Farm & Ranch
AG Elsewhere : Ghana – West Africa
Photos and Description By Tiffany Thompson
As I sit on the front porch of my new home, I see green trees stretching out in every direction, countless taxis honking as they drive by and people walking down the road on their way to work. Though it’s sunny right now, the grey clouds rolling in tell that rain is on its way. Being up in the mountains, the humidity isn’t as intense as it is throughout the rest of the region, but I can still tell it will be a warm day.
My name is Tiffany Thompson, and I am living in Mampong, a town with a population of 7,000 in the eastern region of Ghana. I arrived in Ghana two weeks ago, and will be here till the middle of December working as a Fellow for AgriCorps. AgriCorps is a nonprofit whose mission is to connect American agriculture professionals to the demand for experiential, school-based agricultural education in developing countries.
In my role as a Fellow, I will be working as an agriculture instructor at a junior high school, advising a 4-H club, and working with local farmers as an extension agent. I am one of nine Fellows currently in Ghana. We are all placed at different schools throughout the central and eastern regions of the country.
In Ghana, agriculture is not typically seen as a desirable career. Many teachers use weeding and working in the school garden as punishment, and it is assumed that people only farm because they have no other option for income. For this reason, a major component of our job here is to educate youth, the early adopters of new technologies and methodologies, about how agriculture can be a profitable business opportunity. If we can help change the perception of farming and get students interested in pursuing agriculture as a career, we hope to see improved food security in the future.
In the two weeks that I have been in Ghana, I have seen several farms growing a variety of crops and livestock including maize, peppers, cocoa, papaya, okra, cabbage, tomatoes, lettuce, plantains, snails, hogs, dairy cattle, and poultry.
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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