Harrisburg - Thanks to a new law, the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission and the Department of Health has expanded public access to birth and death records as of Wednesday, February 15. The public can access the records online or in person at the Pennsylvania State Archives.

In December, Governor Tom Corbett signed Act 110 to make birth certificates available to the public 105 years after issuance and death certificates available 50 years after issuance. Beginning February 15, births from 1906 and deaths from 1906 to 1961 became available. One year of births and one year of deaths will be added each subsequent year. Records prior to 1906 are held at the county level.

“We are pleased that Pennsylvania’s older birth and death certificates are now open to the public,” said State Archivist David A. Haury. “We share the excitement of the genealogists and other researchers who will now be able to use these records to learn about their families and communities.”

To access the records online, go to www.health.state.pa.us and click on “Birth and Death Certificates.” Indices will be available online in PDF format and are searchable by name of individual and year of event. Once a record is identified, the state file number will be needed for the application to request a non-certified copy of the certificate from the Department of Health.

For in-person access, visit the State Archives at 350 North St., Harrisburg. Visitors wishing to see original records will first be provided access to the Department of Health’s online indices to identify the state file number. Once the file number is determined, patrons will use the Archives’ normal search room procedures to have the record pulled for them.

Before searching online or in person, researchers are urged to be prepared by knowing the year of the event, the spelling of the name they are searching for, and/or the county of the birth or death.

The Department of Health’s Division of Vital Records is working on fully digitizing and indexing all certificates to allow for easier online record research. These changes will be rolled out within the next year. Researchers will eventually be able to search records by first name only, year of occurrence, county, or even by parents’ names.

For more information visit www.phmc.state.pa.us or www.health.state.pa.us.

(StatePoint) Did you know that simple tweaks to your lifestyle can go a long way toward reducing your carbon footprint?

By lowering the amount of greenhouse gas emissions you cause in your daily activities, you’ll not only do the right thing for the planet, you should save some money too.

Start by sealing up drafts to optimize your heating and cooling. Turn off and unplug appliances that are not in use. And use natural gas for cooking, water heating, home heating, drying clothes and in your fireplace. Natural gas reduces your home’s carbon footprint an average of 46 percent.

To learn your carbon footprint, and more about how to reduce it, visit www.epa.gov.

Harrisburg, PA - Any type of injury to your teeth or gums should not be ignored. Knowing what to do in a dental emergency can make the difference between saving and losing a tooth. To stay prepared, the Pennsylvania Dental Association (PDA) suggests keeping your dentist’s emergency phone number readily available and pack an emergency dental-care kit, including gauze, saline solution and a small, sealable container.

Dr. Steven Parrett, a PDA member dentist in Chambersburg, describes a dental emergency as a condition involving the teeth, gums, dental appliances or restorations.

“If a sudden injury or accident occurs involving your mouth, call your dentist immediately,” Dr Parrett said. “It will make it easier for your dentist to provide better treatment with chances for better results.”

PDA recommends that you become familiar with the following dental emergency procedures to stay prepared:

Broken Tooth: Immediately rinse your mouth with warm water to wash away any impurities. Place ice on the injury area of the face to reduce swelling. If possible, find and save any tooth pieces. Immediately call a dentist.

Cracked Tooth: Though tiny cracks are common and tend not to cause problems, more severe cracks may require dental treatment. A cracked tooth is indicated by a sharp pain when you bite down or chew food and acute sensitivity to hot, cold, sweet or sour foods. If you experience these symptoms, avoid chewing with that side of your mouth and contact a dentist as soon as possible to determine necessary treatment.

Knocked-Out Tooth: Immediately find the tooth and rinse it in water, holding it by the crown (the part you see when you look in your mouth), not the root. Do not scrub the tooth or remove any attached tissue. If possible, insert and hold the tooth in its original socket. Otherwise, place the tooth in a container of milk. Immediately see a dentist.

Jaw Injury: If you believe your jaw is injured or broken, immediately place ice on the affected area and go to a dentist or hospital emergency room.

Tongue, Lip or Cheek Injury: Clean the injured area and immediately apply ice to reduce swelling. If bleeding occurs, apply direct pressure to the affected area with a clean cloth. If bleeding persists, proceed to a hospital emergency room immediately.

Broken Braces or Wires: If the broken piece is easily removable, it may be taken out. Broken pieces that do not cause pain do not require immediate attention. If a broken piece causes pain, cover sharp ends with dental wax, gauze or chewing gum. If a piece of wire is stuck in the tongue, gums or cheek, do not remove it and see a dentist immediately.

Toothache: If you experience pain in a tooth, rinse your mouth with warm water to cleanse the area. Use dental floss to gently clean around the aching tooth to remove any lodged debris. If the pain continues, contact a dentist.

“Delaying or ignoring any changes in the mouth can result in having more costly treatment later to remedy the problem, rather than just a minor repair done at the time of the change,” Dr. Parrett said. “Don’t delay, especially if a pain is severe or persistent. It may just be a popcorn hull lodged deep in the gum between the teeth, or it could be a root abscess that will require hospitalization if left untreated.”

It is just as important to follow the above procedures if a child injures his or her baby teeth, also called primary teeth. Other than biting and chewing, baby teeth perform several important functions. They aid in proper speech development, development of the jaw and facial muscles and help provide nutrition.

“Baby teeth act as guides and place holders for the alignment of the permanent teeth. In some instances, an injury to a baby tooth can have long term effects on the tooth bud of the developing permanent tooth in the jaw bone,” Dr. Parrett explains.

Founded in 1868, the Pennsylvania Dental Association (PDA) is comprised of approximately 6,000 member dentists. It is a constituency of the American Dental Association (ADA), the largest and oldest national dental society in the world. PDA’s mission is to improve the public health, promote the art and science of dentistry and represent the interests of its member dentists and their patients. PDA is the voice of dentistry in Pennsylvania. For more information on PDA, visit www.padental.org.

If your property only includes mature woods and food plots, it's time to get nasty. Nasty thick cover, that is.

As forest stands mature, shade from large trees chokes out shrubs and other plants that offer secure habitat for nesting wild turkey hens, deer and other wildlife. Tree canopies can be like an umbrella preventing sunlight from reaching the forest floor during the growing season. This shading typically causes the ground cover to be reduced or eliminated through the natural process called forest succession.

Secure cover is just as important to wildlife as food. Humans don't enjoy walking through it, but nasty thick cover is guaranteed to make the wildlife on your property feel right at home.

To establish thick nesting/security cover, identify 3- to 5-acre areas on your property dominated by trees that are 4 to 8 inches in diameter. These small diameter trees are not merchantable yet and aren't thick enough to provide cover because of the full canopy shading out the forest floor. Using chainsaws you can create nasty thick cover by cutting almost all of the trees in the 3-5 acre area.

The Wilson F. Moore Chapter of the NWTF, located in Susquehanna County, partnered with the Pennsylvania Game Commission (PGC) and the Susquehanna Branch of the Quality Deer Management Association (QDMA) on a working field day that created new openings in the wooded areas near some old PGC plantings. On February 25 the participants cleared out several areas (2 to 3 acres) where the trees had heavily shaded the fruit and nut trees that had been planted 20 years ago. They also pruned the apple trees and daylighted areas around newly rediscovered chestnut trees and chinquapin oaks.

Here is how you can create nasty thick cover on your land in a few simple steps.

Schedule work on your property between September and March to avoid nesting season. In northern regions, scheduling your work during this time will allow deer to forage on the treetops after you cut the trees.

Target flatter areas of your property with little-to-no slope to limit erosion potential.

Plan to establish patches of nasty thick cover close to brood habitat to limit the distance that turkey or grouse poults have to travel to find insects after hatching. Deer also will use the new cover areas so consider deer travel patterns to take them from the cover to food plots.

Select trees you want to leave standing such as apple trees and other select mast producers. Mark “leave” trees with paint or flagging to avoid cutting them or dropping other trees on them.

Survey the area for invasive plant species prior to cutting. Control invasive species using herbicides, chainsaws, etc., before you create the clearing to avoid having invasive plants take over once the area is exposed to total sunlight. It is important to identify the type of invasive species and research the proper control methods before doing this work.

After you have cleared a 3- to 5-acre area, the rest is up to natural regeneration. Keep an eye out for invasive species after you create your clearing. It may take a couple years before the area is dominated by thick, woody vegetation but the treetops left over from the clearing work will provide quality nesting cover for turkeys, grouse and plenty of other wildlife.

The downed treetops from your cutting work will provide turkey nesting cover in early April when some hens begin laying eggs. At least 50 percent of the ground cover should be exposed to allow woody vegetation to regenerate.

You may be tempted to remove the trees and tops that you cut down to make it look nice but remember - the nastier the better!

Once the clear-cut is created, plan on getting back into the area within 5 years to evaluate how many trees are starting to shade out the shrub cover. Forest succession can happen fast. It will be easier to remove trees as they appear rather than waiting for the area to be completely shaded out with trees again.

HARRISBURG, PA - The floodwaters may have receded months ago, but mold and mildew - dormant during the winter months - may reappear in water-damaged homes as the weather warms.

Mold only grows in warm, wet conditions and may have been inactive and unnoticed during the winter months. It can lurk throughout a home, from the attic to the basement and crawl spaces.

State and federal disaster recovery officials warn that mold can cause serious, long-term health problems. The best defense is to thoroughly clean, disinfect, and dry areas where mold is found. Porous materials-things that absorb water-can trap mold forever and should be discarded.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that everyone avoid unnecessary exposure to mold, especially anyone at high risk for infection. For more information on mold or mold cleanup visit their website at http://www.cdc.gov/mold/cleanup.htm.

The Environmental Protection Agency offers a comprehensive, 20-page guide, "Mold, Moisture and Your Home" at http://www.epa.gov/mold/moldguide.html.

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - It seems that hardly a week goes by without another reported case of some food being blamed for causing people to get sick. Most recently, a national restaurant chain's clover sprouts were linked to a Midwestern outbreak of pathogenic E. coli, and dozens of cases of Campylobacter in four states have been linked to the consumption of raw milk from a Pennsylvania dairy.

As consumers, we start to ask whether any foods are safe to eat.

While it is unlikely that we can completely eliminate the risk of foodborne illness, we can certainly identify a few food items that pose a higher risk of making us ill and avoid them, advises a food-safety expert with Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences.

"One just needs to look through U.S. Centers for Disease Control reports to see that there are certain foods that show up time and again," said Martin Bucknavage, extension food-safety specialist. "In my opinion, these are foods we certainly should consider removing from our diet if we are interested in reducing our chances of contracting foodborne disease."

Following are a few foods Bucknavage suggests avoiding:

Raw sprouts. In the last 15 years, there have been at least 30 reported cases of foodborne illness linked to raw sprouts.

"Pathogenic bacteria come in on the seeds or beans, and during the sprouting process, the conditions are right for these bacteria to multiply," he explained. "Processors will sanitize seeds to remove bacteria, but that measure has not been foolproof."

Raw milk. People have consumed raw milk for ages, but from time to time, pathogenic bacteria make their way into the milk, Bucknavage noted.

"In the recent outbreak of foodborne illness related to raw milk sold in southern Pennsylvania, 77 people became infected by Campylobacter, which will cause severe diarrheal conditions for as long as a week or more."

Bucknavage conceded that there are avid proponents of drinking raw milk, who point to the fresh taste and the perceived health benefits.

"However, these health benefits have not been scientifically proven, and the working part of the cow, the udders, are close to the ground and can become contaminated with pathogenic organisms such as Salmonella, Campylobacter, Listeria and E. coli," he said.

"While most of those who sell raw milk keep the dairy environment as clean as they can and regularly test the health of the cows, a long history of outbreaks shows that there is a real risk of dangerous bacteria making their way into milk. This is why pasteurization became a standard practice in the late 1800s."

Raw oysters. These are another food that has a loyal following, Bucknavage pointed out. But he explained that oysters are filter feeders and can capture pathogenic bacteria and viruses if they are harvested in contaminated waters.

"A process such as depuration - allowing oysters to live in cleaned water for a period of time - can help, but use of this practice is limited," he said.

-Undercooked ground beef. While some people undercook hamburgers intentionally, the majority do it because they do not use the correct endpoint for cooking, according to Bucknavage. They should measure the recommended internal temperature of 160 F using a meat thermometer.

"It would be fair to say that most people measure doneness by visual evaluation -- the lack of pink color," he said. "But this is an unreliable method.

"Some people will point out that they eat steak with pink in the middle. But this is different than hamburger. In the process of making hamburger, the meat is ground, and the exterior parts where the bacteria reside are mixed throughout the meat. Because of this, we need to achieve a higher cooking temperature in the center of the meat."

Chicken is another example of a food that often is undercooked, whether on purpose or by accident, Bucknavage lamented. Poultry has been shown to have a high prevalence, or contamination rate, of Campylobacter, he noted.

"To properly cook poultry, an internal temperature of 165 F or higher is required," he said. "Otherwise, organisms such as Campylobacter can survive."

Along with avoiding high-risk foods, it is also important to practice effective cleaning and sanitizing of food-preparation surfaces and cooking utensils, Bucknavage said, as well as storing food under proper conditions. "Doing this, we can go a long way in protecting ourselves and our families from contracting foodborne illness."

HARRISBURG, Pa. - To encourage Pennsylvania’s citizens to protect their vision from preventable, treatable conditions, Governor Tom Corbett has declared March as Save Your Vision Month.

According to the Pennsylvania Optometric Association (POA), many eye and vision problems have no obvious signs or symptoms, making a yearly comprehensive eye and vision exam the optimal way to maintain a lifetime of healthy vision and eyes. Today’s doctors of optometry use the latest technologies to diagnose and treat patients. As part of Save Your Vision Month, the POA underscores how the different high-tech tests and procedures performed by an optometrist during an eye exam can benefit the patient.

With the advanced technologies available to optometrists today, patients can expect a less invasive and highly accurate diagnostic experience during their eye exam. As a result, eye care is more innovative and effective than ever before.

Typically, patients associate a visit to the eye doctor with the Snellen eye chart test. While this traditional procedure to measure visual acuity along with pupil dilation continue to be used as a standard of care, new advances in eye care technology are becoming more prevalent in optometrists’ offices. Corneal topography, retinal imaging, and tear film analyses are just a few examples of the new high-tech tools optometrists are incorporating into their practices.

The cornea is the most significant structure the eye uses for refractive power. To detect corneal irregularities due to disease, trauma or other factors that can result in distortion of vision, a new device called corneal topography is used. These systems evaluate the shape and regularity of the front surface of the eye. Not only are these devices faster and more compact than ever before, but they are also more robust and more affordable, making them available for routine patients and not just those with corneal issues. In addition to being used as a diagnostic tool, topography is often used for those patients wearing contact lenses to both assist in the initial fitting of contacts and for the detection of potential contact lens complications.

To give an optometrist a view of the retina, several types of retinal imaging systems are used. These progressive technologies provide wide-angle views of the retina to help detect macular degeneration, glaucoma, retinal holes or detachments as well as systemic diseases such as diabetes, stroke and high blood pressure. These high-tech tools may be used in addition to pupil dilation, which gives the doctor more area of the eye to assess at one time.

Dry eye is one of the most common eye conditions, characterized by insufficient tears to lubricate and nourish the eye. New advances in tear film analysis technologies, including computerized analysis of the tear lipid layer, allow optometrists to detect the cause of dry eye and identify the best course of treatment for a patient.

The American Optometric Association’s guidelines for receiving comprehensive eye exams begin early in life. The POA urges parents to bring infants six to 12 months of age to their local optometrist for a an exam, and then again at age three and age five before entering kindergarten. Children and adults should receive comprehensive eye exams every one to two years, unless otherwise advised by an optometrist.

To find a doctor of optometry in your area, or for additional information on eye health, please visit www.poaeyes.org.

The Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) has protected your soil and water resources and enhanced wildlife habitat on thousands of acres in Susquehanna, Wyoming and Lackawanna counties. All throughout the year the landowners in CREP perform conservation practice maintenance activities, however in early spring it may be the best time for maintenance work on areas that have trees and shrubs planted on them.

CREP riparian buffer areas may need some attention on the trees and shrubs that have the protective tree tubes around them. The Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s Riparian Buffer Specialist for Susquehanna, Wyoming and Lackawanna counties, Jeremy Wagner, explains that “early spring is a good time to clean out of any grasses, weeds, bird, bees, ant and/or rodent nests from the tree tubes. The tubes need to be cleaned out to remove plant competition from the trees and/or to stop the development of excess moisture. Removal of the debris is needed on some of the tree tubes so that excess moisture does not develop and create a mushy, moldy condition that could kill an otherwise healthy tree. It is not just the small trees and shrubs that landowners have to worry about. The trees inside the tubes can grow quite fast and obtain a large enough diameter on them that they can get very close to the sides of the tubes. This closeness to the sides of the tube can create unfavorable growing conditions (moisture, mush or mold) to develop inside the tree tube. If this is the case the landowner should decide to do one of the following: remove the tube, remove part of the tube or slice the tube along its entire length to get more air around the tree. Once you have done that part of your spring maintenance make sure that tree tubes and stakes are straightened up and the stakes pounded back into the ground. Make sure the tube bottom also goes into the ground at least 1 to 2 inches. It easier to do this maintenance work before the grass and weeds start greening up and the ground is still easily workable.”

What else is happening on your Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) fields during the early spring? Multiflora rose is also starting to green up. This is one plant that should not be growing in your CREP fields, as it is on the state list of noxious weeds and is required to be controlled on your CREP contract fields. Control and removal of this invasive plant is a constant battle, however you can begin the battle now!

How, you may ask? According to Bob Wagner, NRCS Soil Conservation Tech., ”do a basal stem area spray on the green areas of the multiflora rose plants with a glyphosphate product. Use either a backpack or a handheld sprayer to apply the glyphosphate product. Spray it as a heavy drip or stream, not a mist and only apply it to the green basal area of the multiflora rose plant. This will prevent overspray onto the existing grasses.” Wagner also stated he has done this on his own property; “it does work. I have sprayed in previous years during the months of March and early April when the daytime temperatures was at least above 45 degrees. The multiflora rose plants that I sprayed were dead by early summer and I am planning on spraying again this year to get the plants that I missed.” Spraying herbicides, such as glyphosphate, now allows you to get a jump on your spring work and to take care of an invasive that you do not want in your CREP fields.

Positive things to look for in your CREP fields from Mid February to Mid March will be the early return of bluebirds and red wing blackbirds scouting out areas for nesting (other grassland birds will be doing the same as spring progresses). In many fields (CREP and regular hayfields) where there are cool season grasses (hay grasses) such as orchardgrass that is starting to green up as are some clovers, forbs and other low lying broadleaf weeds. If you were to go out in the fields and look at the orchardgrass, which is one of the first to start growing (early to mid March), you would most likely see that it is green, it is growing and may have been grazed back by the wildlife.

Questions about maintenance on the riparian buffer and questions about enrolling your land into the CREP riparian buffer program can be answered by calling Jeremy Wagner, CREP Riparian Buffer Specialist, for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, at 278-1011, ext. 107. The Chesapeake Bay Foundation is also having a limited sign up period for a new Special Grant Program. Jeremy works out of the USDA NRCS office in Montrose.

To sign up for CREP contact your local USDA Farm Service Agency offices: Susquehanna County, Diane Nowalk at 278-1011, ext. 100; Wyoming County, Tammy Finan at 836-5111, ext. 2; Wayne & Lackawanna counties, Jon Stinavage at 282-8732 ext. 2.

For more complete details about herbicide spraying of glyphosphate, call Bob Wagner at the USDA NRCS office at 278-1011, ext. 108.

(SPM Wire) No matter if their winter was blustery or mild, many Americans are eagerly looking forward to spring. The first official day of the season, however, has nothing to do with groundhogs.

Set for March 20 this year, the Vernal Equinox is one of only two days in the year with nearly equal daylight and dark. Worldwide, cultures celebrate the astronomical occurrence of the sun crossing the celestial equator. In the Northern Hemisphere, festivities take place to mark rebirth and coming warmer days.

Easter, Nowruz (the Persian New Year) and Higan (a Japanese Buddhist tradition) are just a few examples of spring celebrations. The start of spring is a great time to learn about cultural traditions, or simply to put your coat in storage.

(SPM Wire) As the nation celebrates this St. Patrick’s Day on March 17 with frothy pints of Guinness, many will raise glasses to recognize the hallowed patron saint of Ireland (who is actually British!).

While those glasses are raised, consider cheering a few other Irishmen who made contributions to the world. Did you know an Irishman, John Philip Holland, invented the submarine? Color photography was invented by Ireland’s John Joly. And guided missiles, the modern tractor, and even a cure for Leprosy were all invented by Irishmen.

So as you search for that elusive four leaf clover, remember that Ireland has given us much more than just good beer!

WASHINGTON - The Internal Revenue Service warned senior citizens and other taxpayers to beware of an emerging scheme tempting them to file tax returns claiming fraudulent refunds.

The scheme carries a common theme of promising refunds to people who have little or no income and normally don’t have a tax filing requirement. Under the scheme, promoters claim they can obtain for their victims, often senior citizens, a tax refund or nonexistent stimulus payment based on the American Opportunity Tax Credit, even if the victim was not enrolled in or paying for college.

In recent weeks, the IRS has identified and stopped an upsurge of these bogus refund claims coming in from across the United States. The IRS is actively investigating the sources of the scheme, and its promoters may be subject to criminal prosecution.

“This is a disgraceful effort by scam artists to take advantage of people by giving them false hopes of a nonexistent refund,” said IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman. “We want to warn innocent taxpayers about this new scheme before more people get trapped.”

Typically, con artists falsely claim that refunds are available even if the victim went to school decades ago. In many cases, scammers are targeting seniors, people with very low incomes and members of church congregations with bogus promises of free money.

The IRS has also seen a variation of this scheme that incorrectly claims the college credit is available to compensate people for paying taxes on groceries.

The IRS has already detected and stopped thousands of these fraudulent claims. Nevertheless, the scheme can still be quite costly for victims. Promoters may charge exorbitant upfront fees to file these claims and are often long gone when victims discover they’ve been scammed.

The IRS is reminding people to be careful because all taxpayers, including those who use paid tax preparers, are legally responsible for the accuracy of their returns, and must repay any refunds received in error.

To get the facts on tax benefits related to education, go to the Tax Benefits for Education Information Center on IRS.gov.

To avoid becoming ensnared in this scheme, the IRS says taxpayers should beware of any of the following:

Fictitious claims for refunds or rebates based on false statements of entitlement to tax credits.

Unfamiliar for-profit tax services selling refund and credit schemes to the membership of local churches.

Internet solicitations that direct individuals to toll-free numbers and then solicit social security numbers.

Homemade flyers and brochures implying credits or refunds are available without proof of eligibility.

Offers of free money with no documentation required.

Promises of refunds for “Low Income - No Documents Tax Returns.”

Claims for the expired Economic Recovery Credit Program or for economic stimulus payments.

Unsolicited offers to prepare a return and split the refund.

Unfamiliar return preparation firms soliciting business from cities outside of the normal business or commuting area.

This refund scheme features many of the warning signs IRS cautions taxpayers to watch for when choosing a tax preparer. For advice on choosing a competent tax professional, see Tips for Choosing a Tax Return Preparer on IRS.gov.

For additional information on tax scams, see the 2012 Dirty Dozen list.

Submitted By Mariah Tompkins, Susquehanna County Dairy Ambassador

I’m sure most of you are familiar with the popular show American Idol. Although I enjoy watching the acts on American Idol, my American Idol’s performance goes way beyond the idol stage. My idols show takes place in a barn, a field, a milking parlor, a show ring or even a freshening pen.

Webster’s definition of an idol is someone who is greatly admired, loved and respected. Although we could probably survive without music, we certainly can’t survive without food. That’s what makes the American dairy farmer my idol.

American dairy farmers along with their Holstein cows create the world’s most perfect food, milk. Milk, a common and important drink, is not just found in gallon jugs in our refrigerators.

Mariah with her red and white Holstein heifer.

Dairy farmers bring more than just milk to the table. Pennsylvania’s 7,400 dairy farm families work hard to produce this safe wholesome food. What other idol do you know that works 7 days a week 365 days a year?

Dairy farmers have many faces. They are neighbors, friends, fathers, mothers, daughters, sons, wives, husbands, grandfathers and grandmothers. American dairy farmers are stewards of the land and caretakers of the incredible Holstein cow.

Even William Howard Taft, the 27th President of the United States idolized Holstein cows. His cow “Miss Pauline Wayne” freely grazed the White House lawn from 1910-1913. Miss Pauline Wayne provided enough milk for the entire Taft family.

The Holstein cow has become an incredible asset to the dairy farmer. And is, in fact, the highest production dairy breed. What other animal can produce 90 glasses of milk a day - that’s about 200,000 glasses of milk - in her life time?

Farmers help to create some 45,000 jobs and contribute more than 4.5 billion dollars annually into the Pennsylvania economy. Our 545,000 cows produce more than 10.8 billion pounds of milk. I would say that’s pretty impressive. No wonder ”W.D. Howard” idolized the dairy cow and named her “The Foster Mother of the Human Race.”

Remember, an idol is greatly admired, loved, and respected. So who will get your vote for the next American Idol? My American idol will be the American dairy farmer and his incredible Holstein cow.

For does bred during mid-November the first trimester runs through the end of January, the second trimester runs from the end of January to the end of March, and the last trimester from about the first of April through birth of fawn(s) in early June.

How does February’s weather affect a developing fawn? The weather affects the quality and quantity of food available to the doe and the rate at which she uses her fat supply. The doe’s fat supply will then affect the fetus during the later stage of development. Mild weather and good winter habitat allows doe to slow the use of their fat reserves. Harsh weather, deep snow, high winds and/or extreme cold, accelerates the animals use of their fat reserves. Healthy doe will be fine during most winters, but pregnant female deer entering winter in poor condition may not survive, may not be able to give birth, or successfully raise a fawn.

From early April on, the third trimester is where the action is. Energy costs for pregnant doe skyrocket because this is when 82% of fetal growth occurs. Gestation is costly. The total energy cost for pregnant doe is 16% higher than for non-pregnant doe and 92% of the increased cost occur during the third trimester.

Good winter habitat (adequate food, cover and water) combats severe weather and helps ensure doe have adequate fat reserves to provide the necessary nutrition at the start of the important final trimester. (Condensed from full article, written by Kip Adams available on the Quality Deer Management Associations website, www.qdma.org.)