Farm & Ranch
Spring has sprung and so have the weeds
By contributing writer Rayford Pullen
While this is an article about cattle, when you are out of grass, you are out of the cattle business in our neck of the woods.
We will talk about cattle at the end of this article. This article deals mostly on how to stay in the cattle business.
On our place, the most important thing we do to produce forage is to control the weeds. If grass cannot get sunlight, it cannot grow.
There is a race going on at times between the grass and weeds for sunlight and unfortunately, the weeds normally win. While we are familiar with “competition from weeds,” we normally think of competition for moisture and fertilizer while the main competition is for sunlight. And for that reason, we need to address that issue first and foremost.
We control our weeds using herbicides. There are lots of different ones on the market, and some last longer than others, and some kill different weeds than others. To read more pick up the May 2014 issue of North Texas Farm & Ranch.
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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