2016 Montana 4-H Congress

The 2016 Montana 4-H Congress started and ended well for Teton County.  The event began with a Montana 4-H Ambassador meeting where the new slate of State 4-H Officers was announced.  After announcing four officer positions that fourteen youth from across the state were vying for, it was announced that Watson Snyder, of Teton County, was selected as president.  4-H members applying for state officers complete a two-day interview process. 

The second day of Congress, all of the Teton County 4-H delegates competed in contests.  Maria Murnane, Caroline Roeder, Kylee Ruckman, Claire Ruckman and Watson Snyder made up the livestock evaluation team for Teton County, judging several classes of livestock and giving reasons.  Hanna Antonsen competed in the Stir-Ups contest, a “top chef” style cooking event.  Antonsen made zucchini boats using green pulses.  The theme for the event focused on pulse crops, as it is the International Year of the Pulse.  In addition to being judged on her food safety, cooking and plating skills, Antonsen also gave an oral presentation for judges.  Daniel Asselstine competed in the new video contest with his video on the importance of character and what builds character.  The video contest entailed showing a video, giving a presentation on the video and an interview with judges.  An additional benefit to this contest was that one of the judges, Aaron Pruitt with Montana PBS, was very instructional and offered an impromptu tour of the PBS facilities for all video contestants.  Annie Townsend and Hannah Konen both competed in the fashion revue with wool lined ensembles. The fashion revue contestants are judges on sewing, poise, modeling and an interview with judges.

After competitions were completed, Teton County 4-H members enjoyed guest speakers and a range of workshops including robotics, natural resources, agriculture, career exploration and self-defense.  The state contest winners were announced with Teton County Livestock Judging Team placing sixth, Hanna Antonsen placing sixth in Stir-Ups and Daniel Asselstine placing second in video.  During the closing banquet, Kyra Bouma was recognized as a Barbara Edens Memorial 4-H Scholarship winner.  Townsend and Konen modeled their wool outfits in front of a crowd of 400 people.  Konen was announced as the first place winner in the fashion revue, earning trip to National 4-H Congress in Atlanta.  Townsend, who had submitted a state award application, story and creative project, was announces as a 4-H State Award winner in textiles.  She will also attend National 4-H Congress to represent Montana. 

The delegation was chaperoned by Brent Roeder and Jane Wolery, MSU Extension Agents in Teton County.  The group was also joined by Janae Ruckman who assisted with the livestock judging contest, Tammy and Katie Townsend, Jason Asselstine and RT and Susan Snyder.  Jayelyn Ruckman, Teton County 4-H Alum, was in attendance as an MSU Extension intern serving in Gallatin County. 

And the survey says?

By now, most Teton County residents with postal service have received a needs assessment and customer service survey from MSU Extension.  It is hard to believe, but I have been serving the county through Extension since 1998.  In that time, there have been three partner agents in Teton County with responsibilities in agriculture, 4-H and youth development and community development.  I’ve been spending some time this year reflecting on the educational programming we’ve offered during that time.  My assignment has been to serve in the areas of family consumer science, 4-H and youth development and community development. 

Part of what prompted me do a county-wide needs assessment was a class I took from Cynthia Crawford of the University of Missouri last May about evaluating Extension programming.  I have wondered, “Are we responsive to needs? What Extension impact stories are there in our county? Am I offering programming that meets state needs and not local needs?  What are the emerging trends in the county?  How can I improve my job performance?  How can we serve you better?”

Over the years, we’ve used a variety of methods to direct our programming, including class evaluations.  Using class evaluations only gather opinions from  people who are already engaged in Extension offerings, but do not capture those who are not attending Extension classes.  Of course, we’ve also used other informal methods of assessing needs.  Sometimes a person will come up to me at a community event or walk into my office or email me and say, “You know what Extension should really do?” These unsolicited suggestions have often resulted in the most popular offerings.  Some have been so popular that they’ve moved beyond our county to be offered at state and regional events, spreading the impact.  Just because we are asking for your input now through the survey, remember, we are happy to receive suggestions at any time.  We may not be able to address them immediately, but we do appreciate the suggestions.

Wow ... 1998 was a long time ago!

When I look at the photo that accompanied my column the first year here, it is obvious there have been many changes.  The changes are not only reflected in my photo, but in the face of the way we operate.  When I started in Extension, communication was mostly done in person, by phone or mail.  Yet, this year, we’ve been assisting clients through video chat, when that serves the purpose. There was a time when the majority of consumers didn’t use email routinely or own a cell phone.  We feel we’ve been adapting all along to these changes, but sometimes it is good to check to make sure we are on track with the people we serve.   There is a section of the survey that asks questions regarding how you would most like to engage with services we offer.

A large section of the survey is dedicated to asking you what you think are the most pressing needs that Extension can address in Teton County.  This section will take a little more effort as that section is a blank slate for you to fill.  Even though we sent a paper copy to every postal customer in the county, we do have an identical electronic survey available.  Just look for the survey link on our website at www.msuextension.org/teton.  The advantage, to us, for the electronic surveys is that they have an automated tabulation feature.  If you live out of county, but we are your Extension connection, you are invited to give your feedback.  Feel free to complete either the paper or e-surveys by May 1. 

We look forward to your input, evaluation and suggestions.

What Will Your Power of Ten Be?

As we celebrate 100 years of MSU Extension in Montana, I’ve thought about the Power of Ten.  In the case of MSU Extension, I think about the power of ten decades of service.  Our office has offered a Power of Ten challenge.  If you take just ten minutes, ten hours or ten days to contribute in some way to your community, it can carry forward.  Generally, the work carries forward in ways you cannot predict at the outset.  I’ve been thinking lately about the positive impact we can have, big or small.  Before I moved to Teton County, Jessica Schlepp, a 4-H member, had an idea for a service project.  She thought that the county 4-H membership could go door-to-door to collect food that could be given to the local food bank and redistributed to those in need.  She called it Trick or Treat for the Food Pantry.  I asked her mother recently when Jessica started the project.  A quick look in her 4-H record book revealed that the project started in 1991.  What Jessica probably didn’t know at the time was how long the effort would continue, or the additional benefits.

                Through the years, the food drive project has been handed down to 4-H members to organize.  Each year, 4-H members volunteer to organize the event.  This year, as it turns out, we have the Power of Ten.  Ten 4-H youth are planning the food drive this year.  It requires leadership, teamwork, planning, communication skills, promoting and organizational skills.  Honing these skills are additional benefits to a charitable effort.   I’ve been involved with the food drives for sixteen years.  In that time, sixteen different teams of 4-H members have worked to plan the event.  We have had two meetings this year and consulting schedules for school, sports, church, food pantry, and facilities has provided ample opportunity for problem solving.  While they sort out the logistics, their goal of gathering as much food for the needy as possible is always in mind.  The 4-H members will be out in force in Choteau on Wednesday, October 15 from 3:30-7:00 p.m. gathering food.  If you’d like to contribute but won’t be home, you can leave non-perishable items in a bag or box by your front door and we will pick up the food.  4-H members in other communities in Teton County also plan food drives at different times of year, providing needed food for the food pantry. 

                Looking at the records, 4-H youth have gathered between 900 and 2000 pounds each year.  Estimating an average of 1450 pounds a year since 1991, Teton County 4-H youth and volunteers have gathered 31,900 pounds of food to feed the hungry.  I’ll bet Jessica never thought the project would carry on so long or have such a lasting impact.

                What lasting impact would you like to have?  Take at least 10 minutes today to plan something that you can lend your effort to that will multiply in power through the years.  Whether it is one person with a good idea or ten people continuing it forward, we can all make our world better.  We challenge you to be the Power of Ten as we celebrate 100 years of Extension. 

                 

Protect Yourself from a Gold Digger -- Thursday, May 22 at 9:30 a.m.

The MSU Teton County Extension Office will be showing the video, Gold Diggers: Investment Fraud in the Treasure State on Thursday, May 22 at 9:30 a.m. at the Choteau Baptist Church.  The showing of the video on investment fraud is free to the public.  While no registration is required, a courtesy call is appreciated to plan seating.  The documentary, Gold Diggers: Investment Fraud in the Treasure State, produced by the Montana Commissioner of Securities, tells the story of two of Montana's most infamous investment scams.

"More than two hundred years ago, prospectors flocked to what we now call the Treasure State in search of fortunes," said Lindeen.  "Though Montana's prospector days are long behind us, we have a new brand of gold diggers who would rather prey on our trust than dig for gold.  Modern day gold diggers are scammers and con-artists who can steal a life savings in the blink of an eye."

Narrated by award-winning actor Bill Pullman, Gold Diggers tracks two recent cases of investment fraud in Montana: the Arthur Heffelfinger case in Helena and the Anne Marie Schlenker case in Bozeman.  In total, the two scams robbed dozens of Montana investors of more than $3 million, leaving victims in financial ruin.  The film features interviews with victims, securities experts, and the regulators and attorneys who investigated and prosecuted the two scams.

"Education is the silver bullet when it comes to fighting fraud," said Lindeen.  "The more Montanans know about their rights and where they can turn for help, the better they can protect themselves from modern day gold diggers."

Lindeen's office produced Gold Diggers with a grant from the Investor Protection Trust, a nationally-recognized, independent organization that helps consumers make informed investment decisions.  All funding for the Trust comes from voluntary and court-ordered contributions from criminals who commit investment fraud.

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