Farm & Ranch
Ag Elsewhere : Montana
By Jean Stimpson
Montana rancher Jean Stimpson and her husband Byron traded the Crow Tribe a beef to butcher for a feast, and in return received this buffalo to slaughter. Getting her as a calf, the Stimpson’s kept her and raised her. “She lived with a group of our late-calving cows and was their protector, nobody messed with her or that herd,” Stimpson said. Although she was a nuisance when it was time to move cows, standing in the gate and not letting them through. “We’d go move her so we could get the cows through the gate. We called her ‘Gooseberry,’ and she stayed in the closest two pastures always, never strayed from there but once or twice. The domestic bulls hated her or maybe were scared of her.” Gooseberry had one calf in all the years the Stimpson owned her. Unfortunately, some neighbor dogs were bothering Gooseberry one day, while protecting her calf, she accidentally stepped on the young calf, killing it. About three years ago the Stimpon’s lost Gooseberry after she laid down under a cottonwood tree by a creek and passed peacefully. Gooseberry lived with the Stimpson’s 22 years.
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.
By Tressa Lawrence
Babies are tucked away in every nook and cranny. Many ranchers across Wyoming have baby animals popping up all over this time of year.
By Lindsey Monk
Another load of grain in to keep feeding the calves until the green grass can really start popping.
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