Third Quarter 2022 Impact Report

CLARK, CRAWFORD, AND EDGAR COUNTIES

A snapshot of July, August, and September 2022

Giving back to a program that has given them so much comes naturally to 4 H alumni Ashtin Guyer and Kyle Webster Guyer from Crawford County, and Webster from Edgar County, were both involved in their local 4 H clubs from eight years old until they aged out of the program ten years later Guyer and Webster found themselves back in the show ring this summer but on the opposite side of the scorecard

Guyer and Webster co judged the 2022 Crawford County 4 H Master Showmanship contest According to Crawford County 4 H program coordinator April Knoblett, "Having Ashtin and Kyle judge, who are both 4 H alumni from our tri county unit, made this the show's highlight "

"Ashtin was the primary judge, and Kyle did most of the talking He gave a wonderful speech about 4 H and what it means to him " (continued on next page)

Pictured above L to R: Judge Ashtin Guyer, Wyatt Draper, Lanee Cooper, Rylee Wells, Morgan Knoblett, Mallorie Dart, Cody York, Bailey Draper, and Judge Kyle Webster

COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURAL, CONSUMER, AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

University of Illinois | U S Department of Agriculture | Local Extension Councils Cooperating University of Illinois Extension provides equal opportunities in programs and employment.

Webster showed goats and pigs as part of the C & S Ag 4 H club in Chrisman, Illinois, where his mom is club leader, and both parents are swine superintendents at the Edgar County 4 H fair

"County fair judges are hard to come by nowadays, so this is my small way of giving back to the people and organization that have given me so much," says Webster "4 H showed me how to chase my passion for the pig industry and led to my current job " Webster is a 2022 graduate of Western Illinois University with a bachelor's in Farm and Ranch Management

The Crawford County 4 H Show had seven participants in this year's Master Showmanship Contest Guyer and Webster chose Cody York as the Champion Master Showman

According to Guyer, "Showing livestock is all I know During my years as a Prairie Pals 4 H Club member in Palestine, Illinois, I showed pigs, cattle, and sheep " Her parents grew up around livestock and passed on their passion to Ashtin and her sister Nalaney

"The motto in our barn is 'This is a family thing,' and we live by it It's never just one of us; it's our family " Guyer says judging at her county fair allowed her to teach the next generation of 4 H youth about exhibiting livestock "I encourage anyone who wants to show livestock to do it It's hard work, but it is also very rewarding," she says

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Ashtin Guyer had her own livestock exhibition success this year when she and her sister proudly represented Crawford County 4 H during the Governor's Sale of Champions at the Illinois State Fair Nalaney Guyer showed her Land of Lincoln Grand Champion Market Lamb, and Ashtin showed her Grand Champion Steer, purchased by Illinois' first lady MK Pritzker for $105,000 during the auction

Guyer will graduate from Western Illinois University in 2023 with a bachelor's in Ag Business and a minor in Animal Science She says, "As I finish my showing career, I cannot wait to see the next generation succeed and achieve their goals " She encourages youth to set high goals within reach and work hard "I promise you will achieve them!"

Kyle Webster also judged the Beef contest this year

Ashtin Guyer with her Grand Champion, King

Master Gardeners

Always behind the scenes

CONTACTS

We can easily take for granted a beautifully landscaped flowerbed Yet, behind the scenes, someone must do the work Often, those people are the Master Gardeners and Master Naturalists

Gardeners are very busy during the summer months and can have many questions The Edgar County Master Gardeners are always available to answer those questions Some of the question topics received this quarter was the decline of a ginkgo tree, blossom end rot on squash, safe pesticide for birds, cause of leaf damage, growing a meadow, controlling carpenter ants, and plant identification

In addition to fielding questions, Master Gardeners and Master Naturalists meet for monthly meetings that include continued education. They also plant and weed flower beds in the area, count birds at parks, maintain trails, judge at county fairs, write articles for local publications, and take field trips to tour gardens throughout the community

SNAP-Ed

Nutrition Assistance Program Education

DIRECT CONTACTS THIS QUARTER

EVENTS THIS QUARTER

Children are easy to reach during school months when they are in the classrooms. It becomes more of a challenge to reach children and families with nutrition education in the middle of summer.

During this time, SNAP Ed community worker Hope Dennis sets up at food pantries throughout Clark, Crawford, and Edgar counties

Using various table top displays and rotating recipes, Dennis educates food pantry guests on healthier food choices

Fresh

from

The program area of family and consumer sciences met recently for the National Extension Association of Family and Consumer Sciences Extension educators from across the United States met for their annual session

Mary Liz Wright serving Clark, Crawford, and Edgar counties, was one of the representatives from Illinois She and team members from other states presented an in depth curriculum training on dining with diabetes This session was just one of the many professional development opportunities to learn about programming in other states, learn new tools, and take home fresh ideas to implement locally

Sharing the college experience with youth

Alums from the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences are invited annually to bring youth ages 8 13 to campus for ACES Family Academies

Participants enjoy the college experience by living in a residence hall, eating in the dining facilities, and participating in classes on the College of ACES campus Various sessions are offered, including ag engineering, meat science, and leadership

Mary Liz Wright developed an intergenerational cooking workshop for ACES Family Academies called Let it Roll She modified a bread recipe so participants could make it in the time allotted. Held in Bevier Hall Cooking Lab, the class of 17 youth and 13 adults made yeast rolls Families worked together, following Wright's instructions, and completed the project in one hour.

FOOD SAFETY

Canning is a great way to extend the life of fresh garden foods, but over time, your canner's dial gauge can change and give a false pressure reading Accurate pressure is critical to safely preserve foods.

Illinois Extension recommends testing your dial gauge pressure canners every year, and we make it easy by providing free testing around the state Mary Liz Wright tested 19 canner gauges this summer

Community & Economic Development

Returning to our roots

While all universities conduct teaching and research, land grant colleges and universities have the additional role of extension delivering this knowledge directly to families, organizations, and communities.

The first land grant institutions were founded during the American Civil War when federal land was granted to the states to fund higher education. The Cooperative Extension Service was created in 1914, pairing an extension arm with each land grant institution

In Illinois, the University of Illinois College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences houses Illinois Extension Often the field staff comes to campus to assist with special programs like the College of ACES Family Academies

Tiffany Macke, Community and Economic Development educator, was invited to be the keynote speaker for the summer 2022 ACES Family Academies. Over 100 youth and adults participated in an activity from Macke's iDREAM iCREATE curriculum

Attendees learned how to connect to their passions, interests, and skill sets Macke lead the group through a dreams inventory, visualization tool, and steps to put ideas into action.

Macke's iDREAM iCREATE curriculum is for students in kindergarten through twelfth grades with the goal of helping youth navigate the world of dreaming, goal setting, creativity and entrepreneurship

Macke has also adapted her curriculum for adult audiences.

TEACHING THE NEXT GENERATION

Our Community and Economic Development Educator Tiffany Macke hosted an intern from Eastern Illinois University Abby Gangloff holds a Bachelor's in Human Service Administration and Community Leadership She is working on her Masters in Aging Studies Long Term Care Administration During her time at Extension she was responsible for finalizing Macke's My Future Portfolio Curriculum that schools and their communities can implement. Gangloff says her internship with Illinois Extension allowed her to, "expand my computer knowledge and observe first hand how a community can work together to help their students

Food,

and 4-H

How often have you heard parents say, "I wish we had more time to sit down to supper together," or "We'd cook more if someone would plan the meals for us." Illinois Extension used the Food, Fun, 4 H program developed by Oklahoma State University Extension to address these needs.

Over fifty households completed the Food, Fun, 4 H cooking program hosted by 4 H Youth Development Educator Susan Sloop during July, August, and September. "Anytime you have more than one generation cooking together, it's a win," says Sloop.

Food, Fun, 4 H is a free program that unites families in the kitchen and at the dinner table Each month Sloop emailed families recipes, educational information, nutritional facts, conversation starters, and ideas for a family physical activity Families would prepare their

recipes, answer a few questions about their cooking andmealtime experience, and share photos using a QR code

One participating family said, "We are enjoying the simple and easy to follow recipes that create food the whole family can enjoy " Another family said they implemented the communication ideas and after dinner walks a few times a week

Although a little extra time might be needed, the benefits of cooking with children are worth it The kitchen is a great learning environment where youth can hone skills in language, math, and science In addition, they practice creativity, learn about healthy eating, and spend quality time with family members

The participating families shared similar thoughts about the program One family said it best, "Since we have done this, my kids are in the kitchen and helping prepare meals and excited about trying new recipes "

The program was free and funded through the 4 H Healthy Habits grant by National 4 H Council and the Walmart Foundation

The families received a 4 H kitchen utensil kit at the end of their three months of participation

Illinois Extension roadmap guides families for weeknight togetherness

4-H Head, Heart, Hands, and Health are the four Hs in 4 H, and they are the four values members work on through fun and engaging programs.

Area Clark County fifth graders look forward to Conservation Day every year This fun day is packed with educational workshops to increase awareness of the earth’s natural resources and how students can help protect them

Students rotate through stations hosted by the Clark County Farm Bureau, Murphy Farms, Natural Resources Conservation Service, US Army Corps of Engineers from Lake Shelbyville, Lincoln Trail State Park, and Illinois Prairies.

Fifth graders in Crawford County also participated in Conservation Day in their county. WTWO meteorologist Jesse Walker hosted a station and taught the participants about a variety of weather related topics

Other stations were hosted by Ag in the Classroom, Oblong FFA, Norris Electric, Seed Bombs, Illinois Extension 4 H, and The Morton Arboretum Lunch for all students was donated by Marathon

Fall Fest in Edgar County is popular with youth The goal of this event is to encourage families interested in 4 H to learn about it in a fun, relaxed setting

Current 4 H members from Edgar County clubs hosted the games, including this fun pumpkin tic tac toe Another highlight this year was the caramel apple bar with sliced apples and all of the fixings

The 4 H shows were back in full swing during 2022, and the livestock barns were full of the usual banter between 4 H members and the stands were full of spectators during the judging shows and auctions

After a move to an online fair in 2020 due to COVID and a scaled back version in 2021, families were glad to return to a typical year Clark, Crawford, and Edgar counties held their respective shows during the same week in July. In this photo, Edgar County 4 H'ers set up for their rocket launch

TACKLING TRIANGLES

All parents want their children to know how to break down complicated issues into smaller, manageable steps. Participants of the Tackling Triangles workshop learned the four steps of computational thinking by focusing on step by step instructions while creating unique triangle patterns. The end result was a finished 4 H project they wanted to keep and use.