Extension

Is fat a bad word?  Not necessarily.  Simply put, fat is just the body’s storage form for energy.

If an animal consumes more energy than it uses, their body will store the excess calories as fat—like money in the bank they can use in an energy shortage (think cows calving in late winter).  Fat imparts flavor to food (like a T-bone steak) but it also adds calories.  Managing fat can be a delicate issue in the cattle business.

Carroll County is so fortunate to have two sets of horse clubs.

One horse club, under the leadership of Marla Bickers and Danielle Hickey, has been very productive and has really put Carroll County on the map in the world of horse competition. Their members (Kassandra Hickey, Mallary Bickers, Cassidy Buchanan and Shelby Ackerman) are very competitive and always bring home many champion ribbons. 

Picture going for a run and falling and cutting your knees, or working in the garden and having a rose thorn become lodged in your finger. When these and other injuries occur the body tries to remove the harmful, irritated tissues or damaged cells and begin the process of healing by producing inflammation. Redness, heat, swelling, pain and loss of function are signs of acute inflammation but some inflammation can occur without these symptoms.

The three most important things we can do to protect livestock in cold weather are providing sufficient water, giving ample high-quality feed, and offering weather protection.  Cold stress reduces livestock productivity, including rate of gain, milk production and reproductive difficulty, and can cause disease problems.