Nevada Creek 4-H Club. Front (L-R): Michael Goettle, Alaina Barger and Sawyer Hessler. Back (L-R): Natalie Graveley, Kadin Graveley, Trey Phillips, Matilda Hessler, Shaylee Knight, Maggie Applegate, Abby Jones, Halle-Joe Butte and Abby Bignell. Not pictured Emerson Murray.
Trey Phillips (back left) with his Overall Grand Champion Male Beef (light brown back right) and Grand Champion Progeny Project.
Alaina Barger with her Grand Champion Meat Goat.
Emerson Murray with her Grand Champion Market Poultry. The Grand Champion Market Poultry is allowed to be sold at the Market Animal Auction.
DEER LODGE- Nevada Creek 4-H Club members brought home several Cream of the Crop, Champion Showmanship and Champion Market Animal awards from the 2022 Tri-County Fair in Deer Lodge. The Club also won the Overall Herdsmanship Award for keeping their barn areas tidy and cleaned up, plus special notice for working well together and getting their work done.
The Tri-County Fair is the culmination of months of breeding, feeding and training animals, developing and practicing skills in crafts and honing interview response skills. The 13 members of Nevada Creek 4-H Club earned nine championships in Market Animal and Showmanship classes, five reserve championships in Market Animal and two Cream of the Crop awards from quilting and leatherwork exhibits.
In addition to Championships, there were many purple Champion and blue First place ribbons awarded in showmanship and livestock classes. Judging is done against a standard, and not against competing animals.
Trey Phillips won Grand Champion with his Beef Progeny Project. The Beef Progeny Project is the culmination of three years of Breeding Beef projects. Year one starts with a cow and calf breeding project. Year two the contestant shows that cow again with the current calf and the yearling calf. Year three the cow comes back for the third time with her current calf, the two year old comes with her calf and the yearling from year two comes, for a total of five animals in the show ring.
The progeny project is started by many kids with breeding projects. However, it requires them to have three generations of animals having offspring in the right gender order for the project to work. Occasionally, loss of an animal stalls the project out.
Phillips wasn't sure about entering the progeny project until his cow had offspring in the right order and his uncle Kyle Graveley encouraged him to participate.
Phillips said that it was a lot of work to get ready to compete with a Progeny Project at the fair while juggling football practice, basketball camp and working on the ranch during haying season. After getting the animals to the fair and successfully negotiating the chores, he said it was worth it. Winning the Championship buckle donated by his grandfather was the icing on the cake. His cows will continue in his personal herd.
Through his beef breeding project, Phillips bred some bulls that were good enough quality for the family ranch and will be used for breeding as soon as they are mature. He credited his fellow 4-H club members and friends from other clubs for helping him get through chores at the fair while he attended football practice each morning in Drummond.
Nevada Creek 4-H Project Awards & Ribbons
Maggie Applegate - Market Hogs, 2 Blue Ribbons; and Hog Showmanship, Blue Ribbon
Alaina Barger - Grand Champion Male Meat Goat; Grand Champion Female Swine; Reserve Champion Market Hog; Grand Champion Senior Goat Showman; Grand Champion Senior Hog Showman; Senior Champion Market Goat Interview and Senior Champion Market Hog Interview
Abby Bignell - Outstanding Black Angus Exhibitor
Halle-Joe Butte - Reserve Champion Senior Sheep Showman and First Place Senior Market Lamb Interview
Michael Goettle - Cream of the Crop Leather Cribbage Board
Kadin Graveley - Overall Reserve Champion Male Beef
Natalie Graveley - Market Beef, Blue; Heifer Calf, Purple; Class Winner three-year-old Cow; and Class Winner Cow/Calf Pair.
Matilda Hessler - Knitting Project Knitted Hat, Blue; Sheep Showmanship, Blue; and Market Lamb, Red
Sawyer Hessler - Cream of the Crop Quilting, Purple; Sewing/pillow, Red; Market Lamb, Blue; Sheep Showmanship, Blue; Junior Herdsmanship award and Sheep Weight Gain
Abby Jones - Reserve Champion Market Beef; Reserve Senior Beef Showman and Senior Beef Interview
Shaylee Knight - Market Beef, Purple; and Senior Showmanship, Purple
Emerson Murray - Champion Male Poultry; Champion Female Poultry; Best of Show Poultry; Champion Large Poultry/Turkey; Champion Market Turkey; Junior Small Animal Market Interview; and Reserve Champion Junior Small Animal Showmanship
Trey Phillips - Grand Champion Overall Male Beef and Grand Champion Beef Progeny
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