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IN THIS ISSUE:
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CO-OP MATTERS 5 New Column Announcement LIFE ON THE HOMEPLACE AND IN THE COMMUNITY
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On the Cover: Happy Thanksgiving from AFC! (Photo Credit: AFC Publication Staff)
Letter from the Editor................ 4
How’s Your Garden?................... 45
Ag Insight.................................... 8
Howle’s Hints.............................. 47
Business of Farming................... 12 Simple Times.............................. 50 Feeding Facts ............................. 14 Food Safety................................. 52 From the State Vet’s Office......... 16 Grazing Grace............................ 55 What’s the Point.......................... 18 The Co-op Pantry....................... 59 On the Edge of Common Sense... 20 What’s Happening in Alabama... 62
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36 Penry Farms: From Their Hands to Your Table 40 Mark Byrd: Planting for the Harvest
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Editor-in-Chief: Samantha Hendricks Editor: Jessie Shook Contributing Editor: Jade Randolph Associate Editor: Mary Delph
Wendy McFarland 334-652-9080 or email McFarlandAdVantage@gmail.com Cooperative Farming News is published monthly by Alabama Farmers Cooperative, Inc. 121 Somerville Road NE, Decatur, AL 35601-2659 P.O. Box 2227, Decatur, AL 35609-2227 Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is strictly prohibited. The publisher reserves the right to refuse any advertising and will not be responsible for copy errors or misprints in advertising or editorial material, other than to publish corrections of errors in fact. Feature articles, news items and columns are published for the information of our readers from qualified, reputable sources; however, the editors and publisher make no guarantees and assume no liability for any reader’s decision to implement any procedure, recommendation or advice printed in this publication. Photos are credited to author unless otherwise noted. Advertised sale items may not be stocked by every Quality Co-op store and prices may vary.
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November 2021
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Letter from the Editor The month of thankfulness, family and food has finally arrived! It’s hard to believe the holidays are here already, but I’m thankful for how far we’ve come from this time last year and look forward to spending them with family. In this issue, Jade, Jessie, Mary and I are happy to share more of our favorite Thanksgiving recipes with you. We hope you will try them out at your Thanksgiving meal, along with an Alabama sweet potato. This year the sweet potato was officially named Alabama’s State Vegetable and we’re highlighting Penry Farms, an operation that has been farming sweet potatoes in Alabama since 1953. We’re also proud to share stories from our regulars and highlight a few new additions on the next page! This is the first issue without Tony Glover and Magic of Gardening. Tony has retired and we wish him nothing but the best! We’re happy to say that the column is sticking around with a new writer – Bethany O’Rear. We are excited to announce that in 2022, Cooperative Farming News will become a 6-issue publication. Over the years, our goal has been to bring you the best down to earth news and we feel this change is the next step in continuing that goal. As Alabama Farmers Cooperative grows, we strive to do the same – to tell our story and fulfill our vision to be a relationship driven partner integrating vital resources to ensure our members/farmers success. We are proud to host new contributors bringing a wealth of information on different sectors of the agriculture industry, along with those from within our own company. We hope you’ll share in our excitement as we make this change and remain your source for quality information. We look forward to the future of this publication with you soon. Thank you for being a loyal reader, customer, and part of the AFC family.
Samantha Hendricks Editor-in-Chief
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Cooperative Farming News
Southern Made Simple with Laura Tucker
Farming Your Forest with Billy Rye
Magic of Gardening with Bethany O’Rear
The Co-op Corner with Jessie Shook
Homegrown
with Sweet Grown Alabama November 2021
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Serving gardeners, farmers and everyone in between
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Cooperative Farming News
DIRECTORY OF MEMBER COOPERATIVES ALTHA FARMERS COOPERATIVE James Lynn, Mgr. Phone 850-674-8194
FARMERS COOPERATIVE MARKET Doug Smith, Gen. Mgr. FRISCO CITY - William Womack, Mgr. Phone 251-267-3175 Fertilizer / Phone 251-267-3173 LEROY - Jeff Hughston, Mgr. Phone 251-246-3512
ANDALUSIA FARMERS COOPERATIVE Russell Lassiter, Gen. Mgr. Phone 334-222-1851 FLORALA - Pete Blackwell, Mgr. Phone 334-858-6142 OPP - Brandon Bledsoe, Mgr. Phone 334-493-7715
FARMERS CO-OP OF ASHFORD Timothy Tolar, Mgr. Phone 334-899-3263
ATMORE FARMERS COOPERATIVE Todd Booker, Gen. Mgr. Phone 251-368-2191 BLOUNT COUNTY FARMERS COOPERATIVE Eric Sanders, Mgr. Phone 205-274-2185 CENTRAL ALABAMA FARMERS COOPERATIVE Tim Wood, Gen. Mgr. SELMA - Thomas Reeves, Mgr. Phone 334-874-9083 FAUNSDALE - Bryan Monk, Mgr. Phone 334-628-2681 DEMOPOLIS - Tom Eunice, Mgr. Phone 334-289-0155 CHEROKEE FARMERS COOPERATIVE Seth Eubanks, Gen. Mgr. CENTRE Phone 256-927-3135 JACKSONVILLE - Tommy Thomas, Mgr. Phone 256-435-3430 PIEDMONT - Kevin Bobbitt, Mgr. Phone 256-447-6560
FARMERS COOPERATIVE, INC. Todd Lawrence, Gen. Mgr. LIVE OAK, FL - Barry Long, Ag Div. Mgr. Phone 386-362-1459 MADISON, FL - Jerry Owens, Operations Mgr. Phone 850-973-2269 GENCO FARMERS COOPERATIVE Ricky Wilks, Gen. Mgr. HARTFORD - Todd Smith, Mgr. Phone 334-588-2992 WEST GENEVA - Robert Pittman, Mgr. Phone 334-898-7932 ENTERPRISE Phone 334-347-9007 ELBA - Colin Morris, Mgr. Phone 334-897-6972 HEADLAND PEANUT WAREHOUSE CO-OP Jay Jones, Mgr. Chris Hix, Store Mgr. Phone 334-693-3313 JAY PEANUT FARMERS COOPERATIVE Ryan Williams, Mgr. Phone 850-675-4597
CLAY COUNTY EXCHANGE Jeff Kinder, Mgr. Phone 256-396-2097
LUVERNE COOPERATIVE SERVICES Perry Catrett, Mgr. Phone 334-335-5082
COLBERT FARMERS COOPERATIVE Daniel Waldrep, Gen. Mgr. LEIGHTON - Tommy Sockwell, Mgr. Phone 256-446-8328 TUSCUMBIA - Chuck Hellums, Mgr. Phone 256-383-6462
MADISON COUNTY COOPERATIVE Keith Griffin, Gen. Mgr. HAZEL GREEN - Phone 256-828-2010 MERIDIANVILLE - Matt Dunbar, Mgr. Phone 256-828-5360 NEW MARKET - Phone 256-379-2553 Ramsey Prince, Mgr. SCOTTSBORO - Phone 256-574-1688 Patricia Rorex, Mgr. STEVENSON - Phone 256-437-8829
DEKALB FARMERS COOPERATIVE Lance Ezelle, Gen. Mgr. RAINSVILLE - Andrea Crain, Mgr. Phone 256-638-2569 CROSSVILLE - David Tierce, Mgr. Phone 256-528-7188 ALBERTVILLE - Nicholas Byars, Mgr. Phone 256-878-3261
MARION COUNTY COOPERATIVE Steve Lann, Gen. Mgr. HAMILTON - Phone 205-921-2631 FAYETTE - Kellie Trull, Mgr. Phone 205-932-5901 HALEYVILLE - Jessica Steward, Mgr. Phone 205-486-3794
ELBERTA FARMERS COOPERATIVE Justin Brown, Gen. Mgr. Phone 251-986-8103
MARSHALL FARMERS COOPERATIVE Brian Keith, Gen. Mgr. HOLLY POND - Phone 256-796-5337 ARAB - Mark Upton Phone 256-586-5515 MORGAN FARMERS COOPERATIVE Bradley Hopkins, Gen. Mgr. HARTSELLE - Phone 256-773-6832 PIKE COUNTY COOPERATIVE Danny Dewrell, Gen. Mgr. GOSHEN - Phone 334-484-3441 TROY - Jeff Baron, Mgr. Phone 334-566-3882 QUALITY COOPERATIVE, INC. Daniel Salter, Mgr. Phone 334-382-6548 TALEECON FARMERS COOPERATIVE Scott Hartley, Gen. Mgr. Phone 334-257-3930 WETUMPKA - Timothy Richardson, Mgr. Phone 334-567-4321 TALLADEGA COUNTY EXCHANGE Chris Elliott, Gen. Mgr. Phone 256-362-2716 ASHVILLE - Allen Bice, Mgr. Phone 205-594-7042 PELL CITY - Joseph Taylor, Mgr. Phone 205-338-2821 COLUMBIANA - Barry Keller, Mgr. Phone 205-669-7082 RANDOLPH - Tim Brown, Mgr. Phone 256-357-4743 TENNESSEE VALLEY COOPERATIVE, LLC John Curtis, President ATHENS – Britt Christopher, Mgr. Phone 256-232-5500 LYNNVILLE, TN - Kyle Doggett, Mgr. Phone 931-527-3923 PULASKI, TN – Celena Williams, Mgr. Phone 931-363-2563 Reggie Shook, Vice Pres. FLORENCE - Robbie Neal, Mgr. Phone 256-764-8441 ELGIN - Wendell Walker, Mgr. Phone 256-247-3453 John Holley, Vice Pres. MOULTON - Greg McCannon, Mgr. Phone 256-974-9213 COURTLAND Phone 256-637-2939 TUSCALOOSA FARMERS COOPERATIVE Wayne Gilliam, Mgr. Phone 205-339-8181 WALKER FARMERS COOPERATIVE Cody King, Mgr. Phone 205-387-1142
*PLEASE CONTACT EACH STORE DIRECTLY FOR ALL OF THE SERVICES THEY OFFER* PEANUTS
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November 2021
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AG INSIGHT Comments sought on labeling meat, poultry products made from animal cells
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has published an advance notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPR) to solicit comments on the labeling of meat and poultry products made using cultured cells derived from animals under FSIS jurisdiction. FSIS will use the comments in connection with regulatory requirements for the labeling of such food products. According to Sandra Eskin, deputy undersecretary for food safety, the notice is an important step to ensure the appropriate labeling of meat and poultry products made using animal cell culture technology. In early 2019, USDA and FDA announced a formal agreement to jointly oversee the production of human food products made using animal cell culture technology and derived from the cells of livestock and poultry. The goal was to ensure that such products are safe, unadulterated and truthfully labeled. Under the agreement, FDA will oversee cell collection, growth, and differentiation of cells and will transfer oversight at the cell harvest stage to FSIS. FSIS will then oversee the cell harvest, processing, packaging, and labeling of products. FDA and FSIS also agreed to develop joint principles for the labeling of products made using cell culture technology under their respective labeling ju8
Cooperative Farming News
risdictions. Most fish and seafood fall under FDA’s jurisdiction, whereas meat, poultry and some fish are under FSIS’s authority. Current FSIS regulations requiring sanitation and Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) systems are immediately applicable and sufficient to ensure the safety of products cultured from the cells of livestock and poultry, the agency believes. FSIS already has received thousands of comments on the topic in response to a 2018 joint public meeting with FDA regarding two petitions for rulemaking (from the United States Cattlemen’s Association and Harvard Law School Animal Law and Policy Clinic). The agency, however, needs specific types of comments and information for developing labeling regulations. Comments on specific topics in rulemaking related to labeling include consumer expectations about the labeling of these products, especially in light of the nutritional composition and qualities such as taste, color, odor or texture; names for the products that would be neither false nor misleading; economic data; any consumer research related to labeling nomenclature for products made using animal cell culture technology. The ANPR also discusses how FSIS will generally evaluate labels for these products if they are submitted before the agency completes rulemaking. Those wanting to view ANPR details can visit the FSIS website at www.fsis.usda.gov/policy/federal-register-rulemaking/federal-register-rules.
BY J I M E R I C K S O N
Pandemic-related aid to farm operations, households estimated at $35.1 Billion in 2020 To mitigate the effects of the coronavirus pandemic, Congress passed six economic relief and stimulus bills in 2020, including one authorizing USDA to create the Coronavirus Food Assistance Programs (CFAP 1 and CFAP 2). The programs provided direct payments to farm operations due to the decline in commodity prices in the first half of 2020. Other federal departments and agencies created broader programs from which both farm operations and family farm households were eligible to receive assistance. For example, the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) offered forgivable loans, and the Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program (EIDL) provided forgivable advances. Most family farm households were also eligible for Economic Impact Payments (EIP), administered by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). And family farm households that lost off-farm wages were eligible for the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC) administered by the U.S. Department of Labor. Total COVID-19-related relief to the U.S. agriculture sector was an estimated $35.1 billion in 2020. Farm operations received $29.5 billion (84%) of that total, according to the 2021 Farm Income Forecast: September Update, while farm households received $5.6 billion (16%).
cooked. In a USDA study, 22% of participants preparing frozen foods were not sure if the products were raw or fully cooked despite reading the product instructions, and among these participants, nearly half incorrectly believed they were fully cooked. Always check the product packaging to see if the food is fully cooked (and therefore ready-to-eat) or not ready-to-eat. Look for phrases such as “Cook and Serve,” “Ready to Cook” and “Oven Ready” that indicate they must be fully cooked to safe internal temperatures to be eaten safely. Wash Hands and Surfaces Following proper handwashing steps before, during and after preparing frozen food reduces the risk of transferring harmful bacteria from your hands to food and other surfaces. The five steps to handwashing are: 1. Wet your hands with clean, running water and apply soap. 2. Lather your hands by rubbing them together with soap. Lather the backs of your hands, between your fingers and under your nails. 3. Scrub your hands for at least 20 seconds. 4. Rinse your hands well under clean, running water. 5. Dry your hands using a clean towel.
Food safety practices for frozen products As students, parents and caretakers adjust to a physical return to classrooms this fall, USDA is reminding families to follow food safety practices to prevent foodborne illness when it comes to preparing frozen foods. Among other things, the agency advises: Check the Package Not all frozen foods are fully cooked or ready-to-eat, and it can be difficult to tell when foods are not-readyto-eat when they have browned breading, grill marks or other signs that normally show a product has been
Use a Food Thermometer Although there are cooking instructions on frozen food packages, the only way to know if the food has been thoroughly cooked to a safe internal temperature is to measure it with a food thermometer. Cook notready-to-eat frozen foods to the following temperatures: • Beef, pork, lamb and veal (steaks, roasts and chops) – 145 F with a three-minute rest time. • Ground meats (beef, pork, lamb and veal) – 160 F. November 2021
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• Poultry (whole or ground) – 165 F. All ready-to-eat or fully cooked frozen foods should be thoroughly heated to 165 F. Keep Out of the Danger Zone After cooking or heating frozen foods, they need to be eaten or refrigerated promptly for safe storage. When foods are in the “Danger Zone” (40 F – 140 F) for too long, bacteria can reach dangerous levels and cause illness. Store food in the refrigerator within two hours after cooking or heating (one hour if over 90 F). If packing frozen foods for lunch or to take outside of the home, fully cook or heat the food and then pack with a cold source (such as a frozen gel pack, water bottle or juice) to keep out of the Danger Zone. Properly handled leftovers may be safely refrigerated at 40 F up to four days. Use an appliance thermometer to make sure your refrigerator is below 40 F.
H-2A program numbers show major increases Between 2010 and 2019, positions certified by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) under the H-2A Temporary Agricultural Workers Program increased more than 220%. The H-2A program allows agricultural employers in the United States to bring in foreign farmworkers to fill seasonal labor contracts lasting less than a year. All agricultural product categories experienced significant growth in H-2A employment, but the increase was most pronounced in product categories with high labor requirements and seasonal employment, such as fruit and tree nuts, vegetables and melons. In 2019, DOL certified 258,000 individual H-2A positions, compared with 79,000 in 2010. During the same period, the number of firms requesting H-2A workers increased 95% from about 5,200 to 10,100 firms. 10
Cooperative Farming News
A growing share of H-2A certifications is going to farm labor contractors (FLCs), likely because contractors are finding it more difficult to recruit domestically, prompting them to turn their recruitment efforts abroad. In addition, individual agribusinesses may be finding it difficult to hire locally and thus, more often, turn to FLCs to navigate the H-2A application and recruitment process rather than doing it themselves. Moreover, employing H-2A workers incurs additional costs that make it more expensive than hiring domestic workers. These costs include visa fees, housing and travel, which many small producers may find prohibitive for short-term contracts. An FLC, on the other hand, can effectively share the cost of application fees, travel and housing among multiple producers—making the hiring of H-2A workers through FLCs more feasible. The number of H-2A positions certified in the vegetables and melons category grew from about 20,600 in 2010 to 88,900 in 2019—an increase of 330%. At the same time, the number of certifications in the fruit and tree nuts category increased nearly 400% from about 18,100 to 85,800. Certifications increased 127% in the greenhouse and nursery category, 106% in the field crops category, and 63% in the animal products category.
e v i l u o y e r e h w g Protectin . 6 4 9 1 e c n i s k r o w and
AlfaInsurance.com November 2021
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BUSINESS OF FARMING
How Big is the Ag Industry? T
here are moments in life when an experience will completely change your perspective about something. I almost hate to admit it took me this long to have my eyes opened about agriculture. Agriculture in Alabama is such a crucial part of our economy and our daily lives. We know farmers. We see farms and fields, and equipment. Produce stands dot the roadsides during the summer. Cattle grazing is a commonplace sight. Ag is everywhere and we may even take it for granted. But do we really appreciate the vastness of the industry in Alabama, or the nation or globally for that matter? It took some 40-odd years for this to click for me – in Ohio of all places. Ohio, one of those nondescript states known for what? Buckeye trees, football, a few large cities, aviation, and a sitcom that proclaimed Cleveland rocks. Not necessarily vacation destination in my mind. For those from the state, I’d like to apologize for my
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Cooperative Farming News
misconception of your home because my perspective is forever changed about the state and, because of Ohio, my view of agriculture has changed. Agriculture is big, really big. Not just numbers of acres you read in a report big, but actually big. Miles and miles of rolling, uninterrupted corn and soybean fields big. The state has roughly 14 million acres of farmland compared to our roughly 9 million, but, unlike our smaller fields broken by tree lines, their fields seem to stretch forever as you drive. That’s what it took to get the point to sink in as to how big of an industry agriculture truly is in our state and across our country. Not just the country, but across the globe. In fact, agriculture encompasses approximately one-third of land use in the world! From an economic standpoint, Alabama agriculture generates over $70 billion annually. For Ohio, 2016’s impact of agriculture was over $53 billion not including any forestry-related operations. Billions of dollars from
JESSICA KELTON
just two states. Nationwide, agriculture contributes over $1 trillion to the economy. Every year. I’m not sure I can even fathom this amount of money. Although, if anyone has that kind of money, I’ll gladly volunteer to see if spending your money will give me a true sense of the value of agriculture. All joking aside, the value of agriculture isn’t just a dollar figure. That money represents employment, jobs to feed families, and money into the local economy to keep the rest of the businesses operating. Almost 600,000 jobs are due to agriculture in Alabama alone. One in eight employed in Ohio work in the ag sector. Across the U.S., there are 21 million jobs associated with the ag industry. That’s a tremendous number of jobs tied to farming. Not only does that money help raise families and support local businesses, but it also generates tax revenue that supports anything from roads to schools. If the amount of the nation’s land in farming, or the tremendous number of jobs created, or the huge amount of revenue generated doesn’t get your attention, here’s another number: 333,310,170. That’s how
INTERESTING AG INDUSTRY FACTS: • There are 21 million jobs associated with the ag industry. • Nationwide, agriculture contributes over $1 trillion to the economy. • Agriculture encompasses approximately one-third of land use in the world. many people in the United States depend on agriculture. That’s all of us, not just one state, not just a few states, we all rely on agriculture to survive. Agriculture employs many people, covers many acres across the country, and creates a lot of money for the economy, but it feeds us all. Ag really is a big business, and for all our sakes, let’s hope it stays that way.
November 2021 November
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FEEDING FACTS
Coccidia:
Prevention is the Key
Coccidia can be a problem in most livestock species. Coccidiosis is caused by a group of single-celled protozoa that are found in the environment. Some are harmful and some are not. Coccidia strains are typically species-specific, though there is some limited crossover between sheep and goats. Some level of coccidia is almost always present in most herds or flocks. Almost all animals carry coccidia and it is generally passed from animal to animal through manure. 14
Cooperative Farming News
Some animals, especially goats, like to climb into feed troughs and that process contaminates feed or water sources and spreads the coccidia to younger animals who are more likely to have issues with coccidia. There are several options for preventing coccidia but the most used are feed-through products that try to prevent coccidia outbreaks rather than treating after problems arise. Bovatec, Deccox and Rumensin are all good options for preventing coccidia in ruminant animals and one of those along with general sanitation
BY J I M M Y PA R K E R
them to eat. Doing so will help them fight off any coccidia they ingest and prevent serious problems as they grow and eventually develop some resistance to the coccidia themselves especially in sheep. Either way you go, whether you normally have issues with coccidia, or your animals have levels so low that they don’t cause noticeable issues, there is most likely to be enough coccidia present to reduce production and a feed-through type coccidiostat will almost always add enough production to more than pay for the inclusion in the feed. Both Bovatec and Rumensin will produce some other advantanges by making Some animals, especially goats, like to climb into feed troughs and that process contaminates feed or water sources and spreads the coccidia to younger animals who are more likely to have your animals more energy efficient and add dollars to your bottom line in multiple ways. issues with coccidia. So to recap, cleanliness is important. around feeders and in barns will go a long way in hav- Feeding your females a feed-through coccidiostat ing success. for around a month before and after giving birth will There are several things to keep in mind when more than pay for itself. Making sure that you choose you are looking for a feed with a coccidiostat. First, a creep feed with a coccidiostat will get your young Deccox is labeled for cattle, sheep and goats whereas animals off to a better start and add dollars to your Bovatec is only labeled for cattle and sheep and Ru- bottom line. mensin is only labeled for cattle and goats. With the lack of cross-specie labeling on the two ionophores, Rumensin and Bovatec, we have to be careful about which one we feed to the small ruminants. One commonly asked question is when do you need to think about feeding a medicated feed that contains a coccidiostat. Some people tend to feed those type feeds year-round and while feeding one feed all the time is easy, it may not make sense when trying to prevent coccidia. Several articles on the subject actually caution against feeding these type feeds continuously; that generally is not a problem as we tend to graze our ruminants for a significant part of the year without feeding any feeds and that meets those criteria. Most feed through coccidiostats tend to take a few weeks to be fully effective so one good strategic way to utilize them is to start feeding them three to four weeks before your herd or flock begins to give birth. This theoretically will lower the amount of coccidia in the mother and significantly lower the amount that the younger animals will take in. It is sound thinking and any time that you can cut down exposure to parasites it tends to pay off in the long run. Another option is to begin feeding a medicated creep feed to the offspring as early as you can get November 2021
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FROM THE STATE VET’S OFFICE
Reporting Large Die-offs:
Magic Number is FOUR The
If you have read more than a few of the articles that I have written over the past several years, you should know that I continually hammer on the point that producers should report large die-offs in addition to other possible foreign animal disease red flags. Today I want to focus on the importance of reporting large die-offs. These events are usually not tied to a foreign animal disease outbreak, but it is important to rule out a foreign animal disease that could devastate animal agriculture. It is also important that we hopefully help the producer find out what is affecting the animals and stop the losses. Since there is a need to answer the question, “What is a large die-off,” I have gone with the number four. If someone has two hundred cows maybe four doesn’t seem like that many, but it is a number that I believe would keep us from missing a foreign animal disease. Most often, large die-offs, four or more dead animals in proximity timewise, is going to be some sort of toxin. However, I think it is important to identify the toxin or the infectious agent in the event it is caused by a virus or bacteria. Early in my time as State Veterinarian, I received a call one afternoon on my way home from my office in Montgomery. Someone in Baldwin County had just lost 50 cows. They were fine yesterday and today they were dead. That was back when agroterrorism was high on our radar screens. We were able to establish 16
Cooperative Farming News
BY D R . T O N Y F R A Z I E R
On another occasion we were recently alerted that someone had lost four cows over in West Alabama. The deaths had occurred almost immediately after the producer had put protein tubs out for his cattle. that the toxin was an insecticide that had been used according to the label guidelines on a crop. Rain had moved the insecticide through the sandy soil and concentrated it in the cow pasture. On another occasion we were recently alerted that someone had lost four cows over in West Alabama. The deaths had occurred almost immediately after the producer had put protein tubs out for his cattle. It turned out that the urea that was part of the nitrogen source in the tubs had not been mixed thoroughly and the cows had died from urea toxicity. This past summer, we had one producer who lost over 10 cows. It turned out to be blue-green algae toxicity. Actually, cyanobacteria is a more correct name for the toxic agent, but it looks like algae to the casual observer. It has not seemed to be much of an
issue here in Alabama that we are aware of. However, I believe that is another reason it is important to report large die-offs. That way we can make veterinarians and the animal agriculture community aware of the diseases and toxins that are active. We have seen large die-offs from nitrate poisoning, arsenic toxicity, anhydrous ammonia poisoning, perilla mint and some industrial chemicals that I can’t specifically remember the name of the agent. Some large die-offs are over by the time the dead animals are discovered. There are other times when knowing what the agent is allows the producer to act to at least cut the losses. None of this would be possible without working with our laboratory system and the fisheries laboratory at Auburn in the case of bluegreen algae. The toxicology lab at our Auburn facility has always done an excellent job. Reporting large die-off is me wanting to make sure we do not have a foreign animal disease that is about to explode onto the scene. And it is important that we provide instructions for the proper disposal of the carcasses. It is also me wanting to help you find out what is causing the large die-offs so appropriate actions can be taken to keep it from happening again. If you have six dead cows under a tree that was lightning struck during a thunderstorm, I don’t need to know about that. But if you lose four or more cows and the cause is unknown, please contact your local veterinarian or my office at 334-240-7253. Remember I am from the government and I’m here to help.
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November 2021
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WHAT’S THE POINT WITH GREENPOINT AG
Agronomy basics, advanced technology go hand in hand at harvest Agronomy basics and advanced technology go hand in hand as growers continue to work their way through the fall harvest season and begin making plans for next year’s crops. “Agriculture technology and agronomy are designed to work together to enhance decision making and field performances at the highest level currently possible,” said Chapman Bodiford, Ag Technology Specialist with GreenPoint Ag in North Alabama. “Combining the two together is how agriculture will continue to advance,” he said. “The goal of agriculture technology is to utilize agronomic research to provide refined solutions and insight for decision making. We are now able to easily compile point-specific and widespread agronomic data to form conclusions and make decisions at a faster rate.” From a technology standpoint, yield data is the last data set for the 2021 crop flowing into AccuField – a web-based precision-ag platform offered through Alabama Farmers Cooperative that is designed to store, manage and analyze field data. “Accurate and collected data must be put to work to reap the benefits,” Bodiford said. “AccuField has multiple yield analysis tools such as yield by variety, 18
Cooperative Farming News
yield by soil type, yield by soil test, yield by management zones, and many more advanced tools.” These tools, he said, enable growers to compare and contrast performances of different crop varieties and the field conditions they were grown in to help make decisions for 2022’s crop. A unique tool in AccuField is Seed Matrix, which stores years of variety trial data performed in a specific area and across the Southern region. “For instance, when selecting for a cotton variety, the varieties that were tested on soils similar to the field of interest will pop up,” Bodiford said. “The grower can then filter the varieties further by irrigated versus dry land tests, how they ranked in yield performance, and how many tests that particular variety has been through.” The variety or hybrid selected is one of the foundations of next year’s crop, and it is important to utilize the results from research when making such a monumental decision. “While yield tends to be of paramount importance when deciding what to plant next season, other factors also should be considered when selecting a variety or hybrid,” said Taylor Dill, Agronomy Manager with
P E R RY M O B L E Y
GreenPoint Ag in Tennessee. “These factors include vigor, maturity, disease package, traits, lodging, placement, herbicide tolerance, row patterns, grain and fiber quality, and price. “Yield is not always the most important factor,” Dill said. “There may be other characteristics that would make you not want to plant a specific variety or hybrid. You cannot always make your seed choice just by looking at the top yield in a trial.” Other agronomic decisions to consider during the fall and winter, he said, include soil sampling, applying lime, controlling Italian ryegrass, making fall fertilizer applications of phosphorus and potassium, ripping the ground, rotating crops, and determining the crop acreage for next year. Another valuable tool in AccuField, Bodiford said, is AgSolver, a farm planning and budgeting feature that enables growers to analyze field economics on a farm and subfield level. “Budget layers are created based on input costs such as land rent, seed, CPP, CN and any other costs,” he said. “They are then overlaid onto this year’s yield data and commodity prices.” Return-on-investment (ROI)-based field report cards are then generated to display not only how each field performed across the farm, but how each field performed on a sub-field level. On a subfield level, AgSolver will display areas of a field that underperformed economically. “The grower is now able to visually see and determine from an economic standpoint whether or not that low, wet spot is worth planting next year,” he said. AgSolver tools and reports also can help answer farm-level questions such as whether or not the corn or soybean fungicide application returned a larger ROI compared to fields that were not treated. “Maybe a grower is questioning renewing their lease on rented ground,” Bodiford said. “AgSolver makes it easy to visually see whether or not that field is performing to the grower’s ROI standards. “Farming is constantly evolving, and next year’s crop will have new challenges that are difficult to prepare for, from varying input costs, to new seed, chemical and equipment technologies, and the always unpredictable weather. “With each year creating new challenges, it is very important to define and address the successes and mistakes made in last year’s crop,” Bodiford said. “Good record keeping and data management tools help growers really beat the bushes to determine why
certain fields didn’t perform compared to fields that achieved their goal.” Successes and mistakes can only be defined by the grower, he said. However, almost all successes and mistakes have a ROI aspect to them. “As we all know, ROI is how the farm stays afloat for not only next year, but hopefully for future generations,” Bodiford said. “This again heightens the importance of addressing mistakes as soon as they arise.” Dill agrees that it is important for growers to face and correct the mistakes that were made this year though the temptation is to move on to the next crop. “We all have areas where we can improve,” he said. “You need to know what your successes and failures are to know whether to repeat or change. It’s 40 years of experience versus 40 1-year experiences.” The adoption of precision agriculture and pushing the limits of technology is creating more confident and progressive growers going forward, Bodiford said. “At some point, these growers decided to try something new, but like everything, there is a learning curve,” he said. “Not every ag technology tool is for every operation, but there is at least one tool that will fit every operation.” A key focus of GreenPoint’s AccuField team is customization and seeking the right tools that will enhance a specific grower’s current management style and operation. “I encourage growers to ask questions,” Bodiford said. “Learn what tools are available and maybe even test a tool on a small portion of the farm before adopting it widespread. You cannot measure or make a conclusion on what you have not recorded or tested.”
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ON THE EDGE OF COMMON SENSE
Loose Cow Party
BY B AX T E R B L A C K , D V M
“It’s for you,” his darlin’ told him as he lay back in the chair For a well-deserved siesta. Ugh, it wasn’t really fair. It was Chuck, his nearest neighbor – did he have to call right now? Millard took the phone and listened, “Are you sure that it’s my cow?” As if he’d changed his brand last week or something equally absurd Like the F.B.I. was posing as a member of his herd Or an alien invasion took possession of his place And planned to infiltrate the earth as cows from outer space. But no easy explanation seemed to ease his heavy load Chuck said, “Better come and get her, she’s a’grazin’ on the road.” Saddled up, he hit the highway and broke into a jog With his wife not far behind him in the pickup with the dog. He could spot the cow’s location from within a half a mile Cars were backed up to the corner, everybody wore a smile. Helpful tourists waved and hollered, horsemen galloped to and fro Swingin’ ropes like polo players, someone takin’ video. Millard rode into the melee as the cow turned up the lane. She trompled through the clothesline draggin’ laundry like a train Through the hogwire to the garden, through the hotwire to the corn, ‘Cross the rows with corn stalks flyin’, laundry hangin’ off her horn There were 15 mounted riders rattlin’ through the stubble field, Millard got a rope around her but he knew his fate was sealed When he felt the horn knot grabbin’ and the saddle slip an inch… He remembered he’d forgotten to retighten up his cinch. He was still there in the saddle but it now sat on the neck. We should pause and take reflection while we visualize the wreck (pause) Millard peeled off the equine like a dirty undershirt He was still tall in the saddle when his boot heels hit the dirt You could think of water skiing. You could think of Roto-Till But when 15 mounted riders mash you flat, it’s all downhill Millard watched from his position in the furrow that he’d plowed While the cow crashed through the hotwire, disappearin’ in the crowd. There the band of merry revelers in gesture grandiose Lashed up the draggin’ rope somehow, around a solid post. The crowd began to dissipate. It was over, they could sense Leavin’ Millard to apologize to Chuck about his fence. Chuck was gracious. Millard thanked him for his helpfulness and such But it seemed like Chuck enjoyed it…just a little bit too much. But he really couldn’t blame him. When a loose cow wreck occurs It’s a miserable fiasco, ‘less, of course, it isn’t yers! www.baxterblack.com
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November 2021
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FFA SENTINEL
Getting Back to Basics: The Three Circle Model of Agriculture Education The past two school years have certainly been riddled with uncertainties and numerous new challenges. Teachers are being asked to do more than ever before. For many, this has been incredibly stressful. However, for all of the challenges that COVID-19 has brought, there have been a few positive aspects. Just as the initial time of quarantining at home in 2020 brought many people closer with their families and appreciating the simple things, this time has brought agriscience education the opportunity to reflect on the future and what direction should be taken. For the Alabama FFA, the resounding answer has been getting back to the basic foundation of the three-circle model. The three-circle model is the idea that a successful agriscience education program consists of equal parts classroom and lab instruction, FFA participa22
Cooperative Farming News
tion and Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE) or work-based learning opportunities. This unique model is what sets agriscience education apart from other student organizations. The idea is that students enter an agriscience class where they receive handson instruction in various skills while also developing critical employability and leadership skills. The agriculture industry is so diverse that students are ex-
The National FFA Organization is still the largest youth leadership organization in the country with over 700,000 members.
M I C H A E L VA N N
Case Edwards of the Wetumpka FFA learned he had a passion for working on small engines in his agriscience class. Case used that passion to conduct his SAE project in a mechanics shop.
Students across the country gain technical and leadership skills through their agriscience classes. This instruction happens in shops, greenhouses, school farms, and a combination of other instructional labs.
posed to a wide variety of careers and skills. They are then encouraged to develop an SAE project based on their career interests they have learned in class. For many students, this starts small such as doing a career research project or job shadowing. From there, it is expected to grow into a more immersive experience where the student spends time outside of class further developing his skills. This could be through an internship, part-time job, or entrepreneurship-style project. Projects could range from raising livestock to working for the local farmers cooperative. The last aspect of the model is FFA participation. The National FFA Organization is still the largest youth leadership organization in the country with over 700,000 members. Students are encouraged to not only join the organization, but teachers are responsible for providing their students with opportunities to actively participate. This could be at a local, regional, state, or national level. There are numerous opportunities for students to take the skills they learned in class and apply them through contests and awards. FFA offers Career and Leadership Development Events annually. These contests range from livestock judging to public speaking and anything you could think of in between. There are also awards designed to reward students for excellence in their SAE projects called proficiency awards. FFA also focuses on hosting many events throughout the year to help our members not only practice their technical skills, but to also sharpen leadership skills. While the world as we know it has changed dras-
tically, and things are ever evolving, it is still good to know that some things never change. I am confident that agriscience education will continue to thrive and provide our workforce with skilled workers who also possess essential employability skills thanks to the well-thought-out design of the three-circle model.
Millie Grace Drake of the JB Pennington FFA used the leadership skills she gained in agriscience to become the 2020-2021 State FFA President where she travelled across the state delivering keynote speeches to students on the importance of agriscience education.
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4-H EXTENSION CORNER
Beyond all “egg-spectations” Quarantining may not have been anyone’s favorite thing to do, but it did lead to some pretty ingenious ways to solve everyday problems. For example, when Dr. Brigid McCrea needed to prepare 4-H’ers for the annual state egg cookery contest in June, she came up with an “eggs-traordinary” idea: a 4-H Egg Cookery Cyber Club! She designed
the online course like a correspondence course from yesteryear, but with a twist. Dr. McCrea combined Zoom meetings with mystery packages that 4-H’ers received through the mail. Even though her end goal was to engage 4-H’ers in the annual egg cooking and demonstration contest, Dr. McCrea envisioned a fun way for 4-H’ers to learn different ways to cook eggs, while gaining “eggs-perience” in choosing a theme and demonstrating their finished products before judges.
Guest speakers from the poultry and egg industry often joined in to talk about various careers available to 4-H’ers. Each participant first received a package with equipment needed for the year’s cooking. Then, they joined Zoom meetings to share their final products with each other and to learn more about the layer and egg industry. Members talked about everyday things, such as how to crack an egg, and then they Matthew Hughes (left), of Baldwin County, prepared Peach Angel Food Cupcakes to go with his “Summer Picnic” theme.
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BY C A R O LY N D R I N K A R D
Delaney Dixon of Marengo County served a slice of her Sour Cream Pound Cake for the judges. She also treated them to homemade ice cream.
Harrison Butterworth, from Baldwin County, works at his table display for the 4-H Egg Cookery contest. Harrison prepared Mexican Street Corn with Egg.
moved on to more difficult skills, like how to calculate cost and calories per serving. All the while, they were not only learning how to do presentations and demonstrations while cooking, but they were also gaining valuable experience doing research for their demonstration posters. “Every month, 4-H’ers got a different recipe,” said Dr. McCrea. “But they also got a secret ingredient in the box to go with the recipe, which added mystery and suspense for the next Zoom meeting!” Inside each box were bonus recipes of egg dishes from around the world, dishes that members would never have come across! Adding to the anticipation was an encrypted limerick, which hinted at what would be covered at the Zoom meeting. “They had to decode the limerick,” Dr. McCrea explained. “This made it fun, because they had to work to get to the limerick.” Guest speakers from the poultry and egg industry often joined in to talk about various careers available to 4-H’ers. These experts also shared elements for success in the egg competitions. Dr. McCrea showed Alabama 4-H Egg Cookery YouTube videos, which featured a national winner from Alabama giving tips and tricks to help 4-H’ers better prepare for the competition. 4-H’ers learned to navigate the USDA website,
prepare posters online and use solid science-based information in both their memorized demonstrations and on their display posters. The course spanned eight months and included senior participants, aged 14-18. Ten 4-H’ers began
Before the contest, Brianna Hines, of Butler County, put together her table display in the 4-H Egg Cookery preparation room. Brianna’s dish was Strawberry Clafouti.
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the course, but only six finished to compete in the state 4-H Egg Cookery in June. Their entries included crepes, clafoutis, pound cake, dacquoise and Mexican street corn with egg. Mathew Hughes, from Baldwin County, won the State competition with his Peach Angel Food Cupcakes, using a recipe that he adapted to fit his theme, “Summer Picnic.” “Dr. McCrea really prepared us for the State contest,” Mathew said. “It was so much fun to get a package and open it. She always had lots of extra surprises inside, like treats and sponsor gifts. She made it so much fun!” Mathew has continued to work with Dr. McCrea to prepare for the National Competition, called the “Egg Preparation Demonstration.” This contest will be held at the National 4-H Poultry and Egg Conference in Louisville, Kentucky, the week before Thanksgiving. In the past, Alabama has won all the events, except the Poultry Judging Contest. The 4-H Cyber Egg Cookery Club “egg-ceeded” all “egg-spectations”! Dr. Brigid McCrea plans to expand the program to include juniors and intermediate 4-H’ers. She has already added new recipes, and she has more “egg-citing” challenges and surprises ahead for 4-H’ers.
Kylie Nimmon (r), of Lee County, placed 2nd in the 4-H Egg Cookery contest with her crepes dish. Dr. Brigid McCrea (l) presented Kylie with her winning ribbon.
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Matthew Hughes (r), of Baldwin County, won first place in the 4-H Egg Cookery contest. He will represent Alabama at the national contest in November. Dr. Brigid McCrea (l) presented a gift basket to him.
Anna Rios (r), of Marengo County, won third place for her dacquoise dish. She used a “Beauty and the Beast” theme. Dr. Brigid McCrea (l) presented her winning ribbon.
Simply Southern Spotlight Bancroft Helps Lotus Business Bloom
R
etired biology teacher Laura Bancroft now has a second career as manager of Ten Mile Creek Nursery in Hartford, where she specializes in growing ornamental lotuses. The company sells dormant lotus tubers direct to customers online and sells in bulk to garden centers and botanical companies.
Alabama Stations and Times
Saturday, Central Time Market Station Time Columbus, Ga. WLTZ 38 5:00 PM Sunday, Central Time Mobile WPMI 15 6:00 AM Birmingham WBMA 33/40 6:30 AM Huntsville WAFF 48 9:00 AM Montgomery WAKA 8 10:30 AM Dothan WTVY 4 10:30 AM
RFD-TV: Wednesdays • 3 p.m. Central ALWAYS ON: www.SimplySouthernTV.net
Lotus flowers are pretty unique. How did you get into this line of business? Laura Bancroft: We started the nursery in 2005, but we didn’t get into lotuses until 2010 when we were contacted by a professor at Auburn University. We started growing live plants in greenhouses. Now, we’ve changed our focus. Instead of live plants, we sell dormant tubers. What does a typical homeowner need to grow a lotus? Does it require a pond? LB: No. They are bog plants, so they have to stay very well saturated with water, but all you need is a pot, water, some sandy loam — which is just a fancy name for top soil — and fertilizer. Lotuses are voracious feeders. If you don’t give them enough fertilizer, you won’t get enough flowers. They are full sun plants. You can put them on your patio in the middle of summer, and you’ll get these beautiful blooms when a lot of other things have stopped blooming. What do you enjoy about growing lotus plants? LB: Well, there’s something addictive about it. You wait for the plant to come up out of this pot of mud, and then you get these big beautiful leaves. Then the bud comes up, and it can take three weeks for the bud to open, so you’re waiting and waiting. Then it opens to this most beautiful perfect flower, and once the petals fall off, the seed pods are beautiful, too.
Simply Southern TV is sponsored by
How are lotuses classified? LB: By size, color and number of petals. Sizes range from minis, or bowl lotus, which can be just a couple inches tall, to small, medium and large, which can grow as tall as a person. There is a fairly small spectrum of colors with lotus: white, yellow, pink, red and brilliant red with variations in between. The traditional lotus that people love is usually white with pink on the tips. What they call single-petal has less than 25 petals; semi-double has 25 to 50 petals; double- or multi-petal has more than 50; and thousand-petal has considerably more than that. You grow ornamental lotuses, but how are lotuses used in other places? LB: Lotus is one of the largest food crops in the world. In Asia, they eat more lotus tubers than Americans eat potatoes. They’re high in antioxidants and vitamins, plus they have an extremely good texture. The seeds are also edible. The pollen and dried flowers can be used to make tea. Plus, when you break open the stem, there’s silk that comes out. People use that and weave it into a very expensive cloth. Simply Southern’s segment about Ten Mile Creek Nursery will air on broadcast stations Nov. 6 and 7 and on RFD-TV on Wednesday, Nov. 10 at 3 p.m. Central. For more information, visit SimplySouthernTV.net. Catfish Checkoff
Soybean Checkoff
Wheat & Feed Grain Checkoff
November 2021
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PALS
BY J A M I E M I T C H E L L
Lakewood Elementary School Participating in Clean Campus Program Alabama PALS is happy to announce that Lakewood Elementary School in Phenix City, Alabama, will be participating in the Clean Campus Program again this year! Lakewood Elementary has been an active participant for many years, but this year the school’s Beta Club will be running the program. The mission of the Lakewood Jr. Beta Club is to promote ideals of academic achievement, character, service and leadership. One of the goals of the club this year is to uphold their mission of service by participating in the Clean Campus Program. The Beta Club members will be the school’s ambassadors for litter awareness. They plan to host monthly cleanup sessions, create recycled art and pioneer campus beautification projects. In an effort to extend litter awareness in the community, mem28
Cooperative Farming News
bers will also organize and participate in the “Don’t Drop it on Alabama” Spring Cleanup in April. They also plan to have me come to speak to the students in person before the holidays. According to Beta Club sponsor Chiquita James, “Our Lakewood Elementary students are always ready to love, learn and lead!” What a great motto for these students! Will you make a commitment to love, learn and lead in your area? It truly takes the whole community coming together to eradicate litter. If a school near you would like to learn more about the Clean Campus Program, have them check us out online at www. alpals.org. I may also be reached by phone at 334-2637737 or email at jamie@alapals.org.
discover the latest buzz about honey P
RAISED for its amazing ability to heal the body, the ancient “nectar of the gods” may just be a 21st century healing miracle — the closest thing we have to a “cureall” for dozens of ailments from heart disease and heartburn to insomnia, low libido, fatigue, cough and cold, headaches, and more. If you’re a weight-loss warrior, this gooey, golden syrup can even help flatten your belly and whittle your waist! Surprisingly, 50% of Americans have this nourishing nectar in their kitchen cupboard. Chances are, you do, too, but you haven’t even begun to tap into its healing powers. More than a sweetener for tea and toast, this ancient superfood has been scientifically shown to help:
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November 2021
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OUTDOOR LOGIC WITH BIOLOGIC
Rub Realities
Seven Truths about Whitetail Rubs Fresh whitetail rubs are a great thing to see in your hunting area, especially when new ones show up just before you hunt an area. Just like scrapes, whitetail rubs are visual and scent-marked signposts that convey socially important information to other deer. Following are some facts about them.
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Usually, the size of the rub is an indicator of the size of the buck that made it. Big diameter rubs usually mean an older buck. Rub height and other markings like gouges created by long tines can give you other clues. (Photo Credit Todd Amenrud)
BY T O D D A M E N R U D 1) Why do bucks rub? A few years ago, I read a piece that said there were several reasons why bucks rub. One was to remove antler velvet; another was to build up neck muscles. While rubbing may help to accomplish these things, I don’t believe either is what motivates them. The fact that they’re rubbing may aid in detaching some velvet, and it’s obvious this act helps to build up those majestic-looking, “linebacker-like” necks we see, but I don’t believe they rub solely to accomplish velvet removal or for a good workout. Neither is its own classification of rub; it’s simply the buck testing out his new antlers and marking the area with a signpost – both visually and with scent. Velvet falls off, is eaten off by birds and other deer, scuffed off from sparring and numerous other incidental reasons and is usually accomplished after only a few hours, but pieces can stay connected for some time. In my view, the main reason bucks make rubs is to create a signpost for the other deer in the area, both bucks and does. A visual and scent-coated marker transmits numerous details to the other deer in the area. 2) One of the main ways they transmit messages to other deer through rubs is through their forehead glands. Those of you who have seen or harvested old-
er bucks may have noticed the hair on their forehead will get wavy or discolored (sometimes a reddish or dark-brown color) coming into the rut. It’s because this gland is so much more active during the fall.
Both bucks and does have these glands, but mature, socially high-ranking bucks tend to excrete more from them. Aroma from the tree is released when they break through the cambium layer adding to the spot’s bouquet. This also serves as a visual sign. Then they rub their forehead on the rub to deposit their individual scent. Both bucks and does have these glands, but mature, socially high-ranking bucks tend to excrete more from them. 3) The majority of rubs are made by more dominant, breeding-age bucks in the area to signal their readiness to breed, to announce their influence over a given area and to transmit other socially-important information. Young bucks also make rubs, but mature bucks rub more often, are the first to make rubs in the
Do bucks rub to remove velvet from their antlers? The author believes that they rub to create signposts and removing velvet just happens as a result - velvet falls off, is eaten off by birds and other deer, and many other reasons. This smaller buck ate long strips of velvet off the bedded buck’s crown. (Photo Credit: Todd Amenrud)
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fall and will create the rubs that are most often the ones focused on by the other members of the herd. When there is a balanced herd, the older bucks tend to be the main signpost makers and message “senders” within the group, and younger males and females are the primary message “receivers.” It has been shown that the chemical signals exchanged at a rub will suppress the aggressiveness and sex drive of younger males and those same signals stimulate females and help synchronize breeding cycles. As a result, the presence of older bucks and these signposts (both rubs and scrapes) helps maintain social order in a given area. 4) Don’t always expect rubs to be on trees and saplings, they may also choose to rub on fence posts, bird-feeder stakes, telephone poles, shrubs, bushes, corn or sunflower stalks, and other objects. Different deer have distinctive personalities. Some deer seem to love to rub and others don’t do it as often. The number of rubs usually correlates with the age and breeding status of a buck. Sometimes the amount of rubs also depends on the type or size of the trees in an area. If there aren’t many trees of the right size or type, obviously you won’t see as many rubs. 5) As a rule, travel direction is easy to discern. If a buck is traveling north, he’s facing the south side of the
tree, so the rubs should be on the south side of the tree. You’ll sometimes find obvious “rub lines” revealing which routes a buck is taking to and from bedding and feeding.
If a buck is traveling north, he’s facing the south side of the tree, so the rubs should be on the south side of the tree. 6) They are a good indicator of the size of the buck that made it. You’ve all heard, big deer rub on big trees - small deer rub on small trees. For the most part, that’s true. However, big deer will also rub on small trees, but small deer seldom rub on big trees – they may interact with the larger rub, but they are not the creator. If the rub is on a small tree, how high it is off the ground is a good indicator as to the size of the buck - the higher off the ground, typically the bigger the buck. Unless the tree was so skinny, a smaller buck could have pushed it over and worked up the tree that way. 7) Rubs actually help to keep social order in whitetail society. Noted deer researcher, Karl Miller, hypothe-
One way bucks send messages to other deer through rubs is through their forehead glands. Both bucks and does have these glands, but mature, socially high-ranking bucks tend to excrete more from them. Here’s the author with a nice November buck. (Photo Credit: Todd Amenrud)
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sized that several types of pheromones are found on rubs. These include “releaser pheromones,” which evoke an immediate behavioral response; “priming pheromones,” which result in a physiological response; and “informer pheromones,” which relay information, but usually don’t result in a behavioral or physiological response. Signposting by dominant bucks likely plays a vital role in maintaining social coherence in whitetail populations. He suggests primer pheromones deposited by dominant bucks on rubs (and scrapes) help to synchronize reproductive cycles, bring adult does into estrus early, and suppress the aggressiveness and sex drive of young bucks. Rubs are one of the best physical scouting aids we have. Nowadays trail camera photos are what most people rely on, but aside from an actual animal sighting, you can gather more information from a rub than any other form of physical sign. If you search out rubs in your hunting area, they just might lead you to a buck this season.
Don’t expect all rubs to be on a perfect tree or sapling. Bucks may rub on bushes, weeds, fence posts, telephone poles, bird-feeder stakes, and numerous other objects. (Photo Credit: Paul Tessier)
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MOROCCAN VENISON SHEPHERD’S PIE Sweet potatoes are about the easiest vegetables in the world to grow if you can keep the deer away from them. During late summer, does with fawns find them irresistible. The Moroccan spices and the sweet potatoes make this dish flavorful and exciting. Ingredients: 2 Tablespoons olive oil 1- 1/2 pounds venison hindquarter, cut into 1-inch cubes 1/2 teaspoon roasted ground cumin 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 1 onion, chopped 4 cloves garlic, minced 1 Tablespoon tomato paste 2 cups beef broth 1/3 cup black olives 1/3 cup raisins 3 Tablespoons honey 1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper 1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, divided 1 cup frozen green peas 4 cups sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped 1 large egg, lightly beaten 34
Cooperative Farming News
A flavorful and exciting recipe!
Heat oven to 350 F. Heat oil in a medium-sized skillet over medium high heat. Sprinkle venison with cumin and salt. Add venison to the pan and brown for about 1 minute on each side. Remove venison from the pan. Add onions and sauté for 3 minutes. Add garlic for about 30 seconds, and then add the tomato paste. Stir well.
Add broth to the pan. Bring to a boil, scraping pan to loosen the browned bits. Stir in olives, raisins, honey, ground red pepper, turmeric and one-half of the p Magazine cinnamon. Add venison back to the pan. Reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the peas. Meanwhile, place sweet potatoes in a pot of boiling water until tender and drain. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and the rest of the cinnamon. Beat potatoes with a mixer and add egg. Continue mixing until well combined. Spoon venison mixture evenly into 4 ramekins, and then spread potato mixture over the venison mixture. Place ramekins on a baking sheet and bake at 350 F for 30 minutes or until bubbly.
About Stacy Lyn Harris Stacy Lyn Harris is a best-selling cookbook author, blogger, TV personality, public speaker, wife and mother of seven children. She currently lives in Pike Road, Alabama, with her husband Scott and their children. Stacy Lyn regularly appears on cable and broadcast television as a guest chef and sustainable living expert. Her critically-acclaimed “Harvest Cookbook” was published in 2017 and contains many of her family’s favorite recipes, along with stories from her life growing up in the Black Belt and tips she’s learned along the way.
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(Photo Credit: Keyhole Photo)
Penry Farms:
From Their Hands to Your Table BY JESSIE SHOOK
Penry Farms has been growing sweet potatoes in Baldwin County, Alabama since 1953. Over the years, many things have changed but sweet potatoes have stayed the same. Daniel Penry has been co-owner with his father Steve since 2003, but this farm didn’t just start with this father/son duo. Penry Farms was founded by Daniel’s great-grandfather, W.E. Penry, and his grandfather, Bill Penry. “My grandfather, or ‘Big Bill’ as he was known to us, actively raised sweet potatoes in Baldwin County for 50 years,” Daniel said. “My dad, Steve, worked with him as a kid from the time he could walk behind a tractor. When he graduated from Fairhope High School in 1973, he chose to go into farming.” Steve has been operating Penry Farms full time for 47 years. With Daniel eager to continue
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Daniel is a fourth-generation sweet potato farmer in Baldwin County, Alabama. His family has been growing sweet potatoes since 1953.
the Penry Farms name as a fourth-generation farmer, Steve plans for a well-deserved retirement by the end of 2021. “I have helped as a child from the time that I was 6 or 7,” Daniel added. “After graduating college, I decided to come back to the farm too.” The farm has gone through many stages throughout the years. While sweet potatoes have always been a priority, Penry Farms has dabbled in other row crops and cattle. “We grew corn, soybeans, cotton and raised steers and mama cows,” Daniel said. “We started a dairy in 1960 and milked cows until 197576 but in 1983 we tripled our sweet potato acres and started shipping sweet potatoes out of state.” As of now, Penry Farms consists of 350 acres of sweet potatoes. “Sweet potatoes are all we do,” Daniel laughed. “It’s plenty of work – I promise.” Penry Farms has been farming sweet potatoes for so many years because of how resilient the crop is. “They can handle if it’s dry or wet and they don’t care if the wind blows,” Daniel said. “We always have something to harvest, even with crazy weather – they are a tough crop.” According to Daniel, another positive to growing sweet potatoes is the incredible yield potential. “We average 25-35 thousand pounds per acre,” Daniel said. “With other crops we’ve grown in the past, we’ve
Penry Farms produces around 25-35 thousand pounds of sweet potatoes per acre and they are shipped all over the U.S. and Canada. (Photo Credit: Keyhole Photo)
Steve Penry has been farming sweet potatoes for 47 years. (Photo Credit: Keyhole Photo)
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always been limited. We tried to have the big, fast equipment for cotton and peanuts just so we could finish and focus on sweet potatoes.” Penry Farms ships sweet potatoes all over the U.S. and Canada. While their brand is known as Azalea Yams, you can find their sweet potatoes everywhere because of their partnerships with larger farms. “Farms that may have large accounts to supply, need our crop when they run out, so our sweet potatoes can be found under different brand names,” Daniel said. The process starts in February when the plants are grown and then transplanted to the field in April. Harvest lasts for three months – August to October. “We are the first people in America to harvest because we are the southernmost sweet potato growers in the United States,” Daniel added. “We start early and finish early with the hopes of running out of sweet potatoes by Thanksgiving or Christmas.” Sweet potatoes are meticulously harvested by hand. “It takes a human hand to handle them easy enough to get them to market,” Daniel said. “Right now, we go in and mow the vines and them come in with a harvester loaded down with 20 people. They
Sweet potatoes are picked by hand to ensure no damage is done to the crop. (Photo Credit: Keyhole Photo)
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Cooperative Farming News
It takes about 25 people to harvest 4 rows at a time and complete 7 acres a day. (Photo Credit: Keyhole Photo)
will pull the sweet potatoes off a chain and put them in a bucket to be dumped into a box.” The process takes a lot of people and is very timeconsuming. “It takes about 25 people to harvest four rows at a time,” Daniel said. “We do about 7 acres a day.”
After harvest, Penry Farms inspects their sweet potatoes by hand to make sure the best product is ready to ship. “Shape and size determine the grade of the sweet potato,” Daniel added. “Also, a good quality skin is important to protect the potato and keep bacteria out.” Daniel also always tries to stay on the cutting edge of technology. “We are very early adopters of new technology and a lot of times we are one of the first farms to try something new,” Daniel said. “We try different equipment from all over the world that hasn’t necessarily made it to the U.S. yet. Being the guinea pig can be fun but also hard sometimes.” Penry Farms sweet potatoes are graded by hand to make sure the best product is being shipped. (Photo Credit: Keyhole Photo) This technology also plays a role in clean pest control. “We use variable appreciation to the hard work of sweet potato farmrate technology to use less pesticides and only put out what we need, where we need it,” Daniel added. ers. “We are a powerful industry that performs on a “Not only does this save us money but it helps the national level and international scale,” Daniel said. “And our local neighbors should be proud of how we environment.” This year, sweet potatoes became the state veg- listen, adapt and care about the success of the Ameretable of Alabama, and this was a great way to show ican crop.”
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MARK BYRD
Plantingfor the Harvest BY C A R O LY N D R I N KA R D Mark Byrd is a first-generation farmer who owns Byrd Farms in Danville, Alabama, in Morgan County. With his wife Sandy and their two sons, Rodney and Perry, Mark runs a family operation called “The Valley Boys.” Mark Byrd grew up on a small hobby farm, where his father owned four to five cows. At 14, he bought a tractor and equipment and started his own business baling hay for other farms. Mark believes that his love of farming came from a greater calling, one that he answered very early in his life. “In high school, my guidance counselor called me in to talk about my future,” he laughed.
continued on pg. 42
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Byrd Farms is a family operation, also known as The Valley Boys. Pictured (l to r) are Perry, Sandy, Mark and Rodney Byrd.
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“I told her that I wasn’t interested in college because I wanted to be a farmer. I knew I was meant to do this!” After graduation in 1982, Mark drove a truck for a Walmart Distribution Center while operating his successful hay business. In 1993, Mark began to farm full time and he has been blessed to grow his farming operation since then. He now works 60 head of Charolaise and Brangus cows and operates seven poultry houses on his property. Mark owns 160 acres, but he leases 2,000 acres to grow row crops of corn, wheat, soybeans and sometimes cotton. He is very proud that his sons have joined him in the business. Rodney, his youngest son, works full time on the farm and owns five of the poultry houses. Perry, his older son, works in maintenance at a local distribution center and then on the farm three days a week. Both boys are involved in planting and harvesting their row crops. For Mark, farming is a life of faith. He plants his seeds, hoping to harvest good crops. Even though he has seen some bad years, he has never considered giving up. “We’ve had some years we lost, but God provided,” he stated. “Some years were tough, but we just leaned on the Lord.” People often ask Mark why his operation is called “The Valley Boys.”
Mark Bryd always wanted to be a farmer. In 1993, he began to farm full time, and he now works 60 head of Charolais and Brangus cows and operates 7 poultry houses on his property.
This aerial view of Byrd Farms shows some of the chicken houses in the back and the large farm trucks for moving grain.
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Cooperative Farming News
Harvest time finds Mark Byrd and his sons working in the fields from early mornings until late at night. Here they work together to harvest a corn crop.
“It’s really just a nickname,” he laughed. “A friend of mine from a mountainous region started calling us that years ago, so we just took the name as ours.” He also uses “The Valley Boys” for his Facebook page. Mark Byrd may be a busy farmer, but he is very active in his community. He is President of the Morgan County Farmers Federation and also serves on the State Board of the Alabama Farmers Federation/ ALFA, as the Director of District 2, which includes Morgan, Madison and Limestone counties. To say that Mark Byrd “wears many hats” might
After harvesting corn, the Byrds store it in their silos before moving it to the buyers.
be an understatement. A devoted father, farmer and community leader, Mark is also an accomplished musician, known affectionately as the “singing farmer.” For the past 36 years, he has been taking his musical ministry all over the Southeast, spreading the good news through Southern Gospel music. Mark grew up singing in a small Methodist church. He always enjoyed quartet singing, and for a while, he and a group of church members sang together. From 1989-1993, Mark was a member of the Southern Praise Quartet. In 1999, Mark joined Living Faith, a Southern Gospel quartet, based out of Cullman. Mark sang with this ministry, leaving after several years to become more involved in his own church, but in 2015, he rejoined and has been with them ever since. Even though Mark started his singing career as a tenor, he has been blessed with a rich, pure bass voice that blends harmoniously with the others in the group: Rodney James (lead), Nathan James (baritone) and Mike Foust (tenor). Living Faith performs most concerts on weekends, as the members have other full-time jobs. Over the years, the ministry opportunities have progressed to include all types of venues in several different states. In Spring 2021, they were invited to Dollywood. Their appearances were so well received that they have been invited to return again in Fall 2021 for more performances. November 2021
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In Spring 2021, Living Faith was invited to sing at Dollywood. Their appearances were so well received that they have been invited to return again in Fall 2021 for more performances.
As a youngster, Mark Byrd sang tenor. Now, his rich bass voice blends harmoniously with the others in Living Faith. That deep voice often raises praises while in the cab of his tractor, plowing the fields.
The Living Faith Quartet sings in many churches, but they also perform at festivals, corporate events and other functions where the atmosphere is conducive to Christian music. In October, they appeared at the annual business meeting for the AFC Store in Hartselle, Alabama. Living Faith is currently working on a new recording project that should be ready by the end of the year. “Our focus is to bring an uplifting message in song and testimony to a people who need to hear and know that God cares about their every need,” Mark
explained. “Our goal is to see souls saved and lives changed.” Mark Byrd believes faith is the common thread that weaves together his love of farming and singing. Atop his tractor, he sings praises and marvels at the things God has created. “In farming, I plant the seeds to see crops grow, and I pray that I can harvest my crops,” he explained. “In my music ministry, I plant the seeds to see souls saved and people changed. Whether I farm or sing, I pray I can see the harvest.”
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HOW’S YOUR GARDEN BY L OIS T R IG G C H A P L I N
Time to Illuminate Bulbs Fall and winter is the prime time for bulbs – either for planting in the garden or enjoying “forced bulbs” indoors. These are called forced by the nursery industry because they are brought into bloom prematurely by first chilling the bulbs, then growing them in pots in a warm greenhouse for flowering. Pots of forced bulbs are usually sold from Christmas through winter, and then may be transplanted to the garden after the blooms fade, usually in January, February or March. On the other hand, dry bulbs bought in bulk in fall – daffodils, hyacinths and other spring-flowering bulbs – need to go into the ground this month. This will give
them the cool period that they need before blooming next spring. Healthy bulbs will feel firm, like an onion. Any that have become soft in storage may be rotting. If tempted to buy remainder discounted bulbs that are already sprouting, they are probably okay if they don’t show signs of rot; plant them immediately or pass that bargain by. Ideally, bulbs would root underground before sprouting their tops, but there is a little room to fudge with a big, healthy bulb, but only a little. Don’t let sprouting bulbs sit around.
SIMPLE TIMES
Pine Cone Mulch?
THE CO-OP PANTRY
“Forced Bulbs” growing in a greenhouse setting
When I saw this corner of a bed covered with a mulch of pine cones, the idea of a pine cone mulch immediately piqued my curiosity. Seems like it would be a good way to discourage pets from lying in flower beds, maybe even discourage squirrels and chipmunks from digging. Would it discourage rabbits from browsing new growth? I’d love to know. And, of course, it’s a good way to recycle organic matter that falls from the trees back into the ground below. So, if you have a profusion of pinecones in the yard this fall, you might want to give this a try and see how it works. They’ll last longer than typical organic mulches because of their woody nature and high resin, but
Pine cone mulch
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avoid using them in the vicinity of anything that could spark a fire.
Wow’em with Purple Broccoli For the last few autumns I’ve experimented with growing purple broccoli just because it is so unusual. It’s especially nice served raw with dip or in a salad, as the color reverts to green when cooked. An heirloom from Italy and England, sprouting broccoli is intended for overwintering and producing many small shoots (not a big central head) after several months of cold weather. Because it takes several months to mature, the Brits and Italians plant it in fall, then harvest its purple shoots the following spring. Its sprouting nature yields multiple harvests of small purple shoots. Because it takes longer to grow, this is a home garden variety, not likely to be found in commerce. I’ve grown sprouting types such as Bonarda under frost cloth with some success, but it doesn’t like the extreme fluctuation of warm and cold typical of an Alabama winter. I’ve covered and uncovered multiple times through winter trying to keep the temperature under the frost cloth between freezing and 60. Obviously, this is a lot of work, but we gardeners always try new things, and then decide whether it’s worth it! Thankfully, newer purple varieties like Early Purple Sprouting mature in just a couple of months, just like standard green broccoli. These can be started from seed soon, like standard broccoli, and
set out as soon as the transplants are big enough. A seed packet of Purple Sprouting broccoli might make a fun gift for that gardener in your life that doesn’t need anything.
What I’ve Learned about Citrus After at least 12 years, I am still happy with our Meyer lemon and kumquat trees in containers. They stay small enough to move to a portable greenhouse for winter, and are quite productive for the effort involved. Meyer lemons give us a big crop of lemons in late fall. What we don’t use fresh we juice and freeze; last year we froze more than a gallon of juice – enough for salad dressings and other recipes to last until this year’s harvest. The kumquats provide fresh eating from December through March, with plenty left for marmalade. The sweet-skin Meiwa variety is so much sweeter than store-bought when allowed to fully ripen on the tree. For me, these two citruses are the least common and most expensive in the grocery store, so it makes them especially worthwhile. One thing that makes citrus so nice, too, is that it holds on the tree for a couple of months so that you can harvest as you need it.
Meyer Lemons
Rake Away Camellia Troubles
Purple broccoli
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Cooperative Farming News
If your camellia’s blossoms were disfigured by brown spots on the petals last year, try raking away old mulch from below plants and replace it with fresh mulch such as pine straw. Throw away the old mulch; don’t compost it because it harbors fungus spores that cause the petal blight disease. Do this yearly to prevent the fungus from building up in the soil.
HOWLE’S HINTS BY JOH N HOW L E
THE HERB FARMER November
HOW’S YOUR GARDEN
“If everybody is thinking alike, then somebody isn’t thinking.” General George S. Patton
SIMPLE TIMES
General George S. Patton was known as “Old Blood and Guts,” and he rose to great popularity while commanding the 7th Army during World War II. The quote offers a glimpse into his military planning and strategy. He was willing to hear other options when making decisions and was willing to listen to his subordinates. Sometimes his subordinates would notice when something might not work or offer a different perspective. Ultimately, the final decision was his but only after listening to opposing ideas. Great leaders welcome debate and don’t surround themselves with “yes men,” but instead thrive on debate because that’s how you get to the best ideas. This November, be willing to listen to those who have ideas that may not always align with yours and make your final decisions after hearing all sides.
Make it a November to Remember
November is the month that transitions us from fall to winter, and we begin to see much cooler days and colder nights. Squirrels, deer and turkey are busy scrambling around for the fruits of the forest to store up winter energy because the lowest temperatures of the season are on the way. Remember that November starts the second severe weather season for Alabama. According to the AlabamaWx weather blog, from 2001-2015, 21% of all documented tornadoes, 6% of tornado-related deaths, and 10% of all tornado-related injuries occurred during November and December. They recommend making sure your NOAA Weather Radio or any portable, battery-operated radio is working and flash-
THE CO-OP PANTRY
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lights have fresh batteries.
Deer Display Options Gun season for deer begins this month, and if you’ve done a bit of preseason scouting, you should be able to harvest some healthy, high-protein meat from deer. If you harvest a mature buck and want to get it mounted, be ready for a surprise. It’s quite expensive to get a deer head mounted for display. A different, more cost-effective solution is to complete a European mount for the skull. A European mount for an antlered animal is a cost-effective way to give a beautifully rustic look to the top entrance of a gate, barn or hunting cabin. The good news is, it costs nothing but a little time and some bleach. To complete a European mount, detach the head from the spinal column, skin it out removing the eyes and lower jaw. Boil the skull for a half hour to remove the insides. Paint a mixture of half bleach and half water onto the skull to get a bright, white color. Once dried, the mount can be attached to the wall or top gate post by hooking the spinal column hole onto a large nail. Hydrogen peroxide can be used as a substitute for the bleach since some people feel the bleach makes the bone appear too chalky and white. However, I prefer the brighter white.
For under 40 bucks, you can mount your own antlers easily for display.
Another cost-effective way to display a buck harvest is with a simple antler mounting kit. For under 40 bucks, you can order an antler mount display that comes with wood panel, antler form, felt covering, gold rope, paper mache’, hardware and instructions. These can be ordered from www.mckenziesp.com and click on antler mounting kits. You can also call 1-800-2797985. Adding items such as date of harvest and the spent bullet casing can add final touches to your trophy display.
Scrape Savvy
A European mount is an inexpensive option to mounted heads.
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Cooperative Farming News
A long, steady rain can wash away the scents left in a scrape by a buck. A productive time to visit scrapes is right after a rain. The buck will often come back to freshen his scrape. A scrape is a place on the ground under a low-hanging limb where a buck paws the leaves and debris from the ground underneath leaving the fresh dirt exposed. If you look at the debris pile carefully, you can see which direction the buck was traveling. If you haven’t located any scrapes on your property, simply make a few mock scrapes. Bend over a sapling tree where the limbs are about chest high. Secure the
limb to an adjoining tree so the limb hangs over the ground. Rake out the debris and leaves under the limb and pour some deer urine in the bare spot. Keep an eye out for fresh deer tracks in the bare ground for passing bucks and does.
Dozer Deer Trails November is a great time to clean out the firebreaks on your property. From a safety standpoint, these clean firebreaks make conducting prescribed burns more effective and better to control. There is also another advantage to clearing firebreaks in November. Once the firebreaks are clean and free of debris, you can walk down these trails silently without the leaf litter allowing you to slip up on a lot of wildlife without being noticed.
Can your deer meat and save money.
Finally, November is also the month of Thanksgiving (Thursday, Nov. 25). Take this time to be thankful for family and friends and take time to get out and enjoy God’s great outdoors while the woods are cooler and full of fall beauty.
Clearing your firebreaks offers silent stalking for wildlife.
Save Dough with Deer Meat It can be expensive to get a deer processed. Instead, save money, do it yourself, and have meat ready for long-term storage. Once you’ve removed your tenderloin and inner tenderloins, the rest of the meat can be cut into one-inch chunks for high pressure canning. Simply add a teaspoonful of canning salt to each jar of venison, tighten the lids and rings down, and pressure can the deer meat at 11 pounds of pressure for 90 minutes. The high-pressure cooking and intense heat tenderizes the meat and removes much of the gamey flavor. Once canned, the meat can be stored safely for a couple of years using no electricity. November 2021
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SIMPLE TIMES BY SU Z Y Mc C RAY
Eat Them ...
use them to wash your THE(orThanksgiving CO-OP PANTRY dishes!) This month our meals will include a new-to-us vegetable whose blooms can be battered and fried, and whose “fruit” can be similarly cooked. This vegetable can also be used to SCRUB our dishes when we’re through eating Thanksgiving dinner! What other vegetable can you grow that you can eat plus scrub your truck with? Or even use to soap your body during a luxurious bath?
Loofahs can be grown in pots if you have room for them to climb.
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Cooperative Farming News
Like us you may have thought a loofah “sponge” was something that came from deep within the ocean, and prices online for organic ones can make you think they are indeed a rare luxury. But we have discovered that those wonderful sponges can be grown simply and even in pots (if you have room for them to climb) in our bright Alabama sunshine! You can use the blooms raw in salads or fry them like you would yellow crookneck squash blooms. The fruit of the younger gourds can be sliced and cooked like any other squash, either baked or fried. According to the USDA, loofahs contain lots of vitamins A, B5, B6 and C as well as manganese, potassium and copper. The older loofahs can either be left to ripen on the vines or picked and left to dry. (We’re experimenting by letting some dry inside the greenhouse.) They
Young loofahs can be sliced and cooked like any other squash.
The colorful loofah blooms can be used in salads.
need to be thoroughly dry and brown before you peel the then-crinkling skin off them. Then you shake out the seeds and dry the washed sponges from inside in the sunshine. Good Housekeeping magazine also noted the sponges are “tough on dirt but not abrasive.” Others say that when the insides are used as sponges to let them dry thoroughly between uses. The sponges can be used whole, cut into flat sections to use as scrubbing pads or cut crosswise to embed in soap, which is what I plan to do with most of mine if everything works out OK. There’s the added benefit of the beautiful flowers they produce on the vines! It’s hard to feel depressed when you have big yellow flowers draped across a fence line and buzzing with happy bees! There’s a saying going around on social media that we should “build a life you don’t need a vacation from.” That’s what I’ve always strived to do in my simple life. “Sheltering at home” is not a problem when home is truly where your heart is. These past months and the past year have been extremely hard for lots of people. I guess that’s why Thanksgiving and Christmas will be even more special to our family this year. No, we likely won’t have a lot of family here surrounding our table on either holiday (and if they were ALL here it would be a crowd with five grown children plus spouses and 23 grandchildren and greatgrands!”. Even if it just winds up being the two of us, we have so much to be thankful for not only here on our little farm but all around us as well. When the first Thanksgiving meal was celebrated between the first colonists and the Wampanoag Native Americans in Plymouth in 1621, things had been hard as well. At least one-half of the Pilgrims had died as they struggled to make a home in the new land. They had been miserably hot, freezing cold, hungry, lonesome, heartbroken and more, but they
realized God was still with them in their struggles. For the next two centuries, states set apart their own dates to celebrate Thanksgiving. Then in 1863, in the midst of the War between the States, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a National Day of Thanksgiving was to be held in November. Although he was a lawyer and our nation’s President, Lincoln had always been known as a simple man of few words, but words that hit to the core. His words then can be our prayer as we celebrate our Thanksgiving this year. President Lincoln proclaimed: “The year is drawing toward its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come …. No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the most high God ….” In his proclamation, he asked God “to commend to His tender care all who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife.” And he asked God to “heal the wounds of our nation and restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquility and union….” I don’t know if President Lincoln had ever seen or even heard of a loofah before. But I suspect he walked the grounds of the White House and enjoyed the beauty of the plants in his surroundings, watched the lightning crash across a cloud-filled sky, and looked into his children’s eyes, and was thankful for God’s blessings in spite of the turmoil around him. “For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with Thanksgiving because it is consecrated by the Word of God and prayer.” 1 Timothy 4:4-5 (Suzy and Mack live on a small homestead in Blount County and can be reached on Facebook or at suzy.mccray@yahoo.com.)
Ison’s Nursery SINCE 1934
Grow Half-Dollar Sized Muscadines and Blackberries!
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FOOD SAFETY
It’s Almost
Turkey Time!
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Cooperative Farming News
BY A N G E L A T R E A D AWAY
Are you planning on preparing a turkey for Thanksgiving? Planning ahead can make the traditional Thanksgiving meal safer and less stressful. Here are some tips from your local County Extension Office to help make this year’s holiday meal a success. Before purchasing your turkey, make sure you have ample space in your refrigerator. Turkeys look smaller at the grocery store, so be careful not to underestimate the size of your bird. Think about using a cooler to thaw and store your turkey. The turkey should be kept on ice and should stay 40 F or below to prevent bacteria from growing. Storing the turkey in a cooler will free up space in your refrigerator and will help keep the raw turkey juices from contaminating other items in your refrigerator. Keep in mind a 1520 pound or more frozen turkey is not going to thaw out overnight so please allow a couple of days for it to thaw because it’s not safe to cook a turkey that is not fully thawed out. It takes more time and the outside will cook before the inside and dry it out.
and submerge in cold water. Change the cold water every 30 minutes. The turkey will take about 30 minutes per pound to thaw. Cook the turkey immediately after it is thawed. Do not refreeze. If buying a fresh turkey, purchase it only one to two days before the meal and keep it refrigerated or on ice. Once thawed, remove neck and giblets from the body cavities and keep bird and parts refrigerated at 40 F or below until it is ready to be cooked. Always wash hands with warm water and soap for 20 seconds before and after handling the turkey.
Cooking and Stuffing
Never defrost turkey on the counter! Turkey can be thawed in the refrigerator or in cold water. The refrigerator method is the safest and will result in the best finished product. Leave the bird in the original packaging and place in a shallow pan and allow refrigerator thawing time at a rate of four to five pounds per 24 hours. To thaw in cold water, keep turkey in the original packaging, place in a clean and sanitized sink or pan
The single most important thing to know about cooking a turkey, no matter the cooking method, is that the turkey must be cooked to the proper internal temperature as measured with a food thermometer. An unstuffed turkey will generally take 14 to 20 minutes per pound to cook and a stuffed turkey will take additional time. Stuffing should be prepared and stuffed into the turkey immediately before it’s placed in the oven at 325 F. Mix the wet and dry ingredients for the stuffing separately and combine just before using. Stuff the turkey loosely, about 3/4 cup stuffing per pound of turkey. Bake any extra stuffing in a greased casserole dish. Cooked inside or outside the bird, all stuffing and dressing recipes must be cooked to a minimum temperature of 165 F. (For optimum safety and more even cooking, it’s recommended to cook your stuffing in a casserole dish.)
Never defrost turkey on the counter!
Turkey must be cooked to proper internal temperature.
Thawing and Handling
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Take the temperature! Insert a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh, not touching bone. Cook to a minimum internal temperature of 165 F as measured with a food thermometer. If the turkey is done and the stuffing is not yet 165 F, remove the stuffing from the turkey and place it in a greased casserole dish to continue cooking to temperature. The best thing to do is cook the dressing in a pan separate from the turkey.
Happy Holidays from your Alabama Cooperative Extension System and each County Extension Office throughout the state! We hope you have a safe and joyous season. Please try the Turkey and Broccoli Quiche recipe below. Let us know what you think.
Safe Carving and Serving It’s best to let the turkey rest for 20 minutes before carving to allow the juices to set, so the turkey will carve more easily. Use a clean cutting board that has a well to catch juices. Remove all stuffing from the turkey cavity. Make sure your knife is sharp before you start carving. Do not leave any extra turkey, stuffing or other leftovers out for more than two hours.
Turkey and Broccoli Quiche Ingredients 2 (9 inch) ready-made piecrusts 4 eggs 1 cup low-fat or skim milk 3/4 cup low-fat cheddar cheese 3/4 cup cooked, chopped turkey 1 (10 ounce) package frozen, chopped broccoli 1/4 cup carrots, shredded 1/4 cup finely chopped onion 3/4 cup teaspoon garlic salt Pepper to taste Let turkey rest for 20 minutes before carving.
Storing Leftovers Safely Carve the extra turkey meat from the bones. Within two hours, store leftover turkey in shallow containers and put in the refrigerator or the freezer. Use cooked leftover turkey, stuffing and gravy within 3-4 days. Cooked turkey keeps for 3-4 months in the freezer. When using leftovers, reheat the foods thoroughly to 165 F or until hot and steaming; bring gravy to a boil before serving. For more information on safe food handling and cooking, please contact your local Extension Office. 54
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Directions 1. Heat oven to 350 F. Bake piecrusts according to package directions. 2. In a mixing bowl, combine eggs, milk, garlic, salt and pepper. Mix well. 3. Cook broccoli according to package directions. Pour off liquid. Let broccoli cool; squeeze broccoli to remove some more water. Make sure broccoli is well drained. 4. Layer the turkey, vegetables and cheese into baked piecrusts. Pour the egg mixture over the ingredients. 5. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until top is brown and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. 6. Let stand 5 minutes before cutting. Makes 12 servings | calories 270 | total fat 16 g | saturated fat 6 g | protein 16 g | carbohydrates 17 g | fiber 2 g | sodium 450 mg
I
woke up one November morning at 5:30 a.m. to go on an early morning walk. Since sunrise was over an hour away, it was still very dark outside. Everyone in my house was asleep, so I was doing my best to be quiet and respectful. I didn’t turn on any lights, so I had to cautiously grope through the darkness, down the hallway to the front of the house. When I reached the end of the hall, I saw a light shining in my office that I had never noticed before. A beam of blue light was shining on the wall. The light was coming from my desk. The door to the cabinet that houses my cable modem was slightly ajar. The blue power light on the modem was burning with such brilliance that it escaped through the crack in the door and shone brightly on the wall. It’s unfortunate that my modem light stays closed inside a cabinet all day long. It’s rarely ever seen. I thought about that saying of Jesus, “Neither do men light a candle and put it under a bushel” (Matthew 5:15). Light was created to be seen. It was the very first thing that God created when He made the Earth. I almost felt sorry for the little blue light on my modem. So, I opened the cabinet door, letting it illuminate more than just the small, cramped space inside the cabinet. That tiny, blue light shone with such radiance that it il-
luminated my entire office. So much so that I was able to find my keys and wallet without turning on any other overhead lights. I gave that tiny light a chance to do the thing it was created to do ... I gave it a chance to shine! Let me tell you about another little light I sometimes feel sorry for ... the refrigerator light. Talk about “hiding your light under a bushel!” That poor little light is constantly hidden. No one ever gives it any thought at all ... that is, until they want a glass of milk, or slice of cheese. Just think about that little light for a moment. Its whole purpose in life is to shine only for a moment ... when the refrigerator door is opened. For the rest of its life, it hides in isolation behind the closed doors of the refrigerator. It doesn’t stay on all the time. If it did, perhaps it would feel a little less insignificant. The only time it gets a chance to shine is when we get hungry. But, aren’t you glad, that it’s there? My refrigerator light burnt out last year and it took me a week to get a new bulb. So, there were several days that we had no light in our refrigerator. I’d open the door and couldn’t see what I was reaching for. I was making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich one day and reached into the dark refrigerator to pull out the grape jelly. When I got to the counter to make my sandwich, it was then that I discovered I had picked up a jar of dill
This Little Light of Mine November 2021
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pickles instead! I didn’t realize how much I appreciated that little light until it was no longer shining. When I was a kid, we used to sing a song in church that said, “This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine.” Perhaps you’ve heard it before. The saying “Let your little light shine” is a motivational theme that has its roots in Christianity, but has widespread applications even in the secular realm. I’d be remiss not to mention one instance when I saw this saying exemplified at its absolute finest. It was the Christmas season of 1998. My wife and I, along with our two preschool children, went to a Christmas candlelight service at a very large church. More than 1,000 people were in attendance that evening. The sanctuary had no windows to let light in. When the entire congregation was safely seated, the pastor took a match and lit a small white candle as he stood behind the pulpit. He then asked for all the sanctuary lights to be turned off, slowly, so that people’s eyes could adjust to the darkness. One by one, the overhead lights clicked off. When the last overhead light went out, there wasn’t any light in the entire sanctuary except for the flickering flame of the candle the pastor held in his hand. Even though that flame was very small, everyone in the congregation could see the pastor’s full form illuminated by the tiny light. The pastor then called three of his associate pastors to come forward, guided only by the light of that small, flickering flame. Each associate pastor held out a small white candle and the pastor lit all three candles from the one candle in his hand. The platform was illuminated now by the aid of four tiny candle flames. From there, the three associates went to six ushers each, lighting each one of their candles. There were now 22 candle flames flickering inside the once-darkened sanctuary. It was a beautiful sight to behold as one by one those ushers lit the candles of each person who sat in the congregation on the end of each row of pews. Each person on the end row lit the candle of the person next to them, and so on and so on. In so doing, it took less than five minutes for the entire sanctuary to become beautifully illuminated with the flickering flames of over 1,000 candles. It was the most beautiful candlelight service I have ever participated in. It was amazing to think about. One thousand candles burned brightly in that room, but it all started from one tiny flame. You and I have a flame, a light, that burns inside of us. Proverbs 20:27 says, “The spirit of man is the candle of the LORD.” The human spirit, when touched by the Spirit of God, becomes a light that shines in the midst of our cold, dark world. It doesn’t matter the size of the light. It doesn’t matter if it’s only a flickering flame. What matters is the source of the light. Even 56
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the smallest light, like the light of my cable modem, has the ability to bring light to a darkened room … and a darkened world. Remember the refrigerator light I mentioned? People are hungry for love, joy, peace and hope. They’re groping in the darkness, searching for something that will fill that empty hunger within them. Those who have the light of God within them are just like the refrigerator light. They may only shine for a brief moment, but the light they emit lets others see that hope, joy and peace are still available in this dark world. We’re about to enter the holiday season of 2021. Many are fearful and depressed because of the darkness of the past two years. Oh, how we need a little light shed into our lives to bring hope, joy and peace. What better time to experience a hopeful spirit than during the holiday season … when we celebrate the LIGHT that came into the world on the very first Christmas morning. Yes, Jesus came into this world as a baby … a tiny, little light. But, the flame that burned in Jesus was passed on to His disciples, and to their disciples, and to each successive generation. Now, it’s up to you and me to continue passing the flame forward, to our children and to their children. The only way that darkness can prevail is if people don’t pass the flame on … if people fail to let their LITTLE LIGHT SHINE.
our latest listings and more!
www.selandgroup.com | 866-751-LAND SEARCH FOR OVER 800 MORE PROPERTIES ON OUR WEBSITE!
marengo County #3285
perry County #3516
Tallapoosa County #3292
cherokee County #3611
384+/- AC - This is one of those rare properties that offers quality fishing opportunities, great deer hunting, and good turkey hunting. You might even be able to catch some ducks using the flooded timber in the back of the large lake. I do not know of a hunting property in the Black Belt currently on the market with newer and nicer amenities and improvements than this place. $1,200,000
172+/- AC - Properties along the Cahaba River are rarely available for purchase, and this tract has approximately 1/2 mile of frontage on what is our longest free-flowing river in the state. The property lies along the east side of the river. The timber on this property is a good mixture of 20–25-year-old pine plantations, 4-8 year old pine plantation, and upland and bottomland hardwoods.$346,400
210+/- AC - Once in a lifetime opportunity to purchase over 200 acres of undeveloped & unrestricted property on beautiful Lake Martin. Imagine waking up every morning with a waterfront view and having endless options of how to spend the day on your property. You could launch the boat and spend the day out on the lake fishing or joyriding. If you like to hunt, you could ease your way through the mature pine and hardwood bottoms in search of a trophy deer in the fall or a weary old gobbler in the spring. $1,495,000
1472+/- AC - This is an extraordinarily rare opportunity to buy a large tract with long tern timber investment and recreational uses. There are numerous recreational opportunities on this property including deer hunting, turkey hunting, duck hunting in the duck swamp, ATV riding and more. The property has of 132+/- acres of hardwoods, 35.75+/- acres of natural pine, 90 acres of open productive land and 1126+/- of pine plantation in varying pre merch age classes planted. $2,395,250
blount County
932+/- AC - Large timber investment opportunity! The tract is comprised of different age classes of planted pine and mature hardwood stands. There is also an 8+/- acre pond and Little Chatahospee Creek flows through the property giving water access for the wildlife year-round. Scattered throughout the property are small food plots and there is a good road system that traverses the rolling topography allowing for ease of access. $1,958,040
1,153+/- AC - An incredible opportunity is available to own one of the highest points in Blount County, McAnnally Mountain! This is a mixture of pine and hardwood with road frontage and internal roads with an excellent deer and turkey population. $2,421,300
covington County #3522
30+/- AC - Property consists primarily of row crop farmland currently planted in corn. This property has the potential to make an excellent homesite for someone wanting to live in the country, build a home, and have their own open land to grow crops/garden, raise cattle, or just to hunt. $110,000
tallapoosa County #3499
304+/- AC - Boulder Creek Plantation is a well-managed and meticulously maintained wildlife preserve situated on 300+/- acres in north-central Tallapoosa Co, Alabama. Located just 10 miles from Alexander City, AL, 47 miles from Auburn, AL, 81 miles from Birmingham, Al, and a short distance to Lake Martin. $3,700,000
chambers County
clay County #3591
60+/- AC - About 55 of those are fenced and currently house cattle. There’s a small creek that runs through the middle of the property that makes it easily accessible for farm animals. Power, water, and County utilities are accessible on the Hwy 49 road frontage. There is also dirt road frontage across the back of the property on Stanford Circle. $220,000
lownes County #3324
255+/- AC - This property has been managed to produce big deer, turkey, and ducks. There is a well established road system throughout the property making all areas easily accessible. $499,000
LIVING THE DREAM 5 HOUSE BROILER FARM IN CLEBURNE COUNTY, AL
Farm
NEW LISTING
Living the Dream Farm is a 5 House Broiler Farm located near Ranburne, AL in Cleburne County. This farm includes one Mega House 66×600 built in 2012 and 4 40×400 built in 1996 & 1997. The farm consists of 50+/- acres of mostly pasture including some fertile creek bottomland. The farm has a historical gross annual income of has been $225,000-275,000 depending on 4 flocks per year, but some years the farm gets a 5th flock. The farm grows for Koch Foods Pine Mountain Valley Complex, growing an 8.5 lb bird on a 60 day growout. This farm runs on all municipal water and has a newly installed customized water filtration system. The farm will have natural gas as of October 2021 installed on the farm. The farm has a multiple bay compost shed as well as a separate litter barn with concrete floor. The home is a two story dwelling with a two car garage. Recently updated metal roof, recently updated HVAC, hardwood floors, master on the main floor, and plenty of room for a growing family. This farm is located just minutes from the Ranburne Elementary and High School a highly regarded school in the area. You are just a few minutes from Bowdon, GA as well as Carrollton, GA and Oxford, AL. This farm is a perfect location for one family member to have an off the farm job. This farm is also close to West Georgia College and other higher learning institutions. The farm has frontage on Lost Little Creek. The pastures are fenced and cross fenced. This farm can support 15-18 cow units. There is a cattle barn with hay and equipment storage. Living the Dream Farm is a bio-secure area. All farm visitors must abide by Koch’s Foods and PoultrySouth’s bio-security procedures. All potential purchasers must be prequalified prior to making a farm visit. No visitors without a listing agent present. Please reach out to us for more information about how to qualify.
RANDALL UPCHURCH PoultrySouth Co-Founder 256-239-5379 randall@selandgroup.com
ROBERT KING
PoultrySouth Co-Founder 844-855-0680 robert@selandgroup.com
SOUTH.COM
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Jeff Register Building & Truss
LIVESTOCK AUCTIONS SUPPORT THE AUCTION. WE WORK FOR YOU.
CLAY COUNTY STOCKYARD
VALLEY STOCKYARD
1050 Airport Road - Ashland, AL Sale Every Tuesday at 12:30 p.m. Tad and Kim Eason, Owners
Check us out on Facebook!
13130 AL HWY 157 - Moulton, AL Cattle Auction - Wed. at 11:00 a.m. Billy Wallace (C) 256-303-7097 Phone: 256-974-5900 Fax: 256-974-5899 Your Full Service Stockyard
SAND MOUNTAIN STOCKYARD, LLC
TOP RANKED MARKET RECEIPTS SINCE 2006
Barn: 256-354-2276 Tad: 397-4428
Hauling available
19509 AL Hwy 68 - Crossville, AL 256-561-3434 Cattle Auction - Every Wed. & Sat. at 11:30 a.m.
40’ x 60’ x 12’ - Installed Roof only, closed gables - $8,300 Roof only, open gables - $7,500 30’ x 40’ x 10’ - Installed Roof Only, open gables - $4,500 *Prices do not include tax and delivery*
Office - 228-678-0971 Cell - 228-234-9115 or 228-234-7241 Jregister@registermetals.com Locations: 2811 26th Ave. Gulfport MS and Highland Home, AL
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Call for any hauling & catching needs
MID STATE STOCKYARDS 8415 State HWY 97 South Letohatchee, AL 36047 Sale Day: Tuesday at 10:00 a.m. 1-877-334-5229 or 334-227-8000 www.midstatestockyards.com
If you would like to advertise your stockyard, please contact Wendy McFarland at mcfarlandadvantage@gmail.com
THE CO-OP PANTRY BY M A RY DE L P H
In this issue of the Co-op Pantry, the AFC ladies who bring you the magazine each month are sharing their favorite Thanksgiving recipes. We are excited to share these from our family to yours. My maternal grandmother retained a good many parts of her British heritage, these being part of it. - Mary Delph, Associate Editor
Scones 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour 2 Tablespoons sugar 4 teaspoons baking powder ½ teaspoon salt 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter, cold 2/3 cup milk 1 egg yolk beaten with 1 Tbsp milk (to glaze) Strawberry jam (to serve) Devonshire Cream Heat oven to 425 F. In a medium bowl, mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and butter. Rub the mixture together with your fingers to break up the butter until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the milk slowly, mixing as you add, using enough of the milk to get the dough to come together with no lumps remaining. (The dough should be quite sticky.) Spoon the dough out onto a well-floured surface. Generously dust the top of the dough and knead 2-3 times to coat with flour and smooth the surface. Press the dough into a round that is roughly 1 inch thick. Using a well-floured 2-inch cookie cutter, cut the dough into circles. (Be sure to press the cookie cutter straight down and up. Cut straight down and up. Do not twist cutter, you will ruin your scones.) Place the rounds onto a greased and floured baking sheet. Brush them gently with the egg yolk
and milk mixture. Bake the scones for 12-15 minutes, until golden and firm. Remove the baked scones from the oven and let them cool for 30 minutes. If you like softer scones, cover them with a clean tea towel as they cool. Note from Mary: Serve with Devonshire cream, recipe below, and strawberry jam.
Devonshire Cream 3 ounces cream cheese, softened 1 Tablespoon white sugar 1 pinch salt 1 cup heavy whipping cream 1 Tablespoon minced green onions In a medium bowl, cream together cream cheese, sugar and salt. Beat in cream until stiff peaks form. Chill until serving. Note from Mary: A wonderful topping for scones, or use as a dip for fruit. .............................................................................
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As a wife and stepmom of two amazing boys, I am always looking for something easy to throw together. Whether it be at home or a holiday gathering these Easy Bars are perfect. Not only are they delicious but they are so easy to throw in a pan and go. This recipe has been passed down through our family and is always a favorite wherever we take them! - Jessie Shook, Editor
7-Layer Easy Bars 1 stick of butter 1 cup graham cracker crumbs 1 6-ounce bag semisweet chocolate 1 6-ounce bag butterscotch 1 7-ounce bag shredded coconut 1 cup walnuts, chopped 1 can Eagle Brand sweetened & condensed milk Melt one stick of butter in 9x11-inch pan on top of the stove. Sprinkle graham cracker crumbs on top of melting butter. Use a spoon to press crumbs to cover bottom of the pan. Crumbs must be moistened. Sprinkle semisweet morsels, followed by butterscotch, then coconut. Chop walnuts and sprinkle on top. Drizzle sweetened condensed milk over entire pan. Bake at 350 F for 25-30 minutes. Cool completely before cutting into squares. .............................................................................
Mac and cheese is a southern favorite and a staple dish at every Thanksgiving for my family. This recipe for Southern Baked Mac and Cheese is just how we like it! - Jade Randolph, Graphic Designer
Southern Baked Mac and Cheese 8 to 10 ounces elbow macaroni ½ cup whole milk 1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk 2 eggs, lightly beaten 1½ teaspoons white pepper 1½ teaspoons granulated sugar ½ teaspoon salt or to taste ½ cup (1 stick) butter, cut into small pieces 2 Tablespoons sour cream ½ pound Velveeta, cut into small chunks 8 ounces shredded Colby-Jack cheese or 4 ounces Colby and 4 ounces Monterey Jack 4 ounces shredded sharp cheddar cheese 1 cup shredded mild cheddar cheese Preheat oven to 350 F. Bring large pot of water to boil and then salt generously. Cook macaroni just shy of package directions, al dente. Drain well and place in 9” by 13” baking dish or pan. In same pasta pot, whisk together whole milk, evaporated milk, eggs, salt, pepper and sugar until combined. Pour mixture over cooked macaroni in pan. Add butter, sour cream, Velveeta, Colby-Jack and both cheddar cheeses. Stir to combine well and top evenly with shredded mild cheddar. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until bubbly and lightly browned on top. Let rest 10 minutes or so before serving. Enjoy! .............................................................................
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When I think of pumpkin pie, I think of my Grandma – not only because she’s sweet as pie, but because she makes the best one I’ve ever tasted. Passed down for four generations, we’re happy to pass this recipe on to you and your family to enjoy. - Samantha Hendricks, Editor-In-Chief
Grandma Schlegel’s Pumpkin Pie 1 can pumpkin (small) 2 good cups milk 1 cup sugar 3 eggs Salt 1 Tablespoon flour ½ teaspoon nutmeg 1 teaspoon cinnamon Put the eggs in the bowl first and beat them. Add all the rest and beat for about 2 minutes – put in pie shell, bake 350 F for about 1 hour. Makes 1 big pie.
cattle-log sale recap Maternal Magic Annual Bull Sale
November 6
The Fall Sale
November 6
Fall Round Up Bull Sale
November 12
Fall Production Sale
November 12
Pharo Cattle Company
November 13
Fall Ball Replacement Heifer Sale
November 19
Next Step Cattle Co.
November 20
North Alabama Bull Evaluation Sale
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FALL OUTDOORS CASCADING CHRYSANTHEMUMS November 1-30, 2021 Mobile - Bellingrath Gardens Admission - 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Call 800-247-8420 ALABAMA FRONTIER DAYS November 3-7, 2021 Wetumpka - Fort Toulouse-Fort Jackson Park - Admission 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Call 334-567-3002 CHRISTMAS VILLAGE FESTIVAL November 3-7, 2021 Birmingham - BJCC - Admission (Honoring 2020 Tickets) Thursday - Saturday: 10:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. Sunday: Noon - 5:00 p.m. Call 205-836-7178 TASTE OF MONROEVILLE November 4, 2021 Monroeville - Monroeville Community House - Admission 6:00 - 9:00 p.m. Call 251-743-2879 ART NIGHT November 4, 2021 Northport - Kentuck Art Center & Festival of Arts 5:00 - 8:00 p.m. Call 205-758-1257
Amphitheater - Admission 7:30 p.m. Call 205-248-5280
Sale begins at 12:00 Noon 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. Call 334-227-8000
PIONEER DAYS AT RIKARD'S MILL November 4-6, 2021 Beatrice - Rikard’s Mill Historical Park - Admission Call 251-575-7433
LINEVILLE HERITAGE DAY FESTIVAL November 6, 2021 Lineville - Downtown Call 256-276-4000
"COME HOME, IT'S SUPPERTIME” November 4-13, 2021 Brundidge - We Piddle Around Theater - Admission Call 334-670-6302
SOUTHERN CATTLE COMPANY ANNUAL BULL SALE November 6, 2021 Mariana Florida - 455 Brotherton Lane - Sale begins at 12:00 Noon Call 850-352-2020
FRANK BROWN SONGWRITERS FESTIVAL November 4-14, 2021 Orange Beach - Various Locations Admission Call 850-492-7664 2021 ROUND TOP FOLK FESTIVAL November 5-6, 2021 Huntsville - Burritt on the Mountain Admission - 5:00 - 10:00 p.m. Call 256-536-2882 ALABAMA PECAN FESTIVAL November 5-7, 2021 Mobile - W.C. Griggs Elementary School Friday: 5:00 p.m. Saturday: 9:00 a.m. Sunday: 11:00 a.m. Call 251-401-5555 NATIONAL PEANUT FESTIVAL November 5-14, 2021 Dothan - Fairgrounds Admission Call 334-793-4323 CANE SYRUP MAKIN' DAY November 6, 2021 Beatrice - Rikard’s Mill Admission 9:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. Call 251-575-7433 GCAA ART MARKET November 6, 2021 Gulf Shores - First Presbyterian Church 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. Call 251-948-2627
JOHN PARDI AT THE AMPHITHEATER THE FALL SALE November 4, 2021 November 6, 2021 Tuscaloosa - Tuscaloosa 62 Cooperative Farming News Letohatchee - Mid State Stockyards
CHALK ART FESTIVAL AT THE WHARF November 6, 2021 Orange Beach - The Wharf Call 251-224-1000 B. Y. O. (BRING YOUR OWN) BIKE TOUR November 6, 2021 Orrville - Old Cahawba Archaeological Park Call 334-872-8058 PIKE ROAD ARTS AND CRAFTS FAIR November 6, 2021 Pike Road - Historic Marks House 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Call 334-281-8032 MOSS ROCK FESTIVAL November 6-7, 2021 Hoover - Hoover Metropolitan Complex Saturday: 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Sunday: 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Call 205-739-7364 CHRISTMAS OPEN HOUSE November 7, 2021 Dadeville - Various Locations 1:00 - 5:00 p.m. Call 256-825-4019 ASC PRESENTS: ROBERT CRAY BAND November 9, 2021 Birmingham - Alys Stephens Center 7:00 p.m. Call 205-975-2787 PHOTOS WITH SANTA AT THE WHARF November 9 - December 24, 2021
Orange Beach - The Wharf Admission 5:30 - 9:00 p.m. Call 877-930-4447 VETERANS DAY CELEBRATION AND PARADE OF FLAGS November 11, 2021 Mobile - USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park - Admission 3:00 p.m. Call 251- 287-3636 VETERANS DAY AT THE AMERICAN VILLAGE November 11, 2021 Montevallo - The American Village Admission 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Call 205-665-3535 CHARIS CRAFTERS "HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS" CRAFT SHOW November 11-13, 2021 Wetumpka - Wetumpka Civic Center Admission Thursday: 9:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. Friday: 9:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. Saturday: 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. Call 334-224-9109 FAIRHOPE FILM FESTIVAL November 11-14, 2021 Fairhope - Oak Hollow Farm Admission Call 251-202-9119 GALAXY OF LIGHTS November 11 - February 2, 2021 Huntsville - Huntsville Botanical Garden - Admission 5:30 - 9:00 p.m. Call 877-930-4447 WOOD-BURNING: “PERSONALIZED HOLIDAY TREE ORNAMENTS” November 12, 2021 Huntsville - Burritt on the Mountain Admission 6:00 - 9:00 p.m. Call 256-536-2882
Call 205-681-8028 MONROEVILLE MARKET November 13, 2021 Monroeville - Downtown 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. Call 251-743-2879 WEST DALLAS ANTIQUE TRACTOR, CAR, GAS ENGINE AND CRAFT SHOW November 13, 2021 Orrville - 90 Church Street S. Call 334-510-0207 PIKE COUNTY CATTLEWOMEN'S ANNUAL CHRISTMAS BAZAAR November 13, 2021 Troy - Pike County Cattleman’s Park 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. Call 334-566-0892 HOLIDAY ART SALE November 20, 2021 Auburn - Jan Dempsy Community Arts Center 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Call 334-501-2930 NEXT STEP CATTLE COMPANY BULL SALE November 20, 2021 Livingston - Next Step Bull Development Center Call 334-456-1209 or Call 334-524-9287 or Call 305-755-5431 2021 CHRISTMAS TREE FARM AT OLD BAKER FARM November 26 - December 24, 2022 Harpersville - Old Baker Farm 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Call 205-672-7209 TINSEL TRAIL November 26 - January 2, 2022 Huntsville - Big Spring Park Dusk - Midnight Call 256-858-1857 ANNUAL CHRISTMAS TREE LIGHTING AT THE WHARF November 30, 2022 Orange Beach - The Wharf Call 205-224-1000
NAC CHRISTMAS ARTS & CRAFTS SHOW November 12-13, 2021 Gardendale - Gardendale Civic Center SANTA ON MAIN Admission November 30, 2022 Friday: 9:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. Atmore - Main Street Saturday: 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
4:30 - 7:00 p.m. Call 251-368-3305 51ST ANNUAL MONTGOMERY GEM, MINERAL & JEWELRY SHOW December 3-5, 2021 Montgomery - Garrett Coliseum Admission Friday: 9:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. Saturday: 9:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. Sunday: 11:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Call 334-356-6866
***Please note that some of these events may be postponed or canceled due to COVID-19. Please contact the event directly in order to find out more information about the event.***
“What’s Happening in Alabama” Policy The AFC Cooperative Farming News publishes event listings as space allows, giving preference to agricultural events of regional or statewide interest and those that are annual or one-time events. The magazine assumes no responsibility for the accuracy of information submitted for publication and advises calling ahead to confirm dates, locations, times and possible admission fees. To be included in the calendar, send listings to: Cooperative Farming News Calendar of Events P.O. Box 2227 Decatur, AL 35609 -oremail to Calendar of Events at subscribe@alafarm.com *Please include name of event, where it will be held (both town and physical location), a phone number for more information, and an email or website.* *Event Listings must be received at least two months in advance and will be accepted up to a year in advance.*
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DON’T LET YOUR COWS HAVE A BAD DAY. Cows need proper nutrition 365 days a year. Cheating them of quality mineral and proper nutrition to support bodily function impacts future calf crops. Scientifically speaking it’s called Fetal Programing. Realistically speaking it’s investing in the success of future generations. Invest in your herd’s future success with Purina’s All Seasons Cattle nutrition program. It helps ensure your cows never have a bad day, but also a better tomorrow. Contact your local Purina Dealer or visit purinamills.com/cattle-feed to learn more about the Purina® All Seasons Cattle Nutrition program.
©2021 Purina Animal Nutrition LLC. All rights reserved.
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