Douglas County SD 4-H

10/08/2026

Had the 1st Cloverbud Program activity in the new 2026-2027 4-H year on Tuesday, October 6th at the Armour Carnegie Library. The kids painted a wooden leaf for some festive fall decor. Thanks to Marian Biederstedt for implementing the cloverbud program for the last 2 years, and Thank you to Jaclyn Czymbor for assisting and taking over the Cloverbud Program in December. The next Meeting is scheduled for December 8th - 3:30pm to 4:30pm in the Douglas County Courthouse Community Room.
If any youth aged 5-7 as of January 1, 2027 are interested in joining the Cloverbud Program, they can still participate this year. Contact Kim in the Extension Office at 605-724-2719 for more information.

09/18/2026

09/15/2026

The 2026 SD State Fair was held September 2nd - 7th in Huron, SD.
(11) 4-H Members exhibited projects in various categories.

Ribbon placing results from static exhibits from the Douglas County 4-H members at State Fair are as follows:

Noah Czymbor - Visual Arts - 1 Purple
- Wood Science - 1 Red

Ottilie Lau – Clothing & Textiles - 1 Purple
- Home Environment - 1 Purple & 2 blue
- Hobbies & Collections - 1 Red

Marissa Leonard – Foods & Nutrition - 1 Blue
- Poutry & Eggs - 1 blue
- Visual Arts - 1 Purple & 2 Blue

Tayah Smith – Home Environment - 2 Purple
- Visual Arts - 1 Purple
- Wood Science - 1 Purple

Berkley Wright – Home Environment - 2 purple

Rylee Wright – Home Environment - 2 purple.

(3) Douglas County 4-H members competed in Youth-in-Action Events at the State Fair. Results are as follows:

Alexis Hoffman - Senior Fashion Revue - Purple Ribbon

Ottilie Lau - Beginner Special Foods -Blue Ribbon

Marissa Leonard - Senior Communications Project - Demonstration
- How to make Homemade Playdoh - Purple Ribbon

Ribbon placing results from livestock exhibits from the Douglas County 4-H members at State Fair are as follows:

Cade Hoffman – Poultry - Ringneck Pheasant Rooster - Purple - Reserve Champion Other
- Poultry - Ringneck Pheasant Hen - Purple

Emmett Lau - Beginner Beef Showmanship - Blue

Ottilie Lau – Simmental Breeding Early Junior Yearling Heifer - Blue
- Angus Breeding Senior Yearling Heifer - Purple
- Beginner Beef Showmanship - Blue
- Southdown Breeding Early Spring Ewe - Purple
- Southdown Breeding Late Spring Ewe - Purple
- Beginner Breeding Sheep Showmanship - Purple

Marissa Leonard – Milking Shorthorn Spring Heifer Calf - Blue
- Milking Shorthorn Two Year Old Cow - Purple & Reserve Champion
- Senior Dairy Showmanship - Purple
- Boer Breeding Meat Doe - Blue
- Boer Market Meat Goat Wether - Blue
- Senior Meat Goat Showmanship - Blue
- Poultry - Cochin Feather Legged Bantam Pullet - Purple
- Poultry - Rhode Island Red Single Comb Bantam Pullet - Purple
- Poultry - Rhode Island Red Single Comb Bantam Pullet - Blue
- Poultry - Rhode Island Red Single Comb Bantam Cockerel- Purple

Andrew Schelske - Senior Dairy Showmanship - Blue
- Grade Holstein Two Year Old Cow - Red

Levi Schelske – Junior Dairy Showmanship - Purple
Grade Holstein Milking Aged Cow - Purple & Grand Champion.

Congratulations to all youth on a great job!

08/19/2026

Douglas County 4-H Shooting Sports Match 5 Unofficial Results.

8 Douglas County 4-H members participated in postal 5 in the Sh***un discipline. Sh***un has 3 divisions: Trap, S***t and Sporting Clays. If a shooter achieves a qualifying score for a certain discipline, he or she earns the right to compete on site in a shoulder-to-shoulder match at the State 4-H Fall Shoot which will be held September 11th-13th in Mitchell. Awards are given in each discipline in all competitions to either the top 3 or top 5 competitors (depending on the number of entries).
In sh***un – Trap: Beginners shoot 25 targets, Juniors shoot 50 targets, and Seniors shoot 75 targets. If a perfect score is achieved, the youth will shoot until they miss. The total targets shot without a miss will be reported as the match score and will be the tiebreaking score.
The window for postal 5 was open from July 2nd – August 1st. The Douglas County 4-H Sh***un Program practices at The Armour Gun Club.
Beginner competing in Sh***un – Trap was Dalton Wilson (10 Str 4).
Juniors Competing in Sh***un – Trap were Will Vander Ley (40 Str 13), Tegan Baier (39 Str 9), and Camden Spaans (32 Str 7).
Seniors competing in Sh***un – Trap were Drew Vander Ley (60 Str 16), Cade Hoffman (55 Str 9), Brody Fousek (51 Str 7), and Holton Wilson (48 Str 7).
The Junior Team of Will Vander Ley, Tegan Baier, and Camden Spaans had a score of 111 and placed 2nd in the State.
The Senior Team of Drew Vander Ley, Cade Hoffman, Brody Fousek, and Holton Wilson had a score of 166 and placed 5th in the State.

Thank you to Tyler & Denise Lau who coaches our 4-H Sh***un program, Carl & Elizabeth Baier, Drew Tierney, and Aaron Wilson for assisting the coaches. Much Appreciated!!!

08/17/2026

Congratulations to Marissa Leonard for her 4th Place Overall Dairy Heifer at the Best of the West Show. Way to go Marissa!

08/07/2026

Another Achievement Days in the books!

The 2026 Douglas County Achievement Days were held August 3rd & 4th at the 4-H Grounds in Armour, SD. (28) 4-H Members exhibited projects in various categories.
Youth are not required to receive a purple ribbon to advance on to the State Fair. This allows youth a chance to take the judges’ comments received at a local level and attempt to make their project better for the State Fair. This year static items will be displayed in Nordby Hall at the State Fairgrounds in Huron. Ribbon placing results from both static (268) and livestock (58) exhibits from the Douglas County Achievement Days are as follows:
Lila Baier – 16 purple, 4 blue, & 1 red; Tegan Baier – 16 Purple, 2 blue; Ezra Czymbor – 5 Cloverbud; Noah Czymbor - 5 Purple, 2 blue; Micah Czymbor – 5 Cloverbud; Brody Fousek – 3 purple; Tatum Fousek – 3 purple, Alexis Hoffman – 2 Purple; Cade Hoffman – 6 Purple, 5 blue; Emmett Lau – 8 purple; Ottilie Lau – 37 Purple, 3 blue; Theo Lau – 22 Cloverbud; Marissa Leonard – 24 purple, 2 blue; Adrienne Pies - 17 Purple, 7 blue; Everett Pies – 9 purple, 6 blue; Andrew Schelske - 2 purple; Levi Schelske – 2 Purple; Dudley Schroeder III – 1 purple, 1 blue; Tayah Smith – 74 Purple, 13 Blue, 1 Red; Marshall Wilson– 3 purple; Aleah Wright - 7 purple, 4 blue; Aubrianna Wright – 10 purple, 5 blue, 1 red; Berkley Wright – 2 purple; Rylee Wright – 2 purple, 1 blue; Texlee Wright – 4 Cloverbud; and Thane Wright – 4 Cloverbud.
For some youth the highlight of the Achievement Days is the livestock and small animal shows. The small animal show was held Monday August 3rd which consisted of Cat / Kitten Show, Poultry Show and Rabbit Show. Held on Tuesday, August 4th was the large animal show which consisted of Swine, Baby Beef, Breeding & Dairy Goat, Breeding & Market Sheep, Dairy Cattle, Breeding and Market Beef.

Small Animal Show – Monday August 3rd results are as follows:

Rabbit Show: Grand Champion Rabbit –Everett Pies, Senior Rabbit Showmanship– Everett Pies.
Cat/Kitten Show: Grand Champion Cat –Adrienne Pies, Top Junior Cat Showmanship – Adrienne Pies.
Poultry Show: Grand Champion Purebred Poultry – Marissa Leonard, Grand Champion Duck –Aleah Wright, Grand Champion Other Poultry – Brody Fousek; Top Senior Poultry Showmanship –Brody Fousek, and Top Beginner Poultry Showmanship – Tatum Fousek.

Large Animal Show – Tuesday August 4th results are as follows:

Swine Show: Grand Champion Purebred Breeding Gilt - Tayah Smith, Grand Champion Market Swine - Tayah Smith, Top Senior Swine Showmanship – Tayah Smith, Top Junior Swine Showmanship – Aleah Wright, Top Beginner Swine Showmanship – Cheyann Kenyon.
Baby Beef Show: Grand Champion Baby Market Beef – Aleah Wright, Grand Champion Baby Breeding Heifer – Lila Baier.
Goat Show: Grand Champion Breeding Goat –Ottilie Lau; Grand Champion Market Wether – Marissa Leonard, Grand Champion Dairy Goat – Tayah Smith; Top Senior Goat Showmanship – Tayah Smith; Top Beginner Goat Showmanship – Ottilie Lau.
Sheep Show: Grand Champion Market Lamb – Tayah Smith, Grand Champion Breeding Ewe – Ottilie Lau, Top Senior Sheep Showmanship - Tayah Smith, Top Junior Sheep Showmanship – Aleah Wright, Top Beginner Sheep Showmanship – Ottilie Lau.
Dairy Cattle Show: Grand Champion Dairy Cattle - Levi Schelske, Reserve Grand Champion Dairy Cattle - Marissa Leonard, Top Senior Dairy Showmanship – Marissa Leonard; Top Junior Showmanship – Levi Schelske.
Breeding Beef Show: Grand Champion Overall Breeding Heifer – Emmett Lau, Reserve Champion Overall Breeding Heifer – Ottilie Lau.
Market Beef Show: Grand Champion Market Steer –Tayah Smith, Top Senior Beef Showmanship - Tayah Smith, Top Junior Beef Showmanship – Aleah Wright, Top Beginner Beef Showmanship – Lila Baier.
For those not familiar with 4-H, any youth ages 5-18 as of January 1st, living in Douglas County can qualify to be a 4-H member. For more information about 4-H and how you can join, please contact the SDSU Extension Office in Douglas County at (605) 724-2719 or
[email protected].

08/03/2026

Douglas County residents,
The 4-H BBQ will be served in the 4-H building due to the wind.
Hope to see you soon!

07/20/2026

Calling ALL local talent!
Here is an opportunity to show off your creativity and skills.

07/16/2026

Where has the time gone???
The 2026 Douglas County 4-H Achievement Days are right around the corner on August 3rd & 4th!

4-H members have until July 26th to enter their exhibits in Fair Entry. Here is the link to register: https://fairentry.com/Fair/SignIn/23965

I am looking for a few Parents, Aunts, Uncles, Grandparents, or 4-H Alumni to assist the judges on Monday morning, 9am until complete (usually a couple hours) free donuts and coffee will be provided. If you or if you know of anyone who is willing to help, please call me at 605-724-2719.

Community members or non-4-H youth can enter exhibits in Open Class on Monday, August 3rd between 8:30am and 10:00am. Judging of Open Class exhibits will be after 4-H exhibits.

The Small Animal Show begins at 1:00pm on Monday with Gary Schelske from Menno judging. Gary brings a wealth of experience, knowledge, and patience as he judges our critters and works with our 4-Hers to improve their skills.

Douglas County SD 4-H is hosting the BBQ and Root B**r Floats on Monday, August 3rd from 5:00pm to 6:30pm with proceeds to go towards expanding 4-H youth opportunities in Douglas County. 4-H families are encouraged to help with prep, serving, and clean-up. Families can sign-up at:
BBQ: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050B4CA5AE2CA3F94-64726073-2026
Root B**r Floats:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050B4CA5AE2CA3F94-57646054-root
Also, the Armour Lions Club will be coordinating the Ag Olympics which is always a fun time for competitors and spectators alike, so get a team ready or cheer your favorite team from the stands.

Tuesday is our Large Animal Show with judge David Mogck from Tripp. David brings a lot of diverse knowledge and is a great judge who knows large animals and enjoys sharing that knowledge with our youth.

A full list of activities can be viewed in the photos. We hope to see you there!

07/15/2026

The Youth in Action Public Presentation contest was held on Tuesday, July 14th. A presentation is an activity in which someone shows, describes, or explains something to a group of people. A presentation is a way for you to share and teach information you have learned that will be useful to others.
By giving 4-H Public Presentations, youth will gain many skills that will help them later in life. Youth will gain a positive stage presence whether they are speaking to an individual or an audience. Having the ability to organize their thoughts and information and present it will allow them to become a valuable leader to others.

Results are as follows:
Top Senior: Marissa Leonard - Marissa gave a Demonstration on “Making a child activity” which consisted of making homemade playdoh.

Also participating was Tayah Smith - Tayah performed a Public Speaking presentation on “Battle to breathe” which was an informative speech on Sleep Apnea.

Congratulations to both of these young ladies who participated and for doing a great job and earning purple ribbons.

Thank you to Connie Kaufman and Chad Lau for judging!