Seth Prevost Shares his 4-H Experiences & Encourages Others to Join

With 4-H sign-ups right around the corner, what better way to inform people about the organization than to talk to someone who has been and continues to be involved?

Seth Prevost has been a member of the 3 Buttes 4-H Club for eight years and has taken on projects such as breeding beef, steers, lambs, woodworking, cooking, speech and demonstration, and small grains.

Prevost initially decided to join because his brothers and sisters had been involved with 4-H, but also because he's always liked animals and enjoyed working with them.

Every project cultivates practical skills and self-reliance, livestock projects included. It all begins with choosing an animal. Once Prevost chose a calf this spring, the animal became much more than a project, but an investment of time and care, getting fed and watered twice a day. In April Prevost had to begin tying the calf up to get it used to him, and used to the lead. From there, he built a relationship with the animal, getting it to a point where he could work with it on a lead for 30 minutes to an hour twice a day for overall quality and showmanship purposes. His steer, Stewie, was sold at premium to Reynolds Market during this year's Richland County Fair & Rodeo. Selling at premium means that the buyer pays only the cost per pound above the base price, and the animal returns to the 4-H member to be resold, essentially allowing the 4-Her to make more money off of the sale. In addition to his steer, other projects Prevost has this year include woodworking, cooking, lamb, and speech and demonstration.

At this point, he is no stranger to the work that goes into each 4-H project. Prevost's first breeding beef project was a calf that was born out of season in December, and he has since taken the cow to the Richland County Fair & Rodeo twice, once with her calf. The cow named Curley is still part of Prevost's herd, which he started by taking out a youth loan of $5,000. With that, he bought five heifers and gradually built off of that. He currently has a herd of 13 cows.

But 4-H expands beyond each member's individual projects; once a month the 3 Buttes 4-H Club meets to discuss what they are doing individually, and plan volunteer work as a club. Some of the things that the 3 Buttes 4-H Club does for their community includes mowing the grass at St. Theresa's cemetery in Lambert during the summer and making and serving brunch for the residents at Crestwood Inn. Most importantly, the meetings give members a chance to get together with friends who work together towards a common goal.

"There's something for everybody whether it's cake decorating, arts and crafts, robotics, or working with animals. It gets you out of your comfort zone," Prevost said.

Those with questions, or interest in joining the largest out-of-school youth development program in Montana, can sign up during the month of October by contacting Richland County 4-H Agent Josie Evenson at 406-433-1206 or stopping by the Richland County Extension Office at 1499 North Central Ave in Sidney. Those looking for more information can also go to http://www.msuextension.org/richland/4h.html.