Agriculture and Natural Resources s7

December 24, 2004

AGRICULTURE AND NATURAL RESOURCES

A Management Perspective on Growing Heifers

FAMILY AND CONSUMER SCIENCES

Storing Holiday Decorations

4-H YOUTH DEVELOPMENT

Extension Intern Program Offers Opportunities

A Management Perspective on Growing Heifers

Source: Jack McAllister

If you are thinking about starting to grow dairy heifers as a business, give careful consideration to the opportunities and risks associated with the enterprise before making a final decision. Heifer growing will require many of the same land, labor and capital resources needed for many other farming enterprises. Whether to proceed with the new enterprise is the first management decision. Key considerations are the heifers' growth, health and reproduction and costs and returns of the enterprise. For it to be profitable, the value of heifers' health, growth and reproduction must exceed the operation's costs. The primary function will be desirable growth from a dairy heifer's birth until she leaves the operation before calving. Each heifer should meet the body weight and wither height standards for her breed and age, be fully developed and be capable of calving at 24 months. To achieve the desirable weight gain and stature, producers must develop a feeding program to meet the growing heifers' nutrient needs. To ensure that nutrient requirements are being met, rations must be formulated for different ages. Keeping heifers healthy will be essential to achieve the desired growth and development. Isolate heifers when they first arrive at the farm to determine their health status before starting the vaccination and disease-prevention programs that will help ensure healthy animals. The goals for a dairy replacement heifer are pregnancy at the desired stage of development and a successful calf delivery. Her future contribution to milk production depends on this. Important elements of reproduction to achieve pregnancy are estrous synchronization and artificial insemination. Estrus detection, with or without synchronization, is essential. From a financial perspective, it is necessary to record and monitor all costs. If the heifers are being grown for commercial purposes, have a budget to track monthly costs. When heifers are being grown under contract, the contract should specify who will be responsible for what costs. The charge for heifer growing should be based on an accurate cost estimate. A successful business enterprise should generate a satisfactory return on the resources invested in it. For more information on dairy management, contact the (County Name) Cooperative Extension Service. Educational programs of the University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service serve all people regardless of race, color, age, sex, religion, disability or national origin. -30-

Storing Holiday Decorations

Sources: Linda Adler and Soap and Detergent Association

Many seasonal decorations represent fond memories and often a large financial investment. To maintain your decorations and make it easier to trim your home next season, properly care for and store them. Decorations should be cleaned, organized and properly stored. You will appreciate these efforts when getting out seasonal decorations again next year. Be sure to disconnect any electrical items before cleaning them. Also, replace burned- out bulbs before storing tree lights, window candles and the like. Carefully wipe clean dusty lights and ornaments. Fragile decorations should be well packed and stored properly. Remove hooks and hangers from each ornament. Wrap delicate items in tissue paper; use a paper towel or wrapping paper tube to protect long ornaments; stack the remaining decorations on layers of tissue paper. You can store angel hair and tinsel between the tissue paper to further protect decorations. Store them in sturdy cardboard boxes, preferably containers that are fairly shallow but large enough that several boxes will hold them. Label the outside with the contents of each box. Ribbons and bows require careful storage from season to season. Store them in a large plastic container or shoe box. You may want to stuff tissue paper in some bow loops. To keep rolls of wrapping paper from being crushed or torn, store them in a long cardboard box, or an extra-long plastic container made especially for this purpose. If you reuse wreaths, store them in a large plastic bag. Apply a coat of clear acrylic spray to help preserve pine cones and other natural materials. Designate a dry area away from excessive heat for holiday storage and use the same location every year. To keep moisture out, do not put boxes on the floor. Thoroughly clean the area every year before putting decorations back into storage. Storing dirty linens will attract insect pests and set stains. Remember to launder washable decorations such as tablecloths, hand towels, placemats and napkins. Putting holiday decorations away gives you an opportunity to "declutter" your home. You can use the time to reevaluate and reorganize your possessions, rather than simply putting things back in their usual places. Begin by doing a room-by-room analysis, starting with surface items and then moving into drawers and closets. Eliminate things that do not pass the "use it" or "love it" test. Grouping together things you decide to keep will make it easier to decide where to store them. Keep accessibility and safety in mind when reorganizing; store items near their point of use; do not put things dangerously out of reach or overstuff drawers. When you have finished reorganizing, follow the "one-in, one-out" rule, meaning nothing new comes in unless something old goes out, to keep your home uncluttered. Also, make it a habit to put things away as they are used. Contact the (County Name) Cooperative Extension Service for more information. Educational programs of the University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service serve all people regardless of race, color, age, sex, religion, disability or national origin. -30-

Extension Intern Program Offers Opportunities Source: Martha Thompson

The summer intern program is a win-win situation for Kentucky young people and the Cooperative Extension Service. It gives students a positive glimpse into an Extension career, while providing CES with a group of beneficial employees who may fill future professional Extension positions. Did you know that about 25 percent of our current Extension professionals participated in the intern program? College juniors and seniors are preferred for the Summer Intern Program. Those majoring in areas relating to agriculture and family and consumer sciences are needed to work in these areas. Interns working in 4-H Youth Development can have these or a variety of other majors. Interns will interact a great deal with the public in their professional roles at county Extension offices. These activities may include giving presentations, participating in Extension- sponsored meetings and field days, attending a week of 4-H camp, helping at county fairs or developing materials to promote educational programming. A summer co-op experience is another summer option for students. They can obtain college credit but will not be paid. Co-op students usually work 40 hours a week. For more information on the summer student intern and co-op programs, contact the UK College of Agriculture Personnel Office at 859-257-1727. You also can obtain information on these programs and other educational opportunities available through Kentucky 4-H Youth Development, by contacting the (County Name) Cooperative Extension Service. 4-H is a community of young people across America learning leadership, citizenship and life skills. Educational programs of the University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service serve all people regardless of race, color, age, sex, religion, disability or national origin. -30-