The public Extension calendar, available to everyone, can be accessed from the MSU Extension home page (http://extn.msu.montana.edu/). It will include public programs and events in which MSU Extension is involved.

Dec. 12...Whitehall Beef Breeder's Show Livestock Judging Contest.
Please contact the Extension Office, 287-3282, for information.

Dec. 13...SUNDAY, Market Quality Assurance Class (MQA), Whitehall at the Extension Office
Conference Room, 3 pm

Dec. 24 & 25...Merry Christmas! Office will be closed.

Dec. 31...Agent Office hours in Boulder at the Boulder courthouse jury room (3rd floor), 8:00-4:00.

Jan. 1...Happy New Year! Office will be closed.

Jan. 9...4-H/FFA Market Steer Tagging/Weigh-in, Horse Creek Hay & Cattle Company in
Sheridan 9 am - 11 am & Turner Ranch in Whitehall 1 pm - 4 pm.

Jan. 12...4-H Council Meeting, 7 pm at the Extension Office in Whitehall

Fred & Lynn Hirschy and Don Harrington have each donated a foal to the Colt to Maturity Project. The Horse Committee will award these colts to two 4-H/FFA members. The requirements to be eligible are: the members must be at least 12 years of age and have assessed or be able to assess thru Horsemanship Level 3. The member must complete an essay and answer questions pertaining to the project. You don't need to be enrolled in the horse project to apply for these foals. If you are the successful applicant you will need to enroll in the project at that time and the horse committee will help you to assess thru the appropriate level to participate in fair.

If you are interested in receiving one of these foals contact Sharmen @ 287-3151 or dblarrowlvst@aol.com

Deadline date: January 15, 2010

At Achievement Day we took one final look back at all of last year's accomplishments and I would like to recognize all of our leaders and members for their meaningful efforts. While it is always difficult to let everyone know just how much their commitment to our 4-H program is appreciated, I hope you all realize that our program wouldn't be what it is today without your continued dedication.

At the November 4-H Council meeting we had a very productive discussion about how we can make the pre-fair record book check more efficient and consistent throughout all the clubs. A suggestion was made that we have a traveling record book committee (which would include a minimum of 3 people from each geographic area) that travels to all three locations (Whitehall, Ennis, Twin/Sheridan) to do the pre-fair check. There were five volunteers who stepped forward and offered to be part of this committee. In order for this to be successful and yield positive results, we still need volunteers from the following areas: 1 volunteer from Ennis/McAllister/Harrison clubs; 1 volunteer from Whitehall/Cardwell/Boulder clubs; and 2 volunteers from Sheridan/Twin Bridges/Silver Star clubs. Please contact Jill or myself if you are interested in serving on this committee. We will then schedule a meeting to discuss the details of how the record book check will happen and give the committee members the adequate training to ensure consistency.

I also wanted to make everyone aware of a few changes the State 4-H Office has made to the record book forms. The green "My 4-H Year" form is the same as it was last year. The blue "Project & Financial Journal" is now called "Non-Animal Project & Financial Journal". The new form orange) is the "Animal Record Journal" which is to be completed for animal projects in addition to the old orange "Animal Record" form. Please take a look at these forms at the www.montana4h.org website and call the office if you have any questions.

For more 4-H news, please click here for the latest newsletter.  

"Judge each day not by the harvest, but by the
seeds you plant" -Robert Louis Stevenson

Happy Holidays,
Andrea Sarchet
Madison-Jefferson Extension Agent

Please see the Community Calendar for information on the next Rancher Roundtable in Sheridan on January 29th.  We will need to know if you plan to attend by January 27th. 

Posted by Debra McNeill for Andrea Sarchet

For the last fifteen years or so, the Madison-Jefferson County Extension Service has held monthly Rancher Roundtable workshops in Whitehall and Sheridan during the winter months. While past topics have varied from estate planning to beef cattle marketing to weed and forage management, the primary focus has generally been ?hot topics? in the agricultural industry based on what people who attend the workshops request. As the county extension agent who plans these workshops, I am asking for your input! The last several workshops held in Whitehall have been poorly attended. The Sheridan workshops have been well attended and will continue as long as there is an interest. The Whitehall Rancher Roundtable is held at 6:30 am, usually on the third Thursday of the month and includes a sponsored (free) breakfast. The specialist generally speaks on the topic for about an hour, and then opens it up to discussion and questions.

What I need to hear from you is how the Rancher Roundtable in Whitehall can be better suited to meet your needs. What topics would be of interest to you? Is there a better time of day or day of the week that you are available? These workshops are open to the public and are advertised in the Extension Calendar, which is posted in area newspapers weekly. In addition, a flyer is also sent to about 100 people that we have on a mailing list that have attended in the workshops in the past. If you are not on the mailing list and would like to be added to the list, please contact the Extension Office at 287-3282 or asarchet@montana.edu. Also, please call or email with your input regarding the workshops. There will not be a Rancher Roundtable held in Whitehall in January, and unless we hear from you, these workshops will only be held in Sheridan in the future.

Posted by Debra McNeill for Andrea Sarchet