Welcome to Iowa County 4-H!

4-H is the nation’s largest youth development and empowerment organization. In Wisconsin, more than 69,000 youth are involved with 4-H and other UW-Madison Division of Extension youth programs. 4-H programming aims to engage youth in activities to increase their leadership, communication, and critical thinking skills. Our programs center on the 4 H’s: head, heart, hands, and health. This is the foundation for everything we do.

Wisconsin 4-H has over 8,500 volunteers who serve as mentors for 4-H youth. They help provide a safe, engaging place for youth to take risks, practice their independence, and master new skills. Research shows there are many benefits to being involved in 4-H. 4-H youth are four times more likely to make contributions to their communities, two times more likely to be civically active, two times more likely to participate in out-of-school science programs, and two times more likely to make healthier choices.

4-H provides opportunities for youth to learn the life skills they need to be responsible adults, such as making good choices, leadership, public speaking, goal setting, planning and organizing, working as a team, written communication, and managing change. In 4-H, volunteers help youth plan and conduct meetings, projects, and activities and guide youth as they learn new skills.

Membership in 4-H is open to youth in kindergarten through age 19.

Iowa County 4-H News & Announcements:

Upcoming Events:


January
1	Clover Connection Newsletter Goes Exclusively Digital (printed copies will still be mailed to those who request them; contact the Extension Office if you’d like to continue to receive a printed copy of the newsletter in the mail)
10	Exploration Day Topics due to Dan
25	4-H Dairy Bowl, Green Bay
27	Leaders Council Meeting, 6pm

February
8	4-H Meats Judging, Madison
15-22	Advanced Space Camp, Huntsville, AL

March
1	Exploration Day, 10am-Noon, Dodgeville
12-16	Ignite by 4-H, Washington DC
14	Spring Trip Scholarships Due
14-16	ARTBEAT!, Upham Woods, WI Dells
15	Skillathon & Quiz Bowl, Madison
19	Spring Trip Scholarship Interviews, Dodgeville
24	Leaders Association Meeting, 7pm
29	Iowa/Lafayette County Day in the Arts, 12:30pm in Mineral Point
TBD	Steer ID Forms Due, can be found on Fair website

Click here for a printable version of the 2025 Iowa County 4-H Calendar

2025 HCE Scholarship Application

The Iowa County Association for Home and Community Education (HCE) will award two $300 scholarships to students planning to enroll or presently enrolled full-time in two or more years of post-secondary education in a program that benefits families or communities. Programs or related fields may include, but are not limited to education, health care, childcare, food service, communications, agriculture, etc. Scholarships will be awarded upon the recipients’ successful completion of the Fall 2025 semester (GPA of 2.5 or higher) and proof of full-time registration for the Spring 2026 semester.

See application form for more information.

YQCA is a fair requirement to show animals at the Iowa County Fair; it is NOT a 4-H sponsored training or requirement to participate in the 4-H program. YQCA offers an in-person class as well as an online version. The online version is a better educational opportunity…it is set up for the age level the youth sign up for when taking the training. The in-person training is set at the lowest level to reach all audiences in attendance.

When signing up for the YQCA training, you must login online to register and pay the $3 per person fee. Youth also need to complete the pre-survey when signing up. Please go to the following link to register: YQCA – Youth for the Quality Care of Animals (yqcaprogram.org)