Farm & Ranch

[AgriLife Today] Sunflower production program set for Jan. 26 in Texline

Published

8 years ago

January 21, 2016

NTFR

A Sunflower Production Program has been scheduled for Jan. 26 at the Texline Community Center, 100 S. 3rd St. in Texline. (Texas A&M AgriLife Communications photo by Kay Ledbetter)

By: Kay Ledbetter

Targeting growers in northwest Texas Panhandle, northeastern New Mexico

Writer: Kay Ledbetter, 806-677-5608, [email protected]
Contact: Mike Bragg, 806-244-4434, [email protected]

TEXLINE – A Sunflower Production Program has been scheduled for Jan. 26 at the Texline Community Center, 100 S. 3rd St. in Texline, by the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service.

“Sunflowers can be an alternative option for low water and dryland production. Also, they can be a late planting option if a previous crop gets extensive hail damage,” said Mike Bragg, AgriLife Extension agriculture and natural resources agent for Dallam and Hartley counties.

“Last year we saw additional acres planted to oilseed sunflowers in the area,” Bragg said. “Some growers did very well, but like any crop, management and marketing is a key component to profitability.”

Bragg said the message will be targeted to producers in both the northwestern counties of the Texas Panhandle and Union County in New Mexico.

The program is free and will run from 2:30-4:30 p.m. Two general Texas Department of Agriculture continuing education units will be offered to private pesticide applicators.

Topics will include sunflower insect pests, sunflower production management and marketing, variety test plot demonstration results and weed control in sunflowers.

The speakers will include Dr. Ed Bynum, AgriLife Extension entomologist in Amarillo, and Dr. Calvin Trostle, AgriLife Extension agronomist in Lubbock.

For more information, contact Bragg at 806-244-4434 or Whitney Brock, the New Mexico State University Cooperative Extension Service agent for Union County, at 575-374-9361.

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Farm & Ranch

Hazards of Backyard Poultry

Published

1 week 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.