Outdoor

The Pig Explosion- Part 1

Published

11 years ago

March 28, 2014

NTFR

By contributing writer Russell Graves
Pulling through the gate of his northeast Texas ranch,
Garry Mills instinctively knew what his eyes were about to
tell him. Just a couple of weeks prior to our visit hundreds
of native pecan trees on his place yielded a bumper crop of
nuts this year and littered the ground with the brown and
black nuggets.
Most years the trees yield a limited harvest – just enough
for his family to pick a few and share the rest with close
friends. This year, however, the trees became heavy with nuts
and with a complimentary price spike, he thought he could
make a little extra money with the harvest.
Mills planned to pick the bounty with the help of contract
labor using pecan harvesting equipment.
Before the mechanical pickers could arrive, pickers of a
different sort beat him to the punch. Over the course of two
nights a pack of wild pigs in untold numbers swept through
his small patch of ground and ate nearly every pecan they
could find.
“The pigs really wiped me out,” he says with a bit of
expected trepidation. “I had expected to make a bit of money
off these pecans but the hogs beat me to them.”
Mills says that it’s not the first time pigs have damaged his
crops or ranch infrastructure.

To read more pick up the March 2014 issue of North Texas Farm & Ranch.

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Parting Shot

Published

2 months ago

October 31, 2024

NTFR

By: Jelly Cocanougher

Delicate microbes buried just beneath the surface. We walk by them, unbeknownst to us. Spores, spawn, and sclerotia, each with distinct characteristics. It is said that these fungi are all connected, speaking to one another as they populate the earth. The interconnectedness of all living things and the decaying world, such beauty lies within these otherworldly alien organisms.

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Varietal Honey

Published

2 months ago

October 28, 2024

NTFR

By: Landon Moore

Landon Moore is the Wise County 4-H President and a member of the Wise County 4-H County Council. He is involved in beekeeping, as well as raising rabbits and poultry.

This essay was one that he wrote, and it was named the champion for both the Texas and National chapters of the Foundation For The Preservation of Honey Bees.

Varietal honey is honey that comes from a single source.

This honey has a flavor derived from the source flower and can even have a similar scent. In general, lighter colored honeys have a more subtle taste and dark honeys are more intense. Varietal honey has been compared to wine, in that honeys produced in different years can be distinguished, even if they come from the same flower and location.

This phenomenon is called terroir and is responsible for the individual taste of each honey harvest.

To read more, pick up a copy of the October edition of North Texas Farm & Ranch magazine, available digitally and in print. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.

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The Garden Guy: America’s Sweetheart

Published

2 months ago

October 27, 2024

NTFR

By: Norman Winter | Horticulturist, Author, Speaker

Early in the summer, I was sent a press release that caused one of those holy wow moments. The headline said it all, “Proven Winners ColorChoice Expands Catalog with the Addition of Hollywood Hibiscus.”

I had already become familiar with the Hollywood Hibiscus series and was thrilled that the Proven Winners was adding this to their lineup.

This flower is nothing short of beautiful and exhibits prolific flower production. The flowers show three distinct colors, deep red in the very center, then the majority which is a rich rose pink with lighter pink to white along the margins.

To read more, pick up a copy of the October edition of North Texas Farm & Ranch magazine, available digitally and in print. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.