Farm & Ranch
Ranching Down Under
By Samantha Hall
In 2006 in the midst of Australia’s worst drought in 100 years, with no feed left on the place and no agistment (grazing) available, my family put all our cattle on “the road chasing feed”. We were not pioneering by doing this but were following an Australian tradition spanning over 200 years. Travelling Stock Routes are areas of crown (government) land reserved for use by stock. Travelling Stock Routes (TSR) are an integral part of rural Australia with the sheep and cattle industries being dependent on them. They are used as supplementary grazing areas in times of drought, flood and fire, and more importantly they also provide an alternative to road transport for moving cattle between ranches or to market. A TSR can be easily distinguished from a normal country road by the fact that the grassed area between the road and the land holder’s fence is very wide, therefore allowing stock to graze on native vegetation safely, as they travel. To read more pick up the November 2015 issue of NTFR.
Farm & Ranch
Hazards of Backyard Poultry
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.
Farm & Ranch
Ag Elsewhere: Wyoming
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.
Farm & Ranch
Ag Elsewhere: Montana
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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