Farm & Ranch

Photos from Texas worth a thousand words …and a million views

Published

9 years ago

March 19, 2015

NTFR

By: Kathleen Phillips

Contact: Kathleen Phillips, 979-845-2872, [email protected]

COLLEGE STATION — If a picture is worth a thousand words, a collection of them would be worth a million. And that appears to be the case for the unique photo collection of Texas A&M AgriLife taken by its news team.

The AgriLife Today collection of almost 5,000 photos surpassed 1 million views recently, according to Kathleen Phillips, AgriLife Today news manager in College Station.

The photos are the works of the AgriLife Today news team, with some from Texas A&M AgriLife Research scientists and Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service specialists and agents. They represent programs and science conducted throughout Texas. The collection has appeared at http://bit.ly/agrilifetodayphotos since August 2010, Phillips said.

“The photos depict Texas as traditional as beef and as offbeat as buzzards,” she said. “Our team is located around the state, so we’ve focused on snapping shots of all phases of agriculture production as well as gardening and lifestyle moments.

“And we continue to add to the collection, seeking photos to fill any areas we don’t feel are adequately represented,” she said. “Currently, we are working on depicting various fruit and vegetable crops at various stages in the growing cycle from planting to harvest this year, for example.”

Because the photos are produced by a state agency, they are free for the news media and public for non-commercial uses. All are downloadable in high resolution formats making them useful for online or printing purposes. All photos include a description of the shot.

Viewers are encouraged to follow the AgriLife Today photo collection in order to be notified when new pictures are uploaded.

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Farm & Ranch

Hazards of Backyard Poultry

Published

1 week ago

April 21, 2024

NTFR

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.