4-H Focus – June 2026

Congratulations to Our 4-H Senior Honor Cord Recipients

Yakima County 4-H proudly recognizes and congratulates our graduating seniors who have earned the distinction of wearing a 4-H Honor Cord at graduation. This honor celebrates their years of dedication, leadership, service, and achievement through the 4-H Youth Development Program.

• Rylee O’Neal, Busy Bees 4-H Club
• Darrin VanderMeulen, Green Valley 4-H Club
• Delilah Haller, Sagebrush Riders 4-H Club
• Kenadie Snyder, Naches Valley 4-H Club

These outstanding youth have demonstrated the values of 4-H by developing valuable life skills, giving back to their communities, and serving as role models for younger members. Their commitment and perseverance have made a lasting impact on our local 4-H program.

We are incredibly proud of each recipient and wish them continued success as they begin the next chapter of their journey. Congratulations to all of our 4-H Senior Honor Cord recipients!

Beyond Ready – Congrat a Grad!

Know a 4-H Senior? Let’s celebrate them!

Send a message, share your pride, and help us recognize the Class of 2026. Because every achievement deserves a moment.

Congrat a Grad!

Kittitas County 4-H Invites Yakima 4-H’ers to Their Events!

Kittitas County 4-H & Be Crash Free Dirt Bike Clinic

We are excited to officially open registration for our upcoming Be Crash Free RideSafe Dirt Bike Clinic on June 20th.

Event Details:
• Date: June 20, 2026
• Time: 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM
• Cost: $150 per participant
• Ages: 8–18

 Kittitas County Rabbit Pre-Show & Poultry Clinic

The Rabbit Pre-Show and Poultry Clinic will be held on Saturday, June 27th in Umtanum Hall at the Kittitas County Fairgrounds/Event Center. Schedule is as follows:

• 9:00 a.m. Rabbit Pre-Show
• 10:30 a.m. Poultry Clinic-Cloverbuds
• 11:30 a.m. Poultry Clinic-Junior, Intermediate, Seniors

We kindly request that all participants arrive between 9:30 and 10:30  as PT Testing will be completed at this time.  (Vet charge associated with PT testing – $30 for the first animal & $20 per additional animal)

Birds participating must have adult feathers (no chicks). Extra birds will be available to practice with for members that have birds too young to attend the clinic. Please remember to bring carpet squares.

Pre-Register Today!

Yakima County Council Meeting – July 27th at 6:30 PM

All 4-H youth members, volunteers and families are invited to attend the Yakima County Council meetings. Your input is greatly needed to make decisions on up coming events. Please consider joining us on Monday, July 27th at 6:30 pm in the Yakima County Resource Center – Large Conference Room, Side A. Located at 2403 S. 18th Street, Union Gap, WA.

Save the Date for Washington State 4-H Teen Conference – June 22-25th, 2026

Interested in inspiring the next generation of leaders?

We’d love to invite you to host a workshop at the Washington State 4‑H Teen Conference! We are currently seeking engaging, youth‑centered workshop proposals that will spark curiosity, build skills, and create meaningful experiences for teens from across the state.

If you have an idea you’re excited to share, we’d love to hear from you—learn more and submit a proposal here: Request for Workshop Proposals Teen Conference. High-school aged teens (those who have completed 8th grade and up) are encouraged to come to the Pullman Campus of Washington State University in June each year for the Washington State 4-H Teen Conference.

Some highlights include: touring the beautiful Pullman campus of WSU, staying in college dormitories, eating at WSU’s dining center, and attending workshops and tours to highlight career pathways and opportunities. We will include workshops to help youth begin preparing for college applications, scholarship applications, choosing a college major, and choosing a career pathway. We will also have opportunities for leadership development, service projects, team-building activities, and fun!

Date: June 22nd-25th, 2026

Location: WSU Pullman Campus

Ages: High School students who have completed 8th grade through 12th grade

More information on this event can be found on the Washington State 4-H Teen Conference webpage.

Seeking High School Youth to Pilot 4-H Future Forward!

4-H FutureForward is a pilot initiative that helps 4-H youth translate project work, leadership, and applied learning into an electronic portfolio that can be reviewed for possible college credit through prior learning assessment.

Participants identify a college course they want to pursue and work with a 4-H coordinator to align their 4-H experiences with the course’s learning outcomes. During the pilot, the Spokane County 4-H Intern will help guide the youth through the process. Their portfolio includes evidence such as a résumé, PACT goals, reflections, project records, financial summaries, photos, videos, supporting documents, and a showcase project that demonstrates growth, skill, and learning.

FutureForward helps youth do more than document accomplishments; it helps them demonstrate that what they have learned through 4-H is comparable to college-level learning. By linking their experiences to course outcomes and providing evidence of mastery, participants create a portfolio colleges can review in a rigorous and organized way for possible credit. This approach also aligns with National 4-H Beyond Ready, which emphasizes preparing youth for life and work through skill development, confidence, and readiness for future education and career pathways.

Once a student has been accepted to their college of choice, the completed portfolio may be submitted to the registrar for review for possible credit. In this way, 4-H FutureForward serves as both a youth development strategy and a bridge to higher education, helping students recognize the academic value of their 4-H experiences while strengthening readiness for college and careers.

Parents and youth interested in learning how 4-H can support college and career pathways are encouraged to explore the 4-H FutureForward pilot. To learn how the program works, who may be a good fit, and how to get involved, please contact Tammy Wilson at tammy.wilson@wsu.edu or Alex Gustafson at a.gustafson@wsu.edu.

*New* 4-H Fair Form and Record Book Completion Deadline

Yakima County 4-H is moving our 4-H record book scoring to the end of the 4-H year in September in order to allow youth members to include their fair experiences and finalize their market sales before their record book is scored for 4-H year completion and Medal of Honor. 

To assist with this change and maintain accountability, the Yakima County 4-H office requires that all 4-H youth members participating in livestock projects at Yakima County Fairs (including those from other counties) turn in a Yakima County 4-H Fair Form (linked and attached) at check-in to participate. 

This form attests that the youth member has followed the animal ownership timeline, that they agree to follow the 4-H behavior expectations and that they will complete their record book and submit it to the Yakima County 4-H office for scoring in September as one of the requirements to complete their 4-H year. Yakima County 4-H Fair Forms will be collected at fair check-in and retained by the WSU Extension Office. 

*Non-Yakima County 4-H participants are still required to submit The Yakima County Fair Form to participate and will attest that they agree to meet the 4-H requirements of their home county. 

IMPORTANT:Fairs are independent organizations and are free to set their own requirements for record books in addition to those set by Yakima County 4-H.

At this time, Central Washington Junior Livestock Show and West Valley Fair will still require record books and scoring will be done by the fairs themselves. Yakima County 4-H youth participating in these fairs will turn in their record book at the fair, then update and complete it for scoring by the Extension Office in September for 4-H year completion.

We recognize that this is a big change, and we appreciate your patience and your assistance as we adapt our systems to better meet the needs of our youth members, volunteers and staff. Please reach out to me with any questions you may have and I will be happy to help.

Thank you for being a part of Yakima County 4-H. We’re glad you’re here!

Washington State 4-H Fair – Puyallup

FairEntry Office Hours

If you need help making entries in FairEntry, there will be office hours available on most Tuesday through the end of July. They will alternate between Noon and 6:00 pm. This is open to all 4-H families in Washington. General help will be given to make entries into FairEntry for County Fairs and State Fair. For specific County Fair questions contact your local 4-H Office or County Fair management.

Office Hours Dates and Times

Meetings will be hosted on Zoom. Contact mike.seiber@wsu.edu for questions

2026 Washington 4-H State Livestock Judging Contest Opens Registration

As of April 1st, registration is officially open. Coaches and or leaders can register their teams and alternates (Junior, Intermediate and Senior) in 4-H Online.

You will have to be a certified volunteer to access 4-H online. If you serving as a coach but are not a certified volunteer, you will need to work with one in your county that will be attending the contest with your team to enter your youth. Early registration will be open until 9:59 pm May 29th, 2026. Late registration will end 9:59 pm June 12th, 2026. Please note that there will be no day of registration. This year we are using 4-H Online with altered registration deadlines for verification purposes according to the 2026 rule changes. We know that this is a new process if you have any questions, please reach out.

Also, will be using a new scoring system that will require Scantrons.  We will provide clipboards and pencils for contestants, and they will be expected to complete the Scantron independently.  We will follow up with some resources as we approach the contest so that you can work with your youth. We will also work with group leaders assuring that they will be able assist our youth participants during the contest.  The new registration process should speed things up in the morning.  We will confirm registration, check in and coaches will be able to declaration teams. If you have multiple teams, you will let us know which members are team 1, which are team 2, etc.  We are planning to start the contest earlier, refer to schedule provided in the rules (below).

We will follow up closer to the contest to request names of people to assist with group leading and contest organization prior to the event date. Refer to the rules and travel guidelines before registration making sure that you understand the process forward.

Check-in will be at the Huck Fuller Building at the Grant County Fairgrounds Gold Entrance. Thank you for your participation in the 2026 State 4-H Livestock Judging Contest. 

WSU Animal Science Dairy Cattle Field Day at Knott Dairy Farm

WSU Animal Science is happy to offer a Dairy Cattle Field Day at Knott Dairy Farm 2156 Country Club Rd, Pullman, WA on Saturday June 20th, 2026.  Please reference the attached flier to see what the day will bring for participants from ages 11 – 18.  We have a small registration fee of $15 and lunch will be provided.  When you register please “Check Out as a Guest” and you will be directed to the payment page. 

Cougar Kids Camp 2026 – Where the Wild Things Play

Summer adventure is just around the corner, and we’re excited to remind you that Cougar Kids Camp registration is now open for Summer 2026!Hosted right here on the WSU campus, Cougar Kids Camp offers weeks full of discovery, movement, creativity, and connection. This year’s experience centers on exploring Where the Wild Things Play. campers will explore the Pacific Northwest, learn about the science of wildlife, and compete in fun fauna-themed activities!

• June 15–July 31*
• Monday–Friday, 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
• Open to ages 6–12

Each week features a unique focus designed to keep campers curious and energized:

Cougar Kids Camp is a great option for families seeking a safe, enriching, and fun summer environment for their children, complete with opportunities to make friends and build confidence. Spots fill quickly, so we encourage you to explore this opportunity soon. We can’t wait to welcome your campers for another unforgettable summer!

*Please note that select weeks are prorated due to university-observed holidays on June 19 and July 4.