Farm & Ranch
Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch
By Rayford Pullen
We’re on the verge of having winter in our rear-view mirror and an end to the winter feed bills that came with it. March 15 is when our last freeze of the winter usually occurs, but the green up has already begun around our place and it couldn’t have come at a better time.
Beginning the first of March or so, we will have about four months or so of the best forages we will have the entire year as it relates to the perennial warm season grasses, legumes and cool season annuals. Our cows will be milking great, calves will be putting on lots of pounds, and our females will be breeding back.
Our cost of gain will be fairly cheap, and if we have been managing our breeding programs correctly, our calves will be old enough to make it work.
To read more pick up a copy of the March 2020 NTFR issue. To subscribe call 940-872-5922.
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.
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.
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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