Brown County 4-H is supported by Brown County United Way

DATES TO REMEMBER

February

12 - Brownwood 4-H Club Meeting 6:00p.m. at Extension Office

14 - Brookesmith 4-H Club Meeting 6:00p.m. at Brookesmith ISD

17 - Shooting Sports Practice 2:00p.m. at 4-H Center

18 - Early 4-H Club Meeting 6:30p.m at Early First Baptist Church

18 - Extension Office Closed for Presidents Day

19 - Consumer Decision Making Practice 4:30p.m. at Extension Office

21 - Shooting Sports Club Meeting 6:00p.m. at Extension Office

22 - Consumer Decision Making Contest in San Angelo

MAJOR STOCK SHOW PASSES

The San Angelo, Houston, Austin and San Antonio Stock Show passes have arrived. If you are participating in these shows the passes are available for you to pick up at the Extension Office. If you have signed up for any of these shows and are NOT going to be participating or have any other questions please contact Nick Gonzales.

If you have an interest in improving your skills at pruning fruit trees, grafting pecan trees, controlling vegetable diseases, or building a keyhole garden then get prepared for the 2013 Brown County Horticulture Lunch-N-Learn Series which will begin on Monday February 11, 2013. There will be six separate programs which will make up the Lunch-N-Learn Series. The 2013 dates and program topics are:

• February 11th - Fruit Tree Pruning and Management
• April 8th - Drip Irrigation Watering in Vegetable Gardens
• May 8th - Pecan Grafting
• June 4th - Home Yard Tree Care and Management
• July 9th - Plant Pathology / Disease Prevention and Seed Collection
• September 10th - Keyhole Gardening

National Women's Heart Week is February 1-7 and is a reminder that Heart Disease is the number one killer of American women. Recognizing symptoms and risks, making lifestyle changes and getting timely care can save a woman's life. Women's Heart Week is a national outreach campaign aimed at improving women's outcomes from this deadly disease. Heart disease is America's leading killer of women over the age of 34. Most women are not aware of this fact and fail to recognize their own risk factors for heart disease. Women's symptoms, especially those that are milder, often go ignored. Women often miss out on critical opportunities to save their own lives.

How do you know if you are at risk for heart disease?  The way you live each day affects your heart.  An unhealthy lifestyle can lead to a heart attack or stroke.  Heart attacks often strike without warning.  Making lifestyle changes now could save your life.  Here is a list of risk factors for heart disease.  Give yourself 1 point for each risk factor that applies to you.

Brown County 4-H is supported by Brown County United Way

DATES TO REMEMBER

February

5 - Consumer Decision Making Practice 4:30p.m. at Extension Office

7 - County Council Meeting 5:30p.m. at Extension Office

10 - Shooting Sports Practice 2:00p.m. at 4-H Center

12 - Brownwood 4-H Club Meeting 6:00p.m. at Extension Office

12 - Early 4-H Club Meeting 6:30p.m. at Early First Baptist Church

17 - Shooting Sports Practice 2:00p.m. at 4-H Center

18 - Extension Office Closed for Presidents Day

19 - Consumer Decision Making Practice 4:30p.m. at Extension Office

21 - Shooting Sports Club Meeting 6:00p.m. at Extension Office

22 - Consumer Decision Making Contest in San Angelo

MAJOR STOCK SHOW PASSES

The Ft. Worth, San Angelo, Houston, Austin and San Antonio Stock Show passes have arrived. If you are participating in these shows the passes are available for you to pick up at the Extension Office. If you have signed up for any of these shows and are NOT going to be participating or have any other questions please contact Nick Gonzales.

A special 5-hour CEU Forage Seminar is set for February 7th at the First Baptist Church in Cross Plains. Registration starts at 8:30 a.m. The program begins at 9:00 a.m.  The goal of this program is to provide producers with information on forage management strategies to help them produce uniform, high quality forage to meet their production goals.

Speakers for the Seminar will include: Gerald Hobson, Dupont, Robert Frost, FSA County Executive Director, Sammy Wilson, NRCS District Conservationist, Dr. Tony Provin, Soil, Water & Forage Testing Lab, Dr. David Drake, Agronomy Specialist, Will Hatler, Extension Specialist, and Paul Weiser, Texas Department of Agriculture.

Gerald Hobson will discuss "Forage Insect, Grasshopper Control & Winter Weed Management"; Robert Frost and Sammy Wilson will discuss "FSA & NRCS Program updates"; Dr. Tony Provin will discuss "Soil, Water & Hay Testing"; Dr. Drake will discuss" Wheat variety tests & labeling"; Will Hatler will discuss "Brush Control, Herbicide test and labeling"; Paul Weiser with the Texas Department of Agriculture will be on hand to give an hour of Laws and Regulation for pesticide applicators.

If you are involved in livestock production or have an interest in maintaining the control measures we have for nuisance wildlife and predators in our area then mark your calendars for Wednesday evening January 30, 2013. That is the date of the Brown County Livestock Producers Association meeting.

The meeting will be held at the Brown County Youth Fair Barns on Hwy 377 South and will begin at 6:30p.m. The meeting will focus on efforts needed to maintain the control methods we currently have in place for nuisance wildlife and predators, along with the updating of agreements and decisions necessary to continue with a county trapper position.

Most of us might think we can do without sleep   or at least that we can adapt to having less of it. Our 24/7 society seems to demand more of us, with round-the-clock business and entertainment. A single night spent out on the town or surfing the internet may not be detrimental, but added up over time, the consequences of being sleep deprived are numerous and detrimental while the benefits of sleep can be the difference in health, performance, and quality of life.  Though sleep is typically viewed as a time the body shuts down and rests, according to the National Sleep Foundation, it is actually a dynamic activity in its own right that is as essential to good health as diet and exercise, and as necessary as food and water.

Insufficient sleep is directly linked to poor health. Research suggests that insufficient sleep increases the risk for weight gain and obesity; diabetes; high blood pressure; heart disease; stroke; depression, anxiety, and other mood disorders; decreased nervous system performance; decreased endocrine system performance; decreased immune system performance; and premature death. Insufficient sleep contributes significantly to safety issues, such as driving accidents, medical errors, and impaired job performance, which can result in accidents and injuries. Insufficient sleep affects virtually every aspect of day-to-day life, including mood, mental alertness, memory, cognitive performance, energy level, and physical performance.

Brown County 4-H is supported by the Brown County United Way.

DATES TO REMEMBER

January

29 - Consumer Decision Making Practice 4:30p.m. at Extension Office

29 - Meats Judging Practice 6:00p.m. at Bangs FCS Classroom

February

3 - Shooting Sports Practice 2:00p.m. at 4-H Center

5 - Consumer Decision Making Practice 4:30p.m. at Extension Office

10 - Shooting Sports Practice 2:00p.m. at 4-H Center

12 - Brownwood 4-H Club Meeting 6:00p.m. at Extension Office

12 - Early 4-H Club Meeting 6:30p.m. at Early First Baptist Church

17 - Shooting Sports Practice 2:00p.m. at 4-H Center

Eggs are one of nature's most nutritious and economical foods.  But, you must take special care with handling and preparing fresh eggs and egg products to avoid food poisoning.  The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) estimates that 142,000 illnesses each year are caused by consuming eggs contaminated with Salmonella.  There are regulations to help prevent contamination of eggs on the farm and during shipping and storage, but consumers play a key role in preventing illness associated with eggs.  The most effective way to prevent egg-related illness is by knowing how to buy, store, handle and cook eggs, or foods that contain them, safely.

Buying Eggs:

• Buy eggs only if sold from a refrigerator or refrigerated case.
• Open the carton and make sure that the eggs are clean and the shells are not cracked.
• Refrigerate promptly.
• Store eggs in their original carton and use them with 3 weeks for best quality.

Keep Clean:

• Wash hands, utensils, equipment, and work surfaces with hot, soapy water before and after they come in contact with eggs and egg-containing foods.

Brown County 4-H is supported by Brown County United Way

DATES TO REMEMBER

January

20 - Shooting Sports Practice 2:00p.m. at 4-H Center

21 - Extension Office Closed for Martin Luther King Jr. Day

22 - Consumer Decision Making Practice 4:30p.m. at Extension Office

27 - Shooting Sports Practice 2:00p.m. at 4-H Center

29 - Consumer Decision Making Practice 4:30p.m. at Extension Office

29 - Meats Judging Practice 6:00p.m. at Bangs FCS Classroom

The Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC) is accepting nominations until Friday, February 15 for areas of the state experiencing a specific need for veterinarians to work in the areas of food animal medicine, rural private practice, or public practice. The TAHC will forward nominations for selected areas to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) for inclusion in the national Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program (VMLRP) for the 2013 award cycle. The VMLRP will pay up to $25,000 per year for three years towards qualified educational loans, for eligible veterinarians who agree to serve in a designated shortage area.

The USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture has specific criteria for nominated areas and the state will not be able to forward a nomination unless all of these criteria have been met. Individual nominations may also be edited or combined with others from nearby communities by the TAHC when appropriate.

Including your current information will help the TAHC staff contact you if there are questions or if they need clarification on your nomination. Specific details on livestock populations, changing industry demographics, gaps in specific veterinary services currently available, community support, and future outlook for veterinary services (such as sole practitioners retiring or trying to sell a practice) are all valuable criteria in defining the need in a specific area.

Everywhere we look we see new, great protein-boosted drinks and foods. But how much protein is really needed and do Americans get enough or too much?

Protein is one of the macronutrients required on the Nutrition Facts label of foods because it plays such a significant role in human health. Every human cell and most fluids in our bodies contain protein. Protein is used to build muscle, to repair cells and to make new cells. It is needed to help fend off disease and assists in transporting molecules throughout the body. The amino acids that make up proteins form enzymes and hormones, each with its own unique and essential function.

It is important that we not only get enough, but that we also get good quality protein. Men and women require different amounts of protein. The Recommended Daily Allowance for men is 56 grams per day and women should eat 46 grams per day. Most Americans get enough and more. According to a report in the September 2012 issue of Tufts University Health and Nutrition Letter, adult males actually get 88-92 grams per day and adult females consume 62-66 grams, about one and a half times the recommended amount.