Horses have an incredible ability to find trouble, even in places you would never expect! From dangerous fencing and hidden barn hazards to colic, laminitis, parasites and common health problems, keeping horses healthy takes more than a little horse sense.

In this episode of the Maine Farmcast, Dr. Colt Knight welcomes back equine veterinarian Dr. Robert Causey to discuss the everyday challenges of horse ownership. Drawing on decades of veterinary experience and firsthand stories from the horse barn, they explore proper nutrition, the importance of consistent feeding routines, vaccinations, deworming, hoof care and how simple management decisions can prevent serious problems.

Along the way, Colt and Robert share some unforgettable experiences involving horse injuries, fencing disasters and even a few questionable remedies from years past. They also explain why good-quality forage, clean water, proper shelter and attention to detail remain the foundations of good horse care. Whether you're a lifelong horse owner or just getting started, this episode offers practical advice, a few laughs and plenty of hard-earned lessons to help keep your horses healthy, happy and out of trouble.

University of Maine Cooperative Extension is an equal opportunity institution and provider committed to nondiscrimination. For more information, visit extension.umaine.edu/nondiscrimination.

In this episode of Maine Farmcast, host Dr. Glenda Pereira talks with Devon Ouellette, a dairy farmer in Hermon, Maine, about a project they have been working on together to implement SenseHub monitoring technology on her farm. The project was funded by the Northeast Dairy Business Innovation Center.

Listeners will learn about applying for grant funding, how monitoring technology can improve dairy farm operations and what goes into grant reporting.

Episode Resources

• Northeast Dairy Business Innovation Center's funded projects

University of Maine Cooperative Extension is an equal opportunity institution and provider committed to nondiscrimination. For more information, visit extension.umaine.edu/nondiscrimination.

Things are getting a little spooky on the Maine Farmcast!

In this special Halloween episode, Dr. Colt Knight and Dr. Glenda Pereira trade their usual livestock discussions for something a little more sinister: witches, vampires, werewolves, and the surprisingly strange connections between monster folklore and animal science.

From haunted trails in the Appalachian Mountains and the Salem witch trials to hallucination-inducing fungi and the science behind vampire legends, the conversation takes a few unexpected turns before arriving in 18th-century France.

There, Colt recounts the terrifying true history of the Beast of Gévaudan, a mysterious predator blamed for more than 100 deaths that baffled hunters, embarrassed the French monarchy, and helped inspire generations of monster stories

Was the beast an unusually large wolf, a wolf-dog hybrid, an escaped exotic animal, or something even stranger? And what do silver bullets, livestock genetics, and animal behavior have to do with any of it?

Join Colt and Glenda for a Halloween adventure filled with fascinating history, questionable French pronunciations, plenty of laughs, and just enough animal science to remind everyone this is still an agricultural podcast.

Happy Halloween from the Maine Farmcast!

University of Maine Cooperative Extension is an equal opportunity institution and provider committed to nondiscrimination. For more information, visit extension.umaine.edu/nondiscrimination.