Farm & Ranch

Land Market Report

Published

2 years ago

September 3, 2022

NTFR

By Jared Groce

This hot and dry weather is taking a toll on our lands and our livestock, but land prices are holding their own despite the recession and the highest interest rates in decades. So far.

What change I am seeing is the type of buyer who is consuming these available properties, from the “end user” type of buyer to the investment buyer. Buyers getting a loan to buy a piece of land to build on or enjoy have all but disappeared and have been replaced with three different types of buyers: (a) Those doing a 1031 exchange to defer their capital gains taxes. These people have a limited amount of time in which they must identify and then close on a like kind property in order to defer the tax. (b) Developers. There are still a ton of developers and wannabe developers out there who want to buy 100 acres and chop it up into smaller tracts and sell at a higher price per acre. (c) Cash Parkers. These buyers have a lot of cash on hand and want to hedge against inflation by parking that cash into a solid, tangible item that cannot go to zero value.

To read more pick up a copy of NTFR magazine. To subscribe call 940-872-5922.

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.