Ontonagon County
Ontonagon County Extension
Courthouse, 725 Greenland Road
Ontonagon, MI 49953
P: 906-884-4386
F: 906-884-2582
E-mail: msue66@msu.edu
Web: msue.msu.edu/Ontonagon
May 2006
Pre-teens and teens benefit from
Ontonagon County’s first FunFest
A new 4-H after-school program organized to help
five to 12-year-olds learn and gain new skills was
also a learning experience for the members of a teen
club.
Members of Teen Assets Never Grow Old
(TANGO), a group based at the Ontonagon Area
High School, helped present FunFest, a St. Patrick’s
Day celebration at the Ontonagon Area Elementary
School.
The youngest participants explored topics related to
food science, improvisational acting, swing dancing,
floor hockey, cookie decorating and jewelry making.
The 20 TANGO members helped teach workshops,
which helped them improve their organizational
skills, their public speaking and their teamwork skills.
FunFest was a service-learning project and
fundraiser for the group, which will use the money
they earned at the event to organize future community
service activities.
FunFest was organized by the Ontonagon County
MSU Extension 4-H Youth Development and Family
Nutrition programs. Financial assistance was
provided by a donation from the Ontonagon County
Children’s Trust Fund.
U.P. beef producers learn to lower
production costs, meet new TB
regulations at MSU Extension program
U.P. beef producers have drastically changed
their production and marketing programs and work
hard to keep up with constantly changing federal
and state regulations since bovine tuberculosis was
confirmed in cattle and deer in northern lower
Michigan.
In addition, like all farmers, beef producers are
looking for opportunities to lower their production
costs and increase profits. By exploring the
potential for seasonal calving they can increase calf
survival rates and their profits.
In a series of meetings held in four locations
throughout the Upper Peninsula, Ontonagon County
MSU Extension director Frank Wardynski
discussed the benefits and disadvantages of calving
at various times throughout the year.
Also during the sessions Ben Bartlett, MSU
Extension district Educator, discussed the most
recent information about the new national
electronic identification system.
Bartlett also explained cattle transportation
requirements within the state and outside our
borders.
continued
Michigan State University Extension helps people improve their lives through an educational
process that applies knowledge to critical issues, needs and opportunities. Offices in
counties across the state link the research of the land-grant university, MSU, to challenges
facing communities. Citizens serving on county Extension councils regularly help select
focus areas for programming. MSU Extension is funded jointly by county boards of
commissioners, the state through Michigan State University and federally through the US
Department of Agriculture.
Beef meeting, continued
Following the meetings, more than 80 percent of
the producers who attended felt they had a better
understanding of the electronic identification
regulations. Two producers who attended have made
changes to their seasonal calving practices and
another producer is planning to change his system.
Parents, students learn to navigate
college financial aid system with help
from MSU Extension
Planning for college can be an overwhelming
experience for parents and high school students.
Learning about the challenges of financial aid can be
an especially difficult challenge on its own.
To help Ontonagon Conty parents and high
school juniors learn about the myriad of college
financial aid options, Ontonagon County 4-H
program associate Jody Maloney joined forces with
Michigan Technological University’s financial aid
assistant director, Colleen Erva, and Ontonagon
County schools to offer College Finance 101.
The program was offered as a part of the Federal
Reserve Bank of Chicago’s, Money Smart Week, a
financial literacy education initiative.
Ontonagon Area High School counselor Leon
Sutherland and Ewen-Trout High School counselor
April Syria also helped present sessions at both
schools during late April for college-bound juniors
and their parents.
Participants learned about the college financial
aid process, the forms they needed to complete and
what types of aid are available to incoming freshmen.
Erva explained many financial aid terms and helped
families understand what information they need to
compile before students reach their crucial senior
year.
“I did not realize that we could apply for so many
scholarships,” said Rachel Barlock, a junior at the
Ewen-Trout Creek School. “I’m glad that Colleen
informed us about the Web sites to find scholarships.”
Parents also had positive comments, including
one who said, “Thanks for taking the time to help
us understand” (the complex world of financial
aid).”
4-H Leaders and Teens Honored at
Upper Peninsula Leadermete
Volunteers are important to every county 4-H
youth development program, and well-trained adult
and teen volunteers are critical.
Ontonagon 4-H leaders were among those who
attended the Upper Peninsula Leadermete at Bay
Cliff Health Camp in Big Bay. The event honored
teens and leaders for their dedication, leadership
and many years of service to the 4-H program and
the youth of the Upper Peninsula and gave them a
chance to improve their skills in a variety of
subjects.
Ontonagon County shooting sports leaders Al
Sanborn and Guy Kitzman completed a certification
course to qualify as archery and rifle instructors.
Ontonagon County MSU Extension director,
Frank Wardynski, instructed a livestock session and
4-H leader Gayle Maloney instructed two scrap
booking workshops.
An awards banquet was attended by Michigan
Rep. Tom Casperson and Michigan Farm Bureau
representatives Dave and Karen Bahrman.
Ted and Jean Trudgeon, of Ewen, were honored
for 20 years of 4-H leadership having had several
clubs through the years in animals, community
service, sewing and rocketry.
The 2006 U.P. Leadermete marks the creation of
a partnership between Bay Cliff Health Camp and
the U.P. 4-H program with plans underway to hold
not only next year’s Leadermete there but also to
have leader training and the bi-annual staff retreats
at the Bay Cliff facility.
MSU is an affirmative-action, equal opportunity institution, Michigan State University Extension programs and materials are open to all without regard
to race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, marital status, or family status. Issued in furtherance
of MSU Extension work, acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Thomas G. Coon, Extension
Director, Michigan State University, E. Lansing, MI 48824