Custer County

Miles City, located in Custer County, serves as the economic hub for much of Southeastern Montana. With 8,500 of the 11,700 people in Custer County residing in Miles City, the bulk of the land in the county is rangeland, with a portion of the county situated along the Yellowstone and Tongue Rivers producing irrigated crops.

Custer County MSU Extension is a non-formal educational program designed to help people use research-based knowledge to improve their lives. The primary mission of MSU Extension is to bring information from the land-grant university to the people of Montana. Our program includes traditional activities like Winter Series, Arthritis Exercise, and 4-H project workshops and contests, with educational delivery through both virtual and in-person meetings. In 2025, MSU Extension in Custer County offered 4-H, Family and Consumer Science, Community Vitality and Agriculture programs.

Contact

1010 Main St., Suite 9
Miles City, MT 59301
406-874-3370
https://www.montana.edu/extension/custer/

Addressing the Threat of Emerald Ash Borer in Custer County

The Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) has emerged as a significant insect threat to Montana, with the potential to cause widespread mortality among ash trees. Ash species have historically been favored for boulevard and shade plantings, comprising up to 70% of the urban forest canopy in some communities. In Custer County, native green ash trees are an important component of the natural landscape, making the threat of EAB particularly concerning to local landowners.

Originally detected in Michigan, EAB has devastated ash populations across the eastern United States and is steadily advancing westward, with recent confirmations in North and South Dakota. As a result, eastern Montana is now considered at high risk for EAB infestation.

In response, Custer County MSU Extension, in collaboration with Chloe Rice, MSU Extension Insect Diagnostician, implemented two educational initiatives in Fall 2025. The first was a workshop held in Knowlton,  aimed at increasing landowner awareness and detection. The second focused on training regional county Extension agents to identify EAB symptoms and follow appropriate response protocols when an infested tree is suspected.

These efforts have already yielded results, including the identification of two potentially infested trees, which will undergo further investigation by Frank Etzler, Insect Diagnostician with the Montana Department of Agriculture. A broader survey and sampling effort is planned to determine whether EAB is already present in the region.

Additionally, the outreach has helped address landowner concerns regarding the ongoing decline of ash trees unrelated to EAB. Ash decline has been observed for over a decade, prompting investigations into other possible causes such as disease or alternative insect pests. The goal is to develop an informed management strategy to mitigate further damage.

Caption: MSU Extension Insect Diagnostician, Chloe Rice, presents to a group in Knowlton, MT.

Credit: Mike Schuldt

Leather Carving Artist, Jim Linnell, Teaches Eastern Montana Youth

Reaching rural youth with professional artists is a rare and exciting opportunity. In May of 2025, Custer County MSU Extension was honored to work alongside professional leather sculptor Jim Linnell to teach 20 youth from three counties the “Basics of Leather Sculpting.” This program came to fruition through various conversations with local parents who expressed frustration with a lack of indoor 4-H project opportunities for children during the summer months. Mr. Linnell and Custer County MSU Extension have had professional connections in the past and were excited to learn he would be traveling from Texas during May, and was excited to get young people, particularly 4-Her's, involved with leather work.

The afternoon class consisted of 20 students, four parents who stayed out of curiosity (and ended up making their own art), five volunteers, and one passionate instructor. The class provided all 20 students, from ages 8-14, with concrete skills in leather carving. All but three students were beginners. By the end of the course, each student had made their own coin purse, several coasters, and showed a lot more confidence. All students reported feeling more comfortable with the tools and wanted to continue making leather crafts. The workshop also partnered with local sponsors to provide each student with their own set of leather tools and a hammer. As the 4-H Extension Agent, it was incredible to see so many finished projects at the Fair later that summer!

Caption: Students hard at leather work, and Jim Linnell helping out a younger 4-H’er.

Credit: Rachelle Dixon

Effective Meeting Training for Local Community College Faculty

Montana has the second-highest leadership demand in the U.S. Consequently, one in every 13 Montanans needs the skill to execute a meeting or the capacity to contribute to a meeting agenda. Custer County MSU Extension provided training to Miles Community College faculty on the topic of effective meetings. Training material was based on the MSU Community Vitality model from Big Sky, Big Leadership. Attendees received a resource folder with tools to conduct an effective meeting, as well as a list of behaviors that increase meeting engagement. Evaluations indicated that the group would approach their next meetings with confidence and purpose. When asked, “What is one action you will try at the next meeting you attend?” One faculty member wrote, “Walk in with a better attitude.”

Teen 4-H Leaders Teach Show Preparation Workshop

The Custer County 4-H Teen Council voted to host a Livestock Animal Show Prep Workshop due to the number of young livestock showmen in Custer County, and several of them, according to one teen, “have no idea how to prep their steer for the ring.” What started as a steer fitting workshop about grooming and styling an animal for show turned into a six-species animal show prep workshop. Fifteen teen 4-H leaders organized the event. Among them, the students brought one steer, horse, lamb, goat, dairy cow, and pig to teach 48 students how to prepare their animals and be show-day ready.

The young 4-Her’s were asked, upon arrival, if they had practiced prepping their animal for show day. By a show of hands, about three-fourths of the audience had not practiced fitting their animals. The organization of the day worked well with two rounds of three species at once in smaller learning stations. This approach made it less intimidating for teen instructors to speak to smaller groups in 10-minute rotations. Each teen presented their hands-on learning activity three different times. This strategy allowed the teens to perfect their mini-lesson. The adults participated and commented, “These kids are so knowledgeable!” The younger 4-H'ers left feeling more informed about techniques, products to use, and when to start preparing their animals for the show ring.

Caption: Custer County Teen Leaders instruct a group about horse show preparation.

Credit: Rachelle Dixon