AprilNewsletterHTML

Hello 4-H Families!
Spring is here and we are so excited for warmer weather. Spring
also means that it is time to tag pigs and lambs! If you haven't
already, please make arrangements with us to get your pigs
tagged. There are lots of fun spring time events coming up and
they are all listed in our newsletter. We also share these events in
our Facebook group if you are on Facebook, feel free to add
yourself to the Toole County 4-H Group.
Summer is just around the corner and Marias Fair Fun Time will be
here before you know it!
Please remember that the Add/Drop Date is May 1st. You cannot
add any projects after May 1st.
Public presentation sign ups are happening now until April 15th.
There is more information if you follow this link:
tinyurl.com/2p8bwfzu
As always, please let us know if you have any questions. You can
stop by the office anytime!
Kim & Jackie

Small Ag Committee Updates
The Small Ag Committee met to discuss rule changes for the Fair Book. We also worked on designing
rubrics that fit our projects. Kim will be finalizing the changes for the fair book and will send them out
to the offices and folks with those projects. There will be a Small Animal judging clinic in Harlowton on
April 9th. We would like to host one up here if it is successful.
Livestock Committee Update

Market animals (any species) that are over the maximum sale participation weight (1,680 for steers,
185 for lambs, 336 for swine, 123 for goats) will show ONLY for showmanship and will not sell.

2023 NILE Merit Heifer Program
The opportunity for kids to get started in the cattle industry is knocking, and loudly. Applications for
the NILE Merit Heifer program are now available for the 2022-2023 year.
The NILE Merit Heifer program is a live animal scholarship, meaning the recipients are given a young,
live, heifer calf. The objective is to help youth get a start in the beef cattle business and gain knowledge
about the beef industry.
Program participants are chosen based on merit, future goals, and ability to care for the animal. 4-H or
FFA members who are 12-16 years old may apply. Applicants are not limited to Montana residents.
During the program duration, participants are responsible for care-taking, record keeping, breeding,
and bringing the heifer back one year later to the NILE Stock Show & Rodeo. The class of merit heifer
recipients competes for best phenotype, top showman honors, best record book, best interview and
overall top herdsman.
Applications and a link to the YouTube video must be received no later than June 30, 2022 by 4 p.m.
The 2023 recipients will be announced in late summer of 2022. Applications are available online here.
Application Requirements:
complete application
character references
written essay
3-5 minute YouTube video (should include, but is not limited to):
an introduction
facility tour
current 4-H/FFA projects
goals and objectives for the Merit Heifer
voiced by the applicant
For more information go to thenile.org

Horse Updates

1.We will start doing recognition of seniors at the horse show. It was started last minute last year,
but we will do a better job of it in coming years.
2.We will not be doing any fundraising this year. Instead we are going to see if we can work the
stripping chute at Whoop Up Days and get a small donation from the Lions Committee. If you have
something horse related in your county that could use volunteers, let the horse committee know
and we may be able to work a similar deal to help us pay for judges and other miscellaneous
needs.
3.We are going to move the Working Ranch Horse Show to 9:00 Judges Clinic, 10:00 show start. Still
on Tuesday of Fair.
4.Pony Rides will be happening again from noon until 1pm on Saturday. Depending on numbers, we
might get both arenas going.
5.Patterns were selected and are attached. We haven’t done WRH patterns yet though.
Adriane is working on getting ahold of PRCA people to see how elaborate they want the grand
entry/TETWP and if we are going both days of rodeo or just Saturday. We were also approached by
the Lions Club to have a bigger presence at Whoop Up, and may do a grand entry there. I am
getting more details on how elaborate they want it, but if it goes ahead, horse members from all
6.counties will be invited to participate.
7.The goal is to have at least one ride night in Shelby before fair to make sure kids and horses are all
used to the fair grounds.
Beef – 1,680
Lambs – 185
Swine – 336
Goats – 123
Livestock Committee Updates
Lamb weight limit - Maximum lamb weight limit has been increased to 165 pounds. This is more in
line with other fairs and allows those larger framed lambs to be appropriately finished. A heavier
carcass also provides the buyer more meat for their fixed processing costs.
Maximum Sale Participation Weight – Any animal weighing 12% or more above the maximum
payweight will NOT be eligible to sell in the market livestock sale. Those animals may participate in the
show but will not be able to sell.
Maximum sale participation weights are:
Weigh in Deadline: Swine Weigh In and Breeding Projects are due April 17th, which is Easter, so
please contact the office of Kim to schedule a time. Lamb/Goat deadline May 8th.

The following 4-H members will need Livestock Quality Assurance this year:
We will have one at project day in May.
Taylor Parsons Brinlee Flesch
Ty Parsons Morgan Riphenburg
4-H Leadership Academy:
If you are an ambassador or teen leader, join the Montana 4-H Leadership Academy workshop on
Sunday, April 10th, @2:30pm. 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.
Local county leadership groups will have an opportunity to join with groups from around the state as
well as the Montana 4-H Ambassador Officer team, virtually and in person when possible, to work on
skill building, planning and mentorship.
Each month the officer team members will be presenting a different workshop topic that they have
found to be important as they have grown their own leadership abilities. This workshop should be
paired with a local county leadership meeting to work on county projects that serve the local 4-H
program and community.
Leadership Academy Dates:
April 10 - Lead with a Purpose (VIRTUAL)
Public Presentation Day
Public Presentation Day is is on April 24th from 2-5pm! It will be at the First Baptist Church Activity Center.
There is going to be presentations of projects and a Lego contest as well! Follow this link to register
tinyurl.com/2p8bwfzu
Project Day
Project Day will be on May 7th at the First Baptist Church Activity Center.
There will be a short Quality Assurance and food safety presentation for those who need it. These are
required every other year for 4-H members that are going to the fair. All members that are taking an animal
project need to have this training every other year. If anyone would like to teach a station in a specific
project, please let us know.
4-H Camp
4-H camp will be Monday, June 13th through Wednesday, June 15th, similar to previous years. Camp
will be for 4-Hers in 7th grade or below (no Cloverbuds). Registration will be available on a first come,
first serve (and paid) basis until we reach 120 campers. Any remaining applicants will be on a waiting
list. Registration details will be coming later this spring. Camp will be $60/camper, due to higher food
and supply costs. The Toole County 4-H Council Event scholarship and Bret Wanken Memorial Fund
scholarship are both available, applications are available on our website or upon request.
The theme for this year's camp is "at the movies". Registration will be open from April 1st to May 13th.
Registration is now open on Z-Suite.

Gallatin Pollinator Initiative
It’s April which means it's Earth Month and the Gallatin Conservation District (GCD) wants to celebrate
by amping up the Gallatin Pollinator Initiative just in time for spring planting!!
The aim of the Gallatin Pollinator Initiative is to promote pollinator health by creating habitat with our
FREE seed mixes available to landowners across Gallatin County. We also hope to educate the
community on the importance of pollinators through workshops, tabling, and events!
Our first in person event of the year will be a Site Prep Workshop on April 28th from 6-7pm! We
encourage all new and current participants to come and ask questions to gear up for spring planting
and plot maintenance. This event can also serve as a way to meet people in your community who
share your love for pollinators and pick up seeds from the GCD office!
We will host the workshop both in person at the GCD office as well as over Zoom. If you are unable to
attend the event live we are planning to record the workshop and post it on our website. Scan the QR
code below or visit our website at gallatincd.org to register for FREE!
Moving forward the GCD plans to offer Pollinator Jeopardy, social media giveaways, pollinator summer
film fest, art in the garden, educational workshops and MORE to all our Gallatin County residents and
pollinator initiative participants!
Feel free to reach out to Gillian Rowe ([email protected]) with questions on the Pollinator
Initiative! You can also find the GCD on Instagram and Facebook (@gallatincd) to get the most up to
date information on future programs and events!
4-H Family Passes
Please note, 4-H Family entertainment passes will be $150/family this year (immediate family only) and
the passes will include Indian Relay Races Thursday and Friday and rodeo Saturday night and Sunday
afternoon. Fair expenses can quickly add up so we recommend budgeting now for these summer
expenses. If you receive a tax refund, earmarking part of that for summer activities, whether 4-H camp,
fair passes, school supplies, or otherwise, can be a great idea.
Swine Weight Fair Information
Remember, fair weigh-in date is Wednesday, July 20th. Fair minimum weight is 220 pounds, maximum
payweight is 300 pounds, maximum sale participation weight is 336 pounds. As a generalization, many
of the show pig types tend to gain around 1.5 - 2.0 lbs/day while a commerical type pig can be 2.0 - 2.5
lbs/day. Calculate the days until fair from when you purchase your pig to determine what an
appropriate beginning start weight would be.

2022 Montana Livestock Shows
April 23 - Golden Triangle in Great Falls (beef only)
May 14 - Ronan Livestock Show
May 28 - 29 - Renegade in Great Falls (all species)
June 4 - Golden Triangle Preview in Great Falls (swine, lambs, goats)
June 10 - 11 - Champions Choice in Helena (lambs, goats, swine)
June 11 - 12 - Helena Jackpot (all species)
June 24 - Western Ranch Fitting and Showmanship Camp - Great Falls
June 25 - 26 - Western Ranch Jackpot - Great Falls (all species)
Horse Clinic for Flesch Family
Remington Campbell is planning a horsemanship clinic that is centered around the 4-H working
ranch horse program. He is going to cap it at 12 students and the fee will be $150 per student.
Anyone that wants to come watch there will be a donation box. All the proceeds of this clinic will
go to the Flesch family. He is also thinking about doing a colt starting demonstration at the end
that anyone could watch. At this time the date of this horse clinic is to be determined.
Open Rabbit Show
Great Falls Rabbit Breeders is hosting a double ARBA Open Rabbit Show along with a Fun Show for
kids, plus there will be a Mini Lop and Rex Specialty show on April 9th at the Fairgrounds in Great Falls.
This would be a wonderful opportunity for your 4-Her, or anyone who was ever interested to come by
and check it out. Meet the breeds, meet the breeders and more. Bring those 4-H books to ask
questions! For more information email [email protected]
Marias Valley Youth Rodeo Series
June 9th & 23 - July 14 & 29 - Aug 11 & 25
For directions and more information go to
fsbshelbymt.org/ rodeo Bible camp
Email [email protected] or you could text
(406) 470-0712

Katelyn Suta of the Longview 4-H club in Glacier County is working on redesigning the show ring in the
Seewald Barn for her Junior Leadership project. The ring will be made of Preiefert Hog, Sheep and
Goat panels which will allow for one ring to be used throughout the entire fair and eliminate the need
for multiple set-ups and tear downs throughout the fair. The ring will also have swine holding pens
attached which will allow for ‘on deck’ pens for the swine show and sale. This will reduce stress on the
animals and be safer for exhibitors as well.
Phase I of the project is complete with the Livestock Committee purchasing the swine holding pens, a
cost of $7,995. Katelyn is now fundraising for Phase II of the project, which is to raise $8,395 to
purchase the panels for the ring. Katelyn is applying for grants and is also asking local 4-H Councils,
clubs, and families to donate towards the project. The Clever Clovers and Longview 4-H clubs have
each purchased a panel ($365) and challenge the rest of the Marias Fair clubs to do the same. Any and
all donations are appreciated and will be recognized publicly.
Tax-deductible donations can be mailed to Marias Fair 4-H Livestock Committee, 1210 E. Main, Cut
Bank, MT 59427. Please mail donations by June 1, 2022, to ensure panels can be purchased in time for
the 2022 Marias Fair! For more information, please contact Katelyn [email protected]

Travis and Sanna Clark set up a benefit account at Independence bank.
Local friends have been asking how to help with food and meals for Jeff and the family once they
get home.
The women of St. William's Catholic Church are taking care of immediate needs which should
cover everything for a few weeks. Thank you to Emily McDermott for heading this up.
Kim Woodring organized a meal train through an online sign-up program. The link is now
available online. We hope this to be an ongoing effort to ease the load for a long time.
Thanks for the continuing offers of help. We will take you up on those!
There will be an online benefit May 5 - 6 via Angus Live. Donations of any kind are being
accepted. If interested in donating an item, a donation form is available on the 'Flesch Family
Benefit' Facebook page. Jena Wager is the contact(406-670-9618 or
[email protected]).Shipping of items is the responsibility of the buyer and seller.
Go Fund Me page below
https://gofund.me/6108ac57
Travis Clark was able to get a bank account set up for direct
donations.
Please make checks payable to:
Flesch Family Benefit
They can be mailed to:
Independence Bank
PO Box 778
Conrad, MT 59425
The Toole County 4-H council would like to do something to help the family, so
if you have any ideas please let us know!

The Cloverbuds made
Wockets in a pocket from
the Dr. Suess Book and
made their own Truffula
Trees from Dr. Suess's book
the Lorax
They made some
Green Oobleck

Kim had two workshops
at Rec Lab in Hobson, MT
One she made cookie
dough made from
Montana made Products
with Adriane Good. She
and Kari Lewis had one
about how to use Canva

APRIL

1-st 4-H Camp Registration opens on ZSuites
6th- Fair Board Meeting @ Ambulance Barn
10th- Leadership Academy @ 2:30pm (Virtual)
10th- Robotics 2-5pm
10th- Camp Councilor Meeting in Chester @ 2pm
10th- Swine weigh in and breeding project deadline
17th- Easter
25th- Food Booth Meeting @ 6pm
26th- Horse Committee Meeting @ Exhibit Building @ 6pm

May

1st- Project drop/add deadline

7th- Project Day
8th- Lamb and Goat weigh in deadline
16th- Fair Registration Begins
JUNE
16th- Fashion Revue @ Exhibit Building