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Hill County 4-H’er turns fear of cows into market beef pilot program The Hill County 4-H beef program has a miniature beef pilot program for the 2016 fair. Pam Burke community@havredailynews.com Though her older brother had taken a market beef to the fair every year he was eligible during his 4-H career, when it came time for Sage “Benny” Brown of the Bear Paw Beavers 4-H Club to follow in his footsteps, she couldn’t bring herself to do it. “I don’t really like the big ones,” she said. “I’m kind of scared — chicken,” she added with frank humor. Not wanting to give up on the idea of taking a market steer, the industrious 13-yearold started looking into miniature cattle with the help of the Hill County Montana State University Extension Office. “Benny had a great interest and was very proactive in looking into the miniature beef option,” Extension Agent Nicole Gray said. “I know I had mentioned it to her and her mom once just as another option because Benny did not feel comfortable handling some of the larger steers. … It’s a little bit more manageable and not quite as intimi-

Havre Daily News/Teresa Getten Sage "Benny" Brown sits in the grass next to her miniature Hereford steer, Peanut, May 17 northwest of Havre. Brown is using the steer as her 4-H project in a pilot program for miniature market beef. Brown's interest in showing miniature beef in 4-H was the impetus for the pilot program which has three other members showing miniature steers. If the steers sell well, the program will be considered for permanent project status.

dating for someone that might be of shorter stature, or another option for kids to do.” The goal, Gray added, is that the miniature beef program “would hopefully tailor into the market steer project and give these kids another opportunity to get plugged into the cattle industry.” While 4-H market steers have strict size guidelines that are based on weight — they have to weigh more than 1,000 pounds by requirement and buyers don’t pay for any extra weight beyond 1,500 pounds — the only requirement for the miniature steers, Brown said, is that they be no taller than 46 inches at the hip. While miniature cattle come in different breeds, Brown’s is a Hereford, registered with the American Hereford Association. The mini cattle were bred selectively from smaller Herefords by Roy Largent of Texas in the 1970s, said Christina Evelo, owner of E/6 Miniature Hereford Ranch in St. Ignatius where the steer was purchased. Brown said she expects the steer, which she named Peanut, to mature at 38 inches and about 725 pounds. While this is roughly half the weight of a full-sized modern Hereford market steer, by comparison, mature Herefords in the late 1700s and early 1800s were weighing in at more than a ton, the Oklahoma State University livestock breeds website says. It was in the 1980s that Largent’s line of miniature Herefords was finally sold on the market in Texas, Largent says in a post on the Havre Daily News/Teresa Getten Miniature Hereford Peanut pauses from grazing on a picket line May 17 to stare at the camera. The steer's owner, Benny Brown, said he should grow to 38 inches tall at the hip and about 725 pounds. The only size regulation for the steer, which will be sold in the 4-H livestock auction, is that he not grow taller than 46 inches. might be a good fit for them,” she said. Brown listed off several attributes during her interview, including smaller portions of meat, not having to fill an entire deep freeze with beef to get all the different cuts of meat, or missing out on some of the cuts by buying only quarter or half of a beef, and the meat is supposed to be more tender than that from a full-sized steer. “They’re supposed to be tighter (muscled) because he doesn’t have to hold up as much weight, and he’s not as tall so the (muscle) fibers aren’t as long,” she said. “Benny has taken a little bit more aggressive approach, and she’s done a great job researching and becoming very knowledgeable,” Gray said. “It wouldn’t be a surprise if we’ll be printing off a few paper copies of some of the research we’ve helped her with.” Two months prior to the fair, while picketing her mini-steer in the yard to give him his daily ration of green grass and a quick brushing, Brown debated the idea of doing the project again given the chance after the fair is over. “It depends on how I feel about going up to the next level, but I’m pretty sure I’ll do another one,” she said. “I want to do another one.”

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Small Steer: ‘The main concern is that we do have buyers, and we aren't flooding the market with a new product’

Small Steer: The miniature market beef will sell along with the other market livestock at the 4-H livestock auction

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will be able to earn merit certification, but because only one other county has the program they will not have a state competition. If the pilot program goes well, Gray added, then they will work to make it a regular part of Hill-County 4-H offerings. One of the points that Gray said they try to emphasize with the 4-H members “is that if this option is going to be available in the future, it’s for those kids that might be nervous handling those full-size beef, and I want to create an environment that they do feel comfortable in that ring with other miniature beef and not also intermixing with the full-size beef.” Other benefits to the 4-H’ers is that this option could make market beef available to members who might not have enough space for a full-sized steer, Gray said.

“The goal of the project, it doesn’t matter if it’s market beef or if it’s market lamb, is for these kids to gain a skill set, learning a little bit about business, about the industry itself, getting that quality assurance training certification that they are selling a wholesome product that does provide a good eating experience to that consumer,” Gray said, adding that this skill set may not be available in a classroom. The measure of success of the program in Hill County, Gray added, will be that the kids and the consumers have a good experience. “The main concern is that we do have buyers, and we aren’t flooding the market with a new product, potentially ending up in a situation that we may not have enough buyers for the miniature beef due to not con-

Havre Daily News/Teresa Getten Benny Brown leads her miniature Hereford out to graze on a picket line May 17. The steer will be entered in the miniature market beef project, a pilot program for Hill County 4-H. As is done for all market livestock projects, part of what Brown has to do for the mini-beef program is record how much feed the steer consumes and the cost of the feed. Brown said the miniature steer eats about half what full-sized steers eat.

tacting enough people that might be interested,” she said. “Or maybe the consumers are just interested in a full-size beef product." Marketing will be a key factor in the success, Gray said, likening the process to when a grocery store starts selling a new cut of meat, someone is on hand in that department to tell customers about “how you are supposed to cook it, the benefits, the pros

and cons, or why you should pay more or less for this versus another cut.” “These kids will have to know that sort of information when they are advertising, so when they go up to talk to people and invite them to the Hill County 4-H Livestock Sale they’ll have to be able to answer some of the questions: why buy a miniature beef, what are some of the pros of buying a miniature beef versus a full-sized beef, and why it

website miniatureherefords.org.au. Benny Brown and three other Hill County 4-H members, Erika Holsapple, Jordan Smith and Grace Brown, who is not related, will be participating in the pilot program this year, Gray said. The miniature market beef will sell along with the other market livestock — beef, swine and lambs — at the 4-H livestock auction Sunday, July 24, but they will show in their own category at the fair and during carcass judging after the sale. The mini market beef will show in the morning Friday, July 22, at the Bigger Better Barn. “They’re going to have a little more leg work for marketing to sell that steer at the sale because it is a new product,” Gray said. “It’s probably going to take a little bit more information availability and education sharing with potential buyers about ‘this is a beef product that can be consumed at home and here’s some of the pros and cons,’ which Benny has done a wonderful job researching.” Like all 4-H projects, this one is meant to teach the members to be self-starters. While the Extension office researched how to set up the mini beef market program and where to find breeders, it was up to Brown to contact breeders and, with help from her parents, to decide where to get the steer. Brown, and her parents, ultimately went with the breeders in St. Ignatius, Brown

Havre Daily News/Teresa Getten Benny Brown leads her miniature Hereford out to graze May 17.

said, adding that fellow program participant Grace Brown traveled with them to get her steer from E/6 Miniature Hereford Ranch also. The program participants all have to complete the same paperwork, project books and level of interview, as well as answer similar questions from the judge as the members in the regular market beef program, Brown said. The one difference will be that their judge during competition at the Great Northern Fair will be specifically knowledgeable about miniature steers. The judge is coming from Missoula County, she said. Missoula County is the only county in the state that has a comletely separate mini market beef program in place, Gray said, and Hill County is modeling their pilot program after the one developed there over the last seven or eight years. Lake County also has a mini-beef program, said Evelo, adding that the showmanship portions of the competition are separate, but the carcass judging combines the miniature and full-sized steers. Evelo said that this has made it virtually impossible for the 4-H’ers with miniature steers to win at carcass because they lose points due to lack of weight. After the livestock auction, the carcasses will be judged for the same points as the full-sized animals, including meat quality, marbling and fat, and the mini beef projects

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CoURTESY oF ELIZABETH SHIPSTEAD

The shipstead girls (ella and erin, respectively) check on the family's pea crop.

Of Grasshoppers and Cutworms elizabeTh shiPsTeaD For Farm & ranch

I remember our first harvest. Newly married living in our camper with a front row view of all the happenings in the yard. I was getting my first real taste of farming. The worry, the highs and lows, the dust, the numbers, the ever present “checking”, the long hours, the stress, the excitement, the repetition. Then the grasshoppers came and as my little galvanized tub of potted flowers disintegrated to mere sticks before my eyes I envisioned an Old Testament-type grasshopper massacre of our wheat. The realization

that there was no control over the grasshoppers and their destructive mouths set in. It felt like our lives were hanging in the balance until it was finished and all the bushels in the bins were added up. Whew. We actually came out ok, grasshoppers, new full time farming, and all. This year it’s cutworms. Before we had our air drill in the ground, word from the neighbors was that there were cutworms in the ground this year. This year is different than our first. We are going into it with a tighter pocket book. There is no $9 a bushel wheat. Even peas, although a bit better, aren’t going to be great. So I recognize the familiar stress in my farmer’s voice as he

scrambles to do something to save our peas that are so gorgeously and delicately coming from the same ground that is housing cutworms. This year, I have more experience, more understanding. The stress? It’s still there! Maybe a bit more. But this year, I ask, “what are our options?” I think, “Well, it’s not going to be cutworms that do us in.” I don’t really know that, but I do know that we are strong! We are determined. We are ultra conscious of our funds, assets and all those wonderful ratios. I know we’ll be doing this well into our “elderly” years! Because it will take more than grasshoppers and cutworms to take us down!

Demand for organic Production on the rise Wes Gibbs For Farm & ranch Organic agricultural production and food sales in America has been the fastest growing segment of agriculture since the approval of the USDA organic seal 20 years ago. Sales of organic food have consistently increased between 10 and 20 percent each year. The growth trend of organic food sales is expected to continue to reach new levels as main-line supermarkets all over the country are beginning to carry organic

food. This is good news for farmers who grow organic food, and for any who may be thinking about converting to organic production. Today the demand for organic food far surpasses the supply grown in America. This has pushed the prices paid to farmers to record high levels. For example, organic grain prices are 4 to 5 times the prices currently paid for conventionally grown wheat, and still see orGanic ProDUcTion, Page 8

This striking image was taken with a phone from hwy 2 near Frazer on may 21 while racing eastward to set up for another shot.

Storm Season conTinUeD From PaGe 7 that have won him acclaim in publications like National Geographic. In any case, our own core-punching moment came midway through the day as we hurtled across South Phillips County past farms, ranches, and the occasional traffic obstacle (horses and sheep, in this case) to try and beat a northbound storm system to the nearest possible vantage point on its eastern edge. Lightening strikes were close by and the rain and hail were coming down hard as we raced from Horse Ranch toward the Duck Creek area. By the time Sean got the

SEAN R. HEAVEY / FoR FARM & RANCH

shots he was looking for, we were in Frazer (MT), in another county, and well into the Fort Peck Indian Reservation. Before we got there, Glasgow newcomer Carlos Valle (a professional photographer chasing his first storms in the area) had stationed himself on an antenna-topped hill near the Fort Peck Dam and sent us exactly the kind of image we coveted. It illustrated a home truth in the storm chasing game: sometimes you just get lucky. This adventure will be first of many as the thunderstorms start appearing with greater frequency over the spring and summer. Keep an eye out for selections from Heavey, Valle, and others photographers in the pages of Farm & Ranch and the Courier.

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carlos Valle shoots the same storm near Willow creek road.

CARLoS VALLE / FoR FARM & RANCH

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sean heavey and his party encountered this friendly group of horses in south Phillips county on may 21.

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and watered them adequately? Also, have we been kind to them? Are they feeling safe? Are we treating them with respect to nature and each other? A relationship begins to develop between the chickens and the kids. The model for life becomes look out for each other, lend a hand and don’t always expect something in return. Life also involves death: The excitement of watching a chick move inside the shell is countered by the disappointment of also recognizing that a week later there is no movement in that same egg. The realization that sometimes for something to live, something else must die. Baby chicks die for unknown reasons, acceptance of death as part of the cycle of life becomes reality. In this project pullets find homes with locals, but fryers end up in the freezer. The children are invited to participate in the harvest of the fryers, but it is not a requirement. Many do choose this experience. There are costs involved in chicken production: Each child is assessed a small fee to participate in the program. These funds, combined

Organic Production conTinUeD From PaGe 4 the demand continues to climb. “There are two things I love about organic farming,” commented Bob Quinn of Big Sandy, Mont., who has been farming organically for 30 years. “The first is that it made farming fun again for me. Second was that I started making money again, which of course was part of the fun. We paid off our operating note in three years and have not had one since.” Quinn also formed a company, Kamut International, to promote a unique organic spring wheat, KAMUT ® brand khorasan wheat, which he and other organic farmers raise. Not only does organic production sell for more, but the cost of production is just a fraction of the cost of using expensive herbicides and fertilizers, points out Quinn. In fact, it is the replacement of those synthetic inputs with sustainable farming practices that qualifies a farm—or part of it—to be certified organic, he said. “Farmers should know that CRP fields that have not been sprayed can be certified organic this year,” said Quinn. Organic certification requires land to have had no synthetic inputs applied, such as herbicide or chemical fertilizers, for at least 36 months before harvest. Quinn said if a farmer is interested in converting other acres he has conventionally farmed to organic production, the three-year chemical-free period—or transition period—

www.glasgowcourier.com www.glasgowcourier.com with the Farm Bureau grant, buy chicks (large meat birds to exhibit in the market class at the fair), feed, and other supplies necessary to a successful project. The children keep records in terms of the costs involved in producing an end product. Cooperation becomes reality: Raising livestock involved responsibility, commitment and perseverance. When we think about summer schedules with sports, learning activities, family vacations, etc., housing chickens might be more than most families are willing to take on. Through cooperation, and learning about giving and taking, sharing responsibilities, everything is accomplished, chores are covered, and there is a feeling of accomplishment for each child and family. Through the generosity of Dale Plumbing and the creativity of Gene Hartsock, large PVC pipe feeders are attached to a wall and can be filled with several days feed. Because of this, children trade responsibilities, days, and chores to accommodate each family’s individual schedule. This poultry project has been an enormous success and learning experience for the children and the adults involved. If you are interested in participating in this project please contact the Valley County Extension Office at (406) 228-6241. starts from the last chemical application. For example, a field last sprayed or fertilized before August 2015, could harvest its first certified organic crop in the fall of 2018. Questions about organic certification may best be answered by an organic certifier. The Montana Department of Agriculture has an Organic Program manager, Georgana Webster. The department is authorized by the USDA’s National Organic Program as one of the certifiers in Montana. According to Webster, there are good resources available to provide information and even cost share money to help with organic certification. “Currently, there is USDA Farm Bill funding available known as “Cost Share”. This program provides reimbursement of 75 percent of certification costs up to $750,” said Webster. More information regarding the steps to organic certification is located at Montana Department of Agriculture Organic Program website, or email agrorganic@mt.gov, or call (406) 444-7804 or (406) 444-9421. Kamut International has also retained a crop advisor to help producers with agronomic questions regarding organic conversion. Wes Gibbs of Integrity Ag Services, in Fort Benton, Mont., provides free grower support to those who are interested in contracting to grow KAMUT® brand spring wheat. He can be reached at (406) 366-2594. KAMUT® wheat grower contracts are made with Montana Flour & Grains of Fort Benton, by calling Eldon Pfile or Andre’ Giles at 406622-5436.

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CoURTESY oF MSU EXTENSIoN

nora neumiller, myli swindler, Jayney ramsey get to know some chicks at the Valley county fairgrounds.

Chasing Chicks

A Look at MSU Extension's Poultry Production Program roUbie YoUnkin For Farm & ranch We often hear of all the benefits of raising kids in the country, but for a variety of reasons, not every child has this opportunity to be exposed to country-type experiences. Through the efforts of MSU Extension Agent Roubie Younkin and a generous grant from the Montana Farm Bureau Foundation, Valley County youth have the opportunity to bring the country experience almost to their backdoor. Through participation in this program, children can learn the same lessons that farm kids take for granted. MSU Extension Agent Roubie Younkin’s dream of bringing the country to town became reality three years ago and nearly 50 children have been impacted by their experiences. Everything begins with starting eggs in the incubator, and culminates in an end product of either fryers or laying hens. Using her knowledge of poultry production and applying tireless dedication to positive youth development, 4-H leader Donna Pankratz guides the children through the concept of embryology as they candle the incubating eggs and watch life beginning through the shell of an egg. Valley View Nursing Home is the host to the incubator, the eggs and after 21 days, live chicks. The children experience this wonder under the watchful, often knowing eyes of the Valley View residents, many of whom share their own chick hatching experiences. The Valley County fairgrounds becomes the habitat for the chicks as they outgrow the

incubator and long for more space. The chicks are moved into a controlled environment created by Gene Hartsock specifically for this project inside one of the livestock buildings. Here, the youth begin their journey into the care of the chickens. Through their role as caregivers, they are exposed to the concepts of biology, ethical treatment of animals, natural cycles, environmental conditions and our place in nature. These ideas, which may have been introduced in the classroom, suddenly become concrete realities. Each family commits to feeding and watering the chicks twice daily, one day each week. The youth are encouraged to connect with the chicks. They are taught to gently pick them up, make them feel safe and carefully set them down again. “Watching the most timid of children who originally balks at the idea of holding a chick gain confidence to the point that he or she can expertly show a hen or a rooster in the poultry show at the fair is the most rewarding experience,” says an extension agent. The more the children interact with the chickens, the more confidence they gain in themselves, their abilities and their role in their future. Some key lessons learned: How to treat animals and ultimately each other: As the children prepare for the chickens and after they have arrived, there are conversations about the needs of the chickens, and the needs of people. Do they have enough room? Are they warm enough? Have we fed see chasinG chicks, Page 8

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Locals Join the Chase as Storm Season Kicks Off

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SEAN R. HEAVEY / FoR FARM & RANCH

carlos Valle chases the storm eastward near Willow creek road.

Storm Season conTinUeD From PaGe 6

SEAN R. HEAVEY / FoR FARM & RANCH

Glasgow's michael Fransen (pictured) did most of the driving while wife Tanja, photographer sean r. heavey, and the author crisscrossed Phillips and Valley counties in search of storms on may 21. James WallinG For Farm & ranch Your friendly editor at the Glasgow Courier (that’s me!) is a novice storm chaser at best. Via the National Weather Service Glasgow, we've become official WeatherReady Nation Ambassadors, but I for one have been waiting a full calendar year for

an invite from local photographer Sean R. Heavey to join the A-squad with the likes of regional weather star Tanja Fransen and her husband Michael. The goal: a trip out into the web (one can’t even call it a patchwork) of county roads and highways that chasers use in pursuit of storm cells and weather events in the area. On the morning of May 21, I finally got

the call, or rather, the email. Suffice it to say, I cleared my schedule, packed a few sandwiches, patted my hound dogs on the head (they hate thunderstorms), and jumped into Heavey’s truck with very little idea of what to expect. Unlike elsewhere in the Lower 48, Northeastern Montana presents special difficulties for amateur storm aficionados. The simple

to race across wide open spaces in search of a shot. The answer: Keep a close eye on the radar and drive as rapidly as possible, often right through the middle of weather

CARLoS VALLE / FoR FARM & RANCH

events. This last bit is referred to in the trade as, “punching the core.” It can be very exciting, if slightly stupid and potentially dangerous. “We’re headed down near Jordan,” explained Heavey when he picked me up for the day’s chase. The idea was catch an anticipated storm system from the eastern

reason for this is that our roads aren’t laid out on anything very closely resembling a grid, and with massive physical features like Fort Peck Lake in the way, plotting a course on the fly can be especially tricky. The wind changes, or a storm cell hooks to the east, and chasers are likely to find themselves in the wrong county with precious little time see sTorm season, Page 7

SEAN R. HEAVEY / FoR FARM & RANCH

CARLoS VALLE / FoR FARM & RANCH

local photographer carlos Valle captured this image of a passing thunderstorm from a hilltop near the Fort Peck Dam on on may 21.

sheep were just one of the species that slowed heavey & co. down along larb creek road while chasing storms in may.

courier editor James Walling poses in Glasgow on may 21 next to a vehicle used by some of heavey's stormchasing competition. Pictured with Walling (l-r): shalynn, riley, avery and Garrett Pedersen. side of the lake, but before we got as far as McCone County, Tanja Fransen had convinced us to turn around and head the opposite direction, picking her and husband Michael up along the way toward the Hinsdale/Saco area. From there, we turned south down Larb Creek Road and it began to dawn on me that our captains were at cross

(if entirely friendly) purposes. Tanja was chiefly concerned with our safety and the reports and data she was sending nonstop to her colleagues at the weather station in Glasgow (she calls this activity “a day off”). Heavey, on the other hand, was bent on excitement and capturing the kinds of images see sTorm season, Page 9