Roosevelt County, the 20th largest county in Montana, is located between the Missouri River and Sheridan County, and between the North Dakota state line and Daniels County. It includes 2,385 square miles with farmland encompassing 86% of the land in Roosevelt County. Wolf Point is the county seat, and other incorporated cities include Bainville, Culbertson, Froid and Poplar, where the Fort Peck Assiniboine & Sioux Tribal headquarters and the Fort Peck Community College are located. Other communities include Brockton and Fort Kipp. Montana State University Extension is an educational resource dedicated to improving the quality of people’s lives by providing research-based knowledge to strengthen the social, economic, and environmental well-being of families, communities, and agricultural enterprises. The Roosevelt County MSU Extension staff provides services in the following areas: 4-H Youth Development, Agriculture and Horticulture, Family and Consumer Sciences, and Community and Economic Development.

Fall foliage near the Poplar bridge.
Photo Courtesy of Ardis Oelkers

Making Honey Whole Wheat Bread in a Bag is an event for area fifth-grade students. MSU Extension Agents worked cooperatively with North Dakota State University Extension to assemble bread kits for North Dakota and Montana students. Students from Bainville, Culbertson and Froid teamed with a partner to mix bread ingredients in a large “mixing bag.” The students learned about local commodities such as honey, canola, and flour, their function, and the nutritive value of whole wheat bread and whole grain products. They developed skills in kneading bread and why forming bread dough is important to achieving a quality product. The youth baked the loaf of bread at home and shared it with their family and were encouraged to teach other family members how to make homemade bread.

Family meals are important, and research indicates that children who eat more family meals do better in school. They are less likely to participate in risky behaviors such as drug or alcohol use and smoking, and they have fewer depressive symptoms. Having a family meal and sharing homemade bread is also a good way to incorporate whole grains into the diet. A post-event questionnaire determined that 84 percent of the students plan to make bread again. More than 70 percent of the students will share their bread with family and friends, and 82 percent were able to identify two or more ingredients in bread grown in our region.

Fifth Grade Students Nancy Comes Last, Celia Sundheim, Angie Clark making bread during the Bread Fair.
Photo Courtesy of Ardis Oelkers

The ServSafe® program is a nationally-accredited food safety certification program that covers the basics of handwashing to more complex topics such as foodborne pathogens and provides food service professionals with the building blocks to keep food safe throughout the operation. This education provides the knowledge and skills needed to reduce the incidence of foodborne illness and lessen the impact on healthcare costs.

MSU Extension Agent Ardis Oelkers and Northeast Montana Health Services Education Director Robin Warren provided the eight-hour manager course and the four-hour food handler training class in Roosevelt County.

Participants were asked, “What is the most important thing you gained from attending the training?” Comments include: • Critical information I need to know to support my career and passions. • I learned new things and how to do my job better. • What are foodborne illnesses. • The temperature danger zone where pathogens grow. • Was reminded of the things all cooks need to know. • How important it is to follow food safety practices. • Handwashing before, during, and after preparing food.

Evaluation Results from the ServSafe® Program.
Photo Courtesy of Judy Heupel

Food Sovereignty has been the buzz phrase flying around Fort Peck Reservation, so it was time to jump in on the movement. The vision was to create a meal kit with produce raised on the Fort Peck Reservation. “Freshly Fort Peck” included a goal to use meat from the Fort Peck Tribes buffalo herd, garden produce from the Fort Peck Tribes Community Services Garden Project one-acre garden, and pumpkins and bees from MSU Extension’s Tribal Extension Garden. The produce meal kit from the gardens included potatoes, pumpkins, and honey. The buffalo was raised and harvested by the Fort Peck Tribes Fish and Game Department, the potato seed was purchased from Montana State Certified Seed, and Montana-owned company Drange Apiary started the bees. A recipe was provided to help stimulate healthy eating. All the produce raised was given away, and the meal kits were taken to the Tribal Elder Program and local County Cupboard Food Bank. “Freshly Fort Peck” kits produced were donated to 135 households. This was a collaboration with the Fort Peck Tribes Community Services Program, Fort Peck Tribes Natural Resources Department, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, and MSU Extension.

Freshly Fort Peck Food Kit.
Photo Courtesy of Heather Snell

Just because you don’t live on a farm or ranch doesn’t mean you don’t visit one, and your community feels the impact of the agriculture business. According to the National Children’s Center for Rural and Agriculture Health and Safety 2022 Fact Sheet, about every three days, a child dies in an ag-related accident. Every day, 33 children are injured in an ag-related accident, yet 60% of those injuries were not from working when the injury occurred. The top three ag-related injuries involved machinery, ATVs, or drowning. Working with the Culbertson School, MSU Extension received a grant from the Progressive Agriculture Foundation to host a School Safety Day. The program was delivered to more than 155 students, and 47 volunteers assisted in presenting important topics. T-shirts and take-home bags filled with donated items from various businesses, departments, and organizations across Roosevelt County and the Fort Peck Reservation were given. Topics included Water Safety, Electrical Safety, First Aid, Fire Safety, Grain Safety, Healthy Eating, Chemical Safety, Sun Safety, Erosion Control, lawn mower, tractor, and ATV Safety. The Progressive Agriculture Safety Day program is the largest rural safety and health education program for children in North America. Their mission is to provide education and training to make farm, ranch, and rural life safer and healthier for children and their communities.

Sixth grade class at Culbertson learning about soil erosion with Roosevelt County Soil Conservation District.
Photo Courtesy of Wendy Beck