Dear 4-H Friends and Families, Greetings!!

The Extension Office is proudly announcing the return of Jodi Baumgartner and Chelsea McIntyre – who are starting their fourth year as 4-H Summer Assistants.

Jodi Baumgartner Biography

Jodi is a 4-H (Lena Live Wires) and Federation alumni. Jodi is originally from the Lena area; she graduated in 2001. Jodi's favorite 4-H memories include club trips to Noah's Ark, and the many Federation activities/and committees she was involved with. Some projects Jodi took include: woodworking, poultry, foods, and sewing. This upcoming Fall 2005 school year Jodi will be a Senior at Eastern Illinois University, where she is studying Family and Consumer Sciences. Jodi has many responsibilities at the Extension Office. Some of her duties include: Dress Revue, Day Camps, Little Sprouts Garden, General Project's Day, ribbons and trophies, and last but not least, judges. This summer Jodi is looking forward to going to many concerts.

Chelsea McIntyre Biography

Chelsea is also a 4-H (Harlem Helpers & Kollege Krusadors) and Federation alumni. Chelsea is from Freeport and graduated in 2002 from Freeport High School. Chelsea recently graduated from Highland Community College in May. Chelsea enjoyed many 4-H projects including: leadership, foods, herb gardening, sewing, and visual arts. This upcoming Fall 2005 school year Chelsea will be a Junior at the University of Northern Iowa, where she will be studying Leisure, Youth, and Human Services. Chelsea is kept very busy at the Extension Office. Some of her responsibilities include: Camp, Little Sprouts Garden, General Project's Day, Cake Decorating, Day Camps, preparing for the Fair, assisting with Federation, and writing the monthly 4-H Focus newsletter.

Both Jodi and Chelsea are looking forward to working with Stephenson County 4-H'ers and families. We are looking forward to a FANTASTIC summer!! Best wishes to you & yours, Chelsea A. McIntyre

If you are enrolled in a 4-H project that will be judged on General Project's Day, you've got a lot to look forward to! The judging will be done in a conference style by talking with the judge. The judging of the projects is a learning experience for you, the 4-H'er. From it, you can learn what you did well and how you can improve. An exhibit doesn't measure all that you've learned; it is only a sample. Conference judging gives you an opportunity to explain what you've learned while working on your project. So this is your time to shine! When your project is being judged, it is important to keep the following things in mind:

• Talk to the judge. Answer any questions he/she has for you. Make them aware of what you know!
• You will be asked questions about your exhibit, so you should be prepared to tell what you were trying to do in your project (your project goals) and be able to describe the steps you took to make the exhibit.
• FOLLOW THE RULES! Make sure that your exhibit meets all the requirements as stated in the current Stephenson County 4-H Program Book.
• Practice good sportsmanship. Be the kind and courteous individuals that we know you all are.
• Listen carefully to the judge so that you can accept constructive criticism, and learn from it.
• REMEMBER: Projects are evaluated - not people! All completed projects meeting the show requirements will receive a Blue, Red, or White rating. Projects are evaluated individually, not compared to other 4-Hers' projects. Realize that the judges are human, too! Mistakes can be made and we always need to keep in mind that all our judges, superintendents, and recorders are sharing their time to help out our program. They offer their assistance and expertise, so please make sure you thank them for all their efforts!

Yes, it is that time of year again! As the days heat up, we know that the time for all of the projects to be completed is nearing. General Project's Day is scheduled for Thursday, July 14th. The day will begin at 9:00 a.m. ALL 4-H'ers must check-in their projects by 10:00 a.m. with the superintendent or recorder of each area they registered to show in. If you have decided not to show in a specific area, please check in with that area's recorder to let them know that you are not showing; this will help them know who still needs to be judged. We appreciate everyone's cooperation and patience. Please also note that projects won't be released until 11:00 a.m.

***ATTENTION***

Any 4-H'er that is not able to attend General Projects Day and still wants his/her project judged will need to refer to rule #10 on page XIV in the white pages of the Program Book. This applies to ALL projects. Please be aware that there is the chance that the 4-H'er may not receive as high a rating due to the fact that the judge is not able to ask questions of the 4-H'er and may not fully know what was accomplished by doing the project.

ALL State Fair premium books and livestock entry forms will ONLY be available via the State Fair web site. The web site is: www.illinoisstatefair.info. All livestock entries must be received at the Extension Office BY June 28.

The State 4-H Office is looking for 1 to 2 volunteers and 2 teens from the Northwest Region to take part in the State Fair Junior Department Advisory Committee. Youth must be a minimum of 15 years of age as of September 1, 2005. If interested, please contact the Extension Office.

Horses

• For safety reasons, NO LOCKS are allowed on stall doors at any time unless the stall contains tack. (By order of State Fair Security)
• As of the 2006 ISF, HELMETS WILL BE REQUIRED BY ALL RIDERS WHENEVER MOUNTED. (Helmets must meet ASTM/SEI standards.)
• (Revision to 2nd paragraph of #7, under Additional Information for Exhibitors.) In the Land of Lincoln classes, only animals which are Illinois bred, born, and owned and exhibited by Illinois 4-H and FFA members shall be eligible to participate in classes 69301, 69302, 69401, 69601, 69602, 69607, and 69500. Please refer to the complete Land of Lincoln rules in the Jr. Department Premium Book.
• Dressage will have an additional level. Information will be forthcoming in the ISF Jr. Premium Book.

Rabbits

• PLEASE let your rabbit exhibitors know that the Jr. Rabbit Show is now on WEDNESDAY PRIOR TO THE FAIR (Aug. 10, 2005). Several exhibitors did not receive this information in 2004 and brought their rabbits on the wrong date.

Beef

• Classes will no longer be divided by hip heights. They will be divided by breeds and weights.
• Any animals displaying repeated unruly behavior will be dismissed from the class at the discretion of the superintendent.

Sheep

• A new Ewe Lamb Market Class will be established. Jr. Market ewes must be tattooed and nominated at the same time as the lamb weigh- in and will not be eligible for the Grand Champion Drive.

Swine

• Barrows that weigh-out during the original weigh will be allowed to re-weigh ONE time if the barrow misses the required limits. The re-weigh request must be made immediately; the animal may not leave the ring/weigh area; and the weigh-back must occur within 15 minutes of the original weigh time.
• The upper limit for barrow weight has been raised to 275 pounds.

Dogs

• The State Fair 4-H Dog Show will be Sunday, July 31st.

An educational web site, designed for 4-H and FFA members, to provide knowledge on various animal science projects, is now available through the University of Illinois Extension and Department of Animal Sciences. This interactive web site can be accessed at equiz.outreach.uiuc.eduand will allow youth to test their knowledge about all phases of the livestock project. The web site consists of interactive pages divided into specific subject matter on beef, dairy, forages, horses, meats, sheep, and swine. This is also an excellent web site for anyone wanting to learn more about their livestock project. It is especially helpful for anyone preparing for judging contests, 4-H quiz bowls, and the Superior Young Producer Contest.

4-H members in Wildflowers and Prairie Plants may want to check out these web sites that are recommended by the Soil & Water Conservation District:

www.inhs.uiuc.edu/-kenr/corridors.html
www.chicago-botanic.org
www.inhs.uiuc.edu/cbd
www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/resource

Clothing

Saturday, June 11th
9:00–11:00 a.m.
R-101 · RSVP by June 9th
Call the office if you have topics you'd like to see covered

Photography

Tuesday, June 14th
1:00–3:00 p.m.
Hillside Studio; 3208 W. Lily Creek Rd.,
BRING: Your camera with NO FILM IN IT, a couple rolls of film (any speed), ALL lenses, flashes, camera equipment; also bring any pictures that you've taken that you would like analyzed for improvement.
RSVP by June 10th

Horticulture

Thursday, June 16th
1:00–3:00 p.m., H-210
RSVP by June 14th
Will cover flower arranging and horticulture

The Ag Breakfast Planning Committee is still looking for 4 -H'ers to bring in animals for the petting zoo. If you have a baby pig, poultry, dog, or lamb that are friendly and able to be around children, they need you and your animal!! If you able to share your animal, you will get a breakfast ticket for that day. To signup, see the form in last month's FOCUS. If you need another copy of this form, contact the Extension Office and we will mail you another one.

If you or volunteers from your club are able to help out by making coffee cakes for Ag Breakfast, it would be greatly appreciated. See the recipe that was in last month's FOCUS, or contact the Extension Office and we will mail you another one. The coffee cakes need to be delivered to the Fairgrounds by Friday, June 24th by 4:00 p.m. or before 8:00 a.m. on Saturday, June 25th. Thank you for your help.

There are two shift times for workers: 5:30-8:00 a.m. and 8:00- 10:30 a.m. Volunteers are needed both shifts for the following positions:

• Serving Line Worker: (Eggs–Meat–Coffee Cake–Cheese)
• Coffee Servers
• Clearing Tables
• Trash Collectors
• Whip Eggs (cook tent)
• Egg Cookers (adults cook tent)
• Dish washers
• Coffee Makers (adults cook tent)
• Coffee Carriers (adults tents to pots)
• Clean-Up Crew

Stephen Reilly

Stephen has been a member of the Freeport Fantastics 4-H Club for ten years. As a 4-H'er Stephen was very active in computer projects as well as woodworking. Stephen will be attending Highland Community College, his major will be in the computer science field. Stephen says, "Through my involvement in 4-H, I have gained a lot of leadership skills that I would not have gained elsewhere."

Liza Howe

Liza has been a member of the Winslow Clovers 4-H Club for eleven years. 4-H has provided Liza with a great knowledge in the horse project. Liza plans on attending Highland Community College; she is interested in sustainable agriculture management and /or pre-veterinary medicine. Liza says, "next to the influence of my parents & church, ALL of my accomplishments and activities have been influenced by 4-H. Congratulations & Good Luck to both Stephen and Liza with their future plans! Outstanding job to all the other Brittany Koch applicants; judging was VERY tough again this year! Please enter again!

You Learn to Bake (same as last year), Food Preservation (same as last year with some revisions), Let's Start Cooking (NEW), and Meats and Other Protein Sources (NEW) participants will be asked to demonstrate skills that they have had to do in order to complete their project. For information on the skills that you may be asked to demonstrate, contact the Extension Office.

Due to the recent change in the USDA Food Pyramids format, the 2005 State Fair Food Skill-AThon stations will NOT include any stations on the food pyramid. All projects will have one station related to menu planning, but questions will not relate directly to the pyramid.

This show will be held on Sunday, July 17, 2005 at the Boots "N' Spurs Arena located at the Carroll County Fairgrounds in Milledgeville, IL. Registration at 7:30 a.m. and show start time is at 8:30 a.m. The show is offering 41 classes and will run most of the day. There is a $4.00 class fee. Dana Neary-Panella from Heartland, WI will be the judge for the day. All ages are welcome. Please call the office for a copy of the complete listing of all the classes offered that day or contact Charles Nash at 815-336-2183 for further information.

We are still continuing to collect ink cartridges, old used cell phones, and Cub Foods Receipts. Please bring them in at your convenience during our office hours.

The Ogle County Goat Committee is sponsoring a goat clinic on June 26, 2005 from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the Ogle County Fairgrounds. Information on Dairy and Pygmy goats, as well as the new class of Meat Goats will be provided. They will have 4-H'ers who own Dairy and Meat Goats assisting with the clinic. There will also be a person who owns Pygmies conducting the clinic. You will be shown how to tattoo or tag your animal. The clinic will also instruct you on showmanship, how to lead in the ring, and clipping your animal and its hooves. It will involve all aspects of showing your goats. If you have any questions, please call Linda Burr at 815-734-7298.

The next Federation Meeting will be June 20, 2005, at 6:00 p.m. in Room H-210 Look at your lawn. Soon you may find a flock of flamingos living there. Don't want any flamingos?? Send them to someone else's yard first. You can call the Extension Office to designate the next victim! The flamingo wrangler charges $5.00 to gather up the flamingos and deliver them to someone else's house or $5.00 to pick them up at your house. The flamingos stay about three days and then they migrate to their next destination. Watch out–you may just be the victim of a flamingo flock!

Have any old 4-H ribbons? This year we are again collecting unused ribbons. If you have any ribbons that are in excellent condition with no writing on the back, and you no longer are interested in keeping them, please donate them back to the 4-H Pffice so we can recycle them! Just drop them off at any time during office hours this summer!

The cost of ribbons and trophies is not cheap, and as many of you know, each year we have many, many wonderful trophy sponsors to pay for the cost of trophies. It was brought to our attention that we should ask for donations for all the ribbons that we purchase! Ribbons that kids receive, are paid for by the 4-H Office. This year we are looking for cash donations towards ribbons to help cut the cost of ribbons. If any one is interested in donating a $1 or any amount they can afford, the Extension Office will be collecting donations for this wonderful cause! Donations can be dropped off at the office, or mailed to the office in an envelope with the donor's name and purpose. We will be collecting donations until July 29, 2005. Any support would be greatly appreciated by the office, and of course all 4-H'ers!!!

This year we are making several changes to our June is Dairy Month Poster Contest! The posters must promote dairy use. The poster size should be 11' x 14". There will be five age categories this year, they are as follows:

• Cloverbuds
• 8-11 years old
• 12-14 years old
• 15-19 years old
• 4-H Leaders

For each category the public will select the best of show, while all other poste r entries will receive a participation ribbon. ALL posters must include: name, age, address, and 4-H club on the back of the poster. Posters are due to the Extension Office by 4:00 p.m. on Monday, June 20th.

The public will judge posters at the Stephenson County Ag Breakfast on June 25, 2005. Therefore, posters can be hung up in club windows before the Ag Breakfast to promote dairy to the public.

Posters will be judged on how they promote dairy products, their originality, neatness, readability, and audience appeal. Posters and ribbons may be picked up anytime after the Ag Breakfast at the Extension Office. Look for a list of winners in the July Focus!! Posters may also be displayed at the Stephenson County Fair in your club booth. If you have any questions about the contest, please contact Jodi at the Extension Office at 235-4125. Good luck to everyone!

Practices are underway for the State Judging Contest. Coaches for the competition are:

• Dairy Quiz Bowl- Becky Meier, Jennifer Busker, and Glen Meier
• Dairy Judging – Dan Koester
• Poultry- Rita Koch
• Livestock Judging-Ed Curry

Without these very special individuals we wouldn't have such outstanding Livestock teams. THANK YOU! If you wish to receive more information about the practices/contests, please contact Pam at the Extension Office at 235-4125.

Organizers in Freeport are starting a community garden in some vacant lots created by the Homer Street Sewer Project. The location this year is the west 400 block of Avon St. (Avon and Blackhawk). If there are 4-H members who live in the city and could use space to complete a gardening project, there are 10 x 10 plots available. There is a $5 fee to cover garden costs. Also, as a part of this garden, a Garden for the Hungry to benefit local food pantries is being created. Organizers are looking for volunteers and donations of seeds, tools, etc. Please contact Marjorie Lewis if you have questions or suggestions. Her telephone number is 232-7415 or e-mail her at marjorie_lewis@hotmail.com.

If anyone has tools they'd like to donate to the Little Sprouts Garden Children's Garden, a project coordinated by University of Illinois Extension, Stephenson County Youth Staff, please call us! We're also looking for children's gardening tools or children's books on the following topics:

• Five Senses
• Nemo
• Space
• Secret Sunflower Room
• Death and Dying
• Butterflies
• Rainbows
• Friendship
• Pumpkins
• Gardening

The following 4-H'ers have June birthdays. We wish them all a very happy birthday!

Jase Baldauf
Jim Bawinkel
Forrest Beightol
Kyle Bolen
Alice Brinkmeier
Melissa Bronkema
Brandon Bull
Kyle Chritz
Mackenzie Doubler
Michael Fole
Ashley Goeke
Curtis Goeke
Miranda Goeke
Bailey Grunder
Reid Huneke
Mike Ilgen
Jennifer Kloepping
Cody Kluck
Lyndsey Krogull
MaijaMattson
MorginNiedermeier
JackPerson
JeffreyPurple
WhitneyRunkle
Kaylee Schofield
Caleb Staub
Derek Tessendorf
Sarah Wilhelms
Misti Williams
Emma Wingert