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Beaverhead County

Beaverhead County 4-H

Published: 2020
By Jessica Murray
The Beaverhead County 4-H Program includes 190 youth in 10 clubs. Youth ages 6-19 are given the opportunity to explore education and interests by participating in activities. Sixty-five adult volunteers help to deliver the program to the county’s youth. This year Beaverhead County had 135 youth participate in a livestock project. Livestock Quality Assurance was a paper/homework activity this year due to COVID-19; it teaches youth best production practices for their own safety and safety of the animals. Beaverhead County youth achieved high honors with processed animals in the carcass division this year with 24 Symbol of Excellence, 6 Steer of Merit, and 14 Certified Lamb awards. Building exhibit projects numbered 130 this year, from crocheting and baking, to gardening and welding. Members learn new life skills in these projects they may not otherwise have the opportunity to discover. Usually, members participate in local food festivals, farmers markets, or project days. The shooting sports program is sustaining high enrollment with 36 archery members, 12 air rifle members, and 8 shotgun members. Shooting sports members practice weekly to home in on skills and compete in the Beaverhead Invitational and fair shoot. Due to COVID-19 adjustments, Beaverhead County youth missed a few annual competitions: the local communications rodeo, Beaverhead Bonanza livestock show, and style revue. They were still able to compete at fair in an altered format. Livestock projects arrived, were weighed, and shown the same day. Youth then took animals to a feedlot in the evening to be sorted onto trucks after the fair. The livestock sale was a hybrid format, where there were no youth or animals, but bidders were welcome in person and online. The building projects members were interviewed but didn't have a public display, while horse and rodeo projects were completed prior to fair. Even under unique circumstances in 2020, Beaverhead County 4-H members and supporters persevered and had a successful year.
Photos for the 4-H sale catalog were taken at home in 2020.