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A Letter From the Extension Agent

We just wrapped up another great year!  We ended the last 4-H year with 140 members, 7 clubs and 63 adult volunteers.  Here are some more statistics about our membership last year:

Home Location

·         Farm or Ranch – 36.7%

·         Towns under 10,000 & Rural – 57.6%

·         Other – 5.7%

Gender

·         Male – 50.4%

·         Female – 49.6%

Top Projects

1.       Swine

2.       Shooting Sports

3.       Rabbit

4.       Woodworking

5.       Beef

I look forward to another great year!

 

Sincerely,

Allison Kosto, Extension Agent- MSU Extension Broadwater County

 

Re-Enrollment

The New 4-H year started October 1st.  This will be the last newsletter or communication that you will receive from the office until you re-enroll.  Instructions on how to enroll are attached to this newsletter! Pick up your new 4-H Clover Project Selection Guide from your club leader.  This year’s Clover Project Selection Guide is now good for two years, so please make sure to save it for next year.  Also remember, if you plan on taking a 4-H project to fair, you must be enrolled in that project.  If you know anyone interested in joining 4-H, have them contact the Extension Office.

 

4-H Achievement Night

The annual Achievement Night has been set for Sunday, November 17th at the 4-H Building at the Fairgrounds.  We will be celebrating with a taco bar at 6:00 pm and the program will start at 6:30 pm.  Come to receive your awards and celebrate our achievements. New members are invited also! Come and watch and see what you have to look forward to at the end of the year!

 

New 4-H Family Night

New to 4-H?  Been enrolled for a couple of years but still have questions?!  Then join us for a family night on Tuesday, November 19th at 6:30 pm at the Methodist Church (200 N. Cedar Street) in Townsend. This is a great time to learn more about the 4-H program, expectations, meet others and ask questions.  The evening features games, presentations and an opportunity to meet leaders and ask questions.  It will cover general expectations of the 4-H program and discuss key components including projects, record books and 4-H activities. Hope to see you there!

 

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.

 

The office will be closed on Tuesday, November 5th for Election Day and Monday, November 11th for Veteran’s Day. We will also close Thursday-Friday November 28th-29th for the Thanksgiving Holiday. 
 

 

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 invite both parents and members to join the group in order to stay connected. We envision using this to push out reminders 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.

 

Christmas Tree Fundraiser

Each year, the 4-H Council conducts a Christmas Tree Fundraiser at Rocky Mountain Supply, and we need YOUR help! This year, there will be two cutting days divided by clubs. Cutting dates are Fridays, November 22nd and December 6th. Cutting locations and meeting points will be determined. Please contact your club leader if your family is able to bring a trailer and/or a chainsaw and for the cutting date your club is assigned to. The proceeds from the sales benefit the entire county 4-H program including project work, awards and activities. Cleaning and stocking of the tree lot assignments is as follows:

·         Old Baldy: Set Up November 21 or 22

·         Crow Creek: November 24-30th

·         Rocky Mountain Rough Hands: December 1-7th

·         Winston: December 8-14th

·         Toston: December 15-21st

·         Old Baldy and Elkhorn: December 22-25

·         Radersburg: Clean Up December 26th

 

Countywide 4-H Activities
 

Committee & Council Meetings

4-H COUNCIL: The next meeting will be on Tuesday, November 26th 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 Tuesday, November 26th 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, November 5th 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 not a meeting scheduled as of now.  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 Friday, November 22 at 8:00 am at the Extension Office. If you have any questions, please contact Jennifer Beatty at 406.490.1362 or Todd Beatty at 406.490.1361.

 

4-H Animal Project Opportunities

 

Beef Tagging and Weigh-in

The event is on Saturday, December 28th 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.  It is recommended to bring your brand inspection paperwork for the inspector to look over and help provide guidance on what needs to be done prior to Fair.  Also please be prepared to share information about your animal including breed, breeder and birthdate.  If you have any questions about the beef project, contact John Ferrat at 406.949.7911 or Samantha Ferrat at 406.949.0869.  If you run into issues on the day of tagging, contact Allison at 406-439-8863.

 
Beef/Vet Science

We invite all families in the Market & Breeding Beef projects and Veterinary Science project to join us on Sunday, November 24th at 4:00 pm to approximately 5:30pm, to learn and observe our synchronization and AI (artificial insemination) protocol on our mature cows. The learning session will be outside in our corrals at Ferrat Ranch 191 Ferrat Ln, Toston, MT 59643. Please dress appropriately for the weather and wear sturdy, warm shoes that can get muddy and/or mucky. 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 first rabbit workshop of the year will be held on Sunday, November 3rd at 3:30pm at the Extension Office (416 Broadway, Townsend).  Please do not bring your rabbits to this meeting, it will be an informational meeting. Rabbit workshops are planned to be held monthly on the first Sundays at 3:30pm. If you have any questions, please contact Dannielle Douglas at 406.465.3318.

 

Dairy Goat

The first dairy goat meeting of the year will be held Saturday, November 2nd at 5:30pm at the Extension Office (416 Broadway, Townsend). 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.

 

4-H Non-Animal Project Activities

 

Cloverbuds

The Cloverbuds will be meeting on the third Sundays at 3:00pm January-May 2025. These workshops will be held at the Extension Office (416 Broadway, Townsend). If you have any questions, please contact Jessica Lancello at 406.860.5355.

 

Sewing

The next sewing workshop will be Saturday, November 9th 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

Keep an eye out for workshop dates! The plan is to start weekly workshops around mid-January. Exact days of the week are still to be determined, depending on the schedule at the Broadwater Rod and Gun Club. If you have any questions, please contact John Pavao at 406.422.9590.

 

Scrapbooking/Visual Arts

There will be a scrapbooking/visual arts workshop on Monday November 18th from 7:00-8:00pm at the Extension Office (416 Broadway, Townsend). There will be a guest leader. Anyone who attends needs to bring 3-6 pictures that they would like to memory keep. This workshop will be more geared towards scrapbooking but could also be used as a Visual Arts workshop. The next workshop will be more art themed. If you have any questions, please contact Karen Noyes at 406.949.4852.

 
Statewide 4-H Opportunities

 

Shooting Sports Leaders Trainings

Did you know that shooting sports leaders must go through extra trainings in order to become certified? Anyone interested in becoming a shooting sports leader, please reach out to the office. There are some training courses coming up this fall, so now is a good time to start the process! Once certified, leaders only have to recertify every seven years.

Here is the list of trainings scheduled for the remainder of  2024.  

·         Kalispell – December 6-7, 2024.  We will offer Coordinator, Archery, Rifle, Pistol, Muzzleloader, Hunting Skills, and Shotgun.

·         Belgrade – December 13-14, 2024.  We will offer Coordinator, Archery, Rifle, Pistol, and Shotgun.

·         Havre, Circle, and Malta.  TBD.  We will offer Archery, Rifle, and Pistol.

 
Golden Triangle Volunteer Summit

The 2024 Golden Triangle 4-H Volunteer Summit registration is now open on ZSuite!  The event will be Saturday, November 16 at First Baptist Church in Shelby, MT.  It’s just $10 for the day which includes lunch, snacks, handouts, and door prizes!  The event is open to any volunteer, leader, council or committee member, or just anyone passionate about 4-H and making an impact on our next generation of youth!  The agenda is attached and includes a great variety of workshops to fit anyone involved in 4-H youth leadership or considering it. 

 

Registration is open on ZSuite under Events.  For anyone not enrolled through ZSuite, they can register at through this external link.  Registration deadline is Monday, November 11 at 9 a.m..  Please contact Kari Lewis at [email protected] or 406-873-2239 with any questions.  Let’s kick the new 4-H year off together!  Please share with other folks who may be interested as well, bring a carload!

 

 
Important Upcoming Dates
·         November 1-3, 2024 – Fall Leadership Training Billings​

·         Leadership Academy - Sundays at 3:00 PM​

o    November 17, 2024​

o    December 15, 2024​

o    January 12, 2025​

o    February 9, 2025​

o    March 16, 2025​

·         Citizenship Seminar – January 19-21, 2025​

·         Legislative Breakfast – January 20-21, 2025​

·         Youth State Award Deadline – May 1, 2025​

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