Farm & Ranch

Higgins Branchini Shooting Foundation

Published

6 years ago

January 31, 2018

NTFR

By Dani Blackburn

Michael Higgins and his wife, Melinda Branchini, of Forestburg found a way to ingeniously unite their two passions — education and shooting — in a way that gives back to others when they created the Higgins Branchini Shooting Foundation.

The HBSF is a national charitable organization providing funds to collegiate students competing in clay target shooting sports.
“We don’t have any children, and we wanted to give back,” Branchini explained. “I’m interested in academics and my husband is interested in shooting, so we blended the two.”

HBSF is possibly the only organization of its kind giving grants to individual collegiate shooters rather than groups and teams. Since its creation, the organization has given $120,000 to students at 42 different universities in 22 different states from California to Connecticut.

Higgins serves as the board president, while Branchini is the executive director. Other board members include Elizabeth Cook, secretary; Steven Wirth, vice president; Mimi Wilfong, board member and Shea Self, board member.
College students who are members of their college or university shotgun shooting team are automatically eligible for HBSF assistance. Financial assistance in the form of grants, not scholarships, is extended to individuals based on the advisory committee’s recommendations.

Each applicant must provide a business plan detailing how they will use the funds provided.

Higgins began shooting at just nine years old with rifles before moving to a shotgun with moving targets. (Photo by Dani Blackburn)

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.