livestock clubs as an adult. She was a member of several livestock associations and won top national awards for her livestock. She was the 2013 Sussex County Youth Agricultural Ambassador. She was a member of the Sussex County Board of Agriculture receiving the Next Generation of Agriculture Award in 2015. She was a member of the NJ Farm Bureau and served as past president of the NJ Young Farmer’s and Ag Professionals. Her passion for agriculture led her to travel nationally, representing the state of NJ at several American Farm Bureau events, with a focus on accurate agriculture education.
It is in Gracie’s honor that the Sussex County Board of Agriculture announces the formation of a new yearly Agricultural Scholarship of $500 a year to any student focusing her/his education in the field of Agriculture, including farm machinery mechanics.
In forming this Scholarship we know that Gracie’s enthusiasm, joyous spirit and love of all things agricultural will continue in Sussex County and beyond. If you are interested in continuing your Agriculture education this scholarship is open for you, college or technical school, student or adult.
The application can be found here: https://www.sussex4h.org/sc-boa-gracies-scholarship.
Deadline to submit the application is May 15, 2024.
Rabbit Rocketeers 4-H Club Fun in the Sun Show
4-H members are invited to take part in this small animal show sponsored by the Salem County 4-H Rabbit Rocketeers Club on Saturday, May 18th. For information, location and registration materials, click here.
Check out this new event for teens sponsored by the Middlesex County 4-H ambassadors with assistance from the The Urban Health Collaborative! This is an exciting event for all youth grades 6 and up to learn about mental health topics from health experts, socialize with other teens, enjoy refreshments, and lots of activities from art to animal therapy! We will have mental health experts speak about and share resources for various subjects, such as bullying, abuse, stress management, and managing the impact of social media on mental health.
This is intended to be an inclusive, safe place for teens to have open discussions with each other as well as trusted experts to learn positive mental health habits. Door prizes available … any questions contact us here and be sure to register at https://tinyurl.com/mc4hmentalhealth.
Building a Better You!
This workshop will be held on Tuesday, May 21st from 6:30-8 pm at the Somerset County 4-H Center, in the large conference room. This workshop is open to all grades 8-13, you do not have to be a 4-H member to attend. Registration closes May 20th.
Building a Better You! is a workshop that provides youth participants with the opportunity to explore resume building, cover letter writing, how to dress to impress, and interview practice all while creating a positive YOU statement! There is so much to explore in this workshop so register to learn more!
Register here: https://rutgers.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6mb5u3hypcylWOG
Questions? Contact Melissa Bright mb2173@njaes.rutgers.edu
Join Kenya Mosby, Chief Operating Officer of Pelham Admissions Edge for Scholarships: How to Find Them and How to Win Them.
Open to 11th, 12th and 13th graders!
Join Kenya Mosby, Chief Operating Officer of Pelham Admissions Edge for Scholarships: How to Find Them and How to Win Them. This 40-minute virtual workshop will provide youth and families information about finding reliable scholarship sources, evaluating them, scholarship timelines, and writing scholarship essays. Upon completion, youth will have learned strategies to increase their chances of receiving scholarship awards.
Workshop will be hosted over Zoom on Friday May 31st at 7pm.
Register at, https://scholarships.4hOnline.com
Tables at the Farmer’s Market available to 4-H clubs for fundraising!
Sussex County Farmer’s Market Committee, part of the Sussex County Board of Agriculture would like to invite 4-H groups to have a free table at the Sussex County Farmer’s Market (SCFM) to sell items for the benefit of their 4-H group.
All sales proceeds must go to the 4-H group itself. The SCFM will be open the second and fourth Saturdays of the months of June, July, September, October and due to the Fair only the fourth Saturday of August.
If your 4-H group wants to recruit members, sell items, have a bake sale etc., please contact:
Lori Day
zoomomma@embarqmail.com
973-919-1748.
We may need to restrict the available spots per day so get your reservations in asap.
New Jersey 4-H Summer Camps Sign Up – Open Now
Sessions are Selling out!
Registration opens for both:
Our 74th summer at L.G. Cook 4-H Camp, New Jersey 4-H’s overnight summer camp in beautiful Stokes State Forest. Join our caring, tech-free community for a one-week sleepaway session in July or our BIG 18 day session in August … AND …
Our 2nd summer at 4-H Camp at Rutgers Gardens, our brand-new day camp program combining the social-emotional learning of 4-H Camp’s friendly, communal experience with the educational opportunities of Rutgers Gardens.
More details and online registration at nj4hcamp.rutgers.edu! Call 973-948-3550 to reach the Camp Office with any and all questions.
Poetry x Hunger: Poetry Call from Middle and High School Youth
Do you want to help eliminate hunger and poverty through the power of your pen? NJ Arts 4-H is introducing Poetry X Hunger. Join in the Poetry X Hunger project promoted by Expressive Arts 4-H of Rutgers Cooperative Extension. If you would like to learn more about the many forms of poetry you can choose from, contact Ellen Williams, Expressive Arts 4-H Agent at williams@njaes.rutgers.edu.
For more information visit https://nj4h.rutgers.edu/comm/poetryxhunger/
Save the Dates
Information and Programs For Our 4-H Parents and Leaders
4-H Volunteer Retreat Weekend – INTEREST SURVEY!
September 27-29, 2024.
Put this date on your calendar NOW! Are you interested in attending the Volunteer Retreat Weekend at 4-H Camp? If yes, please take a couple of minutes to complete this very short (only 6 questions) interest survey to help us plan for the weekend! https://go.rutgers.edu/VolRetreatInterest.
Registration information and schedule will be sent to all volunteers soon! You will be able to meet volunteers around the state, take part in fun, interactive workshops and enjoy some quality time at our 4-H camp. More details coming soon! If you want more information on the camp itself, visit www.nj4hcamp.rutgers.edu.
The first episode of 4-H Volunteer Ventures is available on Spotify and other platforms. The 4-H Volunteer Ventures Facebook page is also available.
The 4-H Volunteer Ventures Podcast examines the fun, but sometimes confusing role of the 4-H volunteer. Each episode will explore a specific aspect or challenge volunteers face ad offer best practices to improve the experience. Join hosts, Kelly and Laura, as they discuss current trends, share resources, and offer tips and tricks learned from their own volunteer experiences.
Spotify link: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/4hvolunteerventures
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61558574791500
We want to hear from YOU! If you have any suggestions for volunteer-based topics you would like us to address, or something you would like to learn more about as a 4-H volunteer, let us know. We appreciate your input.
Attention 4-H alumni, parents, volunteers and stakeholders…
Mark Your Calendars! Here are the NJ 4-H State Association meeting dates for 2024. We are still looking for additional volunteers to help make the best better and join the association! Visit https://go.rutgers.edu/HelpNJ4H to be added to the mailing list or contact nj4h@njaes.rutgers.edu to learn more about the State Association!
Be sure to follow us on Facebook and Instagram and add us to your favorites so you do not miss a post.
@SussexNJ4H
