The farmers are beginning to break open some soil, flowers are budding, and trees along with grass are starting to green. Therefore, it is a sure sign that spring has arrived and it is here to stay. That being said, there could be a light at the end of the tunnel regarding the IDOA funds. I have sent out letters to all of the leaders discussing the issues that the Extension Office could face without the funds. I also provided them with a brochure that has many facts about programming that is offered through the Jasper/Cumberland Unit. This information can be used to educate our local legislators and the IL Governors' offices on the impact of the Cumberland County 4-H and Extension Programs. If you wish to have a copy of this informational piece, please contact the office. We are still encouraged to contact our local government officials and governors office until all of this is solved.

Since we are in the spring season and school is coming to a close, schedules are going to be getting busy. The Pie Stand and 4-H BBQ are quickly approaching. You should be receiving your tickets at your next meeting. Don't forget to SELL, SELL, SELL!! This is the main fundraiser where the proceeds go directly to the 4-H Federation to help fund programs and scholarships. Lets try to make this years BBQ the biggest!!

It is also important that you are starting your projects or at the least have ideas of what those might be for the county show. Now is a great time to start, and if you have any questions on requirements please reference your Fair Handbook. Also, be working on your project records!! These are due at the time of the show or when you weigh-in/check-in your animals for the fair. I have been making several visits to the county 4th grade classes during the month of April. These students have been participating in the "Butterfly Program". They were presented with larva and explored the life cycle of the butterfly. Once the butterflies hatched from their chrysalis, they were released to begin their next generation. The program incorporates subjects such as Science, Math and English to further their learning.

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!

Sincerely,

Ryan Staley
Program Coordinator
4-H/Youth & Family
rstaley@uiuc.edu

Cindy Moses
Office Secretary
cmoses@uiuc.edu

Don Frederick
County Director
Jasper/Cumberland
dfrederi@uiuc.edu

4-H member enrollments are due in the Extension Office by the 4-H Leaders no later than June 1, 2008; for members who plan to exhibit at the Cumberland County Fair. Members may be added or dropped from membership at anytime, but after June 1, 2008, they are not eligible to show at this year's show.

All youth must be 8 years of age or in third grade by September 1st of 2007 in order to enroll or exhibit.

Cloverbud members are not eligible for premium but may display their project at any of the 4-H shows.

If you have any questions about enrollment, please contact the Extension Office at 849-3931 or by email at cumberland_co@extension.uiuc.edu

4-H'ers in the Horse & Pony project who plan to show are the 4-H Equine Challenge Show or the Illinois Jr. Horse Show must have ownership/lease papers on file at the Extension Office by May 1. The 4-H County Horse Show ownership papers must have all the above paperwork in the office by June 1.

Please include two photos, one for each side of every horse/pony you may ride in the shows.

See leasing information in the Fair Handbook.
These are set dates! No Exceptions!

Illinois State 4-H Youth Leadership Team

There will be spots available for the 2008-2010 term. If you are a 4-H member or a recent 4-H alumni, ages 16-19 as of September 1, 2008 you are able to server on the YLT. Information and applications are available at the Extension Office. Completed applications must be received by June 18, 2008 for interviews at the Illini Summer Academies and August 1 for interviews during the State Fair. Please call Ryan at the Extension Office if you have any questions about this great statewide opportunity!

Cumberland County 4-H Participation Award
Once again this year the Cumberland County 4-H Federation is offering the 4-H Participation Award. However, this year we will only be selecting one individual to receive this award. Applicants must be a current and active member of the Cumberland County 4-H program with an active participation level and 4-H membership of no less than five years. Recipient must be in the last year (senior) of high school or have graduated from high school not more than one year prior to application of this award. Members may only receive this award one time. Applicants must submit a completed application along with two letters of recommendation (one from an adult within the 4-H family and the other from an adult with no 4-H affiliation). The deadline for the award is October 1, 2008. Please call the Extension office for more information or to receive an application. Please be advised that due to budget uncertainty this award could be terminated before a decision is made.

During April Cumberland County had 2 different meetings for PQA Plus training. The number that turned out for these training sessions was very low. If you received a letter in the mail that you are required to certify or recertify this year and did not attend a training in Cumberland or any other county, please let the Extension office know ASAP. This is very important for each swine exhibitor to complete! If you do not receive this certification, you will not be able to show at the county fair or state fair. We will work something out with you so that you may be certified and able to show at the fairs. This is also important for first time swine exhibitors, too! Call Ryan at the Extension Office with any questions you might have.

The University of Illinois Extension in Cumberland County and the Cumberland County HEA Organization are holding their annual Quilt Show! It will be held during the Spring Festival May 15-17. If you wish to submit your favorite quilt, please stop by the Extension Office and give us some information regarding the quilt no later than May 14, 2008. There will be prizes awarded to the "Newest Quilt", "Oldest Quilt, and "Peoples Choice". They will be on display to the public Thursday thru Saturday 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM.

Everyone should have their Cumberland County Fair Handbook no later than their May Club meetings. Please be sure to look through it for your project requirements and other important information. If you are a new member and haven't received your copy yet, please call the Extension office ASAP!

Sunday May 18, 2008

Cumberland County 4-H will again be selling pies to the patrons of the Toledo Fire Departments Chicken Dinner during the Toledo Spring Festival Sunday May 18th. It is suggested that each club donate at least nine fruit pies. Leaders are encouraged to call the Extension Office to confirm pie donations. Pies should be delivered to the Toledo Fire Hall after 10:00 AM on Sunday May 18th. Funds raised from this event will go directly toward 4-H publication expenses, which eliminates each club having to cover these costs.

YOUR SUPPORT IS GREATLY APPRECIATED!!

High School
Josh Carlen
Jodi Koester
Valerie Marti
Kristin Moses
Michelle Niebrugge
Cole Sappington
Andrew Spencer
Nick Walk
Tyler Walk

8th Grade
Presley Hatfill
Connor Russell
Alex McWhorter
Jason Will
Bethany Deters
Ryan Holkenbrink
Josh Flood
Raymond Hingson
Amanda Baker
Seth Flach
Travis Will
Trisha Nippe
Ray Nippe
Lacey Hornbeck
Casey Rieman
Ty Swingler
Matthew White

There is an opportunity from the Illinois State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias' Excellence In Agriculture Scholarship Program.

There will be ten $2,500 scholarships awarded to Illinois high school seniors who plan to pursue a college degree and career in agriculture or an agriculture-related field. Scholarship funds are restricted to the payment of tuition, books and/or room and board at the educational institution. The Treasurers' Office will deposit the award into a Bright Start College Savings account accessible to the parent(s) of a scholarship winner. The application must be postmarked on or before May 15, 2008. If you want an application to fill out, please contact the Extension Office at 849-3931.

This is a section of the newsletter to spotlight one of our Federation Members. Each one will be randomly selected and interviewed each month. So keep watching the newsletter to see if a representative from your club is the lucky one!

This months spotlight is on Presley Hatfill. She is a member of the Cumberland County Clovers Club. She has been actively involved for 6 years. Some of the projects you will see her exhibit are dogs and foods. She is currently the Federation Co-Recreation Chair and is also serving as her clubs secretary. Not only is she active with 4-H but school activities also keep her busy. She is involved with cheerleading and dance. Presley will be graduating 8th grade this year and entering her years at the high school. After her completion of high school, she plans to attend Lakeland for 2 years and transfer to Eastern. Her dream jobs are to either be an Animal Cop or a Cardiac Therapist.

Presley enjoys spending time with her friends. Her favorite type of food is Mexican, with her favorite restaurant being El Rancherito. When asked, "What would you do with all the money in the world?" Presley said, "I would donate some to charity and then buy a big house and a nice car." Her favorite time of year is summer, because it is her birthday and she gets to enjoy the break from school.

Congratulations Presley on graduating 8th grade! And Good Luck in your future High School career!

Next Month: James Cox

If you have lost your newsletter or don't have time to call the office, you are in luck! All of the events offered through the Cumberland County Office will be posted for your convenience.

Just log onto http://web.extension.uiuc.edu/jaspercumberland/ for all the information you could need!

Also, check out the pictures that have been posted from local events!

Butterfly Curriculum
(4th Grade)

We released the Cumberland Butterflies on April 15th. Please go visit them at the Butterfly house at the Natural Resource Education Area behind the grade school. We will be releasing the butterflies at Neoga the first part of May. The process of the lifecycle takes approximately 3 weeks.

Operation Safe Kids
(5th Grade)

We have had a few presenters so far and they have been great. So far the students have heard about Phone Safety by Donna Whitaker-Cumberland Co. 911 Coordinator, Fire Safety by Jeff Winnett - Greenup Fire Dept. and Basic First Aide by Cris Ingram - Cumberland Co. Health Dept. Still to present are Officer Tony Ortiz - University of Illinois Police Dept. with Prime Prevention and Personal Safety and Leanne Bryant from EIU Child Care Resource & Referral Dept. with babysitting safety.

A huge thanks to all of the staff at Neoga & Cumberland Schools for their participation in OSK & the Butterflies!

We are going to have a float for the Spring Festival Parade. WE NEED YOUR HELP TO FILL IT!! Meet at 11:00 a.m. at the Toledo Christian Church to decorate. The parade begins at 1:00 p.m. Please come dressed in your "Surf's Up" clothing. Call the Extension Office with any questions you might have and if you are able to help out!!!

Camp will be held on June 8-12 at the 4-H Memorial Camp in Monticello, IL. If you need a registration form, please call the Extension Office at 849-3931. All forms must be completed and turned in by May 16, 2008.

There will be scholarships available through the Cumberland County 4-H Federation.

Call the Office for more details!

Ever since the first week of April the news of funding cuts through the Illinois Department of Agriculture has posed serious challenges to many local Extension offices across the state. Illinois is home to 76,000 farms covering more than 28 million acres. Sales of Illinois' agricultural commodities generate more than $9 billion each year, and agriculture-related businesses employ nearly a quarter of our civilian workforce. Clearly, agriculture is a vital part of our state's economy and our heritage.

Unfortunately, state funds appropriated by the General Assembly in the current fiscal year that ends June 30 have been withheld from some vital agricultural programs. As of April 1, the State of Illinois is withholding $12.8 million in state funds appropriated to the University of Illinois Extension – a decision that has and will be devastating to programs statewide. Similar funding may or may not occur in next fiscal year also. Extension estimates that the denial of this funding may result in the loss of 450 jobs statewide. Extension staff oversees the Illinois 4-H program, so this funding lapse will have serious implications not only for current programs but also for the next generation of farmers.

Jasper and Cumberland County tax dollars along with contributions from other local sources comprise the locally generated portion of Jasper/Cumberland Extension budget. The $12.8 million mentioned above is most often referred to as County Board Match. When asked how these circumstances would affect Jasper & Cumberland County Extension programming, Don O. Frederick, County Director, replied. "This Unit is fortunate to have accumulated significant carryover to allow us to finish this fiscal year in the black." He continued to say, "Assuming there will be no $CBM this next fiscal year, this Unit may have to make some reductions after July 1. Currently those are undetermined."

There are reports that on May 1 the funds referred to above were released. However, it is currently unclear as to the validity of those reports and Extension Units will proceed with caution over the next several weeks.

Local residents that would like to express their concern regarding these unfortunate circumstances are urged to contact their legislators. A complete listing of Illinois legislators may be obtained at http://www.illinois.gov/gov and the mailing address for Governor Rod Blagojevich is 207 Statehouse, Springfield, IL 62706.

Use this link for a list of important dates.
http://web.extension.uiuc.edu/jaspercumberland/downloads/12332.pdf

Use this link for more information about the 4-H BBQ in Cumberland County.
http://web.extension.uiuc.edu/jaspercumberland/downloads/12026.pdf