By Jerry W. Kram
With Easter approaching bunny rabbits are likely to be on people’s minds. The Fort
Berthold 4-H club is offering youth a chance to win their own rabbit to raise and show at
county fairs, 4-H Days and possibly even the North Dakota State Fair.
Bunnies for Buddies is an essay contest for ages Kindergarten to 12 th Grade who
would like to do a 4-H project. Non-members may apply but will have to join 4-H to receive
their rabbit. The winners will also get a cage and supplies to raise their rabbit safely. The
deadline for entries is April 1. This is the second year for the contest.
“Last year was just spectacular,” said Fort Berthold NDSU Extension Agent Rebecca
Hager. “Of the five rabbits we gave out, four got to their respective county fairs. One of them
even won Grand Champion Small Animal Showmanship with their little rabbit. She had the
smallest, tiniest gray rabbit and she did spectacularly with it.”
The essay needs to be a one-page typed essay on what ownership would mean to the
writer including how they would provide care for the rabbit. The winning entries will be
selected by the Fort Berthold 4-H Council and announced on April 25. Complete rules and
conditions are available from Hager are [email protected] or calling 701-627-8034.
The winner will be required to keep records show the proper management and feeding
of the rabbit and follow all the rules required to participate in 4-H Achievement Days and the
North Dakota State Fair. The rabbit can be marketed, returned, or kept at the end of the show
season, and if sold, the profits are kept by the winner.
There are about a half dozen youth in the Fort Berthold Arrowhead Seekers 4-H Club,
Hager said. The club is always looking for new members in all of the segments of the MHA
Nation.
“It’s still a very small program, but the reach of the Extension Program is much
greater,” Hager said. “I go down to White Shield to do STEM education program. I go into
New Town High School. I have been pushing craft programs and this summer will be doing
quilting, crocheting and macrame workshops. I am partnering with McLean County to do a
rabbit workshop and am getting one finalized in New Town in the next few weeks.”
Hager invites all families on Fort Berthold to contact her and come attend 4-H events to
see if their children would like to become 4-H members. Activities are advertised on the Fort
Berthold 4-H Facebook page.
“I invite them to come and experience 4-H to see if they want to put in the
commitment,” she said. “They can always email me and call me if they have any questions.
Sometime joining 4-H can be a little daunting but I am always will to help people get through
the paperwork 4-H requires.”
Hager said she was inspired by the Mountrail County chapter’s Kids for Kids contest,
which awards winners baby goats.
“I realized not everyone has room for livestock in their backyard,” Hager said. “But
rabbits would be and easy option for most people because they can live in backyards, they
can live in the house or garage. They are hardy and cute and edible. So, since calves and
goats don’t fit well in backyards, let’s start with something easy just to start the livestock
project.”

Hager said with the success of the Bunnies for Buddies she is starting a contest to give
away chickens in 2026.
JAH Krolik, a farm in Ross, and Clemens Critters of Bismarck are donating the rabbits.
The Hartman family is donating the cage setup for the rabbits. United Quality Cooperative
donated a bag of rabbit food to get the winner started.