East Sounding Creek 4-H Club kicks off 2025/2026 beef season
By Fallyn Duque
Well, here we are, kicking off our 2025/2026 year of Beef 4-H for the East Sounding Creek 4-H Club. It was a full house at our first meeting, and at the top of the agenda was our election of officers.
Before getting into that, let me introduce myself. My name is Fallyn Duque, and I have been elected to be our club reporter. I am the third sibling and daughter of Cory and Nikki Duque from Cereal. This is my fifth year in 4-H. It has been a pleasure to be a part of the ESC (East Sounding Creek) meetings and events.
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On November 3rd, we held our first meeting of the year. The election of officers resulted as follows: President: Rhett Rude; Vice President: Brandt Lyster; Secretary: Sadie Rude; Treasurer: Dylan Woods; Club Reporter: Fallyn Duque; Historian: Hayden Bingeman; Cards and Gifts: Ridge Foot; General Leader: Marika Lyster; Assistant General Leaders: Liz Westerlund and Shelaine Woods. Congratulations to everyone who has been voted in and accepted these roles.
On November 11th, the club attended our District weigh-in. This is a very important day for us 4-Hers, as it is when we process our projects: market steers, carcass calves, heifers, and our buddy or spare project steers. We record their weight, re-tag them, and check their breed and brand. It is important to get our calves’ beginning weight so that at the end of the year, on Achievement Day, when they are weighed for the final time, we can calculate the Rate of Gain for our projects.
The day started with an educational presentation by Jack Fisher on the importance of proper feed. The kids also received a feed bucket with scoops from the Westview Co-op in Hanna, which offers a discount for 4-H supplies. Very generous of Westview Co-op—thank you!
The East Sounding Creek 4-H Club wrapped up the month of November by greeting, serving, and cleaning up at the Oyen Legion Hall for the Tree of Remembrance as a community service. We all enjoyed the evening—getting to dress up, stay busy, and say hello to people we fondly know in the community.
That wraps up our busy month. Stay tuned for monthly reports from me, Fallyn, proud member of the East Sounding Creek 4-H Club. At the end of my reports, I will be sharing a beef recipe that has been proven time and time again (and sometimes over generations) to be a favourite—try it out!
I will start with the Duque family’s favourite. Mom calls it “super easy and great for leftovers or potluck.” This recipe, originally submitted in the Cereal Cookbook by Karen Peacock, goes as follows:
BEEF AND CORN BAKE
2 lb ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 can niblets corn
2 cans tomato soup
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 tbsp ketchup
4 cups cooked noodles
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Brown the ground beef and onion. Mix the cooked beef with all the ingredients except the cheese. Put in a large roaster and sprinkle cheese on top. Bake at 350°F for 45 minutes covered, then another 10 minutes uncovered, or until the cheese is bubbly.
ENJOY!