By NTFR Staff

Farm country has never been short on rules that begin with “My granddad always said.” Some grew out of years of careful observation. Others survived because they were memorable, even if they were never accurate. Fall is a good time to sort a few of them out.

Take the old advice to feed livestock before bad weather. It makes real sense, especially when cold, wind and moisture raise an animal’s energy needs. For cattle and horses, good-quality forage also creates heat through digestion. The useful part of the saying is that animals heading into cold stress need water, forage, shelter and enough energy available before conditions get bad. A full belly won’t protect them from a storm by itself.

Then there is the belief that animals can predict the weather. Cattle lying down don’t reliably forecast rain. Horses running the pasture aren’t a dependable sign that a front is coming. Animals do respond to changes in temperature, wind, insects and barometric pressure, and experienced stockmen often notice behavior before they notice the weather. That still falls short of a proven forecast.

Persimmon seeds are another favorite. Split the seed and, according to folklore, a spoon-shaped kernel means heavy snow, a knife means cutting cold and a fork predicts a mild winter. It’s a fun tradition, but the shape inside a persimmon seed is the developing plant embryo. It can’t model a season’s weather.

The same goes for woolly worms. People have long used the width of the brown band on woolly bear caterpillars to predict how hard the winter will be. Entomologists haven’t found evidence that the color pattern can forecast months of weather. The band can vary with the insect’s age, species and growing conditions.

Some sayings are based on real natural signals but are too broad to use literally. “When the leaves turn early, winter will be hard” confuses plant stress with forecasting. Early color can come from drought, disease, heat or local conditions. Likewise, unusually thick coats on horses or cattle may reflect genetics, day length, age and health rather than an animal preparing for a particular winter.

Bird and insect behavior inspires plenty of predictions, too. Large flocks, low-flying birds or busy squirrels may coincide with changing weather because animals respond to current conditions. That doesn’t mean wildlife can predict a whole winter months ahead. Pay attention to what animals are doing now, but don’t build a seasonal forecast from it.

The same caution applies to other signs. A red sunrise may point to moisture under some conditions, but it isn’t a guarantee. A big acorn crop doesn’t prove a hard winter is coming. Livestock lying down doesn’t mean rain is on the way. Trouble starts when observation turns into certainty.

The sayings that hold up

Other old advice has held up much better. “Don’t turn hungry cattle onto lush pasture” is still sound management. Hungry animals eat fast and are more likely to overeat unfamiliar or risky forage. Gradual transitions are still recommended when cattle move to high-quality forage, grain or pastures where bloat or plant toxicity is a concern.

“Make hay while the sun shines” also deserves its reputation. Hay quality depends heavily on curing conditions. Rain after cutting can leach nutrients, shatter leaves and raise the chance of mold when hay is baled too wet. Modern equipment makes hay faster, but you still need a good weather window.

One of the most useful pieces of old farm wisdom is simply to watch what is normal. A cow that hangs back, a horse that leaves feed, a water trough that empties faster than usual or a patch of pasture cattle suddenly avoid can all be early clues. Producers who work with the same animals and ground every day build a baseline no phone app can replace.

Another old rule worth keeping: fix small problems before weather makes them big. A loose gate hinge in September becomes a gate on the ground during a north wind. A slow water leak becomes an ice problem. A thin cow that looks acceptable in warm weather may lose condition fast once her maintenance requirements rise. That is the advantage of doing work while conditions are still forgiving.

The strongest farm sayings tend to be the least magical. “Never let the water tank go dry.” “Buy the best hay you can afford, then waste as little as possible.” “A good fence is cheaper than a bad neighbor.” They survive because they point toward management, not prophecy.

Some old advice also survives because it was built for a world with less margin for error. If the well failed, no delivery truck was coming with water. If hay spoiled, you couldn’t always replace winter feed with a phone call. Preparing early was risk management, and that part still translates. Technology gives producers better forecasts, better diagnostics and faster communication, but none of it fixes a broken water line during an ice storm.

There is value in keeping the folklore anyway. Weather signs and sayings are part of rural culture, and they often start conversations about how people watched the seasons before radar apps and seven-day forecasts. The trick is knowing which sayings belong in the toolbox and which belong around the coffee pot.

The persimmon seed can stay, as long as nobody mistakes it for the National Weather Service. The old rule most worth keeping may be the simplest: pay attention early enough that you still have choices.

By Barry Whitworth, DVM

Scrapie is a chronic, progressive disease of the central nervous system that affects sheep and goats. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has worked for decades to eliminate scrapie from small ruminant operations. The United States was positioned to meet the World Organization for Animal Health’s seven-year benchmark for self-declared scrapie freedom in January 2028. Unfortunately, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) confirmed classical scrapie in a sheep slaughtered at a facility in Oregon. With this detection, national scrapie-free status for the U.S. may be pushed back to sometime in 2033.

Scrapie is the oldest of the neurodegenerative diseases known as transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs). Other TSEs include bovine spongiform encephalopathy, known as mad cow disease; chronic wasting disease, found in deer; and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, found in humans. TSEs are protein-misfolding diseases that damage the brain, and they are always fatal.

Researchers don’t fully understand what causes scrapie, but evidence points to an infectious protein called a prion. These infectious prions damage the normal prion proteins found in the brain. The misfolded proteins lead to brain damage and the clinical signs of the disease. Prions resist destruction, so once they are in the environment, they are difficult to remove.

Scrapie appears to spread mainly by the oral route. Lambs and kids typically ingest prions when they contact placentas and birthing fluids from infected ewes and does. Older animals can be exposed the same way. Colostrum and milk are also sources of prions, and urine, feces, saliva and nasal secretions may contain them as well. Once ingested, prions cross into the lymphoid system, where they incubate for a long time, usually two to five years, before entering the nervous system.

Genetics plays a part in scrapie infections. Some breeds are more susceptible because of their genetic makeup. Genetic testing can help producers select breeding stock with resistant genes.

The clinical signs most associated with scrapie are intense itching (pruritus), incoordination (ataxia) and wasting. Early on, producers may notice slight behavior changes in infected sheep and goats. Animals may have a staring or fixed gaze, fail to respond to herding or act aggressively toward objects. As the disease progresses, signs include weight loss despite a normal appetite, incoordination, head tremors and intense itching. In the final stages, sheep go down and may show blindness, seizures and an inability to swallow. Once the first clinical signs appear, death usually follows in one to six months.

The gold standard for diagnosing scrapie after death is immunohistochemistry testing of brain tissue, along with microscopic examination of the brain for the lesions characteristic of TSEs. Veterinarians can also diagnose live animals by testing lymphoid tissue from the third eyelid and rectal mucosa scrapings.

No treatment exists for scrapie, so prevention is key. Biosecurity is a good starting point. Maintain a closed flock, and buy replacement animals only from certified scrapie-free flocks. Limit visitors’ contact with your animals. Keep lambing and kidding areas clean, and dispose of manure and bedding contaminated with birthing fluids and placentas properly. Use genetically resistant animals for breeding to produce genetically resistant offspring.

A novel, or atypical, form of scrapie also exists. Sometimes called the Nor98 variant, it was first found in Norway and has been diagnosed in the U.S. as well. It usually turns up in a single old animal in a flock or herd, and its brain lesions differ from those of classical scrapie. Experts currently believe natural transmission of atypical scrapie is unlikely.

Small ruminant producers can help the USDA’s eradication effort by contacting the agency when an adult sheep or goat shows clinical signs of scrapie or when an adult animal dies or is euthanized. Contact Oklahoma State Veterinarian Dr. Rod Hall at 405-522-6141 or USDA Veterinary Services at 405-254-1797. Collection and testing of samples for scrapie are free.

Another important step in eliminating scrapie, and other diseases, is identifying animals with official USDA ID. The USDA National Scrapie Eradication Program requires most sheep to be identified to their flock of birth when they leave their home premises for sale, show or events, or when they commingle with other sheep.

Unfortunately, the Oregon sheep diagnosed with scrapie had no tag, which will hamper USDA traceback efforts. You can find more information on official ID at https://www.aphis.usda.gov/nvap/reference-guide/animal-identification/sheep-goat.

The U.S. needs to eliminate scrapie. Once it does, the country will gain additional export markets for sheep and goat products. Oklahoma State University Cooperative Extension Service has an informative fact sheet on scrapie. Ask your local county Extension office for fact sheet VTMD-9135, or view it online at https://extension.okstate.edu/fact-sheets/scrapie.html. Sheep and goat producers may also want to visit the USDA National Scrapie Eradication Program website at https://www.aphis.usda.gov/livestock-poultry-disease/sheep-goat/scrapie.

References

Cassmann, E. D., & Greenlee, J. J. (2020). Pathogenesis, detection, and control of scrapie in sheep. American Journal of Veterinary Research, 81(7), 600–614. https://doi.org/10.2460/ajvr.81.7.600

By Justine Anderson | OCC Public Information Manager

In Pawnee, Oklahoma, one landowner needed a plan and some help to turn his 400 acres, with three ponds and acres packed with Eastern redcedars, into usable land for cattle and wildlife.

Brian Heishman is a retired, disabled Marine Corps veteran. After five years in the infantry, 16 years in Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) and 10 years contracting for the U.S. government in Iraq, Brian wanted a way to stay active and a greater purpose. Managing the land with his wife, Melinda (Mindy), and bringing it back to its original state gave him both.

“Finding a greater purpose that is satisfying is a struggle for many who leave the brotherhood, but I’ve found mine in managing this land,” Brian said.

Brian and Mindy are in their fifth year of owning the land, and it has changed quickly from a cedar-filled landscape into an ecosystem full of native grasses with more water. Brian first met with Duel Brown, Pawnee County conservationist for the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and a U.S. Air Force veteran, who gave him clear advice on managing the land.

Brian wasn’t sure he could clear the cedars himself. He had never done that kind of work. After he cleared an initial 500 feet to create a fire break for a prescribed burn, he felt confident enough to sign a contract with NRCS, with help from Cole Fagen at the American Bird Conservancy. He hasn’t looked back. Since signing his first NRCS contract in 2022, Brian has found a new purpose clearing Eastern redcedars and restoring native grasses.

Under additional NRCS EQIP contracts, Brian installed cross fencing and put grazing management practices in place, with help from two other former Marines who work for NRCS, Blake Crispin and Shaun Hull. He bought equipment with a loan from the Farm Service Agency, which sped up the cedar clearing. With help from other partners, he restored the dam on the property’s largest pond, giving the cattle that graze the area a source of fresh water. Kyle Johnson of the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation helped Brian stock his ponds with a variety of fish to improve their ecological health. Brian credits the Pawnee County Prescribed Burn Association with teaching him the details of prescribed burning and advising him on best practices.

“Working with NRCS has been very easy and beneficial. My advice to others would be to get good equipment and keep at it. Conservation is possible if you just keep going. Once you see progress, it becomes addicting and you want to keep making progress!” Brian said.

A wildfire that swept through the land in 2025 sped up Brian’s cedar clearing. The fire also burned other trees, including oaks and black walnuts, but it cleared most of the cedars on the east side of the property. Brian is now clearing the burned skeletons, and he is seeing grass grow back. His ponds are filling faster, and new streams have appeared as water levels rise without the cedars pulling moisture from the ground.

“The differences between how the land looked in 2022 and now are very clear. Seeing the native grasses repopulating the land is very promising and sends a clear message that Brian’s hard work is paying off,” said Duel Brown of NRCS. “I’m grateful for Brian and Mindy and their dedication to preserving the land.”

As Brian keeps clearing cedars, his goal is simple: maintain the work he has done so the trees can’t take over again. Eventually, he and Mindy plan to build a home and enjoy what their work has produced. Brian hopes his story will encourage others to try a conservation practice and lean on the partners available to help. From brothers in arms to brothers in conservation, Brian and NRCS have shown what people can do for the land when they work together.