Toole County

Toole County Extension Agent Kim Woodring is working with a group of MSU professors on the Montana Agritourism Fellows Program. The group includes Shannon Arnold and Dusty Perry from the Department of Agriculture Education and Technology Education, and Beth Shirley from the College of Letters & Science. The group received a grant from the Western Region (Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education) SARE Program to create a touring conference of 12 Agritourism Fellows members and then to create a statewide agritourism conference and association.

The first stop on the agritourism tour was Helena in February. The legislature was in session and there were many exciting agritourism opportunities being discussed among state leaders. Fellows were able to discuss their needs in the agritourism industry with the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Tourism. They visited Little Creek, which is a thriving agritourism operation south of Helena. The Fellows asked many questions and learned how to begin their own operations.

The Fellows visited Glendive in May. They visited a horse ranch operated by another Fellow. They also visited with the local Food and Agriculture Development Centers and Southwest Montana Tourism. On the second day of the tour, they visited a cattle ranch that paid for their cows with funds from finding a triceratops skeleton on their ranch. They now offer Dinosaur Dig adventures as supplemental income.

The third Fellows tour took place in Missoula in October at the ABC Acres Farm Stay. Agritourism Fellows will work together to plan the statewide agritourism conference in May of 2024 and work to build the agritourism association. They will also visit Homestead Organics and Turner Farms, which are both operated by Fellows members.

In the past year, the Toole County 4-H program has retained its one hundred members and has 29 active volunteers. The interest in 4-H has grown so much that we are considering reviving a fourth club. Kim Woodring and administrative assistant Jackie Stratton have been attending local trade shows and school events to get information out about 4-H. The most popular projects are robotics, archery, and livestock projects. While 4-H is historically about working with livestock such as pigs, steers, goats, or sheep, not everyone lives on a farm or has attainable land for housing livestock. We are seeing an increase in the indoor projects of robotics and archery. These are projects that everyone can do and are low-cost to participants.

Our robotics program has really blossomed with the help of a few local grants to obtain more tablets and Lego kits. Youth members build Lego kits and then program the robots with tablets. There are many building options it’s fun to see what youth decide to build and how they program the robots.

The archery program is expected to increase membership again this year. They have two different shooting times to accommodate all the new members. They are adding new leaders, as well.

The livestock program is combined with the Four-County Marias Fair had a lower-than-average amount of steers and hogs, but still boasted a record sale year with more than a half million-dollar sale with only 94 animals compared to 115 in 2022.

One of our most attended projects is the Chicken Club. This is a club for young Cloverbuds and older members. They gather weekly to raise baby chicks, complete project books, and learn how to show their birds at the Marias Fair.

We started new enrollment this year with an Open House in Sunburst to raise awareness of the West Butte club. Families interested in 4-H were invited to stop by and get more information and sign up.

At the end of the year, we celebrated our 4-H members and volunteers and all their hard work throughout the year with our annual Achievement Day. This was a great way to celebrate the end of the year and for the 4-H members to further get to know each other.

Toole County MSU Extension has partnered with the City of Shelby to host the Shelby Market and Music on Thursday afternoons from July to September. The partnership established the local farmers market with a summer concert series with local musicians. The market hosts several local vendors with various food items and unique crafts. Three regular vendors are from nearby Hutterite Colonies, and after every market they graciously donate unsold items to the local food pantry.

Residents of Shelby enjoy the market every summer, but many of the visitors to the Shelby Market are tourists passing through Shelby on Highway 2 on their way to visit Glacier National Park for the weekend. The market provides a way to keep some food production and food dollars very local, which provides a health and financial benefit for Toole County residents.

We have added a fundraising component to the market to earn more attendance and foot traffic. Local non-profit groups  work with the local catering company to make and sell a weekly dinner, and all proceeds and donations go to the non-profit. This has been a great way to partner with local non-profits and help them obtain funds. It has also brought many more people to the park to look at vendor booths, listen to music, and eat dinner. Due to a rigorous marketing campaign of local newspaper, radio, and Facebook ads and new signs provided by local print shop, Big Sky Creative Works, the market had an increase in vendors and attendance in 2023.