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A Letter from the Extension Agent
Our 4-H program continues to grow and just ended another great year, even during a pandemic!  We ended the last 4-H year with 117 members, 6 clubs and 53 adult volunteers.  Here are some more statistics about our membership last year:

Home Location

·         Farm or Ranch – 49.1%

·         Towns under 10,000 & Rural – 49.1%

·         Other – 1.7%

Gender

·         Male – 35.1%

·         Female – 64.9%

Top Projects

1.      Swine

2.     Shooting Sports

3.     Leathercraft

4.     Cloverbuds

5.     Photography

I’m looking forward to another great year with you!

Sincerely, Allison Kosto- Extension Agent, MSU Extension Broadwater County

 

Re-Enrollment

Please re-enroll by November 1st.  This will be the last newsletter and communication you will receive from the office until you re-enroll.  If you do not have internet access at home, we have a public laptop at the office to help you through the process. Remember, if you plan on taking a 4-H project to fair, you must be enrolled in that project.  

 

Achievement Night

The annual Achievement Night has been set for Sunday, November 14th at the 4-H Building at the Fairgrounds.  We will be celebrating with banana splits at 6:00 pm and the program will start at 6:30 pm.  Come to receive your awards and celebrate our 4-H program achievements. New members are welcomed to come watch to see what you can earn next year!

 

Christmas Tree Fundraiser

Each year, the 4-H Council conducts a Christmas Tree Fundraiser at Rocky Mountain Supply, and we are asking for YOUR help! Details on when we are cutting and where to meet will be coming soon! The proceeds from the Christmas tree sales benefit the entire county 4-H program including project work, awards and activities.

Greytak Calendars 

If you are interested in purchasing a calendar to help support the 4-H program, they will be available soon at the Extension Office (Flynn Building, 416 Broadway, Townsend). Don Greytak is a Montana artist that draws beautiful scenes of rural life. They make great gifts! Calendars are $15 and proceeds support the 4-H Council.  

 

Seeking an Intern

The Extension Office is seeking a college student for an intern for summer 2022.  The intern will be directly assisting the Extension Agent in the areas of 4-H Youth Development and Agriculture and Natural Resources.  4-H responsibilities include assisting with 4-H Camp, 4-H Congress and the Fair.  The intern may be asked to design and implement summer youth programming.  He/She will also have the opportunity to be involved with cropland insect monitoring, pest identification, nitrate testing, working with Master Gardeners and small acreage landowners.  Additionally, the intern will design a program of his/her choosing with guidance from the Extension Agent.  The internship is 8 to 12 weeks long and compensation is $15/hour.  For more information, contact the office. Applications are due November 18.

                                                                                                                                          

Multi-County 4-H Camp - Camp Counselors Needed!

Applications for Camp Counselors are due Friday, December 17th to the Extension Office. Camp is June 6-10 at Camp Rotary near Monarch. Applicants must be in grades 9-12 at time of application. Counselors are required to come a day prior to camp on June 5th and attend the entire camp in addition to a training in the spring. Please include your resume with the application that details your skills, training, and accomplishments. The application process has been highly competitive some years, so complete and timely applications make the best impression! Application and more details are available from the Extension Office.

 
NILE Award Recipients

The NILE Livestock show was up and running again this year and, as always, Broadwater County was well represented! Congratulations to all of the kids who entered. Here are results from our county:

·         Jr Fed Market Swine Show: Grand Champion Market Swine- Kadyn Braaten

Reserve Champion Senior Swine Showman- Kadyn Braaten
Countywide 4-H Activities
Grand Champion Junior Swine Showman- Spencer Braaten

 

Committee & Council Meetings
 

INDOOR COMMITTEE: The next meeting will be on Tuesday, November 23rd at 6:00 pm at the Extension Office (Flynn Building, 416 Broadway, Townsend). We will be discussing project leaders and workshops. Contact Karen Noyes at 406.949.4852 if you have any questions or agenda items.

4-H COUNCIL: Next meeting will be on Tuesday, November 23rd at 7:00 pm at the Extension Office (Flynn Building, 416 Broadway, Townsend). Contact Karen Noyes at 406.949.4852 if you have any questions or agenda items. 

LIVESTOCK COMMITTEE:  The next meeting will be Tuesday, November 2nd at 7:00 pm at the Extension Office (Flynn Building, 416 Broadway, Townsend). If you have any questions or agenda items, please contact Jason Noyes at 406.949.4851. 

HORSE COMMITTEE:  The next meeting will be Wednesday, November 17th at 5:00 pm at the Extension Office (Flynn Building, 416 Broadway, Townsend). Any horse project members and parents are welcome to attend. They are looking for parent representatives for the 21/22 4-H year. Officers will also be elected for the upcoming year. Officer positions are a one year term. If you have any questions or agenda items, please contact Jan Finn at 406.266.4992.

TEEN CLUB: The next meeting will be Tuesday, November 16th at 7:00 pm at the Extension Office (Flynn Building, 416 Broadway, Townsend). Teen Club is open to Middle or High School aged members. If you have any questions, contact Karen Noyes at 406.949.4852.

4-H Indoor Project Activities


Interstate Exchange

The next meeting of the Interstate Exchange program will be Wednesday, November 17th at 5:00 pm at Infinite Hope Counseling (108 N Front St, Townsend). If you have any questions, please contact Jennifer Beatty at 406.490.1362 or Todd Beatty at 406.490.1361.

Cloverbud Workshops

There will be Cloverbud workshops the first Thursdays of November and December. These workshops will be from 6:30-7:30 pm on November 4th and December 2nd at the Extension Office (416 Broadway, Townsend). If you have any questions, please contact Renee Kockler at 406.220.2820.

 
Sewing Workshops

There will be a workshop on Saturday, November 13th at the Extension Office (Flynn Building, 416 Broadway, Townsend).  Level 1 members will meet from 9:30-11:30 am and Level 2 will meet from 11:30 am-1:30 pm. Please bring your sewing machine. If you have any questions, contact Sarah Holland at 406.266.3473

 

Cake Decorating Workshops

There are two cake decorating workshops in November. They will be Sunday, November 7th at 2:30pm and Sunday November 21st at 3:30 pm in the kitchen at the Extension Office (416 Broadway, Townsend). The dates for the rest of the workshops are: December 5th and 19th. If you have any question, please contact Jessica Erickson at 406.980.0521.

 

Visual Arts Workshops

There will be Visual Arts workshops on Wednesdays November 3rd, 10th and 17th.  The workshops will be    from 3:45 to 5:00 at the Extension Office. Please bring the supplies for a medium you would like to work with. If you have any questions, contact Katria Shindoll at 406.431.1087. 

 

Archery Workshops

Archery workshops will be starting on December 7 and will run until March 1st. They are scheduled for Tuesday evenings from 5:30-8:00 pm at the 4-H Building at the Fairgrounds. If you have any questions, contact Jason Noyes at 406.949.4851.

 

4-H Animal Project Activities


Beef Tagging and Weigh-in- 

Beef weigh In and tagging is set for Saturday, January 1st at 9:00 am at GaLor Genetics (8393 US Hwy 287, Townsend).  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.  It doesn’t take long, so please be on time!  We may not wait for you!  Breeding animals are welcomed to come get weighed but are not required to attend.  A brand inspector will be available if needed.  Also please be prepared to share information about your animal including breed, breeder and birthday.  If you have any questions about the beef project, contact Marlo Leachman at 406.581.0531.

Beef Project Meet and Greet

There will be a meet and greet at the Ferrat Ranch (191 Ferrat Lane, Toston) on Sunday November 7th from 1-3pm. Come and meet the other project kids and ask questions. If you’d like to get a current weight on your steer, you may bring it along. Marlo Leachman will be available, as well as John and Samantha Ferrat. If you have any questions, please contact Marlo at 406.581.0531 or Samantha at 406.949.0869. 

 

Horse Project Meetings

Indoor meetings for the horse project will be starting in January. Save the dates for Mondays, January 24th, February 7th, 21st and March 7th and 21st. These meeting will be held at the Extension Office at 6:00 pm. (Old Opportunity Bank, 416 Broadway, Townsend). If you have any questions, contact Donna Richards at 406.521.0717 or Jan Finn at 406.266.4992.

 

Dairy Goat Workshop

The first Dairy Goat workshops is scheduled for Friday, November 12th at 5:00 pm at the Extension Office (Flynn Building, 416 Broadway, Townsend). For more information or if you have any questions, contact Brandon and Danyel Henke at 406.980.0995. 

 

Rabbit Workshop

There will be another rabbit workshop on Saturday, November 20th at 4:00 pm at the Extension Office. No rabbits at this workshop. If you have any questions, contact Danielle Douglas at 406.465.3318.

 

Statewide 4-H Opportunities

 

Montana Shooting Sports Leaders Trainings

The schedule for the upcoming Shooting Sports Leaders Trainings has been finalized. Any adult interested in becoming a Shooting Sports Leader must complete training in that particular discipline. The trainings include four online training modules and an in-person training portion. Dates for this upcoming 4-H year are as follows:

·         December 3-4 – Kalispell, MT.  Disciplines offered: Rifle, Pistol, Archery, Shotgun, Muzzle-loader and Hunting.

·         December 10-1 – Miles City, MT.  Disciplines Offered: Rifle, Pistol, Archery and Shotgun.

·         January 7-8 – Fairfield, MT. Disciplines Offered: Rifle, Pistol and Archery.

·         Spring of 2022 – Manhattan Wildlife Association, Logan, MT.  Disciplines Offered: Western Heritage, Muzzle-loading, Hunting Skills and Shotgun.

The 4-H Council will help cover registration fees for a few more adults and junior leaders to attend.  For more information, please contact the Extension Office for more details 406.266.9242.

 
Virtual Leadership Academy

This fun statewide is happening again this year.  The Leadership Academy is a network of Montana 4-H members interested in exploring and developing their leadership skills to serve their county in new ways.  Workshops are held via Zoom on Sunday afternoons, and each month features a new topic.  Dates are below.  For more information visit the Montana 4-H youth leadership website.

January 9 - How to make club meetings awesome!
February 13 - Ages and Sages for Mentoring youth
March 13 - Successful Service Learning
April 10 - Lead with Purpose
 

Montana 4-H Rec Lab 

There is lots of buzz and interest in attending Montana 4-H Rec Lab. This event 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 is designed to provide participants with tips and tricks for being a better club, camp and community leader. More information on dates and location will be coming very soon! 

 

Other Opportunities

Montana Make It with Wool Contest

It is time to start preparing for the Make It with Wool contest to be held this Fall. Get out your favorite pattern and start hunting for that perfect wool fabric. Wouldn’t it be great to make a wool outfit for the contest and then already have an outfit finished for your sewing project next 4-H year?

Our District contest is scheduled for Saturday, November 6th in Great Falls. Winners at the District level are eligible to attend and compete at the Montana Make It With Wool competition in Billings on December 3rd and 4th. Contact the office for more information.