Farm & Ranch

Farm Generational Transition, ‘Managing for Today and Tomorrow’ course for Farm Women begins September 1st in Fort Worth, Texas

Published

8 years ago

August 4, 2016

NTFR

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Tuesday, August 2, 2016

Contacts: Fred M. Hall, Tarrant County Ag Agent, Ph: 817.884.1946; email: [email protected] Marion Ross, Tarrant County FCS Agent.

Ph: 817.884.1294; email: [email protected] Laura Miller, Tarrant County Horticulture Agent; 817.884.1296; email: [email protected]

Dr. Jason Johnson, AgriLife Extension Economist, 254.968.4144; email: [email protected]

Farm Generational Transition, ‘Managing for Today and Tomorrow’ course for Farm Women begins September 1st in Fort Worth, Texas

“Creating a transition plan to make sure a farm continues as a productive business can be challenging” says Annie’s Project coordinator and Texas AgriLife Extension Economist Dr. Jason Johnson. Farm women can learn how to plan a successful farm transition in a five-session course offered by the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service in cooperation with Annie’s Project – Education for Farm Women.

The “Managing for Today and Tomorrow: Farm Transition Planning” program, a new Annie’s Project course, is scheduled to be offered in Fort Worth, Texas beginning Thursday, September 1 at 6 p.m. The program will continue each Thursday evening in September with dinner at 5:30 p.m. and the program from 6-9 pm; September 1 through September 29. Meetings will be held in the Brand Room at the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association building located at 1301 West Seventh Street, Suite 201 in Fort Worth.

The cost of the program is $100 and $30 for each additional female family member involved in the current/ future farm/ ranch business. The registration fee covers the 300-page workbook with fact sheets, hands-on activities, and presentations as well as dinner and refreshments served at each meeting. Course size is limited to encourage meaningful discussion and individual attention, so please register soon. Farm women will learn about business, estate, retirement and succession planning from Texas A&M AgriLife Extension educators, specialists and area professionals. In addition to brief presentations, there will be discussions based on participant questions and follow-up activities for family members to complete at home.

“We’re happy to be a partner in bringing this valuable program to the farmers, ranchers, and landowners of the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex area,” said Johnson, “This farm transition course is an opportunity for farm women to meet with others who share similar issues and concerns. We limit the size of the class to make it comfortable for farm/ranch women to share their experiences with each other and get questions answered.” Annie’s Project, an agricultural risk management education program for women, has successfully reached more than 10,000 farm and ranch women in 34 states. “This new Farm Transition program emphasizes the role women play in helping transfer farms from one generation to the next,” said Fred Hall, Tarrant County Agriculture and Natural Resources AgriLife Extension Agent. “Managing for Today and Tomorrow will empower women to take ownership of the future of their farms,” continues Hall. “Farm Credit Bank of Texas is a statewide sponsor of Annie’s Project courses.”

To register or for more information contact the Family Consumer Science department at the Tarrant County Extension office by calling 817.884.1294. More information plus the registration form is available on-line at: http://agrilifecdn.tamu.edu/urbantarrantfcs/files/2016/07/MTT-Brochure.pdf More information can also be found on the Annie’s Project – Education for Farm Women website at www.AnniesProject.org.

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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.