More Info on GM crops and grains

Guest host: Sam the Farmer

http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/CommercialGoats1/?yguid=247130111

Sam is at the right, with the full beard. R to L, his uncle Ray and Uncle Milf, all farmers.


I will explain the technology but do not have the time or
desire to get into a long and drawn out debate with
purists who think we should still be living in 1955.

There are two herbicide resistant traits, roundup ready
for glyposate use and liberty link for use with herbicides
by Bayer and Syngenta. So far liberty link is available
for corn only but a lot of crops are using the roundup
ready trait.

In corn if glyposate resistance occurs, liberty link will
kill them, and vice versa.

Liberty link will be available as time goes by in other
crops.

Bacillus Thuringiensis (Bt) is available for rootworm
control and another for corn borer. The most common
varieties of corn are now available as triple stacked
meaning they are either roundup ready or liberty link with
cornborer Bt and rootworm Bt.

These three traits have boosted corn yields 50% in
irrigated and even more in dryland fields at a very
reasonable cost.

To furthur explain, these traits are contained within the
genome of the plant. Roundup ready is expressed during the
whole life of the plant but Bt is expressed using triggers
to produce the protein at the right time for insect
control. Rootworm Bt is expressed from germination to
about kneehigh then goes dormant. Cornborer Bt is
expressed from about silking to shortly before dry down.

Although we use the term Bt for convenience it is not
really Bt in the plant. They transferred the gene from the
Bt that causes the Bt to produce an amino acid that shuts
down the digestive tract within the larva of the insect
being controlled. It is this gene spliced into the genome
of the corn plant that causes the corn to produce this
amino acid to control the insect.

It takes a different Bt strain to control each different
insect. The Bt that is toxic to rootworm will not harm
other larva.

The reason most folks are concerned is because the
environmentalistshave told them that it will kill the
larva of the monarch butterfly, honey bees, etc. and that
simply is not true.

As Linda stated in a previous post, the genome is
destroyed during digestion so no harm to anything eating
the grain products. Otherwise we would be in danger eating
any product as it all contains genes. It would be like
going to the sushi bar, eating octopus and then growing
eight arms. Doesn't happen and won't happen with any GMO
crop or organism.

Hope this explains it somewhat, there has been volumes
printed on this subject.

I have spent a lifetime studying genetics and it gets
complicated for me.

This science has been explored since the early 70s so has been well researched and tested.

Despite arguments to the contrary, this has been tested to death.

The roundup ready gene is from a plant in the South American rain forest can't remember the species but it is not related to anything else and is naturally resistant to glyposate. In order for this to get into the wild it would have to be transferred to a plant related to the crop being grown. Soybeans being a legume have many wild cousins but soybeans are selfpolinated often pollinating before the bloom is open so cross contamination would be a long shot and coupled with the fact that it does not have any relatives close enough to cross with makes even a longer shot.

Corn has no close relatives.

Cotton has many relatives but again none close enough to cross with.

Allergies are always a concern but Bt and the roundup gene have been tested for that but I'm sure that somewhere on the planet is a person that would react. The risks are minimal when compared to other allergens.

All of this is certainly a lot safer then the insecticides used to control rootworm and corn borer and the traditional herbacides used to control weeds.

Corn is the only plant using this technology that has wind blown pollen.

**********

Thank you for your post, Sam. Please leave comments with your feelings about this issue.

Genetically Modified (GM) Plants and Grain

Plants have DNA in their cells just like we do. Using recombinant techniques, a gene is isolated from one organism and spliced into the genome of a receptor cell, which is now genetically modified. Insulin is produced this way.

An example would be if you took a gene for cold tolerance out of an alpine plant and put it into a domestic strawberry chromosome or genome, to impart cold tolerance. This is done at a cellular level. Each cell divides and replicates, the daughter cells now carry the new splice as if it is part of it's own genome, a hitchhiker if you like. Cells replicate and eventually form an organism, each cell of which will carry the "foreign" splice of DNA.

There are dangers and unintended consequences of this gene splicing. for example, pollen from a GM plant may be allergenic. While this doesn't sound particularly important, just think how dangerous allergies like nut allergies can be. Also, people are concerned about weird things happening like for example, herbicide resistant genes may cross with noxious weeds producing a really monster weed that would be herbicide resistant. Things like this.

I did run across the study referred to where the rats were shown to have reduced reproductive fitness. however, it was quickly noted that the gene spliced in was already known to be detrimental to reproduction and not to be the end product of this research.

The development of GM strains is difficult and costly and the manufacturers, best known is Monsanto, have been allowed to patent these things. Lawsuits about patents have gotten into the realm of the ridiculous. For example, some farmers' crops have been shown to have Monsanto GM patented genes and they have been sued for patent infringement. As Alice said, it keeps getting curiouser and curiouser.

Now, remember that GM foods and grains are going through digestion and the nucleic acids which are the building blocks of the DNA are broken down to A,C,G and Ts and salvaged in the cells to make other cell products. (There's nothing to "leach.") I think that the model folks have in mind is toxic chemical pollution. Toxic chemicals might interfere at the cellular level or even be toxic to the liver or kidneys which is trying to clear the body of these substances.

Weak and Abandoned Newborn Goats

Guest Post by
Suzanne W. Gasparotto
Internet meat-goat discussion group:
chevontalk-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

WEAK AND ABANDONED NEWBORNS

Weak Kid Syndrome is the term used to described newborns who are unable
to stand and or nurse -- regardless of cause. If the producer does not
take steps to intervene quickly, the newborn will die. Kids thought to
have been smothered or crushed by other goats usually were too weak to
stand to nurse their dams and actually starved to death. Getting
sufficient colostrum into a newborn during its first few hours of life
is critical to its survival. Read this author's article entitled The
Importance of Colostrum to Newborns on the Articles page at
www.tennesseemeatgoats.com.

Kids born prematurely for any reason, newborns of does infected with
abortion organisms late in pregnancy, and hypothermic kids (low body
temperature) experience Weak Kid Syndrome. Cold and/or wet weather
strikes, the doe goes into labor, and her newborns are at risk. for
hypothermia A weak kid cannot stand to nurse its mother. If the kid
can stand at all, its back legs will be splayed apart from its body. A
very weak kid will be limp and its neck may fold back like a bird's neck
towards one side of its body. Such a kid is not only weak but is
dehydrated, cold, and almost dead. Do not confuse this kid with the
occasional newborn who develops early-onset fever due to its inability
to regulate its body temperature during extremes of weather. A kid born
with fever or developing it soon after being born has the ability but
won't nurse until medication is given to stabilize its body temperature
at the normal level. Goats with fever go "off feed." How to treat a
newborn with fever will be explained later in this article.

With any sick goat, the first step is to take rectal temperature.
Normal goat body temperature is 101.5*F to 103.5*F. Body temperature
below 100*F means the kid is in critical condition. Fever is much
easier to bring down than sub-normal body temperature is to bring up.
Fill a sink with very warm water and put the kid's body in it, holding
its head out of the water. Massage the kid's legs to stimulate blood
circulation. A cold stressed newborn's body will shunt blood to
essential organs (lungs, heart, kidneys -- not stomach) to sustain life,
leaving its legs with poor circulation and therefore cold. When the
chill is off the kid's body and its body temperature is at least 100*F,
remove it from the warm water bath , towel the kid dry, and administer
Lactated Ringers Solution under the skin (SQ) at each shoulder.

Lactated Ringers is an inexpensive veterinary prescription item that
comes in an IV bag and is used to rehydrate the kid. Using a 60-cc
syringe with a new sharp 18 gauge needle attached, withdraw 60 cc of LRS
from the IV bag and warm it in a pot of water before giving it SQ to the
kid. Test the temperature of the Lactated Ringers Solution on the
inside of your wrist to make sure it is not too hot. Tent the kid's skin
at the shoulder and inject 30 cc's Lactated Ringers Solution under the
skin (SQ) per side. Do not use the same needle twice; LRS must be kept
uncontaminated. In warm climates, Lactated Ringers Solution is best
kept refrigerated, especially after having been opened.

Lactated Ringers comes in various sizes up to a 1000 mL IV bag, but do
not give it intravenously to the kid. The goal is to hydrate the kid's
body tissues -- not to put it in its bloodstream. The knot of fluid
which appears under the skin will soon be absorbed by the dehydrated
kid's body. Continue to give Lactated Ringers Solution until the kid's
body quits absorbing it rapidly, but space the dosing over reasonable
periods of time. Give the kid's body time to absorb and process the
fluid. A newborn kid can live several hours on SQ fluids and without
colostrum in its stomach. Rehydration to get the body temperature above
100*F is vital. LRS can be used frequently and safely in small amounts
as described. Anytime a kid is dehydrated, whether from Weak Kid
Syndrome, pneumonia, eColi, diarrhea, or other causes, Lactated
Ringers is a good product to use for rehydration. Illnesses are
accompanied by dehydration and fever is dehydrating. (Adults usually
require stomach tubing because it is difficult to give them enough
Lactated Ringers Solution SQ to resolve their dehydration problem.)

Once the kid has been hydrated with LRS, use a hand-held hair dry set on
*low* temperature and blow warm air across the kid to help raise and
hold its body temperature. Take care not to burn or further dehydrate
the kid. For quick energy, put some molasses or Karo syrup on your
finger and rub it onto the kid's gums and inside the kid's mouth.
Stomach tube a weak kid who cannot hold its head up with a small amount
of Karo syrup or molasses diluted in warm water or with a solution of
equal parts of 50% Dextrose and water. A weak kid with sub-normal
body temperature is able to absorb these simple sugars while it cannot
digest colostrum or milk. Give the simple-sugar mixture slowly and in
small amounts -- probably no more than two ounces at a time, depending
up the size and breed of the kid. Do not put colostrum or milk into a
weak kid that cannot hold its head up until its body temperature is
above 100*F. Once the kid's rectal temperature is above 100*F, milk
the kid's mother and stomach tube a small amount of colostrum into it,
even if it cannot hold its head up. If the dam's colostrum is bad
(stringy or bloody or won't flow when the seal over the teat has been
carefully removed with a fingernail), thaw some colostrum that has been
previously frozen in plastic soda-pop bottles or use colostrum replacer
(not colostrum *supplement*) and tube feed the kid no more than two
ounces at a time. It is important to use the dam's colostrum if the
producer wants to graft the kid back onto its mother. Dams use smell to
identify their kids, and the smell of the kid's feces must be *right*
or she will reject it.

Colostrum should be thick and creamy in consistency and yellowish in
color. Occasionally colostrum will be so thick that it is "untubable."
Dilute very thick colostrum with a small amount of goat's milk so it
will flow through a stomach tube. Colostrum is required to get the
newborn's digestive system operating. A combination of five (5) cc's
strong coffee (not too hot) mixed with molasses or Karo syrup can be
given orally to *jump start* the kid. Register Distributing in Wade,
North Carolina (1-888-310-9606) sells a terrific product called GoatADE
which can be given to weak kids as a source of quick energy. Goat
Nutri-Drench is a similar product. This writer prefers GoatADE.

Administer orally CMPK or MFO (calcium-magnesium-phosphorus-dextrose
solution). Often given to does experiencing Hypocalcemia ("milk
fever"), CMPK or MFO will help stabilize a weak kid whose calcium
balance is off the from the stress of hypothermia. Use a one-cc
syringe and give as little as one quarter of one cc (1/4 of one cc) at a
time orally. Try to get one cc per pound of bodyweight of CMPK or MFO
into the kid. Example: a six-pound kid should get up to six cc's of
this product orally -- given very slowly. Also give from one to three
cc's (1 to 3 cc's) of Fortified Vitamin B Complex -- again in small
doses. Both of these products are available over the counter from
suppliers such as Register Distributing (www.goatsupplies.com) or
Jeffers (1-800-JEFFERS) and are inexpensive. This writer thanks Donna
Palmer, Crown Hill Nubians, Central Point, Oregon, for this information.

Stomach tubing is easy but can be off-putting to the producer. Have a
vet or an experienced producer demonstrate how to stomach tube properly
and read STOMACH TUBING on the Articles page of this writer's website
www.tennesseemeatgoats.com. The stomach tube must go into the esophagus
and not into the kid's lungs. If fluid is tubed into the lungs, the
kid will contract pneumonia and die. All producers must know how to
use a stomach tube on both kids and adult goats.

Now that the weak kid has received life-sustaining colostrum, wrap or
cover it loosely in a towel, set a heating pad on *low* inside a box and
place another towel over it, then put the kid on the towel-covered
heating pad. In very cold weather, also use a heating lamp with a 150
to 200 watt clear bulb over which a metal guard has been placed so that
the kid cannot touch the hot bulb. Infrared bulbs are suitable for
extremely cold climates only and should be placed out of reach of the
kid and any other animal. Test the heat with your hand and adjust
height and wattage accordingly. Keep electrical cords out of reach.
Set the kid upright on its sternum and turn it from side to side every
30 minutes to avoid pneumonia. Keep the kid hydrated; heating pads have
a dehydrating effect. Use Lactated Ringers Solution for hydration as
needed. A good indication of hydration is when the kid can urinate and
when the kid's body no longer quickly absorbs the LRS when injected SQ.

If the producer is lucky enough to find a weak kid whose temperature is
slightly sub-normal but more than 100*F and it can stand and hold its
head up, then most of the foregoing treatments can be skipped and the
kid can be placed at its dam's teat to nurse. Squeeze a bit of the
dam's colostrum into the kid's mouth and it will usually begin to nurse
if it has sufficient strength. Nursing takes energy. Check the kid's
sucking response by putting your finger in its mouth. A kid that is
only slightly *weak* will suck the finger. Remember that most weak kids
won't be strong enough to nurse on their own but instead will require
stomach tubing.

Cleft Palate is a lengthwise split in the roof of the kid's mouth. In
most cases, it is a developmental problem rather than hereditary, but it
is not repairable. The kid can live with a cleft palate for a while,
but as it grows, the split will widen and the kid won't be able to chew
or swallow its food well. The kid's growth will be stunted, it will
have trouble breathing when fluid comes out its nose, and pneumonia will
develop. A kid with a cleft palate should be euthanized. Check each
kid at birth for a cleft palate.

Atresia Ani is lack of an anus (rectal opening) that prevents solid
waste from being expelled from the kid's body. Like cleft palate,
atresia ani in goats is usually a developmental problem rather than
hereditary and is also not repairable. The kid should be euthanized
immediately. Check each kid at birth for atresia ani.

Fever in newborn kids occurs occasionally. Kids with fever seem
perfectly normal but *stupid* about nursing. A kid with fever won't
nurse. Take the rectal temperature of any newborn that seems healthy
but won't nurse. If fever is present, inject the kid with 1/2 cc
Excenel RTU into the muscle (IM) and 2/10th of a cc of Banamine IM,
then hydrate the kid with Lactated Ringers Solution as described above.

If the kid won't nurse and doesn't have fever, it may be a buckling who
hasn't quite made the mental connection between food and nursing, so the
producer will have to stomach tube him until he figures out how to
nurse. Premature kids of both sexes have problems nursing because they
are developmentally not ready and because their teeth (with which they
hold the teat) are still in their gums. Preemies usually require
stomach-tube feeding until their teeth erupt through the gums.

Entropion is an eyelid condition of some newborns. The eyelid and
eyelashes are turned inward, scratching the eye and causing discomfort.
See this author's article on Entropion on the Articles page at
www.tennesseemeatgoats.com.

Getting a kid to nurse a bottle takes time and patience. Sit or kneel
and place the kid between your legs. Placing your thumb across the
bridge of the kid's nose and your fingers under its chin, insert the
nipple of the bottle into the kid's mouth, using your other hand. Put
your thumb across its eyes to simulate the darkness of being under its
mother's legs. Hold the nipple in the kid's mouth, moving it in and out
of the mouth and squeezing gently to stimulate the kid's interest. Once
the kid learns that the nipple delivers milk, it should begin to suck.
Getting a newborn to accept a bottle is much easier than an older kid.
By then the nipple does not feel like mom's teat and the older kid
will fight acceptance of it. Sometimes it is necessary to let the kid
get hungry by waiting six or eight hours before offering it a bottle.
Do not let the kid have access to dam's milk or water during this
waiting time. When the kid gets stronger, you can sit on an
overturned five-gallon bucket, place the bottle under your knee, and the
kid will feel like it is under its dam's legs nursing her teat. If at
all possible, graft an orphaned or rejected kid onto another dam.
Bottle babies are not desirable. They are expensive to raise, almost
never fit in with the herd because they view themselves as people, and
are dangerous when grown because they still perceive themselves as that
eight-pound kid who used to climb into your lap. The most dangerous
goat on your ranch is a grown male who still believes he is a bottle
baby. Someday he will hurt someone unintentionally -- probably you.

Suzanne W. Gasparotto
ONION CREEK RANCH
HC 70 Box 70
Lohn, Texas 76852
325-344-5775
email: onioncreek@tennesseemeatgoats.com
website: www.tennesseemeatgoats.com
Internet meat-goat discussion group: chevontalk-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
Internet meat-goat emergency group: GoatER-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
2/20/06

Saving Baby Goats in Cold Weather

Two words: hair dryer.

The best piece of baby goat equipment is a hair dryer and chances are you already have one.

Hair dryer, heating pad, wood stove, space heater, warm water, whatever. You got to get them warm asap. If the inside of the mouth is cold, get busy. If they won't suck or stop sucking you need to get busy. They can't turn themselves around and will die without your help.

As you are warming the baby goat, rub the body, the legs, the cold little feet, move them. You want to get that blood flowing through the muscles. Stand them up, spread all four legs and prop them up, or hold them and just let them put some of their own weight on those little legs.

If they fall, pick them back up and prop them up over and over. If you can get them to stand up for minutes or even longer you have achieved something. You'll notice that when they start to take a step or lose balance they may fall but try to right themselves. Even if they fall, that's still good. They need to get those muscles working, again to increase blood flow and increase body temp. Bicycle the legs. If they resist you when you are moving the legs that's also good. It is getting the muscles primed with blood and increasing body temp. If the kid is limp just keep working on him until he does start resisting.

If they are born on ice but stand up they'll make it. The ice and/or snow will lower their body temps if they are down on it. They need to achieve a normal body temp to get to some kind of homeostasis asap.

After the body temp is up to normal or almost normal, then put some kind of coat on them. I like small dog sweaters but I've improvised with all kinds of children's/infants sweatshirts and sweaters and safety pins. I leave that to you. If you notice within the next couple days they are getting a little lethargic don't wait, they haven't quite achieved homeostasis yet. Get out the hair dryer again. Heat, message, standing, and then a coat. Repeat as needed.

Once they have achieved homeostasis, they are amazingly resilient to all kinds of weather conditions.

Also there are what they call "pig mats" now available through the animal suppliers. they are heating pads invented to warm little ones without the danger of heat lamps. They are more economical than heat lamps to run as well. A little expensive to buy but if you save one baby they might pay for themselves.

Toxoid or Anti-toxin

Guest post by Suzanne W. Gasparotto


TOXOID OR ANTI-TOXIN?

Knowing the Difference Can Mean Life or Death

Toxoids and Anti-toxins are medications for identical goat health
problems, but their usage is dramatically different. Which vaccine
should be used depends upon what the producer is trying to accomplish.

The two most common vaccines that come in both toxoid and anti-toxin
forms are the overeating vaccines and the tetanus vaccines.
Confusing the matter is the fact that there is a vaccine for Overeating
Disease which is also combined with Tetanus prevention.

Toxoid vaccines are used for long term protection. For example, the
vaccine for Overeating Disease combined with Tetanus prevention is
called "CD/T." These letters represent protection against Overeating
Disease caused by the most common and dangerous organisms . . .
Clostridium Perfringens Types C & D. The "T" part of the vaccine
provides long-term protection against Tetanus.

Toxoid vaccines are given once, with a booster injection following 30
days later. CD/T vaccine is given to unvaccinated adults and kids
twice in the first year, one month apart. Booster vaccinations are then
given annually, although some goat veterinarians and producers are
boosting this protection twice a year and oftentimes one week before
does begin to kid, in order to "jumpstart" the immune systems of the
soon-to-be-born kids.

Anti-toxin vaccines are used in medical emergencies, when immediate but
short-term protection is required. The two most commonly used goat
anti-toxin vaccines are C&D Anti-Toxin and Tetanus Anti-toxin. C&D
Anti-toxin should be used whenever Overeating Disease is suspected to be
the cause of the goat's illness. As with the toxoid vaccines, the
anti-toxins are recommended to be used SQ (sub-cutaneously . . . i.e.
"under the skin). C&D Anti-toxin vaccine is very safe to use and has a
very high margin of error. It is one of the few medications which can
be used without fear of hurting the animal, even if the problem turns
out not to be Overeating Disease. "Bloat" is another goat health
problem against which C&D Anti-toxin may be used, in conjunction with
other medications.

Tetanus Anti-toxin is used after castrations are done ("wethering a
goat"), for injuries (bites, cuts, puncture wounds), and when
Tetanus-like symptoms are present (goat's neck is dramatically bent to
the side and unable to be straightened, eyes unfocused, difficulty
standing).

The temporary protection afforded by both of these vaccines lasts from 7
to 14 days. If the goat survives the illness, the producer must wait
at least five days and begin the two-vaccination toxoid series again,
because the Anti-toxin has cancelled the benefits of the Toxoid
vaccine. Some folks will argue that this occurs, but it better to be
safe than sorry, particularly since these vaccines are very inexpensive.

Note: CD/T, the toxoid, will sometimes cause a "knot" at the injection
site. This is evidence that the vaccine is successfully interacting
with the goat's immune system. To avoid these "knots," injections can
be done inside the loose skin where the front leg meets the goat's body
(in the "armpit," so the speak). Usually, but not always, these
"knots" eventually disappear.

Here's a "word association" (courtesy of Jerry Munns of Honea Path,
South Carolina) to help remember the difference between Toxoid and
Anti-toxin:

TOXOID . . . . TO AVOID
ANTI-TOXIN . . . IN NEED OF FIXIN'

Suzanne W. Gasparotto
ONION CREEK RANCH
HC 70 Box 70
Lohn, Texas 76852
325/344-5775

website: www.tennesseemeatgoats.com

Baby goats in the House

I don't know about everyone else but sometimes it's much too cold outside for baby goats and I grab them and head for the house. They spend a few minutes under the hair dryer and then the rest of the night by the wood stove. I use dog cages mostly to contain them. I also have a 100 gal rubber stock tank that I use as a "play pen." But it only takes a couple weeks until they are popping out and making a mess. Then I'm scrounging around for a screen or baby gate, something to lay on top.

When I read about this lady, Mary, and how she puts diapers on her kids I thought how much better this would be. Here it is cut and pasted from one of my goat lists:
********************************************************************************

Posted by: "combmaker@aol.com" combmaker@aol.com hemizonia

Sun Feb 1, 2009 3:06 am (PST)

(first part edited out)

I used regular human infant diapers, starting with newborn, and sizing
up as the kids grew. I'd cut a tiny hole for the tail, and pull it thru. I
would have the kids wear a cat or small dog halter ... would secure the diaper
by connecting the halter and diaper with a shoelace. With bucklings, you
have to keep the bottom of the diaper placed about to their chest. With
doe-lings, you didn't need to be as fussy. A shoelace on the bottom of the diaper
to the halter helped keep the pooplets in the diaper.

Mary, No. California
*******************************************************************************

Well my Swiffer mop is going to get a lot less use this year thanks to Mary's idea of the diapers and dog halter. hehe. And they might be out of the dog cages more.

I have one more tip. After you give them their bottle, stick them out the door and within a few minutes they probably will pee and maybe number two. Then you can bring them back in. Watch so that they don't wander off.

Emergency Preparedness--What if we had a blackout, or other emergency on the farm?

Emergency preparedness comes natural to my husband, a pig farmer, Ohio farm boy his whole life. When our electricity went out for a about a day, we had the wood stove for heat. We could heat our foot on the top of it. He got an small TV out and hooked it up to what we call the "hotbox" the thing we use to jump-start our cars and trucks. He had a DC light hooked up. We had flashlights and candles. All in all we were relatively comfortable until the electricity came back on. (Well, I missed the computer.)

During this past year I have also become interested in emergency preparedness. So I have been trying to build up an emergency food and water supply and think about these things. You know: what if? What if? After I stockpile soup, beans, flour etc. for us, what about the dogs? What about the horses? What about the goats?

The reason I'm bringing this up is the news that down in Kentucky there is a huge blackout caused by a terrible winter ice storm. The national guard is going house to house to help out residents. I'm sure there are farms and animal owners down there also without electricity and heat. Hundreds of thousands of people are off the grid and suffering. Children are no doubt being traumatized and everyone is stressed out to have their lives interrupted one way or the other.

I'm not going to list out a bunch of "hints" for preparing in animals, especially dogs, goats and horses, in mind even though I could. I would rather you think about it. Mull it over. What if I ran out of feed and the roads were blocked? Or the feed store was closed since they don't have electricity? What about water? How would I get water to my animals? Do i have enough flashlights on hand? Do I have a kerosene heater or something similar in case I need it? What if the cell phones go down....

Ask yourself "what if" and then just start mentally making plans for an emergency, short term and maybe even long term. For example, I think I'm going to bring home a couple of round bales of hay and store them behind the barn, just in case. I'm also going to get a rain barrel out there close to the barn.

Please leave comments about this. What are you thinking about? What can you do to prepare? We can toss this around.