Country Lifestyles
August 2017 Profile: A Shared Vision – Chrystal Hall
By Jessica Crabtree
Have you ever made a life altering change? You may have not experienced one, but know someone who has. Did it bring them stress and discomfort, as well as freedom, happiness and fulfillment? To change the course of a life takes courage. Chrystal Hall is a testament to life altering change, one she says wasn’t even by her doing, but God’s.
Hall was born and raised in the rural Oklahoma town of Ada. Her father worked as a cop, raising his family on a small farm with cattle. “My dad hated horses, even called them ‘hay burners,”‘ Hall laughed. She was brought up with a small town raising where everyone knew everyone. She attended the rural school of Latta and graduated with 33 in her class. Hall’s father Don Henderson was in a band, playing at the local legion or just in the family’s living room for entertainment. “I can remember, as a kid, mom and dad played old 45’s and 33’s of Conway and Loretta. I can remember singing those songs to the top of my lungs,” Hall reminisced. The Henderson family was complete with Hall, her mother Sherill, father Don and two brothers and one sister.
As small towns have, Ada was no different with a rivalry between the schools of Byng and Latta. “I went to Latta and my husband Dewayne went to Byng,” Hall said. Oddly enough, there were several bumps in the road almost pushing Dewayne and Hall together. “My first car wreck was with Dewayne’s grandpa and I bought my first car from Dewayne,” Hall giggled.
The two dated and married in 1981. Hall developed a love for horses prior to meeting Dewayne, “When I met [Chrystal] she was riding an old horse and roping saddle. I broke her to ride a barrel saddle from the rope saddle,” he explained. Furthermore, Dewayne increased the level of horses Hall was riding, “I would get horses straight off the track, have [Chrystal] ride them 60 days then sell them.” Hall admitted it took her two or three years to learn the proper ways to ride such horses.
As the couple grew together, so did Hall’s ambition to compete in the arena. Placing all her, experience in running barrels, Hall’s resume grew as well as her barn of horses. Having had stumbled upon her “one” named “Wild Thing,” aka “WT,” Hall struggled to find the next “one” after selling WT. “He was automatic! A horse that anyone would want,” Hall said. Dewayne adding, “He was a freak of nature.” Setting the standard for all horses after very high, Hall even stated, “He lit a fire in me.”
Thereafter, Hall spent years trying to replace what she had in WT. Working in the oilfield and running various horses at jackpots, Hall was content. That was until an opportunity arose with a horse in Texas.
To read more pick up a copy of the August 2017 NTFR issue. To subscribe call 940-872-5922.
By: Martha Crump
Most cattle producers can tell you quite a lot about balancing cattle diets for energy, protein, vitamins, and minerals based on the specific needs for their herd and type of operation.
A key factor, and one that is often overlooked, is that how your animals perform is also directly affected by their water intake.
Now many of you may already be thinking “well of course water is necessary, anybody knows that!”
In many years, as September marches into October, we are beginning to experience some return of rainfall. But as many of us know, that is not always the case. Often we are still experiencing hot and dry weather, and water supplies are dwindling.
When we find ourselves experiencing those types of fall conditions, it is critical to not only understand the daily water requirements for cattle, but also the impact that the quality of water can have on herd health and development.
To read more, pick up a copy of the October edition of North Texas Farm & Ranch magazine, available digitally and in print. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
By: Annette Bridges
A friend and I were recently talking about our husbands. She made a comment that I felt also perfectly described me and my hubby.
“He slows me and I hurry him. I’m sure that is why we do well together,” she said.
“Precisely!” I thought. Why?
Because when two different worlds collide, it can be magical.
No matter what those two different worlds are- a man and a woman with very different personalities, beliefs, or backgrounds, two partners with contrasting passions, strengths, or talents, or when a country boy marries a city girl.
To read more, pick up a copy of the October edition of North Texas Farm & Ranch magazine, available digitally and in print. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
Watauga, Texas, a suburb of Fort Worth, is known for its rich history as a railroad stop, but over the course of the last year, one teen girl has put it on the map for agriculture as well. Emma Harvey has lived in Tarrant County her entire life. Despite being highly involved in her local 4-H chapter, she still felt there was more she could do. In the spring of 2023, she stepped up to the plate to take over the title of Tarrant County Teen Miss Agriculture USA.
“It all started when I put in an application for the teen title here in Tarrant County,” explained Harvey.
The Miss Agriculture USA program is a national non-profit, age-inclusive pageant program that offers both competition and non-competition titles to women dedicated to the promotion of agriculture.
Read more in the October issue of North Texas Farm & Ranch magazine, available online and in print. Subscribe to our newsletter to receive NTFR in your inbox each week.
Photo by Hannah Claxton.
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