Valley County

Providing research-based information, resources, and education in the areas of Family and Consumer Science, Youth Development, Agriculture, Natural Resources and Community Development have been the foundation of Valley County Extension since 1917. Valley County was established on February 6, 1893, having been carved out of the larger Dawson County territory. Valley county’s southern border, the Missouri river, was the hub of travel in the mid 1800’s bringing thousands of miners to the rich gold fields of Western Montana. Riverboat travel was replaced by rail traffic in the late 1880’s and Siding 45 became Glasgow Montana when a rail clerk spun a globe, and his finger landed on Glasgow Scotland. During the depression, Fort Peck Dam – the largest earth filled dam at the time, was built as part of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s New Deal Program. Today, Valley County is rich in agriculture, supporting 42,460 beef cattle, over 68,000 acres of hay and haylage, and producing a wide variety of crops: wheat, durum, canola, dry peas, lentils, chickpeas (garbanzo beans) mustard, corn, safflower, and flax on its 1.63 million acres of agricultural land. Fishing and tourism are also important to Valley County which hosts numerous fishing derbies including the Governor’s Cup Walleye tournament and the Catfish Classic.

Everything Calving

The percentage of calves weaned is directly related to a ranching operation’s profitability. The number of live calves on the ground is critical to achieve this goal. In response to this need, producers and youth were invited to this workshop where they had a hands-on opportunity to acquire knowledge and hone their calving skills. This event was also focused on youth education and involvement and two grants were secured by 4-H youth who sought support for their educational endeavors. Partnering with local veterinarians and Dr. Katie Rein, Crazy Mountain Veterinary Service, Farm Bureau and CHS brought in expertise on newborn calf care, dystocia, farm safety and calf milk replacer for improved productivity. Stella, a model cow and calf, provided a variety of calving presentations and attendees practiced extracting the calf based on the position presented. Dr. Rein’s foresight involved bringing a premature calf and performing a necropsy where youth and adults learned the anatomy of the calf. The youth interest in this feature of the workshop was incredible. As a result of this program, adult and youth participants learned how to better care for their mother cows and newborn calves and when to call for veterinary help to preserve the life of both the calf and the mother cow. The safety talk raised the awareness of having to be vigilant for risks on the farm and ranch and the 4-H youth learned valuable practices for helping identify a calving problem and to assist in the delivery of newborn cattle. The meeting was attended by 63 adults and 31 children. “This was the best session I’ve ever had on calving difficulties” and “I have a better understanding of when to call in the veterinarian and when I can handle it myself” were quoted by several of the attendees.

Caption: 4-H member Laynee Simpson experiencing calf pulling.

Credit: Roubie Younkin

Pest Identification Services from MSU Extension

Proper and timely identification of potential pests or diseases is critical for managing potential threats to cropping, livestock, horticulture, and human health situations. Proper identification can help producers monitor the problem, keep a pest population from increasing, help to mitigate the unnecessary use of pesticides, or assure the client that the pest is harmless. Each year the Valley County Extension Office identifies roughly 80 plants, 30 insects, and 20 disease samples that people submit to the office. Samples that are unfamiliar are sent to the Schutter Lab in Bozeman for identification or confirmation of the county office’s identification. The advantage of a quick identification by the MSU Extension office is that clients can take immediate measures to reduce a potentially threatening pest or are assured that the problem is nothing to worry about. Feedback from clientele include responses such as: “Your quick identification of my bug helped me to reduce the impact on my trees”, “Now I know to just wash the aphids off with a strong jet of water, rather than killing bees and other pollinators by applying Tempo on my cotoneaster”, and “I’m so glad to hear that I didn’t have to spray for the petiole galls on my Cottonwood trees.”

Caption: Fuligo septica slime mold a.k.a. dog vomit mold

Credit: Marlo Fewer

Teacher Workshop

Good teachers become great teachers when they go beyond the textbook to create an experiential learning environment. Because continuing education is an ongoing requirement of our state’s educators, Valley County MSU Extension Agents Shelley Mills and Roubie Younkin provide teacher training each year for local teachers. Educators choose between 16 OPI renewal units or 1 undergraduate or graduate credit from MSU Northern. Ideas incorporated from this learning experience increases teacher’s effectiveness in the classroom and improve the learning experience of their students. This year’s theme, Chopped Challenge provided a backdrop for topics and activities based on the television show Chopped. Teachers applied their creativity through a food challenge, family financial literacy program, junior master gardener curriculum, changing habits through tiny simple changes in your life, art projects and “On My Own” a youth financial education program from the University of Tennessee. “By providing teachers with these skills, the workshop has the potential to save the school district money in several ways. Educators are better positioned to use in-house resources, reducing the need for costly external programs or consultants to teach financial literacy. Additionally, fostering better financial decision-making among students can lead to more financially stable families, decreasing the economic strain on district resources, such as student support services. This proactive approach contributes to a more economically literate community, reducing the long-term need for financial intervention programs.” “Attending the teacher workshop significantly enhanced my understanding of practical strategies that support both personal well-being and classroom management. Overall, this workshop equipped me with valuable resources to improve both my personal growth and professional effectiveness, positively impacting the learning environment I create for my students.” Rene Burgess.

Caption: Teachers learning "On My Own" financial education from University of TN

Credit: Roubie Younkin

Pesticide Applicator Training

Pesticide license holders in Montana must gain recertification credits to maintain their licenses in good standing. Training sessions provided by MSU provide relevant, technical, and timely information on current and emerging pest problems that can adversely impact agriculture and horticulture in Montana. Pesticide applicators earn renewal points for learning about pesticide safety, weed and insect management, disease identification and biology, equipment updates, or calibration. In 2024, three in-person sessions were held for 3 points each and several virtual options were offered to pesticide applicators including one on pollinators and pesticides presented by the Valley County Agent. In addition to the recertification trainings, the northeast region hosts an initial pesticide applicator training aimed to educate new applicators to ensure they use pesticide safely and effectively to manage pests. This training was attended by 42 adults where two thirds of the participants were gaining recertification credits and one third were new to the pesticide licensing program. The PAT program supports 105 licensed private applicators within Valley County and 743 farm applicators regionwide (7 counties in northeastern Montana). In the sparsely populated region of northeastern Montana, the local educational programming saves applicators over $350 each day in travel costs to the larger cities for recertification credits.

Caption: Learning safe removal of protective equipment with tracer dye.

Credit: Shelley Mills

Positive Youth Development

Positive youth development occurs through an intentional process that provides opportunities, choices, relationships, and the support necessary for youth to fully reach their potential. Youth gain confidence through their participation in a variety of experiences. Valley County youth development is not limited to traditional 4-H programming where members learn life skills, service to others, camp with other members and build public speaking confidence. They also practice communication, parliamentary procedure and team building in the classroom. Youth learn food safety, incubate and raise poultry in a hands-on environment and serve their community. Youth learn citizenship, leadership, compassion and kindness. The recent past has revealed a series of unique challenges for American leadership. Therefore, it is vital that today's young people be afforded every opportunity to become more aware of our country's heritage and its economic, political and cultural principles. Our youth development efforts are multifaceted with incredible impacts.

Caption: 4-H youth showing sheep at the Northeast Montana Fair

Credit: Shelley Mills

Citizenship

4-H Life Skill development in Valley County includes an understanding of citizenship. Members took advantage of the opportunity to travel to Boston, New York City, Philadelphia and Washington DC learning about history and government. This trip has been offered biennially in Valley County for the past 84 years!

Caption: Citizenship trip

Credit: Roubie Younkin

Contact

501 Court Square Ste. 12
Glasgow, MT 59230
406-228-6241
https://www.montana.edu/extension/valley