NEAFCSMontana2016

Denise Seilstad

4-H and Family and Consumer Sciences Extension Agent

Montana State University – Fergus/Petroleum County

712 W. Main St.

Lewistown, MT   59457

 406-535-3919

written by Jane Wolery

     One of the great things about Extension is how we connect with other professionals, whether across our state or across the nation.  Today has me thinking about my colleagues.  I was thinking about Denise Seilstad, who serves with Montana State University Extension in Fergus and Petroleum Counties.  Denise and I started with Extension at about the same time and we both transitioned into Extension from teaching and counseling positions in small, rural Montana schools.  Just to give a perspective, a small rural school in Montana might mean 100 students K-12.  I have enjoyed working with Denise from the start, though we are several miles apart.  Recently, she and I were talking about commonalities we have with our colleagues.  When Denise started with Extension, she found an instant bond with one of our NEAFCS co-liaisons, Tara Andrews, who serves in Custer County.  The county seat is Miles City, home of the world famous Miles City Bucking Horse Sale. 

Denise grew up in Butte, Montana, while Tara hailed from Maryland.  Both grew up going to private Catholic schools, wearing school uniforms.  Both of their fathers were doctors.  Both of them had two daughters, nearly the same age.  Even though Denise serves in central Montana and Tara in southeast Montana, the two had very common interests.  Almost eerily common, as it turns out.  They would occasionally arrive at statewide conferences with matching clothes.  Their daughters even bought the same prom dress one year!

It is certainly fun to find common ground with colleagues. The NEAFCS conference in Montana offers you a way to discover, engage and connect. 

One of Denise’s connections in Montana is that she grew up in Butte.  Butte is one of the famous places in Montana, and if you are at all interested in history, I suggest you add it to your list of places to see.  A few years ago I had the pleasure of touring many of the notable Butte historic sites.  I was surprised to learn that Butte, Montana, had something in common with New York City.  At one point, during Butte’s mining boom, the two cities rivaled each other in size!  Butte even had a Tiffany’s. The wealth and affluence of the Copper Kings influenced which goods and services “followed the money” to Butte.  It has been reported that Butte at one point boasted the most ethnically diverse population in the intermountain west.  Butte also has notable history when it comes to labor unions, which might be of interest to consider and research as we enjoy “Labor Day” in the United States.   Denise, in a nod to her Butte heritage, can sometimes be seen wearing copper jewelry from the mines of Montana.

Some of the tough scenery Denise has to look at while
to and from work!

Denise Seilstad at her other job!

One of Denise’s connections took her out of Butte to central Montana.  She basically followed her heart to the heart of Montana when she married a farmer from the Denton area.   She drives 35 miles (70 round trip) to work each day, from Denton to Lewistown, through beautiful farmland and cattle country.  To the west of her are the Little Belt Mountains, the Highwood Mountains, Square Butte and Round Butte and to the north are the Moccasin Mountains.  She is bordered on the east by the Judith Mountains and on the south with the Snowy Mountains.  Spring Creek runs right through Lewistown, which is a fabulous trout fishing stream, and is great fun to float.  (Just to see what we have in common, how many of you live near a place call Spring Creek?  I do!)   Denise takes ample advantage of her location through fishing and hiking, cross-country skiing and snow shoeing.  She can also be found outdoors working cattle with her husband when she is not riding for the MSU brand!

Central Montana is also famous for some of its mined products – Yogo sapphires!  Montana sapphires are among the reasons we are called the Treasure State.  In western Montana, near Rock Creek and Phillipsburg, there are Fancy Montana Sapphires, which are pretty fun to “mine” by panning through gravel bags.  We bought bags of the gravel one year for a frontier-themed 4-H camp and discovered the almost addictive quality of mining for sapphires.  A different summer my family enjoyed a vacation near Philipsburg and did some more mining for fancy sapphires.  But, the Montana Yogo Sapphires were found in central Montana, near Yogo Creek.  According to one source, they are among the finest gemstones ever found in the state.  Actually the Yogo Mine is the only place this variety of sapphire has been found, making it rare indeed! Living near a Yogo sapphire mine has its advantages, and so, in addition to her copper jewelry, Denise can be found wearing a beautiful assortment of Montana Yogo treasures.  She has a custom-designed piece that commemorates her hike across Snowy mountain range and incorporates her love of fishing.  I also have some treasured Yogo sapphire pieces that my husband bought for me when each of our daughters were born.  The jewelry will be given the girls when they are older. Comment on the jewelry on the person sitting next to you at NEAFCS conference, you might strike up a rich conversation discovering a great connection, personally and professionally! 

A very happy grandmother!

Of course, if you happen to be seated next to Denise, she is just as likely to show you pictures of her new granddaughter, because spending time with her is something Denise truly treasures.  If you happen to get seated near Tara Andrews, she will also share photos of her granddaughter.  The two became grandmothers at nearly the same time, too! 

We are all connected in more ways than we probably even imagine.  This spring I was teaching class and used a resource that Denise had created called, Halt the Salt, and I also used resources on cooking with herbs from Alice Henneman from University of Nebraska Extension.  Though I’ve been using Alice’s resources for years (brought to me by colleagues who attended NEAFCS – one being Bernie Mason, see her retiree guest blog), last year was my first time to attend the national conference and I took a class from Alice!  We work in a great system that when I’m preparing a class to teach in Dutton, Montana, and I can use high quality resources from colleagues in both Lewistown, Montana and University of Nebraska.  

At the NEAFCS conference, we really look forward to ways we can help you connect with your colleagues from your state and from across the nation.  We also encourage those attending to share the wealth with those who were not able to attend.  Together we will look for a common vein in FCS where we can mine professional treasures to deeply enrich the lives of those we serve.