Farm & Ranch

Meanwhile back at the ranch…

Published

8 years ago

June 27, 2016

NTFR

By Rayford Pullen

Isn’t it nice to be able to complain about all the rain we have had although it does cause us some grief when it comes to baling hay, working cattle, and so forth?

Just five years ago we were wondering if we would still be in the cattle business next year, next month and for some of us, next week.

Many producers did have to sell out their entire herds when the stock tanks and ponds went dry and the extended outlook was bleak.
Cattle prices were getting above our wildest expectations and the outlook was as bright as the sun. We had seen our last poor day, or so we thought.
Fast forward to the spring of 2015 and then to the spring of 2016.

The rains came, the stock tanks and lakes filled up and over flowed, the grass grew, cattle got fat and cattle prices fell about 35 percent or so, and now that’s the hand we have been dealt, and we can either be glad that we got to experience the best cattle market in the history of mankind, or we can be upset that it is not as good as it was.

It is your choice, and just like life itself, it is what you make of it. At our place, the ride was great but we are now dealing with the hand we were dealt and will hopefully be making the best of it. Let’s just look around at the beautiful landscape that is in front of us from all the rains and enjoy the moment. Life is good. To read more pick up a copy of the July 2016 NTFR issue.

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.