Bell County outdoors
Tight hay supplies and high winter feed prices are challenging Texas cattle producers’ ability to get as many cows as possible through winter in good condition. The 2022 drought and subsequent poor hay production resulted in stressed hay supplies going into winter, according to AgriLife Extension specialists. Check the Bell County Outdoors page for the latest fishing and birdwatching reports.
Temple to begin food-waste drop-off program this spring
After the new solid-waste complex opens, Temple residents will be able to take food leftovers and bones to the collection site and deposit the scraps into a 500-gallon food-waste generator. The food will be processed into a soil amendment.
Mother Earth Fair returning to Expo
Living the “simple life” is a notion that speaks to Texans, whether it’s saving money on groceries by tending a garden or using herbs and essential oils to stay healthy. “That’s why Mother Earth News Magazine is proud to bring its flagship event back to Texas for the seventh year,” said Andrew Perkins, director of the Mother Earth News Fair.
RESTORING GLORY
It’s been 85 years since TCU won its second national football championship, and on Jan. 9 the Horned Frogs will try to re-establish itself as the nation’s best. Unfortunately for Texas’ other “horned frogs,” their comeback remains in jeopardy.
CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT
This photo of a Blue Jay by Daniel Kelch was taken a couple days after the Dec. 17 Bell County Bird Count, but it was captured in the general area near Salado where the count was administered. This year, 27 members and friends of the Twin Lakes Audubon Society counted 112 species inside the 15-mile diameter circle northeast of Salado.
KEEP YOUR ANIMALS WARM
While preparing your home and vehicle for cold weather, be sure and take care of the furry family members as well. Here’s a few tips for keeping the animals safe during winter.
THE 5-SECOND RULE
If the COVID-19 pandemic has taught us anything, it’s the importance of avoiding germs at all costs, even if it means missing out on that delicious M&M you dropped on the floor. The temptation for that melt-in-your-mouth-not in-your-hands goodness is strong, but is it worth taking a risk by snagging it off the ground?
JOURNEY TO THE FROZEN CONTINENT
While the North Pole garners a great deal of attention this time of the year, a Temple birdwatcher turned her attention to the opposite end of the world earlier this month and journeyed to Antarctica. Deidre Dawson and her daughter, Emma Wenkert of Austin, spent several days exploring the Antarctic Peninsula and miles of frozen coastline.
A gift of independence
Janelle Ramirez regained some independence this morning thanks to a gift from the Temple Breakfast Lions Club. The gift was an OrCam, a device that allows visually impaired people to understand text and identify objects through audio feedback that describes what the person is unable to see.