Spilyqy Tyrooo, Wfm Springs, Oregon SUrch 8, 2001
The Clover Speaks
Natural Resources Notables
Arlrnt WoiltdH 4 11 Agent
And Minnie Tnlultikns
What is 411?
And who works in the 4-H
World
I Icre In Warm Springs;
In Oregon 4-H is a part of the
Oregon State University Extension
Service.
Math county has an Extension
Office Which administers the 4-H
program. 4-H is a
Youth Education Program for
boys and girls in kindergarten
Though M1 grade.
For youth in grades K - 3rd the
urogram is Designed to meet the
Jevelopmental characteristics of
Voting children. It emphasizes coop
erative learning and F.xcludes com-x-titive
events.
Youth in grades 4-12 usually Be
ong to 41 1 clubs or groups and sc
ect project or activities From the
arge number available to them and
nay choose to
F.nter fairs or other competition.
At Warm Springs Arlcnc and
Minnie administer the 4-1 1 Program
and what is it that we actual do?
We search for 4 -I I leaders to lead
the 411 Clubs In the following ar
eas: bcadwork, sewing, cooking, and
livestock, Radio, computer.
What ever you can teach can be a
4-H club.
How docs the 4-H program
work? It's often said " t is better to
build a child then to mend an adult."
This is it in a nutshell, is the
main objective of the 4-H program.
In 4-1 1, volunteer leaders encour
age youth to Gain knowledge and
learn practivc life skills, And to ap
ply both in their project area. Mem
bers I .earn to work together as a team
and develop a sense of fair play 4-H
members learn decision - making
skills thought project Work, judging
contest and other 4-H activities.
As 4-H members mature, they
have opportunities to learn And
practice leadership skills within their
own club, at county Activities, and
during state events. They also begin
to develop An appreciation and
understand of their community
Through individual or club service
project Members improve their com
munication skills through Working
together and interaction in the club,
Presentation, and 4-H
recordkeeping.
They also develop Positive atti
tudes about themselves and others,
learn basic Health and safety prac
tices have educational and vocational
Experiences, and learn how to set
and achieve Realistic goals for them
selves through individual time man
agement. All of this doesn't happen at
once, but develops gradually as
members Continue their involve
ment in 4-H under the guidance of
their 4-H leader
Be sure and read the next Spilyay
to find out more.
Why become involved in 4-H
Clubs?
The following list of figures based
on national statistics for all Ameri
can youth indicates one more or rea
son for youth and adults to become
involved in 4 11 Activities.
Every 1 -second a public school
student is suspended.
Every 9 seconds a high school
student drops out.
Every 10 seconds a child is re
ported abused or neglected.
Every 15 seconds a child is ar
rested Every 1 minute a baby is born to
a teen mother
Every 5 minutes a child is arrested
for a violet crime.
F.very 18 minutes a baby dies.
Every 2 hours a child is a homi
cide victim.
Every 4 hours a child commits
suicide.
Taken from the Jefferson County
Newsletter
Home Sweet Home
The American Dietetic Associa
:ion sponsors National Nutrition
Month each year in March. It al
ways serves as a gentle (sometimes
larsh) reminder to enhance my ex
ercise routine (or start it again if I
lave been a winter slug) and to look
it my daily food choices. Am I re
illy "practicing what I preach"?
during nutrition education lessons
it the elementary school, I encour
ige students to make food selections
bllowing the Food Guide Pyramid.
Jut, do I make sure that I consume
i variety of fruits and vegetables or
!-3 servings from the dairy group
2VERYDAY? Really?
March is the PERFECT time to
.tart over, don't you think? The days
ire warmer and we are able to spend
nore time outside. This year's slo
;an "Food & Fitness: Build a
iealthy Lifestyle" can serve as a
:hallenge to all of us. It reinforces
fie importance of BOTH nutrition
md physical activity as key compo
lents of a healthy lifestyle. The Di
:tary Guidelines for Americans,
2000 is a great tool and offers the
asics of the ABC's (Aim for fitness,
3uild a healthy base, Choose sensi
ly) for you and your family's
lealth. These guidelines are intended
'or healthy children (ages 2 and
lder) and adults of any age.
Aim for fitness
Aim for a healthy weight.
Be physically active each
day.
Build a healthy base
Let the Food Pyramid
guide your food choices.
Choose a variety of grains
daily, especially whole grains.
Choose a variety of fruits
and vegetables daily.
Keep food safe to eat.
Choose sensibly
Choose a diet that is low in
saturated fat and cholesterol and
moderate in total fat.
Choose beverages and foods
to moderate your intake of sugars.
Choose and prepare foods
with less salt.
If you drink alcoholic bev
erages, do so in moderation.
So, how does one Aim for fit
ness? .Aim for a healthy weight. If you
are at a healthy weight, aim to avoid
weight gain. If you already over
weight, first aim to prevent further
weight gain and lose weight to im
prove your health. A realistic and
safe goal is to lose about 10 of your
weight over about 6 months at a rate
of 12 to 2 pounds per week.
Build a healthy base by eating
vegetables, fruits and grain (espe
cially whole grain) with little added
fat or sugar. Select sensible portion
sizes. If you are eating out, choose
small portion sizes (even though it
is really easy to SUPERSIZE it!) or
share with someone.
GET MOVINGI Get regular
physical activity to balance calories
from the foods you eat. Set a good
example for children by practicing
healthy eating habits and enjoying
regular physical activities together.
Keep in mind that even though he
redity and the environment are im
portant influences, your behaviors
help determine your body weight.
Be physically active each day.
Engage in at least 30 minutes (adults)
or 60 minutes (children) of moder
ate physical activity most, preferably
all days of the week. Become physi
cally active if you are inactive. Main
tain or increase physical activity if
you are already active. Stay active
throughout your life.
Help children get at least 60 mitv
utes of physical activity daily. How ,
about playing a game of tag or jump
ing rope or riding a bike? Walking,
skipping or running! Dance around
or play follow the leader with free
movements. Choose physical activi
ties that fit in with your daily rou
tine, or choose recreational or struc
tured exercise programs, or both.
Make sure it is fun or enjoyable to
you or you may lose interest. Con
sult your health care provider before
starting a new vigorous physical ac
tivity plan if you have a chronic
health problem or if you are over 40
(men) or 50 (women).
Are you feeling motivated yet to
Build a Healthy Lifestyle? Tips to
help you Build a healthy base and
Choose sensibly will be offered in
the future. Stay tuned. If you want
more information on the Dietary
Guidelines for Americans, 2000 or
for your own copy, contact OSU
Extension 553-3238.
Time to think about spring
Sure, we've got a lot of cold
weather ahead of us yet, but this is
a good time to start thinking alxmt
any plans you have for your place
once the ground does warm up.
Grazing and livestock plans, hay
operations, fertilization, irrigation
development, home garden, weed
control, fencing plans, just about
anything you arc wanting to get
done this summer. For the large
scale operations, like grazing and
farm plans, I suggest you contact
us at OSU Extension for some as
sistance - either Bob or I should
be able to assist you with anything
from soil testing to stocking rates
to seed and fertilizer recommendations.
If you arc lot iking out the win
dow at your yard - and have some
ideas on what you aunt it to look
ike -we can help. Now is a good
time to map out where you would
ike a garden to be. You can start
out small, that's not a problem. In
fact, it's better to start small and
expand later. Look for an area that
has good soil drainage and plenty
of sunlight in the summer (make
sure there is no big shade tree or
other obstruction around). Think
about fencing it off too - dogs,
horses, and cows can pound your
new garden to dust.
Speaking of fencing, plan on get
ting any new projects in the ground
while the ground is soft - but wait
until it has had a chance to dry out
a little. Driving and working on
muddy soils just makes more prl
lems: soil compaction, weed inva
si m, etc.
Weeds - they are just aliout cv
erywhere, and spreading fast. You
can do a lot to stow the invasion
and even stop it. Get familiar with
weed identification. If you don'
have a copy of the CTWS Noxious
Weeds Field Guide, stop by our
office and pick up yours for free
Know the weeds and then you have
a chance at getting a hold on them
before they get a hold on you. Early
spring is a good time to remove
standing dead material and prepare
for herbicide treatment. Those for
ests of knapweed around your
driveway can be torched off and
then, as the spring warm up comes
along, you can cither spray out or
chop out the rosettes (new plants)
as they emerge. Now, just burning
the stuff now won't fix it - and rak
ing or mowing it just spreads the
seeds around. Once you get rid of
the stuff that's there now, you have
to be prepared to treat the new stuff
as it pops up (kind of like life,
huh?).
So, we still have some winter left
ahead of us - and George Taylor,
the OSU Weather Man, is predict
ing a wet spring. So, you don't need
to rush out the first warm day, but
this is a good time to at least get
some ideas flowing and make some
plans so that the spring docs not
pass you by.
The Stockman's Roundup
By Bob Pawelek
Birth represents an abrupt change
for the beef calf from one environ
ment to another. It is one of the
shortest periods in the life of the
bovine but is the most hazardous.
It marks the end of gestation and the
start of independent life. Calf death
loss increases toward the end of ges
tation partly because of the dangers
of birth. The dangers are TRAUMA
andor ANOXIA as a result of a
difficult or prolonged birth.
The common term for a difficult
birth is dystocia and it is the major
cause of death of the newborn calf.
It is also important to understand
that dystocia andor prolonged birth
affects the vitality and health of the
Facts about Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy
Note: No cases of BSE have ever
een reported or diagnosed in the
Jnited States.
Bovine spongiform encephalopa
hy (BSE), widely referred to as "mad
row disease," is a chronic degenera
:ive disease affecting the central
lervoussystem of cattle. The disease
ms first diagnosed in
1986 in Great Britain.
BSE has had a substantial impact
jn the livestock industry in the
Jnited Kingdom. The disease also
las been confirmed in domestic
:attle in Belgium, France, Ireland,
Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, the
Netherlands, Portugal, and Switzer
and. The U.S. Department of
griculture's (USDA) Animal and
Jlant
Health Inspection Service
APHIS) is enforcing import restric
ions and is conducting surveillance
'or
BSE to ensure that this serious
lisease does not become established
n the United States.
Clinical Signs
Catde affected by BSE experience
rogrcssive degeneration of the ner
rous system. Affected animals may
lisplay changes in temperament,
uch as nervousness or aggression,
ibnormal posture, incoordination
aid difficulty in rising, decreased
nilk production, or loss of body
veight despite continued appetite.
ffected cattle die. The causative
igent of the disease is not completely
:haracterized, and there is neither
iiy treatment nor a vaccine to pre
ent the disease.
The incubation period (the time
rom when an animal becomes in
fected until it first shows disease
signs) is from 2 to 8 years. Follow
ing the onset of clinical signs, the
animal's condition deteriorates un
til it either dies or is destroyed. This
process usually takes from 2 weeks
to 6 months. Most cases in Great
Britain have occurred in dairy
cows between 3 and 6 years of age.
Currently, there is no test to de
tect the disease in a live animal; vet
erinary pathologists confirm BSE by
postmortem microscopic examina
tion of brain tissue or by the detec
tion of the abnormal form of the
prion protein. BSE is so named be
cause of the spongy appearance of
the brain tissue of infected cattle
when sections are examined under a
microscope.
History
From November 1986 (when
BSE was first identified as a separate
disease entity) until July 2, 1999,
175,065 head of cattle in more than
34,800 herds were diagnosed with
BSE in Great Britain. The epidemic
peaked in January 1993 at almost
1,000 new cases reported per week.
Agricultural officials in
Great Britain have taken a series
of actions to eradicate BSE, includ
ing making BSE a notifiable disease,
prohibiting the inclusion of mam
malian meat-and-bone meal in feed
for all food-producing animals, pro
hibiting the inclusion of animals
more than 30 months of age in the
animal and human food chains, and
destroying all animals showing signs
of BSE and other animals at high risk
of developing the disease.
As a result of these actions, the
rate of newly reported cases of BSE
is decreasing. Currently, approxi
mately 60 new cases are found in
Great Britain per week.
Related Diseases
The TSE family of diseases in
cludes scrapie, which affects sheep
and goats; transmissible mink en
cephalopathy; feline spongiform
encephalopathy; chronic wasting
disease of deer and elk; and kuru,
both classical and variant
Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease,
Gerstmann-Straussler-Scheinker
syndrome, and fatal familial insom
nia, five rare diseases in humans.
TSE's have also been reported in
Europe in captive wild ruminants,
cats, and monkeys. The occurrence
of TSE's in captive wild animals is
believed to have resulted from BSE
contaminated feed.
It is important to clarify the dif
ference between classical CJD and
vCJD. Classical CJD occurs each
year at a rate of 1 to 2 cases per 1
million people throughout the
world, including in the United States
and other countries where BSE has
never occurred and among vegetar
ians and meat eaters alike.
Classical CJD occurs sporadically
and is not linked to BSE. According
to the U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services' Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC), no cases of vCJD have been
found in the United States.
Research published in October
1997 found evidence to further link
vCJD to BSE. Investigators in
the United Kingdom found that
BSE and vCJD are of the same
"strain." In addition, classical CJD
and
known scrapie strains were not
similar to vCJD or BSE.
USDA Actions in Response to
BSE
The United States has one of the
most aggressive BSE surveillance
programs in the world.
BSE has not been diagnosed in
the United States, and USDA has
worked proactively to keep it that
way.
In cooperation with USDA's
Food Safety and Inspection Service
(FSIS), APHIS has taken stringent
measures in prevention, education,
surveillance, and response.
To prevent BSE from entering the
country, since 1989 APHIS has pro
hibited the importation of live ru
minants from countries where BSE
is known to exist in native cattle.
Other products derived from rumi
nants, such as fetal bovine serum,
bonemeal, meat-and-bone meal,
bloodmeal, offal, fats, and glands, are
also prohibited from entry, except
under special conditions or under
USDA permit for scientific or re
search purposes.
On December 12, 1997, APHIS
stopped the importation of all live
ruminants and most ruminant prod
ucts, including meat-and-bone meal,
offals, glands, etc., from Europe un
til APHIS scientists can assess the
disease risk and evaluate surveillance
activities in individual countries.
For additional information, con
tact USDA, APHIS, Veterinary Ser
vices Emergency Programs
4700 Riverdale Road, Unit 41
Riverdale, MD 20737-1231
Telephone: (609) 259-5825 or
(301) 734-8073
newborn calf. The calf may be born
alive but is doomed by unrecognized
damage. This can be explained by
understanding the effects of anoxia
andor trauma.
Anoxia is a lack of oxygen and it
is a common occurrence. Most
calves are born with some degree of
anoxia but are able to compensate
and survive. Severe anoxia can oc
cur as a result of dystocia. When
the critical oxygen supply is cut off
tissue damage occurs because anoxia
causes acid to accumulate in the
blood. When the blood pH falls
below 6.6 the heart ceases beating.
Birth trauma describes the me
chanical damage incurred during
birth and adds to anoxia. The re
sult is hemorrhage in the brain or
spinal cord. Trauma may also cause
fractured ribs, ruptured livers, hem
orrhaging in the joints, and blood
in the muscles. Trauma during birth
compresses the calf. The newborn
calf is already anoxic and is unable
to breath due to the birth trauma.
This causes further anoxia and a con
tinuation of the build up of acid in
the blood resulting in death shortly
after birth.
The damage caused by trauma
andor anoxia is often latent and
contributes to illness or death fol
lowing birth. This information was
documented in a study conducted by
the USDA and reported as the Cow
Calf Health and Productivity Audit.
The report revealed that the average
mortality estimates from birth to
weaning was 8 to 10 of all calves
delivered and 70 of those losses
occur by 3 days of age. The follow
ing important points summarize
why the calves are lost:
Dystocia is the number one con
tributor to calf death.
Dystocia can affect calves severe
enough to cause mortality directly,
or can contribute to other problems
and indirectly increase calf death.
Heifers have a higher incidence
or dystocia than mature cows, and
calves from heifers have increased
death loss.
Calves affected by dystocia or
from other cow herd health prob
lems such as deficient or excessive
body condition adapt poorly to life
outside the uterus and succumb to
environmental problems more eas
ily. Infectious disease problems in
crease in calves with dystocia. Such
calves initially adapt poorly to life
outside the uterus, and often have
poor maternal immunoglobulin ab
sorption. Poor maternal nutrition
reduces calf vigor, calf body heat
production, and calf immunoglobu
lin absorption.
Environmental conditions such
as colU wind , and moisture Increase
calf death.
Infectious disease is an important
cause of death in calves greater than
three days old.
Therefore it is clear that the key
to reducing calf death loss is to pre
vent dystocia and to recognize when
the birthing process is prolonged or
difficult and provide timely assis
tance. Generalizations about when to
intervene and provide assistance are
of little value. Experience is neces
sary for making sound decisions in
this matter. A dystocia cause by a
constricted vulva requires immedi
ate assistance and should be easy to
identify. If a fetus is presented breech
or with the head turned intense la
bor may never be observed. Assis
tance is necessary and the herdsmen
must pay attention to the behavior
of each individual animal. In most
cases, initial assistance during par
turition should be limited to regu
lar observations of the female from
a distance. Unnecessary excitement
brought on by an anxious attendant
often causes reduced labor efforts by
the cow or heifer causing a pro
longed birth. The result is often a
stillbirth. Hard and fast rules are
difficult to establish but in general
when a cow has been in labor four
hours without progress, an exami
nation is warranted.
Wisdom in management of beef
catde at calving time to decrease the
damage caused by dystocia is based
on the following basic points. First,
the attendant must be patient
enough to let nature take its course
and second they must be able to rec
ognize when assistance is needed.
They must apply common sense to
all efforts of assistance. Every atten
dant should take time to observe the
normal birthing process. This train
ing will provide the experience and
common sense required to success
fully assist mother nature at calving
time.
For most beef cow herds the
single most important means of in
creasing income is increasing the
number of calves weaned and sold
in relation to the number of cows in
the operation. Timely assistance to
detect and correct dystocia in the
beef cow herd is an important step
in achieving that goal.