Roosevelt County Extension Offers Many Opportunities

The Roosevelt County Extension Office, located in Culbertson, has a full schedule of learning opportunities coming up in the next few months.

The office is staffed by just two agents-4-H and FCS Agent Ardis Oelkers, and Agriculture Agent Jeffrey Chilson. The agents are tasked with collaborating with other regional Extension agents to offer educational outreach programs for community members. Early 2019 offerings include many programs for teachers, ag producers, and community members.

One of the first opportunities is the "Solid Finances" webinar series. The series is "a whole bunch of information on financial management and estate planning available through Extension," said Oelkers. The webinars are recorded, and community members can access them from home. Viewers can contact the Extension office for additional information on the content, or guidance on putting knowledge into practice. "We have wonderful specialists. They have such good knowledge," said Oelkers. "The webinars are a good way to get that knowledge into the community."

An additional financial management course is the Farm Management workshop on the 13th and 14th of March at the Roosevelt County Extension office in Culbertson. The two-day workshop covers financial analysis, enterprise budgeting, risk management, crop and livestock production, agricultural leases, policy issues, and farm and ranch succession. The workshop is led by MSU Extension economists Kate Fuller and Joel Schumacher.

ServeSafe courses are available to the community quarterly, with courses alternating between Poplar and Wolf Point. ServSafe is a national food safety curriculum approved by the Montana Department of Public Health and Humans Services to meet the food safety certification requirement for licensed establishments, such as bars, restaurants, schools, and hospitals. The course offerings include the full Certified Food Protection Manager, as well as the shorter Food Handler course. The longer, 8-hour course concludes with the paper certification test. The course offerings are a collaboration with the Northeast Montana Health Services.

In June, the Extension office will be offering continuing education courses with approved credits for teachers. "We provide 16 hours of education," Oelkers explained. "They're usable, hands-on activities. Our goal is to provide renewal credits that are at an economical cost, that are appealing to a variety of teachers." Information on specific course offerings is forthcoming.

For information on any of these exciting opportunities, contact the Roosevelt County Extension Office at 406-787-5312, or follow them on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/MSU-Extension-Roosevelt-County-228003977239894/.