Trick or Treating Safely!

Jesse Fulbright, MSU Liberty County Extension


The Liberty County Courthouse Employees are all about Halloween!

For children, there don’t seem to be many holidays that exhibit, apart from Christmas, the joy and anticipation of Halloween.  I remember those feelings as well and how exciting it was to dress up and get candy to your heart’s content.  Those days of dressing up as a sailor, Indiana Jones, an elephant, or whatever else I may have fancied may be over (see above for Liberty County Courthouse fun), but the fun lives on through my children.  As that night is tonight, I wanted to pass along a few tips that Extension has about making sure that everyone, parents and youth alike, have a fun and safe Halloween.

First regarding costumes, fabric can easily catch fire if it brushes too close to a candle-lit jack-o'-lantern, so choose flame-resistant costume materials.  Add pieces of reflective tape to make a costume more visible at night, especially if it is dark colors.  If a costume requires a mask or other face covering, you should be able to see clearly and breathe easily.  For increased visibility and safety, consider using face paint or makeup instead of a mask.  Be more visible by carrying candy in a white or brightly-colored bag.  Alternatively, put reflective tape on the bag.

For those that don’t go out with the children, but are at home waiting for youth to stop by, consider using small battery-powered lights inside jack-o'-lanterns instead of candles to reduce the chances of decorations catching fire.  To create a spooky atmosphere, use colored light bulbs or theatrical gels to change the color of your porch light.  Don’t use plastic wrap because it could melt or cause a fire.  If you use cloth, don’t drape it over the bulb, and make sure that it is not touching the bulb at all.  If you do put candles in pumpkins or paper bags, set them back from the walkway, so long costumes will not fall into the flames.  Don’t light candles in cluttered areas, on unsteady furniture, or near curtains and drapes.

If you are answering the door and giving out treats, offer non-candy substitutes such as prepackaged fruit snacks, pretzels, or sealed boxes of raisins.  Treats do not have to be edible—items such as pencils, stickers, or small toys add variety to a trick-or-treater's haul.

For the youth, trick-or-treating alone isn’t safe.  Always go with a group of friends or an adult you trust.  Never go into a house unless your parents are with you.  Avoid darkened houses; only visiting those with a front porch light turned on.  Stay on sidewalks and driveways to avoid damaging plants or tripping over lawn obstacles.  Carry a flashlight, so you can see where you are walking and so others can see you.  Walk on the sidewalk wherever possible, but in areas where there isn’t a sidewalk, walk facing the traffic.

 

The last bit of advice is to have fun, both as parents and children.  These are memories that everyone is creating for a lifetime!

Oh, what can change in a 4-H year!

Kari Lewis
MSU Extension - Glacier County

4-H enrollment is underway, and today, I want to encourage anyone who has been considering joining to stop by your local MSU Extension office for details! 

After participating in archery for the first time
at 4-H camp this summer, Destini added it to her
4-H projects.  4-H archery practice sign ups are
underway, with practice beginning November 2.
Photo by Kari Lewis.

Yesterday, I had a visit from a 10-year-old 4-H member that made me think about just how much she has grown throughout her first year in 4-H.  She moved to the Cut Bank area a little over a year ago, and joined 4-H after a friend urged her to do so.  Neither parent had been involved in 4-H previously, but being new to the community they thought 4-H would be a great way to become involved.  Her first year, she successfully raised a pig and exhibited in cake decorating at the fair. 

This year, she added a sewing project that she can work on with her Grandmother.  She added a baking project, and scrapbooking which will fit well with her role as her club’s reporter and historian.  She had also attended 4-H camp this past summer where she shot archery for the first time, which led her to add that project.  Because she will be taking Hunter’s Safety this spring and her family wants her to learn how to safely use a firearm, she added Air Rifle to her list of projects.  I smiled this morning as I thought about a family that went from no previous 4-H experience and really wondering what they were getting into, to having a daughter enrolled in livestock, cooking, sewing, scrapbooking, and shooting sports projects, who is serving as a club officer, and is also gaining leadership experience by helping with the Cloverbud program. Oh, what can change in just a year of 4-H!

After successfully raising a pig and completing
a cake decorating project in her first year,
Destini has added numerous other projects
to her 4-H list for the coming year. 
Photo by Kari Lewis.

In Glacier county, we have three 4-H clubs that would love to have your son or daughter join them.  Our clubs meet once a month to conduct business, do community service projects, and work together on their various projects. In November, our shooting sports practices begin.  Each week, from November through February 4-Hers will be improving their marksmanship skills, learning self-discipline, safety, and personal responsibility through archery or air rifle practice.  We do have club equipment available for members to use through generous donations.   

Last week, one of the middle school teachers had called and asked if I would come share about 4-H with the 6^th graders.  She commented on how as a teacher she can pick out the 4-Hers as they have developed responsibility, public speaking, and problem-solving skills through 4-H, and she hopes more students can take advantage of those opportunities.  If you are interested in joining 4-H, where we ‘Learn by Doing’ ‘To Make the Best Better,’ please stop by or call your local Extension Office. 

As a side note, our office will be closed next Monday through Thursday as I will be in Bozeman for our MSU Extension Annual Conference, but you can always call or e-mail at kari.lewis@montana.edu if needed.  

Which Pumpkin Do I Pick?

Jesse Fulbright, MSU Liberty County Extension

This time of year pumpkins begin to pop up everywhere and my mind has turned to how to choose the best pumpkin.  But, you may ask, “for what?”  That all depends on whether you are looking for that perfect jack-o’-lantern or that delicious homemade pumpkin pie.

Pumpkins are native to North America and were used by Native Americans before the arrival of Columbus pretty much the same way they are used today — as both decoration and food.  Different pumpkin species and varieties may be used in different ways, but knowing which is best for your specific purpose will give you the most successful outcome.

For most families, purchasing a pumpkin this time of year means pumpkin carving.  Jack-o’-lantern pumpkin varieties possess a uniform color and shape that makes for easy carving.  They have relatively little interior flesh (thin-walled) and a flat bottom so they can sit upright.  While jack-o’-lanterns are excellent for carving, they may not be the best option for cooking.

If you are interested in making your pumpkin pie starting with the pumpkin itself, choose one bred for best taste and texture for cooking.  These might be referred to as “pie pumpkins” or “sugar pumpkins.”  Pie pumpkins look similar to jack-o’-lantern types, and indeed are the same species, but they are a variety selected for traits suitable for cooking.  They tend to be smaller, darker orange and denser (heavier for their size), with a sweeter, less stringy flesh than a larger jack-o’-lantern type.

Another group of pumpkins to consider for fall cooking are blue-green pumpkins, with deep sutures and a somewhat bumpy texture.  These include the so-called fairytale pumpkins, which look as if the wave of a magic wand will turn them into a carriage.  The Fairytale pumpkins are very attractive pumpkins for display, with deep ribs and unique coloration, in shades of beige and green.

Pure pumpkin, whether canned or homemade, is an excellent source of fiber, vitamin A (in the form of beta-carotene, an important antioxidant), vitamin C and potassium.  Eating foods rich in beta-carotene may reduce the risk of developing certain cancers and helps protect against heart disease.  Antioxidants also protect the body against the degenerative effects of aging.

So the question remains, is it worth the extra trouble to make your own pumpkin puree rather than buy in the can?  Many people would say the freshness and taste is worth it.  Canned pumpkin has all the health benefits of homemade puree, however.  If buying canned pumpkin, make sure you are getting the pure pumpkin. “Pumpkin pie filling,” also available in a can similar to pure pumpkin, has higher salt and caloric content than pure pumpkin.

One thing you get when you make your own pumpkin puree (or carve a jack-o’-lantern) is seeds!  Cleaned and roasted in the oven, pumpkin seeds are a delicious and healthful snack or crunchy addition to a salad or soup.

"Is it too late to plant winter wheat?"

Kari Lewis
With the moisture that our area received last week, planting winter wheat is looking like more of a possibility for some producers.  The recommendation for winter wheat is to plant early enough in the fall to allow four to six weeks of growth prior to dormancy.  This four to six-week period provides enough time for the winter wheat to become rooted, established, and produce tillers.  If winter wheat is planted too late, the crop will be more susceptible to winter kill as there will be less tillers and a shallower root system.  One advantage to later seeding winter wheat is that the potential is decreased for infestation by diseases dependent on a ‘green bridge’ such as Wheat Streak Mosaic Virus.

Late seeded winter wheat should have an increased seeding
rate to compensate for potentially reduced tillering and
increased susceptibility to winter kill.  Photo by Kari Lewis.

Typically, a planting rate of 40 to 60 lbs/acre of pure live seed is adequate to establish a crop of dryland winter wheat.  However, this seeding rate should be increased both in cases of later than normal seeding, such as this year, and in high residue no-till systems.  This increased seeding rate is to compensate for reduced tillering in these scenarios.

When considering which winter wheat variety to plant, be sure to take advantage of the variety trial data available from the Montana Agricultural Experiment Stations.  The local experiment stations test numerous winter wheat varieties (along with other crops). The varieties are evaluated by year and the data summarized over the past six years.  Varieties are evaluated for yield, test weight, height, heading date, protein %, winter survivability, and a solid stem score (which indicates the variety’s sawfly resistance). 

The Western Triangle Ag Research Center, which is located just east of the Valier exit on I-15, has cooperating farms where the varieties are evaluated.  These cooperating farms are north of Cut Bank on the Bradley farm, north of Devon at Brian Akelstad’s, east of Brady on Aaron Killion’s farm, and northeast of Choteau at the Inbody Farms.  The Northern Ag Research Center out of Havre cooperates on winter wheat trials with the McKeever Farms in Chouteau County and Cederberg Farm in Blaine County. 

In addition to the extensive data that the research centers provide, there is a Montana Agricultural Experiment Station Wheat Variety Release Committee that summarizes the data and provides recommendations for each region in Montana.  The committee is composed of 16 members including a wheat breeder, a plant pathologist, a cereal forage quality scientist, an entomologist, a weed scientist, a cropping systems specialist, six Research Center agronomists, one manager from the Montana Foundation Seed program and the Montana Seed Growers Association, one Montana Wheat and Barley Committee member, and one representative of the Montana Ag Experiment Station Advisory Board, who work together to make variety recommendations for specific regions.

For winter wheat or other crop variety data, check out the website, www.plantsciences.montana.edu/crops.  The Southern Ag Research Center has a very user-friendly variety selection tool available as well on their website, http://www.sarc.montana.edu/php/varieties/.  The Montana Wheat Production Guide, available at http://store.msuextension.org/publications/AgandNaturalResources/EB0197.pdf, details seeding rates as well.

Shelterbelt workshop October 12th

Jesse Fulbright, MSU Liberty County Extension

Several months ago, I was asked to provide a shelterbelt workshop again here in Liberty County.  As it has been a couple of years, I felt that it was a reasonable request so I approached Peter Kolb, the Extension forestry specialist about coming up Chester.  He graciously accepted my invitation and will be here in Chester on Thursday, October 12th.

Do you know what steps you need to take when you look out at your shelterbelt and see trees and shrubs that are declining?  Many of our shelterbelts were planted decades ago and are in various stages of decline.  There are many decisions that need to be made if we want to continue to utilize shelterbelts for our landscape and farming practices.  Do you renovate, tear an existing row out, start from scratch or explore other options?  Is it better to go from multiple rows to a single row?  What recommendations are out there about suitable trees and shrubs?  If you are wondering how, when or what trees to plant for your yard, a windbreak or shelterbelt, or have older trees that need care or renovation you might want to attend the upcoming workshop.  Growing trees in central Montana is extremely challenging and Dr. Peter Kolb, M.S.U. Extension Forestry Specialist, will be presenting a two-hour session on tree care and shelterbelt planning and renovation in Chester.  The program will be held on Thursday, October 12th, at 9:00 a.m. at St. Mary’s Youth Center, located at 11 West Quincy Avenue in Chester.  If you have examples or experience, please bring those as well to share.  

The workshop will be presented in two sessions as follows: Hour one will explore how to care for your trees.  This 1-hour session will provide basic tree physiology information as well as practical information on selecting and planting trees.  Understanding the basics of how a tree functions and what it needs with regards to light, water and nutrients to grow and stay healthy will help anyone who has ever had trees to take care of.

The second hour will be outdoors at the Hendrickson Farm, approximately six miles south of Tiber elevator where the group can address the basics of pruning trees to keep them healthy, designing a shelterbelt and technics to renovate older ones.  Determining optimal spacing for varied species and assessing whether pruning or replanting is needed is the first step.  Additional steps focus on good options for shelterbelts and will also be discussed.  The program is free and open to the public.  RSVPs are appreciated but not mandatory.  For more information, please contact the Liberty County Extension office at 759-5625.

Don, Carolyn, and Cody Popelka honored as Glacier County 4-H Volunteers of the Year

Kari Lewis, MSU Extension - Glacier County

    Annually, the Glacier County 4-H Council chooses an individual or group to honor for their contributions to 4-H.  This year, Don, Carolyn, and Cody Popelka were honored as the Volunteers of the Year, in recognition of their outstanding commitment to 4-H and the Glacier county archery program. 

While many 4-H volunteers grow up in the program, the Popelka family has had a relatively new introduction to 4-H.  It was another 4-Her, Brenda Aspevig, who invited Levi and Cody Popelka, to first join 4-H, a decision which Don and Carolyn supported.  “We were new to the community, and 4-H was a great way to meet people and get us involved,” Don said.  That invitation from Brenda the Popelka boys to join 4-H eventually led to Brenda’s marriage to Levi Popelka, and Don and Carolyn’s introduction to 4-H!

Don Popelka awards Brad Hjartarson his trophy from the
Marias Fair archery tournament.  Don, Carolyn, and Cody
Popelka were recently honored as the Glacier County 4-H
Volunteers of the Year for their service to the
shooting sports program.  Photo by Val Tuma.

It was Jim Elings who first got Cody involved in the 4-H archery program, and from there, Don and Carolyn attended a 4-H training to become certified archery instructors.  Surprisingly, Don and Carolyn were not even archers prior to their 4-H involvement, but through the program have developed a love of the sport.  “It’s fun, and challenging, plus the weather is nicer during archery season!” Don noted.  Since becoming involved in the 4-H archery program, both Don and Carolyn have purchased their own bows as they and Cody hunt for elk, deer, and turkey.

                While the Popelkas admittedly have a newfound passion for archery, it was the tremendous benefit that 4-H had on their son Cody that spurred them to become volunteers.  “When you can take a quiet, clingy kid and bring him out through a great project, I hate to see that die.  We decided to step up and become involved,” Carolyn said of why they choose to remain involved with 4-H after Cody graduated in 2014. 

The quiet, clingy kid that Carolyn refereed to is now a senior at Montana State University in the Mechanical Engineering program and Navy.  Cody will enter the United States Navy’s Nuclear Propulsion Officer Candidacy program upon graduation, which will allow him to work aboard a nuclear-powered submarine.  Carolyn attributed Cody’s present success to his tremendous growth in the 4-H program.  She noted that as a high school freshman he literally hung on her arm at his first 4-H club meeting, but through the course of the year he really came out of his shell. 

“To see a kid go from not saying two words to being able get up in front of people and do public speaking and do project interviews, that’s a big change,” she said.  Don echoed Carolyn’s sentiments of 4-H’s impact on Cody, saying that following Cody’s high school graduation, his summer employer told him that Cody’s interview was the best they’d had in terms of professionalism, being well spoken, and making eye contact.  Those interview skilled were honed through 4-H, and are a skill that Don and Carolyn work especially hard with their archery club members on in preparation for their Marias Fair interviews.

Don sees the benefit of the archery project both for himself and for the kids.  “It’s not just about archery, they are learning a skill, they are learning to follow instructions, help others, and get along with others,” Don said. 

Even as adults, Don and Carolyn note that they are also learning through the program.  “To get up in front of a group of kids every week, it helps with my own public speaking,” Don said, “Those young kids really keep you honest and catch it if you make a mistake.  It shows they’re paying attention,” he said.

Each week, from November until March, Don and Carolyn coach the weekly archery practices.  Annually, the Popelkas plan a Christmas party for their archery group and a 3-D shoot at their home where members spend the afternoon practicing their archery skills on 3-D targets.   Cody assists with practices and tournaments as he’s able, noting that, “4-H has given me the opportunity to practice my leadership skills, which have helped me in college and hopefully in the future as well,” Cody said. 

For Carolyn, she says coaching has taught her patience and understanding, and that coaching with her husband has worked really well.  “We’ve always worked together, and we can tell each other freely what needs to be done, it’s great.  He’s more into the mechanical part of archery, and I’m more into watching the kids and keeping them out of trouble,” Carolyn explained of their team effort.

The duo’s weekly commitment of leading archery practice, “Gets us out of the house and up and moving, gets us involved, and it’s fun for us,” Don said.  Both agree that the highlight is seeing the kids’ excitement each week and their growth through the program.  

“I’ve seen a couple kids like Cody grow through the program.  Grace Rooney, she was pretty quiet to start, and is now outgoing and almost a teacher.  Dayne and Hadley Barbie, it’s neat to see them stepping into a leadership role,” Carolyn said, explaining how the older members quickly take on a leadership role with the younger members. 

Don noted that seeing the kids’ improvement is what he most enjoys.  “We encourage them to set goals, and when they meet those, they are pretty excited,” Don said.  Don noted last year Wyatt Berkram set a goal to shoot six 10 X’s, and then shot seven 10 X’s in his first practice.  “We encouraged him to set a higher goal, and then strive for that.  It’s really neat to see the improvement, that’s what is most important,” he noted.

Another highlight for Don and Carolyn was when Cody qualified in his second year of 4-H to compete at the National Shooting Sports tournament in Grand Island, Nebraska.  Carolyn commented on the tremendous support that Cody received for his trip to Nationals.  “I opened the mailbox one day, and there was checks in there from people wanting to support Cody.  We had never even asked for it.  Cody would sell vegetables at the Farmer’s Market and say it was funding his 4-H trip, and he would be wiped out of vegetables every time.  People really wanted to support him,” Carolyn said in admiration of the support for the local 4-H program.

Being involved in the 4-H program has opened Carolyn’s eyes to all that 4-H offers.  “Growing up, I thought you needed a cow or pig to be in 4-H,” Carolyn said.  “Now I look back and see that I could have cooked or sewn; it’s neat to see all the programs 4-H does have.  It’s a good program, I would like to see more kids be involved.  Every kid I’ve seen in 4-H, they’re good kids.  They go on to do good stuff, and they’re hard workers,” Carolyn said. 

It is only because of volunteers like Don, Carolyn, and Cody Popelka, that 4-Hers have the opportunity to develop the skills that allow them to go on to do extraordinary work.  This opportunity is noticed by 4-H families, including the Steven and Bess Hjartarson family.  “Jacob and Brad are so impressed with Don and Carolyn’s knowledge and willingness to help with anything, from skills to finding the right equipment.  I appreciate their dedication to our kids.  Their boys have grown up and moved on (although Cody still helps a lot too!) and they still give so much to our kids and the program, we appreciate it so much.”