EXTENSION REPORT

Just when we thought we might be getting over last years drought, something new has sprung up for horse owners to worry about. According to Dr. Cynthia McCall, Extension Horse Specialist with The Alabama Cooperative Extension System, several horse owners in North Alabama have had horses diagnosed with blister beetle poisoning. McCall stated (in a timely information sheet called “Blister Beetle Poisoning in Horses”) that we have seen an increase in the amount of alfalfa hay fed to horses around the state, due in part at least to a lack of locally produced Bermuda and Bahia grass hay. McCall states that blister beetles are sometimes accidentally baled in the alfalfa hay, resulting in poisoning of the horses. McCall says that the beetles contain a toxin in their bodies that cause painful blisters, and can kill horses or other animals if they are ingested into the body (she also states that the toxicity of the beetles can vary among horses). There are a couple of safeguards that she recommends to horse owners to try to prevent this problem. First, find out when the alfalfa was harvested. The first cuttings are usually the safest, since the beetles don’t mature until later in the year (July and August). Second, find out how the hay was harvested. The use of insecticides (kill the beetle, but the beetle still gets baled) and certain mower conditioners and sickle bar mowers (the beetle gets cut into little pieces and baled) can affect the amount of blister beetles present in the hay. McCall also states that most conscientious hay producers understand the life cycle of the beetles, and will delay harvesting if beetles are present until such a time as they are gone. Producers are also warned not to think that they can look at their hay and see blister beetles if they are present. McCall says that many times the beetles are chopped into pieces and will be nearly impossible to see. Signs of blister beetle poisoning include salivation, colic, diarrhea, frequent urination, shock and death. If a horse owner suspects that their horse may have been poisoned, they should immediately seek professional veterinary care to treat their horse. If you would like a copy of this timely information sheet, then contact your Regional Extension Agent (Ken Kelley).

            The recent meat goat workshop in Fairhope was quite successful, even though we were greeted that morning by some pretty nasty weather. I would like to think all of the participants for making this an excellent event. I would also encourage any of the meat goat producers in the area to give me feedback as to other meat goat production meetings that they would like to have in the future.

            As we move into the spring of the year, it is time to start thinking about summer pastures. I would encourage livestock producers to go ahead and soil sample their pastures if they have not already done so. The only way that a producer can know what they need to do to get their pasture ready for summer is to soil sample. Producers can go ahead and get their lime applied (if they need it), and when it is time to fertilize they will be ahead of the game.

            I would like to once again encourage anyone who has not done so, to look at our website www.aces.edu/animalforage

Alabama in Motion

Alabama in Motion (AIM) is an eight-week fitness program that will encourage friendly competition in Baldwin County.  The program is scheduled for March 11- May 5.  You may participate as an individual or on a team of four members.  Registration forms are available by contacting the Alabama Cooperative Extension System office at 251-937-7176 or 943-5611, ext. 2222.  Registration forms are due by March 10.  There is no charge to participate in AIM.  We hope to have at least one team from each community in our county. 

            Team members may walk together as a group; however, most of the members may choose to walk on their own.   Each person will log their miles and turn it into their team captain to report to the Extension office each week.  You may walk indoors, outdoors or on a treadmill. The goal for a team is to see which team can walk the most miles.  The individual goal is to walk at least 13.5 miles each week.  There’s no better time than now to start aiming for better health with Alabama in Motion!

            For more information about Alabama in Motion, contact Susan Wingard at the Alabama Cooperative Extension System/Baldwin County Office, 937-7176 or 943-5611/928-0860, ext.2222. 

Water Quality Monitoring Classes Offered March 10

A citizens' water quality monitoring class will be held Saturday, March 10, 2007 at Weeks Bay Reserve in Fairhope, Ala.  Participants will receive instruction on water resources and how to determine water quality using chemical testing methods as well as instruction on how to use bacteriological testing methods. The water chemistry monitoring class will run from 8:30 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. and the bacteria monitoring class will run from 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Participants will need to bring a lunch and a beverage.

There is no charge for the class, but pre-registration is required and can be done online at www.alabamawaterwatch.org or by contacting Tia Gonzales at (888) 844-4785 or at gonzats@auburn.edu. For local information and directions contact Michael Shelton at michael.shelton@dcnr.alabama.gov or by calling (251) 928-9792.

Upon successful completion of the class, participants will be certified through the Alabama Water Watch (AWW) Program to submit monitoring results that will be forwarded to the Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Alabama Water Watch is a non-profit organization, committed to expand the knowledge about water issues and improve both water quality and policy through volunteer citizen monitoring and action leading to a better understanding, protection and restoration of Alabama’s streams, rivers, lakes, wetlands and coasts. One of AWW’s goals is to have at least one citizen monitoring every waterbody in the state of Alabama. There is nothing stronger than the heart of a volunteer.

AWW is coordinated by the Auburn University Fisheries Department with primary funding from ADEM and EPA.   Since the program began in 1992, about 250 citizen groups have participated and have cumulatively sampled about than 1,900 sites in 700 bodies of water.   Several groups have submitted water data for more than 10 years, and about 45,000 water quality data records are now stored in the AWW database and available online to the general public. 

For many streams in Alabama, citizen data are the primary or only source of water quality information.  So far, these data are collected by three types of monitoring: Water Chemistry Monitoring, Bacteriological Monitoring and Stream Biological Monitoring. 

These data are sent to AWW at Auburn University for quality assurance and then entered into databases that are shared with ADEM and EPA.  Monitoring groups frequently use the information to propose water quality solutions to responsible agencies, elected officials, citizens' groups and developers.

            For more information on Alabama Water Watch and to register online for this training session, visit www.alabamawaterwatch.org or email at awwprog@auburn.edu.

Email address: kellewi@aces.edu
Phone number: 937-7176 or 943-5611, 928-0860, ext. 2222

Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension work in agriculture and home economics, Acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, and other related acts, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The Alabama Cooperative Extension System (Alabama A&M University and Auburn University) offers educational programs, materials, and equal opportunity employment to all people without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, veteran status, or disability.