Farm & Ranch
The Sheep Market isn’t half B-A-A-D
By Corsi Martin
When you think of livestock in the state of Texas, most people consider cattle before all else. Cattle most certainly bring the most income and occupy a larger market, but there are other forms of livestock that tend to get overlooked by some farmers and ranchers.
Being one of the first agriculturally domesticated animals, sheep are an extremely resourceful form of livestock for their wool, meat, and milk. Sheep farmers don’t just exist in the form of Irish Shepherds, believe it or not.
When compared to the price of cattle, sheep are much more cost efficient and have a gestation period of only 152 days, often times having twins. While the profit of sheep does not match what a single cow could bring, the turnover rate for sheep is considerably more rapid, thus, faster profit.
In fact, certain agricultural studies suggest that the sheep market could be a hidden gold mine for smaller ranchers in years to come.
Of course, if the value of wool were to go up, sheep would be in high demand all over the world, especially in countries where industrialization is scarce. Many people in the United States tend to think of sheep as being a main source for wool.
While wool or fleece will currently sell from $6 to $21 per pound depending on the quality of the coat (which will ultimately depend on the breed of the sheep), it is just one resource provided by sheep, and not the most valuable by long shot. Meat markets sell lamb meat by the hundreds of pounds and some restaurants even serve it as a delicacy. Although lamb is not the most widely consumed form of meat in the United States at the moment, places like the United Kingdoms, Australia, and many countries in the Middle East consume it daily.
To read more pick up a copy of the July 2017 NTFR issue. To subscribe call 940-872-5922.
By Barry Whitworth, DVM
At the writing of this article, High Path Avian Influenza (HPAI) H5N1 has been detected in more than 83 million domestic poultry in the United States. The outbreak includes commercial and backyard flocks.
Most people are aware that poultry may succumb to Avian Influenza but may not know that other animals can be infected with the virus. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, a variety of mammals have been infected with Avian Influenza H5N1 in the U.S.
The list of more than 200 mammals includes bears, foxes, skunks, coyotes, etc. Even marine animals such as dolphins and seals have been found with the virus. Current Avian Influenza H5N1 infections in poultry, mammals, and livestock in the U.S. can be found at the Detections of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza website at https://www.aphis.usda.gov/livestock-poultry-disease/avian/avian-influenza/hpai-detections.
Recently, ruminants have been diagnosed with Avian Influenza H5N1 in the U.S. The World Organization for Animal Health reported that neonatal goats displaying neurological clinical signs and death were positive for Avian Influenza.
To read more, pick up a copy of the May issue of NTFR magazine. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
By Rayford Pullen | [email protected]
When May arrives, we start thinking about weed control. With two years of drought under our belts, grass grazed short and hay stocks depleted, what we do now will influence our forage conditions for the entire year. With 75 percent of our annual warm season forages made by July 15 in North Texas, we need to get the grass growing while the sun shines.
Speaking of the sun shining, the biggest deterrent to growing lots of grass is restricted sunlight, and the biggest sun blockers we have are weeds.
Have you noticed weeds are normally just slightly taller than your grass and are probably blocking 90 percent of the sunlight from reaching the grass itself? So obviously, we need to improve conditions, so sunlight reaches the plants we want to grow.
With grass extremely short, more sunlight is hitting the soil surface now, which in turn results in more weed seed germinating. With the moisture we have received, we expect an abundance of weeds this year.
To read more, pick up a copy of the May issue of NTFR magazine. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
By Jared Groce
Rural land sales are continuing on a steady pace for early spring, with prices holding very strong with the sell-to-list price ratios remaining very high, even on properties that have been on the market for a longer than usual time period. The total number of transactions are picking up once again as the spring selling season kicks off, and the average acreage continues to decrease.
Larger acreage properties seem to be in higher demand than smaller properties currently, with many buyers simply parking cash in real estate to hedge against inflation. Interest rates seem to have settled down and most experts agree that rates will be reduced by the fed this year. Some lenders have programs in place that allow the buyer to reduce their rates without having to go through a full refinance ordeal.
To read more, pick up a copy of the May issue of NTFR magazine. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
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