Farm & Ranch

Meanwhile back at the ranch …

Published

6 years ago

November 25, 2017

NTFR

By Rayford Pullen

It’s that time of year again when we get past Thanksgiving and are headed full steam into the Christmas season, the end of the year, and doing what we need to do tax-wise. I guess this time of year can be the best of times and the worst of times depending on what situation you find yourself in this year.

At Pullen Angus, we’re getting ready to start our winter feeding program that for us is a protein supplement along with a standing hay crop consisting of little bluestem, switchgrass, big bluestem, Indian grass and another dozen or so native grasses that have done exceptionally well this year. While we do a little pasture deferment each year, our primary program is continuous grazing with some rotation, depending on the year and our current grass inventory.

We are very fortunate in our area of the country not to need to feed hay, which is dictated by not overstocking and getting decent rainfall. If we can continue to get these good rainfall years, we should also be able to cut our weed control back since the healthy native grasses will shade out the weeds.

Due to the many droughts and wild fires we have had since 1996, we are just not getting our grasses back in great shape.
Let’s hope we get back to a more normal weather pattern in the years to come. What’s next for our program? During this time of year, we are in the process of deciding which bulls to artificially breed our cattle to, which bulls to use for clean-up and making sure we have the semen on hand.

To read more pick up a copy of the December 2017 NTFR issue.

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.