June 2021 Newsletter

The Jackson County 4-H June 2021 Newsletter is now available for download. It contains the information for upcoming deadlines. Don't forget that fair entries are due soon. The deadline for animal projects is June 11 and the deadline for still exhibit projects is July 2nd. 

 May 2021 Newsletter

The Jackson 4-H May 2021 Newsletter is now available for download. The email was sent out last week via email in 4HONLINE. If you have a profile in 4HONLINE but are not getting our newsletters, be sure to check the family email listed on your profile. We have come across several in the last few weeks that have an incorrect email listed. Contact our office via email if you need help updating it or would like us to check (MSUE.Jackson@msu.edu). 

Letter to Families and March Newsletter

Newsletter 

 The March 2021 Newsletter is now available for download.  Be sure to check it for upcoming meetings and deadlines. This month's to go kit is a butterfly house just in time for spring!

Letter to Families

The following message has been sent out via 4HONLINE to all families. We would like to express our dedication to the youth of Jackson County and our gratitude to the people who share our vision of making the best better. 

 February 2021 Newsletter

The February 2021 Newsletter is available for download. We are now sending the newsletter out via email through 4HONLINE. Make sure your email address is updated in the system to get it in your inbox when it is released. Check out this month's to-go kit being sponsored by the Jackson County 4-H Foundation. Orders are due by February 21st.

January 2021 Newsletter

January 2021 Newsletter

The Jackson County 4-H January 2021 Newsletter is now available for download. We have a lot of fun activities for members coming up this month with a variety of topics. There are crafts, cooking, lego, and even wildlife activities planned! Be sure to sign up soon because space is limited for many of them.

 December 2020 Newsletter

The Jackson County 4-H December Newsletter is now available for download. We have some upcoming events and kits planned for this month. Members who register for a bird feeder project kit will be entered in a contest to win a Michigan bird identification book.

 Jackson County 4-H Newsletter

The November 2020 Newsletter is now ready for download. This issue has information about reenrollment and upcoming events. You will also find information about a free craft kit available for Jackson 4-H members that has been sponsored by the Jackson County 4-H Foundation. Make sure to read the flyer carefully, because orders are due by this Sunday!

2020 Jackson 4-H Foundation Scholarship Winners

   2020 Virtual Show: Scholarship Winners

Please click on the above link to access the list of scholarship winners. Congratulations to all of the winners and exhibitors for the hard work they have put into this year!

Poultry and Swine Results

   2020 Virtual Show: Poultry and Swine Results

Please click on the above link to access the results for Poultry and Swine. For additional judging feedback and placings beyond what is listed, please see your individual Fair Entry profile. Congratulations to all of the winners and exhibitors for the hard work they have put into this year!

2020 Jackson County 4-H Virtual Show Results

  2020 Virtual Show: Rabbit and Beef Results

Please click on the above link to access the results for Rabbits and Beef. For additional judging feedback and placings beyond what is listed, please see your individual Fair Entry profile. Congratulations to all of the winners and exhibitors for the hard work they have put into this year!

2020 Virtual Show: Still Exhibit, Dairy, Sheep, and Goat Results

 2020 Virtual Show: Still Exhibit, Dairy, Sheep, and Goat Results

Please click on the above link to access the results for Still Exhibits, Dairy, Sheep, and Goats. For additional judging feedback, please see your individual Fair Entry profile. Congratulations to all of the winners and exhibitors for the hard work they have put into this year!

Jackson 4-H Virtual Show Now Open

Virtual Show Now Open

Now that the 2020 Jackson County 4-H Virtual Show is open, we wanted to pass along some helpful hints and reminders based on feedback we have been hearing:

• Make sure you have read the Virtual Show Guide. It contains a lot of information and helpful hints.
• The Large Animal Entry Card has been released. Please note that it is not something that needs to be printed from a computer and it is something that can be handwritten. The purpose of this was to ensure that old videos or pictures are not being used. For all large animal species, the entry card is a notecard with the date written on it (Day, month, and year). All project guidelines (in the Virtual Show Guide) have been updated to include this information as well.
• Some families have been having difficulty submitting entries with a phone. While it is possible to use a phone for the process, we encourage you to use a computer when available. Additionally, if you are having difficulty logging in, please contact our office at msue.jackson@msu.edu
• We are not doing traditional awards this year. Due to the restrictions for group gatherings and how expensive it would be to mail them all, the virtual show committee decided to award flat ribbons. The process for distributing awards is still being determined.
• Although showmanship is optional, we encourage you to enter the classes. The Jackson County 4-H Foundation is providing scholarships for the 1^st and 2^nd place winners for each species and each age division.
• If you haven’t already, please follow our Facebook page. Throughout the week, we will be posting reminders and helpful tips.

We would like to acknowledge the group of hard-working volunteers that made this virtual show possible. We know that it is not the ideal way to show  all of the hard work done by our members. This virtual show in no way will take the place the Jackson County Fair. There is no comparison to that experience. If anything, planning this show has given us some time to reflect on how to truly make the best even better for 2021. We have done some great things with the situation we were presented with and this small team of volunteers have put together a great virtual experience. We appreciate everyone taking the time to learn this new process with us.

Virtual Show Guide Now Available

2020 Jackson County 4-H Virtual Show Guide

The 2020 Jackson County Virtual Show Guide is now available. It contains project guidelines for all projects, instructions for uploading materials, and lots of helpful tips to show off your projects. Don't forget that the system opens on July 26th and closes on August 2nd (Poultry: August 9th due to growth rates). We look forward to seeing the projects in this new format!

Jackson County 4-H Virtual Show Update

​Dear 4-H Families,

Jackson County 4-H Staff and Volunteers have been working hard behind the scenes over the last few weeks to develop a plan for our virtual show. While we still have some details to work out. We would like to update you on a few items

• -Through much discussion and with the help of the survey we had you fill out, both the Small Animal and Large Animal Executive Boards decided that it would not be feasible to hold a virtual auction this year. We did not have enough interest to justify the sale. Additionally, the groups felt that more money would go back to the kids if animals were sold to private buyers. While we are not holding an auction this year, we are available to help youth develop ideas for marketing animals. We are encouraging our members to market their animals to private buyers and there are a lot of resources available to help you sell your project. We recommend you check out the following website for materials to help you sell and market your project animal.
• https://www.canr.msu.edu/youth_business_guide_to_success/4-H-Animal-Project-Marketing-Resources/
• If you have specific questions about this, please reach out to the superintendents or our office.

• -The online system for uploading your pictures and videos for the Virtual Show will open on July 26^th and close on August 2^nd. Participants will submit their materials during this time. *Please note that market poultry will have a later closing date because of animal growth rates. Judges will be evaluating materials the week of August 3^rd so that results will be available the week that Fair would normally be. We know that this timeline is moved up a bit from the original plan but following the recommendations from the state 4-H virtual show committee, we felt it best to release results Fair week.

• -We will be releasing project guidelines sheets soon. This will give members an outline of what is expected for each entry. Each project area will have recommendations for pictures and/or video length and each animal species will have an entry card that will need to be displayed at the beginning of the video.
• Please note that the entry card for Large Animals will not be released until the system opens on July 26^th to ensure videos are recorded that week. Guidelines will be released sooner so that youth can practice and know what to expect.
• The Small Animal entry card will be released with the project guidelines. Videos and pictures for these projects can be taken at any point once guidelines are released.

• -Just a reminder that record books will not be required this year.

• -There will be no premiums this year.

• -Judging format will vary based on associations/species
• Small Animal participants will be placed for showmanship. They will use the Danish system (A-B-C) for breeding and market animals while placing the top 3.
• Large Animal participants will be placed for showmanship, breeding, and market animals.

• -Still Exhibit projects will be a part of the virtual show. We will have a project guide released soon that outlines available projects.

• -We will be having a cloverbud division for animal showmanship and still exhibits.
• For cloverbud showmanship, the animal can be any animal of that species and is not required to meet breed specifications.

We should have project guidelines out soon. They will be posted on our connections website and we will also send a reminder email once they are available. There will be step by step outlines of how to upload your materials and tips for submitting your best work. Thank you for all of your patience as we work through this unprecedented year. We look forward to seeing all of your projects!

-Jackson County 4-H

Jackson 4-H Virtual Show Update

Dear 4-H Families,

Over the last few weeks, Jackson County 4-H staff and volunteers have been working very hard to develop a virtual show experience for our members. Even though we can't see you or the projects in person this year, online judging is a chance to share what you have learned, and to get feedback from a judge to help you think about your goals for next year.  Exhibits will be judged in the closed-access FairEntry System.  Each department will have requirements around the photos, and/or videos that the judges will use to evaluate projects this year. We are planning a virtual show that will include both animals and still exhibits.

At this time, we are asking all 4-H youth to respond to the following survey to help us better understand the needs of our members. Please complete this survey no later than Wednesday June 17^th.

Survey Link: https://forms.gle/5pD9CF3tPSjApPLx6

A few items to note:

• Filling out this survey is required if you plan to participate in the virtual show
• Fair entry forms do not need to be turned in to the fair office
• This survey does not commit anyone to exhibiting but will be used to help us plan.
• One survey should be submitted for each member
• The virtual animal show is open to members that have submitted their project registration to superintendents
• We are not doing Animal Record Books this year

Although we know this is not a perfect system, it is a way for us to celebrate your hard work and continue with the path of learning.  Although we understand you do not have all the details at this time, we are gathering the information for those still interested in having your projects evaluated based on the concept of photos and videos. We look forward to providing you with more details as they become available.

-Jackson County 4-H