Hello 4-H Families!

Welcome to May! The Marias Fair will be here before you know
it!


Just a reminder that all members have to have five of seven
activities from their project books and two of three experiences
completed before fair. They need to have it checked by their
leader or the Extension Office.


FairEntry Registration will open on May 15th and Fair Packets will
also be ready to be picked up that day as well. Please be sure to
read everything carefully and let us know if you have any
questions!


We are still needing a couple of Toole County Day Chairs for the
Marias Fair this year. If you are interested at all, this is a paid
position. If you need more information, please contact the
Extension office. We cannot run the food booth without our day
chairs!


Happy Fair Season!


Sincerely,
Kim & Jackie

FSA Youth Ag Loans
If you are looking for a way to finance your 4-H projects for this year (or wanting to take on a larger
livestock project), consider visiting with the Farm Service Agency. They recently increased the loan limit
to $10,000 and funds can be used for the purchase of animals, feed, supplies, etc. Youth between the
ages of 10 and 20 are eligible. Loans are repaid annually and can be termed out for up to seven years
for the purchase of breeding stock. Interest rate is 4.875%.

MRLA Free Membership
Marias River Livestock Association is now offering FREE membership to those who are members of our
local 4-H & FFA!
Follow this link to join: http://mariasriverlivestock.com/plans-pricing

Livestock Committee Update
Members who show multiple market animals at the fair will be able to pay $50/each to have those
additional animals shipped with the fair animals and participate in the carcass contest, have processed
meat returned on the truck, etc. Example- 4-Her shows a steer and lamb, and sells the steer. They can
have the lamb go on the truck, participate in the carcass contest, etc. for the $50 fee. Livestock
members who are in this situation will have the opportunity to select this option on FairEntry when
they sign up for a market animal show.
Please note, your private treaty buyer or you would be responsible for all processing fees. The $50 fee
and the buyer information must be turned in to Jesse Fulbright on Saturday night of the sale in order
to be included in animal transport.

Fashion Revue
Please mark on your calendars that Fashion Revue will take place Monday, July 6th. This is open to any
members taking a sewing project or Ready to Wear.
There is also a Cloverbuds section!
We will also offer a section of Cloverbud Fair interviews in case that date works better for your family
OR if you feel your child would be more comfortable on a less busy day than Wednesday of Fair.
Please reach out if you have any questions about Fashion Revue or Cloverbud
interviews.

4-H Camp
4-H Camp will be June 24 - 26 in the Highwood Mountains for 4-Hers in 7th grade and under this year
(no Cloverbuds). Counselors will go down 6/23 to prepare. There will be a bus to transport 4-Hers from
Shelby to camp and back, courtesy of the 4-H Councils. Camp registration is open on Zsuite and
workshops are available on a first come, first serve basis, so register early! Registration closes June 1,
do not delay! Camp is $75/member, checks payable to Phillips-Blaine County 4-H Camp OR you can pay
through Zsuite with a card.

Cloverbud Camp
Save the date for Cloverbud Camp on Wednesday, June 10th from 10am-2pm at the Exhibit Building.

Horse Project Meeting, May 11th @6pm.
Remington Winkowitsch will be doing a horse shoeing/trimming workshop with the members. The
meeting is at 2327 US HWY 213 N (LeAnne Winkowitsch’s daycare). If you have any questions please
contact LeAnne at 406-391-0154.

Livestock Committee Updates
Rules updated at the March meeting include increasing max market goat weight to 135, requiring
scrapies tags for all goats and sheep, requiring market sheep and goats to have been born after
September 1 of the prior year, the breeding animal identification forms (above), and requiring a
picture submission of a dead market animal to the Extension Office/Livestock Committee before
purchasing another member’s officially weighed-in spare animal (if member doesn’t have a spare).

Market Livestock Members - Begin Marketing Now!
For 2026, we’re projecting 161 total market livestock, whereas there were 126 market animals sold in
2025. (Granted, some members will only sell one animal at fair so overall numbers will be less than
161, but the takeaway message is we are certainly UP on market livestock in 2026). Steer numbers are
the same but we’re looking at an additional 5 market lambs, 15 market swine, and 4 market goats
compared to 2025.
With these additional numbers, it is important that 4-Hers begin marketing early! Start making a list of
potential businesses and individuals to invite to the sale. Buyers need to have the date on their
calendar early (Saturday, July 18, 3 p.m.) and be budgeting for the sale. Who are three NEW buyers you
can invite - an orthodontist, accountant, relative, etc.? What is your plan for marketing? Can you send a
‘Save the Date’ now and a follow-up letter (mailed or hand delivered) this summer? The marketing
piece is each member’s responsibility and a great way to hone the life skills of hand shakes,
introducing yourself, sharing about your projects, etc.

New Volunteers - Clover Academy Volunteer Orientation
New volunteers will need to complete a volunteer orientation in Zsuite. Log into your personal
account, look on the left panel, then scroll to “Clover Academy,” and click to begin your four training
modules. This training takes around an hour to complete. Each module usually takes about 15
minutes. We cannot finalize your leader status until this orientation is completed.

Belt Buckle Awards
Congratulations to Bridger Ergenbright for recieving the You are Awesome Belt Buckle.

Planning for fair
Check out the 2026 Fair Book at https://www.montana.edu/extension/mariasfair/mariasfairbook/ to see
what potential exhibits you can take to fair! The 2026 Fair Book will be available soon.
You can only enter items from projects that you are signed up for.

Fair Packets
First fair packets will be ready to pick up on Friday May, 15th. Fair packets contain important information
for non-camping and camping participants so please pick up early. All Counties need to provide
volunteers for certain jobs during the fair.
Fair Registration also begins on May 15. Register by signing in to your FairEntry account at
http://mariasfair.fairentry.com/. If you forgot your password please select the “forgot password” option.
Do not create a new account. If this is your first year participating in the Marias Fair, you will need to
create a new account. There are instructions in your packet. The deadline to register for fair and turn in
all fees is Tuesday, June 16th. New campers - camper spot requests are time and date stamped so the
earlier you turn in your request the better chance you have of getting that spot.
As always you can call the office if you have any questions.

Food Booth Safety
We are excited to share some changes to our Food Safety Training process for all Marias Fair Food
Booth workers this year! In an effort to make sure every volunteer, both youth and adults, feels
confident and fully prepared before their shift, we have updated our training video and added a
short quiz to go along with it.
All food booth workers will be required to watch the new training video and complete a brief quiz,
which will be accessible via a Google Forms link that will be shared by May 15th. We want everyone
to walk in feeling ready and set up for success!
This new format was created with our volunteers in mind. We know that fair season gets busy and
details can sometimes get lost in the shuffle, so we hope that this interactive approach helps the
important food safety guidelines, including dress code and attire requirements, really stick. Our
goal is to make sure no one is caught off guard or put in an uncomfortable situation on the day of
their shift. A little preparation goes a long way in making the experience smooth and enjoyable for
everyone!
Because this is a new version of the training, all returning and new workers will be required to
complete it this year, even if you have completed training in previous years. Following this
transition year, training will return to its annual renewal schedule of every other year.
Thank you for all that you do to make the Marias Fair Food Booth such a wonderful success. We
truly appreciate each and every one of our volunteers and can't wait to see you there!

MAY
1st- Add/ Drop Deadline
2nd- West Butte Community Service Project and Meeting 10am (Weather Permitting)
3rd- Lamb and Goat Weigh-in Deadline
5th- Horse Committee Meeting 6pm @ MRE
6th- Cloverbuds after school- 5pm @ Elementary School Cafeteria
9th- West Butte Cloverbuds Meeting @ 4H Camground in the Sweetgrass Hills
10th- Kountry Kids Meeting 2pm @ Exhibit Building
11th- Horse Project Meeting 6pm
15th- Fair Packets available, Fair registration opens on FairEntry
20th- Cloverbuds after school- 5pm @ Elementary School Cafeteria
25th- Memorial Day- Office Closed

JUNE
3rd- Cloverbuds 3-5pm @ Exhibit Building
10th- Cloverbud Day Camp 10am- 2pm @ Exhibit Building
16th- FairEntry Registration Deadline
15th- 4-H Congress Registration Closes
17th- Livestock Committee Meeting 7pm @ Seewald Barn
17th- Cloverbuds 3-5pm @ Exhibit Building
23rd- Food Booth Pre-Fair Clean up 10am @ Food Booth
24th- Cloverbuds 3-5pm @ Exhibit Building
24th-26th- 4-H Camp in Highwood Mountains