Opinion

Up until early December, the Ardmore Veteran Center had remained COVID free. That was an indication of how hard the staff worked to prevent the pandemic from invading the Ardmore Center. Unfortunately, that record came to an end in early December when the pandemic infiltrated the center and resulted in the tragic deaths of far too many of our aging veterans. Since December 11, 29 veterans in the center have lost their lives to COVID.

While I was doing some research in the library, I came across a footnote that referenced a book called the “Development of Education in Murray County, Oklahoma”. The book turned out to be a master’s thesis by Cloyd Virgil Smith in 1932 at the Oklahoma A&M College.

In a recent ‘Ag Coffee Shop, a monthly webinar put on by the Southeast District Extension Specialists, Earl Ward discussed adjusting feeding for cold weather. Where, considering a 1200 pound lactating cow, has an estimated Lower Critical Temperature(LCT) of 59 degrees F, in a summer or wet hair coat, and a dry winter coat allows for a LCT of 32 degrees F. Obviously, shelter provided, or muddy wet conditions are factors of consideration, but generally speaking, how do the temperature drops and lower wind chills affect a cows need for supplementation? Following weather forecasts and making a few calculated feed adjustments can allow us to ramp those cow’s energy needs up before the cold stress hits them.