Farm & Ranch

Restoring nature’s beauty one seed bomb at a time: Red River Seed Bombs

Published

10 years ago

August 14, 2014

NTFR

By Jessica Bartel, editor
Not have a green thumb? Want an alternative to the back-breaking work of planting seeds or flowers? What about seed bombs? Seed bombs or seed paper offer gardeners, home-owners and landscapers an alternative to traditional planting.
Prior to 2010, Melvin and Carolyn Grissom had no knowledge of seed bombs outside of living in the country and planting a garden. The story of how the seed bombs came to be, Carolyn would say, was sent to them from up above and interpreted by a dear friend. After previously owning a business in Bowie, TX, the downwards spiral of the economy left the Grissoms sitting idle. That was until their friend Susan Campbell insisted Carolyn get involved with the Red River Valley Tourism Association. Having had previous experience in tourism, Carolyn agreed to attend the meeting that April in Sherman, TX. As time would have it, Susan fell ill. Unable to attend, Susan sent Carolyn off with one message, “You’ve got to go to the meeting! Keep your ears open, eyes open and heart open!” Once at the meeting, nothing seemed to stand out to Carolyn, until the president of the association mentioned a seed bombing project that was being discontinued due to the inability to find a sponsor.
At that moment Carolyn knew why she had been sent to that meeting and what she was supposed to find. After researching and traveling to seed distributors, both Carolyn and Melvin decided they could do it. Unfortunately Susan never got to see the successful business she had a hand in creating. To read more pick up the August 2014 issue of North Texas Farm & Ranch.

Farm & Ranch

Hazards of Backyard Poultry

Published

3 days ago

April 21, 2024

NTFR

By Barry Whitworth, DVM

Having backyard poultry is a popular agriculture enterprise. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, 0.8 percent of all households in the United States have chickens. People keep chickens for a variety of reasons with table eggs being one of the more common reasons.

Unfortunately, some of these poultry producers are not aware of the hazards that come with keeping poultry because many times they carry pathogens but appear healthy.
Chickens are carriers of several zoonotic diseases. These are diseases that can be passed from animals to humans. According to a recent survey in Pennsylvania, a majority of backyard poultry producers were aware of the dangers of avian influenza. However, this study also revealed that far fewer producers were aware of the risk of possible exposure to Salmonella and Campylobacter.

The lack of knowledge about the hazards of raising poultry likely contributes to the continued issues of Salmonella outbreaks associated with backyard poultry. In 2023, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 1,072 illnesses of Salmonella linked to backyard poultry, and 272 of those patients required hospitalization. Oklahoma reported 43 individuals with the disease.

To read more, pick up a copy of the April issue of NTFR magazine. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.