Feb. 4, 2016
Agriculture and Natural Resources
Family and Consumer Sciences
New dietary guidelines emphasize a lifetime of healthy eating
4-H Youth Development
Support 4-H with Ag Tag donation
Fat is not always a bad word
Source: Roy Burris, UK beef specialist
Is fat a bad word? Not necessarily. Simply put, fat is just the body’s storage form for energy. If an animal consumes more energy than it uses, their body will store the excess calories as fat—like money in the bank they can use in an energy shortage (think cows calving in late winter). Fat imparts flavor to food (like a T-bone steak) but it also adds calories. So managing fat can be a delicate issue in the cattle business.
Presently, the quality of beef is estimated to a large degree by the amount of marbling (intramuscular fat) that it contains. Tenderness is also important but is generally a function of age; younger is better. Marbling generally increases after the animal attains some maturity and external fattening has occurred. External fat is frequently used as an indication of when cattle will have enough marbling to grade choice or prime.
So, why don’t we just measure marbling? We’re getting to that with ultrasound technology, and it would allow us to avoid over-finishing fed cattle. Ideally, marbling would occur in feedlot cattle with very little external fat being present. We would like to have Choice and Prime quality grades with yield grades of 2 or 3 for our fed cattle. But if we bred cattle to meet this criterion, it could have a negative effect on the beef cow herd by potentially taking away fleshing ability, which could have a negative effect on reproduction.
It is important to understand how cattle fatten so that we can manage them accordingly. Fat is “laid down” from front to back and top to bottom. The fore ribs and spinous processes, the bony projections on top of each vertebra, are covered first, then the fat cover continues backward and downward. That’s why folks look for cod fat (in the scrotal area) as an indicator of when cattle are finished. It is the last place to fatten. Loss of body fat happens in reverse order. Fat cover is the basis for condition scoring in beef cattle.
Body condition has a definite impact on reproductive performance. Cows should generally be at a Body Condition Score (BCS) of five at the beginning of the breeding season. A cow with a BCS of five will have some fat reserves, with fat cover over all the ribs. As cows lose condition, a BCS of five would become a BCS of four when there is no cover over the last two ribs. This would mean that the cow has very marginal energy reserves for good reproductive performance. If this loss of condition continues so that you can see the foreribs (BCS three), then you have a real problem. Conception rates will suffer.
You generally see a loss of condition after calving when dietary energy needs have dramatically increased and the feed you supply isn’t meeting those needs. The cow has to “withdraw energy from her bank” to meet her nutritional needs. It is important that some energy reserves are available.
And what about the herd bulls? Bulls need some energy reserves so they can stay active during the breeding season, but bulls are athletes and need more than just fat. They should have muscling, sound feet and legs, and they should be able to sire a large number of calves in a short period of
Managing fat, or body condition, is important in the cattle business, especially in the cow herd for optimum reproduction. Fat is important—both too much or too little can be a problem. Astute producers recognize the importance of efficient cattle that can maintain adequate energy reserves without wasting feed resources.
For more information, contact the (COUNTY NAME) Cooperative Extension Service.
Educational programs of the Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service serve all people regardless of race, color, age, sex, religion, disability or national origin.
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New dietary guidelines emphasize a lifetime of healthy eating
Source: Janet Mullins, extension professor for food and nutrition
The new dietary guidelines were released in January and encourage all of us to make healthy eating choices throughout our lives to minimize our risks of becoming overweight or obese or developing a chronic disease like heart disease or diabetes. These conditions are often linked to poor diets and physical inactivity.
These guidelines serve as a tool for public health professionals and food service program managers to help individuals 2 years old and older to get on a path to healthier living. They also serve to guide policy makers. The U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Health and Human Services work together to update and revise them every five years.
The latest edition continues to emphasize that Americans need to eat more whole fruits and vegetables. Most fruits and vegetables are naturally low in fat, sodium and calories and are full of essential nutrients. A diet rich in fruits and vegetables can help lower your risk of developing a chronic disease. A healthy eating pattern includes a variety of vegetables: dark green, red, orange and legumes, among others. An easy way to move toward a healthier eating pattern is to eat more whole fruit. One of the best ways to eat a healthier diet is to focus on making half your plate fruits and vegetables.
If you made weight loss or improved nutrition one of your New Year’s resolutions but have fallen off the wagon, these guidelines offer you a new opportunity to think about ways to jump back on and improve your health. Four out of five Kentuckians and nine out of 10 Americans do not get their daily recommended serving of fruits and vegetables, so most of us have room for improvement.
Look at how you currently eat and see if there are small changes you can make to better the health of everyone in your family. It may be as simple as limiting your intake of sugar-sweetened beverages or snacks. You can also switch from bread, cereals and pastas made of refined grains to ones that are whole grain. Another switch could be going from 2 percent milk to 1 percent. Start small by making one change, and it could lead to bigger results.
For more information on food and nutrition topics, visit the (COUNTY NAME) Cooperative Extension Office.
Educational programs of the Cooperative Extension Service serve all people regardless of race, color, sex, religion, disability or national origin.
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Support 4-H with Ag Tag donation
Source: Melissa Miller, interim executive director of Kentucky 4-H Foundation
Farm vehicle license plate renewal is just around the corner. As you purchase or renew your tags this year, please consider making the $10 donation on each licensed vehicle to support 4-H and help make the best young people better.
Since 2012, this voluntary donation has allowed Kentucky farmers to give back to their community to support agriculture education and awareness, youth leadership development and locally grown products. Funds raised from the donations are equally split between 4-H, FFA and Kentucky Proud. 4-H’s share at the end of the fiscal year in June 2015 was $180,119.05.
The funds 4-H receives through the Ag Tag donation are split equally between the Kentucky 4-H Foundation and the county from which the donation originated. Your local 4-H council uses the money to fund programs and activities for young people in your community. The foundation uses the other half to fund statewide 4-H programs. Regardless of whether the programs are local or statewide, they help Kentucky’s young people develop essential life skills they’ll need to become the leaders of tomorrow.
In 2015, Kentucky farmers in 80 counties increased their donations, with 18 of those counties reporting an increase of $1,000 or more. In addition, 23 counties had a 50 percent or higher increase in donation rate to tags sold and renewed over the previous fiscal year.
For more information about the program or how 4-H is positively impacting youth in your community, please contact the (YOUR COUNTY) Cooperative Extension Service.
Educational programs of the Cooperative Extension Service serve all people regardless of race, color, sex, religion, disability or national origin.
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