Meetings are held the 3rd Monday of each month at the Gallatin County Extension Office at 6pm. 

Email Ginny Francis ginnyfrancis@yahoo.com or Kelley gklerwick@gmail.com for further details and location details.

The Camp Counselors have been hard-at-work planning Medieval workshops and activities, and they have a number of events coming up: 

1.  Butter Braid pickup will be Wednesday, May 10th at the Gallatin County Extension Office.  It will be in the evening, but I don't have an exact time from the provider yet.  Watch Band, text, and email for more information. IF you sold Butter Braids, you need to pick them up on Wednesday.   

2.  We are hoping to have a CPR learning day on Saturday, May 27th.  Have you taken a second to vote on Band?

3.  Our next meeting will be Saturday, June 17th at the Gallatin County Extension Office for Run Through Day.  I look forward to seeing you all there!  For more information and questions, contact Shelly McPhee - ksmcphee0315@gmail.com (email), gallatincamp@gmail.com (email), or 406-595-4774 (text). 

Last month's meeting was all about jazzing up the cheese!  We had a freestyle mac 'n cheese night where each member got to customize the Best Macaroni & Cheese recipe EVER.  We had a variety of ingredients, including bacon, ham, peas & carrots, and pico de gallo.  Each member made it their own.  It was so much fun and absolutely delicious!

Our cooking field trip Saturday 4/29 to Wasabi Japanese Steak House was a blast and so yummy! Check out the pictures below!!

Our next meeting is scheduled for 5/16/23, 6 pm - 8:30 pm at the MSU food lab located in room #120, Herrick Hall, located off of S 7th Avenue.  Look for the Signup Genius email to RSVP.  Make sure to reply to that so that we can plan accordingly.  Come prepared to get a little messy, have a ton of fun, and eat some delicious food prepared by you!

Call, text, or email Stephanie Lively with any questions.

406-600-7935

livelysteph76@gmail.com

Our next dairy cow workshop will be on May 8, 2023 from 6:30 to 8:00pm at the 4-H Office.  We will have a guest speaker and will work on our workbooks/records.  So please remember to bring your project activity workbook and records with you. Fair is just around the corner so remember to also take advantage of the spring sun and work with your dairy animals! Any questions please contact one of the project leaders. Looking forward to seeing you in May!

- Project leaders Shawna Oostema (406) 580-7819 or Cassie Smieja (406) 539-3833.

HORSE PROJECTS

We as the horse project have been invited to participate in a basket auction during the livestock auction. During the Livestock Sale of the fair we will have a "Horse Basket" promoting our project. Each animal project will have a basket, the proceeds from the baskets go back to each project. This gives individuals who are not able to purchase an animal the opportunity to be involved. We are looking for items to add to our basket ( per 4-H rules no alcohol) and a parent who is willing to take the lead. If you are interested please reach out to the horse committee, we would GREATLY appreciate it!

Also Jess would love to start a Horse Breeding project similar to the livestock breeding projects. If you are interested in this please reach out to Jess @ reininginmt05@gmail.com. You don't have to have a mare to breed as Jess has 3 that will be used for the project. But if you have a mare that you want to breed, this will be the place to start and learn. The project would go over genetics, choosing a stallion to fit your mare, the breeding process, and following the mare through her pregnancy.

We have lots of great workshops coming up, including a general horsemanship clinic on Saturday, May 6th at the fairgrounds. Please sign up on the Signup Genius links on the calendar 2 days prior to the Clinic. Sign up here:  22-23 Horse Events

If you have project, fair, or horsemanship questions or troubles, reach out to a committee member. We want to help by answering questions or pointing you in the right direction.

I want to show at the fair! GREAT, make sure you PREPARE FOR FAIR.

Here are a few things you need to do to prepare (see the paragraphs below for more information on these topics)

1. Take care of the sponsorship fee for each participant/family. You can contact Toni for more information 406-539-3747.
2. Make sure you have the minimum influenza/Rhino (EHV) administered to all participating horses and all the information sent to the committee by June 1^st.
3. Make sure you have participated in a minimum of 2 clinics before the fair. Need to attend a clinic? Check out the schedule below for upcoming clinic offerings. *Check out the specific requirements for each project below.
4. Look out for an email this month that will have sign-up information for the fair. 

Please don't forget about your sponsorships and/or working concessions (only a few dates left). These need to be done right away if you want to participate at the Fair. The money from this helps pay for awards. You are also more than welcome to go talk to businesses and get sponsors that way.

Reminder..... Vaccinations need to be done as soon as possible. Please email in a copy of a receipt or vet paperwork and with the name of each horse that received the vaccine.

Fair - You will be receiving an email from the 4h office around mid May to sign up for Fair. Please make sure you have met your requirements before signing up. If you can't remember, please email us and we can help you figure it out.

Clinic Requirements- There are a limited number of clinics left before fair so please make sure you are on track to meet the clinic requirements of each project you plan to show in!
Horsemanship- any 2 workshops
Colt to Maturity/Green Horse- 2 c2m/gh workshops
Jumping- 2 jumping workshops (only 1 required for level 4 and up)
WRH- 3 WRH workshops (at least 1 of the 3 must be on cattle)

Please be sure to check the updated google drive for an accurate calendar! 22-23 Horse Events

Horse Committee meetings are held on the third Monday at 6:30 pm at the Smart's residence every month. We welcome any parents who want to be involved and help shape the project!

HORSE - GALLATIN TWISTERS

Jessie Sheperd- Twister Coach 352-304-1648  jlsheperd@gmail.com

Knit and Crochet will meet 10am - noon upstairs in the Belgrade Library, Saturday  May 6, to put together the lap robes squares everyone has been creating.  The robes will be donated to the Cancer Center after the fair.  During the fair, please stop by the indoor exhibit building to see the display of these robes.

UPDATED SCHEDULE:

May 6     10:00 - 12:00  at Belgrade Library

May 20  10:00 - 12:00  at Belgrade Library

- Jeanette and Phyllis

This project and club is open to members 13 and up. Developing Leadership Excellence is one of the Teen Leadership projects and clubs for Gallatin County. 

Please watch your email and Band for more information.

If you have any questions, please contact Shelly McPhee at ksmcphee@charter.net or 406-595-4774.

The 2nd and 4th Thursday of May Leathercraft will be meeting at 6 pm at the River Rock Church of the Nazarene.

Workshop Announcement

Open to all beginning leatherworkers 19 years of age or less.

Tandy Leather's Beginning Leathercraft class for Kids (Free) at the Rocky Mountain Leather Trade Show

When: May 20, 2023

Where: Sheridan, Wyoming

Cost:  FREE  {YOU MUST SIGNUP ONLINE}

Time: 1 to 4 pm

Workshop Description: The basics of leather tooling (carving & stamping) will be demonstrated in this workshop for aspiring leather workers aged 19 and under. Students will receive individual hands-on help with practicing the techniques and completing a leather project. All materials will be provided. *Pre-Registration is required.  If you have and would like to bring your own tools you can otherwise everything is provided. 

The link is below:

Tandy Leather’s Beginning Leathercraft for Kids – Leather Crafters & Saddlers Journal (leathercraftersjournal.com)

Questions? Contact leader Merrita Marble at marble@bresnan.net or 406-388-2055

Thank you to Richard Galli for presenting his knowledge about pigeons at our April meeting and to the members who participated in our egg drop event! Several of the creations made by the members protected the eggs and they survived the drops.  Our May workshop will be held on May 11, 2023 from 6:00 to 8:00pm (note the time change) in Building 3 at the Fairgrounds. This workshop we will be doing our costume contest and practicing for showmanship.  So, bring your costumes designed for your birds and a bird to practice showmanship with at the workshop! Any questions please contact one of the leaders shown below.

Shawna Oostema: 406-580-7819, fcclashawna@hotmail.com       

Judy Brownell: onebar4@aol.com 

Judy Neiminen: 406-599-0639; lneiminen@gmail.com 

Hello Rabbit project. Our may meeting will be held on May 18th at 6pm. We will have our meeting in the red sale pavilion located at the fairgrounds. Keep in mind that 4 project meetings are required to show at fair. Call with any questions you may have. 

We are still looking for committee members to help the 3 of us run the project for these kids. If you are willing, we would love to have you join us. Reach out to one of the committee members with any questions you may have. 

Cody 406-209-4183 

Amy 406-209-2720 

Monica 406-399-1866 

Please make sure to sign the livestock contract for the rabbit project. This is required of ALL 4-H rabbit members.

Sign Contract Here: https://na3.docusign.net/Member/PowerFormSigning.aspx?PowerFormId=4697684b-6ff5-417b-af3c-e1d3e986b08b&env=na3&acct=960f6090-f7cb-40a6-adf5-0490f456d6eb&v=2

May 7th 4pm - 5pm - MANDATORY Tagging and Weigh-in! Mandatory, exceptions will not be made! We will be at the wash rack at the Gallatin County Fairgrounds. **This does not count as a workshop. Members do not need to be present, but ALL lambs must be there. Also please remember that contracts MUST be submitted by the tagging date for you to be eligible to show at Fair. (see contact link below)

If you are planning to sell an animal at the county fair this summer, please review and sign the 2022-2023 Gallatin County Market Livestock Contract.  This contract explains the workshop requirements, animal possession deadlines, expectations and other important information. This contract is due by the May 7th Sheep Tagging date.

Sign Contract Here: https://na3.docusign.net/Member/PowerFormSigning.aspx?PowerFormId=4697684b-6ff5-417b-af3c-e1d3e986b08b&env=na3&acct=960f6090-f7cb-40a6-adf5-0490f456d6eb&v=2

May 10th 6:30pm - Ultrasound technology/carcass grading All-Species workshop at the GranTree Inn (Bozeman)

May 23rd 6:30pm - Showmanship workshop - BRING YOUR LAMBS! We will have a presentation by senior members to learn what to expect in the show ring, strategies and approaches to successfully show your lamb! We will be at the Fairgrounds Indoor Arena.

June 6th 6:30pm - Slick Shearing Workshop. Do NOT bring your lambs! Senior members will demonstrate how to slick hear your lambs in preparation for the show ring. We will be at the Swan Farm (1240 Yadon Road, Manhattan)

June Date TBD - Rough Shear. Shearing will take place at the Fairgrounds wash rack. There is a charge associated with this shearing. **Rough shear does not count as a workshop. 

Committee members:

Ruth Carr -kennellr@gmail.com (406) 539-4337

Kim Flikkema- kimflikkema@gmail.com (406) 599-1486

Jodilynn Kelley- jkelley@bridgerorthopedic.com (512) 663-5569

Jodi Smith (406) 580-2984

SHOOTING SPORTS

Please check you emails for more details on these upcoming events and milestones for the project.

• 5/10 All Species: Ultrasound Workshop @ the GranTree beginning at 6:30PM
• 5/13 Introduction to Showmanship @ Manhattan beginning at 10:00AM
• 6/12 Fitting & Clipping @ Manhattan beginning at 6:30PM

We will publish the balance of May & June Dates as soon as possible but topics include:

• May TBD Competitive Showmanship Workshop / Judge Terms
• May TBD Posters, Marketing, Cost of Doing Business/Record Books, Workbooks
• June TBD All Species: Marketing
• June TBD All Species: Interviewing / Demonstrated Learning
• June TBD Farrowing

🆘 One final update: the Market Livestock Committee voted at their last meeting to NOT have an Online Component to our Market Sale in 2023. We will go back to just the Live In-Person Sale and still offer Proxy Bidding opportunities (more to come on this). Feel free to let your buyers know about this change to the Market Sale this year and plan accordingly to have your Buyers there in-person. The sale is Friday July 21st beginning at 4pm.

Parents and Members can sign up for our Swine Remind text group for project-related correspondence https://www.remind.com/join/fh2693

If you have additional email addresses you want on this distribution list, please send a quick note to gallatinswineproject@gmail.com to ensure it's on the list. If you received this email, you're on our list for the remainder of the project. 

Don’t forget to sign up for our Swine Project Parent & Member Remind text group for project-related correspondence https://www.remind.com/join/fh2693. They're short and sweet messages/reminders but you must opt-in, we will not add you and can choose to opt-out at a later date if needed.

If you are not receiving the email updates, please send a quick note to gallatinswineproject@gmail.com to ensure you’re on the list.

Thank you,

-Swine Committee

Questions? Reach out to Monika Johnson 406-579-3211

The Weed Science project is designed to teach members a basic understanding of invasive plants, causes of their invasion, economic and environmental impact of weeds, weed identification, and rangeland monitoring.

Our next meeting is to be determined and will be a field trip to collect weeds!

Questions? Contact Kevin McPhee at kevin.mcphee@montana.edu