4-H at Fort Belknap

Published: 2019
By Liz Werk

Tribal Councilman Dominic Messerly and Event Announcer Kenneth "Tuffy" Helgeson opened the inaugural Fort Belknap 4-H Livestock Sale with an honor song in the heart of Lodge Pole for Nakoda Aaniiih's first Fort Belknap 4-H Fair on August 17, 2019. "We held the auction on Friday evening, and the club members were in hog heaven! Their hogs sold for anywhere from $3,000 to $5,000! That's a lot of money for school clothes," Perez Cole exclaimed. The hogs averaged $14.15/lb with an average weight of 277lbs. Tahilia Walker, Pre-Junior Showmanship Grand Champion, received the 2019 Symbol of Excellence award in the Carcass Division. The Lucky Charms 4-H Club of Dodson was established in fall of 2016 to serve youth in Dodson and the Fort Belknap Reservation. The club has continued to grow. In spring of 2019, the club – youth and parents – requested to transfer the club from Phillips County MSU Extension to the Fort Belknap Reservation Extension Program. MSU Extension and Fort Belknap MSU Extension agreed to take on the administration of 4-H for the Fort Belknap Reservation. This first fair is a start, and the future of 4-H at Fort Belknap is bright. We are excited to customize 4-H for Fort Belknap. Parent volunteers have stepped up to start two new clubs for the 2019-2020 4-H year: Wild Horse 4-H Club and Little Rockies 4-H Club. The clubs have enrolled 15 members each with 2-4 volunteers, while volunteer and youth leadership training are in the planning stages. 4-H relies on youth and family involvement, adult volunteers and communities dedicated to helping our young people learn and grow. Together we can empower our youth with the skills to lead for a lifetime.