Prairie County

Prairie County covers 1,730 rural square miles with a population of 1,091. Terry is the only incorporated town in the county and serves as the county seat with a population of 566. Agricultural production and agriculture business form the basis of the economy in Prairie County. Although the population of the county is small, the clientele needs are diverse. MSU Extension’s role is to provide a wide range of educational opportunities and services for the people of Prairie County. Local topics of interest include agriculture, 4-H and youth development, family and consumer sciences, and community vitality.

 

Terry High School students learn about life “On My Own”

Montana State University Extension partnered with Terry Public Schools to offer the “On My Own” program in Terry for 23 high school students. On My Own is a hands-on, real-life simulation that gives young people the opportunity to experience adulthood in a fun and exciting way. Terry students engaged in an On My Own simulation where they assumed they were 26 years old, the primary or sole support of a household, and were encouraged to make healthy and wise lifestyle choices similar to those adults face on a daily basis. 

Students were assigned a career, a family scenario, and an asset they could sell (if they could find a buyer). Then, they proceed through “real life,” deducting taxes, determining a savings goal, and spending their monthly salaries on necessities and luxury items that reflect the career and lifestyle they have chosen. MSU Extension Agent Sharla Sackman and Terry Public Schools Business Teacher Lisa Chaska recruited school staff and community volunteers to facilitate 12 stations where students made decisions about how to spend monthly income. 

Following the simulation, students remarked with surprise at how expensive things like groceries, housing, transportation and childcare were. The students also compared notes on how different family scenarios made it easier or harder to make ends meet at the end of the hypothetical month. A team of MSU Extension agents, including Prairie County Extension Agent Sharla Sackman, have been working to bring the On My Own financial education program developed by the University of Tennessee Extension to Montana. UT Extension delivers the On My Own program across the state of Tennessee to over 30,000 students each year. Missouri and Montana are the first two other states to offer On My Own.

Caption: MSU Extension Agent Sharla Sackman discusses spending with THS students

Credit: Olivia Haidle, THS Annual Staff

Prairie County 4-H provides members opportunities to learn leadership, citizenship, and life skills

The Prairie County 4-H program provides educational opportunities in a wide variety of 4-H projects. Eighty-one percent of 4-H members participated in at least one project workshop during the 4-H year. Projects and skills were learned in horsemanship, sewing, visual arts, small animals, livestock, and foods. 4-H members demonstrated competence and confidence during the 4-H interview judging process at All-Events Day and the Prairie County Fair. 

In 4-H, we are intentional about providing youth opportunities to gain communication, leadership and teamwork skills to enable them to become contributing citizens. Volunteer leaders and 4-H teen leaders were engaged to lead project workshops with the county agent. Almost 60 percent of Prairie County 4-H members over the age of 14 participated in leadership training or served in county-wide leadership roles by coordinating county events and teaching at project workshops. 

Each year 4-H members look forward to participating in regional and statewide 4-H activities. One-third of Prairie County 4-H members took advantage of these events, participating in Southeastern Montana 4-H Camp, Junior High Youth Oreo trip, Eastern Montana Regional Small Animal Judging, Champion of Champions beef and showmanship contests, Montana Range Days, and Montana State 4-H Congress. One teen member was a state award winner, earning a trip to National 4-H Congress. These experiences provide opportunities for 4-H members to network, gain communication skills, and take on leadership roles outside of the county. 

Caption: Prairie County 4-H teen leaders teach fellow members how to show livestock at a showmanship clinic

Credit: Sharla Sackman, MSU Extension Prairie County

MSU Extension offers agricultural services to assist farmers and ranchers

MSU Extension in Prairie County offered many critical services to help agriculture in 2024. One of those is forage testing for the presence of the toxin nitrate. As a result of educating producers about the importance of testing small grain forages for nitrate, producers brought 44 feed samples to be tested. Two-thirds of the forage tested for nitrates was safe to feed and one-third tested at a level high enough that dilution of the feed was necessary to feed to pregnant cows. Test results provided producers with the information needed to decide about timing of cutting a crop, when grazing a crop was safe, and how to safely feed the tested forages. The Prairie County Extension Agent balanced rations for feeding cows and for backgrounding calves to efficiently and economically utilize the feed resources producers have available. Forage quality testing is an important component of ration balancing and marketing forage for sale. MSU Extension assisted producers in submitting 25 forage samples to an accredited lab for nutrient analysis of crude protein, total digestible nutrients, and net energy values to aid in feeding and marketing forages.

Caption: Cows on range in Prairie County

Credit: Sharla Sackman, MSU Extension Agent

MSU Extension hosts agriculture education events

MSU Extension hosted three agricultural education events for ag producers in Prairie County in 2024. MSU Extension specialists were invited to speak in 10 towns across Southeastern Montana in January. Important topics addressed in Prairie County included pest management in livestock, farm and ranch stress management, and tools to manage extreme weather. A February pest management seminar focused on the biology and management of prairie dogs, herbicide options for the control of prevalent noxious weeds and invasive annual grasses, and grasshopper management options for the 2024 summer season, including a USDA-APHIS Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) rangeland suppression program. As a result of the program, landowners enrolled 340,408 acres of rangeland to be protected through the federal grasshopper suppression program. The annual Tri-County tour has engaged landowners from Prairie, Fallon, and Wibaux counties to stay current on rangeland and invasive weed issues for more than 30 years. This year’s tour in July shared valuable information on palmer amaranth awareness, herbicide resistance, personal pesticide equipment, and ATV safety.

Caption: Dr. Stephen Vantassel shares information on prairie dog biology and management

Credit: Sharla Sackman, MSU Extension Agent

Contact

217 West Park, P.O. Box 7
Terry, MT 59349
406-635-2121
https://www.montana.edu/extension/prairie/