Wells County

The Cooperative Extension Service is one of the nation's largest providers of scientific research-based information and education. It's a network of colleges, universities, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, serving communities and counties across America. The Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service program areas are:

Agriculture and Natural Resources
Health and Human Sciences
Community Development
4-H Youth Development

Purdue Extension is a service tailored to meet the needs of Indiana, needs we know firsthand. Our educators, specialists, and volunteers live and work in all 92 Indiana counties. We provide the link between Land Grant research and Indiana citizens. In doing that we provide practical solutions to local issues. We provide information and expertise that's available in the form you want, when you want it. That's Purdue Extension, Indiana's home team advantage.

What We Do

We improve lives and livelihoods by delivering tested and trusted educational resources. The Cooperative Extension Service is one of the nation's largest providers of scientific research-based information and education. It's a network of colleges, universities, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, serving communities and counties across America. The Purdue Extension focuses on: Agriculture and Natural Resources, Human and Health Sciences, Economic and Community Development and 4-H Youth.

Contact Us

Purdue Wells County Extension
horan@purdue.edu
1240 4-H Park Road
Bluffton, IN 46714
(260) 824-6412


County offices

wells County Staff

Wells County Happenings

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Help Purdue's Broadband Team and Make Internet Accessible Across Indiana

Click the link below to find out how you can help make Broadband Internet accessible to all...

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Purdue Extension 4-H Summer Internship

Join our team this summer!! 4-H Summer Internship applications are now available! Due April 15th

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Purdue Extension Classes Offered During Senior Snippets

Learn more about dehydrating or air frying foods at these 2 programs offered during Parks Dept....

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Mastering Home Food Preservation Workshop

Learn more about canning, pickling, fermenting, freezing and dehydrating in this 4 day workshop.

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2024 Wells County 4-H Rule Book

Check out the 2024 Wells County 4-H Rule Book for updated information about your 4-H projects.

2024 Wells County 4-H Rule Book

ServSafe Classes Offered

For more information and a list of available trainings and exams in our area visit the Purdue ServSafe link below.

Learn More Here

Wells County Newsletters

Check out Health and Human Science Newsletters with helpful articles on health, nutrition, family and finances.

The March/April 2024 edition includes the following articles:

 

Good Sleep for Good Health: Get the Rest YOu Need

Sometimes, the pace of modern life barely gives you time to stop and rest. It can make getting a good night’s sleep on a regular basis seem like a dream.

But sleep is as important for good health as diet and exercise. Good sleep improves your brain performance, mood, and health.

Not getting enough quality sleep regularly raises the risk of many diseases and disorders. These range from heart disease and stroke to obesity and dementia.

There’s more to good sleep than just the hours spent in bed, says Dr. Marishka Brown, a sleep expert at NIH. “Healthy sleep encompasses three major things,” she explains. “One is how much sleep you get. Another is sleep quality—that you get uninterrupted and refreshing sleep. The last is a consistent sleep schedule.”

People who work the night shift or irregular schedules may find getting quality sleep extra challenging. And times of great stress can disrupt our normal sleep routines. But there are many things you can do to improve your sleep.

Sleep for Repair

Why do we need to sleep? People often think that sleep is just “down time,” when a tired brain gets to rest, says Dr. Maiken Nedergaard, who studies sleep at the University of Rochester.

“But that’s wrong,” she says. While you sleep, your brain is working. For example, sleep helps prepare your brain to learn, remember, and create.

Nedergaard and her colleagues discovered that the brain has a drainage system that removes toxins during sleep.

“When we sleep, the brain totally changes function,” she explains. “It becomes almost like a kidney, removing waste from the system.”

Her team found in mice that the drainage system removes some of the proteins linked with Alzheimer’s disease. These toxins were removed twice as fast from the brain during sleep.

Everything from blood vessels to the immune system uses sleep as a time for repair, says Dr. Kenneth Wright, Jr., a sleep researcher at the University of Colorado.

“There are certain repair processes that occur in the body mostly, or most effectively, during sleep,” he explains. “If you don’t get enough sleep, those processes are going to be disturbed.”

Sleep Myths and Truths

How much sleep you need changes with age. Experts recommend school-age children get at least nine hours a night and teens get between eight and 10. Most adults need at least seven hours or more of sleep each night.

There are many misunderstandings about sleep. One is that adults need less sleep as they get older. This isn’t true. Older adults still need the same amount. But sleep quality can get worse as you age. Older adults are also more likely to take medications that interfere with sleep.

Another sleep myth is that you can “catch up” on your days off. Researchers are finding that this largely isn’t the case.

“If you have one bad night’s sleep and take a nap, or sleep longer the next night, that can benefit you,” says Wright. “But if you have a week’s worth of getting too little sleep, the weekend isn’t sufficient for you to catch up. That’s not a healthy behavior.”

In a recent study, Wright and his team looked at people with consistently deficient sleep. They compared them to sleep-deprived people who got to sleep in on the weekend.

Both groups of people gained weight with lack of sleep. Their bodies’ ability to control blood sugar levels also got worse. The weekend catch-up sleep didn’t help.

On the flip side, more sleep isn’t always better, says Brown. For adults, “if you’re sleeping more than nine hours a night and you still don’t feel refreshed, there may be some underlying medical issue,” she explains.

Sleep Disorders

Some people have conditions that prevent them from getting enough quality sleep, no matter how hard they try. These problems are called sleep disorders.

The most common sleep disorder is insomnia. “Insomnia is when you have repeated difficulty getting to sleep and/or staying asleep,” says Brown. This happens despite having the time to sleep and a proper sleep environment. It can make you feel tired or unrested during the day.

Insomnia can be short-term, where people struggle to sleep for a few weeks or months. “Quite a few more people have been experiencing this during the pandemic,” Brown says. Long-term insomnia lasts for three months or longer.

Sleep apnea is another common sleep disorder. In sleep apnea, the upper airway becomes blocked during sleep. This reduces or stops airflow, which wakes people up during the night. The condition can be dangerous. If untreated, it may lead to other health problems.

If you regularly have problems sleeping, talk with your health care provider. They may have you keep a sleep diary to track your sleep for several weeks. They can also run tests, including sleep studies. These look for sleep disorders.

Getting Better Sleep

If you’re having trouble sleeping, hearing how important it is may be frustrating. But simple things can improve your odds of a good night's sleep.

Treatments are available for many common sleep disorders. Cognitive behavioral therapy can help many people with insomnia get better sleep. Medications can also help some people.

Many people with sleep apnea benefit from using a device called a CPAP machine. These machines keep the airway open so that you can breathe. Other treatments can include special mouthguards and lifestyle changes.

For everyone, “as best you can, try to make sleep a priority,” Brown says. “Sleep is not a throwaway thing—it’s a biological necessity.”

 

Source: National Institutes of Health

 

Mastering Home Food Preservation Workshop

Purdue Cooperative Extension Service will be offering a Mastering Home Food Preservation class April 30 - May 3, 2024.  The class will take place 9am - 5pm. 

The training will be held at the Community Learning Center, 401 E Diamond Street, Kendallville, IN 46755. 

Cost for this training is $275 and will cover the following topics:

  • Food Safety
  • Boiling Water Canning
  • Pressure Canning
  • Pickling & Fermenting
  • Freezing & Dehydrating
  • Jams & Jellies

Register at: https://cvent.me/yywPm2. For more information, contact Abigail Creigh at 260-636-2111, or creigh@purdue.edu. 

  

  

you can help Purdue's broadband team

The federal government, in partnership with states, is deploying broadband funds through the Broadband Equity, Adoption, and Deployment program, also know as BEAD. Indiana is receiving close to $870 million starting mid to late 2024. A map put together by the FEderal Communications Commission or FCC, the government entity that regulates telecommunications, will dictate where these funds go, so we need to make sure Indiana's broadband map is as accurate as possible. Click HERE to see how you can help!

 

 

Wells County Community Health Fair

Who is putting it on: Indiana Immunization Coalition 
When: April 3, 2024 from 2-5pm
Where: Wells County Fairgrounds, Community Center, 1240 4-H Park Road, Bluffton, IN 46714
Cost: All services are FREE
**First 50 people will receive a free hygiene kit (min. $25 value), a pack of diapers, and a $10 gas card

 

  

Purdue Extension Offerings at Bluffton Parks Department Senior Snippets Program

DEHYDRATING 101

Ever wonder about dehydrating foods? Whether you’re thinking about getting a dehydrator or have one but need guidance, this class is for you! Make sure to sign up for both sessions of this 2 part workshop.

 Both Workshops are FREE!

 

Session 1 of 2

April 15, 2024, 2:00 PM

Washington Park Pavilion, Bluffton

Call 824-6069 to register

Objectives

  • Basic methods and techniques for dehydration
  • Choosing healthy foods to dehydrate
  • Learn to safely preserve food through dehydration
  • Hands-on demonstration of the process

 

Session 2 of 2

April 22, 2024, 2:00 PM

Washington Park Pavilion, Bluffton

Call 824-6069 to register

Objectives

  • Learn effective storage methods for long-term preservation.
  • Explore how dehydrated foods enhance a healthy diet
  • Sample healthy dehydrated snacks

 

Cooking With an Air Fryer

May 6, 2024, 2:00 PM

Washington Park Pavilion, Bluffton

Considering whether an air fryer would be beneficial for your kitchen or do you already have an air fryer, but aren’t sure how to use it? Join us for this class on air fryer basics!

Objectives

  • Basics of Air Frying and different air fryer models
  • Cooking/Food Safety Tips
  • Air Fryer Safety Tips
  • Recipes
  • Demonstration and Samples

Call 824-6069 to register

Workshop is Free!

 

Dejunking Your Diet:
The Drawbacks of Ultra-Processed Foods

Eating healthy isn’t always easy. Expert-recommended diets often emphasize fresh, whole foods and home-cooked meals. But that can be expensive and time-consuming. Highly processed foods are often cheap and convenient. But they also tend to be high in calories, added sugar, saturated fat, and salt, and low in fiber.

Scientists are starting to learn that highly processed foods can have certain effects on your body that may make sticking to your healthy eating goals even harder. Eating too much of them may lead to weight gain and increase your risk for certain diseases, like cancer, diabetes, and obesity.

What Are Ultra-Processed Foods?

Most foods that we eat are processed to some extent—they’re modified from how they exist in nature. Chopping, grinding, drying, cooking, and freezing are all forms of food processing. Some forms of processing are good for your health. For example, cooking meat and pasteurizing milk can help prevent foodborne diseases. But if your food is processed too much, it may be harmful to your health.

Ultra-processed foods are those that have undergone the greatest level of processing. As a general rule, ultra-processed foods are those that have been made using additives, ingredients that you wouldn’t likely have in your home kitchen. These include things like hydrogenated oils, isolated proteins, and high-fructose corn syrup. Ultra-processed foods are often made using industrial processes that you can’t easily do at home.

“If you’re standing in the grocery store, in one of the middle aisles, and the thing that you’re holding is in a crinkly package, you’re probably holding an ultra-processed food,” says Dr. Alexandra DiFeliceantonio, a neuroscientist who studies health behaviors at Virginia Tech.

Ultra-processed foods are designed to be low cost and have long shelf lives. They’re tasty, convenient, and ready to eat. Examples include carbonated soft drinks, chips, chicken nuggets, and sausages. Having too much of these in your diet may result in overeating and can be harmful to your health.

Understanding Overeating

It’s difficult for scientists to study exactly how ultra-processed foods affect overeating. That requires carefully controlling people’s diets for weeks at a time.

But NIH metabolism researcher Dr. Kevin Hall has done just that. In a recent study, he compared calorie intake and weight gain in participants who ate a highly processed diet with those who ate a minimally processed diet. Study participants stayed at NIH’s Metabolic Clinical Research Unit for four weeks, spending two weeks on each diet. Both diets offered the same amount of calories, sugar, fiber, fat, sodium, and carbohydrates on a daily basis. Participants could eat as much or as little as they wanted.

When people were on the diet with ultra-processed foods, they ate about 500 more calories each day. They also gained about 2 pounds on average. In contrast, when they were on the less-processed diet, they lost about 2 pounds.

The differences weren’t due to different nutrients in the overall diet. And, the participants rated the meals on both diets as equally pleasant. So why did people eat more of the diet filled with ultra-processed foods? The researchers aren’t sure.

Hall’s team is now looking at what else might be in ultra-processed foods that leads people to overeat. The brain may react differently to those foods, he says, or the gut may send out different signals after they’re digested.

The tendency for ultra-processed foods to lead to overeating may partly explain the recent rise in obesity. “But we rely on ultra-processed foods too much to get rid of them,” Hall says. “They’re tasty, they’re convenient, and it doesn’t take much time or effort or skill to prepare them.”

Hall hopes that a better understanding of what’s causing increased calorie consumption can help guide how such foods are made, or which ones people choose to eat.

“If we had ways to target problematic foods by understanding how they cause overeating, that might help manufacturers reformulate those foods so that they no longer cause problems,” says Hall. “Or it might help policymakers come up with ways to regulate potentially problematic foods.”

 

 

Changing the Brain

One way that ultra-processed foods might lead to overeating is by altering the brain. DiFeliceantonio’s team is using MRI scans to see how ultra-processed foods affect the brain’s reward system. These are the parts of the brain that are activated by pleasure and drive us to seek it out. DiFeliceantonio is studying whether a diet high in ultra-processed foods affect this system, and if the changes lead to people eating more when they’re not hungry.

If consuming ultra-processed foods and drinks might make you want more, does that mean you can get addicted to them? Right now, it’s not clear whether ultra-processed foods are addictive. But some studies suggest they might be.

“These ultra-processed, highly rewarding foods have way more in common with a cigarette than they do with an apple or an orange or black beans,” says Dr. Ashley Gearhardt, a clinical psychologist who studies overeating behaviors at the University of Michigan. “Some of the same brain circuitry turns on when we’re craving drugs as when we’re craving these ultra-processed foods.”

Gearhardt says that eating ultra-processed foods may lead to a compulsive habit. This means you have difficulty cutting back even when you want to. This is similar to what happens with addictive substances.

Addictive substances can also cause withdrawal symptoms when you stop taking them. Symptoms can include irritability, agitation, depression, and strong cravings for the substance. Gearhardt and others are studying whether cutting back on ultra-processed foods can cause similar withdrawal symptoms. This research may help explain why eating healthier can be harder for some people.

“Right now, we tell people they should feel better if they’re eating healthier,” Gearhardt says. “But we hear a lot of people say: ‘When I start to eat healthier, I feel so irritable and agitated. My cravings are so strong that I don’t feel better. I feel worse.’”

If we recognize that these symptoms can occur, we could give people strategies to manage them, says Gearhardt. That might make it easier for people to change their eating habits.

 Source: National Institutes of Health

 

   

A PDF version of this newsletter is available HERE.

News Notes for Parents is a newsletter geared towards parents with children ages 8 and under. You will find articles about parenting, early childhood education, nutrition and much more.

In the April 2024 issue of News Notes for Parents, you will find the following articles:

 

Increase Your Children's Nutrition Know-How

Helping your kids understand how to read food labels prepares them for making smart food choices their whole lives. Whether in the supermarket, at home or at school, there are many opportunities to teach your child about nutrition.

For younger children, focusing on MyPlate, food groups and eating mindfully is a great place to start. Older children and teens can learn about individual nutrients on the Nutrition Facts label and how to decipher food label claims.

At Home
Teaching children the basics of nutrition and label-reading can be done easily at home, with many examples of foods they like to eat with nutrition information on hand. Try some of these tips to teach them about healthful eating.

  • Enlist your child to help plan a meal based on MyPlate. Discuss themes such as varying protein sources, choosing whole grains and selecting colorful fruits and vegetables.
  • When snacking, have your teen take a look at the Nutrition Facts label and serving size to discover what is in the food they're eating.

At the Supermarket                                                                                                                     
Label-reading in the supermarket is important because that's where most of the food in the home comes from. Send your child on a scavenger hunt to find nutritious options:

  • Canned fruit packed in water or their own juices.
  • Frozen vegetables with no salt added.
  • Whole-grain cereal that is low in sugar and high in fiber.

In the Lunchroom
It might be hard to monitor what foods children eat in the lunchroom, so it is best to encourage them to make healthy choices.

  • Challenge your child to pack a lunch modeling MyPlate.
  • Encourage your child to read the labels of cafeteria items, and choose items low in added fats, sugars and salt.
  • Review cafeteria menu offerings and discuss with your child what options they might choose that would provide each of the food groups in MyPlate that together create a balanced, healthful meal. (For example, ask your child what they will take for a vegetable, fruit, whole grain and protein food.)
  • Leave a friendly note for your child about the healthy options in their lunch and why they are included.

 Source: eatright.org

 

 

   

Teaching Your kids about taxes

It seems appropriate to talk about taxes since it is April.  One might ask how you teach this concept to young children. Sure, it can be challenging, but it's possible to introduce some basic concepts in a way that's understandable and even fun for them! Here are a few tips that you can use when teaching your kiddos:

  1. Start with the basics! Explain what taxes are in simple terms. For example, you can say something like, "Taxes are money that we pay to the government to help pay for things like schools, roads, and parks."
  2. Try using everyday examples! Look for opportunities in everyday life to talk about taxes. For example, when you go shopping, you can explain that part of the money you spend goes towards taxes.
  3. Make it relatable! Try to relate taxes to something your kiddo(s) already understands. You could use an allowance as an example, explaining that just like they might set aside a portion of their allowance for savings, taxes are like the money adults set aside to pay for things the government provides.
  4. Make sure to keep it positive! Emphasize the benefits of taxes, such as how they help support important services like schools and hospitals. You can explain that paying taxes is a way to contribute to the community and help make it a better place for everyone.
  5. Lead by example! When you pay your taxes, explain what you are doing and why you are doing it. This can help reinforce the idea that paying taxes is a normal and necessary part of life. Remember to keep the explanations age-appropriate and to answer any questions they might have patiently. The goal is to lay a foundation of understanding that can be built upon as they grow older.

 Source: OpenAI (2024) ChatGPT (February 29 version) [Large language model]. http://chat.openai.com

 

 

  1.  

emoji omelets

Allow your kiddos to be creative. Try making these quick fun omelets using a round cookie cutter, olives, shredded cheese, and cherry tomatoes! Recipe below serves 4.

Ingredients

5 eggs
2 tablespoons milk
1/8 teaspoon pepper
4 cherry tomatoes, sliced thinly *use for emoji eyes
½ small red or green sweet pepper cut into strips *use for emoji eyebrows
2 tablespoons sliced black olives *use for emoji eyes
½ cup shredded cheddar or mozzarella cheese *can be used for emoji hair
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley * can be used for emoji hair

Directions
Before you begin: Wash your hands.

  1. Whisk eggs, milk, and pepper in a small bowl.
  2. Spray a 10-inch skillet with cooking spray. Heat over medium-low heat. Pour in egg mixture; cover and cook, without stirring, until just set, 7 to 10 minutes. Slide the omelet onto the cutting board; let cool for a few minutes.
  3. Cut four circles out of the omelet using a large (approximately 3 ½ inch/9 cm) round cookie cutter. Create egg faces using cherry tomatoes, peppers, olives, cheese, and parsley to make eyes, nose, mouth, and hair. Leftover bits of omelet can be used as well.

 Tip: Place tomatoes, peppers, olives, cheese and parsley in small bowls and let everyone create their own faces!

Source: Egg Farmers of Canada  - https://www.eggs.ca/recipes/emoji-eggs

 

A PDF Version of News Notes to Parents is available HERE.
A spanish version of News Notes to Parents is available HERE.

PDF Version Here.

2024 Wells County 4-H Fair Theme:

  • It’s that time of year again! 2024 4-H Fair activities are in full swing. Clubs have started meeting, ID Days are taking place, and projects are being started! It is such a fun time of year! Before you know it, it will be time to exhibit your hard work at the fair.
  • Our 4-H Club Leaders have come up with a great theme for the 2024 4-H Fair - “Let the Games Begin!”, in honor of the Olympic Games taking place this summer!

4-H Camp Registration:

  • Registration for 4-H Camp opens on March 1st!! You can register online through your 4-H Online account. Follow the steps below:
    • Log in to your 4-H Online account at https://v2.4honline.com
    • Click “View” (in blue) next to the name of the 4-H member you want to register
    • Next, click on “Events” on the left side of the screen (on a mobile device, click the 3 gray lines to open the menu).
    • Click on “Register for a New Event” (in blue)
    • Select “2024 Northeast Indiana 4-H Camp” and click “Next”
    • Select on your camper type and click “Start Registration”. Follow through prompts until submitted.
    • Send or bring payment to Purdue Extension - Wells County by May 1st.
    • Registration will not be considered complete until payment has been received.

QLC Training Dates:

  • Quality Livestock Care Training is required for any 4-H youth who is exhibiting cattle, goats, poultry, rabbits, sheep, and swine. Members must attend ONE of the trainings. QLC Training will take place in the Expo Hall at the 4-H Park on the following dates:
    • March 20th at 6:00PM
    • March 25th at 10:00AM
    • March 25th at 1:00PM
    • April 17th at 6:00PM
    • May 29th at 10:00AM
    • May 29th at 1:00PM
    • May 29th at 6:00PM
  • Register online at https://v2.4honline.com

Beef ID Day:

  • Saturday, March 2nd, 2024
  • 8:00 - 11:00 AM
  • Cattle Barn, 4-H Park
  • Enter Park on South Drive
  • We will be using portable pipe gates and the scale. All cattle will need to be on a halter. There will not be a loading shoot available.

Dairy Feeder ID Day:

  • Saturday, April 6, 2024
  • 8:00 - 11:00 AM
  • Cattle Barn, 4-H Park
  • Enter Park on South Drive
  • Additional information will be mailed soon.

Archery Meetings:

  • Below are the dates and times for all Archery Meetings in 2024. Additional information has been sent out via mail to all enrolled members.
  • Meetings will be held at the Quonset Hut Building at the 4-H Park in Bluffton. Members need to attend one meeting per week, but not both days.
    • Thursday, April 18th from 6:30-8:00PM
    • Saturday, April 20th from 10:00AM-12:00PM
    • Thursday, April 25th from 6:30-8:00PM
    • Saturday, April 27th from 10:00AM-12:00PM
    • Thursday, May 2nd from 6:30-8:00PM
    • Saturday, May 4th from 10:00AM-12:00PM
    • Thursday, May 9th from 6:30-8:00PM
    • Saturday, May 11th from 10:00AM-12:00PM
    • Thursday, May 16th from 6:30-8:00PM
    • Saturday, May 18th from 10:00AM-12:00PM
    • Thursday, May 23rd from 6:30-8:00PM
    • Saturday, May 25th from 10:00AM-12:00PM
    • Thursday, May 30th from 6:30-8:00PM
    • Saturday, June 1st from 10:00AM-12:00PM
    • Thursday, June 6th from 6:30-8:00PM
    • Saturday, June 8th from 10:00AM-12:00PM

Junior Leaders:

  • Upcoming Meeting will be held on Monday, March 11th at 6:00PM in the Meeting Rooms at the 4-H Park. See you there!

Meat Goat & Sheep:

  • Members participating in the Meat Goat project and/or Sheep project should plan to attend the upcoming meeting.
    • Friday, March 15th at 6:30PM
    • Meeting Rooms, 4-H Park, Bluffton

Dog Club Meetings:

  • Below are a list of upcoming meeting dates in March & April. Those in 1A and 1B obedience or beginner showmanship will meet at 6:30PM. All others will meet at 7:30PM. Meetings will take place at Perfect Pet in Bluffton. You MUST have your dog vaccination paper completed BEFORE you bring your dog.
    • Friday, March 1st
    • Friday, March 8th
    • Friday, March 15th
    • Friday, March 22nd
    • Friday, March 29th
    • Friday, April 5th
    • Friday, April 12th
    • Friday, April 19th
    • Friday, April 26th

Township Club Meetings:

  • Rockcreek Rollers - Thursday, May 7th @ 7:00PM in the Meeting Rooms
  • Lancaster Achievers - Tuesday, March 12th @ 7:00PM in the Junior Leader Booth
  • Nottingham Nobles - Thursday, March 14th @ 6:30PM in the Expo Hall
  • Liberty Happy-Go-Lucky - Saturday, March 16th @ 1:00PM at Liberty Center Community Church
  • Jefferson Knightriders - Monday, March 18th @ 5:30PM at Hope Missionary North Campus

Summer Internships:

  • The Purdue Extension Office is looking to add two interns to our staff this summer! This is a paid position that is great for college students who are home for break looking to make some extra money over the summer. Interns will start mid-May and typically finish up the first or second week of August. Interns will assist Anya, our 4-H Youth Educator, with various projects leading up to the 4-H Fair.
  • Summer internship applications will be available in the Extension Office starting on Monday, March 11th. If you have any questions, please contact the Extension Office at (260)824-6412.

Mini 4-H Packets:

  • Mini 4-H packets have been sent out to all enrolled Mini 4-H Members. These packets will help youth with their mini projects. If you have not received anything in the mail, please contact the Extension Office at 260-824-6412.
  • Be on the lookout in upcoming Newsletters for information about Mini 4-H Night, typically held in June.

4-H Skill Sheets:

  • As I’m sure you know by now, Wells County 4-H will no longer require the completion of record sheets and/or workbooks in order to exhibit a project at the Wells County Fair. We do want to be clear that certain projects still do require a completed skill sheet to be turned in along with the project to be exhibited. All youth enrolled in projects that require skill sheets, should have received them in the mail. If you think you should have gotten one but have not yet, please call the Extension Office at (260)824-6412.

2024 Rule Books:

  • The information in the 4-H Rule Book is VERY IMPORTANT! The Rule Book will give you detailed information about each individual project, as well as overall information such as helpful poster making tips and much more. It is very frustrating to work hard on a project only to find that it does not meet the specified criteria in the Rule Book so CHECK YOUR RULE BOOK EVERY YEAR to see if there have been updates!
  • Rule Books are now available for purchase in the Extension Office. You can also find a PDF version of the Rule Book online at www.extension.purdue.edu/wells.
    • Paper Copy with Binder: $7.00
    • Paper Copy Only: $3.00

Northern Indiana Animal Science Day Camp:

  • Hands-on learning about human and animal health, animal digestion, animal senses, meat science, animal handling, and much more! 
  • Workshops are 8:30AM to 3:30PM
    • April 4th in St. Joe County
    • June 18th in Elkhart County
    • June 20th in Wells County
    • July 2nd at South Central High School
  • For any youth in grades 3-8. 
  • $25.00 registration, lunch included!
  • Registration is due one week before the workshop. https://AnimalScienceDayCamp.4honline.com

4-H Fair Camping:

  • For those interested in camping at the 4-H Park during the 4-H Fair this summer - here are the details.
    • For those interested in camping at the 4-H Park during the 4-H Fair this summer - here are the details.
    • 4-H Camping registration opens at noon on April 1st
    • Registration must take place in person at the Extension Office. First come, first serve. No holds, no exceptions.
    • Camping forms will be available in the Extension Office and online (www.extension.purdue.edu/wells) starting on March 18th
    • Sites will not be available for single day rentals.
    • Campers will pay a flat fee of $200.00 for the week. You will be able to pull in anything after noon on Wednesday, July 10th, and must leave by noon on Saturday, July 20th.
    • Sites must be payed in full when registering. Exact cash or check only.
  • Questions? Contact Allie Alma at (260)824-1689

Upcoming Volunteer Meetings:

  • 4-H Association: Monday, March 18th at 7:00PM in the Meeting Rooms
  • 4-H Council: Monday, March 11th at 7:00PM in the Meeting Rooms
  • Club Leaders: Tuesday, April 9th at 7:00PM in the Meeting Rooms
  • Swine Boosters: Monday, March 4th at 6:00PM in the Meeting Rooms

Financial Reports:

  • Club Leaders - Financial Reports were due on February 29th and we are still waiting on several reports. If you have not turned in your club’s financial report to the Extension Office, please do so as soon as possible. The 4-H Council committee will be meeting soon to go over these reports.
  • If you did not receive the report information in the mail or have misplaced it, please call the Extension Office at (260)824-6412 or email Morgan at mcorle1@purdue.edu.

Upcoming Wells County and State Extension Events

State Extension Events

High school students explore food science during 4-H Academy on Purdue University’s campus through hands-on activities led by faculty members and researchers.
Indiana 4-H participates in regional study focused on developing a 21st-century agriculture workforce

Indiana 4-H is seeking input from food, agriculture, forestry and related employers about current...

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two adult men talking
Youth Mental Health First Aid - Military Partnership

Purdue Extension provided the Youth Mental Health First Aid course 21 times during the year to...

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The residents of Chain O'Lakes Community Re-Entry Center
Rehabilitation through cultivation—from incarceration to Master Gardeners

When he thinks of his childhood, Jacobo Mora recalls rows of fruit trees and colorful squash at...

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roses
Kiss from a Rose on El Nino’s Grave

This spring is likely to be more of a tale of individual months than of a season. For the...

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cattle grazing in field
Purdue FPAC Superintendent Brad Shelton receives Lawrence County Cattleman of the Year Award

Brad Shelton, superintendent of the Feldun Purdue Agricultural Center (FPAC), received the...

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corn in Indiana
Training International Farmers in Food Preservation and Processing

Purdue Extension, in collaboration with the University of West Indies at St. Augustine, is...

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