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A Letter from the Extension Agent
It’s exciting to see the 4-H newsletter full again after a couple years of turbulent times.  I highly encourage you to take advantage of the opportunities that 4-H has to offer.  Some of my best 4-H experiences were from me taking a risk and trying something new.  

One of my best 4-H experiences was attending Citizen Washington Focus in Washington DC in high school. This is a 4-H trip to learn more about citizenship, the federal government and the history of our nation.  I didn’t know a single person going and had never been on a plane, but I went anyway.  It was totally worth it!  I made friends with people that I still keep in touch with today.  I learned to step outside of my comfort zone and accept a new challenge.  The trip was a once in a lifetime experience and one that I’ll never forget!

My challenge to you this month is to try something new and step outside your comfort zone this year!

Sincerely,

Allison Kosto, Extension Agent MSU Extension Broadwater County

            

Beef Tagging Update

Since the in-person tagging event was cancelled, there are now two options for tagging your animal this year.

1.                            Tag your animal at the next Beef Workshop on Sunday, February 6th from 1:00-3:00 pm at Ferrat Ranch (191 Ferrat Lane, Toston).  You can also weigh your animal at this time.  A brand inspector will be available if needed. You must complete a tagging form and turn into the office.

2.       Tag the animal yourself.  Tags and tagging forms are available from the Extension Office.

Regardless of your choice, animals must be tagged by Monday, February 7th and the tagging form is due to our office by 5pm that day. This deadline must be followed in order for your animal to be entered into Fair. The tagging form is attached to the newsletter email.

If you have any questions about the beef project, contact Marlo Leachman at 406.581.0531, John Ferrat at 406.949.7911 or Samantha Ferrat at 406.949.0995.

 

County 4-H Contest Extravaganza

The County Contest Day is scheduled for Sunday, March 27th.  County Contests is a way for you to share your knowledge, learn new skills and be recognized for your hard work.  Contests are related to communications, cooking and sewing or quilting.  You don’t have to be enrolled in a certain project to participate.  Senior members (13-18 years old) can earn a trip to compete at Montana 4-H Congress.  See page 5 for a list of county contests and descriptions so you can start preparing your entries.  Registration deadline is Friday, February 25th by 5:00pm.

 

4-H Fruit Sales Fundraiser

Crow Creek, Old Baldy, Radersburg and Winston will be selling fruit as a fundraiser this year! Check with your club leader to see your club’s status.  Order forms will be available soon and are due to your club leader by February 21st.  If you are interested in ordering and your club is not selling, please contact Renee Kockler at 406.202.2820, Daniel Truesdell at 406.980.0640, Danyel Henke at 406.980.0995 or Mara MacDonald at 406.461.6914.

 
Multi-County 4-H Camp

Save the date for June 7-10 for 4-H Camp near Monarch. Camp counselors have been selected!  Counselors are highly encouraged to attend the training on Saturday, March 12th from 10am-3pm in Harlowton.  Participation is highly recommended.  If you don’t come, you miss being part of the decision making process for the theme, groups and workshop ideas.  Please let Allison know if you plan to attend.

 

Countywide 4-H Activities

Broadwater County 4-H Scholarship

The 4-H Council is offering scholarships to graduating seniors, up to $700. Applicants must have been active in 4-H for all four years of high school, enrolled and completed at least two projects during each year of high school, and demonstrated leadership skills. Record books must be submitted, along with the application, by April 1st to the Extension Office. Applications are attached to this email or can be picked up at the Extension Office. 

 

Fair Logo Design Contest!

It’s time to get creative! We are looking for the design for our 2022 Fair Logo. This year, the winning logo will be used not only for the Fair T-Shirts, but also for the Fair book! This year’s theme is ‘Country Pride, County Wide’ so get those patriotic hats on and show us your talents! Designs are due to the Extension Office by 5:00 on Tuesday February 22nd! They can be submitted as a digital or hand drawn entry.

 

Committee & Council Meetings
 

INDOOR COMMITTEE: The next meeting will be Tuesday, February 22nd at 6:00 pm at the Extension Office (Flynn Building, 416 Broadway, Townsend). We will be discussing project leaders and workshops. Contact Karen Noyes at 406.949.4852 if you have any questions or agenda items.

4-H COUNCIL: Next meeting will be Tuesday, February 22nd at 7:00 pm at the Extension Office (Flynn Building, 416 Broadway, Townsend). Contact Karen Noyes at 406.949.4852 if you have any questions or agenda items. 

LIVESTOCK COMMITTEE:  The next meeting will be Tuesday, March 1st at 7:00 pm at the Extension Office (Flynn Building, 416 Broadway, Townsend). If you have any questions or agenda items, please contact Jason Noyes at 406.949.4851. 

HORSE COMMITTEE:  The next meeting will be Wednesday, February 16th at 5:00 pm at the Extension Office (Flynn Building, 416 Broadway, Townsend). Any horse project members and parents are welcome to attend. If you have any questions or agenda items, please contact Jan Finn at 406.266.4992 or [email protected]. 

TEEN CLUB: The next meeting will be Tuesday, March 15th at 7:00 pm at the Extension Office (Flynn Building, 416 Broadway, Townsend). Teen Club is open to all Middle or High School aged members. If you have any questions, contact Karen Noyes at 406.949.4852.

 

4-H Non-Animal Project Activities


Interstate Exchange

The next meeting will be Wednesday, February 16th at 5:30 pm at Infinite Hope Counseling (108 N Front St, Townsend). If you have any questions, please contact Jennifer Beatty at 406.490.1362 or Todd Beatty at 406.490.1361.

 

Cloverbud Workshops

The next workshop is scheduled for Thursday, February 3rd at 6:30 pm at the Extension Office (416 Broadway, Townsend). If you have any questions, please contact Renee Kockler at 406.220.2820.

 

Sewing Workshops

The next workshop will be on Saturday, February 12th at the Extension Office (Flynn Building, 416 Broadway, Townsend).  Level 1 members will meet from 9:30-11:30 am and Level 2 will meet from 11:30 am-1:30 pm. Please bring your sewing machine. If you have any questions, contact Sarah Holland at 406.266.3473

 
.22 Rifle Workshops

The .22 rifle project will meet on the 2nd and 4th Thursday of each month from 6:30 to 8:00 pm.  February dates will be the 10th and 24th at the Broadwater County Rod and Gun Club Indoor Range (96 Canton Lane, Townsend). Participants are welcome to bring their own rifles (no scopes) or use rifles provided by the Rod and Gun Club. This is a great opportunity to learn and practice gun and shooting safety, develop your shooting skills, and have fun. This project is led by John Pavao, Courtney Pavao, and Todd Kitto.  Please call or text John at 406.422.9590 if you have any questions.

 

Archery Workshops

Archery workshops are scheduled for Tuesday evenings from 5:30-8:00 pm at the 4-H Building at the Fairgrounds. If you have any questions, contact Jason Noyes at 406.949.4851.

 

Shotgun Workshop

There is a Shotgun workshop scheduled for Thursday, February 17th at 6:00 pm at the Broadwater County Rod and Gun (96 Canton Lane, Townsend). If you have any questions, contact Todd Beatty at 406.490.1361 or Daniel Truesdell at 406.980.0640.

It’s time to start your 4-H project, if you haven’t already!

You should be starting now to plan for fair, update your Record Books, and complete your activities. 

Remember: 

Indoor projects are just as important to enter into fair and you can sell some Indoor items at the 

4-H Indoor Silent Auction!

 

Woodworking Workshop

There is a woodworking workshop scheduled for Wednesday, February 16th at 6:00 pm at the Cadillac Custom Cabinets shop (7Hunters Trail, Townsend). There are also workshops scheduled for March 16th and April13th. If you have any questions, please contact Daniel Harrigfeld at 406.980.0388.

4-H Animal Project Activities

 

Beef Project Workshop

There is a workshop scheduled for Sunday, February 6th from 1:00-3:00 pm at the Ferrat Ranch (191 Ferrat Lane, Toston). You are welcome to bring your animals to these workshops for a weight check or help with halter breaking, showing, etc. Please RSVP to Samantha or John for this workshop. The next Beef workshops will be March 6th and in April and May the beef leaders will be making home visits. Any questions, please contact Marlo Leachman at 406.581.0531, Samantha Ferrat at 406.949.0869 or John Ferrat at 406.949.7911.  


Livestock Quality Assurance

A quality Assurance workshop is planned for Thursday, March 31st at 6:30 pm at the 4-H Building.  All 4-H members who plan to enter market livestock (beef, sheep, swine, goat, rabbit or poultry) and breeding projects in the Fair are REQUIRED to take livestock quality assurance (QA) every other year in order to participate.  Contact the Extension Office with any questions or to see if it is your year to take the class.

 

Cat Workshop

There will be a cat workshop on Tuesday March 1st at 6:00 pm at the Three Forks Community Library Conference Room (607 S Main St, Three Forks). There are also workshops scheduled for April 5th and May 3rd. No cats at these workshops. Please bring project books, record books and a pencil. If you have any questions, contact Renee Kockler at 406.220.2820

 

Market Livestock Activity Requirements – UPDATED FORM

The Livestock Committee recently updated the market livestock activity requirements.  The new form is attached with the newsletter email.  To show and sell market livestock (including poultry and rabbits) at the Fair all 4-H members must complete seven (7) “activity points” for each market project by the Fair entry deadline. One option is to complete 7 activities in your 4-H project book. The activities must be fully completed, dated and signed off by your helper. 

You may also choose other activities such as attending a workshop, livestock judging, outside shows, helping a younger member or organizing a workshop. These activities can either be in-person or virtual.  For each of these items, you need to write a paragraph about what you learned in that educational experience. The form, books and documentation must be turned into the office by the fair entry deadline.

 

Statewide 4-H Opportunities

Montana Fair Junior Livestock Show 

The event will be August 12th- 20th in Billings. Animals participating in this show must be tagged on the following dates: Swine/Sheep/Goat on Saturday, May 7th from 8:00-11:00 am.  Tagging events are at the Public Auction Yard in Billings. For more information, contact the Extension Office.

 

Statewide Shooting Sports Matches

There are several shooting sports matches scheduled during the next few months. Some are in-person events and others are postal matches. For additional information on any particular event, please contact the office.

·         Cascade County Invitational- February 19th in Great Falls

·         Beaverhead County Invitational- February 26th in Dillon

·         Cascade County Archery Postal Match- Targets must be scored by February 25th and submitted by March 4th.  

·         Choteau County Archery Shoot- February 26th in Fort Benton.

·         State 4-H Shooting Invitational- March 4th-6th in Bozeman.

 

Virtual Leadership Academy

This fun statewide event is happening again this year.  The Leadership Academy is a network of Montana 4-H members interested in exploring and developing their leadership skills to serve their county in new ways.  Workshops are held via Zoom on Sunday afternoons at 2:30 pm, and each month features a new topic.  Dates are below.  For more information visit the Montana 4-H youth leadership website. .

February 13 - Ages and Sages for Mentoring youth
March 13 - Successful Service Learning
April 10 - Lead with Purpose
 

AMTOPP Greens Industry Scholarship

The Montana 4-H Foundation offers a $250 scholarship for 4-H age youth involved in, or wanting to become involved in, a 4-H project or learning opportunity associated with the “greens industry”. In this case, “greens industry” includes areas such as fruit and vegetable gardening, floriculture, horticulture, ornamental and turf grass, arborists (trees), crops and weeds, as well as pesticide application. The scholarship is funded by AMTOPP (Association of Montana Turf, Ornamental & Pest Professionals).  The application is available online only and must be postmarked on or before April 1.

 

Montana 4-H Scholarships 

Scholarships are available for graduating seniors and current college students.  There is a new supplication process this year!  Go to the Montana 4-H Website to learn more and access the application. Scholarship applications are due April 1st.

 
Rec Lab

This year’s Rec lab will be held March 18-20 in Hobsen. The theme is, "4-H Highway 2022, 4-H Road to Success." Visit theMontana 4-H rec lab website for more information. Registration is now open through Zsuites. Registration deadline is March 1st. This event for 4-H members ages 13-19.  

What is Rec Lab? Many teens will tell you Rec Lab is their favorite statewide event. It has a really casual, fun and hands on feel. Often times all of the activities including sleeping take place in one building like a school. It is almost impossible in this environment not to make new friends! People spend time between meals and workshops sitting at cafeteria tables playing games and getting to know each other. The workshops are very engaging and often hands on with project and activity based topics that can be used in a club or camp setting.