On the Horizon

January 5

  • Market Beef Weigh-in and LQA, Sunday, 2 p.m., East Slope Veterinary Service

January 6

  • Council Meeting, Greenfield School hosted by Prairie Stars, 6 p.m.

January 12

  • Monthly Leadership Academy, Sunday, 2 p.m. Online
  • Treasurer's Training, Sunday, 1 p.m., Teton County Courthouse Conference Room

January 14

  • Market Beef Possession Deadline:  paperwork, fees, photos at Extension Office, Tuesday, 5 p.m.

January 15-16

  • KMON Livestock & Poultry Judging, Great Falls

January 16

  • Deadline to register for Livestock Judging at Montana Winter Fair

January 17-19

  • Montana Winter Fair, Lewistown

February 3

  • Livestock Committee Meeting, Teton County Courthouse Conference Rm, Choteau, 6 p.m.

Scholarship Information

Scholarship packets have been mailed to all 4-H seniors. These include information on the Boe Brothers and Anne Wiprud scholarships, and the MSU Hilleman scholars program. Seniors, check out these amazing opportunities! If you do not receive your packet by January 7, 2025, please call the office.

Rock Your Record Books

You have set your goals, now let's folus on filling out the rest of "My 4-H Year."

Club and Project Meeting Participation

List each club or project name. What meetings did you attend?
Record them as you go through the 4-H year.
So far, you should be able to enter all 4-H meetings that you have attended in
October, November and December.

Offices and Committees

Are you an officer or committee member in 4-H? Any other groups? If you don’t have anything to enter, consider joining a committee, there is still time!

Promotional Presentations

Have you worn a 4-H apron or clothing or talked about joining 4-H with your friends? Each time you do, write it in this section.

Communications Activities

Have you given speeches or reports at club meetings, school, church or any other groups? Remember to add interview judging, if you attend the fair!

Awards and Honors (4-H and Others)

There are lots of spaces here, the key is to write awards and honors as you receive them.

Journal of Activities, Events and Experiences

All activities, events and experiences can be listed in this part. Did you play in or attend a sporting event? Take a vacation? Go to the prom? Attend an LQA workshop, do chores or go to camp? How about the fair? Write it down, it all counts!

Comments

Anything else to add? Maybe write about your favorite activity this year, or which project you learned the most from. This is the place to do it!

Hot Tip:

It's easy if your record activities as they happen!  Review and update often.

Agent's Corner:  Upcoming Fun!
By Jenn Swanson

KMON 4-H and FFA Judging Contest January 15-16 at the MAGIE in Great Falls!

  • Early Bird Discounted Registration (online at judgingcard.com by Sunday, Jan 5, 2025, 11 pm) -$6 per person per contest
  • Late Registration (after Jan 5, 2024) - $10 per person per contest - online or at the door
  • Pay with one check to Fairfield FFA Alumni - KMON
    • c/o Mr. John Park, FFA Advisor
    • PO Box 399
    • Fairfield, MT 59436

Livestock Judging Contest Jan 17 at the Montana Winter Fair in Lewistown!

  • Registration forms at MontanaWinterFair.com (Register & pay fees online)
  • Forms and fees must be received by Thursday, January 16, 2025
  • $50 per team or $15 per individual competitor
  • Schedule
    • 1:00 pm- Check-in
    • 2:00 pm- Judging
    • 4:30 pm- Awards
  • Superintendent is Mr. Cody Ream

4-H Achievement Day!  Coming October 7, 2025

Start collecting great photos for the all-club slide show (text or email to Jenn) and each Club be thinking of 2 fun and unique awards to prent to your members!

Cultivating Leadership

by Shelby Jones-Dozier, FCS & 4-H Agent

Cultivating youth leaders is one of the many benefits of 4-H.Teton County 4-H has several opportunities for youth to take that first step towards leadership whether it’s as a club officer or a camp counselor.Another great opportunity is the Ambassador Program.This year, new ambassadors will have the opportunity to learn from our senior ambassadors: Ayden DeBruycker, Waverly Konen, Grace Toeckes, and Mikayla Toeckes.Each new ambassador will be paired up with a senior mentor to guide you along your leadership development journey.

The 2025 Ambassador Application is now open and will bedue on Friday, February 14, 2025.  Apply to be a 2025 Youth Ambassador.Contact the Extension Office if you would like to have a paper application mailed to you.

Calling All Youth Camp Counselors!

Summer may seem far away right now, but it’s not too early to start thinking about 4-H camp! The 2025 Camp Counselor application is now open and will be due Friday, February 14, 2025.Camp counselor planning meetings will be monthly beginning in March and wrapping up with an overnight retreat in June.

Camp counselors need to be 13 (4-H age) and attend a minimum of two planning meetings and the June retreat.Experience in club leadership and participation in a state level 4-H event is preferred.Attending Rec Lab and/or Congress is highly encouraged to get ideas for workshops and learn new group games.

Camp will be at the TASGA grounds in Choteau this year.Be a part of the team to develop new traditions and create a great summer experience!  Apply to be a 2025 Camp Counselor!

Many Hands Make Light Work!

Adult volunteers needed for Summer Camp 2025.

Teton County 4-H camp will be July 22- 24, 2025, in Choteau at the Teton Antique Steam & Gas Association (TASGA) grounds.We are seeking adults to volunteer in shifts to help at camp.

Please consider helping at camp, even if only for a few hours.

Let us know how you can assist by completing the survey. Completing the survey does not obligate you to participate.The survey is only to help in the planning process.  Complete the 2025 Adult Camp Volunteer Survey.

Mark Your Calendar for Communications Day!

Communications Day will beSaturday, April 27,at Choteau Public School.This event will include a Stir-Ups Competition and Western Heritage Persona Interviews. Club leaders, consider planning a club level Communications Day in February or March!Communications Day applications will open in February.

This competition is open to all 4-H members from Cloverbuds to Seniors.4-Hers 13 and up who win a blue ribbon will be eligible to compete at state Congress in July.For those 14 and up, Congress winners will be eligible to attend National 4-H Congress as a member of the Montana Delegation.

Learn about the different ways to compete in Communications! 

4-H Market Beef Members-Save This Date!

Want to Save $20 on your beef assessment fee AND attend an approved Livestock Quality Assurance (LQA) event?

Your beef superintendents, Levi Hodgskiss and Justin Paulson, and are hosting a Beef Tagging and LQA event onSunday,  January5,from 2 to 4:30 pmatEast Slope Veterinary Servicein Choteau.

  • 2 to 3:30 pm: weighing and ear tagging; get your 3 photos for the market animal application
  • 3:30 to 4:30 pm: LQA education on injection technique, vaccination and worming schedules, and general beef husbandry by Craig Moore, DVM with Levi and Justin

Get $20 off your assessment fee if you come prepared with your paperwork completed (Market Animal Agreement, Breeder Information Form, plus Bill of Sale -or- Affirmation of Ownership). We’ll have a copier handy for Bills of Sale.

If you want to join this year’s beef rate of gain contest, this is the time to get your steer’s official starting weight. This is an optional competition run by beef project members. Entrance fee is $25 cash to Ashle Morris.

Club Commotion

Old Agency

The Old Agency 4-H Club promoted National 4-H Week (first week of October) at Choteau schools.
Members of the Old Agency and other Teton County 4-H clubs practice livestock judging at the Redland's recently.

Eager Eagles

Thursday, December 12, 2024, the Eager Eagles 4-H Club held their annual bake sale at the Fairfield Christmas Stroll.  Proceeds will go to the Fairfield Food Bank.

The December cooking meeting for the Eager Eagles 4-H Club was held at Heidi Pearson's house.  The cooking members made fun holiday treats and learned how to use chocolate to dip pretzels and other items.  They worked on knife skills, as well.  Fun was had by all!

4-H Council Seeking New Officers!

4-H Council is seeking a new secretary for 2025-2027.Our treasurer position will be vacant later this year and we are seeking a treasurer-in-training to work with Rachel Christensen to learn the ropes!Please contact the Extension Office to learn more.

Greytak Calendars

The 2025 Greytak calendars are at the office! Once again, they are $15 and the proceeds benefit our Teton County 4-H Council and statewide 4-H programs.

Thinking About Feed...

The 2025 North 40 discount cards (10% off) that can be used for 4-H project livestock animal feed and show supplements will arrive at the Extension office sometime soon. All cards need to be signed by the 4-H member and their club leader.Also consider checking in on feed costs and programs with our local store, Western Feed Corral in Choteau.

Monthly Online Leadership Academy

Join the Montana 4-H Leadership Academy workshop series on Sunday afternoons in the 2024- 2025 4-H year. Each month, the State Ambassador Officer Team will present a different workshop topic that they have found to be important as they have developed their own leadership abilities. The leadership academy is for Montana 4-H members interested in exploring and developing their own leadership skills while serving their county 4-H program in new ways. The workshop content is considered beginner level for emerging leaders. Members with more leadership experience may find this to be a review and should consider mentoring younger members just starting out in leadership activities before or after these workshops. Visit the website to register for the workshop series and receive the Zoom link. Sunday Trainings at 3:00 PM: January 12, 2025,February 9, 2025, and March 16, 2025.

Please Consider Joining a 4-H Committee this 4-H Year!

Join a Committee

Teton County 4-H Committees
Teton County 4-H Committee
Description
Meetings
# of Members
(Suggested Minimum)

Standing Committees
Budget & Audit
Develops and then recommends to the   4-H Council an annual budget, which       is voted on at 4-H Council
Meets 1-2 times each year in late Summer and/or Fall

4-H Council Treasurer,

1 agent,

1 adult member,

1 youth member
Communications Day
Promotes development of members’ skills in giving demonstrations and presentation, via training sessions and participation in local, statewide, and/or national competitions/events
Meets 1-2 times each year in Fall and/or Winter, to plan Teton County’s Communications Day in March

1 agent,

1-2 adult members,

1-2 youth members
Fair
Designates annual Fair theme, creates the schedule of Fair activities, develops the Fair publicity plan

Meets 1-2 times each year in Spring, to plan Teton County’s 4-HFair in June

1agent,

1 or 2 adult members,

1 or 2 youth members
Awards
Designates annual awards plan for 4-H competitions; may be the same members and meet at the same time as the Fair Committee

Meets 1-2 times each year in Spring, to plan Teton County’s 4-HFair in June

1 agent,

1 or 2 adult members,

1 or 2 youth members
Livestock
Attends to livestock project areas including animal husbandry education, livestock quality assurance education, safety and rules regarding the 4-H Livestock Sale and Carcass Competition

Meets on the first Monday of every other month

(Oct, Dec, Feb, Apr, Jun, Aug)

Ag agent,

Officers (Pres, VP, Treasurer, Secretary), livestock superintendents,

1 or more adult members,

1 or more youth members
Horse Committee
Oversees equine education events, rules, regulations and safety of 4-H horse-related events and contests – in the case of an active horse project club, may be comprised of the horse project club members

Meets 3 to 4 times per year, or as needed

Horse project club leader,

1 or more adult members,

1 or more youth members

 
Textile

Overseestextile educational events, offerings and competitions

 

Meets 1 or 2 times per year, in Fall and/or Spring

1 agent,

1 or 2 adult members,

1 or 2 youth members
Special Committees
Meat & Greet

Plans and coordinates the annual 4-H Fair “Meat and Greet” celebration for all 4-H Families and Fair attendees

Meets 2 or 3 times per year, in Spring prior to Teton County’s 4-H Fair in June

1 agent,

1 or 2 adult members,

1 or 2 youth members
Exchange

Currently inactive; will activate when needed.An active committee is not needed to enroll in the Exchange project.

Meets only as need to review Exchange policy

Ad hoc

4-H Council Budget-2024-2025

Contact the Teton County MSU Extension Office for a copy of the budget to review.

More on Montana Winter Fair...

AG AMBASSADOR COMPETITION 2025

The Ag Ambassador competition will be happening on Saturday, January 18, 2025.

Registration Deadline: January 10

Register for the Ag Ambassador Competition 

This event is open to ANY junior high or high school student. They do not need to be a 4-H or FFA member to participate. All components of this event except the prepared speech may be completed remotely.

As part of the event, students are asked to tell the story of agriculture through a variety of methods. For 2025, participants should focus on the topic of Agriculture in a Changing World. The prompt is intentionally broad because we want to encourage students to be creative. Examples of topics students can focus on include changes being made on their own/family farm/ranch, changes in the industry, new technology available, etc.

The prizes awarded for the competition are as follows:

• Prepared Speech (delivered in person): 1st Place - $150, 2nd Place - $75

• Newspaper Article: 1st Place - $100, 2nd Place - $50

• Radio Spot: 1st Place - $100, 2nd Place - $50

• Social Media Posts: 1st Place - $100, 2nd Place - $50

Please review the guidelines for each contest component below. Students may compete in all areas of the competition, or in just one or a few of their choosing. The newspaper, radio, and social media posts will be completely virtual, but the prepared speech will be an in-person event, to be delivered in Lewistown during the Winter Fair on January 18th (note that this is the weekend after KMON and the day after the Livestock competition at the Winter Fair).

1) Newspaper Article - completely virtual – 500-800 words, sent to event organizers by January 12

2) Radio Spot - completely virtual – 50-60 seconds long, pre-recorded and sent to event organizers by January 12

3) Social Media Posts - completely virtual – 3 posts on any appropriate platform, including a picture or video (max. 60 sec/video), and posts written using 60 words or less; sent to event organizers by January 12

4) Prepared Speech – 7-12 minutes, delivered in person in Lewistown on the day of the competition

Please feel free to email Emily Standley at standley.emily@gmail.com with any questions!

Rec Lab

What is Rec Lab? “Rec Lab” stands for Recreation Lab and means that everything at this Montana 4-H state event is hands-on and fun! This event provides an opportunity for youth 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.

Montana 4-H Rec Lab is open to youth 13+ years old (age as of Oct. 1st, 2024). This event is ideal for younger senior members to attend as a first-time state event. It allows them to form relationships with 4-H peers from across the state, broaden their skills, and widen their network. The event has a camp feel because everything will take place in one school or location! Participants will bring air mattresses and sleeping bags to sleep on the gym floor, and attend workshops all together in the school and join lots of social and fun activities.

Registration will be through ZSuite and is set to open on February 10th and will close March 12th. The cost will be around $100 per person. Participants will have the opportunity to pick from a list of workshops during registration.

Volunteers: The idea of sleeping on an air mattress in a school gym may not be your idea of a fun weekend, but this is a great event for you too! The program is conducive to meeting people from around the state and exchanging ideas. You are sure to gain some great info and bring home motivated youth leaders.

Thank you to District 6 counties: Meagher, Gallatin, Park, Broadwater, Wheatland, Sweet Grass, and Lewis and Clark Counties for planning and hosting this event.

Montana 4-H Rec Lab-Workshop Proposals 

March 28-30, 2025, White Sulphur Springs, MT

District 6 invites you to submit workshop proposals for the 2025 Montana 4-H Recreation Lab, which will be held on March 28-30 in White Sulphur Springs, MT. Workshops will take place on Saturday. The theme is "There's No Place Like 4-H." Both teen and adult workshop presenters are welcome. Please complete the online proposal form by January 15. Contact Allison Kosto at allison.kosto@montana.edu or 406.266.9242 with any questions.

Rec Lab Workshop Proposal Form

As you prepare your proposal and ways to share your talents, consider the purpose of 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.

Citizenship Seminar 2025

Citizens in Action Event

Register now for Montana 4-H Citizenship Seminar Event

January 19-21, 2025, in Helena, Montana

For Montana 4-H members 14 and older.

Get ready to connect with 4-Hers from across the state at the 2025 Montana 4-H Citizenship Seminar! This unique experience offers an inside look at democratic government and the chance to engage with program highlights that make it unforgettable. While everyone may feel a mix of excitement and curiosity, you'll find yourself growing alongside peers and adults alike. Don’t miss the opportunity to meet elected officials and leave a memorable impression as a proud representative of 4-H!

Find out more about the Montana Citizenship Seminar.

MSU Extension Teton County

Fair Dates

The Teton County Fair is scheduled for the last full weekend in June that includes a Sunday.
2025    June 24-29
2026    June 22-28

Camp Dates

2025   July 22-24

4-H Congress Dates, Bozeman

2025   July 8-11
2026   July 7-10

 

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


Agents:

Shelby Jones-Dozier shelby.jonesdozier@montana.edu
Jenn Swanson  jenn.swanson@montana.edu

Assistants:

JoAnn McDowell & Jamie Smith  teton@montana.edu

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