Colorado Master Farm Homemaker Guild Scholarship

The Colorado Master Farm Homemaker Guild is offering a $500 scholarship this year to a Colorado woman with an agriculture background.

Known by the guild as the "Second Chance Scholarship", it will be given to someone who has had her college education interrupted or postponed and is hoping to attend a college, trade school or a secondary education institution.

Homemakers are encouraged to apply.

Requirements are: three names of reference, biographical statement of work history, community involvement, future goals, and a statement why she feels the scholarship should be awarded to her.

All applications must be complete when returned to CMFHG and must be returned by May 15. The award must be used in the year it is received.

The guild reserves the right not to award the scholarship.  If you have questions, please contact Judy Wieser, the scholarship chairperson, at judywieser@gmail.com. 

Colorado Master Farm Homemaker Scholarship Application, due by May 15th.

Weld County Bright Futures Scholarship

The Bright Futures program was designed with one objective in mind–strengthening the vitality of the Weld County community through its   workforce. The program is funded by taxpayers for qualifying Weld County residents who have graduated from high school, GED recipients and honorably discharged U.S. Veterans, after 2016.  Qualified and accepted recipients receive financial assistance for  pursuing post-secondary education or training from a Title IV accredited higher education institution or certified training program.  There are no restrictions concerning program selection.  Whether a  student wants to train to be a chef, a mechanic, an electrician or wants to pursue an Associate’s or Bachelor’s degree, they can utilize the Bright  Futures grant program to pursue their dream.  Please visit the link to www.brightfuturesco.com for more information.  Application is due May 15, 2022. 

Bill Wailes Memorial Scholarship

One scholarship will be given in the amount of $500.00 to a graduating senior. The scholarship is open to ALL educational fields, not agriculture only. Elaine Wailes will facilitate the scholarship selection process, however, will be removing herself from the scholarship selection committee.

Eligibility criteria is: Graduating Public High School or Home School Senior. Minimum 5 year participation in the Colorado Dairy Youth Extravaganza. Colorado native. Minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher.

Terms and Conditions of Scholarship: The total amount will be paid directly to the Vocational/Trade School or to the 2 year or 4-year College. This scholarship is not Colorado bound.

The recipient will be determined using the following criteria:

• Determination/motivation for continuing your education
• School/Community Involvement/Extra-Curricular Activities
• Grades/GPA (Include Current Transcripts High School/College)
• Years 4H/FFA/Colorado Dairy Extravaganza
• 3 letters of recommendation (teachers or someone aware of your leadership skills and involvement, etc.) (family members are not allowed to submit letters of recommendation)
• Response to provided questions

Additional sheets may be attached to complete the questions. The application must be neatly printed, written, or typed. Neatness and completion of the application is crucial to the overall score by the scholarship committee.Please complete the scholarship application neatly. The scholarship must be received by May 31, 2022. No late entries will be acceptable.  Download the Bill Wailes Memorial Scholarship Application.

Send Scholarship Applications To:
Elaine Wailes
Attention: Scholarship Application
7722 Park Ridge Circle
Ft. Collins, CO 80528

Please select the project packet you are interested in:

• Dog Project Packet
• Horse Project Packet
• Shooting Sports Packet

Weld County 4-H and FFA members enrolling in any market and/or breeding livestock (beef, dairy cattle, goats, sheep or swine) or small animal (poultry or rabbits) projects for the first time regardless of age, must attend a Colorado Meat Quality Assurance (MQA) program. 4-H and FFA members will be required to attend a Face to Face Colorado MQA program a minimum of twice during the course of their career – once as a junior (8-13 years old, age as of December 31st) and once again within one year after becoming a senior (14-18 years old, age as of December 31st) member. The virtual MQA training last year was valid for one year only.  Please take a look at the list below to see if you need to take MQA.  Those who need to take the class will have “Need Meat Quality Assurance” in red next to their name or if you are FFA and not on the list but plan to show this year. 

For the Virtual MQA Training, you will need to review the slides before taking the test.  The link to the test is at the end of the slides.  There are two tests, one is for Juniors, ages 8-10 as of December 31^st, and one is for Intermediates and Seniors, ages 11-18 as of December 31^st.   Please select the correct class (the orange buttons below) and review the information on each page.  This class is valid for only 1 year.  You need to complete the virtual MQA class by Friday, June 3^rd and score an 80% or better on the test.  After you review the MQA program you need to take the MQA test to complete the course.  A score of  80% will be needed to pass the course, if you score below the needed 80% you can re-take the exams as many times as necessary to obtain an 80% score.  The Virtual MQA Training must be completed by Friday, June 3, 2022 in order to show.

You can view an updated MQA list (updated 5/20/2022) with the members who were enrolled last year. This list will let you know if you need to take the MQA training.

If you have any questions, please contact Larry at (970) 400-2093 or lhooker@co.weld.co.us or Michelle at (970) 400-2076 or mlangston@co.weld.co.us.

Junior (Ages 8-10 years old as of December 31st) MQA Virtual Training

Intermediate and Senior (Ages 11-18 years old as of December 31st) MQA Virtual Training

Attention Sheep, Goat, and Swine Exhibitors,

Announcement #1:

From May 2nd - 5th, as you know, were our animal ID days for the 2022 Weld County Fair.  All the information from our animal ID days is posted below.  Please choose the species you identified, and review your information for accuracy.  If you see something incorrect, email your corrections to Michelle at mlangston@co.weld.co.us by Friday, May 13, 2022, at 5:00 p.m.  After that deadline, no changes can be made, no exceptions!  We will not accept voicemails, it must be in email form.  Please take this seriously as it is the one chance you have to make changes to your animal ID information.

Announcement #2:

If you have additional market sheep or goats for the Colorado State Fair (other than the ones you brought down to animal ID), you must schedule an appointment by email during the week of Monday, May 16, 2022 - to Friday, May 20, 2022.  All tagging & retinal scanning will be done during the last week and a half of May, between Monday, May 23, 2022 - Friday, May 27, 2022, and Tuesday, May 31, 2022 – Wednesday, June 1, 2022.  Please notify Larry by email only at lhooker@co.weld.co.us - please do not call.  All tagging and retinal scans MUST be completed by June 1, 2022.  No exceptions!

If you have additional market hogs for the Colorado State Fair, please pick up any additional ear tags and turn in the paperwork by 5:00 p.m. on June 1, 2022.  Please remember you will need to order your DNA envelopes for your market swine from Colorado State Fair by May 15, 2022 by visiting Colorado State Fair. 

Please select the species you wish to review.

• 2022 Market Beef ID List
• 2022 Market Goat ID List
• 2022 Market Sheep ID List
• 2022 Market Swine ID List

There is always the common question of: Did you complete all the steps to be eligible to exhibit at fair?  Please see the below check-lists to see if you have completed all the steps for your projects!

• Family Consumer/General Natural/County Projects
  • Dog ID’s are due in 4-H Online by May 1^st. 
  • Interview Judging sign-up by July 8^th.  Interview judging day is Monday, July 25^th.  Sign-up will open on June 1^st!
    • Dog and Crops/Vegetable members must sign up for an interview for the corresponding project record book.  Failure to sign-up for a record book interview will result in participation only in those two divisions.
  • Fair Entries:Online at: Weld County Fair or download and print an entry form from the website under “Entries and Events” tab. Entries close July 8^th!!
  • Do you have the proper Record Book?  Visit Colorado 4-H or Weld County 4-H to find the appropriate e-record.  For Crops, Pocket Pets and Restoration projects, please use the Self Determined e-record.
  • Shooting Sports: You will need to download your record book from the link above. The manual you received from your leader is not your record book, just a manual for information.
  • Do you know your project requirements?  Refer to the State 4-H Exhibit Requirements!  Some projects require only exhibit item and record book, some also require a completed manual.
  • Do you know how your project will be evaluated?  Visit Colorado 4-H.  If you are unsure if you’ve completed all of the steps please call and verify prior to July 8^th!!
• Livestock Projects
  • Market Animal ID Days
    • Cattle: February
    • Sheep, Goats and Pigs: May 5th 
    • Rabbits: Doe ID’s Due May 1^st
  • Horse Project
    • Horse ID’s due in 4-H Online by May 1^st
    • Level testing completed by July 1^st
  • Animal Care and Housing Forms – Due May 1^st
  • Breeding Animal Ownership Deadline – May 1^st
  • Breeding Animal ID's are encouraged to be done in 4-H Online this year by May 15^th
  • Are you up-to-date on your Meat Quality Assurance (MQA)?  To check, visit the Meat Quality Assurance section on the Bulletin Board.
    
    
  • Mandatory Interview and Record Book Review.  Sign-up information will be available June 1^st.
    • Virtual Interviews, times vary, June 20^th – 22^nd
    • Fort Lupton, 3:00-6:00 p.m. on June 23^rd
    • Briggsdale, 4:00-6:00 p.m. on June 28^th
    • Keenesburg 3:00-6:00 p.m. on June 29^th
    • Ault, 8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. (noon) on June 30^th
    • Greeley, 3:00-7:00 p.m. on July 7^th
  • FFA Members: SAE Form due to Extension Office by July 7^th at 5:00 p.m.
  • Fair Entries: Online at Weld County Fair or download and print an entry form from the website under “Entries and Events” tab.  Entries close July 8^th!!
  • If you are unsure if you’ve completed all of the steps please call and verify prior to July 8^th!!

The Weld County Extension Office is excited to share with you a new publication that feature's a few of our elevated moments throughout the year here in Weld County.

Extension Elevated, Issue 01, December 2021