Farm & Ranch

Ag Elsewhere: Montana

Published

6 years ago

November 29, 2017

NTFR

Photo and description by Jean Stimpson

Here, the Stimpson family was feeding cows in the pasture across the highway from their home. “The winter this picture was taken was about six or seven years ago and the snow wasn’t really deep, but it was cold. We had to stop feeding with the team that winter because it got too slick out. Here they were pulling a wagon with just one 1,400-pound bale on it, but with it being so slick it was just too hard on them.”

Feeding this way, Stimpson shared, is really a time-honored tradition not many still do. “Back when our grandparents fed like this. They didn’t have round bales; it was loose hay— pitch it on and pitch it off. We respect and admire the way they did it back then and my husband [Byron] really wanted to do it that way again,” Stimpson said.

Stimpson’s daughter bought the team, Dolly and Dixie. Efficiency wise, Stimpson debated, there is not a lot of difference, “Tractors take fuel, oil, tires. The team takes hay, oats and pasture. The tractor needs to be plugged in so it will start in the morning, but the horses never fail to start when it’s 30 below and the cows need to be fed!”

To read more pick up a copy of the December 2017 NTFR issue.

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.