This story begins with red skittles but is by no means the crazy part here! It was a cold day in January 2017 when Wisconsin’s Dodge County Sheriff's Office received a very strange emergency call. Dodge is a rural county that sits towards the southeast of the state. The county’s highway authorities wanted the cops to investigate a spill of skittles. Hundreds of thousands of skittles. Apparently, the skittles had fallen out of a truck transporting the candy. The cardboard they were stored in fell apart due to heavy rain. At the time, nobody knew where it had come from but they were thankful. Why?Well, bad weather had left the area’s roads icy and dangerous. Apparently, the thousands of little skittles went a long way in improving traction on the road!
Wondering where the skittles were being transported to? Well, interestingly, they were on the way to a farm. To be cattle feed for cows! Yes, you read that right. Cows are eating skittles. It’s a practice that has been going on for quite some time apparently. This practice was caused by the rising cost of corn. Farmers were forced to look at alternatives to reduce costs. Since cows eat a lot of corn, hay, and grass, farmers have resorted to gummy worms, fruit loops, cookies, and marshmallows to name a few. The owner of United Livestock Commodities. Joseph Watson said that skittles are a viable alternative due to their high ratio of fat - much better than plain corn. Cows need to be fattened up before they are brought to the marts. Such sugary and sweet foodstuffs work to replace the starch and sugar content that a cow would typically receive through corn feed. So next time you are passing through a field and see a hungry cow, be generous with your candies!
Beer is one of the world's most beloved drinks and a very popular choice for anyone hoping to get a little tipsy. Aside from its intoxicating qualities, beer also has some profound practical uses that most average Joes could find useful.
Slug Disposal
Any keen gardener knows what a pain garden slugs can be. They are a year-round annoyance, constantly taking bites out of any plant they come across and stunting the growth of seedlings. However, we have more in common with them than we think, and these pesky mollusks also love a pint. Rather than having them munch on your pretty flowers or get first dibs on your fresh veg, pour beer on the ground to attract them away from your precious greenery.
Grass Growth
Nothing spoils the perfect garden look like scattered brown spots of underdeveloped grass. Due to the carbohydrates and yeast found in beer, spraying a Budweiser on these dead spots can actually encourage growth and help to restore a garden’s pristine look.
Wooden Furniture Cleaner
As well as being a winning formula for when drinks in the garden are on the cards, the composition of beer also makes it a surprisingly competent wooden furniture cleaner. Although this doesn’t make beer sound particularly appealing, the alcohol and yeast levels cut through dirt and oils to give any old wooden furnishings a new lease of life.
Hair Conditioner
Despite being widely known, the effectiveness of beer as a hair shiner has often been disregarded, thought to be an old wives’ tale with no scientific basis. However, the malt and hops found in beer help to strengthen cuticles, resulting in healthier hair that has a thicker and more shiny appearance.
Wine Stain Cleaner
Adding more alcohol to already spilled alcohol to help clean it may not make a lot of sense at first thought. Nonetheless, pouring beer over spilled red wine has been found to sometimes prompt the stains to soak up more easily and therefore make the cleaning process much easier.