4-H Newsletters

CURRENT EDITION

Alternatively, download a printable version of the June 2024 Cascade County 4-H Clover Connection

Newsletter Drawing

Thank you to everyone who participated in the newsletter drawing this year! The drawing will be back in September. Congratulations to the May newsletter drawing winner, Kaylyn T. from the Big Sky Explorers 4-H Club!

4-H Sponsors and Donors

Thank You!

Thank you to the following people and businesses that donated to the Cascade County 4-H Program over the last month!

William Kessler

Associated Veterinary Services

7 Bar Heart Registered Angus

Tiger Butte 4-H Club

Nora Seekins

Jassen Family

Sheryl J. Knowles Family

Pinion

Vonnie & David Brown

High School Graduates

Scholarship Recipients

Montana 4-H Foundation Scholarships

The Montana 4-H Foundation and donors are helping 45 scholarship recipients reach their goals through higher education. In 2024, the foundation will award nearly $40,000 in scholarships to graduating 4-H members and alum in 28 counties or tribal areas. The following Cascade County 4-H members were awarded scholarships from 130 submissions across Montana.

Macy Herman, Circle S 4-H Club, was awarded the Bud Dawson Livestock scholarship. Bud Dawson was a Cascade County cattleman who left an estate gift which will include scholarships for youth participating in 4-H livestock projects.

Baylee Herman, Circle S 4-H Club, was awarded the Montana Farm Bureau Foundation scholarship. The scholarship was established in 2013 and is awarded to a student pursuing an agriculture-related degree.

Haley Hoerner, Tiger Butte 4-H Club, was awarded the Bob and Margaret King Memorial 4-H scholarship. The King family established a scholarship endowment to honor Bob and Margaret King in 2017. Both Bob and Margaret were big supporters of 4-H and appreciated the opportunities it gave their children and grandchildren. Bob believed that everyone should have a chance to go to college, and this scholarship helps in representing his belief.

Clayton Jassen, Tiger Butte 4-H Club, was awarded the Nutrien Ag 4-H scholarship. The Nutrien Ag Solutions 4-H Scholarship is awarded in the amount of $1000 to support Montana 4-H members in furthering their education. Priority will be given to an applicant majoring in plant sciences or agriculture related field of study at Montana State University-Bozeman. Nutrien Ag Solutions has Innovative Technologies with the local expertise to help you take advantage of all the opportunities agriculture has to offer. Nutrien has been proudly sponsoring 4-H scholarships since 2015.

Hudson Rohrer, Circle S 4-H Club, was awarded the Barbara Edens Memorial scholarship. Family and friends created this scholarship to honor Barbara Edens, an educator and longtime 4-H supporter and leader. This scholarship will be awarded to 4-H members exemplifying leadership, sportsmanship, and communication through involvement in the Montana 4-H horse project.

Extension Office Closure

The Cascade Extension office will be closed on Thursday, July 4 in observance of the 4th of July.

Fundraiser

The Green Clover

Cascade 4-H Leaders Council is holding a fundraiser for Cascade County 4-H called, “The Green Clover.” 4-H Clubs are asked to provide 1 raffle basket for every 15 club members. The basket value should be a minimum of $100. Themed baskets are encouraged with a main item and supporting items in the basket. Tickets will be 1 for $5 or 5 for $20 and each 4-H member is strongly encouraged to sell at least one book of tickets. Tickets will be available from the Extension office to sell throughout the summer at 4-H events like the livestock show, Montana State fair, horse shows, and other 4-H events. Money and tickets will need to be turned into the Extension office by October 1. Daily drawings will be held during National 4-H week which is from October 6-12. Baskets are due to the Extension office by June 30.

Summer Events

Montana 4-H Congress

Registration is now open for Montana 4-H Congress on ZSuite! Congress will be held on the MSU Bozeman campus July 9-12. Congress is open to all youth 13 years and older as of October 1, 2023. Montana 4-H Congress provides youth from across the state an opportunity to come together on the Montana State University campus in Bozeman for four days and participate in an event like no other. Congress offers both youth and adults a venue in which to learn, be challenged, and most of all, have a great time with their peers. Montana 4-H'ers have been attending events like Congress for decades. Congress has become an important tradition and is the signature event for the Montana 4-H Program. To access the registration for this event, log in to your ZSuite account and click on events in the left menu. State registration Deadline is June 15. The Cascade 4-H Foundation has funds set aside to help offset the cost of this event. Parents are not responsible for driving their child to Bozeman for Congress.

Montana State Fair Registration

The theme for this year is, “Back to your root in cowboy boots.” Registration for the 4-H portion of the Montana State Fair opened May 1! You can go to https://fairentry.com/Fair/SignIn/20519 to enter. The 4-H portion of the State Fair includes static exhibits, domestic animal shows, small livestock shows, and contests in communications (public speaking), sewing, quilting, and foods. The deadline to enter the Montana State Fair is Tuesday, July 16 at 4:00 pm.

4-H State Fair Event Schedule

All events, except rabbit and poultry, are in the Family Living Center building. Rabbit and poultry shows are in the Rabbit and Poultry Barn.

Monday, July 22 at 5:30 pm: building set up.
Tuesday, July 23 & Wednesday, July 24 from 4:00-6:00 pm: club booth set up.
Thursday, July 25 from 2:00-4:00pm: static exhibit interview judging.
Thursday, July 25 from 4:00-6:00 pm: club booth set up.
Monday, July 29 from 9:00-10:00 am: rabbit show check-in, 10:30 am: rabbit Show, and 7:00 pm: rabbits released.
Tuesday, July 30 at 2:00 pm: cat show, 3:00 pm: dog show, and 4:00 pm: pocket pet show.
Wednesday, July 31 at 2:00 pm: fashion, sewing revue and quilt show and 3:00 pm: communications contest.
Thursday, August 1 at 9:00 am: Poultry check-in, 11:00 am: poultry show, and 7:00 pm: poultry released.
Thursday, August 1 at 4:30 pm: foods festival, and 5:30 pm: cake decorating challenge.
Sunday, August 4 from 9:00-11:00 am: Family Living building and club booth clean up.

4-H Dairy Booth

The Dairy Booth is Cascade County 4-H’s main fundraiser. Last year, our program netted over $10,000 just from the Dairy Booth. Our 4-H program runs solely from fundraised, sponsorship, and donated dollars. We fundraise to keep costs down for our 4-H families. Enrollment cost for Cascade County 4-H has not gone up for many, many years because of this fundraiser. The Cascade 4-H Foundation can purchase project books and provide them free of cost to Cascade County 4-H members because of this fundraiser. Without the Dairy Booth, costs for all Cascade County 4-H activities will go up.

The Cascade County 4-H Leaders Council Operating Policy states “All 4-H members are required to participate in Council fundraising events, especially if the member wishes to participate in county-sponsored events. County-sponsored events may include County Awards, 4-H Camp, Citizenship Interviews and trips, Congress, Project Days, Livestock Judging events, Ambassadors, Exchange, Leaders Training, and any other event funded by or through a committee or Council line-item budget.”

Working in the Dairy Booth is a fun way to ensure Cascade County 4-H remains affordable to all members! Make sure to communicate with your club leader to find out when your club will be working in the Dairy Booth.

Working Ranch Horse Practices

Lisa Jassen will host Working Ranch Horse practices each Monday in June at 376 US Hwy 87, Belt, MT 6:00-8:00 pm. Call Lisa at (406) 781-3678 for more information.

Horse Show Practices

The Cascade 4-H Horse Leaders are hosting practices to get ready for the upcoming Cascade 4-H Horse Show. Practices are July 1, 8, and 15 at the King’s Arena at their outdoor arena from 6:00-8:00 pm. Riders must pay $10 per rider.

Livestock Show and Sale

The Cascade County 4-H Livestock Show and Sale will be July 11-13 at the Montana ExpoPark’s Livestock Pavilion in Great Falls, MT. The agenda has been emailed but here are some important dates and times:

July 11: Check and weigh-in.
July 12: Market, rabbit, and poultry classes; herdsmanship judging; breeding pen judging; breeding poster judging, and pen decorating judging. Market livestock preview, buyer registration, and buyer meal at 4:00 p.m. SALE starts at 5:30 p.m.
July 13: Dairy, herdsmanship judging, showmanship, supreme breeding female classes, round robin, and award presentation.

The large animal judge will be Marc King, MSU Extension-Sweet Grass County Agent and former MSU Livestock Judging Team coach. The small animal judge will be Jackie Sutton of Lima. Jackie has judged multiple rabbit and poultry shows for decades.

Entry for the 2024 Cascade 4-H Livestock Show is open through ZSuite events. Registration closes on June 21.

Catalog Entries are open for 4-H members who are planning on selling market beef, sheep, goat, swine, or poultry meat pens. Catalog entries must be submitted through Cognito. The link is https://www.cognitoforms.com/CascadeCountyLivestockLeaders/_2024LivestockSaleCatalogEntryForm. Catalog entries close on May 31! Brook Gerard is your contact for the catalog. Her cell is 406-750-1838.

4-H Livestock Auction will be both live and video sale this year which means buyers can either purchase animals at the Livestock Pavilion at the Montana ExpoPark or purchase through a video sale online on Friday, July 12.

4-H members who are planning on showing their 4-H livestock project (market, showmanship, dairy, rabbit, poultry, and supreme breeding females) at the county 4-H livestock show MUST attend the project book review on Tuesday, June 25 beginning at 5:30 p.m. Project book review is a first come, first serve and will not begin before 5:30 p.m.

Each project book must contain:

Project book
4-H Record Book Activities and Learning Experiences Summary 2023
4-H Animal Project Journal
My 4-H Year
Self-Determined Form (if applicable)
Cascade County Breeding Project Record Book (if applicable)
Absentee Interview Judging Form 2023 (if applicable)

4-H members who do not have their project books reviewed will not be allowed to show or sell. Project books must be up-to-date. Those showing in the supreme breeding female classes must bring in their up-to-date Cascade County Breeding Project Record Book. Those who are unavailable to be at the project book review on June 20 must fill out an absentee form and bring the absentee form with your project book, 4-H Record Book Activities and Learning Experiences Summary, 4-H Animal Project Journal, and My 4-H Year to the Cascade County Extension office by Monday, June 24 by 5:00 p.m.

Pictures for buyer thank you cards Will be provided by the 4-H Livestock Leaders at the show. Please grab your picture between the market classes and sale preview on July 12.

Completed breeding project books are due to the Extension office on August 1. 4-H members who entered a breeding project book will also interview with 3 judges in August. 4-H members entered in a supreme breeding female class MUST bring their up-to-date breeding project book to the record book review on June 25.

Other Show and Sale information:

Scrapie tags are required for all sheep and goat projects (breeding and market) at the County Show. Tags are available at the Extension office or through the animal breeder.

Health certificates are not required for the county livestock show. Livestock will be checked by a veterinarian at the weigh-in. The veterinarian inspection fee is $2 per animal and included on the livestock entry registration through ZSuite Events.

Market Beef projects need to bring a brand inspection and a bill of sale to the weigh-in.

Work with your animals! Animals that are safe to handle have been worked with. This requirement is strictly enforced for the safety of the 4-H member, fellow 4-H members, and supporters watching the County Show.

If you are using a MEDICATION on your market animal, you must follow dosage and length of withdrawal time. Consult the Livestock Code of Ethics as defined in the Cascade County 4-H Livestock Rule Book.

No hog joggers are allowed at the show.

The livestock leaders ask each club to bring a minimum of 2 pig boards (or hurdles) to the show. Please mark your name and/or club name on each item to insure your item is returned to you.

Horse ID Cards

All Horse Projects shown by 4-H members in 4-H classes must be owned by the member or member’s immediate family, or member must have access to the project horse(s). All project horse(s) must be declared by June 1 to the MSU Cascade County Extension office through electronic submission (ZSuite Event) and indicate enrolled projects. The horse(s) must be in the primary care of the 4-H member from June 1 through mid-September. Please go to ZSuite Events and register your horse(s) by going to the “Horse ID Card.” Horse ID cards are due June 1, 2023.

Horse Assessments

4-H members enrolled in horse projects are required to complete assessments in order to complete the project year. Projects requiring assessments are Horsemanship (English and Western, Colt to Maturity, Green Horse, Working Ranch Horse, and Horseless Horse.) Assessment forms are in the project manual and are available at the Cascade County Extension office. You may also email Rose at [email protected] for forms. Assessment for first-year project riders and horseless horse members must be conducted by an enrolled Cascade County 4-H Horse Leader. Assessments for riders previously enrolled in a horse project may do a self-assessment or be assessed by an enrolled Cascade County 4-H Horse Leader. A member must compete at the same project level as enrolled in the county and for which he/she has been assessed. To pass assessment and before leader signs off, member must satisfactorily demonstrate a minimum of 80% of the items on the assessment form to show competence of skills, show knowledge and understanding of skills and safe practices, show learning progression indicating skill will be achieved in current season, and exhibit that they can safely perform requirements. Horsemanship and horseless horse assessments are due June 1. Working Ranch horse assessments are due July 10. August 10: Colt to Maturity and Green Horse assessments are due August 10.

Record Book Information and Deadlines

Cascade County 4-H Record Books

It’s time to start thinking about completing your

Record Books for the 2023-2024 4-H year! Record Books are an important part of 4-H that teach youth responsibility and record keeping, as well as providing youth a chance to reflect on what they did and learned in the 4-H program this year. Record Book questions can be answered by your club volunteer and youth leaders, project leaders, or Extension office staff. The Extension office will host record book office hours where 4-H members can come into the Extension office and get help with record books. Record book office hours are on July 21 and August 11. Record books are due to club leaders on August 20.

Record Book Due Dates

June 25 – Livestock Record Book Check

July 6 – Shooting Sports Record Book Check

August 20 – Record Books due to Organizational Leaders (Leaders may require Record Books be due to them earlier)

September 1 – Narratives and Award Nominated Record Books due to Extension Office for Memorial, 25-Year Leader, and Special Achievement Awards

Meeting Notices

Horse Leaders

Tuesday, June 4 at 5:30 pm at the Extension office and through WebEx.

Livestock Leaders

Tuesday, June 4 at 7:00 pm at the Extension office and through WebEx.

Shooting Sports

Thursday, June 6 at 6:00 pm at the Extension office and through WebEx.

Leaders Council

Tuesday, July 2 at 6:00 pm at the Extension office and through WebEx.

Foundation

Tuesday, June 18 at 6:00 pm at the Extension office and through WebEx.

Important Dates

June
Date	Meeting	Activity	Due
1			Horse ID Cards and Horsemanship assessments due
4	Horse and Livestock Leaders Meetings
6	Shooting Sports Leaders Meeting
8		JD Day at Camp
9-12		Camp

July
Date	Meeting	Activity	Due
2	Leaders Council Meeting
4		MSU Extension Cascade County Office Closed
9-12		Montana 4-H Congress, Bozeman
10			Working ranch horse assessments due
12-14		Cascade County 4-H Livestock Show and Sale
19-20		Cascade County 4-H Horse Show and Cascade/Teton Counties 4-H Working Ranch Horse Show
21		Record Book Office Hours
25		Montana State Fair 4-H Static Exhibit Judging
26-August 3		Montana State Fair

August
Date	Activity	Due
10		Colt to Maturity and Green Horse Assessments Due
11	Record Book Office Hours
20		Record Books Due to Club Leaders

September
Date	Meeting	Activity	Due
2		MSU Extension Cascade County Office Closed
3	Horse and Livestock Leaders Meetings		Award Nominated Record Books Due to Extension Office
5	Shooting Sports Leaders Meeting
10	Leaders Council Meeting
13 - 15		Montana 4-H Working Ranch Horse Finals, Vaughn
17	Foundation Meeting
20 - 22		Montana 4-HState Horse Show

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Montana State University and Montana State University Extension prohibit discrimination in all of their programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, and marital and family status.