Rangeland Almanac

2026–2027 Junior Market Beef Weigh-In & Tagging Schedule Open • Bonneville County 4-H & FFA Exhibitor Mini-Grants Available

Exhibitor Project Calculator
Bonneville County Cattleman Association Brand Mark An open hexagonal cattle brand frame enclosing the Caribou mountain range contours, a minimalist cattle silhouette, and a rising wheat sprout.
Est. 2017 • Idaho Falls
Bonneville County Cattleman Association, Inc. • 501(c)(3) Youth Agricultural Non-Profit
501(c)(3) Verified Public Charity Established March 2017 Bonneville County Focus • Filing #630774

Raising More Than Cattle: Cultivating Idaho’s Next Generation of Ranchers.

Across the irrigated pastures of the Upper Snake River Plain and the sagebrush foothills of the Caribou Range, the Bonneville County Cattleman Association, Inc. stands alongside 4-H and FFA youth exhibitors—equipping young stockmen and stockwomen with ethical husbandry skills, rangeland science, and financial sponsorship from spring weigh-in to the county fair auction ring.

Explore Youth Livestock Programs
Active Stewardship Tenure Good Standing
9+ Years of Youth Impact

Incorporated March 22, 2017 • IRS 501(c)(3) Granted May 2017 (EIN 82-0958924)

“When a young exhibitor leads a market steer into the ring at the Bonneville County Fair, you’re not just looking at 1,300 pounds of Idaho beef—you’re looking at 300 mornings of frost-bit chores, record books, and personal accountability.”

— Field Dispatch • Snake River Valley Junior Beef Mentorship
43.4917° N, 112.0339° W • IDAHO FALLS, ID ELEV. 4,705 FT
Cattle grazing across high-desert pasture beneath mountain ridges in southeastern Idaho
NTEE Classification Youth Development — Agricultural
Region IV • Southeastern Idaho

Stewarding rangeland health from Ammon & Iona to the Swan Valley and Bone summer grazing allotments.

ID
Registered Agent & Leadership
Toye Virgil • 4583 S Ammon Road, Idaho Falls, ID 83406
Full Filing →
Charter & Purpose

Our Mission

Chartered in the State of Idaho on March 22, 2017, and recognized by the Internal Revenue Service as a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt public charity in May 2017, our mandate centers on the intersection of youth character formation and working livestock agriculture.

Official Statement of Purpose • EIN 82-0958924 NTEE: Youth Development - Agricultural
"The Bonneville County Cattleman Association, Inc. exists to empower southeast Idaho’s youth through hands-on agricultural education, livestock stewardship, and rangeland leadership. We cultivate character, work ethic, and technical agricultural skills in junior livestock producers, bridging generational ranching wisdom with sustainable modern husbandry. By funding local fair projects, livestock judging, and educational workshops, we safeguard Idaho’s agricultural legacy and nurture capable civic leaders."
01. Hands-On Husbandry

Practical training in bovine nutrition, Beef Quality Assurance (BQA), haltering, daily ration management, and preventative veterinary care.

02. Rangeland Stewardship

Connecting junior producers with high-desert forage ecology, rotational pasture management, and watershed conservation across Bonneville County.

03. Civic & Ring Leadership

Funding fair projects, livestock evaluation teams, public speaking, and agricultural record-keeping that forge lifelong community leaders.

Field Curriculum & Direct Support

Where Generational Wisdom Meets Modern Husbandry

Hereford and Angus beef cattle in a sunlit ranch corral
4-H & FFA Exhibitors Bonneville County Fair
Initiative 01 • Direct Youth Funding

Junior Market Beef & Replacement Heifer Project Grants

Rising feed, ear-tagging, and veterinary expenses can create barriers for first-generation agricultural youth. We provide direct project mini-grants, starter equipment stipends, and fair-ring add-on pools for Bonneville County junior exhibitors raising market steers and breeding heifers.

Target Average Daily Gain 2.8 – 3.4 lbs / day
Project Duration 180 – 240 Days
Requirement Complete Record Book
Open to youth ages 8–18 across Bonneville County Estimate Feed & Grant Budget →
Animal Science & EPDs Initiative 02

Livestock Judging, Carcass Merit & Genetic Selection Clinics

Modern cattle production requires analytical precision. Our clinics train youth to evaluate structural soundness, read Expected Progeny Differences (EPDs), interpret ultrasound ribeye area and intramuscular marbling scans, and defend their live placings with articulate oral reasons.

Oral Reasons & Public Defense 50 Pts Max Score
BQA (Beef Quality Assurance) Certification 100% Required
Prepares teams for District & State CDE/LDE competitions
Request Clinic Dates →
Snake River Plain Ecology Initiative 03

High-Desert Rangeland & Watershed Stewardship

Healthy cattle depend on healthy native range. In partnership with local graziers and soil conservation specialists, youth learn to identify perennial bunchgrasses (Idaho fescue, bluebunch wheatgrass), monitor riparian corridors, and manage invasive cheatgrass across Bonneville County’s foothills.

  • Forage utilization calculations & Animal Unit Month (AUM) planning
  • Rotational grazing & rest-rotation principles on semi-arid range
  • Stockwater distribution & streambank stabilization workshops
Field Sites: Tex Creek, Bone & Swan Valley Join Field Day →
Agribusiness & Ethics Initiative 04

Agricultural Record-Keeping, Break-Even Economics & Buyer Relations

Every junior livestock project is a real-world small business. We mentor youth in tracking feed conversion ratios, calculating cost-of-gain per pound, writing professional buyer solicitation letters to Idaho Falls businesses, and managing project proceeds for higher education or herd expansion.

Feed Cost Ledger Break-Even Price / CWT Civic Buyer Presentations
Cattle herd in golden afternoon pasture in Idaho
100% Community Reinvestment All 501(c)(3) contributions stay in local youth programming.
Mentorship led by Bonneville County ranching families & leadership representatives. Sponsor a Youth Exhibitor Award →
Interactive Ranching Utility

Junior Beef Project Budget & Break-Even Calculator

Designed for Bonneville County 4-H and FFA members, parents, and prospective community sponsors. Use this tool to model realistic feed consumption, finished market weight, and break-even auction prices—or to estimate how a tax-deductible Bonneville County Cattleman Association mini-grant offsets youth project costs.

Southeastern Idaho Ration Benchmarks

Calculations reflect typical Upper Snake River Valley alfalfa hay, rolled barley/corn finishing rations, Beef Quality Assurance health protocols, and a standard 2.2%–2.6% body-weight daily dry matter intake.

750 lbs
450 lbs 700 lbs 950 lbs
190 Days
120 Days 190 Days 260 Days
3.0 lbs/day
1.8 lbs/d 2.8 lbs/d 3.8 lbs/d
$1,650
$350
Projected Bonneville County Fair Finish Optimal Market Finish Weight
Est. Finish Weight 1,320 lbs
Est. Feed & Vet Cost $1,185
Net Exhibitor Outlay $2,485
Break-Even Price $1.88 / lb

Estimated total forage & grain required: ~4,320 lbs DM + BQA health & show supplies ($160).

Apply With Estimate →
Institutional Chronicle & Seasonal Cycle

From 2017 Incorporation to Every Autumn Fair Ring

MARCH 22, 2017 FILING #630774

State of Idaho Articles of Incorporation

Formally incorporated in the State of Idaho as the Bonneville County Cattleman Association, Inc. to unite local cattle producers around youth agricultural education in Idaho Falls and surrounding rural communities.

Jurisdiction: State of Idaho • Active & In Good Standing
MAY 2017 EIN 82-0958924

IRS 501(c)(3) Public Charity Exemption Granted

Granted federal tax-exempt public charity status under Internal Revenue Code Section 501(c)(3) with NTEE Classification in Youth Development — Agricultural, enabling tax-deductible community sponsorships.

Verified Public Charity • Deductible Contributions
SEASONAL PHASE I • MARCH–APRIL WEIGH-IN

Spring Beef Weigh-In, Ear Tagging & Project Launch

Junior exhibitors bring market steers and heifers for initial scale weights, retinal/ear-tag identification, and baseline health checks. Association mentors assist first-year families with ration planning.

Focus: Starting Weight Verification & Feed Ledgers
SEASONAL PHASE II • JUNE–JULY FIELD CLINICS

Showmanship Clinics, Judging & Rangeland Tours

Hands-on summer workshops covering halter breaking, show stick technique, clipping and fitting, oral reasons practice, and high-desert pasture ecology across Bonneville County grazing lands.

Focus: BQA Ethics, Showmanship & Range Science
SEASONAL PHASE III • AUGUST FAIR RING

Bonneville County Fair Exhibition & Market Sale

Culmination of months of discipline. Youth exhibit market beef and breeding stock before judges and community buyers, supported by Association add-ons, awards, and scholarship recognition.

Focus: Conformation, Civic Pride & Youth Scholarships
SEASONAL PHASE IV • AUTUMN EVALUATION

Carcass Merit Review & Record Book Honors

Post-fair carcass data (yield grade, quality grade, ribeye area) is reviewed with youth producers so they understand how live management translates to consumer beef quality.

Leadership Oversight: Toye Virgil, Registered Agent
Public Charity Transparency & Legal Registry

Verified Institutional Credentials

Complete federal and state statutory records for corporate sponsors, agricultural foundations, CPA donor advisors, and community partners verifying our 501(c)(3) status.

01 • Legal Organization Name
Bonneville County Cattleman Association, Inc.
Exact Statutory Entity Name
02 • Federal Employer Identification Number
82-0958924
IRS Exempt Organizations Registry
03 • Federal Tax-Exempt Status
501(c)(3) Public Charity

Exemption granted May 2017 • Incorporated March 22, 2017

IRC § 170 Tax-Deductible Contributions Verified
04 • NTEE Classification
Youth Development / Youth Development - Agricultural
National Taxonomy of Exempt Entities Category
05 • Jurisdiction & Corporate Standing
State of Idaho (Active - Good Standing, Filing #630774)
Idaho Secretary of State Filing #630774
06 • Official Mailing Address
P.O. Box 2772, Idaho Falls, ID 83404
For Grant Applications & Sponsorship Checks
07 • Registered Agent & Representative
Toye Virgil

4583 S Ammon Road, Idaho Falls, ID 83406

Registered Agent & Leadership Representative
08 • Designated Domain Infrastructure
bonnevillecattle.aviationconnections.org
Official Digital Registry Domain
09 • Official Leadership Contact Email
virgil@bonnevillecattle.aviationconnections.org

Toye Virgil — Registered Agent & Leadership Representative

Direct Administrative Dispatch
Direct Correspondence & Sponsorships

Connect With Our Leadership in Idaho Falls

Whether you are a 4-H or FFA family inquiring about seasonal weigh-ins and project mini-grants, a local agribusiness pledging a fair ring add-on, or a donor requesting a 501(c)(3) tax receipt, our leadership team responds promptly.

Registered Agent & Leadership Representative
Toye Virgil
Physical Office: 4583 S Ammon Road, Idaho Falls, ID 83406
virgil@bonnevillecattle.aviationconnections.org
Official Postal Remittance & Correspondence
Bonneville County Cattleman Association, Inc.
P.O. Box 2772, Idaho Falls, ID 83404

Please make tax-deductible sponsorship checks payable to Bonneville County Cattleman Association, Inc. (EIN: 82-0958924).

Annual Youth Livestock Sponsorship Tiers
  • Ear-Tag & Weigh-In Patron: Supports spring tagging & BQA manuals $150
  • Rangeland & Judging Clinic Sponsor: Funds youth educational materials $350
  • Bonneville Fair Ring Buckle & Add-On Partner: Direct exhibitor awards $750+
Directed to: Toye Virgil (virgil@bonnevillecattle.aviationconnections.org)