Farm & Ranch
Land Market Report
By Jared Groce
Our rural land market is continuing to slow its pace in 2023, with another slight decrease in the number of transactions closed during the month, and with the total days on market continuing to inch higher.
I am often asked, “When will land prices start going back down?” The short answer is “probably never.” Looking at the chart below for our area, Texas A&M Real Estate Research Center data shows that since 1970, there have only been very slight decreases in average land prices. These can easily be skewed by the addition of, or lack of, one significant sale. For example, the sale of the Waggoner Ranch in 2016 for $725,000,000 easily changed the average figures of their region, as well as the state in general. So, was there “really” a decrease the following year, or was that one sale so large that it made it look like the next year was down? My bet is that if the Waggoner Ranch sale was not included in 2016, 2017 would have been higher than 2016.
To read more, pick up a copy of the November issue of NTFR magazine. To subscribe by mail, 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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