Missoula County

Missoula County is a dynamic landscape in western Montana that combines the best parts of Montana into a thriving county with rivers, forests, local foods, and a large urban city center. The city of Missoula is home to the University of Montana, serves as a regional shopping hub, and has a variety of entertainment options. Missoula County boasts miles of blue-ribbon trout rivers, forested mountain slopes, numerous outdoor recreation opportunities, pristine mountain lakes, and small communities exemplifying living in the West. Missoula County has something for everyone.

Missoula County MSU Extension has four full-time Extension Agents, two Nutrition Educators, and a full-time 4-H Assistant. MSU Extension partners with the Missoula County Department of Ecology to offer support and programs to all of Missoula County.

Contact

1075 South Avenue West, Suite 1
Missoula, MT 59801
406-258-4200
https://missoulaeduplace.org/

Volunteers are the fuel that runs the 4-H engine

With nearly 480 youth members enrolled in Missoula 4-H and only two paid staff supporting the program, very little would be accomplished without the 85 Certified 4-H Volunteers and scores of additional supporters, helpers, donors and friends of 4-H.

Thousands of hours are poured into the lives of Missoula County youth by these volunteers, teaching them the leadership, citizenship and other life skills they will need to succeed in the world after 4-H, making them beyond ready for life.

According to the Society for Human Resource Management, employers wish young employees had more grit, tenacity and resilience, that they would speak up in meetings and could solve their own problems. In 4-H, as early as age 8, youth learn to speak in club meetings, run for elected office, and facilitate business and committee meetings. By completing projects under the guidance of supportive adult volunteers, they learn to try, fail, try again and accomplish their goals. By raising animals and competing at the fair, they learn to win and lose with grace, overcome challenges, and live with the opinions of others, even when they disagree.

Missoula 4-H is fortunate to have scores of supportive, caring adults who have spent 10, 15, 20 years or more serving as role models and positive influences on the lives of Missoula’s youth. In October of 2025, one of Missoula’s most dedicated volunteers was recognized with the Montana 4-H Lifetime Achievement Volunteer Award. Bip Bagnell, from the Frenchtown Valley 4-H Club, was recognized at the Montana 4-H Volunteer Institute in Billings.

A product of the Missoula 4-H program himself, Bip grew up in the Frenchtown Valley 4-H Club with his many siblings, under the leadership of his mother, 4-H Club leader Babs Bagnell, and his father Lyle Bagnell. In addition to helping his wife Desiree run today’s Frenchtown Valley 4-H Club, Bip is the chair of the Missoula 4-H Livestock Committee, member of the Missoula 4-H Horse Committee, helps run the 4-H Working Ranch Horse project, is a member of the Frenchtown Broncs Stadium Committee, and is the announcer at home football and basketball games at Frenchtown High School. While all four of their own children have graduated from high school and moved on from 4-H, Bip and Desiree continue to mentor the next generation of 4-H youth in Missoula, teaching them grit, determination, resilience and the character they will need to succeed in life beyond 4-H.

Caption: Bip Bagnell from the Frenchtown Valley 4-H Club receives the 2025 Montana 4-H Lifetime Achievement Volunteer Award.

Credit: Amy Ewing

Helping Others Make Healthy Choices

The Family and Consumer Sciences Extension Agent in Missoula County provides relevant research-based information, MSU Extension resources, and services based on the needs and interests of a diverse and growing population.

The new MSU Extension facility allows us to serve needs and interests as never before. The onsite Rocky Mountain Gardens inspired innovative programming in the Honeyberry Culinary Kitchen and provided much of the needed seasonal vegetables and herbs used in more than 30 classes with 457 partcipants.

Topics included growing and preparing seasonal vegetables, making spice blends, identifying and cooking with herbs, pressure canning and water bath canning education, mindful eating and wellness topics, and “Becoming a Food Detective” nutrition education for kids. The Honeyberry Kitchen has become a destination for those who love to cook, create, and discover better paths to healthy eating.

New Missoula County Pasture Evaluation Program

In April 2025, the Missoula County Agriculture and Livestock MSU Extension agent, Natalie Sullivan, launched the Pasture Evaluation Program, an on-site consultation for county residents to learn about animal grazing systems on small acreage. The purpose of the Pasture Evaluation Program is to bring up-to-date, unbiased information from the university Extension system and local county resources to private and commercial farms and ranches.

This is a free service for Missoula County residents who want to make properties more productive, safe, and sustainable for horses and livestock. Participants learn how to increase pasture productivity, decrease non-structural carbohydrates, mitigate internal and external parasites, and control weeds and invasive grasses by creating a grazing plan that considers the needs of the animals, soil, and plants. Soil and forage sampling is demonstrated on-site, and the results are interpreted by MSU Extension to better understand animal behavior and fertilization needs. Temporary strip grazing system equipment can be rented from the Missoula County Department of Ecology and MSU Extension to give graziers hands on experience with the equipment before making the investment.

In 2025, 38 pasture evaluations were conducted across Missoula County on properties ranging from one acre to 50. The first annual horse farm tour and storytelling event took place in September as a way to showcase pasture improvements made by program participants. The event also brought the equestrian community together to share stories about our local lands, horses, and heritage.

Preparing Missoula County’s Livestock and Equine Owners for the Next Emergency

Owning animals in Missoula County means being prepared for everything in every season: wildfires, floods, power outages, earthquakes, highway closures, disease outbreaks, and extreme temperatures.

In 2025, MSU Extension, in partnership with the Missoula County Office of Emergency Management, created a series of workshops, educational events and new resources to raise awareness and build resilience in the county equine and livestock communities. A county wide workgroup of private and public land managers, 4-H and FFA coordinators, Montana Department of Livestock personnel, and insurance agencies gathered in February to discuss the current resources and needs of the community.

The workgroup identified short- and long-term goals for Missoula County’s emergency response and preparedness around horses and livestock. The MSU Extension Agriculture and Livestock Agent, Natalie Sullivan, created a centralized website to disseminate information, a county-specific Animal Emergency Planning Worksheet, and YouTube recordings of local lectures on the topics of wildfire and emergency planning strategies. Events included a hands-on learning event at the Big Sky Horse Park, an online webinar, and a biosecurity lecture by the Montana Department of Livestock. Working together, local organizations, agencies and livestock stewards can minimize chaos and even save lives during the next emergency.

Native Plant Garden Initiative in Missoula County Schools

The Native Plant Garden Initiative has taken root across several Missoula County schools, including Big Sky High School, Hellgate Elementary and Middle Schools, with plans to expand next year to Lewis and Clark and Willard Schools.

This program creates valuable opportunities for student engagement with native plants and pollinator education while turning schoolyards into living classrooms. Through these gardens, students learn firsthand about the ecological importance of native species, pollinator interactions, and the role they play in supporting biodiversity. Each participating school secured teacher commitments and grant funding to establish their gardens, while the Missoula County Department of Ecology and MSU Extension provided additional support through a grant award from the Western Montana Conservation Commission (WMCC).

The long-term goal is to establish native plant gardens in every school across Missoula County. To complement these efforts, the Missoula County MSU Extension horticulturist is developing a two-part educational series to help students explore the ecological relationships between native plants and pollinators—and to observe these interactions within their own school gardens.

Revitalization of the Master Gardener Program

Over the past year, Missoula County MSU Extension has focused on strengthening and expanding the reach of horticulture programs throughout the community. A major accomplishment has been the continued growth and revitalization of the Master Gardener Program, which now consistently fills to capacity for both spring and fall 10-week sessions.

The redesigned Master Gardener program features expanded lab components, hands-on community tours, and an updated volunteer certification system that fosters long-term engagement. These enhancements have helped create a dynamic and accessible learning experience for participants while growing a skilled volunteer base that supports countywide horticultural outreach, plant clinics, and educational events. Together, these efforts reflect MSU Extension’s ongoing commitment to cultivating knowledgeable, connected, and environmentally conscious gardeners throughout Missoula County.