Communication Day

Communication Day will take place at the Choteau Baptist Church on Saturday, March 19, beginning at 10 a.m.Lunch will be served.Registration deadline is March 11.Register for Communication Day. Please call the Extension Office to register with what type of communication event you will be presenting and if you will need any equipment.There will be a St. Patrick’s Day meal served for lunch. If you would like to contribute drinks, side dishes, or something else, please contact Heidi Konen and let her know what you would like to bring.More information about Communication Day.

The Next 31

February 8

  • Livestock Committee Meeting at 7 p.m.
  • New Life Church, Fairfield

February 13

  • Leadership Academy Online
  • Contact Extension Office

March 11

  • Communication Registration Deadline
  • 5 p.m. at Extension Office

March 19

  • Communication Day at 10 a.m.
  • Choteau Baptist Church

Rec Lab 2022:  The Road to Success

Where:  Hobson, MT

When:  March 18-20, 2022

Who:  For 4-H members ages 13 and older

Find out more about Rec Lab.

How Would You Like to Meet?

If you would like to attend any scheduled meeting via video or audio conferencing, please let Jane or Karen know24 hours in advance so tech arrangements can be made.We will only planmultiple modes for attendance if people let us know in advance.Thank you.

Extension Notes

Jane Wolery is teaching YAM in Choteau and Power this winter.Karen is revising LQA, while the Record Book Committee will be revising guidelines.The Extension Office has also been transferring all their digital files (20+ years) to a new system.

Camp Counselors Needed

If you were 14 as of October 1, 2021, you are eligible to be a Camp Counselor this year!If you would like to help plan this year's 4-H Camp, develop some leadership skills and have a GREAT time doing so, please contact the Extension Office.Camp planning meetings will begin in February.YOU can be part of a great tradition!

Club Hubbub

Spring Creek Minutes by Boaz Lytle

The Spring Creek 4-H club met December 13, at 5:30 p.m. at the Choteau Baptist Church. The meeting was called to order by president, Carson Crary. Those in attendance were Polly and Boaz Lytle, Storrie Wolf, Anna and Leah Paulson, Addy Scott, Carson Crary, Nick Miller and Payson Allaire. Payson led the American and 4-H pledges. The November meeting minutes were read by Boaz, and the minutes stood approved as read. Jo Lynn gave the treasurer’s report in Maili’s absence. There is a current balance in the checking account of $1,642.84. For Old Business, Nick reported on the service project in October of bluebird house cleaning. Anna reported on the food collected during the Christmas Stroll that was donated to the Teton County Food Pantry. The total amount of food donated was 52 pounds. Under New Business, Anna motioned to remove Leah from the signature card at the bank and add Maili. The motion was seconded by Boaz and passed unanimously. Jo Lynn then handed out folders with copies of record book forms to each member. There was discussion about keeping a working “sloppy copy” during the year to make it easier to complete record books in August. Each member took some time to write their goals for their 4-H year and each project. Payson motioned to adjourn the meeting and Nick seconded the motion. The meeting was adjourned at 6:30 p.m.

Spring Creek Minutes by Boaz Lytle

The Spring Creek 4-H club met January 16, at 2 p.m. Attending were Storrie, Anna, Addy, Leah, Audrey, Susan, Jo Lynn, Jason, and Justin. The meeting was called to order by Leah. Boaz led the American pledge and Anna led the 4-H pledge. The minutes of the previous meeting were submitted by Boaz and approved as submitted. Jo Lynn gave the treasurer’s report. The current balance in the checking account in $1642.84. It was noted that Jo Lynn will not be co-signing checks as she lives in the same household as the treasurer. Other leaders will assume that responsibility. This will allow for transparency in our finances and follow our club rules. Old Business: We were reminded about doing our record books. New Business: Addie moved, and Boaz seconded to bake cookies for the sheriff’s office and fire department for Valentine’s Day and show our appreciation. Motion passed. The committee for this activity is Anna, Boaz, and Addie. Anna moved and Addy seconded to make cards for the Beehive, Skyline, and nursing home residents. The motion passed and the committee for this activity is Maili, Nick, Anna, Addy and Storrie.

The next club meeting is scheduled for Sunday, February 13, 2022.

There was a reminder to bring your Record books to the meeting, so that they can be updated.

Project meetings were mentioned to make sure 4-H members had the resources to enjoy their projects and expand their learning.

Members were encouraged to 1) document their projects as they are completing them and

2) collect their projects in one location as the year goes on so it is easier to present them at fair time.

Meeting was adjourned at 3:10 p.m.

Challenging Champs by Annie Diekhans, Acting Secretary

The Challenging Champs 4-H Club met on January 9, at 4:00 p.m. at the Power School.Fourteen members were present with seven adults/club leaders. Cameron led the Pledge of Allegiance and Jessica led the 4-H Pledge. President Jersey read the December minutes and they were approved as read. Treasurer Jessica gave the treasurer’s report.Jessica gave a report on our Christmas party, which included playing the dice game Yippee!, exchanging gifts and a “Punch It’ charades game.

Under New Business, Leona suggested our club buy a sound system to use during meetings. Kelsy will research different options. The club decided to decorate the Power Senior Center for Valentine’s Day. Jessica, Annie, and Cameron volunteered to be on the committee to help organize it. For project reports, Calvin told the club he got a robotics kit for Christmas. Annie reported she is making cupcakes for her book tasting project for English class. Jersey reported on her wooden box project that she made for Christmas for a friend. For project leader updates, Kristen Martinez said she has a schedule ready for the cooking and baking meetings. The first cooking meeting will be Thursday, January 13 right after school. The first baking meeting is Sunday, January 16 at 1:30 p.m. Leona said the first cake decorating meeting will be January 17 at 10:00 a.m. at the Power School. Luke Diekhans will help members with woodworking. The club discussed the options for future fun get-togethers. Jersey suggested bowling and Zoe suggested roller skating. The club voted 7-5, with bowling winning. Bowling will take the place of our March meeting. Sledding would be a fun impromptu activity if any of our members with good sledding hills wanted to invite the club for an afternoon activity. It would have to be a short notice depending on the weather, conditions, and school schedules.Maggie gave a presentation on her trip to National 4-H Congress in Atlanta, GA. Her slideshow included photos and videos of her experience. She encouraged 4-H members to keep up the hard work because it is worth it in the end.Jack Toeckes moved to adjourn the meeting and Isaac seconded it.Madison Keel demonstrated how to make a coffee filter butterfly and Cameron Keel demonstratedhow to make Chai Tea. Our activity was to write thank you notes to healthcare workers in Teton County.Our next meeting will be February 6 at 4 p.m. at the Power School cafeteria. The Neumanfamily will be responsible for the activity.

Committee Minutes

Awards Committee

The Awards Committee met December 9, 2021, at 4:45 p.m. at the New Life Church in Fairfield. Attending were Salina, Abigail and Cole deVos, Maggie Toeckes (via phone) and Jane Wolery. Abigail and Jane agreed to take notes.

A packet with guiding principles from Teton County 4-H and state and national 4-H recognition models was sent to committee members prior to the meeting. A note was made to make sure that the office has the horse program points system and process for awards. System seems to be working well. Process for premiums was discussed. We will not expect our volunteer treasurer to write and track checks for all premiums. It was suggested to return to cash premiums at the Pavilion. Awards were discussed. Decided to continue with cash awards, (maybe plaques and/or use up remaining awards) and have a “grand champion” screen developed that could be done in a sweatshirt or other clothing item up to the specified dollar amount. It was also noted that the same belt buckle design is used yearly for round robin winners and often the same people win repeatedly so it would be nice to change designs yearly. The deVos family was willing to see if they could find designs within budget. Salina is to contact Kelli Bakken to see her prices, interest, and availability. The deVos family will look at potential round robin buckle designs. Committee member Chelsee Yeager suggested a change to the awards system: 1) no premium for livestock options books at the Pavilion, other than grand champion and 2) take saved money and create award class placings in the livestock exhibits at Weatherbeater. Chelsee was unable to attend to explain further. The Extension office took Chelsee’s suggestion and provided a spreadsheet that outlined the potential cost. The data and spreadsheet represented 30 hours of research and compilation by office staff. Based on the review, the Awards Committee was most interested in exploring Scenario Three further. They asked the Budget Committee to review the spreadsheet as well due to budget impact of any changes.Most notably, the plan suggested increasing premiums to $5/blue, $3/red, $2/white and increasing the grand to $35 at the Weatherbeater. The awards committee recommended 4-H Council review further by establishing a sub-committee to review the sustainability (for growth in exhibits/decrease in funding), process (tracking and payment) and other scenarios. The remaining Awards Committee agenda items were discussed quickly due to time constraints. We will continue with the solicitation process. Ten-year member awards were discussed with the suggestion to continue with the current style of award. Meeting adjourned.

Budget and Audit Committee

The Awards Committee met December 9, 2021, at 4:45 p.m. at the New Life Church in Fairfield. Attending were Salina, Abigail and Cole deVos, Maggie Toeckes (via phone) and Jane Wolery. Abigail and Jane agreed to take notes.

A packet with guiding principles from Teton County 4-H and state and national 4-H recognition models was sent to committee members prior to the meeting. A note was made to make sure that the office has the horse program points system and process for awards. System seems to be working well. Process for premiums was discussed. We will not expect our volunteer treasurer to write and track checks for all premiums. It was suggested to return to cash premiums at the Pavilion. Awards were discussed. Decided to continue with cash awards, (maybe plaques and/or use up remaining awards) and have a “grand champion” screen developed that could be done in a sweatshirt or other clothing item up to the specified dollar amount. It was also noted that the same belt buckle design is used yearly for round robin winners and often the same people win repeatedly so it would be nice to change designs yearly. The deVos family was willing to see if they could find designs within budget. Salina is to contact Kelli Bakken to see her prices, interest, and availability. The deVos family will look at potential round robin buckle designs. Committee member Chelsee Yeager suggested a change to the awards system: 1) no premium for livestock options books at the Pavilion, other than grand champion and 2) take saved money and create award class placings in the livestock exhibits at Weatherbeater. Chelsee was unable to attend to explain further. The Extension office took Chelsee’s suggestion and provided a spreadsheet that outlined the potential cost. The data and spreadsheet represented 30 hours of research and compilation by office staff. Based on the review, the Awards Committee was most interested in exploring Scenario Three further. They asked the Budget Committee to review the spreadsheet as well due to budget impact of any changes.Most notably, the plan suggested increasing premiums to $5/blue, $3/red, $2/white and increasing the grand to $35 at the Weatherbeater. The awards committee recommended 4-H Council review further by establishing a sub-committee to review the sustainability (for growth in exhibits/decrease in funding), process (tracking and payment) and other scenarios. The remaining Awards Committee agenda items were discussed quickly due to time constraints. We will continue with the solicitation process. Ten-year member awards were discussed with the suggestion to continue with the current style of award. Meeting adjourned.

Fair Committee

The fair committee met on December 9, 2021, at 3:45 p.m. at the New Life Church in Fairfield. Attending were Salina, Abigail, and Cole deVos, Madeline Konen and Jane Wolery.

Review and Schedule: A packet had been sent to the committee prior to the meeting with reviews and comments from several previous fairs. Horse show will be kept on the Saturday prior to fair. Horse interviews will be combined with the horse show. Horse leaders will organize judges and questions for those interviews. (Need to discuss ribbon placing and perhaps replace premium with added points toward current award structure.) Interview schedule was suggested by office. Committee felt best to advertise it early on as tentative and then adjust in late May/early June based on entries. Use what Jamie had suggested for now. Small animal show planned for Pavilion and City Park. Style show suggested for 6 or 6:30 pm with dance to follow from 7-9, making it an early evening. Fair theme was discussed. We had discussed a theme of 4-H, 4-Family, 4-Tradition … or something along that line. We talked about honoring some pillar families and businesses in the community who have been involved in or supported 4-H and their story or road to success.It was decided to streamline and use the same as Montana Rec Lab as Teton County is assigned to decorations for that event. 4-H Road to Success: Highway 2022. Judges: The group discussed judges and how to develop a judging list. Jane explained that the master list was compiled more than a decade ago from a variety of notes.It could be updated by a 4-H member or volunteer. A suggestion to generate ideas for judges included to build a short Qualtrics link that asks name, contact information, area of specialty (perhaps with drop down menu) and perhaps, name of person suggesting (for follow up if needed). We could put that in newsletter and to organizational leaders. It could be a great way to build a spreadsheet for years to come. Could also put on our Facebook page for people to access there, too, even if not currently in the system. Could self-select in and/or possibly use classifieds to advertise and generate new leads. ACTION ITEM: Office team to discuss/build/communicate. Meat and Greet: Suggested moving to livestock committee. Concessions: Leave to club assigned to determine whether to have or not, whether to solicit licensed food purveyors (food trucks), etc. Facilities Management/Pavilion Greeters: Thought is to add this as a club rotation, if concessions or Meat and Greet rotations cease. Club assigned would fill Pavilion greeter spots and make sure the assigned person arrives. They would also refill paper products, dump garbages, clean bleachers, mist dust and sweep at end of day, etc. Group discussed what is realistic given the staffing and volunteer hours/energy available. Budget: Reviewed briefly. Advertising: Discussed that 4-H members and families can post on Facebook, reach out to radio stations to record (best to loop office in to make sure correct information is relayed), write guest columns potentially for newspaper, post flyers, etc. Meeting Adjourned.

Estate Planning for Parents and Grandparents

NEW four-part webinar series called Estate/Legacy Planning for Parents and Grandparents Raising Minor Children will be starting on February 3, 2022, from noon until 1:00 PM.

Topics for the series include:

1. Who Gets Your Kids and Assets When You Die?

2. What You Can Do With a Will and What You Cannot

3. Revocable and Testamentary Trusts:Solutions to Children/Grandchildren Inheriting Assets at Age 18

4. Saving More for your Children/Grandchildren:Avoiding Probate on Your Assets at Death

We invite you to register

State Events

Shooting Sports State Competition

Register for the 2022 Montana State 4-H Shooting Competition.

Find out more about the shooting sports in Montana 4-H.

 

Montana 4-H Congress

Find out more about Montana 4-H Congress. Join us Wednesday July 13 - Saturday 16, 2022, on MSU Campus - Bozeman. Pre-Congress and Ambassador Officer Selection will be Monday July 11-13, 2022.

 

State Contests at Montana 4-H Congress

Find out more information about state contests including videos and a Power Point presentation.

State contests are designed to provide educational and state level competitive events to Montana

4-H'ers age 14 years and older (13 year old’s attending Montana 4-H Congress are able to participate in contests, but are not eligible for award trips).

 

January’s Leadership Academy Workshop

The next Leadership Academy workshop will be February 13 and the topic is Ages and Stages for Mentors.Find out more about Leadership Academy.

Watch the latest Leadership Academy Workshop presentation on the state 4-H YouTube channel!

 

Record Books and Project Completion

The state 4-H office has resources for record book completion!Find out more about record book completions.

Please contact the MSU Teton County Extension Office to view the 4-H Council budget.

Contact/Resources (Clip and Keep)

MSU Extension Teton County

 

Fair Dates

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

2022    June 20-26
2023    June 19-25
2024    June 24-30
2025    June 24-29
2026    June 22-28

Camp Dates

2022    July 25-29

MSU Extension Teton County
P.O. Box 130
Choteau, MT 59422
406-466-2491


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