Farm & Ranch
The Dr. McDonald Column – Heifer on Fire
By Steve McDonald, DVM
We watched a video the other day of the movie, “The Hunger Games,” in which the heroine paraded around in a dress that was on fire. Somehow she wasn’t burned by the flames. My mind raced back nearly 30 years to one of the first bovine Caesarian deliveries I had done.
In central Texas there are two calving seasons, both six months long. The heifer showed up in mid-July with an oversized calf lodged up and several thousand horn flies buzzing around her body. It was a very heavy infestation. Not only were they tormenting her, but they’d be quite the source of infection if they got into the proposed surgical site. That was a sure thing as soon as I opened her flank to perform the C-section.
Being that we were a mixed animal practice, we had Adam’s Flea Spray, which is a dandy insecticide that will kill just about any kind of bug it comes in contact with. It came in an easy to use spray bottle.
To read more pick up a copy of the July 2017 NTFR issue. To subscribe call 940-872-5922.
By Heather Welper
Husband and wife duo, Heather and Calvin Welper, are the Co-Owners and Operators or Two C Livestock, located in Valley View, Texas.
The pair’s operation has a show cattle focus where they raise and sell purebred heifers of all breeds and club calf Hereford steers.
When it comes to show cattle, the Welpers know a thing or two including how to prepare for the cold winter months and the Texas major show season run.
To read more, pick up a copy of the November edition of North Texas Farm & Ranch magazine, available digitally and in print. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
By Hannah Claxton, Editor
As the sun rises each day, so do the dozens of mouths that Meghan McGovern is responsible for getting fed. Rather than the sounds of a rooster crowing, McGovern hears the bellows and bleats of a variety of exotic deer, the chortle of kangaroos, the grunts of water buffaloes, and the chirps of a lemur.
Nestled against the banks of the Red River, the Double M Ranch and Rescue, with its high game fences and deer sprinkling the landscape,s its in stark contrast to the surrounding ranches.
“Having deer is kind of like eating potato chips- you can never actually have just one,” said McGovern with a laugh.
McGovern has several herds to take care of- fallow deer, axis deer, water buffalo, goats, and bison. In smaller numbers, there’s also a few kangaroos, a lemur, a potbelly pig, a pair of zebras, a watusi, and a few horses.
To read more, pick up a copy of the November edition of North Texas Farm & Ranch magazine, available digitally and in print. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
By Barry Whitworth, DVM, MPH
With the prolonged drought, most pastures in Oklahoma end up in poor condition. With the lack of available forage, animals may go in search of alternative foods.
If oak trees are in the pastures, acorns may be a favorite meal for some livestock in the fall. This may result in oak poisoning.
Oak leaves, twigs, buds, and acorns may be toxic to some animals when consumed.
To read more, pick up a copy of the November edition of North Texas Farm & Ranch magazine, available digitally and in print. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
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