Agriculture and Natural Resources, 2025 Q2

Kelly Leo, Extension Agent, B.S., M.Ed.
Kelly.leo@ndsu.edu

April Programs:

Quarter 2 was busy with a variety of events for adults and youth alike.

4-H archery practices wrapped up in April and the State Indoor Archery Championship was held in Bismarck. There were quite a few youth that attended the State shoot from Williams County. This program has continuously prepared excellent youth archers through the years thanks to the dedicated volunteer archery coaches that instruct youth from November through April every year.

April 7th was the first session of a ten-week dog obedience/showmanship class with the assistance of a new volunteer leader and about 30 youth taking part. The sessions ended June 18 with youth prepared to show off their dogs at the Upper Missouri Valley Fair.

I had one classroom request for the 4-H Embryology in the Schools Enrichment program this year with 32 youth taking part this year. The program was down in numbers this year due to the shortage of hatching eggs due to HPAI affecting the poultry industry. This program took place in April and early May with traveling to the 4th grade classroom at St. Josephs School. This was a four-week program that taught students about the science of embryology of chickens. We were fortunate to hatch some chicks and send those home with youth. The program was successful and will continue next year with additional schools.

I conducted the final Livestock Quality Assurance certification course for the 4-H year with around 20 youth in attendance for a total of over 100 youth trained in animal quality assurance this year.

I held a cat care and showmanship workshop for 4-H youth in preparation for showing at the Upper Missouri Valley Fair in June. This was well attended by youth enrolled in the cat project.

The Extension staff attended a spring Extension conference in Fargo where we networked with colleagues and engaged in professional development opportunities for three days. This is in addition to the fall conference that all Extension staff attend in October or November every year.

May Programs:

Much of May is spent planning for the Upper Missouri Valley Fair and 4-H Achievement Days events, thus much time is spent on all the details for this large event.

I attended a poultry Pullorum testing training in Bismarck May 8th. This certification allows local testing of poultry for exhibition and flock health.

I was also fortunate to attend an artificial insemination school for sheep/goats at Hettinger Research Extension Center to be a better resource to small flock producers in Williams County.

Much of May was also spent planning for the West Farm Safety Camp. I was able to host the camp in Williston this year so there was much planning that occurred throughout May to make sure all equipment, housing, transportation, meals, etc. were in place for the camp in early June.

June Programs:

I held a producer Field Walk June 4th in some pasture areas that were burned October 2024 to assess recovery and grazing/rest recommendations with Range Specialist, Kevin Sedivec. The tour was very helpful in assessing the impact of the fire to the native rangeland as well as to determine if the areas should be rested or grazed in 2025. It was well-attended and participants received a lot of hands-on training.

The West Farm/Tractor safety camp for youth as held June 10-12 at the Williams County Highway Complex and Williston State College. This event was jam packed event that lasted three days. Youth were trained in all avenues of Farm/Ranch Safety by Extension personnel and volunteers from the community. The fourteen youth gained their ATV safety certification and their Hazardous Occupations Order in Agriculture certification to operate farm equipment. The program was a great success and will hopefully be hosted in Williston again in the near future for the western side of the state. This is an annual training event for youth desiring to work on a farm/ranch.

Fair planning consumed much of May and June as always. 4-H livestock enrollment increased again this year; thus, the fair participation was up as well with lots of new families participating in fair events and activities. The 4-H fair events kicked off with the Horse Show June 20 and indoor static exhibit judging Monday, June 23. There were about 48 judges and assistants from the community that volunteer to evaluate the 4-H youth and their 530 projects. This event certainly couldn’t happen without the amazing support of the community. The remainder of the fair happened June 24-29 during the Upper Missouri Valley Fair. 4-H and open livestock shows happened Wednesday through Saturday with well over 100 youth participating in these events. The fair was a huge success again this year thanks to all the great volunteers and the support of the Upper Missouri Valley Fair Board to provide the venue for the 4-H achievement days. As fair closed out, I was on the road to Billings, MT to attend the National Association of Agriculture Agents annual conference, June 29-July 2.

This event is rarely this close to home so I was excited to be able to attend this excellent professional development opportunity without traveling across the nation.

Spring is an especially busy time for tree and horticulture calls and there have already been many calls and home visits to diagnose biotic and abiotic damage. Water testing has started again and will continue throughout the summer for producers upon request as the runoff after rain paired with hot days will be a concern for cyanobacteria blooms in stock ponds and reservoirs. Additionally, there have been several calls regarding nitrate concerns in forage, thus I will be out testing forages in the coming weeks due to the hot, dry weather. Upcoming programs include the Williston Research Extension Center Field Days July 16-17 and ND State Fair July 18-27.

These are just the highlights as there certainly hasn’t been a slow month. I hope to continue to bring great programs to Williams County!