Agriculture and Natural Resources s15

November 21, 2002

Please do not delete this message. It is the only copy county agents in your office will receive of Agricultural and Natural Resources, Family and Consumer Sciences and 4-H/Youth Development exclusives. This packet is for the week ending November 22, 2002.

AGRICULTURE AND NATURAL RESOURCES

Cattle Lice Control

FAMILY AND CONSUMER SCIENCES

Tubers Add Variety to Meals

Prepare for Peak Burglary Season

4-H/YOUTH DEVELOPMENT

4-Hers Can Learn More About Money

*** Cattle Lice Control

Source: Lee Townsend

Lice biting and sucking can cause a number or problems in your cattle herd, including slow weight gain or even a gradual loss, anemia, or lower resistance to such stresses as cold, wet weather or disease. To minimize losses, carefully plan lice control programs and execute them in a timely, economical manner. A few lice can survive the hot summer on a small number of “carrier” animals in the herd, usually bulls or old cows. Lice numbers increase during the fall and winter and spread from carrier animals to the rest of the herd as animals bunch together when the temperature drops. The whole herd can become infested over time, but usually only a few animals become extremely lousy. Infested animals excessively rub and scratch, responding to irritation caused by lice. Carefully examine the most agitated animals to confirm a suspected infestation. Part the hair at points along the neck, head, around the eyes, on the withers, brisket and shoulders; then look for eggs (nits) and lice. Mixed infestations of biting and chewing lice can occur in a herd. Biting (sucking) lice have narrow, pointed heads and tend to remain attached to the animal. Chewing lice have a wider, triangular head and are more active. The following are lice control options effective this time of year: A systemic insecticide should not be used unless you earlier applied a grub treatment. A whole animal spray gives good coverage for effective lice control. It also is one of the least expensive treatments. Pour-ons and dusts are relatively “dry” alternatives. For an effective, economical treatment you have several factors to consider when making a control choice. Some products have an applicator or measuring device to help deliver accurate doses. This is very effective when dose rates are a few cc’s per head. Carefully read the label before you buy. For example, you might discover different costs for products that contain the same concentration of a specific active ingredient. Also look at the application rate and method. Note other cautions or restrictions, especially the time to wait between applications. You’ll need two applications for louse control because the egg stage is not killed. Don’t forget to wear protective equipment during application. For more information, contact your (County Name) Cooperative Extension Service. Educational programs of the Cooperative Extension Service serve all people regardless of race, color, age, sex, religion, disability or national origin. -30-

Tubers Add Variety to Meals

Source: Sandra Bastin Writer: Gidget High

It’s that time of year again for some warm, hearty soup. Try adding winter tubers, like turnips or parsnips to the pot for added nutrition. Turnips are a good source of vitamin C. The younger the turnip, the sweeter it will be. Before you use the turnip, wash it, trim it, and peel it. Not only are turnips good in soups, they’re also good boiled or steamed. You can mash and puree them. You also can stir-fry, cube and toss them with butter or use them raw in a salad. They are available year ‘round, but sweetest when they’re harvested after the first frost. Turnip greens can also be cooked in a variety of ways if they are still crisp looking. Parsnips are sweet, nutty-flavored vegetables that are a good source of vitamin C and iron. When deciding on which parsnips to purchase, look for small-to-medium, well-shaped roots. You can refrigerate your parsnips in a plastic bag for up to a month. Cook parsnips any way you want including baking, boiling, sautéing and steaming. You can also boil and mash them like potatoes. Winter tubers are a great addition to soups or salads and make a good raw snack. For more information on family nutrition, contact your (County Name) Cooperative Extension Service. Educational programs of the Cooperative Extension Service serve all people regardless of race, color, age, sex, religion, disability or national origin. -30-

Prepare for Peak Burglary Season

Source: Leviton Institute

The upcoming holiday season is a happy, fun-filled time for many families. Unfortunately, it also is the time for increased home burglaries. The reason is that we tend to let our guards down. You can take many simple steps to protect your home. For example, install deadbolt locks on all outside doors. Be sure all windows and doors are securely locked before you leave home. To deter burglars, give your home a “lived-in” look by using rotary timers to turn room lights, radios and televisions on and off during the night. Lights don’t have to be on for a long time, but it’s good to have several lights going on and off at different times to make it appear that someone is moving about in the home. Installing powerline carrier devices is another way to control indoor lights. With PLC devices, you can use your home’s existing wiring to program lights and appliances to turn on and off at preset times. You can program these remotely from a telephone keypad. Security experts recommend putting certain indoor lights on timers all year long. This establishes a routine to give your home that “lived-in” look to discourage burglars. Recommended locations are near front and back windows. To further protect your home, keep curtains drawn and blinds closed. Outdoor lighting is an important deterrent to make your house less attractive to burglars at night. You can use electronic timers to program on and off sequences of porch lights and landscape lighting during the night. Use motion detectors to avoid the expense of keeping outdoor floodlights on all night. A motion detector is an inexpensive device that automatically turns on the lights it controls. When it detects a person’s presence within its sensing range, the detector turns on lights. A motion detector turns lights off after a person exits this range. Most home burglars are semi-professional thieves or amateurs, who typically spend less than two minutes trying to break into a window or door before leaving to find an easier target. To safeguard your home, set up a good defense with deadbolt locks, securely locked windows and good indoor and outdoor lighting that gives the appearance that someone is home. Educational programs of the Cooperative Extension Service serve all people regardless of race, color, age, sex, religion, disability or national origin. -30-

4-Hers Can Learn More About Money

Source: Sue Badenhop

Kentucky 4-H members can develop more money skills through a new national personal finances curriculum. In the “Money Fun-damentals” project, youth learn to successfully manage money by thinking of it as a tool to achieve goals and making sound spending and saving decisions. Part of being a good financial manager is to understand and take responsibility for our own actions. As part of these educational processes, 4-H members will learn to set goals, gather information, assess risks and consequences and evaluate progress toward financial goals. This will give youth experiences in communicating and solving problems, among other life skills. 4-H members will learn various money skills, including saving and spending, in the “Money Moves” project. Activities will reinforce the concept of money as a tool to achieve goals, rather than the goal itself. These experiences will help youth learn to acquire and evaluate information, predict outcomes and analyze their own personal finances. “Financial Champions” is the theme throughout both projects. Each activity ends with questions to help 4-H members think about what they’ve learned and apply this knowledge to other areas of their lives. Question categories are “Talking Money with the Champions,” “Champions Maneuvering Money,” “Making Cents with Champions” and “Financial Champions: Heroes for Life.” Youth can learn more about “Money Fun-damentals” and “Money Moves” by playing a financial champions Web game at http://pa4h.cas.psu.edu/FinancialChampions/. Our College of Agriculture played a part in developing these educational materials. Sue Badenhop, Extension management and equipment specialist, was among the university faculty members on the curriculum design team. These educational materials are part of the 4-H Cooperative Curriculum System, a national collaboration of state Extension Services. This group is dedicated to developing and providing high-quality, experientially-based curriculum products to 4-H and other non-formal national youth development organizations. For more information on the new national personal finance curriculum and other 4-H educational opportunities, contact your (County Name) Cooperative Extension Service. Educational programs of the Cooperative Extension Service serve all people regardless of race, color, age, sex, religion, disability or national origin. -30-