Farm & Ranch
Toxoplasmosis in Goats
By Barry Whitworth, DVM
Abortions in small ruminants is caused by a variety of microorganisms. One microorganism that is found throughout the world and can cause reproductive issues in small ruminants is Toxoplasma gondii. T. gondii is one of the most common parasites of small ruminants. In addition to small ruminants, this parasite infects many other animals and humans. Cats play a central role in maintaining and transmitting the parasite. Although sheep get toxoplasmosis, the disease is much more severe in goats.
Cats are the definitive host of T. gondii. Cats become infected with the microorganism when they ingest rodents, uncooked meat scraps or aborted infected fetuses and/or placentas from sheep and goats. Usually, cats do not show any clinical symptoms of the disease. The parasite replicates in cats and is passed in their feces. Feed, hay, grass, and water contaminated with cat feces is the source of infection for small ruminants. Once the organism is ingested by a goat, it enters the blood and spreads to other tissues. If the animal is pregnant, the parasite will invade the placenta and spread to the fetus which may result in death of the fetus, abortions, stillbirths, or birth of weak kids. Infected goats may give birth to normal kids as well.
To read more pick up a copy of the January 2022 NTFR issue. To subscribe call 940-872-5922.
By Lindsey Monk
Calving season is in full swing, which means branding is next!
By Rayford Pullen | rcpullen@yahoo.com
Is spring yet? If you are like me, this seems like the longest winter we have ever had. When spring does arrive in full force, it will be a photo finish regarding our hay inventory and the emergence of green grass.
With the winter we have had, regarding costs, this has also been the most expensive when it comes to the price of hay and feed. Happiness is winter in our rearview mirror around here.
Spring will arrive this month in most parts of Texas, and with it will come new calves and breeding decisions.
Those cows that made it through the winter are probably in fair to decent shape and will need a month or so of great grazing to get back in shape, while they are also nursing a calf.
In the case of first calf heifers, they are trying to grow and put on weight without their permanent incisors.
These young females are asked to do a lot and may need a little extra help, nutrition wise, to get rebred on time and continue calving during the target months. Around here, if a heifer is born in February or March, we expect her to calve at age two in the same month she was born. It does not always work out, but that is our goal.
With bull turn out for spring calving cows and heifers being mid-April to mid-May, we certainly hope and expect them to be gaining weight and be in shape to conceive as early in the breeding season as possible.
To read more, pick up a copy of the March issue of NTFR Magazine. To subscribe call 940-872-5922.
Planning for your ranch’s succession ensures the legacy you want to leave for your land. Here are seven steps to consider.
By Katie Miller
As Benjamin Franklin famously said, “Nothing is certain except death and taxes.” Most ranchers don’t like to discuss either, but having a ranch succession plan in place can ensure the future of your land and legacy when you’re no longer at the helm. While estate planning is what makes sure your assets are passed on to the desired recipients, succession planning is the road map to transitioning a business to the next generation, according to Dan Childs, Noble Research Institute senior agricultural consultant.
As Jason Bradley, agricultural economics consultant for the institute, notes, succession planning is especially vital to the legacy regenerative ranchers hope to leave.
“I think of the story of the old man who plants trees knowing he will never sit in the shade of those trees,” Bradley says. “Ranchers want to better the land so they can pass on something that they helped rebuild and rejuvenate.”
To read more, pick up a copy of the March issue of NTFR Magazine. To subscribe call 940-872-5922.
-
Country Lifestyles4 weeks agoScott & Stacey Schumacher: A Growth Mindset
-
HOME6 years agoGrazing North Texas – Wilman Lovegrass
-
Country Lifestyles3 years agoAmber Crawford, Breakaway Roper
-
Country Lifestyles6 years agoStyle Your Profile – What your style cowboy hat says about you and new trends in 2017
-
Country Lifestyles7 years agoCowboy Culture with Clay Reid – Being a Man
-
Country Lifestyles6 years agoDecember 2016 Profile, Rusty Riddle – The Riddle Way
-
Country Lifestyles2 years agoCody Lambert
-
Country Lifestyles7 years agoJune 2016 Profile – The man behind the mic: Bob Tallman