Country Lifestyles
Cowboy Culture — Cowboy Forts and Wagon Races
By Clay Reid
Not so long ago, kids did not have the luxury of having these fancy games and phones everybody has these days. Xbox, PlayStation and such were unheard of during my day. So we had to make our own PlayStations and come up with our own brand of entertainment with a deal called “imagination.” The good thing was my imagination was awesome.
Sometimes it was a little too awesome as my mama would say. In 1979 my mama had had enough of my imagination, I suppose, and kicked me and my siblings out at my dad’s house in Wichita Falls.
I guess she needed a break from dealing with us hoodlum children, and I can’t say that I blame her. We weren’t no easy raising, I can assure you. (I painted her hair orange with a can of spray paint one time while she slept).
Anyway, shortly after she kicked us out, a tornado came through and wiped out half of Wichita Falls. I promise I had nothing to do with it. You can get me on a lot of things, but you can’t pin that one on me. When that tornado came through there, I saw it do some things that just can’t be explained, and it put the fear of God in me. The next day I went to building me a place to hide just in case it showed up again.
Out behind our house there was a bit of a hill and about 10 acres of scattered mesquite pasture. It was at the top of this hill where I started digging. I dug, I dug and I dug some more, until finally I had a six-foot by six-foot hole in the ground. Then I went and drug up some old lumber and put a roof on it and shazam! I now had a redneck cellar built for ol’ Johnny Clay.
I was so proud of that hole until about a week later a big ol’ rain came through and it turned my cellar into a swimming pool. Some of the neighborhood rugrats laughed, but I told them that if another one of them big giant tornados came through, I didn’t care how much water that hole had in it, I would be jumping in and taking my chances with drowning. I am a vey good swimmer.
To read more pick up a copy of the July 2018 NTFR issue. To subscribe call 940-872-5922.
By: Martha Crump
Most cattle producers can tell you quite a lot about balancing cattle diets for energy, protein, vitamins, and minerals based on the specific needs for their herd and type of operation.
A key factor, and one that is often overlooked, is that how your animals perform is also directly affected by their water intake.
Now many of you may already be thinking “well of course water is necessary, anybody knows that!”
In many years, as September marches into October, we are beginning to experience some return of rainfall. But as many of us know, that is not always the case. Often we are still experiencing hot and dry weather, and water supplies are dwindling.
When we find ourselves experiencing those types of fall conditions, it is critical to not only understand the daily water requirements for cattle, but also the impact that the quality of water can have on herd health and development.
To read more, pick up a copy of the October edition of North Texas Farm & Ranch magazine, available digitally and in print. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
By: Annette Bridges
A friend and I were recently talking about our husbands. She made a comment that I felt also perfectly described me and my hubby.
“He slows me and I hurry him. I’m sure that is why we do well together,” she said.
“Precisely!” I thought. Why?
Because when two different worlds collide, it can be magical.
No matter what those two different worlds are- a man and a woman with very different personalities, beliefs, or backgrounds, two partners with contrasting passions, strengths, or talents, or when a country boy marries a city girl.
To read more, pick up a copy of the October edition of North Texas Farm & Ranch magazine, available digitally and in print. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
Watauga, Texas, a suburb of Fort Worth, is known for its rich history as a railroad stop, but over the course of the last year, one teen girl has put it on the map for agriculture as well. Emma Harvey has lived in Tarrant County her entire life. Despite being highly involved in her local 4-H chapter, she still felt there was more she could do. In the spring of 2023, she stepped up to the plate to take over the title of Tarrant County Teen Miss Agriculture USA.
“It all started when I put in an application for the teen title here in Tarrant County,” explained Harvey.
The Miss Agriculture USA program is a national non-profit, age-inclusive pageant program that offers both competition and non-competition titles to women dedicated to the promotion of agriculture.
Read more in the October issue of North Texas Farm & Ranch magazine, available online and in print. Subscribe to our newsletter to receive NTFR in your inbox each week.
Photo by Hannah Claxton.
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