Farm & Ranch
Meanwhile back at the ranch: Turn your attention to 2015
By Rayford Pullen
2014 is in the bag and now we turn our attention to 2015. Decisions we make now regarding sires, donors, etc., will take at least nine months before we see a calf on the ground, seven more months before that calf is weaned and if we are hoping to produce better females, another 17 months before she calves. That’s almost three years. We hope the decisions we are making now are the right ones. Time will tell.
While going over our calving and weaning data for 2014, I decided to pull up how we did on birth weight and weaning weights by sire. What I found was it was certainly different than 2013 where our average birth weight for bulls was 83 pounds and our average birth weight for heifers was 77 pounds. This past year our bulls average 78 pounds and our heifers averaged 77 pounds. Our weaning weights were 15 pounds heavier this year for an average of 615 pounds for all calves weaned. And why was that? My only guess is the weather, nutrition, genetics used or perhaps something else. I don’t really know.
To read more pick up the February 2015 issue of North Texas Farm & Ranch.
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.
By Tressa Lawrence
Babies are tucked away in every nook and cranny. Many ranchers across Wyoming have baby animals popping up all over this time of year.
By Lindsey Monk
Another load of grain in to keep feeding the calves until the green grass can really start popping.
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