Hello 4-H Families!


Public Presentation Day is coming up soon. We have it planned
for April 7th. It will be held at the First Baptist Church Activity
Center starting at 2 pm. Even if your child is not speaking, please
know that you are welcome to attend and watch! There is a Sign
Up Genius for families to sign up to bring snacks.


If you are participating in the pig project, the deadline to get
your pigs is April 14th. Kim has sent out an email to all the pig
families about getting their tags and shots. Please let Kim know
when you get your pigs and she will tag them or get you your
tags.


Please make sure you have all the project books that you need
for the year. If you are missing one that you need, please let us
know and we will get it ordered. The following members still
have books in the office: Layla Blonde, Clara Blonde, and Rowen
Russell.


Marias Fair Fun Time will be here before you know it so please
be sure to attend all of your required meetings and get to work
on getting your projects done in your books!


As always, please reach out if you have any questions at all!


Kim & Jackie

HOW TO USE LIVESTOCK FEED SHEETS
Glacier County Agent, Kari Lewis, has shared a couple of options to help livestock members keep a better
record of the feed that they are providing for their livestock project. Whichever method is used, at the
end of the month, the totals from the sheet should be transferred to the Animal Journal of the record
book. Keeping good records will help you to make decisions for next year. You may want to change your
start weight, your type of feed and ration, the breed of animal, etc.


Livestock Daily Feed Record
This PDF can be printed and is meant to be kept in the barn (on a clipboard, in a folder) and the feed
amounts recorded each day as feed is fed and weighed.


Livestock Daily Feed Record (Excel)
This is the Excel spreadsheet of the Livestock Daily Feed Record.
This can be downloaded and saved to your computer and daily weights added to the spreadsheet.
There is a tab for each month which will then calculate the monthly total automatically.


Project Age Requirements
You must meet the minimum required age by October 1, 2023 in order to enroll in each project.
Cloverbuds - 5 years old
Regular 4-H - 8 years old
Shooting Sports - 9 years old
Market Beef & Beef Breeding - 10 years old
Teen Leadership - 13 years old
Ambassador - 14 years old
Colt to Maturity - 11 years old and have completed Horsemanship Levels 1, 2, and 3
Age Categories: Pre- Junior - 8-10 years old
Junior -11-13 years old
Senior -14 + years old


Sentence Grants Available to 4-H Clubs
A mini-grant program available from Montana Farmers Union bolstered Montana 4-H club projects this
past year with applications now open for another $10,000 in funding in 2024.
The process is simple to encourage clubs to apply by submitting a sentence about how they would use
$100.
Last year we received a few of them to go towards different clubs.


Planning for fair
Check out the 2023 Fair Book at https://www.montana.edu/extension/mariasfair/mariasfairbook/ to see
what potential exhibits you can take to fair! The 2024 Fair Book will be available soon.
You can only enter items from projects that you are signed up for. The add/drop deadline is May 1st.


Calling All Young Artists!
Do you have a framed photo or painting from the fair or another piece of artwork available you’d like to
display? Folklore Coffee & Fresh Kitchen in Cut Bank is looking to display art at their new coffee shop, no
fee or commission to do so. You can message them on Facebook for more details.

ONE LAST Leadership Academy Virtual Workshop for Teen Members
Sunday, April 14th @ 3:00 p.m.
Montana 4-H is offering one more "Leadership Academy" virtual training on Sunday, April 14th, at 3:00
p.m. Please use the links below to attend the session from the comfort of your own home. This
workshop is on authenticity and self-awareness, which are excellent leadership skills.
They will also do a question and answer session related to State 4-H Congress which will be beneficial
for anyone thinking about attending. You can also see this link for more information on that event
https://www.montana.edu/extension/4h/programs/events/mt_4h_congress/index.html


4-H Camp
4-H camp registration will open April 15th on Z-Suite and close May 15th. Registration will be
$60/member. Members will be selecting their workshops, so it’s to their advantage to register early.
Camp is open to regularly enrolled 4-H members, 7th grade and down (no Cloverbuds). Camp will be June
10 - 12, 2024 and transportation will be provided to Camp Kiwanis (south of Havre). It’s a wonderful
experience to meet other 4-Hers, learn new skills, and have fun. The theme this year is “sports.”


Apply for a State 4-H Award
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, in Atlanta, GA. Visit
https://www.montana.edu/extension/4h/programs/awards/state-awards.html for details and the
application.
Applications are due on May 1st.


Swine Weighing/Tagging
Sunday April 14th is the deadline to tag a pig in for the Marias Fair.
Members need to have the following information:
Breed of pig
Date of birth
Beginning weight
Breeder's name and address
Remember, fair weigh-in date is Wednesday, July 17th. Fair minimum weight is 220 pounds, maximum
payweight is 300 pounds, maximum sale participation weight is 336 pounds. The small animal scale is out
at the Flesch Sale barn again please text Kim when you plan to borrow it to check its availability. 406-229-
1984. If you need to borrow the snare to give the second round of shots, please call the office.

Save the Date - 2024 REC LAB / April 19-21, 2024 / Jefferson County School / Boulder, MT
What is Rec Lab? It sounds like a funny name for a 4-H event. Rec Lab stands for Recreation Lab and
means that everything is hands-on and fun! This event is a 4-H member favorite: It provides an
opportunity for youth and adults to enhance their leadership, communication, and team-building skills in
an action-packed and interactive setting. Rec Lab programming provides participants with tips and tricks
for being a better club, camp, and community leader.
This event is ideal for younger senior members to attend as a first-time state event. It allows them to
form relationships with 4-H peers from across the state, broaden their skills, and widen their network.
The cost will be around $100.00. Youth participants must be 13+ as of October 1. Adult chaperones must
be as least 21 years of age. Contact the Extension office if interested in attending.
Extension Staff and volunteers: The idea of sleeping on an air mattress in a school gym may not be
your idea of a fun weekend, but this is a great event for you too! The program is conducive to meeting
people from around the state and exchanging ideas. You are sure to gain some great info and bring
home motivated youth leaders.
Registration will be through Zsuite beginning in February. The cost will be around $100 to $125 per
person. Participants will have the opportunity to pick from a list of workshops during registration. Please
SAVE the DATE and GO FOR GREEN in 2024! Talk to your 4-H friends about attending this great event!


4-H Volunteer Orientation Instructions
If you are a club leader or plan to be driving other people‘s children at 4-H events, please sign up as a
leader. You will be covered by insurance and eligible for leader awards.
1. Log into your Z-Suite Account
2. Select the profile of the volunteer that is taking the course.
3. Click on Clover Academy from the menu on the left.
4. Click on the blue box “Launch Clover Academy”.
5. You will be taken to the Clover Academy website.
6. Scroll down to find the Montana 4-H Orientation course. Click on “Enroll Now”.
7. On the course page you will see an overview of the course. Scroll down to see the four modules that
make up the orientation. Click the blue box “See More” under module one.
8. Follow the instructions to navigate the course.
9. When you get to the end of the module, (Slide will say you completed module). Scroll down and click on
the blue box “Mark as Complete”. Box will turn blue once you have completed the module.
10. Select the next lesson to load the next module. Your progress will be saved and you can return later
to complete the remaining modules.

APRIL
2nd- EV3 Robotics after school-5pm @ Ambulance Barn
3rd- Cloverbuds after school- 5pm @ Elementary Cafeteria
4th- 3rd-5th grade Robotics after school-5pm @ Ambulance Barn
5th- Rec Lab Registration Due
7th- Public Presentation Day 2pm @ First Baptist Church
8th- Marias Fair Food Booth Committee Meeting 6:30pm @ MRE
9th- Toole County 4-H Council Meeting 6:30pm @ Extension Office
12th- Ranching Rascals Chicken Club Meeting 3:30-5pm @ Amy Smith’s house
13th- Swine Tagging Deadline
13th- All Species Breeding Project info Due
14th- Kountry Kids Meeting 2pm @ Exhibit Building
14th- West Butte Club Meeting
15th- 4-H Camp Registration opens on ZSuites
16th- EV3 Robotics after school-5pm @ Ambulance Barn
16th- Horse Committee Meeting 6pm @ MRE
17th- Cloverbuds after school-5pm @ Elementary Cafeteria
18th- 3rd-5th grade Robotics after school- 5pm @ Ambulance Barn
23rd- Ag Committee Meeting 7pm on Zoom
25th- Shotgun Sign ups- 6pm @ Shelby Trap Club

 

MAY
1st- Project Drop/Add Deadline
1st- Cloverbuds after school-5pm @ Elementary Cafeteria
2nd- 3rd-5th grade robotics after school- 5pm @ Ambulance Barn
4th- Goat and Lamb Tagging Deadline
7th- EV3 Robotics after school- 5pm @ Ambulance Barn
10th- Ranching Rascals Chicken Club Meeting 3:30-5:00pm @ Amy
Smith’s House
15th- Cloverbuds after school-5pm @ Elementary Cafeteria
15th- 4-H Camp Registration Due
15th- Fair Entry Registration Begins
16th- 3rd-5th grade robotics after school- 5pm @ Ambulance Barn
21st- EV3 Robotics after school- 5pm @ Ambulance Barn
27th- Memorial Day- Office Closed