Progress 09/01/23 to 08/31/24
Outputs
Target Audience:
Nothing Reported
Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?
Nothing Reported
How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Email,Blackfeet 4-H FaceBook Page,Report of activites in meetings with Tribal Council, Glacier County Commissionors and grassroots organizations, Text Messages, Phone Calls,and speak to community groups, and face to face, Newspaper Articles What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?I plan to continue with past programming in youth development, 4-H and Junior Ag program, I would like to increase the number of particpants in all of the programs. If there is a need in the community regarding other topics I will provide research based information and workshops as requested.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Promoted and recruited youth and adult participation in the 4-H Youth development programs resulting in the enrollment and participation of fifty-nine 4-H members, nine leaders who participate in six 4-H clubs. Engaging in hands on learning and completing 4-H project literature books and record keeping forms. Provided information on raising finished market animals - selection, care, feed ration guidelines for the following in the animal projects resulting in an increased knowledge and confidence in feeding to a finished meat product and care of animal projects: Beef market (14) and (1) Breeding Beef, Sheep (4) and Swine (26). All who participated implemented what they learned at the show. 4-H Livestock Quality Assurance Certification: proper care, feeding, drug administration and treatment of the animal to ensure a safe food product through 4-H market animal projects. All market 4-H members and parents were required to attend the training at the Junior age (8-13) then senior age (14+). Twenty 4-H youth and plus their parents were certified and allowed to sell their market animal through the 4-H fair sale. 4-H Food Handlers/Serve Safe Certification is required of members every other year, the training provided information on how to prevent foodborne illnesses by proper handling of food, hygiene, and customer service during the 4-H Fair. Fifteen youth plus their parents were certified at the training which allowed them to work in the Food Booth during the fair. The Food Booth was able to pay out $1208 in premium points to certified youth. Promote and increase ownership of local 4-H Fair by providing the opportunity for leadership of youth and adult volunteers who planned and implemented the four-day fair and auction/buyers meal. Nineteen volunteers met quarterly for Livestock, Exhibit Building, Food Booth, and Facility committee meetings to organize the Annual Charging Home Stampede 4-H Fair on the Blackfeet Reservation. The Annual Charging Home Stampede 4-H Youth Fair and Market Animal Auction: Forty-seven of the of the fifty-six-youth enrolled in the Blackfeet Program 4-H program participated in the local four day 4-H fair where they had the opportunity to exhibit and show what they learned through their project work. 4-H projects ranged from cooking to wood working to large (beef, swine & lamb) and small animals (dog and rabbit) Youth prepared all year long to ensure their 4-H project items or animal were finished to exhibit at fair. They earned $246,491.25 from the sale of their market animals and $2850 and received ribbons, rosettes, buckles and trophies. This local fair also offers the public the opportunity to see all their shows and exhibits, which allows them to see what 4-H youth are learning and experiencing through the 4-H Program. Financial and Production Record Keeping: promote the importance of and methods of record keeping in agriculture. Thirty-five adult and junior agriculture producers received the Red Books. Integrated Resource Management record keeping information and instruction. Keeping good records is a critical tool when accessing federal disaster programs for producers. Blackfeet Nation Stockgrowers Association - meet monthly to discuss opportunities for livestock producers, discuss and address current issues and marketing opportunities, Extension agent serves as the secretary/treasurer of the association. Assist with the organized Beef Marketing efforts by working with cattle order buyers to ensure a buyer for calves, assisting with the portable scale when weighing during shipping, and seek funding for youth scholarships and projects to address predator control issues (Bear, mountain lion, wolves and coyotes). There are ninety-eight association members. We pooled calves together and sold 3800 head resulting in $737,200 in sales. Work with local APHIS employees and Fish and Game Department on predator control programs to decrease the number of deprivations by predators, resulting in a decrease in depredation. Blackfeet Ag Producers Meeting - Organized and hosted a gathering focused on what's going on in Blackfeet Agriculture. Provided Ag Program and project updates, taking local beef production business to the next level by process and selling your products locally. Thirty-five ranchers and farmers attended the gathering where we provided a platform to talk and share about programming specific to production in Agriculture. Shared history of the activities over the past several years about a beef and bison processing plant that the Blackfeet Tribe, Blackfeet Nation Conservation District, Blackfeet Community College, Pikuni Health, and MSU Blackfeet Extension had been involved with. There was a feasibility study done about the processing plant, how to access the local markets, (schools, casino restaurants, and food bank) and process to do so. We learned through the efforts made to build the processing plant that the community wasn't ready to take the leap to invest millions of dollars to go forth. Blackfeet Agriculture Management Plan - Worked closely with the tribal council, departments and conservation district and serve on the Blackfeet Ag Committee which was organized to plan and implement project ideas that will increase opportunities for tribal ag producers. We have worked on the Ag Resource Management Plan for 5 years, finally completing it. The ARMP serves as the tribe's strategic plan for the comprehensive management of the reservation's resources. It is a tribal policy document based on the visions that the tribe and tribal landowners have for their reservation. The ARMP has Identified available agriculture resources, specific tribal goals, and objectives for the resources, defined critical values of the tribe and its members, established holistic management objectives for the resources. The planning team developed plans for the Tribal Ag Department: identified the structure and goals, and hired an Ag Director responsible for carrying out the goals set forth in the plan. Co-presented with a few conservation district members to the Bureau of Indian Affairs the importance of the language in the plan and the need to implement under the law. It was a very informative meeting that resulted in better communications between the tribe and the BIA. Private Pesticide Applicators Initial Training - Co-organized along with Glacier County Extension Agent and hosted the re-certification and new certification training for producers that were required to update their credits to keep their applicators license current and for the those that needed a new license. Twenty-seven producers attended the training and received credits to keep license current which enabled them to purchase restricted use chemicals for weed management. We provided information about reading labels, pesticide and the environment, integrated pest management, pesticide law and safety, calibration. Spring Ag Producers Meeting - Organized and hosted a gathering for forty-five producers focused on what's going on in Blackfeet Agriculture. Programs involved were MSU Blackfeet Extension, USDA Farm Service Agency, Blackfeet Nation Stock Growers Association, Blackfeet Tribal/Federal Ag Liaison Program, USDA Commodity Foods Program, Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative, Blackfeet Natural Resources Conservation District, Diamond D Ranch Insurance Company, and USDA Natural Resources Conservation Services. Provided Ag Programs available to producers and educational sessions: Local Beef and Bison Purchase Program, Federal Income Tax Requirements for Tribal Ag Producers, National Beef Check Off Program, risk Protection Tools for Ranchers and Grazing Principles and Planning. Jam and jelly Canning Workshop - It was a hands-on, workshop where seven individuals learn the secrets of crafting strawberry jam and cherry jelly. Worked with Glacier County Family Consumer Science Agent and FAST Blackfeet program to provide the workshop.
Publications
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Progress 09/01/22 to 08/31/23
Outputs
Target Audience:The Blackfeet Reservation encompasses 1.5 million acres, 3000 square miles, in two counties, Glacier and Pondera. Today the Blackfeet Reservation economy is based on livestock, grain and forage production, oil and gas production, fishing, and forest industries. The primary industry is agriculture. Crop and forage production accounts for almost half of the market value of agricultural goods sold annually in the Blackfeet Nation. The majority of the 490,000 acres of croplands are associated with unirrigated dryland production with approximately 60,000 acres irrigated. The most significant crops are wheat (132,824 acres), hay (68,180 acres), and barley (52,710 acres) followed by feed crops for hay, haylage and grain. There are approximately 1,014,000 acres of grazing lands. Cattle, including calves number 65,406, hogs number 83,394, followed by sheep, goats and poultry. The Blackfeet Reservation also supports 5,000 horses. Farms and ranches are owned and operated by 800 agricultural operators, of which 53 percent are Blackfeet tribal members. During the 2017 Census, there were 10,938 Blackfeet People living on the reservation, representing 83% of the total population. The Blackfeet Reservation has the greatest population of tribal members in Montana with a current population of 15,560 on the Blackfeet Reservation and 7,000 members living close to and outside of the Reservation. Youth under the age of 18 represent 31.5 percent of the Blackfeet People. The target audiences are youth, agricultural and community members. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?
Nothing Reported
How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Email Blackfeet 4-H FaceBook Page Report of activites in meetings with Tribal Council and grassroots organizations Text Messages Call and speak Newspaper Articles What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?I plan to continue with past programming in youth developmnet, 4-H and Junior Ag program, I would like to increase the number of particpants in the programs. I plan to continue Ag programming, and already have food preservation, and Private Applicators Training on the calendar. If there is a need in the community regarding other topics I will provide research based information and workshops as requested.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Promoted and recruited the 4-H Youth development program resulting in the enrollment and participation of ninety-seven 4-H members, thirteen leaders who participate in eight 4-H clubs. Engaging in hands on learning and completing 4-H project literature books and record keeping forms. Provided information on raising finished market animals - selection, care, feed ration guidelines for the following in the animal projects resulting in an increased knowledge and confidence in feeding out and care of animal projects: Beef market (23) and (1) Breeding Beef, Sheep (3) and Swine (28). Forty-two youth were partiatedin the 4-H Market Swine project increased thier knowledgeresulting ina finished market weight and how to show. Eighty youth, their parents and the 4-H Fair livestock committee attended a hands-on learning and practice day at their Steer Grooming and showmanship Clinic. Participants worked with their steers, learned about different feed choices and why, wash, groom, fit and show the steer. All who participated implemented what they learned at the show. Organized two 4-H Lamb and Swine Care and Showmanship Clinics. 42 youth and parents participated and learned how to feed, wash, groom, train and show their market animals. They all participated in the 4-H Fair Lamb and Swine Showmanship and Market shows. 4-H Livestock Quality Assurance Certification: proper care, feeding, drug administration and treatment of the animal to ensure a safe food product through 4-H market animal projects. All market 4-H members and parents were required to attend the training at the Junior age (8-13) then senior age (14+). Fifty-Two 4-H youth and plus their parents were certified and allowed to sell their market animal through the 4-H fair sale. -Organized the Living with Predators Workshop which provided a learning opportunity about conflict prevention between domestic livestock and predators They learned response resources that are available to them, and ways to secure attractants and other educational aspects of awareness in the area. As a result of this workshop, thirty 4-H youth received electric fences on the condition that they be present, help put it up and learn how to turn it off and on. Resulting in no predator attacks on the animals 4-H Food Handlers/Serve Safe Certification is required of members every other year, the training provided information on how to prevent foodborne illnesses by proper handling of food, hygiene, and customer service during the 4-H Fair. Sixty-six youth plus their parents were certified at the training which allowed them to work in the Food Booth during the fair. All money raised in the food booth pays for the participation incentive program. For every ribbon there's a point value, each point is worth $1.00. For youth to be eligible they must be certified and work in the food booth for a minimum of four hours. The Food Booth was able to pay out $2592 in premium points to certified youth. Promote and increase ownership of local 4-H Fair by providing the opportunity for leadership of youth and adult volunteers who planned and implemented the four-day fair and auction/buyers meal. Twenty-two volunteers met quarterly for Livestock, Exhibit Building, Food Booth, and Facility committee meetings to organize the Annual Charging Home Stampede 4-H Fair on the Blackfeet Reservation. Organized the 4-H Dog Showmanship and Obedience Clinic for five 4-H project members, they learned about equipment needed, show and obedience patterns, how to clean and groom dogs, show their dogs and basic dog information. All five of the youth participated in the 4-H Dog Showmanship and Obedience Show. The Annual Charging Home Stampede 4-H Youth Fair and Market Animal Auction: 71 of the of the 93-youth enrolled in the Blackfeet Program 4-H program participated in the local four day 4-H fair where they had the opportunity to exhibit and show what they learned through their project work. 4-H projects ranged from cooking, wood working, welding to large (beef, swine & lamb) and small animals (dog, poultry, and rabbit) Youth prepared all year long to ensure their 4-H project items or animal were finished to exhibit at fair. They earned $220,826.25 from the sale of their market animals and $2250 in awards called livestock top awards, and went home with many ribbons, rosettes, and trophies. This local fair also offers the public the opportunity to see all their shows and exhibits, which allows them to see what 4-H youth are learning and experiencing through the 4-H Program. Financial and Production Record Keeping: promote the importance of and methods of record keeping in agriculture. The first step to increasing production and profitability is setting financial and production goals and keeping accurate records to measure how well the goals have been achieved. A key tool is the pocket-sized Red Book, which cattle producers use "in the field" to record information about their cattle and activity. Fifty adult and junior agriculture producers received the Red Books Integrated Resource Management record keeping information and instruction. Keeping good records is a critical tool when accessing federal disaster programs for producers. Provided leadership as an executive board member (Secretary/Treasurer) of the Blackfeet Nation Stock Growers Association. This group focused on challenges stock producers are faced with and find ways to address the challenges, be it educational or policy. This past year we address Beef Marketing Options, organizing and collectively selling 3700 head of feeder calves to a buyer resulting in a very fair market price. There are currently 98 members in the association. We also purchased a new portable scale to weigh the calves instead of borrowing one during shipping season. The Association has continued to address predator control issues (Bear, mountain lion, wolves, and coyotes) resulting in one full-time wildlife service's agent that provides control, investigate, and report depredation. Also work with two local APHIS employees and the Blackfeet Fish and Game Department to set up electric fences to protect the 4-H Market Animals on the ranches on the Blackfeet Reservation. Participates as a member of the Blackfeet Agriculture programs who meet monthly for the Blackfeet Tribal Agriculture team discussing and planning the current and future of Agriculture. Cooperatively with Blackfeet Natural Resources Conservation District developed the new Blackfeet Ag Department and have advertised for the Director and Administrative Assistant. It has taken five years to complete the Blackfeet Agriculture Resource Management Plan that will act as the tribe's strategic plan for the comprehensive management of the reservations resources, it is a tribal policy document based on the visions that the tribe and tribal landowners have for their reservation. The ARMP has Identified available agriculture resources, specific tribal goals, and objectives for the resources, defined critical values of the tribe and its members, established holistic management objectives for the resources and was developed through public meetings and door to door campaign making use of the public meeting records, existing survey documents, reports, and other research from federal agencies, tribal community colleges, and land grant universities. -Presented to a group of 25 youth and 6 chaperones who are from all over the United States. Safeguarding Natural Heritage is a free summer outreach program to help students explore careers in agricultural sciences. The program introduced them to sustainable agriculture and farming, with a view toward preserving your natural heritage and increasing awareness of the harm invasive species can do. We discussed the many exciting career paths in agriculture, in specific areas of interest to the Nation's agriculture, such as plant health and weed control, animal care, and agribusiness.
Publications
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