Western Montana Stockmen’s Association awards scholarship heifers
Berl Tiskus photo
Coleton Sherman, left, Cloe Barron-Hoover, Brielle Zempel, Grace Elverud, Brooke Jackson, Claire Standley and Morgan Shepard move their scholarship heifers to another pen.
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News from the Western Montana Stockmen’s Association
RONAN – Under blue and sunny skies, eight heifers at the Sherman Ranch climbed into stock trailers and were hauled to their new homes on Saturday, Jan. 26. The heifers, coming yearlings and their new caretakers are part of the Western Montana Stockmen’s Association Scholarship Heifer Program. The program started last year when Paul Guenzler, WMSA board member, heard about the idea and brought it to the WMSA.
“It’s about getting the youth furthered in what we’re all about … the cattle business,” Guenzler said. “Without getting youth involved, we’ll run out of people (in the cow business).”
4-H and FFA members, between the ages of 10 and 16 as of Jan. 1, from the WMSA six-county regions, including Lake, Lincoln, Mineral, Missoula, Flathead and Sanders, are eligible to apply for the WMSA Scholarship Program. Youth need to write a personal letter of application, find a mentor (not a family member) to advise them on livestock issues and get two letters of recommendation, one from his or her mentor.
When the scholarship heifer winners are selected, that’s only the beginning of the process. The young people are required to keep 4-H or FFA records on their heifer and exhibit their heifer at their county fair. This year, there will be a heifer futurity during the Lake County Fair, just another venue for kids to show their heifers.
During the first year, the heifer will be jointly owned with WMSA. The young cattle producers must prepare a display with pictures and records and set it up at the WMSA annual meeting in January, at which time, the applicant will receive full ownership of the heifer.
For 2019, the WMSA bought four heifers with seed money raised at the 2018 winter meeting, and four were donated by Buddy and Ramona Lynch, Jake and Justine Welker, Leo and Kristen Fleming and the Northwest Counties Farm Bureau.
The 2019 scholarship heifer awardees are Cloe Barron-Hoover, Ronan; Grace Elverud, Charlo; Brooke Jackson, Hot Springs; Morgan Shepard, Charlo; Coleton Sherman, Ronan; Kiara Sherman, Ronan; Claire Standley, Missoula; and Brielle Zempel, Charlo .
Guenzler’s enthusiasm for the Scholarship Heifer Program plus help from WSMA members Dusty Smith and Cody Sherman and support from the entire 250-plus WMSA members have pushed the program forward.
“It’s growing like wildfire," Guenzler said, from eight applicants and one heifer awarded last year to 23 applicants vying for eight heifers this year. "We have to give credit to the public for helping raise money for the project.”
Buddy Westphal, Valley View Charolais, donated a Charolais heifer to be auctioned off at the Jan. 19 WMSA winter meeting. The heifer sold four times: once to Montana Livestock Auction (who donated her back to the WMSA), the second time was at the CHS Mountain West Co-op, Ronan; and then she went to Wes and Lena Baertsch, who gave her back to WMSA to raise more funds. The fourth sale was to FFA member Morgan Shepard, who kept the heifer. The money raised and the heifers donated by ranchers will allow the Scholarship Heifer program to continue.
Many hands helped get the heifers to the youngsters. Thanks go to local veterinarian Leroy Hoversland who did all the veterinary work for the heifers, including Bangs vaccination, vitamin shots, etc. Guenzler said the WMSA got together and freeze branded the heifers with the WMSA’s newly registered brand.
Nick Courville, who works for the Great Falls Feed Plant, gave a quick feed talk when the kids and their parents picked up the heifers.
Each young stock producer received a packet, which contained info on breeding, calving, feeding and a gestation table so a calving date could be selected, and it contained addresses so the young people could write thank you notes. CHS Mountain West Co-op Cenex sent each kid home with a bag of the feed the heifers had been eating. Ty Elverud, whose daughter Grace received a heifer, hauled a load of hay from Hot Springs resident Matthew Bartholmew, who donated a round bale to each youngster who was awarded a heifer.
Charlo 4-Her Hailey Weible received the WMSA first scholarship heifer in 2018. She took her heifer home and named her Polly. Now, Polly is expecting her first calf in March. Hailey’s mentor is Jerry Hamel, a Dixon rancher. He hopes he gave Hailey an example to follow and “a little bit of advice.”
“I advised her on keeping her eye on the horizon and the markets,” Hamel said. “Don’t get too big too soon that you can’t handle it. Always keep quality cattle. Feed makes 50 percent of the breed.”
Hailey has been building a small herd of cows. She feels it’s her whole life’s calling, according to her mom Janette Weible. “Hailey loves her cows,” Janette said.
FFA member Claire Standley, Missoula, was awarded the heifer donated by Jake and Justine Welker, who raise black cattle. Right now, Claire has one cow and a steer. “Ultimately a cow herd is the goal,” she said.
The Middlemist heifer, which comes from the Middlemist Ranch’s Saler/Angus crossbreeding program, went to FFA member Morgan Shepard. Morgan has 25 cows of different breeds. “It’s a rainbow herd,” she said.
She wants to start an A-1 (artificial insemination) program and raise club calves, which are fancier and sometimes more colorful than a regular calf. A sophomore now, Morgan plans to show a club calf she raised herself when she’s senior, as well as sell some to other 4-H and FFA members.
The kids will begin halter breaking their heifers right away since they will need to show the girls at their county fair this summer. “I’m planning on putting a halter on today,” Grace Elverud said. “Tomorrow,” Morgan Shepard said, smiling.
