Hello 4-H Families

I absolutely love this time of year. The change in season is gorgeous and peaceful. I hope the harvest is going well for the farmers, and the rest of you are enjoying the school year. Since it is the start of the 4-H year, all 4-H youth should have attended a 4-H Club meeting. If not, make sure you start attending. Club meetings are important to your positive experience in 4-H. Please communicate immediately with your 4-H Leader or leaders if you have a conflict and cannot make a meeting. If the meeting conflicts consistently with your schedule please call the office so you can identify which club fits well with your schedule. I wish you a happy and successful 4-H Year!

Tessa Hobbs-Curley, 4-H Youth Development Educator

Achievement Awards

Once again this year, it has been decided that we will bring the 4-H Achievement Awards Program to the Clubs. Beth has scheduled times to deliver the program to the clubs. Any 4– H Leaders if you have not made arrangements with Beth please call her immediately to set up a time. This process allows more members and their families to be present when the awards are distributed. 4-H Leaders and officers please take time to promote when Beth will visit your club to hand out awards.

National 4-H Week

National 4-H Week is October 2-8! This year, the theme is "Join the Revolution of Responsibility". Clubs can do special activities to recognize the members, clubs, or even do community service projects that week to recruit members. A window display contest is offered to clubs. Please contact our office by September 30^th if your club is planning on a window or display for National 4-H Week. There are monetary awards given to each club that participates

Federation Movie Night!

The Federation is sponsoring a movie night on Sunday, October 9^th at 6:00 pm. The movie will be shown outside on the barn, weather permitting. In case of rain, the movie will be moved into the Auditorium.

Reminder: Cash Premium Checks

Reminder: Please cash your premium checks promptly to help with our bookkeeping!

Unit #10 Council:

Aaron Leary~chair—Henderson

Renee Welsh~vice-chair-McDonough

Jennifer Douglas~secretary-Warren

Claudia Emken~financial reporter-Warren

Van Ault-Warren

Steve Bennett-McDonough

Shirley Camp-McDonugh

Sherry Campbell-Henderson

Curt Eisenmayer-Henderson

Brenda England-Knox

David Erickson-Knox

Sherry Foster-Knox

Marge Hennenfent-Warren

Virginia Kasser-Knox

Rita Moore-McDonough

Lynn Shimmin-Warren

Kelly Shiraki-McDonough

Nutrient Tips to Maximize Wheat Production

A relatively early harvest throughout most of Illinois should allow enough time to get wheat planted and well established before it gets cold. To ensure adequate nutrient availability and successful establishment, there are a few suggestions for growers.

Nitrogen is important for vegetative growth, but the amount taken up by roots and vegetative tissues does not exceed 30 to 40 pounds of nitrogen per acre before it gets too cold. While concern about lodging under high nitrogen rates has decreased considerably, it is best not to apply too much nitrogen in the fall to minimize lodging risks.

Also, because nitrogen applications will promote excessive vegetative growth, the crop may be prone to disease problems later. If the soil has large potential to supply nitrogen, fall applications prior to planting may not be necessary.

Corn fields should have some leftover nitrogen in the soil this year as the corn crop probably did not use all the nitrogen during dry conditions in July and August. Normally, a 20 to 30 pound nitrogen per acre application in the fall is all that is needed to establish wheat. This amount can be supplied in the form of di-ammonium phosphate, which should also supply what is needed for phosphorus fertility.

The total amount of nitrogen required for a wheat crop is dependent on the capacity of the soil to supply nitrogen. Dark soils high in organic matter require less nitrogen than light-colored soils with low organic matter. For soils with organic matter greater than 4 percent, 70 to 90 pounds of nitrogen per acre is typically sufficient; soils with organic matter between 2 and 4 percent often maximize yields with a rate of 100 to 120 pounds of nitrogen per acre; and soils with low or less than 2 percent organic matter will require 150 pounds of nitrogen per acre.

While the full amount can be applied with anhydrous ammonia and a nitrification inhibitor in the fall, the preferred method is to apply most of the needed nitrogen by topdressing with fertilizers that do not contain free ammonia in the spring right before the crop greens up and starts to take nitrogen. Applying nitrogen at this later time minimizes the potential for nitrogen loss, and provides needed nitrogen that might not be available from the soil due to slow mineralization during cool springs.

In high organic matter soils, spring application timing is not as critical. In low organic matter soils in southern Illinois it is possible to reduce nitrogen rates by 10% by delaying application to late tillering (Feekes growth stage 5 to 6), splitting the application between early green-up and late tillering to early jointing, or using a nitrification inhibitor or slow-release nitrogen source.
While most wheat is planted after soybeans, if wheat is planted after corn, one potential concern is the temporary tie-up of nitrogen that can occur as microorganisms break down corn stover. Fortunately, most of this tie-up takes place in the spring once soils warm up, which is often after wheat has taken up most of its nitrogen. For these reasons, additional nitrogen beyond the recommendation is not needed for wheat grown after corn.
Phosphorus is very important to stimulate early growth, help with tillering, and improve winter survival. The amount of phosphorus to be applied depends on the soil test levels as well as the phosphorus-supplying power of the soil. It is recommended that the soil test level be at 40, 45, and 50 pounds per acre for the high-, medium-, and low-phosphorus-supplying power soils, respectively.
If the soil test is below the desired level, it is recommended to apply sufficient phosphorus to build up the soil as well as supplying what the crop will remove. If test levels are adequate, it is recommended that sufficient phosphorus be applied at planting time to replace 1.5 times the amount to be removed by the crop. This large amount is needed to meet the high phosphorus requirements of wheat.
In many fields, a typical rate of 150 pounds of DAP (18-46-0) per acre supplies not only phosphorus, but also sufficient nitrogen for the establishment of the crop,. Sometimes it might be tempting to reduce or eliminate phosphorus application in soils testing at or just above the critical level. If your finances do not allow for a full application, it is strongly suggested that 80 to 100 pounds of DAP per acre be applied to ensure a good supply of readily available phosphorus to help adequate establishment of the crop.
Potassium is also an important nutrient, but wheat normally does not respond to applications of this nutrient unless soil test levels are extremely low (less than 100 pounds per acre). Since soybean and corn are grown in the rotation with wheat, and are more responsive to potassium than wheat, it is recommended to manage this nutrient to maximize yield of corn and soybean, he said. This will automatically take care of the potassium needs of wheat.
For more information, read The Bulletin online at bulletin.ipm.illinois.edu/.

MarketMaker Connects Farms & Consumers to Support Local Food Movement

Where can you find chocolate goat cheese truffles, organic okra, and Ginger Gold apples in the same place? The answer is www.foodmarketmaker.com, an online marketing resource that was created by a team from University of Illinois Extension and has grown to include almost 20 states. MarketMaker was initially developed in 2004 to assist and educate livestock farmers on marketing strategies for value-added meat products. The current site has developed into a tool that can benefit everyone in the food supply chain, from farmers, to processors, distributors, retailers, and the consumer looking for unique food products.

Since its inception, MarketMaker has grown to include profiles for over 500,000 producers and other food-related businesses. Each state has its own unique site, but all sites access a common database. This allows users to conduct multi-state searches. MarketMaker's interactive mapping capabilities provide the user with easy location of all businesses. Large corporations such as Wal-Mart are utilizing this Web-based instrument to find produce. Darlene Knipe, MarketMaker principal investigator and University of Illinois marketing specialist, said MarketMaker was able to provide training to buyers that were interested in local produce on how to use MarketMaker for fulfillment in their stores. Because of Wal-Mart, some farms in Illinois, such as Frey Farms Produce located in Wayne County, are maximizing their business.

This past year, MarketMaker joined forces with the Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission (GSMFC) to provide a region-wide tool to connect fisheries to markets as part of the economic recovery plan after the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill of 2010. This accessible seafood section caught the attention of Louisiana when Louisiana State University launched MarketMaker as a means to assist a struggling shrimp and fishing industry after the oil spill.

Michigan is using MarketMaker to help connect producers with food banks in order to provide fruits and vegetables for those in need. Toril Fisher, Director of Programs and Member Services for the Food Bank Council of Michigan, began using MarketMaker to identify farms within 50 miles of its member food bank's warehouses, and proactively contracted with several of them to provide over 600,000 pounds of produce through the Michigan Farm To Food Bank pilot program. Over one million people utilize these food banks and were able to have fresh produce with the help of MarketMaker and Fisher's efforts.

Recently, Farm to School and MarketMaker united to link producers and educational institutions, giving farmers access to new markets through schools. The benefits are twofold--supplying local schools helps diversify the producers' markets while students reap the benefits of healthy, flavorful, local foods. MarketMaker continues to grow and is a work in progress. We are adding new states every year and are looking to diversify into more sectors such as horticulture, the timber industry, and agritourism. They are hoping to start work with the international market as well. In 2010, National MarketMaker program was awarded the USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) Partnership Award for their work in providing consumers with better access to fresh, local foods and for helping farmers profit through a successful, multistate partnership.

The vision of MarketMaker is to be a national information technology platform that enables all food producers, processors, wholesalers, and retailers electronic access to geographically referenced data. The platform will enhance the opportunity for food and agricultural entrepreneurs to identify and develop new and profitable markets and improve the efficiency and profitability of food systems in the United States and, eventually, globally.

State Fair Junior Livestock Winner omitted

We are very sorry to have omitted Jacqueline Heaton from the list of State Fair Junior Livestock winners. Since entries for the Junior Livestock Show no longer come through our office, we have to navigate the State Fair website for results, and may not be able to catch all of the McDonough youth. In addition, we did not have all of the premiere placings when our last newsletter was prepared. Jackie had a great showing including Champion Jr and Land of Lincoln Champion Lamb Premiere Market Wether. Sorry for our error Jackie!

Correction

Correction of the Superior Young Beef Producer listing for Ashley McEwen at the State Fair. Ashley placed in the top five for overall high scores and was awarded a $1,000 college scholarship. Included in the contest was a three-phase competition challenging the knowledge of beef production. We are sorry that this was omitted.

Operation Santa

The State 4-H Office has announced the 6th annual Operation Santa project. The goal this year is to send 35,000 homemade Christmas stockings filled with goodies to our troops serving in harm's way. Last year thousands of volunteers compiled their efforts to ship over 23,000 stockings to deployed troops in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Combat Support Hospitals. Contributions came in from all over Illinois as well as several other states making it the largest Christmas drive for our Military in the Midwest/USA. 4-H members, parents, leaders, and volunteers (HCE women too) are being asked to support this effort by making a stocking. Instructions for creating a stocking:

· Any fabric except knits and super heavy material

· Any print is acceptable

· Finish all seams by serger, pinking, or sew with right sides together

· Trim is optional

· Be as creative or as simple as you like

· Please do not alter from pattern size

Click this link to download the pattern for the stocking: http://www.operationsanta.info/Files/stockingtemplate.pdf There are several locations to drop off stockings, however all stockings must be received by October 31st! Stockings can be sent to any of the following locations: http://www.operationsanta.info/DropOffs.htm If your groups do not sew, they can collect items to go in the stockings, or raise funds to ship the stockings overseas. A box of 18 costs about $30. There is more information at the Operation Santa website: http:www.operationsanta.info/Index.htm

As counties make stockings, the State 4-H office will try to post them to the IL 4-H Facebook page and keep a running total.

Federation News

The next Federation meeting will be Sunday, October 9th at the 4-H office from 1:00—2:00 pm. At 6:00 pm, there will be a movie night at the 4-H fairgrounds.

October Birthdays

1-Haley Davison

2-Stephen Wrenn

3-Ben Lefler

6-Justin Parks

8-Michaela Barker

10-Philip Barnett

14-Nicole Lester
-SaVanna Serven

16-Wesley Dodds

17-Edyth Rericha

18-Courtney Norris
-Paige Sargeant

28-Patrick Welch

29-Erica Lenardt

31-David Wrenn

Speaking for Illinois 4-H Opportunities

Illinois State 4-H Youth Leadership Team is offering two training sessions for the Speaking for Illinois 4-H (SFI4-H): Registration for the October 22nd Training in Galesburg closes on Wednesday, October 12: https://webs.extension.uiuc.edu/registration/default.cfm?RegistrationID=5809 and Registration for the November 5th Training in Effingham closes on Wednesday, October 26: https://webs.extension.uiuc.edu/registration/default.cfm?Registration=5810. Please complete the application identified above and contact the office.

What is 4-H Federation

Federation is a group of 4-H members who are 14 years of age and older that represent 4-H Clubs in McDonough County. We meet the second Sunday of every month at 1:00pm -Extension office. Now is the time of year each club should choose at least two Federation representatives. Having Federation representatives allows your club to know about upcoming activities as well as assure your club's interests are represented when planning activities. All older members are encouraged to attend along with the two voting delegates.

2011 4-H Federation Officers

President- Madison Barker

Vice President– Ashley McEwen

Secretary– Natalie Kirwan

Treasurer– Paris Hamm

Recreation Chair– Phillip Barnett

Welcome to New Blandinsville Blue Ribbons Leader

Welcome to Corky Galvan, the new Blandinsville Blue Ribbons Leader! We are happy to have Corky take on this position and will work with her to make it an exciting one. Corky is the Ag teacher at both West Prairie Middle and High Schools as well as the FFA sponsor. We look forward to having her as a 4-H leader!

WIU Agriculture Student Guest Day

Western Illinois University cordially invites all students interested in Livestock Judging to participate in their Agriculture Student Guest Day, Saturday, October 1, 2011. Registration will begin at 8:00 am at the WIU Livestock Center on the WIU Farm Campus, located north of Macomb on Tower Road. The contest will begin at 9:00 am and will have nine classes of livestock to be judges-three classes of beef, three classes of swine, tow classes of sheep and one class of goats. There will be questions on three classes-one beef, one swine, and one sheep. A team is made up of four individuals. A school may enter more than one team. An entry fee of $2.00 per contestant will be collected. There WILL BE both 4-H (Jr and Sr divisions) and FFA divisions. Please contact either Mark Hoge at (309) 255-2735 or Kyle Beutke at (815) 674-6655 or send an email to MD-Hoge@wiu.edu to register a team or group of individuals. Indicate school name or club and number of individuals to be entered.

4-H National Youth Science Day

Having local reporters cover or attend your 4-H National Youth Science Day (NYSD) event is a free and easy way to get publicity for your 4-H group and science event. Make the most out of your 2011 Wired for Wind event and check out the Event Planning Toolkit on the 4-H NYSD website. Tools include: Template Press Release, Template Media Alert, Event Invitation Letter, Navigating the Newsroom tutorial, and Story Mining Tutorial. Visit www.4-h.org/nysd and click on 'Event Planning and Promotional Toolkits' for more resources and tips for promoting your event.

Also, planning your 4-H National Youth Science Day event will be a little easier with some cash in you pocket, so don't forget to register your 2011 event for the Toyota Innovation Awards and be entered to win one of three awards totaling $10,000. Your event will also receive national recognition as a leader in science innovation. Report the details of your event for a chance to win. Awards offered are: Creativity Award—$4,000, Revolution of Responsibility Award—$3,000 and Promotion & Media Outreach Award—$3,000.

Certified Livestock Manager Training

There will be a Certified Livestock Manager training held at the Knox County Extension office on January 25, 2012. For more information, please call their office: (309) 342-5108.

2011-12 Illinois 4-H LCP Award

The LCP award is a wonderful way to recognize older 4-H members for their leadership skills. Applicants must be 4-H members who are at least 17 years of age as of Dec 1 and cannot have reached their 19th birthday by Sept 1 of the year the application is submitted. Postmark applications by Jan 4, 2012 & send to the State 4-H Office, 4-H LCP Appl, 801 N Country Fair Drive, Suite E, Champaign, IL 61821.

Shooting Sports

The last Shooting Sports training for shotgun will be held Saturday, October 15th at the Argyle Trap Shooting Range. To be eligible for shotgun a youth must be enrolled for Shooting Sports and be at least 10 years of age. If questions, call our office: 837-3939.

4-H Officer Training

We will offer a 4-H Officer Training in Warren County on November 11^th from 9:30- Noon. It is open to all 4-H members in the 4-county unit. Please register by November 4^th at noon to be able to participate by calling the Warren office: (309) 734-5161.

North Central Volunteer e-Forum

Save-the -Dates! 2011 North Central Region Volunteer e-Forum will be held Nov, 7, 17, and 22, 2011 via distance technology. There will be three theme categories: Positive Youth Development, 4-H Program Management, and New and Emerging Curriculum. Two hour sessions will be offered from 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. CST. All 4-H volunteers in the 12 North Central states are welcome to attend. 4-H leaders will go to their local Extension office to participate. More information coming soon about this first time ever e-forum event!

Local Government Telenets

Local elected officials are encouraged to join us for a series of telenets focusing on issues that concern communities. Telenets are from 3-5pm and will be held on the following dates

· October 20-Redistricting

· November 17-Legislative Update

· December 15-GIS

· January 19-Agreements

· February 16-Broadband

· March 15-Assessments

· April 19-Wind Farms

Farmers Grow Communities

See page five of the September newsletter for the Monsanto Fund's 2nd America's Farmers Grow Communities program that runs from Aug 1st—Nov 30th! If you have any questions, please contact anne.m.kayser@monsanto.com

Four Seasons Telenets

The Fall 2011 Four Seasons Gardening Telenet Series is being offered in October and November. Sessions are held on Tuesday afternoons and Thursday evenings. Thanks to a generous gift from a McDonough County master Gardener these program continue to be provided free of charge. Dates, times and topics are as follows:

· October 4, 2011 - 1:00 pm - Invasive Weeds

· October 6, 2011 - 7:00 pm - Invasive Weeds

· October 18, 2011 - 1:00 pm - Sustainable Backyard Landscaping

· October 20, 2011 - 7:00 pm - Sustainable Backyard Landscaping

· November 1, 2011 - 1:00 pm - Community Gardens

· November 3, 2011 - 7:00 pm - Community Gardens

Please call our office at 837-3939 to register.

The Prairie Pumpkin Hunt

The Prairie Pumpkin Hunt will be held at Lakeview Nature Center, 10050 N 1500 Road, Macomb on Thursday-Sunday, October 13-16, October 20-23 & October 27-30 from 1:00—4:30 p.m. Find the twelve pumpkin stations in the prairie, fill in your game card and win a prize. This event is the annual fundraiser for the Bluebird Project at Lakeview Nature Area. For more information and to register, call the Macomb Park District before the event at: 833-4562.

Pumpkin Peanut Butter Dip

Servings - 40 Tablespoons

Ingredients:

3/4 cup Canned Pumpkin 3/4 cup Peanut Butter

1 to 4 tablespoons Brown Sugar, To Taste 1 teaspoon Vanilla

Instructions:

Mix peanut butter and brown sugar.

Add vanilla and stir.

Add pumpkin and stir until well blended.

Serve with graham crackers, apple slices, celery sticks, etc.

Nutrient analysis per serving (1 Tablespoon): 50 calories, 2.5 grams fat, 7 grams carbohydrate, 25 mg sodium, o grams fiber

October Calendar

1 WIU Ag Student Guest Day & Livestock Judging

2-8 - National 4-H Week

4& 6 Horticulture Telenets-Invasive Weeds

9 - Federation meeting at 4-H office 1:00 - 2:00 pm

10 - Movie night at 4-H grounds - 6:00 pm.

13-16 Prairie Pumpkin Hunt-Lakeview Nature Area

15 - Shotgun Shooting Sports Training - Argyle Trap Shooting Range

18&20 Horticulture Telenets-Sustainable Backyard Landscaping

20 - Local Government Telenet - Redistricting

20-23 Prairie Pumpkin Hunt-Lakeview Nature Area

22 - Speaking For Illinois 4-H Training - Galesburg

27-30 Prairie Pumpkin Hunt-Lakeview Nature Area

31 Operation Santa Stockings & Donations Due