Farm & Ranch

Meanwhile back at the ranch with Rayford Pullen: Enjoying the cattle market?

Published

10 years ago

June 9, 2014

By contributing writer Rayford Pullen
As we head into the summer months in our part of the world, many have been blessed with some much needed rainfall making life a lot more enjoyable and a lot less stressful. I hope you were one of those on the receiving end.
Speaking of the cattle market, isn’t it nice to know those weaned calves are bringing $1,000 and more. We all are. But if you are on the buying end of those deals, you sure don’t want to lose those calves because they do not have good immunity to all the different bugs that can result in those calves being non-performers or worse yet, dead.
We are all conscious that as food producers, it is our responsibility to produce a wholesome product. And to accomplish that, we must do the best job possible when it comes to having a health program in place that will, in the life of the cattle we produce and sell, have the fewest health problems as possible. To read more pick up the June issue of North Texas Farm & Ranch.

Farm & Ranch

Hazards of Backyard Poultry

Published

3 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.