Groundhog Day By: Bill Ward II

Next week on February 2nd, we celebrate Groundhog Day. Will winter hang on or can we look forward to an early Spring? If it seems unusual to rely on a hibernating animal’s meteorological insight, this fun seasonal tradition goes back to the early Christian celebration of Candlemas and even further to the ancient Roman festival of light. Candlemas was a feast day commemorating Mary’s purification and presentation of Jesus at the temple, 40 days (inclusive) after Christmas and included the blessing of candles in some church traditions. February 2nd is also half way between the winter solstice and the spring equinox as the days grow noticeably longer, if not warmer. Our friend the groundhogs enters the story via his weather predicting German cousin the hedgehog, but for our purposes consider the old English poem: “February Second, Candlemas Day! Half your wood, and half your hay! Half the Winter has passed away, We’ll eat our supper by the light of day!” This is an important time of year to check hay supplies and quality. We have several weeks of winter ahead and cows, ewes, and does in late gestation need high quality hay and possibly supplements to meet the increasing demands of their developing offspring. If you have not tested hay supplies for nutrient content, this is the time! Without knowing the nutritional value of hay supplies, your feeding program may be unnecessarily inhibiting the immune system, survivability, and potential growth for newborns. Feeding more is not a substitute for feeding to meet the nutritional requirements of gestating and lactating animals. Strong calves, lambs, and goat kids make for much more enjoyable calving and lambing season. A forage test is a cheap investment in the future profitability of your farm. On February 2 take time to check hay supplies and pull samples for analysis. You can borrow the equipment from the UT/TSU Extension office. And if we are lucky neither you or the groundhog will see a shadow. For more information on taking forage samples and nutrient analysis stop by the extension office at 212 College Street or call 423-727-816.