Judith Basin County Fairboard Minutes

10-15-18

Call to order by Powell Becker at 7:20 pm. Powell Becker, Dawnita Sampsel, Sigrid Deegan, Billie Jo Holzer, Janet Wertheimer and Katie Hatlelid present.

The minutes were approved as read

No treasurer’s report

No announcements or public comment

Old Business

Fair Recap

- Parade - was a success, the board will look at holding the parade every 5 years or so in order to keep it fresh and not burn out folks on it.

- Weigh in & Scale – the scale was inspected again prior to the fair, and weigh in went smooth. There wasn’t a line and even in the heat nothing really had to wait to get weighed.

- Sale – only issue was a miscommunication with our auctioneers, we did not get them updated price per pound ceiling. Buyers paid for 300# hogs and 150# lambs, the sale fund covered the difference for the members animals that went at the updated price of 325# hogs and 165# lambs. Will make sure they are notified for next year!

- Trucking – Polzin’s delivered the animals without incident again this year. They did a great job getting them there with the heat we had to deal with this year!

- Carcass Contest – Marc King judged again and it went well. A workshop detailing the carcass evaluation process was discussed again, Katie will get in touch with Marc and see if something could be scheduled before next year’s fair.

- Meat Delivery – went very smooth this year, Ryan Polzin has a refrigerated box truck now, and Powell rode along. This setup seems to have solved our previous issues.

- Swamp Cooler – Lewistown Rental’s cooler we borrowed was a lifesaver. If the weather is as hot next year, we will investigate if they have another one so we have one for the beef barn too.

Fairgrounds improvements

- Barn Upgrades – Billie Jo had talked with Josh Stroh about how they were able to secure the panels in Lewistown. She will follow up with him and get info from Central MT Panel about working with us to get our hog barn pens updated.

- Funding – the conditional grant from CMF is still available. Katie and Dawnita will put together the final tally for the new barn and get that submitted soon. The Council has also applied for the Strand Foundation Grant and will know more in November when that is announced.

Hog Wash Crate

- The door on one of the crates was pulled off its hinges sometime during the fair this year, Dan Tresch has been contacted and Katie will follow up to get it repaired. With a new set of hinges it could be fixed in house as well.

Water Line

- The wash rack water line can be extended to the new barn to make it easier to haul water to the animals in that barn. That project will be tackled next spring.

Buyer Gifts

- Bring ideas to the January meeting for nice buyer gifts that aren’t overdone

Shavings/Wood Chips

- Need more wood chips from the Amish sawmill in Moore, Katie will call in the spring to get them delivered. Bagged shavings were a hit, CHS will be contacted to see if they would donate some next year.

New Business

Dedication

- Bring ideas to January meeting, Dave Roen was one name mentioned

Next Meeting Date

- January 22^nd, 6 PM

Respectfully submitted by Katie Hatlelid, Secretary