Farm & Ranch
North Texas Cattleman’s Conference set for Oct. 24
DENTON – The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service in Denton County and the Denton County Extension Agriculture Committee, in conjunction with Cooke, Grayson, Collin and Fannin counties, is hosting the North Texas Cattleman’s Conference.
The conference will be held from 8:30 a.m.-4:15 p.m. at the church located at 8690 Liberty Road, said Brandon Boughen, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service agent for Denton County.
Preregistration is required by Oct. 20 to receive lunch. Registration will be $35 per person if preregistered or $40 at the door, he said. Registration forms can be found on the website for AgriLife Extension for Denton County at http://denton.agrilife.org/agriculture-natural-resources. Participants will receive two pesticide applicator continuing education units and two Beef Quality Assurance credits.
The main entre of lunch will be steak, and refreshments will be made available throughout the day, Boughen said.
“This year we have chosen the topic of ‘Managing Risk to Increase Economic Sustainability in Your Cattle Operation,’” he said. “Anyone who raises cattle for profit understands that sustainability equals staying in business and there are more and more factors today than ever before.”
The keynote speaker will be Dr. Jude Capper, a self-employed sustainability consultant and an adjunct professor in the department of animal sciences at Washington State University in Pullman, Washington, he said.
“She specializes in communicating the importance of livestock industry sustainability and the factors affecting sustainability,” Boughen said. “Dr. Capper also specializes in enhancing the knowledge and understanding of stakeholders within food production from the rancher and farmer through to the retailer, policy-maker and consumer.”
Boughen said six other speakers will round out the day’s program, speaking on topics ranging from “replacement heifers to adding value to your product and marketing.”
Agricultural equipment dealers and representatives from several feed, pharmaceutical and other agricultural sector companies will be on hand to answer questions.
“Today we hear the word ‘sustainable’ everywhere, and I’m not sure most people understand what it means for a business to be sustainable,” Boughen said. “Producers who attend this conference will not only learn what economic sustainability is, but will get ideas to put to use in their operation.”
For more information, contact Boughen or Pamela Hill, office manager at the AgriLife Extension office in Denton County, at 940-349-2894.
-30-
By Heather Welper
Husband and wife duo, Heather and Calvin Welper, are the Co-Owners and Operators or Two C Livestock, located in Valley View, Texas.
The pair’s operation has a show cattle focus where they raise and sell purebred heifers of all breeds and club calf Hereford steers.
When it comes to show cattle, the Welpers know a thing or two including how to prepare for the cold winter months and the Texas major show season run.
To read more, pick up a copy of the November edition of North Texas Farm & Ranch magazine, available digitally and in print. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
By Hannah Claxton, Editor
As the sun rises each day, so do the dozens of mouths that Meghan McGovern is responsible for getting fed. Rather than the sounds of a rooster crowing, McGovern hears the bellows and bleats of a variety of exotic deer, the chortle of kangaroos, the grunts of water buffaloes, and the chirps of a lemur.
Nestled against the banks of the Red River, the Double M Ranch and Rescue, with its high game fences and deer sprinkling the landscape,s its in stark contrast to the surrounding ranches.
“Having deer is kind of like eating potato chips- you can never actually have just one,” said McGovern with a laugh.
McGovern has several herds to take care of- fallow deer, axis deer, water buffalo, goats, and bison. In smaller numbers, there’s also a few kangaroos, a lemur, a potbelly pig, a pair of zebras, a watusi, and a few horses.
To read more, pick up a copy of the November edition of North Texas Farm & Ranch magazine, available digitally and in print. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
By Barry Whitworth, DVM, MPH
With the prolonged drought, most pastures in Oklahoma end up in poor condition. With the lack of available forage, animals may go in search of alternative foods.
If oak trees are in the pastures, acorns may be a favorite meal for some livestock in the fall. This may result in oak poisoning.
Oak leaves, twigs, buds, and acorns may be toxic to some animals when consumed.
To read more, pick up a copy of the November edition of North Texas Farm & Ranch magazine, available digitally and in print. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
-
Country Lifestyles2 years agoScott & Stacey Schumacher: A Growth Mindset
-
Country Lifestyles8 years agoStyle Your Profile – What your style cowboy hat says about you and new trends in 2017
-
HOME8 years agoGrazing North Texas – Wilman Lovegrass
-
Equine1 year agoThe Will to Win
-
Country Lifestyles5 years agoAmber Crawford, Breakaway Roper
-
Outdoor10 years agoButtercup or Primrose?
-
Country Lifestyles9 years agoJune 2016 Profile – The man behind the mic: Bob Tallman
-
Country Lifestyles8 years agoDecember 2016 Profile, Rusty Riddle – The Riddle Way