Clover Connection February

Alternatively, download and print the February 2023 Cascade County 4-H Clover Connection.

Newsletter Scavenger Hunt

Everyone who emails Allyssa ([email protected]) by Friday, February 10 with a description of the page containing the heart symbol above will be entered in a drawing to win a 4-H themed prize. The winner will be able to choose from multiple awesome 4-H items. Please include the description of the page you found the symbol, something you learned from the newsletter, and name(s) of the 4-H’er(s) to be entered into the drawing. Congratulations to the January Newsletter Drawing winner, Mason A. from the Tiger Butte 4-H Club!

Thank You!

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

Taylor’s Auto Max
Hoglund’s Western Wear
Stockman Bank
William and Holly Kessler
Skyline Veterinary Clinic
Allyssa & Logan Peak
Vonnie & Dave Brown

Foods Festival Results

Congratulations to everyone who participated in the Foods Festival and thank you to the judges!

Table Setting

Oona P., Tiger Butte – Cloverbud

Edible Arts

Levi B., Creative Clovers – Blue
Aliona L., Creative Clovers – Blue
Lucia L., Creative Clovers – Blue
Leann M., Ulm Pishkun – Blue

Cake Decorating

Amaia P., Tiger Butte – Red
Oona P., Tiger Butte – Cloverbud

Office Closure

The MSU Extension Cascade County office will be closed Monday, February 20 in observance of Presidents’ Day.

Congratulations, Rose!

MSU Extension Cascade County Ag Agent, Rose Malisani was the recipient of the 2023 Great Falls Area Chamber of Commerce Ag Advocate award! Rose has been employed with Cascade County Extension for over 10 years and has been instrumental in the 4-H Horse and Livestock Projects. Thank you, Rose!

Project Day

Registration for the February 4 Project Day closes at 11:59pm on Wednesday, February 1 on ZSuite. Registration for the March Project Day will open on February 15. Project Days are held on the first Saturday of the month through May.

Upcoming Project Day Workshops

March 4 – Astronomy, Poultry, Cloverbuds, Entomology, Livestock, Horse, Goal Setting, and Baby Blanket Service Project.
April 1 – Astronomy, Gardening, Cat, Cloverbuds, Livestock Meat Cuts and Cooking, Horse, and Sewing.
May 6 – Poultry, Star Base STEM, Goat Milking and Cheese, Cloverbuds, Record Book Office Hours, and Sewing.

Scholarship Applications

Cascade 4-H Foundation Scholarship

Applications for the 2023 Cascade 4-H Foundation Scholarship are open. Applicants must be or have been Cascade County 4-H members at the time of their high school graduation or equivalent; eligibility extends up to six years after high school graduation or equivalent. The application can be found at https://montana.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_1RYbZ9TWMrQRrHE. Applications and supplemental materials are due by March 31, 2023, at 11:59pm.

Montana 4-H Foundation Scholarships

The Montana 4-H Foundation is now accepting applications for higher education scholarships. Please note the due date has been changed this year to February 14, 2023. To begin the process, please review all scholarship eligibility and criteria at https://www.mt4hfoundation.org/scholarships.html.

Communications Contest

Registration for the Communications Contest is now open on ZSuite. Registration is due by February 6 at 11:59 pm. Youth are able to choose to compete on either Wednesday, February 8 or Thursday, February 9. The contest is open to all Cascade County 4-H’ers including Cloverbuds. This contest offers a great opportunity for youth to work on their public speaking and presentation skills. Youth 13 years and older who receive a blue in any contest except Cowboy Poetry will qualify to move on to the state level at Montana 4-H Congress in July. More information about the contest can be found in the events section of ZSuite.

Montana 4-H Leadership Academy and Service-Learning Group

It’s not too late to sign up to be part of the MT 4-H Leadership Academy and Cascade County 4-H Service-Learning group! Registration can be found on ZSuite. The group will meet once a month from 2-3:45pm at the Cascade County Extension Office to work on leadership skills and plan a service-learning project. This is a great opportunity for young leaders to work on their leadership skills! More information about the Leadership Academy can be found at Leadership Academy - Montana 4-H - Montana State University Extension | Montana State University

Montana 4-H Congress

Mark your calendars! 2023 Montana 4-H Congress will be held July 11-14 in Bozeman!

Montana State Fair 4-H Building Theme

The 4-H Building at the Montana State Fair is in need of a theme for the 2023 Montana State Fair! Take the survey found at https://montana.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bl3XsQtktoAj50W to help choose the theme.

Camp Junior Director and Chaperone Applications Open

Camp Junior Director and Chaperone Applications are now open on ZSuite!

Junior Directors (JDs) plan 4-H camp with the assistance of camp chaperones, the camp director, and the 4-H agent. JDs are responsible for arranging ceremonies, equipment, and creating workshops for camp. Each JD will have a primary leadership role in the pre-planning stages of camp and at camp itself. As part of the leadership team, JDs share in the overall responsibility for the success of camp.

Camp Chaperones are certified Cascade County 4-H Leaders who are interested in serving in a chaperone capacity at camp. Responsibilities include kitchen duty, cabin chaperone, and overseeing camper safety.

Important Camp Dates

Camp Planning: February 28, March 28, & April 25
Camp Clean Up: May TBD
JD Day at Camp: June 10
Camp: June 11-14

Baby Blanket Service Project

Cascade County 4-H has been participating in the Baby Blanket Service Project for many years. Last year, we made over 75 blankets to be donated to the Cascade County Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program. Can we make more this year?! We will be working on this service project on March 4 from 9am-2pm. Sign up for the project will be included in the March 4 Project Day registration.

New Family Orientation

Registration for New Family Orientation is now open in ZSuite! Orientation is scheduled for February 13 at 6:00 pm at the Extension Office. Registration is due by February 8. The potluck will start at 5:30 pm. This event is open to all 1st year families and newer families that did not attend November’s orientation. We will talk about the structure of Cascade County 4-H, introduce important events, and hand out some 4-H materials and swag.

Montana 4-H Recreation (Rec) Lab

Registration is now open for Montana 4-H Rec Lab on ZSuite! This event is open to all 4-H youth 13 years and older by October 1, 2022. 2023 Rec Lab will be hosted by District 4 in Culbertson, MT. Rec Lab consists of workshops, snacks, dances, fun, and friends! The Cascade 4-H Foundation has funds available to help offset the cost of Rec Lab. Parents are not responsible for transporting their children to Culbertson.

National Citizenship Washington Focus (CWF) Trip Opportunity

CWF is a one-week summer program in Washington D.C. where teens experience the capital as their classroom and connects young leaders from across the country to gain skills to be effective change agents. More information on the trip can be found at Citizenship Washington Focus | National 4-H Council.
Montana is sending 2 delegations this year. The cost of the trip is $1,495. The dates to choose from are June 11-16 and July 2-7. For more information on how to register for the trip, contact Christine Sommers-Austin at [email protected] or 406-994-3504.

Montana 4-H State Youth Awards

The Montana 4-H State Awards program recognizes the outstanding accomplishments of 4-H members who have reached standards of excellence in a 4-H project area. State youth awards are self-nominated. The award application is due on May 1, 2023. The application and more information can be found at Montana 4-H State Awards - Montana 4H - Montana State University Extension | Montana State University.

Foundation Meeting

The next meeting of the Cascade 4-H Foundation will be held on Tuesday, February 21 at 7:00 pm at the Extension Office.

Shooting Sports Leaders Meeting

The next meeting of the Cascade County 4-H Shooting Sports Leaders Committee will be held on Thursday, February 2 at 6:00pm at the Extension Office. Topics of discussion include the live tournament and a record book check date.

Montana 4-H State Shooting Sports Invitational

The Montana 4-H State Shoot is scheduled for March 3-5, 2023, in Bozeman, MT. The registration is now open at 2023 Montana 4-H State 4-H Shooting Competition - FairEntry.com . More information about the State Shoot can be found at State Shoot - Montana 4H - Montana State University Extension | Montana State University.

Shooting Sports Instructor Trainings

Are you interested in teaching youth about firearm or archery skills and safety? The Montana 4-H Center has announced the dates for this year’s 4-H Shooting Sports Instructor trainings! The Cascade 4-H Foundation has funds available to help offset the cost of attending a training. Contact Allyssa at [email protected] or 406-454-6980 for more information about this opportunity.

2023 Instructor Trainings

April 2023 in Billings, MT: Archery, Rifle, Pistol, and Shotgun
May 2023 in Logan, MT: Shotgun, Muzzle Loader, Hunting, and Western Heritage

Cascade County 4-H Shooting Sports Invitational

Registration is now open for the Cascade County 4-H Shooting Sports Invitational! The event will be located at the Exhibition Hall at the Montana ExpoPark (400 3rd St. NW, Great Falls, MT 59404) on February 18, 2022. The entry deadline is February 10, 2022, after this date please contact the Extension office (406-454-6980) for available shooting times. Youth must be currently enrolled in a Montana 4-H Shooting Sports Program to participate. Registration can be found at http://CCSS-shootingsportsinvite.fairentry.com.

Livestock Leaders Meeting

The next meeting of the Cascade County 4-H Livestock Leaders will be on Tuesday, February 7 at 7:00 pm at the Extension Office. Agenda items include planning county livestock show and sale, reports, and clinics. The meeting will also be virtual via WebEx; contact Rose for the WebEx information.

Livestock at the February Project Day

The February 4 Project Day will feature artificial insemination, breeding selection, and embryo transfer. The time is 9:00-10:30am at the Extension Office. Register by going onto ZSuite, go to events, and select February Project Day.

Livestock at the March Project Day

The March 4 Project Day will feature two amazing livestock learning opportunities! Marie & Adison Powell and Felicia & Tristan Short will teach 4-H members about expanding their poultry knowledge and experience. There will be live chicks and 4-H members will learn how to raise poultry, choose a breed, chick identification, and much more. The time is 10:30am-12:00pm. The second offering is learning about livestock carcasses. Vincent with L&M Lockers in Belt has been working in the meat industry for many years and is a butcher who processes Cascade 4-H market animals. Vincent will teach 4-H members how to break down a carcass, learn about primal cuts, and describe which retail cuts come from the primal cuts. The time is 9:00-10:30 am. Registration will be available on ZSuite in February.

Market Beef or Beef Breeding Project Workshop

Cody Loch is hosting a 4-H Market Beef or Breeding Beef Project workshop on Saturday, March 11, 2023, at Newman Stables (625 40th Ave. S, Great Falls, MT 59405). The free workshop will start at 9:00am. Cody will continue workshops through June. Please bring yourself, your Record Book, and a notepad for the first workshop. 4-H members can bring their beef project (market or breeding) to the workshops after March 11. 4-H members will learn how to halter break cattle, importance of grooming, why spending time with your project is important, beef nutrition with Courtnee Clairmont with CHS, and practice showmanship. You can register by logging into ZSuite and clicking on events and registering for the 4-H Market Beef or Breeding Beef Project Workshop.

Intent to Enter Forms

Intent to Enter Forms are available at the MSU Extension Cascade County office for goats, sheep, swine, rabbits, and poultry. 4-H members may also intent on ZSuite under events. Ear tags (goat, sheep, and swine), a tattoo kit (rabbit), and leg bands (poultry) are also available at the Extension Office. Animals must have a form of identification (ear tag, tattoo, or leg band) when the animal is Intended to Enter. Full body photo(s) showing the ear tag for goat, sheep, and swine in the animal is required with the Intent to Enter form.

Intent to Enter Reminders

• The 4-H member and a parent must sign the form.
• Fill out the form completely. Animal descriptions of color, unique markings, and complete mailing address of the breeder. Forms missing information will not be accepted.
• A photo showing the full body of the animal with the ear tag installed that clearly shows the ear tag number is required. 4-H members are encouraged to get their ear tags early and take the pictures.
• Intent forms can be turned in before the deadline for all species.
• Note: The Intent to Enter does not automatically enter your market animal in the Cascade County 4-H Show and Sale. You must fill out a separate Cascade County 4-H Livestock Show Entry Form.

Horse Leaders Meeting

The next meeting of the Cascade County 4-H Horse Leaders will be on Tuesday, February 7 at 5:30 pm at the Extension Office. Agenda items include planning county horse show, practices, clinics, etc. The meeting will also be virtual via WebEx; contact Rose for the WebEx information.

Horse at the February Project Day

Come join the Cascade County 4-H Horse Leaders and special guests for a showing and ring etiquette workshop at the February 4 Project Day! Positioning and courtesy in the arena is vital to everyone’s safety (and sanity), whether you’re showing or just riding with friends. The workshop will be covering showmanship, patterns, and arena etiquette on February 4 from 10:30am -12:00pm at the Extension Office. Register by going onto ZSuite, go to events, and select February Project Day.

Horseless Horse Practices

Horseless Horse practices are open to all enrolled in horse projects. The Record Book meeting will be at the Great Falls Public Library on February 16 from 6:00-7:30pm. Riding will be the second and fourth Sunday of the month at Brook Gerard’s home at 256 Ulm Vaughn Rd., Great Falls, MT 59404. Weather and ground permitting.

Working Ranch Horse Practices

Working Ranch Horse practices are starting this winter at the 406 Arena Sunday, January 29 at 2:00 pm and Saturday, February 25 from 9:00am-12:00pm. Spring practices will be at the Neversweat Ranch (376 US Hwy. 87, Belt, MT 59412) on Monday, June 19 and Monday, June 26. The June practices will be from 5:30-8:30pm.

Horse at the March Project Day

Does your horse have a star, strip, blaze…? The March Project Day will be on learning horse markings and tying knots. Registration will open on ZSuite in February.

CALENDAR OF UPCOMING EVENTS

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