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June 2023 Update (no business meeting)

Updated: Jul 31, 2023


On Sunday June 25, the Wild Wescotts enjoyed a tour of an operational Dairy Farm in Cannon Falls. Jeff Schafer's farm was an impressive operation! Thank you to all the folks that made it out to the farm tour! We had 20 people and more than 200 livestock in attendance. Here are a couple notes that I had taken.


Jeff and family have been operating Elmegca Dairy Farm for 150 years. They were gracious hosts, sharing the inner-workings of the robotic milking operations, the automated cattle barn, and more! They provided a tour of the entire facility, sharing everything throughout the lifecycle of the cattle, and the entire operation. For those that were unable to attend, you can get a little preview of their operation from this youtube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRXJ_uCDpPw

Milk from the farm is the only product that is never touched by human hands, and by observing their facilities, we can definitely appreciate the efficiencies. Milk from their farm is processed in the Kemps facility in Minneapolis, where somewhere between 82-92% of raw milk is used in cheese production. Interestingly, Jeff said that people with lactose intolerance are sometimes able to consume A2 milk that comes from a creamy or dairy processing facility without their normal symptoms. Jeff and family are active 4-Hers in Douglas, and in the past they have leased cattle to other 4-Hers to show at the county fair. Furthermore, their farm offers direct sale of duck eggs, chicken eggs, and beef at their site. If you are interested in contacting Jeff directly to purchase products or talk about potential cow-lease, he can be reached via email at foxryder17@hotmail.com, or text 651-210-4623. I did tell him that I was sharing his contact information.



Although there was no business meeting for June, there were some updates shared with families following the meeting, and posted here for broader visibility.


Our next Wild Wescotts Meeting will be on Sunday July 16, at 3pm.  This is the LAST meeting for our programming year, and what an awesome year it's been!  At this final meeting, we'll have a few things going on.  

  • We'll start with a presentation on beekeeping.  Tom LeMay from the MN Hobby Beekeeper Association (MHBA) and educator with the Three Rivers Park District we'll join us at 3pm and provide a hands-on presentation of honey bees.  He'll tell the story of pollinators and beekeeping.  In addition, he'll bring MHBA scholarship information for high school students who might like to become beekeepers.  

  • Following the beekeeping presentation, we will open the pool for swimming and a poolside potluck!  We have a sign-up to let us know what you might be bringing, just so we can have a bit of variety.  Please sign up here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0F4AAFAF23A0F5C34-july   

  • During this last meeting, we will also seek your input and feedback on our programming for this year.  We'd love to hear what you loved, hear what you liked, hear what you didn't like, AND, what do you REALLY want us to provide next year?

DAKOTA COUNTY FAIR INFORMATION

The Fair runs from August 6 - August 13.  Reminder that Fair Admission is Free, however, there is a fee to park cars.  

We've added MANY of the fair-related dates/information to our club calendar: https://wildwescotts.wixsite.com/eagan/calendar - but, listing a lot of it in this message as well


The Dakota County Fair is quickly approaching!  Do you have your projects ready?  Here's a link to the Premium Book which is a great resource for preparing for the fair. https://drive.google.com/file/d/10ey9YDz-lOqbi_NQ5cme7Kc71gYAX-zW/view


Everything families need for the Fair can be found online (https://extension.umn.edu/local/dakota), under Fair Information banner.


Fair Registration is OPEN NOW and closes on Monday July 10 at 11:59pm.  If you would like to show exhibits at the fair, you must be registered in 4-H and complete your entry in the Fair Entry forms.  Dakota County has a page to help guide you through the Fair Entry process here: https://extension.umn.edu/minnesota-4-h-county-fairs/register-4-h-entries-your-county-fair  and if you're on old-pro, here's a quick link to the sign-up https://fairentry.com/Fair/SignIn/19152


For MOST static project, judging is on August 5 No sign-up needed for static judging, but you do need to complete your entry in Fair Entry.  Signup for everything that you might bring and on August 5, you can simply arrive and participate in the project areas that you've completed.


For select project areas, there are additional sign-ups to register for judging times.  

We count on all families to volunteer at the Dining Hall and Malt Stand during the Fair.  $155 toward State Fair event fees are available if folks can do extra shifts! Detailed info is on page 6 of the Premium Book:


Volunteering at the 4-H Dining Hall and Malt Stand at the Dakota County FairAll 4-H families are expected to participate in the only annual fundraiser for Dakota County 4-H by volunteering for shifts in the Dining Hall in the 4-H Building, or Malt Stand, on the fairgrounds. This includes covering 1 youth shift for each 4-H member and 1 adult shift, per family.


NEW FOR 2023: State Event registration fees reimbursed for working malt and dining shifts

If your family would like to accept up to $155 in State Event (State Fair, State Dog Show, State Horse Show, State Shoot Invitational) registration fee reimbursement per eligible youth, please read on as this WILL IMPACT YOU.


To be eligible to receive up to $155/youth state event participant, your family needs to work at least one extra shift in the malt stand or dining hall, per youth, to receive a reimbursement for paid state event fees. By working at least one extra shift (per eligible youth) in the malt stand or dining hall, families can receive a reimbursement for paid state event fees.



Wild Wescotts 2023/2024 Programming Year

Our 2023-2024 Programming year will kick off in SEPTEMBER, and if you're on this email, we'll include you in the kickoff invitation.  At this session, we will seek a motion to approve our programming plan, which includes all of the different things that we want to do for the year.  Also, at this meeting, we'll introduce CLUB LEADERS, VOLUNTEERS, and YOUTH LEADERSHIP TEAM MEMBERS.  If you are already acting in one of these capacities, then we're assuming that you'd like to continue.  If you'd like to START in one of these roles, just let us know and we'll get you all set up.  And, THANK YOU!!! to the youth and adult volunteers for everything you do!






 
 
 

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