17 minute read
On the Edge of Common Sense
Loose Cow Party
“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
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 participation 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 hands- on instruction in various skills while also developing critical employability and leadership skills. The agriculture industry is so diverse that students are ex-
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.
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.
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 drastically, 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.
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.
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
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.
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
Harrison Butterworth, from Baldwin County, works at his table display for the 4-H Egg Cookery contest. Harrison prepared Mexican Street Corn with Egg.
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.
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.
26 Cooperative Farming News
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
Retired 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.
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.
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
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?
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. 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.
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, members 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
PRAISED 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 fl atten 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 scientifi cally shown to help:
Prevent blood sugar swings
Stop Insomnia
Improve regularity — no constipation
Heal cuts and scrapes
Ease asthma and allergies Ease tension Send pain packing Blast body fat Relieve heartburn Fight wrinkles MUCH MORE!
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1.31 POUNDS
Approximate amount of honey each person in the U.S. consumes every year.
Inside your FREE BOOK you’ll discover 30 di erent healing varieties of honey — each with unique and remarkable “do your body good” powers. For example: Researchers at the Universiti Sains Malaysia reported dozens of studies found tualang honey can halt the growth of some cancer cells.
SWEET FACT
2 MILLION
Number of fl owers it takes for honeybees to make 1 pound of honey.
Then there’s the popular manuka honey, which can help you beat antibiotic-resistant MRSA and staph bacteria. Research shows manuka has a high antibacterial potency — great for treating skin infections and aiding digestion. But . . .
There’s one little trick you must know before you use it. Make sure it’s medical-grade manuka honey. Find out how to tell if it’s the real deal in The Healing Powers of Honey.
And when you want to increase the number of healthy antioxidants in your body . . .
Try buckwheat honey. One study showed healthy men who drank water with buckwheat honey had a 7% boost in their antioxidant levels. This isn’t the only honey to power up antioxidant levels. Discover the two other varieties on page 74 of your FREE BOOK. (Hurry, claim it today before all the FREE copies are gone!)
The Healing Powers of Honey doesn’t just give you the
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Not all honey is the same . . .
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