Farm & Ranch

Meanwhile back at the ranch…

Published

8 years ago

August 28, 2016

NTFR

By Rayford Pullen

Fall will be arriving shortly, and as cattle producers we all have to make decisions regarding our winter pastures, weaning our spring born calves, retaining ownership or not of weaned calves, deciding what our winter feeding program will be in the next couple of months or so, and so on and so forth.

If this fall is as wonderful as our past winter, spring and fall, at least here in North Central Texas, it should be great if we are planning on having fall and winter pastures.

I have made several observations when planting fall pastures over the years, but one thing is for sure, our fall success or failure will most certainly, in a large extent, be determined by the rainfall and weather.

Here are a few things you can do that will also influence your chances of having a better crop.

When overseeding established pastures such as bermuda grass, the shorter the better. Plants do not grow very well in the shade and five or six-inch grass looks like a forest to a small seed. What can you do? Graze or cut the grass as short as possible. I even like to keep the cattle on the pasture after I plant and until it does rain to keep it short. To read more pick up a copy of the September 2016 NTFR issue.

Farm & Ranch

Hazards of Backyard Poultry

Published

6 days 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.