Manoukian Earns Silver Buffalo Award

Marko Manoukian, MSU Phillips County Extension Agent, is the recipient of the 2022 Montana Joint Council of Extension Professional's Silver Buffalo Award. This award is one of the top honors a Montana Extension Agent can receive. The Silver Buffalo seeks to recognize excellence in the field of professional Extension work in Montana. Recipients of this award have carried out to the point of excellence a program in one given field of work and/or a totally well-rounded County or State Extension program.

Manoukian has served as an MSU County Extension Agent for 28 years. He began his career in Prairie County in 1994 before transferring to Phillips County in 1999. While in Prairie County he was involved in planning the southeast Montana winter series and 4-H camp and was also a member of the WIRE team of agents that taught practical economic decision making to agricultural producers.

While in Phillips County, Marko's work includes creation of the Eastern Montana Consolidated Wool Pool, annual Crop Tours, and work with various groups. Marko and other surrounding agents worked to form the Eastern Montana Consolidated Wool Pool over 20 years ago. This has given area sheep producers an opportunity to pool and market their wool for a higher value compared to marketing it on their own. Annually, Marko conducts variety trials at four locations within Phillips County. Through this, producers are able to get variety performance data that is specific to their area. For over 20 years, Marko has been instrumental in the St. Mary's Rehabilitation Working Group that is working to bring improvement to a 100+ year old and failing irrigation system. The most recent victory on this front came as a $100 million appropriation to the St. Mary's and Milk River Project. Marko also serves as the Secretary/Treasure for the Phillips County Livestock Association and has been instrumental in the ongoing efforts to preserve livestock grazing on public lands and the ranching way of life. Beyond these specific examples, Marko has hosted countless educational programs that cover topics from pesticide safety to drought management, marketing, and much more.

Marko is highly respected by his clientele and his agent peers. As one of his colleagues put it, "One of the last people to seek the limelight is perhaps one of the most deserving, Marko Manoukian."