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6A Daily News – Saturday, July 28, 2012 healthPetsactivities & Border collies are stars of lamb farm AKRON, Ohio (MCT) — The closest most urban dwellers get to viewing an actual sheepherding trial is in a 1995 motion pic- ture about a pig named Babe. dogs, to see border collies do what they are born to do. Many of the visitors wanted to know if their dogs could be taught to do the work. "That'll do, pig," dead- pans the dour Farmer Hoggett, played by Acad- emy Award nominee James Cromwell, after Babe, who narrowly has escaped the slaughter- house with the help of a spider, usurps the job of a border collie to win the contest. Farm near Peninsula, Ohio, the border collies are the real superstars, said shepherdess Laura DeYoung, who noticed that visitors flocked to the farm to see dogs moving her herds, which include about 80 sheep. "We couldn't believe But at Spicy Lamb "The dogs (border col- lies) are born with this instinct and then we breed them for the work," she said. farm lease program, was raised in the United King- dom after leaving Akron when her father accepted a job transfer. She learned to love the green, open countryside where she saw her first herding tri- als. She owns several bor- der collies, "considered the Cadillacs of sheep- herding" dogs, she said. Dogs are paired with other dogs that can work well together. A sheep- herder is always on the lookout for a pup that can move into the role. "It's hard to get a good team of dogs to respect one another," DeYoung said. how many people wanted border collies," DeYoung said after she began hold- ing workshops and herd- ing demonstrations at the farm about a year ago. As many as 250 people attended the daylong ses- sions, some with their DeYoung, whose bor- der collies move her ewes from one field to the next each day under the watch- ful eye of a "guardian" llama, said her biggest helpmate is Tip, a border collie that gave birth three weeks ago to five puppies. "Tip is my No. 1 helper. I couldn't do it all around here without her," said DeYoung, a mother MCT photo Will, a Border Collie, corners lambs at the Spicy Lamb Farm on July 12, in Peninsula, Ohio. of twin 15-year-old boys and a 6-year-old daughter. "I could put my twin sons out there and they couldn't do as well as she does," DeYoung said with a laugh. Tip controlled the herd right up to her delivery date, took a few days off, and was back on the job soon after giving birth, DeYoung said. "She needs a break from (the puppies) once in a while," she said. DeYoung, proprietor of the farm she leases from the Cuyahoga Valley National Park as a part of the Countryside Initiative garden & After returning to the United States to complete her education, DeYoung eventually earned a mas- ter's degree in nonprofit business and her doctorate in urban and regional planning at the University of Akron. In 2007, she started operating Spicy Lamb Farm, where she raised Dorset sheep for meat and wool. DeYoung realized she could help dog owners, particularly those with common herding breeds such as the Australian shepherd, kelpie, cattle dog and the New Zealand huntaway, to learn to herd sheep. The Welsh corgi and Shetland sheepdog are also good herding candidates. have the sheep or the land needed to train them," she said. Country Lifehome Waging war against weeds Weeds will drive you crazy if you let them. Don't let them. Instead, be the smart gardener and know thy weeds before you do bat- tle. the big bonus here are weed photos so 3D, you want to reach out and pull them! There are right ways and wrong ways and right times and wrong times to wage war against weeds. Knowing a weed's strengths and weaknesses and its correct identity helps you become the victor and not the victim. Here are nine science- based resources you can use to ID weeds so you use the correct product or method at the correct time. The helpful infor- mation comes courtesy of Lebanon Seaboard Corp., which makes Preen weed-prevention prod- ucts and other gardening and lawn supplies _ www.preen.com. www.ppws.vt.edu/wee dindex.htm Virginia Tech Weed Identification Guide. The most comprehensive online guide to US weeds with more than 600 dif- ferent species. Search by common name or scien- tific name, both listed alphabetically. All entries have several good photos and most have excellent descriptive and cultural information. http://www.ipm.ucdav is.edu/PMG/weeds_intro. html Weed Photo Gallery from University of Cali- fornia. Comprehensive guide to 160 weeds com- monly found in Califor- nia, many of which grow elsewhere too. Here, users search for weeds by type (broadleaf, grass, sedge, aquatic), plant form, mature leaf charac- teristics or by name (common or scientific). Entries include detailed cultural information and most have photos of the seeds, seedling, flower, mature plant and seed souri.edu Weed ID Guide from http://weedid.mis- MCT photo Dandelion is a weed most people can recognize. capsule. /weeds Weed ID from Preen. Preen has totally retooled its online Weed ID tool. Geared to home garden- ers, the new Weed ID offers multiple images of each weed, plus four dif- ferent search options: common name, Latin name, grassy or broadleaf type, plus a state-by-state search feature which helps gardeners hone in on the specific weeds that are most likely to crop up in their own garden. Besides images, each weed's ID offers key information plus solu- tion-based products and videos. Easy-to-use and covering 115 weed species the site also includes links to top uni- versity weed resources, making it a good place for home gardeners to start. http://www.preen.com u/weeds New Jersey Weed Gallery from Rutgers University. A valuable resource identifying weeds commonly found in New Jersey, many of which grow in other regions. In this Weed Gallery, weeds can be searched in three ways: http://njaes.rutgers.ed by common name, by Latin name, or by scan- ning through the thumb- nail images. A thorough descriptive University of Missouri. More than 400 weed species listed alphabeti- cally by common or Latin name. Each entry features 4 to 8 pho- tographs showing vari- ous stages of develop- ment. Descriptions are complete and indicate where the weed is typi- cally found plus identi- fying characteristics. An expanded search option is available for weed- geeks who know whether a leaf is pinnate- ly lobed or palmately lobed. explains each weed's unique characteristics and preferred habitat. http://www.exten- sion.umn.edu/gardenin- fo/weedid/index.html Is This Plant a Weed? From University of Min- nesota Extension. Gar- dener-oriented and user- friendly, this photo-iden- tification tool features 75 weed species commonly found in Minnesota, many of which grow in other regions. Searchable by weed type, growing habit and supporting pho- tos, each entry has sever- al photos, a complete list of plant characteristics, notes on significance and a helpful list of similar- looking weeds. Entries are linked to recommen- dations for cultural and chemical control options. http://weeds.cropsci.il linois.edu/weedid.htm Weed Science Identifi- cation from University of Illinois Extension. This guide lists 68 weed species by common name. While most entries have paragraph not all have supporting information. That's okay: excellent photos, fanatics: Weed Alert from PBI/Gordon Corp. Ori- ented toward turf profes- sionals, this guide to U.S. weeds has some informa- tion that also applies to weeds in gardens. Select a region (Western, North Central, Northeast or Southern) to get a list of weeds by common name with an accompanying photo, cultural informa- tion, germination dates and control recommenda- tions. Information on more than 170 weed species. For weed pros and com "1200 Weeds of the 48 States and Adjacent Canada." Dr. Richard Old, president of XID Services and weed identi- fication specialist for Washington State Uni- versity and Extension, offers the ultimate com- prehensive weed ID tool presented as an interac- tive DVD: "1200 Weeds of the 48 States and Adjacent Canada" (http://xidservices.com/o rder). Cost is $49.95 plus $5 for shipping. http://www.weedalert. "Most people don't Recycled bathroom sinks energy-efficient lighting showcases your water-saving bathroom faucet. Your eco-friendly showerhead waits patiently to be used, and your dual flush toilet is the marvel of the entire space. Nothing left in the bathroom to give an environmen- tally friendly spin, right? What about the bathroom sink? So, your eco-friendly bathroom is all dialed in. Your One of the newest bathroom design trends is installing a recycled sink. So, what exactly are they recycled from? Recycled copper: These bathroom sinks are start- ing to garner a ton of attention—and for good reason, since recycled copper is as much an environmental choice as it is an aesthetic one. These sinks are recy- cled and repurposed from other copper products, melt- ed down, and purified into its original pure elemental state. From there, it's hammered and shaped into a new sink. Concrete: These already environmentally friendly sinks are becoming more friendly thanks to their man- ufacturers' ability to reduce the carbon footprint by using around 20 to 40 percent less energy when craft- ing them. The manufacturers are also mixing in recy- cled materials like 100 percent post-consumer glass, recycled porcelain, coal fly ash, and organic com- pounds. Recycled glass: This material is becoming more common in upscale bathrooms in homes and business- es. Recycled glass is more popular than ever and I love seeing them in bathrooms. Just as you might suspect, these durable and stylish glass sinks are made from recycled glass bottles and industrial glass from car win- dows and windshields. Speaking of cars… Recycled rubber tires: This creates a category all its own. These bathroom sinks are called RUBBiSH and are made entirely from recycled rubber tires. After the tires' rubber is melted down and purified of debris, the metal fibers that provide road resistance are then formed into a sheet. It's then stretched over a base frame and anchored down by the drain collar to create the shallow slope for the drain. By its very nature, the bathroom is one of the most used rooms in your home in terms of resources. And it only makes sense that when giving it an eco-makeover that you include the sink. Until next time, Happy Home Improving! Sean Murphy is a copywriter for Build.com in Chico. Visit the company's website for more home improvement tips at www.build.com.