April 2023 Newsletter
Hello 4-H Families!
Kim would like to thank the West Butte 4-H Club for having her at
their meeting. She presented Quality Assurance and Food Safety at
the meeting. Kim also stopped by Blazing Saddle's club meeting to
teach Quality Assurance. Thank you to both Blazing Saddles and
West Butte for having her!
This year's 4-H Camp counselors from Toole County will be Cami
Blevins, Delaney Clark, Dylan Clark, Jadis Scarborough, and Clara
Blonde. Our first year counselors will be "counselors in training"
and under mentorship from the older counselors. The second
training is in Chester on April 16th.
Please save the date for 4-H Camp on June 12-14. Registration will
be on Z-Suite soon.
It is that time of year when some of you are needing to select a
hog for the fair! I have a list available of folks who sell hogs if you
need some inspiration on where to go.
Some upcoming dates to be aware of are the swine weigh-in date
of April 16th and the lamb and goat weigh in date of May 7th. If
you signed up for swine, lamb, or goat. Please let Kim know when
you get your animals and Kim will come tag them.
As always, please let us know if you have any questions. You can
stop by the office anytime!
Kim & Jackie
Volunteer Trainings Online
If you are planning to be a volunteer for Toole county 4-H, new this year, we are
announcing the 4-H
Volunteer online training resources. We still have a few folks who need to take the
training.
All 4-H Volunteers must complete the training in Z-Suite. If you need help, you can
come take the modules in
the Extension Office.
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 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.
Public Presentation Day
The Toole County 4-H Public Presentation Day will be April 23rd at 2 PM at the First
Baptist Church Activity
Center. Snacks will be provided. Please register on Z-Suite under Events by April
14th.
Prizes: Senior, Junior, Pre-Junior Levels
1st Place Rosette & $50
2nd Place Rosette & $25
3rd Place Rosette & $10
Cloverbuds receive participation ribbons & gift
All members are encouraged to participate. Members who participate fulfill their communications
requirement for the end of the year Member Recognition awards, and members ages 13
and up are eligible
to compete with their presentation at Montana 4-H Congress in Bozeman in July for
state level awards.
Please reference http://www.montana4h.org/projects/4h_communication/index.html for
scoring rubrics and
guidelines on presentation preparation. We will be keeping to strict time limits as
we ran a little long last
year.
Livestock Quality Assurance Training
The Marias Fair Livestock Committee requires Livestock Quality Assurance Training
every two years. You are
required to have the training if you are a new livestock member. There will also be
another LQA training at
the Kountry Kids meeting on April 30th at 1PM. If you still need LQA after the KK
meeting, you will need to
get the training from Kim one-on-one or visit another county for the training.
The following members need Livestock Quality Assurance this year: Wyatt Fix, Jagger
Flesch, Preslee Flesch,
Kaylee Nickol, Desirae Salois, and Regan Torgerson.
Food Safety
This training is required every two years for 4-H members and parents serving in the
Food Booth at the
Marias Fair. Every 4-H member is required to serve a shift at the Food Booth to obtain
their premium points.
Premium points are the points/money that each 4-Her gets when they complete their
project books. Kim will
be presenting Food Safety at the Kountry Kids meeting on April 30th at 1 PM. Cloverbuds
are able to work at
the Food Booth with their parents.
The following 4-H members need the Food Safety training.
Cloverbuds: Nolan Ahrens, Chase Besancon, Charlotte Besancon, Calvin Clark, Isla Clark,
Luke Erickson, Bear
Erickson, Laura Flesch, Hayden Habets, Grayson Salois, Carter Nickol, Collin Riphenburg,
Carlie Sisk.
Members: Cael Blevins, Cami Blevins, Aubree Clark, Delaney Clark, Dylan Clark, Wyatt
Fix, Ella Fix, Paxton
Flesch, Sam Flesch, Laura Flesch, Breckynn Kempf, Matthew McLean, Morgan McLean, Brigham
Weishaar,
Karter Kempf, Kaylee Nickol, Rowen Russell, Malcolm Russell, Desirae Salois, Regan
Torgerson, Benson
Weishaar, Gracelynn Weishaar.
Pig Pickup
A few families expressed interest in going to Big Rose Colony to purchase 4-H hogs.
We will be going up
there on April 13th in the afternoon. Please let me know if you will be attending
so I can let them know how
many pigs to bring out for us.
Swine Weigh In/ Tagging
It's 4-H pig tagging time! Sunday, April 16 is the deadline to tag a pig in for the
Marias Fair. Kim will call and
coordinate a time to weigh/tag/deworm your pigs. Members need to have the following
information:
Breed of pig
Date of birth
Beginning weight
Breeder's name
Weigh in Deadline: Swine Weigh In and Breeding Projects are due April 17th. Please
contact the office or
Kim to schedule a time to tag your animal. Lamb/Goat deadline is May 8th
Youth State Award
Members apply in a project area they have mastered and "gone above and beyond" regular
project
expectations. Communication, Goals/Learning, Leadership and Service are the four categories.
Please reach
out to youth in your county that may fit this criteria. Share with organizational
and project leaders that may
know of youth that fit this criteria. https://www.montana.edu/extension/4h/programs/awards/stateawards.html
Plan of action due June 1, 2023
https://www.montana.edu/extension/4h/programs/youth_leadership/plan_of_action.html
County Ambassadors interested in applying to be State Officers, applications due June
15, 2023
https://www.montana.edu/extension/4h/programs/youth_leadership/officer_team.html
Montana 4-H Congress- Save the Date
Registration will open May 1
Registration deadline is June 15
Congress MSU Bozeman- Tuesday, July 11- Friday July 14
Pre-Congress and Officer Selection- Sunday July 9 - Tuesday July 11
State Contests Wednesday, July 12
Volunteer Spotlight & Members of the Month
Nominate a volunteer or youth in your county who has done something awesome and deserves
a shout-out
for making a difference. They will be recognized next month in a Volunteer or Member
Spotlight social media
post and in the state's monthly newsletter. They will also be eligible for Ag Network's
Volunteer or Member
of the Month sponsored by Stockman Bank. You are welcome to submit more than one recognition
form!
Nominate a volunteer you appreciate:https://forms.gle/z6qTGfjZEZUxAksg9
Nominate a youth member: https://forms.gle/EbtccAkk6XE3ZWKX6.
Shotgun Registration
Shotgun sign ups are April 20th starting at 6:30 PM. Located at the Shelby Trap Club
Cloverbud Day Camp
Cloverbud day camp will be Thursday, June 8 at the Shelby Splash Park in Shelby, open
to all area
Cloverbuds. It will be a pirate theme this year! Please 'Save the Date' if you have
a Cloverbud or teen willing
to help with workshops/games/crowd control, etc. Registration will be available soon.
State 4-H Shotgun Qualifier
This competition is open to all Montana 4-H members enrolled in the Shotgun Project.
This will be April 22 in
Three Forks. The National 4-H Shooting Tournament will be held in Grand Island, Nebraska,
Sunday-Friday,
June 25 – June 30, 2023. The top four (4) finishers will be invited to represent the
state of Montana at the
National Shoot in the Shotgun event. The competitors must have passed their 14th birthday
by January 1,
2023 and may not have passed their 19th birthday before January 1 of the current year
the 4-H Shooting
Sports National Championships are held.
Details are up at
https://www.montana.edu/extension/4h/programs/events/shooting_sports/shooting_sports_ev
ents/Shotgun%20Qualifier%202023.pdf. Cost is $40/person., registration deadline is
April 14.
Marias Fair 4-H Livestock Committee Updates
Goat showmanship – The meat goat format will mirror the sheep breeding classes written
in the
current fair book. The top meat goat and dairy goat showmen will both compete in the
Round Robin.
Belt buckles – There will be belt buckles awarded to the Grand and Reserve Champion
in the market
and showmanship divisions of the beef, sheep, swine, and goat competitions at the
fair. They will be
looking for sponsors for these awards.
Seewald barn signs – If any business, family, etc. is interested in having a sign
displayed in the
Seewald barn, applications are available online at
https://www.montana.edu/extension/mariasfair/documents/livestockcommittee/Seewald%20Sign%20n
ew%20application%20fillable.pdf https://www.montana.edu/extension/mariasfair/livestockcom.html.
It
is $400 to have a sign displayed for 10 years and then just $250 for the following
10 years. Chary
Majerus is no longer making signs. Barbie Alvestad has made a few signs or you can
make your own
with the correct dimensions.
Marias Fair Barn Superintendents - Hogs – Lance Stokes, Kory Sandon, Casey Buffington,
and Eric
Morrisett; Sheep – Lance Stokes, Stefanie Leach, (Andrea Bengtson will help if needed);
Beef – Pat
Harmon, Jeremy Curry, Jacki Boyce, and Andrea Bengtson.
Next Livestock Committee Meeting is June 28th at the Seewald Barn at 6 PM
Reminder: Market animals (any species) that are over the maximum sale participation
weight will show
ONLY for showmanship and will not sell.
Maximum sale participation weights are:
Beef – 1,680
Lambs – 185
Swine – 336
Goats – 123
Marias Fair Livestock Rules
All of the livestock rules are available on our website https://www.montana.edu/extension/mariasfair
Fair Manager Position
Toole County is looking for a Fairgrounds Manager. This position is part-time. The
Fairgrounds Manager is
responsible for the planning, organization, and supervision of the daily operations
of the county fairgrounds.
If you know someone who may be a good fit, please refer them to
https://toolecountymt.gov/employment_opportunities.html.
Blazing Arrows year end trophy winners
Bowhunter 9-10
1st: Bridger Ergenbright- 1918
2nd: Tye Gray- 1621
3rd: Sam Flesch- 1542
Bowhunter 11-12
1st: Joe Benjamin- 1964
2nd: Brant Blonde- 1867
3rd: Paxton Flesch- 1838
Bowhunter 13-14
1st: Avalyn Smith- 1869
2nd: Makenzie Kujava- 1748
3rd: Wyatt Fix- 1621
Bowhunter 15 & up
1st: Parker Parsons- 1617
2nd: Aisha Munson- 1403
Primitive 13-14
1st: Logan Nation- 603
Unlimited 13-14
1st: Makenzie Kujava- 1939
2nd: Logan Nation- 1455
APRIL
2nd- Quality Assurance Blazing Saddles 2pm
3rd- Food Booth Committee Meeting 6pm @ MRE
4th- 1st & 2nd year Robotics @ Courthouse 3:30-5pm
5th- Cloverbuds @ New Life Community Church 3:30-5pm
5th- Marias Fair Board Meeting @ Ambulance Barn 6:30pm
6th- 8-11 year old Robotics @ Courthouse 3:30-5pm
11th- 4-H Council Meeting @ Toole County Courthouse 6:30pm
13th - Big Rose Hog Pickup - Time TBD
14th- Last day to register for Public Presentation Day on ZSuite
16th - Camp Counselor Meeting (In-Person) @ Chester
16th- Swine Weigh in deadline, Breeding project info due
18th- 1st & 2nd year Robotics @ Courthouse 3:30-5pm
19th- Cloverbuds @ New Life Community Church 3:30-5pm
20th- 8-11 year old Robotics @ Courthouse 3:30-5pm
20th- Shotgun Sign ups @ Shelby Trap Club 6:30pm
23rd- Public Presentation Day 1pm @ First Baptist Church Activity Center
30th- Quality Assurance Kountry Kids 1pm
MAY
1st- Add/Drop Deadline
2nd- 1st and 2nd year old Robotics @ Courthouse 3:30-5pm
3rd- Cloverbuds @ New Life Community Church 3:30-5pm
4th- 8-11 year old Robotics @ Courthouse 3:30-5pm
12th- Office Closed
15th- Fair Packets go out/ FairEntry Registration Begins
16th- 1st and 2nd year Robotics @ Courthouse 3:30-5pm
17th- Cloverbuds @ New Life Community Church 3:30-5pm
18th- 8-11 year old Robotics @ Courthouse 3:30-5pm
29th- Office Closed (Memorial Day)