Federally-Recognized Tribes Extension Program 2008 HIGHLIGHTS. PROGRAM AREA (Ex. Agriculture, Nutrition etc.): 4-H youth

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1 Federally-Recognized Tribes Extension Program 2008 HIGHLIGHTS FRTEP UNIT: Montana, Northern Cheyenne FRTEP PROGRAM AREA (Ex. Agriculture, Nutrition etc.): 4-H youth PROGRAM TITLE: Northern Cheyenne FRTEP 4-H ISSUE(S) ADDRESSED: The first challenge is to start a traditional 4 H Club, maintain its members and projects through a 4 H year, participate in county activities, complete record books and grow the club. The second challenge is to get a club strong enough to recruit new members. One of the last and most significant challenges is to have enough parental support to have adequate leaders. Most kids do not have this type of support and our clubs usually disband within a short period of time. Our clubs often start with as many as 10 members and 4 or more families; about half will not make it through the year. Although participation was excellent for short run enrichment projects we felt it was more important to try to develop the parents/ leaders through active participation. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION: Our goal has been simple; we start with parents that have an interest to start a club in our area. Our approach is: 1.) A presentation on what the 4 H program is about and what it takes to become a club. 2.) We help find at least 5 kids, the club minimum. 3.) Provide enough support to help organize the parents to be leaders. 4.) Provide technical support in areas of educational materials reference books, manuals, clinics, workshops, and variety of incentives. 5.) To step back when a club begins to look forward to the next year, they are maintaining themselves, and they start to recruit new members. PROGRAM IMPACT: We have two clubs: the Montana Mavericks (6 years) and the Northern Lights (5 years), each maintaining its numbers to be a club. They have participated at their county fairs every year, in market beef, market hog, market sheep, poultry, rabbit, horse, leather, sewing, cooking, and many more. It is within the last three years that members are starting to expand their projects to breeding beef and sheep. We have members with indoor projects which qualified to go to the state level. We are proud to announce that each club has recruited new members and leaders with 2009 being our highest member enrollment to date. CONTACT: : Pamela Dahle, 4-H Program Aide or Kirk Denny, Northern Cheyenne FRTEP agent. Montana State University, PO Box 1195, Lame Deer, MT (406)

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3 Federally-Recognized Tribes Extension Program 2008 HIGHLIGHTS

4 FRTEP UNIT: Montana, Northern Cheyenne PROGRAM AREA (Ex. Agriculture, Nutrition etc.): Agriculture and Youth PROGRAM TITLE: Trichomonas Fetus Awareness and Eradication Project ISSUE(S) ADDRESSED: Issue: The Northern Cheyenne Reservation supports 45 commercial cow-calf ranches that managed 8,500 producing cows in These ranches produced approximately 7000 feeder calves per year with a gross value in excess of $4 million. As of 2008, we have 35 operators and 6,500 cows. Reproductive efficiency, or breed back, is a critical factor in ranching success. Reproductive diseases greatly impact ranch profitability. Trichimonas foetus (Trich) is a persistent reproductive disease which causes early term abortions and leads to extremely high rates (25-45%) of non-pregnant cows. The Northern Cheyenne Reservation was widely infected with this organism in 2003 and faced devastating reproductive losses. Trich reaches maximum infection levels in 3 to 5 years without intervention. This is ample time for the disease to be spread into a neighboring herd before major symptoms are apparent. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION: An educational partnership between Chief Dull Knife College, Northern Cheyenne FRTEP and the USDA designed, funded and implemented an educational awareness campaign focused on Trich Management since The project has conducted an awareness program through workshops, bulletins, and newsletters. Additionally, the project is providing hands on assistance with bull and cow testing. In order for this disease to be eradicated, 100% of the reservation s cattle herds must participate. The program participation recommends pregnancy testing all cows and selling non pregnant females in addition to Trich testing all bulls retained for breeding. PROGRAM IMPACT: In 2003, the entire reservation averaged 16% nonpregnant cows equaling 1200 head. This was the pinnacle of the epidemic. The Trich project began in Approximately 1000 cows remain to be tested in After five years of persistent education and participation the Trichomonas Fetus project has tested 24,881 cows with 3,394 open. Nearly all of these open cows were sold as nonproducers saving these ranchers an estimated $170 each in wasted winter feed costs for a total savings of $576,980. These non-fertile females are no longer on the reservation to harbor the disease. We have raised the female pregnancy rate by 2.7% for four years which equates to 621additional females retained in the herd. If their net replacement cost is $450 each, this savings is $279,450. The project has currently trich tested a total 750 bulls. Unfortunately this is not 100% participatory. Bull testing reached its highest participation in 2008, testing 191 bulls. The extension agent will continue to encourage the non-participating ranches to complete this critical step in the future. Our goal is complete eradication of the disease. Combined savings in feed and females is $876,430.

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6 CONTACT: Kirk Denny, Northern Cheyenne FRTEP agent. Montana State University, PO Box 1195, Lame Deer, MT (406) Federally-Recognized Tribes Extension Program 2008 HIGHLIGHTS FRTEP UNIT:Montana, Northern Cheyenne PROGRAM AREA (Ex. Agriculture, Nutrition etc.): Agriculture PROGRAM TITLE: Russian Knapweed Rehabilitation Project

7 ISSUE(S) ADDRESSED: Russian knapweed (Centaurea repens), a perennial noxious weed, infests thousands of acres of the Northern Cheyenne Reservation. These infestations reduce productivity to the point of lands being abandoned. The Northern Cheyenne FRTEP extension agent implemented prescribed rehabilitation strategies suggested by noxious weed researchers Tom Whitson and Roger Sheley PhD. This project is ongoing and growing. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION: The Northern Cheyenne FRTEP unit prescribes restoration protocols to Cheyenne landowners/ lessees. The landowners/ lessees provide equipment and the extension project coordinates herbicide applications and seeding calibration with tribal grass seeding equipment. The prescriptions utilize improved pasture species and mixes to establish highly competitive and productive grasslands. These grasslands in turn provide increased hay and grazing production for the producers as well as lease income for allottees. The projects serve as demonstration plots for interested landowners and tour sites for workshops. PROGRAM IMPACT: Over the past 5 years we have implemented seeding projects on 450 acres of Tribal and allotted lands that were dominated by Russian knapweed. 120 acres were new projects starting in 2007 and were new seedings in The knapweed was reduced by 95% while production was increased tremendously. In 2007, 380 acres of fully established improved grasslands were utilized as grass hay. These formerly abandoned fields produced 488 ton of dryland hay or about $29,000 ($118 per acre). In 2008 these 380 acres of established seedings produced 620 ton of grass hay ($62,000 in hay or $163/acre.) The 120 acres of new seedings for 2008 established at 98 % and will be harvestable in The competitive herbicide resistant restored pastures require 1/3 less herbicide to maintain. The fields provide substantial production of hay and/or pasture. The fields are providing lease and/or production income to the owners and lessees. Our goal is to add 100 acres per year to this project.

8 CONTACT: Kirk Denny, Northern Cheyenne FRTEP agent. Montana State University, PO Box 1195, Lame Deer, MT (406)