On Saturday, November 7, from 9:00 a.m. - noon, there will be a loom knitting workshop at the Extension office. You will have an opportunity to learn and practice loom knitting, an art form that has been practiced since the Middle Ages.

There is a $5 fee for this workshop to cover handouts and refreshments. There is also a supply list of items you need to bring.

For more information, download the workshop flyer at http://web.extension.uiuc.edu/bureau/downloads/19864.pdf

College Day Planned for Area Students, November 18^th

The Bureau County Farm Bureau, along with Marshall-Putnam and Stark County Farm Bureaus will be hosting a College Open House Day for Agriculture on Wednesday, November 18^th from 10:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. at the Marshall-Putnam Farm Bureau Building in Henry. This is a great opportunity for area students to meet locally with representatives of these schools.

The following schools who offer agriculture programs have been invited: Illinois State University, University of Illinois, Southern Illinois University, Western Illinois University, Black Hawk East, Joliet Junior College, Lake Land College and Illinois Central College. If you are interested in majoring in agriculture, please feel free to attend the program and utilize this opportunity to meet with six Illinois colleges.

All area Marshall, Putnam, Bureau and Stark county public schools have been assigned a time slot to meet with representatives from these schools. If a school's assigned time does not work for a student, or a student is home-schooled, please feel free to contact the Farm Bureau office and they will be glad to assist with an alternate time slot.

Scheduled times for Bureau County high schools:

10:00-11:00 a.m. - Princeton, LaMoille, Ohio

11:00 a.m.-noon - Bureau Valley, Hall, DePue

If you have any questions regarding the day, or know a student who would like to attend please contact the Bureau County Farm Bureau at (815) 875-6468. We hope you will take advantage of this great opportunity!

During the month of November, there will be a series of three seminars focused on a variety of horse-related issues. The seminars will take place at Black Hawk College East Campus (Galva) in the Ag Arena, and will include live demonstrations.

All of the seminars will take place from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Scheduled to appear:

November 5 6:30-8:30 p.m.

"Timed Event Performance Horsemanship and Barrel Racing"

* Live Demonstration * Donna Irvin, BHE Instructor

"Equine Psychology and Behavior"

* Kevin Kline, University of Illinois

November 12 6:30-8:30 p.m.

"NAIS (animal id) Update"

* Jim Fraley, Illinois Farm Bureau®

"Ranch Rodeo"

* Live Demonstration * Matt Shipley and Gary Wessels, Illinois Rodeo Association

November 19 6:30-8:30 p.m.

"Facilities For A Health Horse"

* Jay Salomon, University of Illinois

"De-spooking Your Horse"

* Live Demonstration * Pat Gomes

The seminars are free for 4-H and FFA members, as well as BHE students. There is a $9 per session fee ($20 for all three sessions) for anyone else attending.

For more information, call the Extension office at (815) 875-2878 or download a flyer from: http://web.extension.uiuc.edu/bureau/downloads/19858.pdf

A Celebrate 4-H! Party will be held on Tuesday, October 6, from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at the Extension office. The party will be an "open house" format.

At Celebrate 4-H!, you can:

• Learn more about 4-H and how to become a 4-H member
• Meet with other 4-H families
• Try activities from the new 4-H projects
• Enjoy refreshments
• And more!

Celebrate 4-H! is open to anyone interested in the Bureau County 4-H program.

We hope to see you there! For more information, call the Extension office at (815) 875-2878.

The Illinois State 4-H Youth Leadership Team is proud to announce Speaking for Illinois 4-H or SFI4-H! The purpose of SFI4-H is to train 4-H members in advanced public speaking skills and business etiquette to effectively promote the University of Illinois Extension 4-H Youth Development Program. The ultimate goal is to offer a cadre of polished teen speakers across the state that are available to speak to civic groups, potential donors (county or state), and elected officials on the local, state, and federal level. Whether the topic be recruitment of potential 4-H volunteers, fund-raising, or budgets, we need 4-H members who are trained and qualified to share the 4-H vision and get the job done!

The Fall 2009 training is set for Saturday, November 14 at the Springfield Extension Center. Registration will start at 9:30 a.m. with the training from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. We have space for 50 youth to be trained during this first session (we plan to provide another such training next spring), so space is limited and will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. There is no fee for the youth training, however if adults wish to attend to provide support for the youth, there is a $10.00 registration fee to help cover lunch expenses.

If you are a 4-H member, age 14-19, and are interested in this opportunity, please contact the Extension office for application and registration materials.

National 4-H Week is October 4-10. This is a great time to promote your club and recruit new members.

The Extension office has posters and bookmarks available for you to distribute in your community. Let us know how many you need.

You can also download and customize National 4-H Week materials at: http://4-h.org/brandnetwork/4hweektoolkit.html

We will have a 4-H Fair Review Committee meeting on Monday, September 28, at 6:00 p.m. at the Extension office. Anyone is welcome to attend. The meeting will discuss comments and concerns related to the 2009 Bureau County 4-H Fair.

Don't forget, if you have comments you would like to see discussed at the meeting, they need to be presented in writing to the Extension office by noon on Monday, so that we have time to add them to the agenda. You can email, mail, or fax them in.

You need to submit your comments in writing even if you will be attending the meeting. If you will not be attending the meeting, we will still discuss any comments that you have turned in.

The state 4-H website has many forms available to help you with scheduling, planning, and organizing your 4-H club meetings. Included on the site are:

• A 4-H Club Information Form, to record general contact information about the club and leaders;
• A 4-H Club Officer and Committee Form, to list youth and families responsible for different club offices and committees;
• A 4-H Club Program Schedule, to organize and schedule the club's meetings and other activities;
• A 4-H Club Progress Goals Form, to record your club's goals for the year;
• And a Worksheet for Planning a 4-H Club Meeting, which may help club officers keep the meeting organized and running efficiently.

The forms are available in Microsoft Word format, so you can download them and fill in your club's information, or print if you would like to hand-write the information.

To download all of the forms, please visit: http://web.extension.uiuc.edu/state4h/volunteers/support_clubmeeting.cfm

(scroll to the bottom of the page to find the forms)