Country Lifestyles
Nearly 200,000 bales and counting
By Judy Wade
Most 92-year-old folks are living in a retirement center or are being cared for by loved ones. Not Ray Jackson of Byers. He bales hay, and has been for the last 50 years.
Born in Honey Grove, the Fannin County native was one of seven children born to Millie and Willie Jackson. Only he and one brother and one sister are still living. When asked what he did as a child, he answered laughing, “Whatever our dad told us to do, usually cutting wood and hoeing weeds.” At age 14 he was picking cotton to earn money.
A member of the CCC, he was transferred to the regular Army in 1941 after the attack on Pearl Harbor. He remained stateside at several posts until he contracted measles and while confined to the hospital, it was discovered he had a heart problem and he was discharged. “I didn’t go to school until I was 17, and that was when I was in the Army. Those three years were the only schooling I had,” he related. The lack of a formal education did not keep
Jackson from being successful. Finding little work in Fannin County, Jackson opted to go to California, where he worked at various jobs including harvesting potatoes and working in a packing house where fruits and vegetables were cleaned using a sulfur process. “A lot of people couldn’t work there because of the sulfur fumes, but it never bothered me,” he recalled.
To read more pick up a copy of the January 2017 NTFR issue. To subscribe call 940-872-5922.
By: Martha Crump
Most cattle producers can tell you quite a lot about balancing cattle diets for energy, protein, vitamins, and minerals based on the specific needs for their herd and type of operation.
A key factor, and one that is often overlooked, is that how your animals perform is also directly affected by their water intake.
Now many of you may already be thinking “well of course water is necessary, anybody knows that!”
In many years, as September marches into October, we are beginning to experience some return of rainfall. But as many of us know, that is not always the case. Often we are still experiencing hot and dry weather, and water supplies are dwindling.
When we find ourselves experiencing those types of fall conditions, it is critical to not only understand the daily water requirements for cattle, but also the impact that the quality of water can have on herd health and development.
To read more, pick up a copy of the October edition of North Texas Farm & Ranch magazine, available digitally and in print. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
By: Annette Bridges
A friend and I were recently talking about our husbands. She made a comment that I felt also perfectly described me and my hubby.
“He slows me and I hurry him. I’m sure that is why we do well together,” she said.
“Precisely!” I thought. Why?
Because when two different worlds collide, it can be magical.
No matter what those two different worlds are- a man and a woman with very different personalities, beliefs, or backgrounds, two partners with contrasting passions, strengths, or talents, or when a country boy marries a city girl.
To read more, pick up a copy of the October edition of North Texas Farm & Ranch magazine, available digitally and in print. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
Watauga, Texas, a suburb of Fort Worth, is known for its rich history as a railroad stop, but over the course of the last year, one teen girl has put it on the map for agriculture as well. Emma Harvey has lived in Tarrant County her entire life. Despite being highly involved in her local 4-H chapter, she still felt there was more she could do. In the spring of 2023, she stepped up to the plate to take over the title of Tarrant County Teen Miss Agriculture USA.
“It all started when I put in an application for the teen title here in Tarrant County,” explained Harvey.
The Miss Agriculture USA program is a national non-profit, age-inclusive pageant program that offers both competition and non-competition titles to women dedicated to the promotion of agriculture.
Read more in the October issue of North Texas Farm & Ranch magazine, available online and in print. Subscribe to our newsletter to receive NTFR in your inbox each week.
Photo by Hannah Claxton.
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