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A Letter From the Extension Agent

Part four in a series on parliamentary procedure.  

An amendment is a motion used to change the wording of a main motion.  It can be amended by inserting words, striking out words, substituting words or a combination.  The change must relate to the same subject matter.  For example, if a motion is made to “have a club party at the bowling alley,” then an amendment could be made by striking out the words “bowling alley” and inserting “pool park”.  

After the motion to amend is made, it requires a second.  The president will restate the amendment and then open discussion.  Discussion can only relate to the amendment, not the original motion.  So in the example, discussion would be on the pool park versus the bowling alley.  Once the discussion is done, the president will ask for a vote on the amendment only.  

After that time, discussion goes back to the original motion which would now be amended assuming it passed.  

Sincerely,

Allison Kosto, Extension Agent - MSU Extension Broadwater County

 

County Contest Extravaganza– “Chinese Challenge 2025- Year of the Snake”

County 4-H Contests are scheduled for the afternoon of Sunday, March 16th. The exact schedule will be determined after entries are received. This event is a fun way for you to share your knowledge, learn new skills and be recognized for your hard work. Contests are related to communications, cooking, sewing and quilting. You don’t have to be enrolled in a certain project to participate. Senior members (13-18 years old) can earn a trip to compete at Montana 4-H Congress. Registration books are attached to this email.  Registration deadline is Tuesday, March 4th by 5pm.

 

Multi-County 4-H Camp

Save the date for June 3-6th for 4-H Camp near Monarch. 4-H camp is open to members currently in grades 3-6th. Registration will be done through Zsuites and will open in April.

Counselors have been notified.  They are encouraged to attend two upcoming trainings.  There will be a virtual training on Wednesday, March 5th at 7:00 pm and an in-person training on Sunday, April 13th from 1:00-4:00 pm. Location TBD.  Participation in these trainings is highly recommended.  

 

Broadwater County 4-H Leadership Scholarships

The 4-H Council is offering scholarships to graduating seniors, up to $700. Applicants must have been active in 4-H for all four years of high school, enrolled and completed at least two projects during each year of high school, and demonstrated 4-H leadership skills. Record books must be submitted, along with the application, by April 1st to the Extension Office. The application is attached to this email or can be picked up at the Extension Office. 

 

Stay Connected with Sports You!

We are trying something new by offering members and parents to join us with Sports You. Sports You is a data-secure, school-safe, US owned and operated messaging platform. It can be used via a web browser or an app. We intend to use this to push out reminders and post documents. It is not mandatory to join, but if you think this will help your family stay connected with what is happening county wide, then please do! See the attachment with this email for instructions on how to join.

 

4-H Feathers and Fur

4-H Members and Leaders, you're invited to the 4-H Feathers & Fur event on April 19th. This event involves 4-H members bringing in 4-H animals to Reading Leaves for Easter so that the public can come through and see and pet your animals. Please don't bring any animal that will bite or scratch. You can sign up as a member to bring animals, to help out or just as a leader coming to help. We would love for you to bring your animal and have a great time. If you would like to join us please fill out this form https://form.jotform.com/250305532849053%20 If you have any questions, please contact Danyel Henke at 406.980.0995.

 

DID YOU KNOW?! - How To Get an Indoor Award at Fair

The Indoor Committee uses a point system to determine indoor Fair awards based on the ribbons that you receive. A purple ribbon is worth 4 points, blue is 3 points, red is 2 and white is 1

Certificates are given to the top 4-H junior and senior exhibitor in every project (Cooking, Archery, Robotics, etc). Points are given for up to 5 entries/ribbons in every project. The more entries you do and the better you do, the more points you will get.

Medals are given in every 4-H project category for juniors and seniors. The project categories are listed both in the 4-H Clover and the Fairbook. An example of a category is “Engineering and Technology” which includes the projects Aerospace, Electric, Robotics, Small Engines, Welding and Woodworking. In this area, exhibitors receive points for the top 3 entries/ribbons in each project. All the projects in the category are added together and the exhibitor with the most points in the category will receive a medal. The more projects you do within a category, the greater the probability you will get a metal. Quality is important too!

An overall award is given to the top junior and senior indoor exhibitor. This award uses the top 3 entries/ribbons in every indoor project (including animal educational displays) for the overall award. This is another area where a greater number of indoor projects may yield a great likelihood of achieving the award. Quality is important too!

Indoor awards are a little complicated so if you have any questions, contact a member of the Indoor Committee or the Extension Office.

 

Committee & Council Meetings

4-H COUNCIL: The next meeting will be on Tuesday, March 25th at 7:00 pm at the Extension Office (416 Broadway, Townsend). Contact Karen at 406.949.4852 if you have any questions or agenda items. Agenda items must be submitted by noon the Friday prior to the meeting.

INDOOR COMMITTEE: The next meeting will be on Tuesday, March 25th at 6:00 pm at the Extension Office (416 Broadway, Townsend). Contact Karen at 406.949.4852 if you have any questions or agenda items. Agenda items must be submitted by noon the Friday prior to the meeting.

LIVESTOCK COMMITTEE: The next meeting will be Tuesday, March 4th at 7:00 pm at the Extension Office (416 Broadway, Townsend).  If you have any questions or agenda items, please contact Jason Noyes at 406.949.4851. Agenda items must be submitted by noon the Friday prior to the meeting.  

HORSE COMMITTEE: There is currently no meeting scheduled.  If you have any questions, please contact Jan Finn at [email protected] or phone (406) 266-4992 - home phone or (406) 521-0001 - cell phone.

INTERSTATE EXCHANGE CLUB: The next meeting is scheduled for Monday, March 24th at 6:30pm at the Extension Office. If you have any questions, please contact Jennifer Beatty at 406.490.1362 or Todd Beatty at 406.490.1361.

TEEN CLUB: There is no Teen Club meeting scheduled for March at this time. Teen Club is open to all Middle or High School aged members. If you are not currently in Teen Club, but want to find out what it is about, please come to a meeting! Please RSVP to Karen Noyes at 406.949.4852.

 

4-H Animal Project Activities

 

Market Swine Tagging

IMPORTANT:  All market hogs must be in your possession by April 15th.  Due to biosecurity measures, no tagging and weigh-in will be held.  It is your responsibility to get tags from the Extension Office to tag hogs by May 1st.  A Market Swine Form needs to be turned into the office by that date.  There is no limit to the number of hogs tagged, but only two hogs can be entered in the Fair and only one will sell. Every hog tagged must be assigned to a designated 4-H/FFA member. Fair entries must match the tagging form and all animals who are housed in the Livestock Building at Fair must be entered in the Fair. Tagging forms are attached to this email, available online, or can be submitted via google form. Contact the Extension Office or Travis Volkman at 406.253.6160 if you have any questions.

 

Livestock Quality Assurance

Livestock Quality Assurance (QA) is required every other year for members who plan to exhibit market and breeding livestock (beef, sheep, swine, goat, rabbit and poultry) at the Fair. There will only be one training offered this year on Sunday, April 27th at 2:00 pm at the 4-H Building at the Fairgrounds.  

The guest speaker this year is Sierra Jepson, owner of Butcher Solutions.  She is a resident of Broadwater County and an expert in butchery skills and meat science.  She will be discussing the importance of a high quality meat product and doing a meat cutting demonstration. There will also be hands on activities to learn skills in meat products. 

If you can’t attend the workshop or prefer to take the class online, please contact the Extension Office for your options.  Even if you are not required to attend QA this year, the class can still count the class towards one of your activity points for your market livestock activity requirements if you attend.

 

Market Livestock Activity Requirements

To sell market livestock (including poultry and rabbits) at the Broadwater County Fair all 4-H members must complete 7 “activities” for each market project by the Fair entry deadline.  There are many different activities that qualify for points.

One option for junior members (ages 8-13) is to complete seven (7) activities in your 4-H Project book.  Senior members (ages 14-18) are limited to three book activities, but there are still many other options!  You may also choose other activities such as attending a workshop, livestock judging, outside shows, helping a younger member or organizing a workshop.  For each of these items, you should write a paragraph about what you learned during the educational experience.  These educational experiences can be in-person or virtual but must pertain directly to your specific 4-H project.  

These requirements are for market livestock ONLY.  This means it is an animal that you plan to sell in the 4-H/FFA Market Livestock Sale.  If you are not selling the animal (for example pet rabbits, breeding projects, laying hens, dairy animals, etc.), then this rule does not apply to you.

 

Important Market Livestock Deadlines
Swine: Posession-April 15th, 2025, ID Forms w/ Tag #s (turned in to office)- May 1st, 2025
Lambs & Goats: Posession- May 15th, 2025, Tagging and Weigh In (in person event) - Exact date TBD (Mid/end of May)
Poultry & Rabbits: Posession-June 25th, 2025, Identification Form (turned in to office) -June 26th, 2025
 

Dairy Goat Opportunity in Gallatin County

Another learning opportunity for any Dairy Goat or Dairy Cow 4-Hers that would be interested in coming.

Gallatin County has scheduled a guest speaker to come teach about DHIA Milk Testing on Monday, March 10th at 6:00 pm at the Gallatin County Fairgrounds (Exhibit Building #4). The presentation will be more focused for Dairy goat, but a lot of the same ideas are similar in dairy cow, so all are welcome!

If you have anyone interested in attending, please have them reach out to our Dairy Goat leader Lea’h MacDonald: [email protected]

 

Horse

The first horse workshop of the year will be on Thursday, March 27th at 6:30pm at the Extension Office (416 Broadway, Townsend). This will be a tack check and member introductions. Please bring your saddle (including cinch) and bridle. Riding practices will begin in April. If you have any questions, please contact Jann Finn at 406.266.4992 or Donna Richards at 406.521.0717.

 

Meat Goat

The first meat goat workshop of the year will be held on Saturday, March 15th at 2:00 pm at the McDaniel Ranch (168 Lower Confederate Rd, Townsend). If you have any questions, please contact Tancy McDaniel at 406.980.0456.

 

Beef

There is no beef workshops scheduled for March. The next workshop will be in conjunction with the Quality Assurance workshop in April. If you have any questions about the beef project, contact John Ferrat at 406.949.7911 or Samantha Ferrat at 406.949.0869.

 

Rabbit

The next rabbit workshop will be held on Sunday,  April 6th at 3:30 pm at the Extension Office (416 Broadway, Townsend).  We will be going over rabbit breeds. No rabbits at this meeting please. Rabbit workshops are planned to be held monthly on the first Sundays at 3:30 pm. If you have any questions, please contact Dannielle Douglas at 406.465.3318.

 

Dairy Goat

The next dairy goat meeting will be held Saturday, April 5th at 5:30 pm. Meetings are planned to be held monthly on the first Saturday at 5:30pm. Locations will change throughout the year. These meetings are also open to Meat Goat members. If you have any questions, please contact Danyel Henke at 406.980.0995.

 

Poultry

There are three poultry workshops scheduled: Saturday March 22nd, April 26th and May 17th at 4:00 pm at the Extension Office (416 Broadway, Townsend). Various poultry topics will be covered to help support member’s projects, and prepare for Fair. Please let Alice know if any members would like to use this time to present to the group. If you have any questions, please contact Alice Kroeger at 406.547.4343.

 

Swine

There are monthly meetings planned January through June for the swine project. The February meeting will be held on Thursday, March 20th at 6:30pm at the 4-H Building at the Fairgrounds (189 US HWY 12 E, Townsend). If you have any questions, contact Travis Volkman at 406.253.6160.

 
4-H Non-Animal Project Activities

 

Sewing

The next sewing workshop will be Saturday, March 8th at 9:30 am at the Extension Office (416 Broadway, Townsend). If you are planning on participating in the sewing project next year, please attend! Sewing workshops are planned for the second Saturday of the month until April. If you have any questions, please contact Sarah Holland at 406.266.3473

 

.22 Rifle

The group has been divided into two shooting groups. Group A will meet on the first and third Mondays, Group B will meet on the second and fourth Thursdays at 6:30pm at the Broadwater Rod and Gun Club (96 Canton Lane, Townsend). For February: Group A meets on the 3rd and 17th and Group B meets on the 13th and 27th. If you do not know which group you are in please contact John Pavao. If you have any questions, please contact John Pavao at 406.422.9590.

 

Cake Decorating

The March workshop will be on Friday, March 14th at 5:30pm at the Extension Office (416 Broadway, Townsend). If you have any questions, please contact Roxanne Six at 406.980.1204.

 

Archery

Archery workshops will be on Tuesdays, March 4thand 11th at 6:00 pm at the 4-H Building at the Fairgrounds (189 US HWY 12 E, Townsend). If you have any questions, please contact Jason Noyes at 406.949,4851

 

Shotgun

Shotgun workshops will be held on Sundays through the end of April. The first workshop will be on Sunday March 9th at 4:00 pm at the Broadwater Rod and Gun Club Canton Range (96 Canton Lane, Townsend). The shotgun program is planning on using SportsYou for updates. See page 2 of this newsletter for instructions on joining SportsYou. The code to join the shotgun group is YCXY-KMZK. If you have any questions, please contact Daniel Truesdell at 406.980.0640 or Todd Beatty at 406.490.1361.

 

Vet Science

No workshop scheduled for March.  More details to come in the April newsletter.

 

Statewide 4-H Opportunities

 

Statewide 4-H Shooting Sports Matches 

There are several shooting sports matches remaining. Some are in-person events and others are postal matches. Visit the Montana 4-H Shooting Sports Event page for information, registration materials and instructions, dates and deadlines! For additional information on any particular event, please contact the office.

·         Choteau County Archery Invitational – March 1 in Fort Benton.  

·         State Shooting Sports Tournament – March 7-9 in Bozeman.  

·         Bitterroot 4-H Archery Shoot – March 15 (rescheduled) in Victor

·         Madison County 4-H Archery Shoot – March 15-16 in Ennis.

·         Livingston - Sunday, 4/6/2025 Archery Pre-Qualifier       [email protected] & [email protected]

·         Livingston - Sunday, 5/18/2025 Archery Qualifier           [email protected] & [email protected]

·         Logan - Saturday, May 3, 2025 Shotgun Qualifier             [email protected]

 

4-H Shooting Sports National Quiz Bowl

The 4-H Shooting Sports National Quiz Bowl registration portal is now open. Quizzes this year are comprised of 50 new questions for Intermediate/Seniors and 25 new questions for Juniors as a mix of General 4-H, STEM, Rifle, Pistol, Shotgun, Archery, Hunting Skills, and Western Heritage - hosted on a brand new, exciting, hopefully trouble free, platform. Please use this link to access the needed information.  https://4-hshootingsports.org/2025-quiz-bowl-information/. ​

 

Important Upcoming Dates
·         Leadership Academy - Sundays at 3:00 PM​ -  March 16, 2025​

·         Montana State Shooting Sports Event – March 7-9, 2025

·         4-H Rec Lab – March 28-30th

·         Youth State Award Deadline – May 1, 2025​

·         Montana 4-H Congress (Pre-Congress) - July 6-8 and 8-11, 2025

 

Monthly Online Leadership Academy

Join the Montana 4-H Leadership Academy workshop series on Sunday afternoons in the 2024-2025 4-H year. Each month, the Ambassador Officer Team will present a different workshop topic that they have found to be important as they have developed their own leadership abilities. This workshop can be paired with a local county leadership meeting to work on skill building, planning, and mentorship. The leadership academy is for Montana 4-H members interested in exploring and developing their own leadership skills while serving their county 4-H program in new ways. The workshop content is considered beginner level for emerging leaders. Members with more leadership experience may find this to be a review and should consider mentoring younger members just starting out in leadership activities before or after these workshops. Visit the Youth Leadership Academy website to register for the workshop series and receive the Zoom link. The last workshop is at 3:00 PM on March 16.

 

Montana 4-H Rec Lab - March 28-30th

Montana 4-H Rec Lab is taking place on March 28-30 in White Sulpher Springs.  Registration is now open through ZSuites and closes March 12.  Youth participants must be 13+ as of October 1, 2024. Adult chaperones must be as least 21 years of age.  This event rotates around the state and it’s a great opportunity to have it so close to home!  We already have a chaperone and would love to take a large group.  The cooks are also from Broadwater County so you know you’ll have excellent food too!

The registration fee is $100.  If you are a receipting of the “I Challenge You” Award it can be used towards this event.  There is also funding available upon request through the Mike Ferrat Memorial Fund in the 4-H Council.  

What is Rec Lab? Rec Lab stands for Recreation Lab and means that everything is hands-on and fun! This event is a 4-H member favorite: It provides an opportunity for youth and adults to enhance their leadership, communication, and team building skills in an action-packed and interactive setting. Rec Lab programming provides participants with tips and tricks for being a better club, camp, and community leader. This event is ideal for younger senior members to attend as a first-time state event. It allows them to form relationships with 4-H peers from across the state, broaden their skills, and widen their network. 

 

Other Opportunities


Montana Farm Bureau Foundation Speech Contest 

This contest is for enrolled 7th-9th grade 4-H or FFA members. The event is scheduled for Thursday April 3rd from 8-10:30 am at MSU SUB Room 232. Cash prizes will be awarded! See the flier attached to this email for registration ifnformation and speech topic. 

Reach out to Alena Standley with any questions! [email protected] or 406-799-9955.

 

MontanaFair Junior Livestock Show 

The event will be August 8th-16th in Billings. Animals participating in this show must be tagged on the following dates: Swine/Sheep/Goat on Saturday, May 3rd from 8:00-11:00 am.  Both tagging events are at the Public Auction Yard in Billings. For more information, contact the Extension Office.