Farm & Ranch

North Texas Drones in Agriculture Seminar Set For June 24

Published

8 years ago

June 14, 2016

NTFR

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, June 14, 2016
Contact: Fred M. Hall, Tarrant County CEA, Ph: 817.884.1946; email: [email protected]

Is the Future of Agriculture in the Skies?

When precision technology and GPS became common language in agriculture, few folks in the industry thought unmanned
aerial vehicles (UAVs) would be the next logical step for taking technology to the field. “Monitoring crops from
the sky is here now and the science is getting better at it everyday,” says Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Agent Fred M.
Hall in Tarrant County. “If local producers and growers have an interest in developing this technology on there farms,
they should mark their calendar for the North Texas Drones in Agriculture Seminar on June 24”, notes Hall. The program
runs from 10 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. on Friday, June 24 in the Magnolia Room at the Tarrant County Resource Connection
in Fort Worth.
Presenters for the day will include Dr. Alex Thomasson, an agricultural engineer from Texas A&M University, who will
cover the basics of the new technology. He will be followed by UAS Aviation Safety Inspector Al Brunner who will address
what the FAA rules are for today in agriculture. After lunch, several industry represents will review and demonstrate
what their produces can do. Vendors include Bill Thomas from Drone Global Network and Brandon Lee from ArchAerial.
The final item on the agenda will be a round-table discussion where farmers can ask the presenters questions.
The $25 registration will include program materials, refreshments, lunch and two continuing educational units for Texas
Department of Agriculture pesticide applicator license holders. Deadline to register for the meal count is Monday June
20.

Registrations can be made on-line at: http://agrilife.org/urbantarrantag/program-registration or by calling your local Extension
office. In Tarrant County call 817.884.1945.

-30-

Farm & Ranch

Hazards of Backyard Poultry

Published

4 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.