Hello 4-H Families!

Welcome back to school! It is time to start fresh again in the fall and be thinking about what you want to sign up for in 4-H this year! You may also want to invite a friend to join 4-H this year!

The new 4-H year starts October 1, 2024. To re-enroll, leaders and families with youth members can login to their account at 4h.zsuite.org. Please call the office if you have any questions. Remember to enter member's 4-H age which is the age of member as of October 1, 2024. Some projects have age restrictions as follows:

Cloverbuds 5-7

Regular 4-H projects 8 and up

All shooting sports projects 9 and up

All cattle projects 10 and up

We will be hosting an open house for sign ups/re-enrollment in Sunburst on October 2nd from 4 - 6:30pm at the library. We will also be hosting an open house sign ups/re-enrollment on October 9th from 4 - 6:30pm in the Extension Office.  

2024-2025 Clover Magazines are now available in the office for anyone who wants to get a head start on next year! As always, please let us know if you have any questions. You can stop by the office anytime!

Kim & Jackie

National 4-H Week

This year’s National 4-H week theme is “Beyond Ready” National 4-H Week is October 6-12. There are many ways to promote 4-H. You and/or your club can wear your 4-H shirts to school, decorate your lockers or a store window, and encourage friends to sign up. We will be having an open house for new sign ups/re-enrollment on Oct 9th from 4 - 6:30pm. We will be doing the Walk N Wheel to Shelby Schools on Wednesday.

2024 Golden Triangle 4-H Volunteer Summit

The Golden Triangle 4-H Volunteer Summit will be Saturday, November 16 at the First Baptist Church in Shelby from 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. Lunch will be provided, and childcare is pending. Anyone involved in a 4H volunteer or leadership role is welcome and encouraged to participate. Please ‘Save the Date’ and watch for upcoming registration information.

Shooting Sports Leader Training

There will be a Shooting Sports Leader Training in Conrad, September 20-21. They will offer Coordinator, Archery, Rifle, Pistol and Shotgun.

  • To be a youth Leader you must be 14 years or older.
  • All Leaders must be at least 21 years of age.
  • Be enrolled as a leader in the county.
  • Pass a background check.
  • Complete the Montana 4-H Volunteer Training Modules.
  • Must complete the four National 4-H Shooting Sports modules on Z-Suite.
  • Be trained and certified in any discipline(s) that you are teaching at the county level.
  • Must attend the entire training and successfully complete all aspects to receive your certification.
  • Certifications are good for seven years.

Fall Leadership Training Nov. 1-3, 2024 in Billings, Montana

Fall Leadership Training is the annual leadership development retreat for Montana 4-H Ambassadors and Teen Leaders. The event is planned, implemented, and evaluated by the State Ambassador Officer Team. Youth will leave the weekend prepared and excited to take the knowledge and skills they have gained and apply them in their counties. It is also a great place to have youth leaders exchange ideas and create a statewide network of resources. Youth 14 and up (as of October 1, 2024) are eligible.  Participants must register in ZSuites (registration to come).  The weekend runs from Friday evening (5:30 p.m. start) to Sunday morning (10:30 a.m. close) with all meals and lodging included.  This is a great opportunity to meet other 4-H teen leaders from across Montana and grow as a leader.

MRE Dinner

We will be serving the MRE Dinner again this year on October 16th. Dinner is at 6pm. I will be sending out a ‘’Sign Up Genius” in an email so families can sign up for shifts. We will need a set up crew, serving crew, and a take down crew. Please keep in mind that we will be serving around 250 people.

We will be finalizing what we will bring at the October 8th meeting, but here is a list of what each club brought last year.

  • Kountry Kids: 24 dozen rolls, 2 large lemonade, 8 #10 cans of beans, roasters
  • West Butte: 300 Cupcakes
  • Blazing Saddles: 300 Potatoes, 400 butter pats, 10lbs of sour cream, roaster, 2 large bowls
  • 4-H Council: 15 bags of salad, salad dressing, horseradish, ketchup, coffee, paper products: plates, small napkins, cream, sugar, salt, pepper

Dylan Clark is involved in 4-H swine, archery, leadership, beef, and beef breeding projects. He is an exemplary 4-H leader as one of the oldest in the 4-H Archery program. He arrives early to help younger kids and stays late for his shift to shoot. He also helps clean the range and is learning how to tune and adjust bows. He is an asset to the full archery program. Dylan is registered as a camp counselor for the second year in a row, and he demonstrates a positive attitude. This spotlight was brought to you by @northernagnetwork, @voicesofmontana, Par Montana, and the Montana 4-H Foundation, in partnership with @MSUExtension.

SEPTEMBER

1st- Blazing Saddles Club Meeting 2pm @ Ambulance Barn  

2nd- Office Closed- Labor Day

5th- Farmers Market 4-6pm @ City Park

8th- Kountry Kids Meeting 2pm @ Exhibit Building- Club Elections

12th- Last Farmers Market 4-6pm @ City Park

20th-21st- Shooting Sports Leader Training in Conrad

OCTOBER

1st- New 4-H Year starts- Sign ups are open

2nd- Open House/ 4-H Sign ups in Sunburst 4-6:30pm @ the Library

6th- Blazing Saddles Club Meeting 2pm @ Ambulance Barn

6th- West Butte organizational meeting

6th-12th- National 4-H Week

9th- Open House/ 4-H Sign Ups in Shelby 4-6:30pm @ Extension Office

14th- Office Closed- Indigenous People's Day

16th- MRE Dinner

18th- Deadline to register for Fall Leadership Training

30th- Livestock Committee Meeting