Country Lifestyles
Cowboy Culture with Clay Reid
By Clay Reid
Well here I sit. It’s 4 a.m. Sunday morning, and the reality of making a deadline is finally coming to me. It’s a little different, but as the glorified king of procrastination, I should be used to it. My name is Clay Reid. I’ve been married 22 years to Kelly Jean and have five knot-head children who have all tested my sanity at some point in time.
My oldest, Jake, who we call my “Guinea Pig,” is a welder. It’s a wonder he survived. My oldest daughter, Haley is a teacher and has already perfected her trade, but married James, a pilot in the Air Force, and is headed for Okinawa, Japan, for the next three years. I still ain’t got used to calling her Mrs. Chambers. Then there is Dawson. He’s the John Wayne of the family. He doesn’t say much, but is as good as they come. He is leaving in January to start his journey to be an Army Ranger and serve our country, a long-time dream of his.
Lindy is the youngest girl and one busy bee as she is involved in most every sport you can think of as an eighth grader. Then last, but not least, there is Ace. He was named after old man Ace Reid, the father of the cartoonist by the same name who tormented me as a small child, but I admired him just the same. Ace is our brainiac of the family and is witty as well as funny at the same time.
I have called Archer City, Texas, my home since 1988. I am a cowboy by trade with almost zero sod buster in my blood. Not that I have anything against sod busters (No, I do not hate their guts and livers.). It’s just that I am not very good at farming and there are those who are made to be cowboys and those who are made to be sod busters. A man is better off to know his limitations and stick to them. Plus my temperament is not suited for it. You have to be one patient and forgiving fellar to be able to farm; that ain’t me. To read more pick up the February 2016 issue of NTFR.
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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