J^Jhappenings Bucks County 4-H’ers Win Awards Recently several Bucks County 4-H’ers were honored for their outstanding work in the 4-H horse and pony project. The 4-H Achievement Day was Nov. 7 at the Lenape Valley Presbyterian Church in New Britain. The Junior Horse Award Winner this year is Danielle Nilsen. Danielle is 11 years old and was the vice president of the Spurs N Burrs 4-H Horse and Pony Club last year. She is the daughter of Jim and Betsy Nilsen, Hellertown. This was Danielle’s fifth year in 4-H. She participated in county and regional horse bowl, hippology, and public speaking contests. Danielle also competed in the county, regional, and state 4-H horse shows. Outside of 4-H she is active in her church and school activities. The Senior Horse Award Winner this year is Emily Fair. She is 15 years old and a second year member of the Spurs N Burrs 4-H Horse and Pony Club. Emily is the daughter of Dennis and Sandy Fair, Coopersburg. Emily participated in the county horse bowl and hippology con tests and competed in the coun ty and regional 4-H horse shows. She is a teen leader in her club and is known to persuade others to join the 4-H program. Emily is planning a career in the equine sciences and is furthering her knowledge through 4-H. The 4-H Horseless Project Award recognizes a 4-H member who has excelled in the horse program even without a horse. This year’s winner is Phillip Beck, son of Ted and Sarah Mahoning Outdoor Furnaces Cut Your Heating Costs With Our Outdoor Furnace • Standard Model Burns Wood, Coal or Wood by-products • Multi-Fuel Model Burns Wood, Coal, Oil or Gas Adapts to any existing heat system Installation & Accessories Available Why Pasture Mat? Pasture Mat is tightly stuffed with rubber and sewn every 4” to prevent shifting Proven most durable top cover Least abrasive top cover on the market Fits any stall Proven performance For details and installation with over 6 years experience, call Petersheim’s Cow Mattresses 117 Christiana Pike (Route 372), Christiana, PA 17509 610-593-2242 U S Pat No 5653195 Beck, Coopersburg. Phillip is 11 years old and a third-year mem ber of the Spurs N Burrs 4-H Club. He participated in the County and regional horse bowl and hippology contests, Phillip is also very active in community service activities along with working at the Care and Share Shoppe in Souderton. The 4-H Horse Production Award recognizes a 4-H mem ber’s accomplishments in the production project This year’s winner is Danielle Nilsen. Danielle spent many hours working with her project horse Justin and learning tips and techniques from Justin’s owners. She says, “Patience is the key to everything, especially when working around young horses.” All that hard work paid off because she and Justin went all the way to the state horse show and placed sixth. This year 4-H picked one out standing 4-H horse member. This outstanding member is involved with the many activi ties that 4-H offers and has shown great leadership poten tial and responsibility within the club and with her project work. This year’s winner is Danielle Nilsen. 4-H Livestock Scholarships Awarded Fayette County 4-H Livestock Scholarships were recently awarded to 13 4-H members. Recipients are Lance Gallagher, Robert Harper Jr., Jennifer Holchin, Justin Homer, Jaclyn Lehman, Amanda Myers, Jamie Piwowar, Tiffany Rockwell, Kevin Rooker, Jess Schroyer, Lee Stanish, Angela Thomas, and Jennifer Wilburn. William F. Gallagher, Fayette Pasture Mal The Golden Standard In Cow Comfort The Rewards • Better Cow Health • Reduced Leg Injury • Reduced Swollen Hocks • More Lactation Per Cow - More Milk • Reduced Bedding Costs • Pasture Mats Often Pay For Themselves Within 6 Months Ask For Merrill or Sam Food And Nutrition Notes Many women take a calcium supplement to help prevent osteoporosis, vitamin E to help protect against heart disease, or a multi-vitamm/mineral pill to take the place of a diet that is not as healthy as we’d like it to be. When taking one or more supplements a day, you may want to think about how to get the most for your dollar. In order to gain the maxi mum benefit from vitamin and mineral supplements, you need to consider many factors. These include how to improve the absorption of supplements, should they be taken with or without food, and are capsules that promise better absorption worth the extra money. What affects absorption of vitamins and minerals? If you take a multi-vitamin/mineral formula, it will be better absorbed if you take it with a meal. This occurs because the stomach breaks down the pill while it digests food, making it easier to absorb the various nutrients in the pill into the bloodstream. Taking pills with a meal can also help reduce the gastric (stomach) discomfort that some people experience when taking supplements. Keep in mind that taking vit amin and mineral supplements with certain foods can increase or decrease the absorption of nutrients. A good example of County extension agent, announced that the Livestock Scholarship Fund was founded in 1980. To date, more than $85,400 has been awarded to 182 4-H’ers. Qualifications for the scholarship are determined by the members of the Livestock Scholarship Committee for youth who enroll in a college or an approved technical school. wf 5O 6-90 CC ATV’s 1L For The Young Rider i I Lawn Care Equipment Center, LLP A 5 & Lancaster Farming, Saturday, December 18, 1999-817 this is iron, which is a common nutrient deficiency for children and menstruating women Iron supplements should be taken with a meal or a glass of juice, since the acid produced in the stomach as a result of food entering it or the acid naturally occurring in juice, increases the absorption of iron into the blood stream It’s best to avoid drinking cof fee or tea for at least 90 minutes after taking an iron pill or eat ing an iron-rich meal Chemicals called polyphenols in coffee and tannins in tea have been found to decrease the absorption of iron. Since calcium may reduce iron absorption, avoid taking a multi-vitamin/mineral supple ment at the same time as a sep arate calcium pill. Instead, take them with different meals. What is the best calcium sup plement? For those taking a cal cium supplement, select one with calcium carbonate, since it is best absorbed when taken with meals. Because the body is not able to absorb large doses as well as it does small doses of calcium, it’s a good idea to divide large doses (1000 to 1200 milligrams per day into two or three small er doses throughout the day. In addition, if you are not receiving enough sunlight on your skin, you may not be pro ducing enough vitamin D, which is crucial in the absorption of calcium. This is especially a con cern for those living in the northeastern part of the U.S. and those who are home-bound. Those who don’t expose them selves to the sun should pur chase a calcium supplement that contains 200 to 400 mil ligrams of vitamin D for every 1000 milligrams of calcium. How are seniors’ needs differ ent? An estimated 20 percent of people over 40 and 40% of people over 80 have atrophic gastritis, a disorder in which acid is not suf ficiently produced in the stom ach. This can lead to inadequate absorption of those minerals that require acid to be present in the stomach. For those over 60 years of age, to maximize the absorption of a mineral, like calcium, take the supplement with meals. Or purchase calcium citrate supple ments, which are better absorbed by those with atrophic gastritis Be aware that calcium citrate pills have less calcium per pill, therefore, you will need to take more pills, which may result in more expense Those with atrophic gastritis may also have difficulty absorb ing vitamin 812, a nutrient important in the formation of red blood cells For those over 50 years of age, it’s recommended to take a supplement containing two to four micrograms of vita min 812 per day or to eat vita min 812 fortified cereal daily. The vitamin 812 found in sup plements can be absorbed whether stomach acid is present or not. How effective are the more expensive supplements? They’re not! While timed-release cap sules are more expensive, they are not necessarily better Those advertising timed-release sup plements promote the impor tance of maintaining a constant level of vitamins and minerals in the bloodstream. Since this is not important, as it is for med ications like antibiotics, don’t spend the extra money for timed-release. When searching through the shelves for a vitamin/mmeral supplement, simply look for one with a USP symbol and one that contains no more than 100% of the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) for all vita mins and minerals. The pres ence of the USP symbol indi cates the product has been test ed to disintegrate and dissolve so it can be easily absorbed It also means that the purity and potency meet established stan dards Vitamins C and E - Natural or Synthetic? Spending extra money on the natural form of vitamin C is not necessary. On the other hand, research has revealed that the natural form of vitamin E (d-alpha toco pherol) is better absorbed. In fact, the natural form has been found to be twice as strong as the synthetic (laboratory made) form (dl-alpha tocopherol) Current research indicates that 100 to 400 International Units (I.U) per day can help fight heart disease and enhance your immune system. So, purchasing and taking a vitamin/mineral supplement is not as easy as it once seemed. However, research in this area has lead to interesting informa tion, which will help you to get the most from your supplement and your dollar. Resource. Tufts University Health and Nutrition Letter, NEED YOUR FARM BUILDINGS PAINTED? Let us give you a price! Write: Daniel’s Painting 637-A Georgetown Rd. Ronks, PA 17572 (or leave message) (717) 687-8262 Spray on and Brush in Painting