Ravalli County 4-H
Newsletter
October 2020
Upcoming Dates
  • Oct 1 2020-2021 4-H Year Enrollment opens on ZSuite
  • Oct 4-10 National 4-H Week
  • Wear your green and clovers Wednesday, Oct. 7th for 4-H Spirit day!
  • Oct 14 Indoor after “fair” meeting
  • Oct 15 Dog Project first meeting
  • Oct 17 Leadership Academy virtual “kick off” event (in place of Teen leader and Ambassador fall training)
  • Oct 19 Sheep after “fair” meeting
  • Oct 20 Livestock Committee meeting
  • Nov 6 Club year end financials/ documents due
  • Nov 16 Ravalli 4-H Advisory Council meeting
  • May 1: 4-H Carnival
 
If you have dates to add- please contact the Ravalli County Extension Office
2019/2020 Fair Re-cap
Livestock
Livestock sale re-cap
              Thank you to all who participated in the virtual sale this year! Although it was not as fun and engaging as a normal in-person sale, it still got the job done. Average prices for all species were about on par with past years. Thank you to all our hardworking volunteers who made it happen and to the flexibility and understanding of the families who adjusted their schedules to meet deadlines. We truly appreciate everyone’s effort!
We hope youth still found some educational value in the process and were enlightened to a different way livestock can be sold and bought.
Overall, the feedback we have received during after “fair” meetings has been positive with how things turned out, and everyone is excited to start getting on with the new 4-H year!

Carcass judging results update
              Swine and beef- results pending
              Goat and Sheep- on website
Buyers certificates
              Stop by the Extension office to pick up your buyer certificates!
              Usually, these certificates are distributed the day of the sale. Due to the nature of the virtual sale this year, we are having families pick up the certificates. Also included with the certificates is information about your buyer and price your animal sold for.
Indoor
35 youth exhibited and interviewed different project areas. The format was slightly different this year due to COVID-19 restrictions. But with the help of wonderful volunteers and resilient youth, they were still able to exhibit the hard work put into their static projects.
The talent and dedication each project displayed is truly outstanding!
View the slide show of indoor projects on the Ravalli 4-H website.

Dog
2019-2020 4-H dog project saw 6 youths compete at the Freestyle competition in February and 8 youths participate in the “Fair” show in August. The show in August offered competitions in Agility, Obedience and Showmanship. The kids’ attitudes were fantastic and they all did amazing considering the set-backs we had this year.

Horse
The horse show took place on August 29. About 20 riders and their horses participated in a variety of events and disciplines.
The horse program in Ravalli County offers many opportunities for youth to engage with their equine partners throughout the year.
Ravalli 4-H Alumni Report 
The Ravalli Count Alumni hosted their annual yard sale on Saturday Sept, 12 and raised a total of $818.00. This money will go into the camp scholarship fund. 
Thank you to all those who organized this event!
Looking forward to the
2020/2021 4-H Year!
COVID-19 Meeting guidelines 
As we look towards the upcoming 4-H year, please keep these guidelines in mind when meeting in-person for club or project activities. Most important things to note:
  • We are representing Montana State University Extension any time we act within a 4-H capacity and must follow the guidelines put forth by them
  • By following the guidelines, we minimize the risk and are doing everything in our power to keep everyone safe during 4-H activities
  • Sanitize meeting areas before and after use
  • Take extra care of high traffic areas, such as doors
  • Refrain from passing materials (paper, pens, food) from person to person
  • designate one person to pass out/ serve materials
  • Wear your mask while indoors
  • Space seating 6 feet apart
  • Offer virtual meeting alternatives
When in doubt, please contact the Extension office. We are here to help you with planning logistics, setting up virtual meetings, or anything else! 
ZSuite- New 4-H Enrollment System
Starting October 1, you will be able to enroll in the new enrollment system, Zsuite.
  • It is a very user friendly platform that will offer many of the same features as our previous enrollment system. The main change is that it is designed for families to complete their enrollment completely online (county approval still required, club/project leader access still available). 
  • What can you do now? Make sure you know the family e-mail used in 4-HOnline (it will be your login e-mail for ZSuite). Club leaders will have a list of these e-mails, or the extension office is happy to help you figure out what it is, give us a call before or during your registration.
  • Keep an eye out for help guides on October 1 to begin your enrollment/re-enrollment.
  • Trainings can be arranged depending upon request. 
  • Check out this resource: http://montana4h.org/resources/4henrollment/index.html
Club Resources
Use the resources posted on Ravalli County Extension website to help plan your 4-H year and make it the best one yet! https://ravalli.msuextension.org/4hclub.html 
4-H Dog Project Meetings
three_small_dogs_running.jpg
Date: Thursday evenings starting October 15th
Time: 5:30pm or 6pm (time depends on which group you are in) dog meetings with dogs. 
Location: Fairgrounds, Dog Barn/Arena as long as the weather holds then location TBD. Contact Nicki for more information, 406-369-0707

Future Meetings:
Saturday, November 7, 2:30pm meeting without dogs, location TBD subject TBD
Saturday, December 5, 2:30 pm meeting without dogs, location TBD, subject TBD
TENTATIVE 1st Saturday of each month at 2:30 pm meeting without dogs, location and subject TBD
Volunteer position openings
Please let us know if you, or someone you know, would be interested in filling one of these positions 
  • Poultry superintendent
  • Small animal sale coordinator
  • Teen Leadership leader
  • Shooting sports county coordinator
  • Air pistol/ air rifle leader
  • Council President
Please call the extension office to learn more about these positions. 
State Events
National 4-H Week- 2020 theme: Opportunity for all
The first full week of October is dedicated to bringing awareness to 4-H.



Here are some ways to participate:
  • Wednesday, Oct. 7, is National 4‑H Week spirit day!
  • Wear green or the 4‑H clover. Have a 4‑H mask? Be sure to wear it!
  • Decorate an Opportunity4All sign and share your pictures and captions of what opportunity means to you using the hashtag #Opportunity4All on social media.
  • Make a copy for the Extension office to post on our wall!
  • Use the National 4‑H Week Zoom backgrounds on all your virtual meetings. Directions and backgrounds included below.
  • Share these ideas and encourage other 4‑H’ers to participate in spirit day!
  • Help promote the program this National 4-H Week by wearing youth 4-H club shirt to school, baking a plate of cookies as a thank you to your club or project leader, write a card to a teen mentor, invite a friend to your next club meeting or sign up for a new project to explore this year.
Leadership Academy Kick Off virtual event: Saturday October 17 at 3-5 PM
(in place of Teen Leader and Ambassador Fall Training)

Rather than having teen leaders across the state congregate together for this training, we will be gathering as a county and being lead through the activities by the state ambassador team virtually.
  • For members interested in teen leadership 12+
  • For County Ambassadors interested in facilitating leadership, service and promotion at the county level 14+
  • facilitated by the Ambassador Officer team with a keynote speaker Kent Julian
  • If interested contact the Ravalli County Extension office
There are more state level leadership trainings being planned for the upcoming months.
MSU/Ravalli County Extension Office

215 S. 4th Street, Ste G
Hamilton, MT 59840
Phone: 406.375.6611

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