4-H Newsletter - December 2023
PDF of Newsletter
A Letter From the Extension Agent
Did you know you could travel the world with 4-H?! It’s true! There are many opportunities to travel through the 4-H program. As a 4-H member, I had the opportunity to travel to Washington D.C. (twice) and Pennsylvania. In fact, my very first plane ride was to Citizenship Washington Focus through 4-H. On top of that, I didn’t know a single person on that trip. However, I have went on to became lifelong friends with several of them. It was such an amazing experience! I wish I also would have taken advantage of the international opportunities as well.
As you grow through 4-H, I encourage you to step out of your comfort zone and try something new. If you aren’t ready to jump on a plane with strangers, then consider trying a state 4-H event first or hosting an exchange member. Look through the newsletter for exciting new adventures!
Sincerely,
Allison Kosto, Extension Agent -MSU Extension Broadwater County
Christmas Tree Fundraiser
Each year, the 4-H Council conducts a Christmas Tree Fundraiser at Rocky Mountain
Supply. The proceeds from the sales benefit the entire county 4-H program including
project work, awards and activities. The last tree cutting is on Friday, December
1st. The terrain is rough, so it is suggested that older members attend and “truck
pool” to keep vehicles to a minimum. Meet at 10:30 am at the bottom of Ross Gulch
Road at the bus pull out. Becky Flynn (406.980.0041) is overseeing this event. Please
let her know if you can bring a trailer or chainsaw. We still need a couple of trainers.
Even if you can’t help with tree cutting, your club has been assigned to clean and
stock the lot. Assignments are as follows:
· Rocky Mountain Rough Hands: November 26- December 2
· Winston: December 3-9
· Old Baldy: December 10-16
· Elkhorn: December 17-23
· Radersburg and Crow Creek: Clean up (Tree Lot and Fairgrounds)
Beef Tagging and Weigh-in
This MANDATORY event is on Saturday, December 30th at Noon at GaLor Genetics (8393 US Hwy 287, Townsend). To respect our host, please try to be on time and not too early. All market beef animals are required to attend. If you can’t be there, you must make arrangements for your animal(s) to be there. Breeding animals are welcomed to get weighed but are not required to attend. Please bring your bill of sale or brand inspection for the inspector to look at and provide guidance on what needs to be done prior to Fair. Also be prepared to share information about your animal including breed, breeder and birthdate. If you have any questions, contact John Ferrat at 406.949.7911 or Samantha Ferrat at 406.949.0869. If you run into issues on tagging day, contact Allison Kosto at 406.439.8863.
Multi-County 4-H Camp - Camp Counselors Needed!
Applications for Camp Counselors are due Friday, December 15th to the Extension Office. Camp is June 4-7 at Camp Rotary near Monarch. Applicants must be in grades 9-12 at the time of application. Counselors are required to come a day prior to camp on June 3rd and attend the entire camp in addition to a training in the spring. The application process can be highly competitive, so complete and timely applications make the best impression! The application is available from the office.
Record Book Survey
The Montana Curriculum Advisory Team is requesting feedback from parents and members on 4-H record books and their format. This is your opportunity to share your love or frustrations with the books to help guide the future of their development. Take the survey on the Montana 4-H survey form!!
4-H Directory
Attached along with the newsletter email is the 2023-2024 4-H Directory. This is your resource list of 4-H leaders in our county. It includes contact information for club leaders, committee members and project leaders. We are continuing to recruit leaders and will send out updated lists as needed. We suggest printing the directory, so you have it handy. The individuals on this list are great resources for many of your 4-H questions so don’t hesitate to contact them in addition to the office.
Greytak Calendars
Greytak calendars are available to purchase from the office. Calendars are $15.00 each and make great Christmas gifts! Exact cash or checks made out to 4-H Council please.
4-H Interstate Exchange
Deadline to join the 4-H Interstate Exchange project is Friday, December 8th!
If you love to travel, then check out this program! The Interstate Exchange program is an opportunity for a group of teen 4-H members to share their local community with 4-H group from another state. In exchange, our 4-Hers get to travel and visit the group in their home state. The program allows youth to experience the culture, geography and heritage of a different local community with a common 4-H identity. Participants learn many skills through the process including communication, social skills, caring, accepting differences, building relationships and responsibility.
Enrollment for this program only opens every two years, and now is the chance to join but the window is closing soon! Plans are made to be partnering with Bradford County, Pennsylvania for this upcoming exchange. We will be hosting them mid to late June 2024 and will travel June 2025. Some of the sites they will likely include in their itinerary are water caverns toured by boat, the Little League Museum, Hershey Park, the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon, a coal mine, Niagara Falls and Gettysburg.
Members must be 12 years of age (as of October 1, 2023) to host and a minimum of 13 years old to travel. The next meeting will be held on Friday, December 8th at 8:00 AM at the Extension Office (416 Broadway, Townsend). Questions, please call/text Jennifer Beatty at 406.490.1362 or email her at [email protected].
4-H Leaders Training
Save the date for the annual 4-H Leaders Training on Tuesday, March 26th at 6:00 pm at the Extension Office. This will replace the monthly Indoor Committee and Council meeting that month. The training is open to all leaders (club, project and others) or parents. The focus of the training is conflict management. There will also be a taco dinner. Please RSVP to the office by Friday, March 22 to ensure we have enough food. Contact Allison in the office at 406.266.9242.
Countywide 4-H Activities
Committee & Council Meetings
4-H COUNCIL: The next meeting will be Monday, January 22nd at 7:00 pm at the Extension Office (Flynn Building, 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 Monday, January 22nd at 6:30 pm at the Extension Office (Flynn Building, 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, January 2nd 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.
TEEN CLUB: The next Teen Club meeting will be Monday, January 29th at 6:30pm at the Extension Office (416 Broadway, Townsend). 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.
COUNTY CONTEST COMMITTEE:
There will be a planning meeting for the county 4-H contest on Tuesday, January 16th at 6:30 pm in the backroom of the Extension Office (Flynn Building, 416 Broadway, Townsend). If you volunteered to be a part of this committee, please attend this meeting. Items to discuss are date and theme ideas. If you have any questions, please contact the office.
4-H Animal Project Activities
Swine
Welcome to the 2024 swine project. I am excited to get another year started and before we know it, we will all have pigs to take care of. One of my big goals is to make sure every member has the tools to have a successful project. While I can’t ensure everyone a championship, I hope that I can help make the project a positive experience for all that put forth an honest effort. In order to accomplish this goal I will be conducting a series of meetings late January and February. I will not be able to cover all aspects of the swine project in that time frame so I have included a survey to help me better understand what topics we should spend most of our time on. The questions are geared more toward kids that have been in the project before but don’t be afraid to leave your thoughts if you are a first-year member. I look forward to reading your thoughts and seeing you at the meetings. Please complete the survey by December 15th. For any questions about the swine project, contact Hugh Braaten at 406.439.8873.
Dairy Goat
There will be no dairy goat workshops in December. The next workshop will be on Saturday, January 6th at 5:30pm at the Extension Office (416 Broadway, Townsend). Meat goat members are welcome as well. Any member wanting to do a demonstration at one of the meetings is welcome to do so. If you have any questions, please contact Danyel Henke at 406.980.0995
Rabbit
The next rabbit project meeting will be Sunday, December 3rd at 3:30pm at the Extension Office (416 Broadway, Townsend) If you have any questions, please contact Dannielle Douglas at 406.465.3318.
Poultry
There will be a poultry meeting on Saturday, January 20th at 11:00am at the Extension Office (416 Broadway, Townsend). Topics covered will be choosing your market animal, a poultry quiz, and parts of chickens, ducks and turkeys. If you have a questions, please contact Alice Kroeger at 406.547.4343.
4-H Non-Animal Project Activities
Sewing
The next sewing workshop will be Saturday, January 13th at 9:30 am at the Extension Office (416 Broadway, Townsend). Sewing workshops are planned for the second Saturday of the month until April 2024. There is no December workshop! If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Sarah Holland at 406.266.3473
Baking and Cooking
The December 7th workshop has been cancelled. The next workshop will be on December 14th at 6:30pm at the Trailhead Church (20 Trailhead View Dr, Townsend). There are also more workshops scheduled for January on the 4th, 11th, 18th and 25th. If you have any questions, please contact Jennifer Beatty at 406.490.1362.
Cake Decorating
Cake decorating workshops are scheduled for Fridays, January 12th and 26th at 5:30 pm at the Extension Office (416 Broadway, Townsend). Watch for more information in the January newsletter. There will also be workshops on February 9th and 23rd and March 8th and 22nd. If you have any questions, please contact Roxanne Six at 406.980.1204.
Visual Arts
There will be a workshop on Monday, December 11th at 5:30pm at the Extension Office (416 Broadway, Townsend). This workshop will be making Christmas cards and/or wrapping paper. Please bring any of your favorite colored pencils or micron or calligraphy markers. Save the dates for the January workshops: 8th- painting with tempera paints and the 24th- working with chalk pastels (bring your own chalk and chalk paper if you have it). If you have any questions about this workshop, please contact Renee Kockler at 406.220.2820
Hunting/Wildlife
The next workshop will be Saturday, January 6th at 3:00pm at the Extension Office (416 Broadway, Townsend). Topics will be cold weather hunting, hunter orange, mapping your hunt, ballistics and many more. If you have any questions, please contact Brandon Henke at 406.980.0992
Archery
Archery workshops will be held on Tuesdays from 6:00-8:00 pm in the 4-H Building at the Fairgrounds (189 US Hwy 12E, Townsend) until March 5th. If you have any questions, please contact Jason Noyes at 406.949.4851.
Photography
There will be a 4-H Photography workshop on Sunday, January 21st at 1:00 pm at the Extension Office (416 Broadway, Townsend). The workshop will be taught by 4-H alumni, Bailey Taves. Contact Karen Noyes at 406.949.4852 with any questions.
Scrapbooking
There is a scrapbooking workshop planned for Wednesday, December 20th at 4:15pm at the Extension Office (416 Broadway, Townsend). Scrapbooking members could also attend the December Visual Arts meeting, as the activity for that workshop is related to scrapbooking. If you have any questions, please contact Karen Noyes at 406.949.4852.
Statewide 4-H Opportunities
Shooting Sports Leaders Training Opportunities
There are shooting sports leaders trainings planned for this fall and winter. Any adult interested in becoming a Shooting Sports Leader must complete training in that particular discipline in addition to becoming a certified volunteer. The training includes four online training modules and an in-person training portion. The 4-H Council has traditionally helped with some of the financial costs of the training. New instructions are needed in all disciplines. Trainings will be held on the following dates:
· December 1-2– Kalispell, MT. Disciplines offered; Rifle, Pistol, Archery, Shotgun, Muzzleloader, Hunting, and Coordinator.
· December 8-9– Miles City, MT. Disciplines offered; Rifle, Pistol, Archery, Shotgun, Muzzleloader, Hunting, and Coordinator.
· December 15-16– Belgrade, MT. This is an Advanced Training for Rifle, Pistol, and Archery.
· Basic and Advanced Trainings for Western Heritage, Muzzleloader, and Hunting Skills will be held later in the Spring of 2024.
Leadership Academy Monthly Workshops
Join the Montana 4-H Leadership Academy workshop on Sunday afternoons. The leadership academy is a network of Montana 4-H members interested in exploring and developing their own leadership skills while serving their county 4-H program in new ways. Each month the officer team members will present a different workshop topic that they have found to be important as they have grown their own leadership abilities through a virtual platform.
The workshops are on Sunday afternoons from 3:00 to 4:00pm. The dates are: December 10, January 14, February 11 and March 10. Registration is done online through the Montana 4-H website. . Click on the blue ‘register now’ button. Once registered, the zoom links will be shared monthly.
Montana 4-H International Outbound Programs 2024
Montana 4-H International Programs serve to enhance world understanding and global citizens through immersing oneself in another culture! Seven international outbound programs are available to Montana teens for the 2024 program year. Travel dates are the following:
· Japan 8-week: June 12-August 9, 2024
· Argentina: June 20-July 15, 2024
· Costa Rica: June 20-July 19, 2024
· Norway: June 20-July 20, 2024
· Japan 4-week: July 10-August 9, 2024
· South Korea: July 16-August 15, 2024
· Taiwan: July 16-August 15, 2024
Apply online by December 1, 2023. Contact Christine Sommers-Austin for program eligibility and fees at mailto:[email protected] or (406) 994-3504.
Lewis and Clark County 4-H Archery – Helena Invitational Shoot
Registration for the Helena Invitational on January 6 is now OPEN. The price is $15 per event. Please use the links below to sign up. The tournament will be held at the Lewis and Clark Fairgrounds in Helena. If you have questions, please call Sam Allen at 406-461-8583
2024 REC LAB April 19-21 – Save the Date!
What is Rec Lab? It sounds like a funny name for a 4-H event. 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. Youth participants must be 13+ as of October 1, 2023. Adult chaperones must be as least 21 years of age.Registration will be done through Zsuites. Watch for more information on when registration will be live!
4-H Congress July 9 – 12 – Save the Date!
Montana 4-H invites all members 4-H age 13 and older to the 2024 Montana 4-H Congress event on the Bozeman campus of MSU. Congress provides youth from across the state an opportunity to come together on campus in Bozeman for four days and participate in an event like no other. Congress offers both youth and adults a venue in which to learn, be challenged, and most of all, have a great time with their peers. Montana 4-H'ers have been attending an event like Congress for decades. Congress has become an important tradition and is the signature event for the Montana 4-H Program. Congress' purpose is to provide a safe and fun environment for youth to experience all that 4-H Congress has to offer including contests, workshops, entertainment, social events, and much more. Watch for more information in the spring!
DID YOU KNOW?
Project Awards- Certificate vs Disc?
I hope everyone was able to attend the 4-H Achievement night last month. 4-H’ers work hard every year and this is one of the ways they are recognized for their efforts.
Surely, you noticed that members were awarded either a certificate or a disc for each of their projects. If you are wondering how or why members earned either award- keep reading!
Club leaders use a 4-H members record book to determine which award they qualify for. These record books must be complete and handed in by the date your leader has specified in order to be eligible for any type of award.
If the book is complete and shows your leader you have met the minimum requirements to complete the project in that year, you earn a certificate at least.
A disc is earned by putting additional effort into your project. How much additional effort needed is determined by how many years you have been in your project. For your 1st year you must complete two additional ‘electives’. For your 2nd-5th year, you must complete three ‘electives’ and for your 6th year or above, you must complete four ‘electives’.
What are these electives exactly? Great question! There are many different options on completing electives.
1) Project Book or Activities: Complete the required number of activities in the project book. Every project is a bit different in what is required for completion. For example, for most animal projects this is 7 activities in the project book. However, for cooking, this requirement is to “prepare 2-3 dishes from each recipe section”. How can you know what the requirements are? Look in your Clover (the book given out at the beginning of the year that lists all of the projects offered from Montana 4-H)!
2) Fair: Exhibit at least one entry from your project into fair.
3) Learning Experiences: You must participate in three learning experiences to complete this elective. Examples are workshops, trainings, clinics, field trips, etc.
4) Presentation: Give a presentation on the project at school, at a 4-H activity (workshop or club meeting) or another form of public area. Sorry, but presentations to your own family do not count!
5) Leadership: Take part in at least two leadership experiences. Examples of these are assisting with a workshop, organizing an activity, helping another member, etc.
6) Service Learning: Participate in a service learning activity that is related to your project area. Examples of these are making and donating blankets to someone in need (if you are in sewing), working at a soup kitchen (if you are in a food and nutrition project), or assisting at a show.
7) Other approved activity: Examples of this are an animal education display at fair, indoor auction item, state or national participation, or any other activity that goes above and beyond the basic expectations. These activities will be verified by a leader as to the quality of the activity.
The Broadwater County 4-H Project Award Checklist is used by leaders as they review record books in order to track the awards earned.
Hopefully this helps our members know what they need to accomplish in their project if they are hoping to earn discs next year!
As always, you are always welcome to come into the office and ask questions!
People Partner Grants - Montana 4-H Foundation
These grants, up to $500, provide incentives and financial support to 4-H clubs, groups and individuals for programs that enhance the quality of living for people in their communities. Applications should meet the following criteria:
• Youth should be involved in determining, planning, conducting, and evaluating the project.
• The project will make it possible for people to accomplish something educational and worthwhile that helps them reach a higher quality of life.
• There is community support and acceptance of the project, as evidenced by “partners” listed in the grant application, additional funding sources, and resource persons and agencies involved.
• The project has lasting benefits.
Applications can be found on the Montana 4-H Foundation website and must be postmarked by February 1.
CITIZENSHIP WASHINGTON FOCUS (CWF): A Leadership Summit Through the Lens of American Democracy
CWF is the civic engagement event for teens to learn leadership and communication skills through history, democracy, and our amendments in Washington D.C.
Who: open to 4-Hers ages 14-19 at the time of the program
When: Week 1: June 15–22, 2024 or Week 2: June 20–27, 2024
Note: The MT 4-H delegation will participate in 1 of the 2 week options – whichever week works best for the majority and/or chaperone(s) availability.
Where: Hyatt Regency – Bethesda, Maryland
Approximate Cost: $1,495/youth delegate for 7 nights double room occupancy includes program activities and most meals; cost of airfare/transportation is additional
For more information check out the Citizenship Washington Focus website.
*If interested in participating in the 2024 Citizenship Washington Focus (CWF), please indicate by completing this Citizenship Washington Focus Interest Form! Completing this form does not commit you to participate in the program - it helps our state office plan.
NATIONAL 4-H CONFERENCE: Calling All Change Agents!
National 4 H Conference is the pinnacle experience in 4 H Civic Engagement for teens. At the conference, delegates will have the opportunity to participate in round table discussions and present to federal partner agencies as well as engage in service-learning.
Who: open to 4-Hers ages 15-19 at the time of the program, geared for juniors & seniors in high school
When: April 19-24, 2024
Where: Hyatt Regency - Crystal City, Arlington, VirginiaApproximate Cost: ~$810/youth delegate (cost based on 2023 registration) for Apr 19-23 double room occupancy includes program activities and most meals; cost of airfare/transportation is additional
For more information check out the National 4-H Conference website.
*If interested in potentially participating in the 2024 National 4-H Conference, please indicate by completing this National 4-H Conference Interest Form! Completing this form does not commit you to participate in the program - it helps our state office plan.
Other Opportunities
Fair Board is Asking for Fair Theme Ideas!
The Broadwater County Fair Board is charged with coming up with the annual Fair themes. The board likes to gather ideas and decide on themes for the next few years at once. We are looking to decide on our themes for fair 2025-2030!
We are reaching out to 4-H’ers to submit ideas for possible themes for us to choose from. Ideas can be submitted to our fair email address: [email protected] or dropped off at the Extension Office (416 Broadway, Townsend). We will collect ideas until January 31, 2024!!
