Farm & Ranch
Ag Elsewhere: Ghana, Africa
Photos and description by Tiffany Thompson
My four months in Ghana were filled with so much. It’s been four months of excitement, joy and laughter. Four months of frustration, nervousness and challenges.
Four months of blood, sweat (so much sweat) and tears. Four months of failures and successes. When I accepted my fellowship with AgriCorps and decided to move to West Africa, I knew that it would be an opportunity to learn about different agricultural systems, experience a new culture and meet a lot of people. I had no idea; however, how much I would learn about myself and how much personal growth I would experience.
Here are the top three life lessons I realized over the course of my fellowship:
- Be patient and persistent. One of the major challenges I faced in Ghana was adjusting to cultural differences with scheduling. I’ve lost count of the times I made plans with someone and had the plans fall through. Meetings were rescheduled time and time again, people didn’t always show up when they said they would, and at one point, I
even had a fellow teacher tell me to give up on an event I was planning. These moments tested my patience, and without being
persistent and staying committed to my role, I would not have made it through my fellowship successfully. - Celebrate the small victories. There were days when it felt like nothing went right. I would go home feeling defeated, exhausted and hopeless. On these days, it was so easy to get swept up in how badly things were going and how it seemed like nothing I did mattered.
To read more pick up a copy of the January 2019 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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