Farm & Ranch

TRI COUNTY Farmer & Rancher Symposium

Published

8 years ago

February 2, 2016

NTFR

News Release
Justin Hansard
County Extension Agent
January 28, 2016

TRI COUNTY Farmer & Rancher Symposium

Each year Montague, Cooke and Grayson Counties host the Tri-County Farmer & Rancher Symposium at the Gainesville Civic Center, 311 S. Weaver Street in Gainesville. This year’s event will be on Thursday, February 18th from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. with registration starting at 8 a.m. There will be 5 CEU’s offered at this event.

The program will have speakers from around the state. There will be lunch and snacks provided as well as a few sponsor booths.

Ricky Linex, Natural Resource Conservation Service, will give us a good look at those obnoxious weeds we deal with every year, as well as development of your native grasses.

If you want to learn a little more on Pecan Tree Management, then Bill Ree from AgriLife Extension, is one of the best resources across the state to learn from.

Have wild hog trouble? Billy Higginbotham, AgriLife Extension, will be there to give you an in-depth look at some management options you might want to think about.

Dr. Arn Anderson, Cross Timbers Vet, will present a program about the Veterinary Feed Directive (VFD). How will this affect me in the future? There are still some unknowns, but it is best to start thinking about it now.

Henry Krusekoph, with Texas Department of Agriculture, will update the group on the new changes that are taking place for those with Pesticide Licenses. There are many changes, so take note and be prepared.

If you have any questions you can contact the Montague County Extension Office at 940-894-2831,
[email protected], or go online and register at http://cooke.agrilife.org/2016-tri-county-farmer-rancher-symposium/ . This is a fee based program.

Farm & Ranch

Hazards of Backyard Poultry

Published

5 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.