Farm & Ranch
The Garden Guy
By Norman Winter, Horticulturist, Author, Speaker
Oh my gosh, if you aren’t growing the Shoal Creek vitex you are missing the opportunity to add rare iridescent blue color to the landscape like few other plants can do. I’ve loved the vitex for years but the award-winning Shoal Creek has to be the best in the marketplace.
It was a Louisiana Super Plant, and Texas Superstar, too, and is perfect for the North Texas area with wide range of adaptability from zones five to nine. In warm climates it is grown as a large deciduous shrub or small open vase tree, while in colder areas it freezes to the ground and returns in the spring as a shrub, almost reminiscent of a buddleia or butterfly bush.
It is known botanically as Vitex agnus-castus, and is a marvel with its small structure, large, marijuana-looking leaves and fragrant, blue blooms that are most rare among trees.
Centuries ago, the seeds that followed the blossoms were used to Plant Shoal Creek vitex now for Summer WOW factor keep monks’ libidos in check.
To read more pick up a copy of the February 2019 NTFR issue. To subscribe call 940-872-5922.
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.
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.
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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