Hello 4-H Parents and Volunteers
Please find below some important 2022 4-H Year Information.

Attention 4-H Volunteers
If you recently received a letter indicating your BCI rescreening is due for 2022 please read through it carefully and note the deadline date. BEFORE you complete your BCI screening requirement be sure to enroll in the 4-H Online system as a volunteer. This will enable OSU to link your BCI report with your volunteer profile in the system and ensure information is not lost. Enrollment instructions found HERE.

Identification/Tagging Process for Steers, Lambs, Goats, Feeder Calf, & Swine:

Junior Fair Steer Identification Deadline and Process
There will be no Steer Weigh-In for 2022. Instead, 2022 market beef/dairy steer exhibitors are required to pick up EID Tags from the Extension Office. You can pick up tags now until January 1, 2022 in our office, complete an ID Form, take photos of tagged animal, and send photos along with the form back to Extension Office. Deadline for materials is January 7, 2022. All materials to be sent to meyer.524@osu.edu.

If your steer already has an EIN Tag, simply complete the ID Form and submit pictures of your steer by the Jan 7 deadline. The form includes DETAILED instructions about what photos are needed and how to submit them to the office. ID Forms completed after January 7 will be assessed a $10 late fee and could be ineligible for fair competition.

Lamb and Goat Identification Deadlines and Process - There will be no April Lamb and Goat Weigh-In for 2022. Instead, we will use the scrapie ID tag as the official fair ID. For 2022, market goat and market sheep exhibitors are required to complete an ID Form, take photos of the Scrapie tagged animal, and send photos along with the form back to Extension Office no later than April 18, 2022. The ID Form includes DETAILED instructions about what photos are needed and how to submit them to the office. We will not accept any photo that is unclear, or directions not followed.

Feeder Calf Identification Deadline and Process - There will be no Feeder Calf Weigh-In for 2022. Instead, beef/dairy Feeder exhibitors are required to pick up EID Tags from the Extension Office March 1 and April 15, complete an ID Form, take photos of tagged animal, and send photos along with the form back to Extension Office no later than April 18, 2022. If your Feeder already has an EIN Tag, simply complete the ID Form and submit pictures of your calf. The Feeder Calf ID Form includes DETAILED instructions about what photos are needed and how to submit them to the office. We will not accept any photo that is unclear or directions not followed.

Swine Identification Deadline and Process – All market Swine exhibitors are required to pick up EID Tags from the Extension Office between March 1 and April 15, complete an ID Form, take photos of tagged animal, and send photos along with the form back to Extension Office no later than April 18, 2022. The Swine ID Form includes DETAILED instructions about what photos are needed and how to submit them to the office. We will not accept any photo that is unclear, or directions not followed.

Email all Identification Forms to meyer.524@osu.edu. An email receipt will follow – keep this email confirmation as proof your forms arrived and have been entered. All ID forms can be found HERE.

EID Tags and Cost (for all animals that get EID tagged) – The Senior Fair Board will provide EID tags free of charge up to the number of project animals you can enter into the junior fair. Exhibitors are permitted to enter a maximum of 4 market steers/Market heifers/dairy steers, 2 beef feeders, 2 dairy feeders, 3 hogs to junior fair. You still can ID twice as many at possession deadline but must cover the $3 cost per tag beyond what the board will provide and must document all animals tagged on the ID form.

Turkey Project – Cooper Farm Free Turkey Orders
It is now time to order market turkeys for the 2022 Putnam County Fair. All turkey orders must be received by 4:30 pm on January 21 to meet the deadline with Cooper Farms Hatchery.

Cooper Farms has been a wonderful supporter of the Putnam County 4-H and FFA programs and once again is offering up to five free poults for each youth taking a market turkey project. Youth may order more than five poults but must pay for each poult after five. The prices are as follows: $3.50 per extra hen, $3.88 per extra straight run, and $4.25 per extra tom.

Please remember that this offer is only good for youth in 4-H and FFA who will be completing the market turkey project in 2022. The date for turkey pickup is Friday, February 25, from noon to 4:30 pm at the Extension Office. If you ordered additional poults your payment is due when you pick up your poults. You need to submit your order online by going to www.go.osu.edu/2022Turkeys.

If you have any questions please contact Ann Meyer at meyer.524@osu.edu or you may call the Extension Office at (419)-523-6294. We look forward to seeing all of your hard work at the 2022 Putnam County Fair. Good luck with your project.

Putnam County 4-H Enrollment
Putnam County 4-H is now open for enrollment for the 2022 4-H year. Eligibility for participation in 4-H projects and competitive events begins when a child is age 8 and in the 3rd grade. Any youth age 9 or above is eligible for project membership, regardless of grade level. All enrollments will be submitted online at www.oh.4Honline.com. You will need a valid email to enroll online. If you do not have a valid email address please contact the Extension office at 419-523-6294 for assistance. Visit 4-H Enrollment for instructions. The 4-H Enrollment Deadline is March 1, 2022.

Putnam County 4-H Advisor Kick Off – January 11th
We will conduct our Advisor Kick-Off training face to face in 2022. We are asking each club to send all advisors to the Kick-Off training. We will review 4-H materials at this time, review program changes and coach everyone through the online enrollment process. The Advisor Kick Off is scheduled for January 11, 2022 starting at 6PM at the Putnam County ESC Assembly Room. Make up training (and new advisor training) is schedule for January 27th, 6PM at the Extension office.
 

Youth Quality Assurance Schedule 2022

Youth Quality Assurance Options for 2022: As a youth livestock exhibitor taking one of the following: market lambs, market goats, market beef, lactating dairy, market poultry, market rabbits, and swine; you will be required to complete a Youth Quality Assurance (YQA) Program in 2022. This requirement is mandated by the Ohio Department of Agriculture. The Putnam County Ag Society has asked OSU Extension, Putnam County to coordinate this educational effort. If FFA and 4-H members do not complete YQA this year, you will not be eligible to show and sell your project at the Putnam County Fair. There are three ways to get the YQA training in 2022. Please review your options below and select one.

OPTION 1: April 5 – 7:30PM at Kalida K of C Hall – no pre-registration required. In Person Putnam Livestock Youth Quality Assurance. Parents may drop off and pick up.

OPTION 2: April 23 – 9AM for Small Animals and 10:30AM for Large Animals at the OSU Extension Office – no pre-registration required. In Person Putnam Livestock Youth Quality Assurance. Parents may drop off and pick up.

OPTION 3: Web based Online Training Option
Any Putnam County youth exhibitor (8‐18) may take the online YQCA certification. http://yqca.org/
Approximate cost is $12 per child and a completion certificate must be submitted to our office for each youth. Certificates have individual completion numbers so one certificate cannot be used for all youth in the same family.

Last day to complete Putnam youth YQA will be May 5, 2022. Must have done 45 days prior to fair. Note: The BQA/PQA online courses do not meet the Ohio Youth Food Animal QA certification requirement. QA calendar year (October 1st – September 31st).

Junior Fair Board / Camp Counselor Applications and Interviews
2022 Junior Fair Board & Camp Counselor Applications are due December 3rd! If you are interested in being a member of the Putnam County Junior Fair Board or a Putnam County Camp Counselors, please fill out an application and turn it into the Extension office. Interview dates are by appointment only December 20-22. Call the office to schedule an interview time. Applications found HERE.

4-H Family Guide - This is your place to connect to our entire collection of Ohio 4-H project books for the year. New this year - The Family Guide will be mailed directly to your home if you were a 4-H family last year. We will have some hardcopies available at advisor trainings in 2021 for your new 4-H families. You can also access the Family Guide HERE.

Market Beef and Ohio State Fair - For those who plan to participate in the 2022 Ohio State Fair Large Market Beef show (steer or market heifer), DNA kits are available at the Extension Office. It is the exhibitor’s responsibility to complete the registration process and for it to be in possession of the Ohio State Fair by January 15 each year. Not postmarked but in possession by January 15. Each exhibitor must also register to take market beef as a 4-H or FFA project in 2022 by the county deadline.