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Hello all, My name is Megan Freel and I am the new 4-H and Nutrition Internal Program Coordinator for Polk County!

A little bit about me- I am originally from Runnells Iowa, and currently reside in Ames. I joined the Innovators 4-H club when I was in 4th grade and was a member until I graduated from SEP High School in 2011. I was also a member of the county council for 4 years. After graduating high school I attended Iowa State University where I was a member of the ISUCF’V’MB (Go Cy-clones)!! While I was in college I continued to volunteer with Polk County 4-H as one of the Polk County Council advisors as well as assisting with various workshops and events. After graduating from Iowa State in 2015, I worked as a Team Leader at the Altoona Target while still volunteering with the Polk County Council and at the County Fair. I recently became one of the club leaders for the Innovators 4-H club and am looking forward to working with that group in the coming years!

What else do I like to do? Well I really enjoy crafting. I like being able to find inspiration for new projects and following through to completion. This likely has something to do with all of those years as a Polk County 4-H’er. I love getting lost in the aisles of craft stores looking for just the right thing to pull my idea together! I like to use what I make to decorate my apartment for the seasons. When I am not crafting I love to read, listen to music, spend time with my friends and family, and cook/bake with my awesome roommates.

I look forward to meeting and serving the youth and families of Polk County! And as always, Go Cyclones!

MEGAN FREEL

Youth & Nutrition Internal Coordinator

meganmae@iastate.edu

(515) 957-5763

JEFF JACKSON

County Youth Coordinator

jsjack@iastate.edu

(515) 957-5771

MARCI VINSAND

County Youth Coordinator

vinsand@iastate.edu

(515) 957-5770

CLOVER POWER NOVEMBER 2016

Headliner: New 4-H Face

1625 Adventureland Drive Suite A, Altoona, Iowa 50009 515-957-5760 | Monday-Friday 8:00-5:00

LEARN MORE AT WWW.EXTENSION.IASTATE.EDU/POLK

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Every year we offer an incentive to the clubs that have 90% or more of their club “Active” by November 15. This year is no different; however, we want to clarify a couple of things.

1. What does “active” mean? An active 4-H member has enrolled in 4-H Online and paid their $40 fee. 2. How are percentages determined? 4-H Online tells us who is active, inactive, and pending as well as a total for each club (inactive numbers and the totals are based upon 4-H enrollment from the 2014-2015 4-H year). We then take the number of active members and divide it by the total. 3. Example: Club A | Active 10, Pending 8, Inactive 5, Total 23.

43.4% of the club has been enrolled The math: 10/23 = .434 = 43.4% Club A does not meet the incentive. If Club A’s leader knows that members are not returning, the leader needs to email Marci.

What is the incentive? This year the incentive is $36 worth of product from the 4-H Mall

Focus 4-H CLUB ENROLLMENT

CLUB OFFICER TRAINING The Officer Training workshop will be held Thursday, November 10 from 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. at the Polk County Exten-sion Office. The workshop will include an overview of parliamentary procedure, working together as a group, and practicing the skills of their office. County Council will lead the workshop and provide FREE pizza for all who attend!

Please register at the following link http://goo.gl/forms/T2zdw5paXW

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Are you new to 4-H? Do you have Questions? We are here to help. We have scheduled a New Family Workshop for November 8th from 6pm till 7:30 pm at the Eastview Community Center 4101 E. 42nd St. Des Moines, IA

We will learn about goals, projects, County Fair, Record Books, etc. Come out, meet other new families, and learn more about 4-H. Please register at https://goo.gl/forms/r1eBEwrlojdidvEZ2.

You grew it, sewed it, created it, and showed it, so now it is time to award it! Join us on Sunday, November 13 at 2:00 pm at the Extension office for the 2016 Polk County Awards Ceremony: Award It! This year’s ceremony will honor youth who applied for project awards, Clover Dash 5K scholarships, and record book awards; volunteers who have shown great promise and leadership in Polk County 4-H; and clubs who are active in the county. This year we will also celebrate the induction of the largest Polk County 4-H County Council to date! Don’t miss out on the opportunity to meet with Miss Iowa, Kelly Koch, as she will be speaking on the Pinky Swear Foundation during the awards ceremony.

Do you enjoy knitting or crocheting? Then put your skills to good use by creating little red hats for babies born in the month of February. Mercy is teaming up with the American Heart Associ-ation to raise awareness of congenital heart defects, a common birth defect, by giving red hats to each baby born in February, which is American Heart Month. Hats will be accepted until the end of December. Mercy is also accepting donations of red yarn to make the hats.

For information and free hat patterns please visit Little Hats Big Hearts.

events NEW FAMILY WORKSHOP

COUNTY AWARDS CEREMONY

LITTLE HATS BIG HEARTS

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A group of Polk County 4-H’ers had the opportunity to meet and share their 4-H experiences with the CEO of Bayer, Liam Condon, while he was in Des Moines for the World Food Prize on October 13, 2016. Also there was a repre-sentative for National 4-H. The 4-H youth in attendance were Michael Dedecker, Ellen Sattler, Miranda Fickbohm, Sa-lome Chaisson-Cardenas, Andrew Vincent, Theresa Campos, Samantha Juarez, Bailey Carson, and Gabby Jones.

spotlight WORLD FOOD PRIZE

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We are happy to report that the DuPont Pioneer Seed Grants are back for 2016-17. We are accepting grants now through Jan. 17, 2017. Applications should be turned into County Extension Offices by Jan. 17 and then forwarded with their support by the Jan. 31 deadline. You can find information, application tips, application, and a promotion brochure for these grants on the Iowa 4-H website at: www.extension.iastate.edu/4h/pioneergrants. Grants can be awarded from $50 to $500 but typically will not exceed half of the cost of the total project as groups are encouraged to work at obtaining local support as a match.

Successful projects are those that enlist partnerships with other community entities, demonstrate engagement by the full 4-H club, and make a positive impact on the community. Send questions regarding the DuPont Pioneer Seed Grants to Brenda Allen at bsallen@iastate.edu.

Location: Wells Fargo Arena; Discounts Available for Groups of 10+; Call early to get the best seats next! Groups of 20+ will receive 2 comp tickets for every 20 purchased. Call To Book Your Tickets! Contact Carrie Fick at 515-564-8146 or carrie_fick@comcastspectacor.com.

Friday, Jan. 13th 2017 7:30pm: FFA and 4H members and families save $10 off of the $20, $30, $40, and $60 tickets

Saturday, Jan. 14th 2017 7:30pm: FFA and 4H members and families save $10 off of the $20, $30, $40, and $60 tickets

Looking for the experience of a lifetime? Look no further than the Citizenship Washington Focus trip where you as a 9-12 grader can travel by charter bus to visit Washington D.C. and the National 4‑H Center. Experience leadership and citizenship on a higher level with this epic opportunity on June 15-24, 2017.

Trip highlights include the Flight 93 Museum, Gettysburg Battlefield, Capitol Hill, Smithsonian Museum, Mount Vernon, and the Holocaust Museum. Youth will also meet with the Iowa Congressional and Senate delegations to dis-cuss legislative issues. In addition to tours and workshops, 4-H'ers will socialize and meet new friends!

The cost of the trip is $1,570. This includes lodging, transportation, tour site admissions, and most meals. Registration and a $510 deposit will be required to secure a spot. Space is limited. Registration deadline: January 4, 2016. To learn more about the trip and view registration information, visit: www.extension.iastate.edu/4h/cwf.

classifieds DUPONT SEED GRANTS

WORLD’S TOUGHEST RODEO 2017

CITIZENSHIP WASHINGTON FOCUS (CWF) 2017

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Classifieds cont’d. SUPPORT IOWA 4-H WITH YOUR LICENSE PLATE

A new specialty license plate is available to recognize the important role

that agriculture plays in Iowa’s economy. By purchasing this license

plate, you are not only showing your support for agriculture, but also

supporting three youth organizations: Iowa 4-H, Iowa FFA, and Iowa Agri-

culture Literacy. License plates are available for order now at

www.IowaAgTag.org. The fee is $35 for a standard plate or $60 for a per-

sonalized plate.

Many of you have asked about opportunities to serve. Here is a list of the resources we

have connected to that have needs. Please contact Jeff Jackson to schedule service projects with these organizations.

-Freedom for Youth- painting, cleaning, yard work needed at their campus in Des Moines.

-Riverside Bible Camp- LOTS of various opportunities. Many outdoors, some indoors. Anything from cleaning to light construc-tion.

-Eastview Community Center- painting, cleaning, yard work, light construction.

-Easter Seals Camp Sunnyside- LOTS of opportunities. I mean LOTS!

-Blank Park Zoo- cleaning, painting, crafts, sorry- no animal care :-(

After 9 year old Mitch Chepokas had given all the money he had saved (over $500) to help the chil-dren with cancer in the hospital, Mitch made a pinky swear promise with his dad to continue to help children with cancer and their families by providing immediate needs support and unique family pro-grams. Mitch passed away shortly after that promise. But the mission continues.” Learn more at www.pinkyswear.org Pinky Swear Mission: Helping kids with cancer and their families with financial and emotional support The foundation helps 500+ families annually with a $750 average grant per family. The organization has been helping families in 39+ states nationwide with a total of $11 million raised since 2003.

Brayden Weldon is organizing a community service project to generate funds to donate to The Pinky Swear Foundation. He would like to challenge 4-H clubs to help with this worthy cause. The club that raises the most money during the months of October and November will receive a pizza party provided by the Weldon family. Be creative with how to raise the funds. One suggestion is a “can drive”. We ask that ALL MONIES be turned in to the Exten-sion Office by December 5th 4:00 pm.

Kelly Koch, Miss Iowa 2016, will be at the 2016 Polk County Awards to speak. She has cho-sen this cause as her platform issue throughout her campaign and reign as Miss Iowa. Please come out November 13th to support our 4-Hers receiving awards, meet Miss Iowa and hear more about The Pinky Swear Foundation.

PINKY SWEAR FOUNDATION

SERVICE OPPORTUNITIES

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Classifieds cont’d. COMING SOON: IOWA 4-H FOUNDATION SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATIONS

The Iowa 4-H Foundation knows it's not easy to finance a college education and provides several opportunities to help 4-H'ers achieve their educational goals. Consider applying for an Iowa 4-H Scholarship, funded by donors through the Iowa 4-H Foundation. Scholarship applications will be available this month for students, the applications are due Feb-ruary 1, 2017. Stay tuned for the upcoming opportunities on the Iowa 4-H Foundation’s scholarship webpage.

Want to get a head start on a 4-H project or just improve your communication skills?

The Christkindlmarket Des Moines, is looking for people to offer visiting youth an opportunity to experience a story, craft, or short (Think Working Exhibit or Educational Presentations) entertainment featuring a cultural holiday tradi-tion from Europe.

What is the Christkindlmarket- is a German-inspired Christmas market whose goal is to educate and entertain the community by exposing them to European-style foods, products and activities. The programming is being scheduled so each activity/story/craft can be done stand alone or repeated within an hour or more on one or more days. Here is a link for anyone/club/group who might be interested in submitting an activity: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSewcXn45ILP5HFZH1j4BcksTIspOdATcrAFvLdRYZqhA_kOcg/viewform

For more information please contact Missy Mootz at cdm.kinderkorner@gmail.com

Conservation Districts of Iowa is sponsoring the conservation and agriculture scholarships again in 2017. The scholar-ships are offered to graduating Iowa high school seniors for their first year of education on the college level pursuing programs of study in any field of agriculture or natural resources. Three scholarships will be awarded on the state lev-el in the amounts of $4,000; $3,000; and $2,000. Polk County seniors should submit their application to the Polk Soil & Water Conservation District, 1513 N. Ankeny Blvd., Ste. 3, Ankeny, IA 50023 no later than February 17, 2017. The 2017 scholarship application, judging criteria and selection process are available online at http://www.cdiowa.org

In addition to the above scholarship opportunity, Polk County graduating seniors are also eligible to apply for the Larry Beeler Memorial Scholarship Fund. That application process can also be found at the Conservation Districts of Iowa website. For any questions, contact the Polk Soil & Water Conservation District at 515-964-1883 x 3.

COMMUNICATION SHOWCASE OPPORTUNITY

CONSERVATION AND AGRICULTURE SCHOLARSHIPS

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Classifieds cont’d. 2017 CONSERVATION DISTRICTS OF IOWA POSTER CONTEST

THEME: HEALTHY SOILS ARE FULL OF LIFE

Grinnell Mutual Reinsurance Company makes it possible for Conservation Districts of Iowa to partner with the National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) and local soil and water conservation districts (SWCD) to offer the 2017 Conservation Poster Contest. A total of 45 awards are given. Any child that resides in Iowa, is a public, private or home school student in Kindergarten through 12th grade with a participating SWCD can participate. Applicants should download the forms, contest application process information and deadlines on the Conservation Dis-tricts of Iowa website at www.cdiowa.org Public, private, and home school students, residing in Iowa, in grades Kin-dergarten through 12th are eligible to take part in the 2017 Conservation Poster Contest. Applicants who live in Polk County, should submit their completed poster with entry form to the Polk Soil and Water Conservation District, 1513 North Ankeny Blvd., Suite 3, Ankeny, IA 50023 by Friday, March 24, 2017. Call 515-964-1883 x 3 for further assis-tance.

Conservation Districts of Iowa has just announced applications to participate in the 2017 Envirothon are being accepted. The Envirothon is a team competition for high school stu-dents. It is a problem-solving, natural resource education program for high school stu-dents. In the field, teams of five students are challenged to sharpen critical thinking skills and work as a team to conduct hands-on investigations and answer written questions con-cerning environmental issues in five categories: Aquatics, Forestry, Wildlife, Soils, and Cur-rent Environmental Issues. The benefits of competing is the incentive of travel, scholar-ships and prizes.

The Envirothon is North America’s largest high school environmental competition. It was started by the Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts in 1979. The first National Envirothon competition was held in 1988 with Iowa joining in the 1995-1996 school year. Currently, teams representing over 57 states and Canadian provinces compete at the national level. The Iowa Envirothon is a state-wide program developed in conjunction with the National Envi-rothon policies, with the top team in the state representing Iowa at the Nationals.

Regional competitions are held in Cherokee, Red Oak, West Des Moines, Iowa City, and Waterloo. Deadline date for signup is February 10, 2017.

Whether you have participated in past years or are new to the competition, information is available at www.cdiowa.org If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact us at (515) 289-8300 or email Envirothon Coordi-nator, Courtney Slagle, at admin@cdiowa.org.

2017 ENVIROTHON

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Animal & Livestock news HORSE EXHIBITOR MEETING

Attention all horse exhibitors: our annual horse exhibitor meeting will be Wednesday November 2, 6:30 p.m. at the Extension office. Come to give your feedback on the horse show, including suggestions for changes/improvements to the schedule and class list.

Horse Superintendent | Sondra Feldstein | 515. 250. 2330 | sondraf@uchic

Beginning Jan. 1, 2017, veterinary oversight will be required when using medically important antibiotics for treatment, prevention and control through the Veterinary Feed Directive (VFD). This directive, established by the Food and Drug Administration, is an effort to protect human and animal health from the rise of antibiotic resistance by implementing new guidelines that will regulate medically important antibiotic use in animal feed. To address these changes, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach office in Polk County is hosting a meeting with Joe Sellers, extension beef specialist, to explain what the VFD means for 4-H youth and their families. This meeting will be held on Wed., November 9 from 6 to 8 p.m. at Crown Point Community Center in Johnston. There is no cost to attend, however registration is required and can be completed online at http://bit.ly/VFDPolk4H.

For more information contact Marci. See Attached flyer.

Where: Hansen Agriculture Student Learning Center, ISU, Ames

When: November 12, 2016

Start: 10:00 AM

4-H Dog webpage: www.extension.iastate.edu/4h/projects/dogs

WEIGH-IN DATES Please mark your calendars with the following weigh-in dates:

Beef – Saturday, December 17, 2016 from 8:00 am-12:00 pm at the Iowa State Fair Grounds Cattle Barn

Swine – Saturday, April 8, 2017 from 8:00-11:00 am at Don Timmin’s Farm

Sheep and Meat Goats – Saturday, April 29, 2017 from 8:00-12:00 pm at the Iowa State Fair Grounds Sheep Barn

VETERINARY FEED DIRECTIVE 4-H MEETING

2016 BLOCK AND BRIDLE DOG SHOW

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Animal & Livestock news cont’d YOUTH POULTRY WORKSHOP

Mark your calendars for an outstanding poultry educational workshop to be held in conjunction with the Master’s Cup Poultry Show on November 19, 2016, in Webster City, Iowa. A variety of workshops will be held from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m., including:

Starting baby poultry right (suggested dates to consider for 2017) What is the judge looking for? Covers layers, ducks, geese, turkeys, and differences between market and breeding classes Artificial insemination. Facilitator: Mark Peterson, Master Poultry breeder and Poultry Hall of Fame Recipient

Poultry Health. Facilitator: Dr. Sato, ISU what does the Iowa Poultry Association do for the industry in Iowa?

This opportunity is open to all members of 4-H and FFA who desire to learn more about the poultry industry. Members may also have the chance to discuss show experiences with Master Exhibitors as time allows.

Registration will be $10 per person (including lunch and workshop fees). Registrations are due by October 28, 2016, to Bart Pals, 146 Brook Terrace, Mason City IA 50401. Click HERE for flyer & registration.

For more information, please contact: Bart Pals (641-430-2916) or Zeb Skow (507-236-6788). For more information about the Master’s Cup Poultry Show, please visit www.mastercuppoultryshow.com.

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Attention: leaders! 4-H CLUB ENROLLMENT INCENTIVE

Every year we offer an incentive to the clubs that have 90% or more of their club “Active” by November 15. This year is no different; however, we want to clarify a couple of things.

1. What does “active” mean? An active 4-H member has enrolled in 4-H Online and paid their $40 fee. 2. How are percentages determined? 4-H Online tells us who is active, inactive, and pending as well as a total for each club (inactive numbers and the totals are based upon 4-H enrollment from the 2014-2015 4-H year). We then take the number of active members and divide it by the total. 3. Example: Club A | Active 10, Pending 8, Inactive 5, Total 23.

43.4% of the club has been enrolled The math: 10/23 = .434 = 43.4% Club A does not meet the incentive. If Club A’s leader knows that members are not returning, the leader needs to email Marci.

ANNUAL TRAINING FOR POLK COUNTY VOLUNTEERS

Mark your calendar! The 2016/2017 Annual Volunteer Training will be held in February 16 at the Polk County Exten-sion office. We will host two sessions that day: 1:00-3:00 pm and 6:30-8:30 pm.

CLOVER POWER SUBMISSION DEADLINES

Email submissions for Clover Power to Megan and Marci and Jeff, especially if you send on deadline day.

For December, submit by 11/28/16

For January, submit by 12/27/16

For February, submit by 1/27/17

For March, submit by 2/24/17

For April, submit by 3/28/17

For May, submit by 4/26/17

For June, submit by 5/25/17

For July, submit by 6/27/17

For August, submit by 7/28/17

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Calendar 2016-2017 November 2016

1 4-H Program Advisory Board 7:00 pm

2 Horse Exhibitor Meeting 6:30 pm

2 County Council Meeting 7:00 pm

2-3 Portable Challenge Training

8 New Family Workshop- Eastview Community

Center 6pm - 7:30 pm

10 Club Officer Training 6:30-8:30 pm

13 County Awards Ceremony 2:00 pm

16 Fair Board Meeting 7:30 pm.

24-25 Office Closed, Happy Thanksgiving!

December 2016

6 4-H Program Advisory Board 7:00 pm

7 County Council Meeting 7:00 pm

13 New Family Workshop- Altoona ISU Extension Office 6pm- 7:30 pm

21 Fair Board Meeting 7:30 pm

17 Beef Weigh-in 8:00-11:00 am

23-26 Office Closed, Happy Holidays!

January 2017

2 Office Closed, Happy New Year!

3 4-H Program Advisory Board 7:00 pm

4 County Council Meeting 7:00 pm

16 Office Closed

18 Fair Board Meeting 7:30 pm

February 2017

1 State Award Applications Due

1 Scholarship Applications Due

7 4-H Program Advisory Board 7:00 pm

1 County Council Meeting 7:00 pm

15 Fair Board Meeting 7:30 pm

March 2017

7 4-H Program Advisory Board 7:00 pm

1 County Council Meeting 7:00 pm

9 FSQA Training 6:00 – 8:00 pm

14 FSQA Training 1:00 – 3:00 pm

15 Fair Board Meeting 7:30 pm

April 2017

4 4-H Program Advisory Board 7:00 pm

5 County Council Meeting 7:00 pm

8 Swine Weigh-In 8:00-11:00 am

19 Fair Board Meeting 7:30 pm

27 Leader Meeting 1:00–3:00 pm or 6:30–8:30 pm

29 Sheep Weigh-In 8:00-11:00 am

May 2017

2 4-H Program Advisory Board 7:00 pm

3 County Council Meeting 7:00 pm

15 Livestock ID’s Due in 4-H Online

15 Last Day to Enroll in 4-H

15 Polk County Fair King and Queen Applications Due

17 Fair Board Meeting 7:30 pm

29 Office Closed

June 2017

6 4-H Program Advisory Board 7:00 pm

7 County Council Meeting 7:00 pm

10 King and Queen Candidate Interviews

21 Fair Board Meeting 7:30 pm

TBD Intermediate Trip

TBD State 4-H Conference

July 2017

4 Office Closed

5 County Council Meeting 7:00 pm

11 4-H Program Advisory Board 7:00 pm

12 Fair Board Meeting 7:30 pm

15 Clothing Event

19-24 Polk County Fair

August 2017

10-20 Iowa State Fair

Iowa State University Extension and Outreach does not discriminate on the basis of age, disability, ethnicity, gender identity, genetic information, marital status, national origin, pregnancy, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, or status as a U.S. veteran. Direct inquiries to Ross Wilburn, 515-294-1482, wilburn@iastate.edu.

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