Farm & Ranch
The dog days of summer
By contributing writer Rayford Pullen
If these are the dog days of summer, bring it on. Around our place, we have had good rains and mild temperatures, something not usually associated with Texas summers. While we still haven’t filled our stock tanks, (ponds for you folks east of Interstate 35), our grass is growing fast enough to provide plenty of grazing for both the cows and the grasshoppers.
While I have personally mounted an assault against the grasshoppers eating Carla Sue’s roses and other ornamentals, I have not taken any action in the pastures. Hopefully we can continue to outgrow the grasshopper’s consumption. Being in native grass country, the grass we grow now will also be our hay source for this winter. So we are hoping this weather continues for a while longer. To read more pick up the August 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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