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A Letter from the Extension Agent

I recently returned from the Montana 4-H Institute where I had the opportunity to meet 4-H volunteers across the state and learn ways to strengthen our program.  Thank you to Samantha Ferrat for attending as well to represent our county.

Another component of the event was volunteer recognition.  One of our own, Jason Noyes, was recognized as the 4-H District 6 Lifetime Volunteer Award.  Jason has made an immeasurable impact in the county, and I can’t think of anyone more deserving of this award.

Jason coordinated the archery program for 13 years and has been chairman of the 4-H Livestock Committee for seven years.  Through his leadership, the program successfully held 4-H Fair during the pandemic, even though the rest of the Fair was cancelled.  More recently, he has worked hard to make the 4-H Livestock Pavilion a reality, raising over $430,000 to make it possible.  Thank you, Jason, for all you do and congratulations on your award!

Sincerely,

Allison Kosto, Extension Agent, MSU Extension Broadwater County

 

County Contest Extravaganza 

County 4-H Contests are scheduled for the afternoon of Sunday, March 12.  Those that registered will receive the schedule soon. This event is a fun 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. 

 

Multi-County 4-H Camp

Save the date for June 6-9 for 4-H Camp near Monarch. Camp counselors have been selected!  Check your email if you applied. Counselors are highly encouraged to attend the training on Saturday, March 11th from 10am-2pm 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.

 
Broadwater County 4-H Leaders Council 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 4-H 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. 

 

Market Swine Tagging

IMPORTANT:  All market hogs must be in your possession by April 15th.  Due to biosecurity measures, no tagging and weigh-in will be held.  It is your responsibility to get tags from the Extension Office to tag hogs by May 1st.  A Market Swine Form needs to be turned into the office by that date.  There is no limit to the number of hogs tagged, but only two hogs can be entered in the Fair and only one will sell. Every hog tagged must be assigned to a designated 4-H/FFA member. Fair entries must match the tagging form and all animals who are housed in the Livestock Building at Fair must be entered in the Fair. Tagging forms are available on our Broadwater 4-H website, or can be submitted via google form. Contact the Extension Office or Hugh Braaten at 406.439.8873 if you have any questions.

 

Teen Club Cancer Patient Comfort Packs Drive

The Teen Club is doing a service project to collect items for patients undergoing cancer treatment. The drive will end at 5:00pm on May 15th. Please have all items delivered to the Extension Office by then. The winning club will be treated to a Root Beer Float party from the Teen Club. 

                                                                                                                                                       

Shiloh Rifle Raffle

Our 4-H Archery and Shotgun programs are selling tickets for the statewide Shiloh Rifle Raffle. The drawing will be held on June 18th at the Quigley Shoot in Forsyth, and you do need not be present to win. 1st prize is a $2500 gift certificate toward a Shiloh Sharps Rifle. Other prizes include a SKB over-under shotgun, a Sitka Stormfront Gore-Tex Jacket, or a Yeti cooler. There will be only 1000 tickets sold, statewide and each of our programs only have 50 to sell, so hurry! Tickets are $20 per ticket or 6 for $100. Contact Jason Noyes 406.949.4851, Todd Beatty 406.490.1361, or Daniel Truesdell 406.980.0640.

 

DID YOU KNOW?! - How To Get an Indoor Award at Fair

The Indoor Committee uses a point system to determine indoor Fair awards based on the ribbons that you receive. A purple ribbon is worth 4 points, blue is 3 points, red is 2 and white is 1.

 

Certificates are given to the top 4-H junior and senior exhibitor in every project (Cooking, Archery, Robotics, etc). Points are given for up to 5 entries/ribbons in every project. The more entries you do and the better you do, the more points you will get.

Medals are given in every 4-H project category for juniors and seniors. The project categories are listed both in the 4-H Clover and the Fairbook. An example of a category is “Engineering and Technology” which includes the projects Aerospace, Electric, Robotics, Small Engines, Welding and Woodworking. In this area, exhibitors receive points for the top 3 entries/ribbons in each project. All the projects in the category are added together and the exhibitor with the most points in the category will receive a medal. The more projects you do within a category, the greater the probability you will get a metal. Quality is important too!

An overall award is given to the top junior and senior indoor exhibitor. This award uses the top 3 entries/ribbons in every indoor project (including animal educational displays) for the overall award. This is another area where a greater number of indoor projects may yield a great likelihood of achieving the award. Quality is important too!

Indoor awards are a little complicated so if you have any questions, contact a member of the Indoor Committee or the Extension Office.

 

Project Add/Drop Deadline

Don’t forget to add or drop projects by May 1st! You can do this online through Zsuites or through the Extension Office. Project meeting and workshop information is only sent out to the members who are currently enrolled in a project. Make sure that your project list in Zsuites is accurate so that you don’t miss out on any information!

 

Countywide 4-H Activities


Committee & Council Meetings

4-H COUNCIL: The next meeting will be Tuesday, March 28th 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. Agenda items must be submitted by noon the Friday prior to the meeting.

INDOOR COMMITTEE: The next meeting will be Tuesday, March 28th at 6:00 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. Agenda items must be submitted by noon the Friday prior to the meeting.

LIVESTOCK COMMITTEE:  The next meeting will be Tuesday, March 7th at 7:00pm at the Extension Office (416 Broadway, Townsend). If you have any questions or agenda items, please contact Jason Noyes at 406.949.4851. Agenda items must be submitted by noon the Friday prior to the meeting.

HORSE COMMITTEE:  The next meeting has not been set yet. If you have any questions or agenda items, please contact Jan Finn at 406.266.4992. Agenda items must be submitted by the Monday prior to the meeting.

TEEN CLUB: The next meeting will be on Wednesday, April 12th at 4:00 pm at the Extension Office. Teen Club is open to all Middle or High School aged members. If you are not currently in Teen Club, but want to find out what it is about, please come to this meeting! Please RSVP to Karen Noyes at 406.949.4852.

 INTERSTATE EXCHANGE CLUB: The Interstate Exchange club will be meeting on Wednesday March 15th at 7:00 am at Infinite Hope Counseling (108 N Front St, Townsend). We will be discussing fundraising options and travel dates. If you have any questions, please contact Jennifer Beatty at 406.490.1362.

 

It’s Pizza! Pizza! Time

The Interstate Exchange Club is once again doing the Little Caesars Pizza Kit fundraiser! There are many different kinds of pizzas, breadsticks, and even dessert kits to choose from. Please see any Exchange member for the order form (Anna Beatty, Grady and Bryleigh Erickson, Kaitlyn Noyes and Cinch Reynolds). You can also order online through their fundraising link.  

 

4-H Animal Project Activities

 

Important Market Livestock Deadlines
Beef- Posession: December 31st, 2022, Tagging and Weigh In (in person event) ;December 31st, 2022
Swine- Posession: April 15th, 2023. ID Forms w/ Tag #s (turned in to office): May 1st, 2023
Lambs & Goats- Posession: May 15th, 2023, Tagging and Weigh In (in person event): Exact date TBD (Mid/end of May)
Poultry & Rabbits- Posession: June 25th, 2023, Identification Form (turned in to office): June 26th, 2023
 

Livestock Quality Assurance

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. There will be two in-county training opportunities this year:

·         Advanced QA – Sunday, April 30 at 2:00 pm.  Location TBA.  This session is geared towards senior level members (ages 14-18).

·         General QA – Tuesday, June 20th at 6:30 pm.  Location TBA.  This session is geared towards all members.

Contact the Extension Office with any questions or to see if it is your year to take the class.  If you cannot make a session provided, contact the office for options.

 

Beef Project

There is a Beef project (market and breeding) meeting scheduled for Sunday, March 5th from 2:00-3:30pm at the Extension Office. Please bring your 4-H record books, notebook/paper and pencil. If you have any questions, contact Samantha Ferrat at 406.949.0869 or John Ferrat at 406.949.7911.

 

Dairy Goat Workshops

There will be a meeting on Saturday, March 4th at 5:30 pm at the Henke’s home (200 S. Railroad Ave, Townsend). The monthly meetings will be on the first Saturday of each month at 5:30 pm. Meeting places will vary and will be announced before each meeting. Meat Goat members are also welcome! There are many subjects planned to be covered this year including: barn setup, shots, worming, eating habits, milking, disbudding, imprinting, milk products, testing, diseases, and showmanship. If any member would like to give a demonstration at a meeting, this can be scheduled. If you have any questions, please contact Danyel Henke at 406.980.0995.

 

Sheep Workshops

The next sheep workshop is scheduled for Thursday March 16th at 7:00 pm at the Greene’s home (35 Legacy Drive #4, Three Forks). There are also workshops planned for the third Thursdays in April through July. If you have any questions, please contact Ashley Greene at 406.491.3303.  

 

Rabbit and Pocket Pet Workshop

There is a rabbit workshop on Sunday, March 19th at 1:00pm at the Extension Office. Bring record books and work books. We will be learning about diseases. No animals at this meeting. If you have any question, please contact Danielle Douglas at 406.465.3318

 

Veterinary Science

There is a workshop on Tuesday, March 21st at 4:15 pm at Chuteside Veterinary Clinic in Three Forks (2520 Bench Road, Three Forks). If you have any questions, contact Samantha Ferrat at 406-949-0869.
 

Horse Riding Practices

Save the dates for riding practices! Riding practices will be on Monday nights. There will be two riding nights in each April and May, and then will start weekly riding in June. April dates are the 10th and 24th at 6:00pm. If you have any concerns, please contact either Jann Finn at 406.266.4992 or Donna Richards at 406.521.0717

 

4-H Non-Animal Project Activities


.22 Rifle Workshops

The .22 rifle project will meet at the Broadwater County Rod and Gun Club Canton Range (96 Canton Lane, Townsend) on the 2nd and 4th Thursday of each month from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Participants must be age 9 or older to enroll in the project.  Participants will learn firearm safety (first and foremost), firearm nomenclature, shooting skills, shooting positions, and much more.  Participants will shoot almost every meeting starting after the third meeting.  Parents are encouraged, but not required, to remain on-site during the meeting. The gun club provides .22 rifles for participants that do not have a rifle, or participants can bring their own. Scopes and semi-auto rifles are prohibited. Contact John Pavao at 406.422.9590 if you have any questions, if you would like to help, or if you know of kids that may be interested in joining this project. 

 

Hunting and Wildlife Workshops

Did you know that there is a Hunting and Wildlife Shooting Sports project? This project includes sections on firearm and bow safety, but also focuses on conservation, wildlife habitats, tracking and outdoor survival. We have a newly certified leader in our county! Workshops will be held every 3rd Saturday from January to June. The next meeting will be Saturday, March 18th at 2:00 pm at the Extension Office. Contact Brandon Henke at 406.980.0992 if you have any questions.

 

Shotgun Mandatory Safety Meeting and Workshops

There is a MANDATORY safety meeting scheduled for Sunday March 5th at 12:30pm at the Broadwater Rod and Gun Club (96 Canton Lane, Townsend). This meeting must be attended by all shotgun participants and a parent. Shotgun workshops will start on Sunday March 19th and are planned for every Sunday at 12:30 until the end of April. There will not be a workshop on Sunday April 9th. If you have any questions, please contact Todd Beatty at 406.490.1361 or Daniel Truesdell at 406.980.0640.

 

Sport Fishing Project- COMING SOON!

We will have a leader for Sport Fishing soon! Watch for announcements of upcoming meetings and workshops. If you are interested in this project, get it added soon so that you will be on our email list to send out updates!

 

Woodworking Workshops

Woodworking open shop times are scheduled for Wednesday nights in March and April at 5:30 pm at the Cadillac Custom Cabinets shop (6 Hunters Trail, Townsend). If you have any questions, please contact Daniel Harrigfeld at 406.980.0388

 

Cloverbuds Meetings

Cloverbuds will be meeting on Tuesday, March 14th at 6:00 pm at the Extension Office. If you have any questions, please contact Jessica Crusch at 406.949.0057

 

Sewing Workshops

The next workshop will be held Saturday, March 11th at 9:30 am. Sewing workshops are generally held the second Saturday of the month at the Extension Office. If you have any questions, please contact Sarah Holland at 406.266.3473

 

Embroidery Workshops

The next workshop is scheduled for Monday, March 20th from 6:30-8:00pm at the Extension Office. Also save the dates for the next workshop on April 17th.  If you have any questions, please contact Melissa Meissner at 406.521.0745.

 

Quilting Workshops

The next workshop will be held Saturday, March 4th from 1:00-3:00pm at the Extension Office. The next quilting workshop will be on April 15th.  If you have any questions, please contact Melissa Meissner at 406.521.0745.

 

Photography Workshops

The next photography workshop is scheduled for Sunday, March 19th at 1:00 pm. This will be an outdoor workshop, so location is still to be determined. Thereafter, we’ll plan for 4 – 6 indoor and outdoor workshops through winter and spring on dates that work best for the group. Please watch for an email coming soon with more details.  If you have any questions, please contact Lee Nelson at 406.521.0748

 

Cake Decorating

There are Cake Decorating workshops planned for a few Fridays in March. March 10th- Level 1 members will meet from 5:30-6:30 pm and Level 2 members will meet from 5:30-7:00pm. March 24th- All members will meet at Mountie Moose Bakery at 5:30pm.  If you have any questions, please contact Roxanne Six at 406.980.1204.

 

Welding

The first welding workshop is scheduled for Tuesday, March 21st at 4:15pm at Ferrat Ranch (191 Ferrat Lane, Toston). This is for all levels and please bring your project book and record book. If you have any questions, please contact John Ferrat at 406.949.7911

 

Statewide 4-H Opportunities


Leadership Academy

Join the Montana 4-H Leadership Academy workshops on Sunday afternoons this winter. The Leadership Academy is a network of Montana 4-H members interested in exploring and developing their own leadership skills while serving their county 4-H program in new ways. Join with groups around the state as well as the Montana 4-H ambassador Officer team virtually and in-person when possible, to work on skill building, planning and mentorship.  The registratino form is online. and is open to 4-H members    ages 12+. The dates for the last leadership academy workshop is March 5th from 3:00-4:00 pm.

 

Montana Shooting Sports Leaders Trainings

The schedule for the upcoming Shooting Sports Leaders Trainings has been finalized. Any adult interested in becoming a Shooting Sports Leader must complete training in that particular discipline. The trainings include four online training modules and an in-person training portion. Dates are as follows:

·         March 31st-April 1st  – Billings for Archery, Rifle, Pistol, Shotgun, and Coordinator.

·         April 21st and 22nd  – Manhattan Wildlife Association for Shotgun, Muzzle-loading, Western Heritage.

The 4-H Council can help cover registration fees for a few more adults and junior leaders to attend.  For more information, please contact the Extension Office for details 406.266.9242.

 

MontanaFair Junior Livestock Show 

The event will be August 11th-19th in Billings. Animals participating in this show must be tagged on the following dates: (Beef tagging has already passed) Swine/Sheep/Goat on Saturday, May 6th 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. Visit the Montana 4-H Shooting Sports Event page for information, registration materials and instructions, dates and deadlines! For additional information on any particular event, please contact the office.

·         State 4-H Shooting Invitational- March 3rd – 5th in Bozeman. Archery and .22

·         Lewis and Clark County Shotgun event- April 29th

·         State 4-H Shotgun Qualifier- April 22nd

 

Montana 4-H Rec Lab

This year’s Rec lab will be held March 17th-19th in Culbertson Montana. The theme is, "Rendezvous 4-H." Visit the Montana 4-H websitefor 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.

 

Montana 4-H Congress 2023 – Save the Dates!

Congress is scheduled for July 11th-14th on campus at MSU Bozeman. Registration opens on May 1st and closes on June 15th. Pre-Congress and Officer Selection will be July 9th-11th and the State Contest is July 12th. Watch for more information as it becomes available!

 

Montana 4-H State Award for Youth

The Montana 4-H State Awards program is in place to recognize the outstanding accomplishments of 4-H members who have reached a standard of excellence in a project area. State Award winners have gone above and beyond regular project work with a focus on leadership, communication, and community service.

State Award recipients are recognized during the Banquet at Montana 4-H Congress in July and are eligible to attend National 4-H Congress in November.

Applications and more information can be found on the MSU website. State award applications are due May 1st.

 

Other Opportunities

 

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. and must be submitted on or before April 1.

 

Montana Small Pork Producers Conference

This is an opportunity for pork producers, 4-H members, FFA members and others to come together to learn about swine genetics, pork production, herd health and pork recipes. This year’s conference will be held April 29th, 2023, in Great Falls. Registration information will be out in early 2023.

 

The Montana Natural Resources Youth Camp

The Montana Natural Resources Youth Camp is now taking applications for July 16-21, 2023.  

For 37 years, the Montana Natural Resources Youth Camp has provided youth an opportunity to study in an outdoor classroom. Today's scientific principles, economic realities, historical heritage, and social perspectives help these future leaders in their quest to gain natural resources perspective that is informed and progressive. Campers learn about forests, streams, soils, geology, rangeland, wildlife, and recreation and spend half-day rafting the Clark Fork River's Alberton Gorge. In between the field sessions, professionals who volunteer from various natural resources-based agencies and industries, specialty evening programs, guest speakers, and hands-on learning through discovery and campfires provide for a lasting summer camp experience.

More information about the camp can be found on the MSU Forestry website.

There are many scholarship opportunities available to cover camp fees and/or transportation costs.  

If you have questions, please feel free to contact Christina Oppegard, Camp Director, at MSU Extension Forestry (406) 243-2773 [email protected].  

 

Nile Scholarship Program

A new year brings new opportunities for youth in agriculture! The NILE Foundation is now accepting applications for scholarships for the 2023-2024 academic year.

For over 30 years, the NILE (Northern International Livestock Exposition) has awarded scholarships to deserving FFA and 4-H students who have been leaders in their respective programs, excelled in the classroom, participated in NILE events and are actively involved in their communities.

Scholarships will be awarded and announced in April 2023. Similar to previous years, the NILE Scholarship Committee will be awarding five levels of scholarships:

•              High School One Time Scholarship - Awarded to high school seniors that meet the qualifications listed in the guidelines.  

•              Rolling Scholarship - The rolling scholarships will be offered to a select group of High School Seniors who will have the opportunity to renew the scholarship yearly, up to four years of their secondary education. Recipients of rolling scholarships will be chosen from the pool of applicants that are current seniors in High School.

•              Secondary One Time Scholarship - A one-time grant, for students already enrolled in College or a Vo-Tech school meeting the qualifications.

•              Shining Star: All qualified applicants are eligible. This scholarship is for an applicant that stands out in the crowd.

•              NILE Legacy Award - Offered to students that have been very active in various NILE events from the time they were young!

•              Needle In The Haystack – This scholarship will be randomly drawn for during the NILE Foundation's Stetson and Stilettos on May 5, 2023. All scholarship applicants will be eligible - must be present to win.

Scholarship applications and guidelines can be found at the NILE website, or by contacting the NILE Office at (406) 256-2495. Applications must be received no later than March 1, 2023. No hard copies will be accepted; please email applications to [email protected]. Incomplete or late applications will not be considered.