4H Program Holds Project Day
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Several Blaine County youth attended an afternoon of workshops on 4-H Project Day, which was held on July 15 at the Blaine County Fairgrounds. Blaine County Agriculture and 4-H Agent, Juli Snedigar reported that twenty-five 4-Hers joined her and fellow 4-H/ Family and Consumer Science Agent, Sarah Johnson to learn ideas from topics such as record keeping, demonstrations, and livestock quality assurance. MSU-Extension Administrative Assistant, Brenda Jones and other guest presenters also offered their expertise.
The afternoon opened with a Record Book Workshop in which Snedigar shared tips for completing project records. With fair time approaching, these books will provide a tracking of each member's activities, events, profits and losses, skill development, and learning experiences.
In addition to record keeping, the 4-H Record Book gives members an opportunity to reflect on their year, measure their achievements and growth, set goals, and develop plans to meet those goals. At year's end, record books are reviewed for quality and completion and used for award or achievement criteria at the county level.
Other workshops scheduled in the 1:00 p.m. slot were a Rabbit Showmanship Workshop, conducted by instructor Trisha Gruszie, and Cloverbud Crafts co-instructed by Jones and Johnson.
At 2:00, Snedigar presented a Livestock Quality Assurance session. Any 4-H member who plans to exhibit livestock at a state or county fair must complete this training. Designed to enhance the educational experience of 4-H animal science projects, Livestock Quality Assurance Training helps youth provide ethical care of their food animals to ensure a high level of food safety to consumers.
Following that, Snedigar communicated tips for staging a 4-H Demonstration, and Johnson guided members through a card-making craft. The Demonstration is an opportunity for any 4-H participant to prepare, organize, and present an idea by using visual aids and teaching skills. Giving a demonstration in front of an audience helps youth to think on their feet and to practice public speaking.
About Johnson's craft, Snedigar explained: "We always like to have a make-and-take component on Project Day, something that members can create and then enter in the fair if they choose. So, Sarah held a card-making workshop to fulfill that purpose."
In other workshops during the afternoon, Clara Laird shared her knowledge in a Poultry Showmanship Workshop, Gracie Skoyen revealed her experiences with training her market beef project, and Ryan Meneely demonstrated rocketry.
According to Snedigar, Project Day is intended to showcase the work that various projects entail as well as to entice the youth to explore a project in the future once they've seen what it involves.
Additional activities on Project Day included a Photography Scavenger Hunt, conducted by Jones and Johnson; a Working Dog Demonstration, directed by Kailey Kleinjan; and Cloverbud Games led by Snedigar.
"I've heard great things from the attendees about how much they learned in the workshops at Project Day. Several of the participants will use these new skills to improve their fair projects. Overall, we were very pleased with Project Day this year," Snedigar stated.
Looking ahead to fair, Snedigar said that 4-H will have a presence in some form, whether that is in-person or in a virtual, online format. "Once we get a firm answer, we will iron out what that showcase of their efforts will look like."
The Montana 4-H Council considers a county fair to be a significant element in a local 4-H program since a fair represents a culmination of many weeks, months, or even a year's worth of learning, creating, and discovering through 4-H experiences.
Often, the idea of being judged in fair competition is the driving force that motivates 4-H youth to work with their animals or to learn more deeply about a non-animal project. During the judging process, youth may have to explain their projects to a judge, a skill that helps to extend their social and interview aptitudes. In these ways, fairs can be an intricate part of 4-H while also playing an important role in developing life competence.
