The Moos Room™

00;00;12;21 - 00;00;18;11Emily
Home. Welcome, everybody, to the news room. It is just Emily here today.

00;00;18;13 - 00;00;19;20Emily
So we are going to do.

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A solo episode of The Emily.

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Show here.

00;00;24;10 - 00;00;29;27Emily
So, you know, I want to do a quick episode about something that is just on my mind.

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Because we are experiencing it right now. At the time of me recording this, it is currently, below zero outside. So we are.

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Fully in the throes of.

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Cold winter weather. And I did.

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Take a look, at the Farmer's Almanac.

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So that is still something that I like to refer to. You can thank my dad for that, I guess. But Farmer's.

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Almanac is predicting that the rest of this winter will be cold and.

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Wet. So, you know.

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What makes me nervous? Because that doesn't always mean.

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Snow, but.

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You know, knowing it's going to be cold. And of course, I know a lot of us live in Minnesota. You know, not all of our listeners do, but a lot of you do. Of course, that's where Brad and I live is here in Minnesota. So, you know, we think, we know.

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A lot about winter and we're prepared for cold weather.

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But I always think that we can be a little more informed.

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Right, a little more ready.

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And I think that because we live in it and we know it gets cold every year, we maybe, get a little too comfortable.

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Or relaxed with the very real risks that are associated with winter weather and with.

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Specifically the cold.

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Right?

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So when we work in the cold, we need to keep in mind, similar to working in summer, right? We talk about getting heat stress, not not just cattle.

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I'm talking about people now. Right.

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So people can get heat stress, heat stroke. Similarly, we can get cold stress. Right. And so that's things like hypothermia and other.

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Conditions that we can get.

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And so it is really important to.

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Remember that cold.

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Stress can happen. And kind of similar to in cattle. It happens in conditions where it may be cold but also very windy and also wet.

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Right. So just.

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Like we think about our cattle having their thick winter coats and being.

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Kept dry and out of the.

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Wind, we need to think about the same things for for us and for the other.

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People working on our farm. Right. So, so.

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Just briefly on cold stress, if you're wondering, well, what does that look like? What does that mean? A lot of the symptoms are actually similar.

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To heat stress. Right.

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So this can be things.

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Like.

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Slowed Paulson breathing, confusion, you know, being fatigued, of course, some cold stress. Specific symptoms also include uncontrollable shivering, a loss of coordination of muscles, blue skin, dilated pupils. So these are the things to kind of look out for, for.

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Cold stress in particular. You know, I also talked about, if it's.

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Windy or wet. So that is where we see things like frostbite. So skin that may be.

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Exposed and wet and then has wind.

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On it, it can take 5 or 10.

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Minutes or less, for frostbite to develop.

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So, you know, also, of course, if we get really wet or somehow drenched, and can get dry fast enough again, hypothermia.

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Could be an issue there as well.

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So, you know, lots of stuff that can happen from cold. And so it's just important to be.

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Mindful when working in the cold. And I.

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Would say, you know, as, as Minnesotans or Midwesterners, I think one of the first things we think about.

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Is clothing, at least for me. Right. You may be.

00;04;00;16 - 00;04;03;24Emily
Familiar with one of my favorite Minnesota or maybe.

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Midwest adages, which is.

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There's no such thing as bad.

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Weather.

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Just bad.

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Clothing.

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And I'm a pretty firm.

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Believer in that, right? I.

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Like the cold weather. And I think that, you know, we can be out in the cold.

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As long as we are dressed properly for it.

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So we have talked about some of this previously, way back in episode 151. So if you want to learn more or just hear more discussion about cold weather stuff, you can check.

00;04;30;03 - 00;04;31;17Emily
Out that episode.

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But in that episode I talked a little bit about.

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Layers.

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And I just want to.

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Reiterate some of that and expand on it a little bit.

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Shout out to you the Upper Midwest.

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Egg Safety and Health.

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Center. They actually put out some.

00;04;45;15 - 00;04;47;24Emily
Really great resources, on.

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Dressing for winter.

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Success. So we will make sure that we get this article linked in the show notes.

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And so a key thing with the layers and, and kind of a fun fact, I guess, the first layer you put against your skin should not be cotton. So you really want the layer against your skin.

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To be a fabric that is moisture.

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Wicking, that can pull moisture and sweat away from your skin. Because yes, even if you are cold or it is cold, if you're wearing enough layers and moving your body, your body will still get warm and will produce some sweat. And so. Right. Cotton will just soak up that moisture and hold it against your skin, whereas something synthetic or sweat wicking.

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You know, wool.

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Is another good example of that can help pull some of.

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That moisture away and thus keep you warmer.

00;05;39;01 - 00;05;48;11Emily
So again, first layer should not be cotton, should be something synthetic or wool. And then, you know, adding more moisture on.

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Or layers over the top of that. Right. So write.

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Something lightweight.

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And then get heavier and heavier as you continue to go. So a light fleece jacket and then you put on the big wool sweater and then you'll put on your big jacket,

00;06;05;07 - 00;06;10;25Emily
You know, those layers again it's really about insulating and you're keeping your body warm. Right? Your body holds.

00;06;10;25 - 00;06;17;27Emily
All the important stuff, your organs and all of that. So we want to keep that, up to temp. Right.

00;06;17;29 - 00;06;22;26Emily
And then of course, outside of just the clothing, there's also the accessories.

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Right. So we know a lot of heat can escape through the top of our heads.

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So wearing a hat, I usually like to do a hat and.

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Then a hooded sweatshirt.

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And put the hood over.

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And then I also put the hood of my jacket up once I have that on too. So that's three layers, you know, just over the top of my head to help, keep that heat contained.

00;06;44;04 - 00;06;46;19Emily
Also, you know, again, I mentioned frostbite.

00;06;47;01 - 00;06;54;02Emily
Or when it's really windy, you know, you may be susceptible to Winburn, so that's something that I get.

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You know, if you see me in the winter, you'll see I have very kind of red, irritated looking cheeks. And that's Winburn. And that's a sign that I.

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Didn't have my face.

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Properly covered. So if you.

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See me and you see that.

00;07;05;26 - 00;07;10;11Emily
You have my permission to call me out. So wearing, you know, a scarf, a.

00;07;10;11 - 00;07;15;29Emily
Gator, a buff, something over your face, I am definitely one of those people that if it is.

00;07;15;29 - 00;07;22;04Emily
Below zero and I am outside, you will see my eyes. And that's about it. The rest of me is covered.

00;07;22;04 - 00;07;25;21Emily
So just knowing, you know, have those layers also.

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Mittens.

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Are good, you know, mittens.

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Or gloves? Mittens do keep your hands warmer.

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That that is, you know, a.

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Fact. But of course, we know in in a farming situation.

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Gloves are usually a little more practical for detail to work. Right. You know, but if.

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You can try to wear, you know, a glove, then, then wear a mitten over.

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It.

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So when you aren't needing, your hands to do that really detailed, specific work, your hands are staying warm, and then you can pop the mittens off.

00;07;58;05 - 00;08;14;25Emily
Still have gloves on, do your task, and then have the the mittens back on. I know for me, if my fingers are cold, I, you know, my hands get stiff. You know, when when. Not so awesome thing about aging. You get stiff when it gets cold. Right.

00;08;14;25 - 00;08;18;10Emily
And so, you know, keeping those warm. And then lastly, your.

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Feet right along with your hands. If my feet are cold, I can't focus on anything else. So, that is.

00;08;24;24 - 00;08;25;24Emily
Again, you may want.

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To do a layer so within.

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Synthetic moisture wicking sock and then a.

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Thicker wool sock over the top, again will.

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Keep that moisture away from the skin but also keep you insulated.

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And warm.

00;08;38;04 - 00;08;39;09Emily
So again thank.

00;08;39;09 - 00;08;45;26Emily
You. You mash for those outstanding, dressing for success, tips in winter weather.

00;08;45;29 - 00;08;48;27Emily
And I think that's something that we sometimes overlook.

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Right. We just know, oh I need layers. And so we just put on layer on layer on layer.

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But be mindful of the fabric.

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You're using as well because that will make a difference. All right.

00;09;01;01 - 00;09;07;07Emily
So we talked a little bit, you know, about clothing about signs of cold stress. Just a few other things I want.

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To wrap up with here.

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Are just thinking.

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About working in the cold, you know, and, and.

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Recently, Bradley and I.

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We were talking about barn fire prevention, and we talked about things like space heaters. Right. Heating elements. And.

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I know in cold weather, again, those can be really tempting to use. And so I encourage you to think about, you know, if you do need to have, you know, an indoor heated area.

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For yourself or employees, you know.

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Having that, having some protocols or safety parameters in place. I will also say now, a lot of the.

00;09;44;00 - 00;09;44;25Emily
New models.

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Space heaters, you can get will turn.

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Off automatically after either a set amount of time or they'll.

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Have temperature sensors in them.

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So just like, you know, our home.

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Thermostats, they can sense.

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Once, they've reached a certain temp and then.

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They'll turn off. So if you are going to use equipment like that, can.

00;10;03;04 - 00;10;03;18Emily
You know.

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Making those proper.

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Safety considerations for them.

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But also other considerations when working.

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In the cold, you know,

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Normally outdoor tasks. Right. Is it something that has to get done or is it something that could be moved inside? Right. Fixing something? Of course, some jobs are outside and need.

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To be outside.

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So also thinking.

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About, you know, if you have three outdoor tasks to complete each day.

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Maybe instead of doing.

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All three of them in a row, if it's really cold, you do an outdoor task and then go in and warm up, right?

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Give your skin a break.

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From that cold exposure.

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Do another job and then you can.

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Go back out. Right.

00;10;44;25 - 00;10;55;29Emily
So just again, kind of common sense, being mindful and just trusting your intuition and how you're feeling. You know, if if you're so cold that that's all you can focus on, it's probably time.

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To go in and and warm up and take a break. You know.

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Also thinking about.

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The time of day of tasks, right? We know it's typically warmer kind of at midday.

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And that's true even in the winter. And warmer might not be.

00;11;10;29 - 00;11;21;28Emily
The best word to use. Right. I'm thinking of yesterday. I think it was negative four when I woke up. And then, around noon when I went to walk the dog because it would be, quote unquote warmer.

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You know, it was up to 11 degrees, but still more pleasant.

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The negative for.

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So if you're also doing outdoor tasks, thinking about, you know, trying to do it at the best time of day when it is going to be warmest, or if the sun is out that day, you know, the sun being in the sky.

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Also makes a difference in in warmth and how we feel.

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So those types of considerations, and then lastly, you know, just thinking about things.

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Like ice, right, slips, trips and falls and, and what do.

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Workers or what do you.

00;11;55;29 - 00;11;58;20Emily
Need to stay safe that way. Right. Do you have enough.

00;11;58;20 - 00;12;00;23Emily
Sidewalk salt available?

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Do do people need, you know, the.

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Cleats, the spikes for their boots? You know, what is the plan to prevent those.

00;12;09;01 - 00;12;09;17Emily
You know.

00;12;09;17 - 00;12;19;18Emily
Just again, kind of these common sense things. But I wanted to give you a reminder. You know, working in the cold is a necessary part of the job, but it does present some dangers.

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So we do want to make sure that we are doing it safely.

00;12;24;09 - 00;12;28;08Emily
So I am going to wrap this solo episode there.

00;12;28;08 - 00;12;29;25Emily
So if you are.

00;12;29;25 - 00;12;36;16Emily
Interested in learning more, specifically from UMass, you can find them online UMass.

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A h dot UMD view.

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You can also find, cold weather and safety information.

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On the extension website, extension dot and edu slash farm safety.

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If you have questions, comments or scathing rebuttals about.

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Today's episode, you can email those to the newsroom at Umkc. Edu.

00;12;59;15 - 00;13;08;06Emily
I hope you stay warm out there and we will catch you all next week. Bye. Boom! Crushed it.