Cattle Round Up

According to reports, a record crowd attended the Kentucky Cattlemen's Convention in Lexington with 1,287 members taking part in the activities. David Maples was excited over the enthusiasm of the attendees. He said membership in the association will probably be record breaking this year, too.

Lowell Clifford participated in the forage program. He said four farmers told about their operations. Lowell was a general farmer. One man produced cattle for Laura's Lean Beef, one farmer in Bourbon County backgrounds cattle on a large scale, and the fourth man provides hay for farmers as his main job and raised some cattle. Each had a different aspect of forage to tell about.

Lowell said the trade show was larger. Saving hay was a big subject and the conical hay ring was a star attraction at the trade show because it is suppose to make hay rolls last longer. There is a cone that holds hay in the middle of the bale.

Time released medical implants ear was a popular item. The implant is given in the ear. The Blue Grass Stockyards demonstrated the use of a spreadsheet for the computer that took electronic IDs and scale weights and information directly into the computer.

Lowell said the video cattle sale was really popular. There was a large crowd attending and the Lexington buyers were seated up front bidding on the cattle. That is something I should learn about but don't want to know about!

The Kentucky Farm Bureau Beef Exposition will be at the Kentucky Fair and Exposition Center in Louisville Feb. 29 to March 2. For more information call Terri Bradshaw at 502-495-5191 or tbradshawgkyfb.com.

The Mid-South Stocker Conference is Feb. 12 and 13 at the James E. Ward Agricultural Center in Lebanon, Tennessee. For more information call John Johns, UK Beef Specialist at 1-859-257-2853 or itiohnakukv.edu.

Call the Extension Office, 234-5510 if you are interested in the computer program that teaches record keeping.

Judy, my daughter, had a pretty and tasty birthday dinner recently. She sliced roasted beef and put it on one side of an oval meat platter. She placed boiled potatoes that had been sliced long- ways like steak fries on the other side of the platter and drizzled beef gravy over the potatoes. It was a pretty main dish and it was good.

She cooked baby carrots until tender and added enough butter to coat the carrots lightly. Then she sprinkled dry ranch dressing over the carrots. That was also pretty and delicious. The dressing comes in a small envelop. Pour it in a cup and stir it because the big spices come to the top. Sprinkle the powder very sparingly over the carrots and taste. It takes only a small amount of the powdered dressing to flavor the carrots.

The other dish she prepared that I liked was a sweet potato casserole that is fairly similar to most sweet casserole recipes except this is not heavy and stuffy tasting.

Sweet Potato Casserole

3 lbs. sweet potatoes

3 eggs

1/4 cup milk

I tsp. grated orange zest

1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

1/4 tsp. salt

2/3 cup packed brown sugar

2 TBS. butter at room temperature

2/3 cup pecan halves

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bake potatoes until tender, I hour. Set aside until cool enough to handle. Peel and mash until almost smooth.

Coat a 2-qt. baking dish with cooking spray. In medium bowl beat eggs, milk, zest, spice and salt. Stir egg mixture and 1/3 cup of sugar into the mashed potatoes. Spread in baking dish.

In a small bowl, combine remaining butter with 1/3 cup sugar. Stir in pecans until coated. Place pecans in a ring around the edge of the baking dish. Bake until golden brown and bubbly, about 45 minutes.