Cascade County 4-H Clover Connection

Alternatively you may download a printable copy of the
October 2022 Cascade County 4-H Clover Connection

Newsletter Scavenger Hunt

Everyone who emails Allyssa ([email protected]) by Friday, October 7 with a description of the page containing the pumpkin 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 the name(s) of the 4-H’er(s) to be entered in the drawing. Congratulations to the winner of the September Newsletter drawing, Shyanne H. from the Circle S 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!

William Kessler
Bob & Jona McNamee
Zeller Family Foundation

New 4-H Year Enrollment

Enrollment for the 2022-2023 4-H year opens on Saturday, October 1, 2022. We will be using ZSuite again for enrollment. Below of directions on how to enroll for new and returning members and volunteer leaders. A detailed enrollment email was sent on September 30, 2022 to all enrolled and known perspective new families.

Returning Members and Volunteer Leaders

1. Sign into your family ZSuite account using the same email you used last year.
2. Select the Primary Profile.
3. Once on your ZSuite Dashboard, click “More Actions” next to the person you would like to re-enroll.
4. Under “Personal Info”, make any updates to the information.
5. Click “Next” and complete the waivers on the next page.
6. Click “Next” and then select your clubs and projects.
7. Click “Add to Cart”.
8. Re-enroll any other members or volunteers on your dashboard.
9. To Add a new family member, click “+Add Member”
10. Pay enrollment fees on ZSuite or at the Extension Office.

New Members and Volunteer Leaders

1. Click “Sign Up and complete the required fields. Click “Let’s Go”.
2. Click “+Household Member” to add members and volunteers.
3. Click on the name of the family member you would like to enroll.
4. Complete personal information and waivers and choose a club and projects.
5. Complete this process for all family members before paying fees.
6. Fees can be paid on ZSuite or at the Extension office.

Achievement Night

Cascade County 4-H Achievement Night is scheduled for Tuesday, October 11 at 6:00 pm in Heritage Hall at Great Falls College, MSU. Achievement Night is a great opportunity to celebrate Cascade County 4-H members and volunteers! The Cascade County 4-H Ambassador Team have been working hard to make this a fun and interactive event for all attendees! Activities include door prizes, a slide show of pictures from the year, and more! Returning and new 4-H members, volunteers, and families are welcome to attend. RSVP at https://montana.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_eExiR1x9mdh1lae so we know you are attending!

National 4-H Week - October 2-8

National 4-H Week is a national event that’s purpose is to celebrate 4-H! The Cascade County 4-H Ambassadors have planned a social media campaign to help 4-H’ers show their 4-H spirit!

Monday – Pumpkin Carving Contest: Post your creation on the Cascade County 4-H Facebook Page.

Tuesday – What does 4-H mean to you?: Comment on the Tuesday National 4-H Week post on the Cascade County 4-H Facebook page.

Wednesday – Wear your 4-H gear: Wear your 4-H gear to work or school and post a picture on the Cascade County 4-H Facebook page.

Thursday – Post a Picture of you and your project!: Post a picture of you and your 4-H projects on the Cascade County 4-H Facebook page.

Friday – Clothing Drive: Bring lightly used school aged children’s clothing to the Extension Office to be donated to some Great Falls elementary schools.

New 4-H Family Orientation

Registration for New 4-H Family Orientation will open on ZSuite on October 1, 2022. This year, there will be two New 4-H Family Orientations offered. One on October 25 and the other in February. New 4-H Family Orientation is full of great information for new 4-H families. We will also have a potluck. Register for this event on ZSuite before October 19, 2022.

Fall Teen Leader Training

The 2022 Fall 4-H Teen Leader training will be held in Great Falls, October 21-23. This training is open to all Montana 4-H members 13 years and older as of October 1, 2022. More information about this event was sent to all qualifying members via email earlier this fall. Contact Allyssa with any questions.

Project Day

The first Project Day of the new 4-H year will be held on Saturday, November 5 from 9am-12pm at the Extension Office. Current available workshops include Astronomy, Poultry, Horse, Livestock, Cloverbuds, and Cross Stitch. Registration for the November 5 Project Day will open on October 19, 2022.

Future Project Day Dates

December 3
January 7
February 4
March 4
April 1
May 6

New Project Alert! – Astronomy

Cascade County 4-H Leaders, Chris and Brenda Canine are excited to announce that they are leading a new project this year, Astronomy! Chris and Brenda received a grant and telescope from The Dr. David W. Baker Memorial Student-Science Foundation that will be used for the project. Youth in the project will have the opportunity to learn about Astronomy through classroom instruction during Project Days, stargazing events, and a field trip after the State Fair. Sign up for the Astronomy project on ZSuite during enrollment.

Cascade County 4-H Ambassador Update

Submitted by Kyona Yeager, Publicity Chair
Hi everyone, your county Ambassadors have been busy learning and coming up with fun ideas for the county. In the middle of July all of the ambassadors and some members went to 4-H Congress. It was amazing to be able to see the Bozeman campus and meet so many new people. We learned a lot and had a great time. On July 29, we helped get the 4-H barn ready for the state fair. We also had a small meeting where we chose our officers and went over our duties. Elizabeth Doyon was selected as President, Emilia Doyon as Cascade 4-H Foundation Representative, Kyona Yeager as Publicity Chair, Victoria Kirby as Cascade County 4-H Leaders Council Representative, and Seth Juhl as our extra who helps with everything. During the week of the state fair, the Ambassadors were in the barn helping out. We later met on September 6 where we decided a few key things like Achievement Night and National 4-H Week.

Tuesday September 6th’s Ambassador meeting started at 6:02pm, everyone was in attendance. Miss Allyssa handed out our agenda and she gave us our officer handbook. We then went over our officer duties and discussed our formal wear as Ambassadors. After we went through the handbook we talked about when we wanted our meeting held. As an Ambassador team we decided to have our monthly meetings the first Tuesday of every month. Our next meeting will be October 4. Next on the agenda was Achievement Night. Kyona said she would make the slideshow that was decided to run the whole event. We then talked about the script, we asked to see a rough draft and then change it and work on it. As a team we then collaborated about how to get the crowd involved and we were asked to think on it. National 4-H Week was brough up and we decided that Monday would be a Carve a Pumpkin Post on Facebook, Tuesday would be a drawing contest for 4-H members, Wednesday will be wear your 4-H gear, Thursday will be a photo contest, and Friday will be a clothing drive for a few elementary schools in Great Falls. New Family Orientation will be October 25 and we discussed finding games to play with the members. The meeting was adjourned at 6:45pm.

Montana 4-H Leadership Academy

Join the Montana 4-H Leadership Academy workshop on Sunday afternoons in 2022/2023. 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. Each month the Montana 4-H Ambassador officer team members will be presenting a different workshop topic that they have found to be important as they have grown their own leadership abilities. This workshop should be paired with a local county leadership meeting to work on county projects that serve the local 4-H program and community.
Cascade County 4-H Ambassadors will be holding in person watch parties at the Extension office from 2:30-4:00. Snacks are provided!

Leadership Academy Dates

November 20
December 11
January 8
February 5
March 5

Open Leadership Opportunities

There are multiple officer, youth representative, and board member positions open in Cascade County 4-H governing entities.

Leaders Council – Meets the 2nd Tuesday of each odd month

President – Duties include: Preside at all meetings, appoint committees, and perform such duties as prescribed by the Council. The President in cooperation with the county Agent sets and posts the Council meeting agenda to the MSU Extension Cascade County website two weeks prior to the meeting. The President will have signature authority on all Council accounts.

Treasurer – Duties include: Maintain and monitor financial records for the Council and sign checks. The Treasurer will work with the bookkeeper on financial matters and provide a financial report, to include a budget report, at each Council meeting, and facilitates bank deposits.

Foundation – Meets the 3rd Tuesday of the months of November, February, April, and September

Positions Available: 3 adult board members and 2 youth representatives.

Duties include: attend board meetings, care for the affairs of the Cascade 4-H Foundation during periods between regular meetings of the Cascade 4-H Foundation, authorize expenditures, and assist in securing finances for the Foundation.

Shooting Sports Leaders – Meets the 1st Thursday of the month October-June and September

President – Duties include: preside at all meetings, work with the Secretary and Extension Agent to set meeting agendas, and chair the planning committee for the yearly program plan.

Secretary – Duties include: keep a record of all proceedings of the committee, submit committee minutes to the Extension office, assist the President and Extension Agent in setting the meeting agendas, and attend scheduled Leaders Council meetings.

Treasurer – Duties include: work with the bookkeeper to maintain financial records and provide current profit and loss statement at all regular meetings, deposit money prepared by the bookkeeper, and return the receipt to the Extension office, and chair the budget committee.

Horse and Livestock Leaders – Meet the 1st Tuesday of the months of October, November, January, February, March, April, May, June, and September

Cascade County 4-H Livestock and Horse Leaders are looking for adults to help govern the livestock and horse projects in Cascade County. Adults may enroll as a Livestock or Horse Leader from October to May. Leaders make and vote on rule and policy, plan the shows, organize educational workshops, teach, and much more! Please call Rose at 406-454-6980 with any questions!

Shooting Sports Leaders Meeting

The next meeting of the Cascade County 4-H Shooting Sports Leaders Committee will be on October 6 at 6:00 pm at the Extension office. Topics of discussion include proposed rule changes, officer elections, and discipline updates.

Air Rifle and BB Gun Safety Instruction

Registration is now open for Air Rifle and BB Gun Safety instruction on ZSuite! Air Rifle is open to Cascade County 4-H members aged 9+ by October 1, 2022, and BB Gun is open to youth aged 8+ by October 1, 2022. Cloverbuds are not permitted to participate in 4-H Shooting Sports projects. More details about instruction dates, location, and cost can be found in the Events section of ZSuite.

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.

Air Pistol Instruction

Registration is now open for Air Pistol instruction on ZSuite! Air Pistol is open to Cascade County 4-H members aged 9+ by October 1, 2022. More details about instruction dates, location, and cost can be found in the Events section of ZSuite.

Livestock Leaders Meeting

The next meeting of the Cascade County 4-H Livestock Leaders will be on Tuesday, October 4 at 5:30 pm at the Extension office. The meeting will also be available online through WebEx. Agenda items include voting for president and secretary and rule, policy, award, bylaw, and award proposed changes and additions to the rule book. There will be no voting at the October meeting. The November meeting will be on November 1 to vote.

Market Animal Quota List

Please enroll your child in market animal projects by October 31, 2022 if you are planning on raising a market beef, sheep, swine, or goat for the 2023 County 4-H Livestock Show and Sale. The processing facilities limit the number of animals they can handle due to space and staff. Therefore, maximum limits are set for market animals. The limits are 30 beef, 30 sheep, 70 swine, and 30 goats. Members must be enrolled and pay enrollment dues before being added to the market animal quota list.

Important: If the animal quota has been filled, the 4-H member will be placed on a waiting list.

4-H members not entering the county Livestock Show may enroll in a 4-H livestock project at any time. This includes 4-H members entering the Montana State Fair or selling animals by private treaty, auction, etc. There are several ways to sell the animal:

1. Private Treaty
2. Livestock auction Yard
3. Montana Fair
4. Cascade County 4-H Livestock Sale

4-H members can take any species as a project without the animal ever leaving home. This gives anyone interested in the project an opportunity to learn about one or more species. Please call Rose at 406-454-6980 with any questions.

Breeding Projects

Breeding Projects will begin on October 1, 2022. Animals do not need to be in possession as of October 1, 2022. Contact the MSU Cascade County Extension office at 406-454-6980 if you need a new animal breeding book or have questions.

Beef Intent to Enter Form and Ear Tags

Beef Intent to Enter Forms and ear tags are available at the Extension office. Electronic copies of the Intent to Enter Forms can be requested from Rose by emailing [email protected]. Steers must be in possession by January 1, 2023 and have the assigned ear tag from the Extension office in the animal’s left ear. There is a $10 entry fee for each market animal. 4-H members may intent to enter multiple animals per species. 4-H members may enter and sell a maximum of two species at the sale. Species options include market beef, market goat, market sheep, market swine, poultry meat pen of three, and rabbit meat pen of three. 4-H members cannot sell two hogs or two steers. 4-H members must declare specie(s), be enrolled in 4-H, and pay enrollment dues by October 31, 2022. The Beef Intent to Enter Form must include a full body photo of the animal showing the ear tag so that it can be read and is due Wednesday, January 4, 2023 to the MSU Extension Cascade County office. Late entries will be issued a $25 late fee per animal. No entries accepted after January 11, 2023.

Rural Youth Loans

Loans are available through the Farm Service Agency (FSA) FSA provides financial assistance and business planning to help rural youth get a start on their futures. The Rural Youth Loan Program is designed to provide start-up funds to establish and operate income-producing projects of modest size in connection with participation in 4-H clubs, FFA, and similar agriculturally focused organizations. Call Janet Smith at 406-727-7580 for more information.

Junior Agriculture Loans

Loans are available by contacting the Montana Department of Agriculture. The loan program provides financial assistance through Junior Ag Loans. Contact Walt Anseth 406-444-5420 for more information, brochures, and application forms.

Horse Leaders Meeting

The next meeting of the Cascade County 4-H Horse Leaders will be on Monday, October 3 at 5:30 pm at the Extension office. The meeting will also be available online through WebEx. Agenda items include voting for president and secretary/treasurer, discussion of rule, policy, and award criteria changes and amendments. Horse Leaders will vote at the October meeting. Other meeting topics include planning the Horsey Halloween event, November Project Day, review of 2021-2022 financials, forming a budget committee, and setting master calendar dates.

4-H CALENDAR

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.