Farm & Ranch
Troy West: The Art of Saddle Making
By Dani Blackburn, [email protected]
Saddle maker Troy West has made a career of crafting leather into works of art. He has seen four decades of success, from becoming a member of the Traditional Cowboy Arts Association to creating custom works for his clientele, but the most important aspect for him has been fulfilling his passion for creativity.
“This is my life, and it has been exciting. I think when you have a job that is a repetitive thing over and over, you don’t get to be creative. It becomes monotonous. Those people are looking for break time, lunch time, and quitting time. When you get to do something creative, it is hard to stop your brain from thinking about it,” West explained.
His love for what he does is apparent as stories of his career tumble out, beginning as a young boy growing up in East Texas.
The cowboy way of life was part of his daily routine as a child. He was one of four boys, third in line, and the family lived in the country from the earliest of times. There was a rodeo just five miles up the road every Saturday night, and another in a different town 10 miles away. Troy began riding bulls and bareback horses, along with roping calves. Eventually he purchased his own calf roping horse. Calf roping became his first love, and he roped all the way through high school. It was then his brother, Danny, just one year older, graduated high school.
To read more, pick up a copy of the July issue of NTFR Magazine. To subscribe 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.
By: Tony Dean
There are a handful of grasses on North Texas grazing lands ranchers need to know, not because they are highly desirable, but rather because they are not of much value. I call them “decom” plants, which is am acronym for “Don’t Ever Count On Me.” Silver bluestem is a “decom” grass.
Silver bluestem is a perennial which grows in all areas of Texas. It can survive in almost all soil types, and in full sun conditions or in semi shade. It grows up to three feet tall and is easily recognized with the presence of the white fuzzy seed head. Also, one of the identifying characteristics of Silver bluestem is a bend in the stems at each node, causing the plants to take on a rounded shape as they mature.
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: Rayford Pullen
Fall is here which means winter is closing in on us and before we officially get into winter, we need to make sure our factories are either producing or will be producing in a few months.
We have been pregnancy testing our cows this fall and if they are not bred or nursing a calf, we are bidding them adios. With annual costs somewhere between $900.00 and $1,000.00 per cow, those cows not producing a live weaned calf are costing us quite a bit.
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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