Due It!

Record books are due to your club leader August 10.Your local club leader may set individual club deadlines.Guidelines for what is considered a complete record book, forms and other information are on our webpage.

You can complete your record book in zSuite or on paper copies. A complete record book must be submitted in order for 4-H members to exhibit, show or sell at next year's fair.

Carcass Event

Wow!Lots of congratulations will be heard at the Carcass Award event onAugust 10 as Teton County 4-H members had 19 carcasses with merit distinction among three of the four species!The event will be held at 6 p.m.at the Stage Stop Inn Breakfast area (near the front desk).You MUST RSVP to 466-2491 or text (only) to 406-350-5373 no later than August 6.Awards will be given to the top carcass in each species.Please join Ag Agent Karen Forseth to find out how your market animal did in the carcass evaluation, see your friends and have some snacks!

If you do NOT attend and your carcass did earn a top placement, you will forfeit your placing and prize.

Help!!

The Livestock Committee is in need of new members.This committee is essential to the fair being able to be held. We have an incredible group of dedicated volunteers serving on this committee but are in need of new members as well.The Livestock Committee meets between 4-5 times over the year in the evenings.If you have a child taking a market animal project, PLEASE consider joining the Livestock Committee.Committee sign-up takes place in October along with member enrollment so you have time to think about it.Karen Forseth, MSU Extension Teton County Ag Agent, would be happy to talk to you about being on the Livestock Committee.She can be reached at 466-2492 or [email protected]

 

Contact/Resources (Clip and Keep)

MSU Extension Teton County

 

The Next 31 (Clip or Put on YOur Calendar Now)

August 6

  • RSVP for Carcass EventExtension Office 466-2491 or Text 406-530-5373

August 10

  • Carcass Event6 pm Stage Stop Breakfast Area by Front Desk
  • Record Books for completion review due to club leader (or at date assigned by them)

August 15

  • Record Books due for QUALITY review

August 17

  • Registration due for Working Ranch Horse FinalsMT 4-H Center, Bozeman

August 28-29

  • Working Ranch Horse Finals406 Arena Vaughn

Congress

During the third week in July on the MSU campus was "Camp Congress" as more hands-on outdoor workshops and activities were held.Teton County had eight members attending: Myles Allen, Justin Forseth, Golden Holmquist, Presley Holmquist, Madeline Konen, Luke Ostberg, Jersey Somerfeld, and Maggie Toeckes. Those who competed placed well: Maggie Toeckes secured first in Fashion Revue with her amazing wool plaid jacket and black dress and Justin Forseth received the other first place in Videography with his project, Farm Year Video 2020. Madeline Konen received second place in Career Communications with her exceptional job interview, Luke Ostberg placed third in Public Speaking with "How Actions are the Only Way to Create What We Imagine" while Jersey Somerfeld was awarded third place for her gorgeous horse quilt.All members attended an assortment of workshops with topics such as bees, social media management, geocaching, backpacking, leadership and facilitation, water quality, parliamentary procedure, and more! Participants had many opportunities to learn from others while networking with peers from all over the state. Four members from Teton County were awarded scholarships at 4-H Congress. Those receiving scholarships were: Watson Snyder, Abigail (Konen) Moore, Justin Forseth, and Luke Ostberg. Recipients were invited to a Scholarship banquet to meet and thank their scholarship donors. Overall, 4-H Congress was a success for participants, facilitators, judges, and agents who attended.

2021 Teton and Glacier County 4-H Congress Delegation

Being a 4-H Parent

Your child is in 4-H, now what?Well first, welcome to the family with over 6 million members!We are the nation's largest youth development program with some amazing outcomes.Research shows that 4-H members are 4x more likely to give back to their communities, 2x as likely to make healthier choices, 2x as likely to be involved in STEM activities and 5x as likely to graduate from college.And your investment?Maybe club dues of $6 per year (per child) and material costs for whatever projects your child(ren) decide to take.If your 4-H member(s) takes market animal projects (beef, swine, lamb or goat) they can likely start building a post-secondary savings fund with the proceeds from the sale of that animal.During their time in 4-H they also learn how to conduct meetings through parliamentary procedure, public speaking and demonstration skills, record-keeping and leadership skills.The skills they develop in 4-H are skills that will serve them throughout their life.

And, as a 4-H parent, what about you?You can be as involved as much or as little as you choose.You may choose to become a certified volunteer to help with club activities or serve on a committee, become a club leader or choose to just be sure your child makes it to club meetings.It's up to you.We do ask that, at a minimum, you stay informed and attend club meetings.How do you do that?We communicate in MANY ways to keep our parents and membership aware of what is happening.

We have expanded the ways in which we communicate and it is the RESPONSIBILITY of all 4-H parents to READ communications from our office, keep the MSU Extension Teton County office aware of changes in email addresses, phone numbers, cell phone numbers and mail addresses and be on the Remind App.Those who are on Facebook should also check our Facebook page for updates.

We have 174 4-H members and 80 certified volunteers in 7 clubs.Please do your part by reading the communications we send out!Here are the ways in which we communicate in mass:

Monthly Newsletter

  • posted on our website
  • posted on zSuite

Email

  • sent to every 4-H family for which we have an email address

Text Now (406-350-5373)

  • sent to every family for which we have a cell phone number that accepts text.This is a TEXT only number, checked M-W 8-5. PLEASE do not call this number!

Remind App

  • sent to cellphone numbers for those who agreed to install the application

Facebook

  • post upcoming events, reminders and articles of interest

As you can see, we use a variety of media to communicate with our 4-H families.We rely on our 4-H parents to take the time to BE informed. Attendance at club meetings enhances communication as well, plus teaches great skills.Please do your part and choose to know what is happening in YOUR 4-H member's world!Thank you!

Babysitter Boot Camp

MSU Extension Teton County hosted Babysitter Boot Camp on June 8, 2021, at the Choteau Baptist Church. There were twenty-seven participants who attended the event. Participants came from Teton, Pondera, Lewis and Clark counties and surrounding areas. Jo Lynn Miller, RN, and Rachel Christensen, EMT, spoke about first aid and safety measures to take while babysitting. Each participant received a first-aid kit for their babysitting business. Next, Rhonda Schwenke, Child Care Licensing Program Manager, at Early Childhood Services Bureau MT DPHHS, presented on the period of PURPLE crying, Shaken Baby Syndrome, and Back to Sleep information. Stacy Aaberg, Family Consumer Science teacher, taught a Food & Nutrition lesson during lunch time. She explained how to serve colorful and nutritious plates for young ones and how to make bite sizes appropriate for various ages.

After lunch, MSU Extension Agent Jane Wolery and MSU Extension Intern Hayley Ries demonstrated entertainment activities that sitters could use in the future. This segment included making play dough, finger paints, balloon animals and more! In small groups, participants practiced reading children’s books in story-telling voices. Hayley Ries discussed Babysitter Etiquette – actions babysitters can take to set themselves apart.Jane Wolery closed with the Business of Babysitting which explained how to be the best business owners possible. To finish they day, participants were invited outside to complete outdoor activities. Participants learned how to make chalk ice, chalk paint, puffy paint sidewalk paint, and more.

Those who attended Babysitter Boot Camp include the following: Reagan Aaberg, Cali Armstrong, Lucy Armstrong, Annie Baliko, Elisabeth Brown, Addi Christensen, Ayden DeBruycker, Halli DeShaw, Annie Diekhans, Ella Fryberger, Ava Gunderson, Bethany Heinen, Avery Heinen, Natalie Hodgskiss, Atha Johns, Bethany Lane, Claire Long, Leila Marquette, Leah Paulson, Natalia Samson, MacKenzie Steiner, Danni Thomasson, Peighton Wakkinen, Aubrie Waltner, and two other participants who preferred not to be identified.

The Babysitter Boot Camp has been offered several times throughout the years by MSU Extension in Teton County. This year, the planning and preparing of the event was managed by Hayley Ries. MSU Extension was pleased to have a part in addressing the need for trained youth to provide high quality childcare. Each recipient received several resources, including the book Babysitter’s Survival Guide. They viewed a few segments of Babysitter Boss, which includes more than 20 online video segments geared to train babysitters.

Hayley Ries, MSU Extension Teton County intern, teaches class at 2021 Babysitter Boot Camp

Communications Day

Communications Day was held June 10 at the Choteau Baptist Church.Judges Madison Martinsen and Hayley Ries judged four 4-H members.Grand awards were given to Senior 4-H members Justin Forseth for his video and Madeline Konen for Career Communications and to Junior4-H member Addi Christensen for her Illustrated Talk.Senior member Maili Miller presented a demonstration.


4-H Horse Show

The Teton County 4-H Horse Show was held June 19 at the 406 Arena in Vaughn.There were 21 participants in 34 classes during the day.Congratulations to all the participants and class winners!

Fair Dates

The Teton County Fair is scheduled for the last full weekend in June that includes a Sunday.

2022    June 24-30
2023    June 19-25
2024    June 24-30
2025    June 24-29

MSU Extension Teton County
P.O. Box 130
Choteau, MT 59422
Agents:
Karen Forseth:  [email protected]
Jane Wolery:  [email protected]
Assistants:
Sharla Hinman & Jamie Smith  [email protected]

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Montana State University and the Montana State University Extension Service prohibit discrimination in all of their programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, and marital and family status. Issued in furtherance of cooperative extension work in agriculture and home economics, acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Cody Stone, Director, Extension Service, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717