Farm & Ranch
Loropetaum will make you a daydream believer
By Norman Winter
Purple Daydream will capture your heart and probably make you forget all other varieties of loropetalum. I’m growing it with October Magic orchid camellias, Autumn Jewel azaleas and Gold Mound chamaecyapris, and its graceful and elegant habit just screams “look at me.”
Purple Daydream reaches about three feet tall with a slightly pendulous spread three to four feet wide. The deep purple foliage is ever present and, of course, loads up with a bounty of iridescent purple flowers in the spring, repeating throughout the year.
I remember 18 years ago as a horticulturist with Mississippi State University where we selected Burgundy as a Mississippi Medallion Award Winner. While this variety was superior at the time, it longed to reach 12-feet in height. If we could have dreamed then it would have been for Purple Daydream.
To read more pick up a copy of the April 2019 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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