May 2024 Newsletter
Hello 4-H Families!
The Marias Fair is coming up fast! Just a reminder that all members have to have five to seven activities from their project books and two of three experiences completed before fair. They need to have it checked by their leader or the Extension Office.
Robotics members will meet every Tuesday in May after school 5pm @ the Ambulance Barn to work on their fair project build.
Cloverbuds will meet every Wednesday after school - 5pm @ The Exhibit Building until fair.
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.
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.
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.”
Shotgun Practice
Shotgun practice will start May 9th at 6pm at the Trap Club. Range Fees are $40 to the Shelby Trap Club. The Marias Fair Shotgun Tournament will be held on June 29th starting at 9am at the Shelby Trap Club. Range Fees are $40 to the Shelby Trap Club. The Marias Fair Shotgun Tournament will be held on June 29th starting at 9am at the Shelby Trap Club.
Fair Packets
Fair packets will be ready May 15 for pick up in the Extension office. Camping spots are available on a first come, first serve (and paid) basis for anyone new, wanting to move spots, etc. Please review ALL materials and get registered in FairEntry early so that we have time to review your entries for accuracy, etc. PLEASE read through your packets carefully before beginning fair registration.
FairEntry must be completed and all forms turned in to the office by Friday June 14th.
Again this year, premiums for every 4-H ribbon will be: Purple - $5, Blue - $4, Red - $3, and White - $2
Grace Hemmer’s Junior Leadership Project
Grace Hemmer is a Toole County Junior Leader. Her Junior Leadership Project is to sell 4-H Puravida Bracelets to raise money to get a swamp cooler for the Small Animal Barn. She is selling them for $10 each. If you would like to buy one to support 4-H, please get ahold of Barb Larsen (406) 460-2765 or Anna Hemmer (406) 470-1239.
MAY
1st- Project Drop/Add Deadline
1st- Cloverbuds after school - 5pm @ Exhibit Building
2nd- Chicken Club Members (not Cloverbuds) after school - 5pm @ Exhibit Building
4th- Goat and Lamb Tagging Deadline 4th- Sewing with Ashley 9am - 2pm @MRE
4th- Ranching Rascals Club Meeting 4pm @ Ashley’s House
7th- All Robotics Members after school - 5pm @ Ambulance Barn
8th- Cloverbuds after school - 5pm @ Exhibit Building
9th- Chicken Club Members (not Cloverbuds) after school - 5pm @ Exhibit Building
10th- Ranching Rascals Chicken Club Meeting 3:30-5:00pm @ Amy Smith’s House
14th- All Robotics Members after school - 5pm @ Ambulance Barn
15th- Cloverbuds after school - 5pm @ Exhibit Building
15th- 4-H Camp Registration Due
15th- Fair Entry Registration Begins
16th- Chicken Club Members (not Cloverbuds) after school - 5pm @ Exhibit Building
21st- All Robotics Members after school - 5pm @ Ambulance Barn
22nd- Cloverbuds after school - 5pm @ Exhibit Building
23rd- Chicken Club Members (not Cloverbuds) after school - 5pm @ Exhibit Building
27th- Memorial Day- Office Closed
28th- All Robotics Members after school - 5pm @ Ambulance Barn
29th- Cloverbuds after school - 5pm @ Exhibit Building
JUNE
5th- Cloverbuds after school - 5pm @ Exhibit Building
6th- Cloverbud Camp 10:30am - 3:30pm @ Exhibit Building
10th-12th- 4-H Camp
12th- Office Closed
12th- Cloverbuds after school - 5pm @ Exhibit Building
13th- Chicken Club members (Not Cloverbuds) after school - 5pm @ Exhibit Buidling
15th- Fair Entry Registration Deadline
19th- Cloverbuds after school - 5pm @ Exhibit Building
20th- Chicken Club members (Not Cloverbuds) after school - 5pm @ Exhibit Buidling
20th- Small Animal Showmanship Clinic 6 - 7:30pm @ Exhibit Building
26th- Cloverbuds after school - 5pm @ Exhibit Building
27th- Chicken Club members (Not Cloverbuds) after school - 5pm @ Exhibit Buidling
27th- Fashion Revue @ Exhibit Building- Cloverbuds will start at 4pm, older members to follow