Farm & Ranch
The Dr. McDonald Column : A column concluded – The Real Cowboy Way
By Jim McElvain
We talk cowboy a lot, but what’s the real definition or meaning of “Cowboy Way?” I’ve edited a few of Dr. Steve McDonald’s stories for NTFR over the last year or two, and Jessica Crabtree has been kind enough to print them. Reading about Dr. McDonald’s work and misadventures gives an idea of the true cowboy way, but let me tell you about Steve McDonald.
Steve spent much of his early youth on the land, eventually living with his grandmother in Holliday, Texas.
He hunted, fished and even trapped muskrats and sold hides for spending money. After high school he joined the U.S. Marines and spent one of the bloodiest years of the Vietnam War with a rifle company. Returning, he started school at Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls.
There was a whole gaggle of us Vietnam vets just returning, and parties upon the arrival of GI Bill checks spelled doom for many of our academic careers. Steve began working for a farmer near Odell, Texas, plowing, fencing, welding and any other work needed. He later started his own small company, a one-man operation welding and building barns and corrals.
I had graduated college and was teaching high school, but in summers I’d work for Steve. He was the hardest working man I’ve ever tried to stay up with, and as honest and good as a man can be.
To read more pick up a copy of the February 2018 NTFR issue. To subscribe call 940-872-5922.
Farm & Ranch
Hazards of Backyard Poultry
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.
Farm & Ranch
Ag Elsewhere: Wyoming
By Tressa Lawrence
Babies are tucked away in every nook and cranny. Many ranchers across Wyoming have baby animals popping up all over this time of year.
Farm & Ranch
Ag Elsewhere: Montana
By Lindsey Monk
Another load of grain in to keep feeding the calves until the green grass can really start popping.
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