Farm & Ranch

Red River Crops Conference set for Jan. 27-28 in Childress

Published

9 years ago

December 4, 2014

NTFR

By: Kay Ledbetter

Writer: Kay Ledbetter, 806-677-5608, [email protected]
Contacts: Stan Bevers, 940-552-9941, [email protected]

CHILDRESS – Texas and Oklahoma officials along the Red River will address the issues of importance to regional farmers and ranchers on both sides of the state line at the annual Red River Crops Conference on Jan 27-28.

The two-day event is designed to provide crop production information for Southwest Oklahoma and the Texas Rolling Plains, said Stan Bevers, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service agricultural economist in Vernon.

The event will begin with registration from 7:45-8:15 a.m. Jan. 27 and continue through 4:15 p.m. on each day at the Fair Park Auditorium, 1000 Commerce St. in Childress, Texas.

Preregistration by Jan. 23 is encouraged, Bevers said. The fee is $25 for one or both days.To register, print the form from http://agrisk.tamu.edu/. Make checks payable to the Red River Crops Conference and mail to 100 N.W. Ave. E, Courthouse Box 9, Childress, TX. 79201-2351.

In-season and summer crops will be featured on Jan. 27. Discussion topics will include a long-term weather forecast, canola and other specialty crops, a discussion of the 2014 farm bill decisions, wheat management, stocker cattle and a market outlook.

Cotton will be featured on Jan. 28, with topics including market outlook, variety discussions, herbicide options, seed treatments and disease management, irrigation and new technology from industry representatives.

Bevers said AgriLife Extension and Oklahoma Cooperative Extension joined together to conduct the first and “very successful” conference last January. The conference alternates between Oklahoma and Texas.

In the Red River region, obstacles can include limited water and land resources, and weather extremes, such as hot and dry summers and bitterly cold winters, he said. Producers also find themselves managing pastures of both introduced and native grass for cattle operations, and crop mixes such as cotton, wheat, and grain and forage sorghum. More recently, producers have considered incorporating canola, guar and sesame into their production.

For more information, contact a local Extension office in either Texas or Oklahoma, or call Bevers at 940-552-9941, extension 225.

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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.