4-H Newsletter January 2023

KMON Judging Contest

January 17-18, 2023, in Great Falls.

Call for Camp Counselors

If you are interested see newsletter for information.

Congratulations Shea and Maggie!

Shea Ostberg and Maggie Toeckes did well at the Make It With Wool District 3 level and move forward to the state competition. 

Market Animal Selection and Feeding Workshop

January 14 in Great Falls. 

4-H Council Minutes and Budget

Council meeting will be in early February.Date, time and location will be announced soon.

2023 Scholarships

Montana 4-H Foundation scholarship application deadline is Tuesday, February 14, 2023. More on page 12. Information about Anne Wiprud and Boe Brothers scholarships will be sent directly to seniors.

Volunteer Opportunities and Training!

Training is ongoing. New volunteers must complete training to become active. We ask that returning volunteers complete training modules as soon as possible.

The Next 31 and beyond...

January 14

• Market Animal Selection and Feeding Workshop

January 15-17

• Citizenship Seminar, Helena

January 17

• Legislative Breakfast, Helena

January 17-18

• KMON Judging Contest, Cascade High School, Cascade and ExpoPark, Great Falls

January 31

• Tuesday, by 5:00 p.m. make your camp counselor intent known to Extension office.

February 7

• 4-H Livestock Committee meeting.  NewLife Church in Fairfield at 6:30 p.m.

KMON Judging Contest

The annual KMON Judging contest will take place Tuesday at the Cascade High School and Wednesday at the ExpoPark in Great Falls, January 17-18, 2023. Registration deadline is Wednesday, January 11, 2023. To register go to www.judgingcard.com or talk with your local FFA teacher.

Camp Counselors

If you were 14 by October 1, 2022, and are interested in becoming a counselor for the Teton County 4-H Camp this summer, please contact us no later than 5:00 pm January 31 (phone 406-466-2491, text 406-350-5373.) Here is what some previous camp counselors had to say about their experience,

Golden Holmquist, "I got to learn awesome leadership skills and it's a lot of fun!"

Presley Holmquist, "I learned how to work with other people, and some great leadership skills."

Madeline Konen, "You get to work alongside other teens to plan an amazing experience for younger kids! Being a camp counselor was one of the most fun and worthwhile experiences of my 4-H career!"

Ambassadors

Teton County has three 4-H Ambassadors, Myles Allen, Presley Holmquist and Jersey Somerfeld. Thank you to all ambassadors for the great job you do for Teton County 4-H!

Communication Day

Communication Day will be Saturday, March 18, 2023. The location is yet to be determined. As we know more, we will keep you posted!

Congratulations

The Montana Make It With Wool competition was held in conjunction with the Montana Woolgrowers Convention on December 2 and 3, 2022, in Billings.Shea Ostberg and Maggie Toeckesboth competed in the event after having advanced through the District 3 contest in October. Both did well. Maggie took third place in the Senior division with her wool dress and Shea placed second in the Junior division with a coat and dress ensemble. Shea also received the Construction Award for her coat. Congratulations to both Shea and Maggie!

Market Animal Selelction and Feeding Workshop

Cascade County 4-H will host a free 4-H Beef, Sheep, Goat, and Swine Selection and Feeding Workshop on Saturday, January 14, at the MSU Cascade County Extension office (3300 3rd St NE, #9, Great Falls, MT 59404) from 9:00-11:00 a.m.4-H members in Cascade, Meagher, Judith Basin, Chouteau, and Teton counties are welcome to attend.

4-H members will learn how to select and feed their market animal project for success and ultimate gain. Registration closes on January 13 at noon.

Register through ZSuite by logging into ZSuite (https://4h.zsuite.org/), go to the Dashboard (must be on the parent or primary account to register), scroll to the bottom and click on “View All Events,” click on “Register Now” for “4-H Beef, Sheep, Goat, and Swine Selection and Feeding Workshop,” and register.

Speakers include Courtnee Clairmont, CHS; Makayla Paul, MSU Meagher County Extension Agent; Tyler Lane, MSU Chouteau County Extension, and Rose Malisani, MSU Cascade County Extension Agent.

4-H Livestock Committee Minutes

Teton County Livestock Committee Meeting Minutes

December 5, 2022

NewLife Church in Fairfield

-Written by Kelly DeBruycker

The Teton County Livestock Committee meeting was called to order by president, Ashle Morris, at 6:37 p.m. at the NewLife Church in Fairfield.Those in attendance included Ashle Morris, Jenn Swanson, Carli Neal, Jason Lytle, and Kelly DeBruycker.The American and 4-H pledges were recited.Jenn Swanson thanked Jason Lytle and Justin Paulson for agreeing to nominations for positions within the Livestock Committee.Jason Lytle will serve as vice president and Justin Paulson will serve as a member of the Meat and Great committee.

Minutes:

The minutes from the 10/25/22 Livestock Committee meeting were reviewed by all in attendance.

1.Jenn Swanson made a motion to amend the 10/25/22 minutes.Under line item, “Buyer Appreciation,” DeBruycker will be added behind the name Melissa as her last name. Jason Lytle seconded the motion to amend the 10/25/22 minutes.There was no further discussion.The motion proceeded to a vote.The motion passed unanimously.

2.Jason Lytle made a motion to approve the 10/25/22 minutes as amended.Carli Neal seconded the motion.There was no further discussion.The motion proceeded to a vote.The motion passed unanimously.

Treasurers Report:The treasurer's report was given by Kelly DeBruycker in Ryan DeBruycker’s absence.

• Beginning Balance: $15,260.13 (closing balance from 10/25/22)

• No money received and no expenses paid.

• Closing Balance:$15, 260.13

Old Business:

Market Animal Processing Update

The end date of 4-H re-enrollment was December 1, 2022.Teton County has decreasing numbers for market livestock animals.Currently there are Beef = 18, Swine = 35, Sheep = 10, and

Goats = 2.Ron Vandevanter was contacted by Ashle Morris in between meetings.They can take all Teton County market livestock if the numbers stay the same. We can gain a couple of animals, but no large increases in numbers.All animals will be trucked to the processor on 6/25/22. Ashle Morris will contact Bo Somerfeld to perform the trucking.There was discussion on the possibility of exploring options of donated trucking or a donation of fuel.The trucking rate is paid by the Livestock Committee from assessment fees paid by market livestock members.There was discussion about animal halves and quarters being brought back to local processors if buyers so desire.Cascade County rents a refrigerated trailer and brings half and quarter animals back to local processors.Teton County has done this in the past, but it became an issue.This discussion will be tabled and discussed further at a later date.

Jenn Swanson wrote a thank you note to Morel’s Chop Shop for hosting the 2021-2022 carcass event.She also asked them if they would be interested in taking animal quarters and halves as discussed above and reached out to Prairie Meats on the High Line.

Meat and Greet Update

Jenn Swanson has formed a “Meat and Greet” buyer reception committee.Those on the committee thus far are Melissa and Natalie DeBruycker, Justin Paulson, and Jenn Swanson.Bryson Shaw from Columbia grain will also help with a monetary donation.Clay Crawford was contacted for a possible donation of beef.Jenn states that Teton County cooking and baking members will be contacted to provide baked goods and desserts.There is $1200 total available for the “Meat and Greet” buyer reception.$600 comes from Teton County 4-H Council and $600 comes from a private donor.

New Business:

Vote In New Livestock Committee Board Members

Carli Neal made a motion to approve Jason Lytle as the new vice president and Ryan DeBruycker as the second term treasurer.Kelly DeBruycker seconded the motion.There was no further discussion.The motion proceeded to a vote.The motion passed unanimously.

Fair

1.Market Animal Numbers:2022-2023

Beef = 18

Swine = 35

Sheep = 10

Goats = 2

2. Market Animal Agreement

The current market animal agreement was reviewed.Jenn Swanson will have Jamie Smith update the agreement policies by taking horses out of the Round Robin line item.On the market animal agreement under the line item “fees” the word “facilities” will be added after the word “shipping” to be included in what the assessment fees cover for members.The fee section will also be bolded and highlighted as there has been confusion by families in the past on what assessment fees cover.

There was discussion to include static exhibit 4-H members again on set-up day as they did in the past to help set up at the Pavilion.Including static members on set up day will help boost morale among all the members.There was discussion about the possibility of auctioning off static exhibit division winner projects as an incorporation into the livestock sale.

Ashle Morris and Jamie Smith will review beef assessments.

3. Livestock Judge

Emma Mercer was contacted and has agreed to be our market animal judge again this year.

4. Schedule of Events 2023

There was discussion to get the market livestock fair schedule back to the pre-Covid fair schedule.Moving the days back to the pre-Covid schedule would bring more people to the fair to see the animals as well as increase the morale among market livestock members.Swine, lambs, and goats would weigh in on Thursday evening.The swine show would be on Friday morning with the lamb and goat shows to be on Friday afternoon. There was a discussion on whether beef weigh-in should be on Friday evening or Saturday morning. If beef weigh-in happens on Friday evening there would need to be beef tie outs to accommodate the animals overnight. Jason Lytle brought up the possibility of a lean to being built on the north side of the Weatherbeater for beef tie outs. Justin Paulson is on theWeatherbeater board and mentioned at a previous livestock committee meeting that the Weatherbeater board is willing to discuss changes and how they can help make the 4-H Fair better for the members and livestock.There was also discussion about the possibility of using the rodeo grounds as a place for beef tie outs since the beef would be in an enclosed area.The beef market and breeding shows would be Saturday morning and Round Robin would take place Saturday afternoon.There was discussion of an education session being held for Round Robin families and participants.Many new and existing families are often confused with how Round Robin works.There was also discussion about getting the set-up and clean-up schedules out to market livestock members as soon as January so that if changes or switches needed to be made, they could be made sooner than later.

Jason Lytle made a motion to change the 2022-2023 livestock fair schedule as follows:Swine, lambs, and goats will weigh-in on Thursday evening.The swine show will be on Friday morning and the lamb and goat shows will be on Friday afternoon.The beef will weigh-in on Friday evening or Saturday morning based on the tie out situation to accommodate beef overnight on Friday.The market beef and breeding shows will be Saturday morning.Round Robin will be Saturday afternoon.Kelly DeBruycker seconded the motion.There was no further discussion.The motion proceeded to a vote.The motion passed unanimously.

5. LQA Plan

Jenn Swanson, as the Ag Agent, will take care of the plan for LQA.She will be in contact with Mark King, Rose Malisani, Brent Roeder, and others for assistance and their livestock expertise.There was discussion about bringing LQA back as an in person learning experience for members.Perhaps have all the market animal species brought to the Weatherbeater.There could be weight checks for animals as well as a discussion on Round Robin and how to show each species.Carli Neal stated that she and her sister Janelle Tschida have discussed hosting market animal livestock educational sessions within the Old Agency 4-H Club.Kelly DeBruycker stated that she and Ashle Morris put together market animal education sessions last year that were not well attended except for swine.Kelly states that she would be willing to help with livestock education.

6. Meat and Greet Funding

See Meat and Greet update information in old business.

7.Weatherbeater Maintenance Project

There is a surplus of $5000 within the Livestock Committee account.There was discussion about using some of these funds to assist the Weatherbeater board with needed improvements such as a kitchen update or the possibility of beef tie outs and a lean to on the north side of the building.Further discussion about working with the Weatherbeater board on helping with improvement needs and how the surplus money will be allocated will be tabled until our next Livestock Committee meeting.

The next meeting will be held Tuesday February 7, 2023, at 6:30 p.m. at the New Life Church in Fairfield.

Kelly DeBruycker made a motion to adjourn the meeting.Carli Neal seconded the motion.There was no further discussion.The meeting was adjourned at 7:41 p.m.

Proposed 4-H Council Budget  2022-2023

Please contact the office for more information.

2023 Montana Livestock Shows

January 27-29          Montana Winter Fair, Lewistown (Beef Only)
March*                     Jr. Beef Spring Fling, Deer Lodge (Beef Only)
April 21-23               Driven Livestock Showmanship, Sydney (All Species)
April 29                     Golden Triangle Preview & Jackpot Show (Beef Only)
May 5-6                     Black Diamond Junior Jackpot Show & Clinic, Billings (All Species)
May 7                        Rockin' the Project, Billings (All Species)
May 27-28                Renegade Jackpot, Great Falls (All Species)
May*                         Lamb Showmanship Clinic, Missoula
June 3                       Golden Triangle Preview & Jackpot Show (Swine, Lambs & Goats)
June 9-10                  Helena Jackpot, Helena (All Species)
June 9-10                  Champions  Choice Camp, Helena (Lambs, Goats & Swine)
June 9-10                  Badlands Classic Jackpot, Glendive (All Species)
June 11                      Cowtown Classic, Miles City (Beef Only)
June 15-18                Kootenai Classic, Couer d'Alene, ID (All Species)
June 23-24                Beaverhead Breakout Jackpot, Dillon (All Species)
June*                         Windy Ciity classic, Livingston (All Species)
June*                         Yellowstone Classic Jackpot Show
July 8                          Fred Everson Memorial Show, Lolo (Beef, Lambs & Goats)
July 14-15                  Tobacco Root Royale, Twin Bridges (All Species)
July 22-23                  Montana Royal Junior Livestock Show, Kalispell (All Species)
July*                           Mount Powell Showdown, Deer Lodge (All Species)
July 27-August 5       Montana State Fair, Great Falls (All Species)
August 9-13              Western Montana Fair, Missoula (All Species)
August 11-19            Montana FAir, Billings (All Species)
October 13-21          N.I.L.E., Billings (All Species)

* Dates have not been set.

North 40 Junior Livestock Feed Program 

The 2023 cards for the North 40 Junior Livestock Feed Program are available in the Extensio noffice for pick up.

Leadership Academy:  Online Workshops

Join the Montana 4-H Leadership Academy workshop on Sunday afternoons from 3-4 p.m. in 2022 and 2023. The leadership academy is a network of Montana 4-H members ages 12 and up who are interested in exploring and developing their own leadership skills while serving their county 4-H program in new ways.

Local county leadership groups will have an opportunity to join with groups from 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.

Each month the 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.

County Leadership groups should plan to meet face to face whenever possible and engage in the virtual state wide workshop together.This time can be viewed as a leadership club meeting. County ambassadors can aid in planning and facilitating these local workshop meetings. The agenda is currently being planned.Zoom links for each workshop session will be emailed to county extension offices and can be shared locally.

Register for Leadership Academy

Dates & Times

• Sunday, November 20, 2022 3:00-4:00 PM

• Sunday, December 11, 2022 3:00-4:00 PM

• Sunday, January 8, 2023 3:00-4:00 PM

• Sunday, February 5, 2023 3:00-4:00 PM

• Sunday, March 5, 2023 3:00-4:00 PM

Montana State Awards

The Montana 4-H Foundation supports 4-H initiatives that focus on healthy living, citizenship, leadership, science, engineering and technology, to name a few.The mission of the Montana 4-H Foundation is to "help 4-H youth by raising private funds, managing financial resources and partnering with the MSU Extension Service to fund educational opportunities for Montana 4-H youth, volunteer leaders and staff."

Scholarships and grants provide opportunities for youth and adults to strengthen their skills and maximize their positive impacts on the communities in which they live.

​How to Apply

Each person need only complete one Montana 4-H scholarship application to apply for multiple Montana 4-H scholarships. Interested persons should complete the scholarship application via the Application platform on or before February 14, 2023.All applicants will need to submit two letters of recommendation, with one of the letters from your County 4-H Agent.

Announcing Scholarships

​The Montana 4-H Scholarship winners will be recognized at Montana 4-H Congress on the MSU campus in July.As a condition of receiving the scholarship, each recipient or their appointee must agree to attend Montana 4-H Congress closing banquet to be recognized.

Awarding of Montana 4-H scholarships is based on the availability of funds.

4-H Volunteers

Montana 4-H is excited to launch the Volunteer Orientation Modules for all 4-H volunteers in Montana and host the Volunteer Institute in Billings in 2023. All volunteers must enroll every year to continue to serve as a Montana 4-H Volunteer.

4-H Volunteer Orientation

What is the orientation? The orientation is broken up into 4 modules that are about 15 minutes each. Topics included are positive youth development, basics of 4-H, risk management, impacts of 4-H, and policy & procedure.

How do you take the orientation?The orientation can be completed online at your convenience through the ZSuite/Clover Academy platform. Your progress will be saved so you are free to complete it at your own pace. Clover Academy is on the left-hand menu in ZSuite.

Why an orientation?Providing training is part of our mission to support our volunteers. Providing an orientation will ensure that all volunteers have a basic understanding of what it means to be a 4-H volunteer in Montana. Across Montana 4-H volunteers have asked for training so they can better serve the youth of 4-H.

Is the orientation required? Yes, all volunteers with Montana 4-H will be required to complete the orientation. Returning volunteers will have until the end of the 2022-2023 4-H year to complete the training.

Montana 4-H Volunteer Institute

Join us February 17-19 2023, in Billings, MT, for the Montana 4-H Volunteer Institute. Meet other volunteers from across Montana while learning skills to improve your 4-H program in your County. More information to come including a chance to submit a workshop proposal to share your skills with other volunteers.

Thank you for your time and dedication to the youth of 4-H!

Contact/Resources (Clip and Keep)

MSU Extension Teton County

• 466-2491/2492 (phone/voice mail)
• teton@montana.edu (send club minutes, most questions/issues)
• 406-530-5373 (text ONLY, checked M-F, 8-5)
• https://teton.msuextension.org/
• https://www.facebook.com/TetonCoExt
• http://montana4h.org/

Fair Dates

The Teton County Fair is scheduled for the last full weekend in June that includes a Sunday.

2023    June 19-25
2024    June 24-30
2025    June 24-29
2026    June 22-28

Camp Dates

2023   July 24-29

MSU Extension Teton County
P.O. Box 130
Choteau, MT 59422
406-466-2491

Agents:

Jenn Swanson  jenn.swanson@montana.edu

Assistants:

JoAnn McDowell & Jamie Smith  teton@montana.edu

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Montana State University and the Montana State University Extension Service 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. Issued in furtherance of cooperative extension work in agriculture and home economics, acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Cody Stone, Director, Extension Service, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717