Spring has officially arrived, and things are going to be getting busy. We celebrated 4-H Week from Feb. 28 to March 6. I would like to thank all of those who participated in each activity! This year's newly crowned 4-H royalty are Lance Moses: King, Presley Hatfill: Queen, Clayton Apke: Prince and Dakota Swingler: Princess. Clubs also participated in the window display contest. This year's winner was the Hurricane Hustlers 4-H Club. Work & Play came in 2nd and Cumberland County Clovers received 3rd. We had a great turn out at the Leader's banquet, where we enjoyed good food, fellowship and entertainment. Thanks to Patty Winn for providing this for us and "lighting our fires!"

The Welcome to the Real World programs have been conducted at Cumberland and Neoga High Schools. This program reaches the sophomore class by introducing them to the "real world." Almost 150 students participated in this program with 30 local businesses represented. We would like to say THANK YOU to all of those who helped at each one. You are all AWESOME!

You should all be receiving your Fairbook supplement at your April Club meetings. Remember there is only one copy per family. If you are new or have lost the 2008 version, please contact the Extension Office.

April 16, 2009

7:00 p.m. at the Extension Office

ANYONE MAY ATTEND!!!!!!

On Tuesday, March 31, 2009 Presley Hatfill called the meeting to order with Jodi Koester leading the American Pledge and Melissa Koester leading the 4-H Pledge. The secretary's report was read by Presley Hatfill. Jodi Koester approved the motion to change minutes from last months meeting. The minutes were approved by Jodi Koester and seconded by Melissa Koester.

In old business we discussed 4-H Week, the 4-H BBQ which will be held on June 20th, Conkeer Cancer and Project Linus workshop, and a 4-H Carnival.

In new business we discussed up coming PQA training dates. They will be April 21st and 23rd at the Calvary Tabernacle Church. Also discussed was the upcoming U of I Illini Summer Academies that will be held on June 29th to July 1st. It was mentioned that the 2009 4-H Day with the Cardinals will be May 23rd. All members were reminded that 4-H Memorial Camp will be held June 7th-11th and it was encouraged to get your registration forms in quickly. The Project Discovery Day was discussed and was said that there is a fear of it being cancelled due to low registration numbers. The QAEC training was brought up. It was reminded that the due date of June 9th is for horses and July 1 for all other species. We are going to offer a new member party. More details will be discussed at the April meeting. We also voted to hold an Officer Retreat but to hold this at the beginning of the 09-10 4-H Year. Jodi Koester made a motion to adjourn the meeting and Melissa Koester seconded. Meeting adjourned. The next meeting will be Thursday, April 16 at 7:00 p.m. at the Extension Office.

All market swine for the 4-H fair have to be tagged to be eligible to show. This can be done one of two different ways. They can be tagged by your local veterinarian on the farm or at the April 18th weigh-in. You can come in to the Extension Office to pick up your tags if you do not wish to attend the weigh-in. This is to help with prevention of spreading disease from farm to farm. When you get your tags, you will receive a form that must be signed by the veterinarian by April 18th and returned to the Extension Office no later than April 22nd.

If you do not choose to tag your swine on the farm, you need to come to the weigh-in on Saturday, April 18 from 9:00-10:30 a.m. The weigh-in is for only market swine.

4-H member enrollments are due in the Extension Office by either mail or your club leader NO LATER THAN JUNE 1, 2009, for those members who plan to exhibit at the 2009 Cumberland County Fair. Membership and projects may be added or dropped at anytime prior to June 1. Members not enrolled prior to the June 1, 2009, deadline will NOT be eligible to show at this year's shows.

All youth must be 8 years of age or in the third grade by September 1, 2008 in order to enroll or exhibit.

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

If you have any questions about enrollment, please contact the Extension Office at 217-849-3931 or by email at

rstaley@illinois.edu.

4-H'ers in the Horse & Pony project who plan to show at the Equine Challenge Show or the Illinois Jr. Horse Show must have ownership/lease papers on file at the Extension Office by May 1st. The County 4-H Horse Show ownership papers must have all paper work at the Extension Office no later than June 1st.

REMINDER: Include two photos, one for each side of every horse/pony you wish to show. Failure can lead to being ineligible to show!

See leasing information in the Fair Handbook!

Youth PQA demonstrates the dedication of America's youth pork producers to assuring consumers that they are purchasing pork that is safe, of high quality and produced in a responsible manner.

All youth exhibiting swine at the county and state fair are required to participate in the National Pork Council's Youth PQA Plus Program.

We will be offering two different dates for those in Cumberland County to complete their training and/or testing.

The dates are:

April 21, 2009 at 6:30 p.m.

April 23, 2009 at 6:30 p.m.

Both sessions will be held at the Calvary Tabernacle Church in Toledo. You should have or will receive a postcard from the National Pork Association if you need to recertify. You will also receive a postcard from the Extension Office if you need to certify or recertify. We will offer both training and testing on both nights.

Please contact the Extension Office if you have questions.

The Jasper/Cumberland Extension Unit has a great web-site for you to find all types of information. You can find this newsletter along with past issues, important dates, livestock record forms, project forms, and MUCH MORE! You can find information about 4-H, Ag. & Natural Resources, Horticulture, and Nutrition & Health. The address is: http://web.extension.uiuc.edu/jaspercumberland/

When: Saturday, April 18, 2009

10:30 - 11:00 a.m.

Where: Cumberland County Fairgrounds

To be nominated to show at the Illinois State Fair you must have your lamb electronically tagged at the Coles County Fairgrounds on May 2, 2009 at 10:30—noon. There is a $2.00 fee for each tag, that must be paid on this date. If you have any questions, call the Extension Office.

Mark your calendars for 4-H Camp near Monticello!

The dates are June 7th - 11th, 2009

You do not have to be a 4-H member to attend this camp, so ask your friends to come!

REMEMBER….4-H Camp Scholarships are available from the Cumberland County 4-H Federation.

Spots will fill up quickly, so get your registrations in FAST!

Please send all registration forms to the Extension Office!!

Are you new to 4-H Memorial Camp, or would you just rather have a shorter camp experience? Get a taste of most everything offered at the regular week long camp in a setting tailored for younger campers. 4-H Mini Camp is open to all youth, but will focus activities designed for kids 8-12 years old. Swimming, boating, fishing, crafts, sports, games, songs, hikes, campfires and lots more! Bring a friend and bunk together in a cool log cabin. This camp will be held on June 4-6, 2009. If you wish to attend this camp, please contact Ryan at the Extension office for a registration form.

4-H members from Lawrence, Crawford, Richland, Jasper, Clark, Cumberland, Effingham, Fayette, Shelby, and Coles counties attended the camp, to give them an opportunity to gain skills that they can use with their livestock project.

Twenty seven 4-H members began on Friday evening with a few fun, educational activities to "get acquainted. Also during the evening, participants worked with leather, they learned how to effectively make and write a thank you card, and tried the art of finger weaving.

On Saturday, the campers went through round robin sessions on topics such as, show-ring ethics, medication, feed labels and thank you cards. They all were able to learn hands on with activities and visual aids. The afternoon was focused on livestock judging, the correct way to fill out judging cards, EPD's and much more. They were able to use their talents with a "mock" judging contest with prizes for the top 10. They all did a GREAT job and went home with new information to share with family and friends.

Cumberland County was represented by Levi Swingler, Katie Bell, Jaylynn Maxey, and Macey Maxey.

4-H members requiring the QAEC will have the opportunity to complete this requirement to exhibit at the 2009 Cumberland County Fair & Illinois State Fair on the web. The website allows exhibitors to move easily between six different modules and will not require downloading software. The web certification is the only approved method for 2009 and future years as approved by the Illinois State Fair Jr. Livestock Advisory Committee. 4-H'ers are required to only take the training once. You must complete this if you are showing beef, dairy, horses, sheep, swine, goats and poultry, rabbits and dogs. Please remember that this is for both County Fair and State Fair requirements. The website address is http://web.extension.uiuc.edu/qaec/. It is available February 1st through June 9th for horses and July 1 for beef, sheep, swine, dairy, goats and poultry. If you have any questions, contact the office.

Crawford County 4-H has invited 4-H'ers from Cumberland County to join then in the fun at the County Camp.

DATE: June 5, 6, 7

At the Baptist Church Campground Oblong, IL

Be watching for more information next month!

2009 Cumberland County Fair

August 23-29, 2009

Livestock Move-in: August 21st!

If you are a 4-H member that shows poultry, or if you are interested in showing poultry, we have something for you! Becky Rue of Greenup has a Red colored rooster that she would like to find a good home for. This would be a great addition to you flock or an awesome way to begin a poultry project! You may call Becky at 217-932-5820. Or you can call the Extension Office at 217-849-3931.

When: June 16, 2009

Time: 6:30 p.m.

Where: TBA

All new members to Cumberland County 4-H are encouraged to attend this PARTY! You will be able to meet Extension Staff, ask questions, learn more about projects and participate in hands-on activities with Federation Members. For the parents we will have a "parent panel" to ask questions you might have. 4-H is full of interesting things, and we want you to get the full experience!!

SUNDAY, MAY 17, 2009

We will once again be providing pies during the Toledo Fire Department's Chicken Dinner at the Spring Festival.

Something new, we are asking 2 clubs each year to come and cut pies and work at the Pie Stand. We will need around 2-3 individuals from each club. This year Hurricane Hustlers & Springpoint Rebels will be serving. The Office will continue to supply the forks, plates and baggies.

We are also changing the number of pies each club is responsible for. We ask that each club bring 5 pies for this event.

Funds will be used to cover 4-H publication costs. Come out and support your local 4-H program!!!!

Pies need to be delivered to the Fire Station in Toledo after 10:00 a.m., but no later than 11:30 a.m.

SATURDAY, MAY 30, 2009

Location: TBA

We are going to have a morning of sewing and fellowship. We are going to be making blankets for the Project Linus community service project.

We are starting a new community service called ConKerr Cancer. For this service we will be making cheerful pillowcases for children who are sick with cancer or another serious illness.

A local chapter in Lawrence County will be the collection point for these pillowcases. The pillowcases that are made will be distributed to the St. John's Children Hospital in Springfield, IL. At this time there are only 2 chapters in the state of Illinois.

Please come and enjoy making a blanket or pillowcase to help bring a smile to those in need.

If you cannot make it on May 30th, call the Extension Office to see how you can help!

To learn more about ConKerr Cancer go to: http://conkerrcancer.org/

If you can bring a sewing machine, please contact the Extension Office!!!

4-H will be partnering with the College of Engineering, Department of Ag and Bio Engineering and the Illini Mech Club to conduct three skillathons for 4-H'ers enrolled in Electricity, Welding and Robotics. The skillathons will be held on Campus in the Ag and Bio Engineering Building on Saturday, April 25 and are open to 4-H members 14 years of age as of January 1, 2009. The Electricity and Welding are individual event opportunities while the Robotics will be a team event. Participants will demonstrate their knowledge, skills and abilities in one of the three areas. These events will be used to select our representatives to the 2009 National 4-H Engineering Challenge scheduled for September 27-29 at Purdue University. Individuals interested in participating can obtain additional information and specific requirements for each skillathon from the Extension Office. Registrations are due to the State 4-H Office by April 15, 2009.

Mark your calendars for the 12th Annual Horse Camp.

· Date: June 4-7, 2009

· Place: Coon Creek Ridge Riders

· Things offered: Hands-on Activities, Trail Rides, Games, Speakers

This is for ages 10-18 year old.

For more information log onto: http://web.extension.uiuc.edu/clayfayette/