Make plans now for the new member party to be held on Wednesday, Feb. 13th. The party will begin at 6:30 pm in the basement of the Extension office. All new members of 4-H and their parents are invited to attend. New members must be enrolled by Jan. 5th and a special invitation will be sent. Please RSVP by Jan. 30th.

A Livestock Premises Identification number will be required for exhibition at ALL 2008 county, state, 4-H and FFA Fairs in Illinois. This applies to all livestock–including beef, sheep, swine, dairy, goats, poultry, rabbits, horses, and exotic hoof stock. Entries that do not include valid Premise ID Numbers will not be allowed to exhibit. Owners of premises that house animals may register for their ID number on-line at http://www.agr.state.il.us/premiseid/ of by calling 1-866-299-9256 for a paper form. When completing on-line, ID is issued immediately. If a paperform is mailed in, plan to allow 3-4 weeks to be issued a number.

Don't forget to get your entries in soon...

Guidelines are:

*Design should not exceed 8" x 8"

*Entries must be black and white on

8 1/2" x 11" white paper

*Entries maybe computer generated or by hand and must include the name of the 4-H member, their age, and club name with the design.

***Entries due in either office by Jan. 12th.

*Prizes awarded to the 4-H member of the winning entry!

*Fairbooks will be available for leaders to pick up at the Leader Meeting in Feb.

**Remember the proper

use of the 4-H clover

guidelines.

Beef: Feb. 10th 10am-1pm, see page 3 for more information.

Meat Goats: For the State Fair, tattooed by May 15, 2008

Sheep: For the State Fair, all wethers must by nominated and tattooed between March 15 and May 15, 2008. Premiere wethers must also be weighed. Call the office to schedule.

Swine: For the State Fair, Premiere barrows must be nominated, ear notched, and tattooed before they are 35 days old. All Premiere pigs must be tattooed by April 15, 2008.

Feb. 10th 10am-1pm

Farmers Livestock Sales

Hwy. 24 Coatsburg

All steers and market heifers must be weighed in order for you to exhibit this summer. All beef animals must be castrated prior to tattooing. There will be no veterinary services offered, only tattooing. You will need to bring a toothbrush for every animal you bring to have tattooed. Breeding heifers do not weigh. If you have any questions, please call the office at 223-8380.

This years horse clinics are scheduled for the following Thursdays from 6:30pm-8pm.

May–22 & 29

June–5, 12, 19, & 26

July–3 & 10

Rain date for the clinics will be on July 17th.

Horse Camp is scheduled for

Saturday May 17th from 9 am to 3 pm.

All Events Will Be Held at the Adams Co. Fair Grounds.

March 19th - 6:30-8:00pm - University of IL Extension Office

Please RSVP by 4:30pm March 13th.

All youth wishing to exhibit swine at the 2008 State Fair must complete this training. Training is good for one year from date of completion. PQA Plus is replacing the PQA III certification program offered by the National Pork Board.

4-H Night with the Peoria Rivermen

The Peoria Rivermen hockey team will be sponsoring 4-H Night on Saturday, January 26. Special opportunities for 4-H'ers include a pre-game "Hockey 101" clinic and ten 4-H members will be chosen for the Rivermen Tunnel Crew. Tickets are $11 for Upper Bowl; $16 for Lower Bowl. Ticket order deadline is January 14. See Flyer.

GOT GAME? 12-14 Conference

The 12-14 conference is open to all youth 12-14 years old and will be held February 8th and 9th in Macomb. The cost is $55.00 per participant. This conference is for those who want the opportunity to connect with peers, develop skills such as team work, cooperation, sportsmanship, conflict resolution and leadership in a fun, hands-on setting. The deadline for registration is January 18, 2008.

Illinois 4-H Junior Leadership Conference

Will take place in Decatur, IL, February 23-24, 2008. This conference will allow 4-H members in 7th and 8th grade to hone their leadership skills and learn new activities to take back to their local 4-H programs. This conference is open to the 125 students to register and costs $95. If you are interested in attending contact your local extension office for registration information. The deadline for registration is January 28, 2008.

The Great 4-H Debate

4-Hers from across Illinois are invited to converge in Springfield to debate bills and learn about the legislative process. It is open for all high school age U of I Extension 4-H youth development program participants. Friday/Saturday, February 15-16, 2008. Come debate real bills in the chambers of the Illinois House of Representatives. In addition to all the work, participants will meet new people and have fun at the dance Friday night. Cost for the two day event is $55 and registration is due January 23, 2008. For more information and to register, contact the office.

ExplorACES

High school students mark your calendar for ExplorACES March 7th and 8th. This event will showcase the successes and opportunities of the College of ACES. For more information visit www.aces.uiuc.edu/ExplorAces/ or contact the office

"At the Heart of A growing America"

2008 Agricultural scholarship program

1st Farm Credit Services is offering 23 individual $1,000 scholarships. Graduating high school seniors who have been accepted into an agriculture or agriculture-related curriculum at a university, college or community college and either reside or attend high school within 1st Farm Credit Services' service territory are eligible. Selection will be based on a combination of academic achievement, community and agricultural youth organization involvement and brief essays. Students may obtain an application online at www.usfarmcredit.com/aboutus/1st/scholarships/asp, a local 1st Farm Credit Services office, or our office. Applications must be received no later than February 15, 2008.