Farm & Ranch
A Steady Tradition
More than a century ago, a rugged, wild, and western stretch of land became, seemingly overnight, the site of Oklahoma’s first major industry.
Its legacy began shortly after statehood in 1907. Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce members and fellow businessmen were searching for ways to bring more revenue to their city. They’d seen other major cities flourish with the presence of stockyards and envisioned the same for the fledgling state. With a prosperous future in mind, they decided to approach several of the major packing houses.
“The city fathers were looking at bringing in new industry, because everything was concentrated downtown. They secretly recruited packing houses in Chicago and Omaha because of the bustling business,” noted Kelli Payne, Oklahoma National Stockyards Yards Liaison and President of Stockyards City Mainstreet.
Chamber of Commerce President Sidney Brock sent letters to the largest packing houses, and soon Thomas Wilson, Executive Vice President of the Nelson Morris Company headquartered in Chicago, traveled south to see what Oklahoma City had to offer.
According to Payne, tall tales and stories surround the initial visit. “Obviously just getting someone here from Chicago would be a feat in the early 1900s. I can’t vouch for authenticity, but there’s a story that at the time there was only one available automobile in downtown Oklahoma City, and they borrowed it. As the crow flies, it’s only two miles from downtown to the Stockyards, but it took them two days to get there,” she explained. “There was no highway at the time. The Oklahoma River would have been raging, plus there was quicksand and plum thickets that they had to contend with.” One account notes that the passengers in the car spent a good bit of time pushing it out of ruts and mud.
While there might have been obstacles, the delegate from Chicago liked what they saw – but they still had big demands for the city. “These packinghouses knew what they could do. They knew how many cattle they could process in a day and how many employees they would hire, and they knew what an impact they would have on the city, so they had a long list of concessions,” Payne said. “The numbers were staggering. They needed 350,000 gallons of water a day for five years, because they would be using it constantly to clean and water cattle, and they needed it brought right to the gate. They also wanted a $300,000 bonus, a five-year tax exemption, sewer, electric, and street car lines, a railroad, and land adjacent to the North Canadian River.”
Oklahoma City councilmen met the demands of the Nelson Morris Company, and soon Schwarzchild and Sulzberger came to town under similar terms, and more followed. Morris connections constructed the necessary Oklahoma National Stockyards and established the Oklahoma Stockyards National Bank.
The Stockyards began operations in October of 1910 and represented the heaviest concentration of labor in the capitol city. The once desolate area boomed overnight, creating 2,400 new jobs in a city of 60,000. The area soon became known as Packingtown.
“A whole city sprang up. Hotels, a post office, banks, restaurants, grocery stores, hat makers, and anything you could imagine. A lot of guys that worked in the packing houses would work twelve hour shifts. Two would share a room, and when they’d leave for work, two different workers would come in and use their room.” Payne added, “It was a different lifestyle than what we enjoy today.”
Livestock began arriving by rail or cattle drive. At the time, the cattle were traded private treaty through the service of the many on-premise commission companies. Catwalks crisscrossed across the pens, and the sellers would make deals above. Soon the cattle would be loaded back on the trains and sent to the different packing houses; while some were close, some were a few miles away.
Big changes came in the early 1960s. Many other major stockyards had gone the route of live auctions, abandoning the practice of private treaty sales. “There’s another fable, and I’m sure there’s truth in there somewhere. There was a younger gentleman that was working in the stockyards. He went to the local clothing store and purchased a brand new set of overalls and a white button down shirt and hoped a train to Kansas City to see what the live auctions were all about,” Payne said.
That young man returned filled with excitement and convinced some other owners to try the live auction. Since they needed a place to hold the sales, the large barn that stored hay was renovated with an auction area and lobby and is still in use today.
Within a few months it was evident that the live auction method was there to stay. The auction provided competition for available livestock, and more growth followed. Today, the Stockyards handle cattle exclusively, but in its early years hogs, sheep, horses and mules also trotted across the bricks.
By 1966, the Oklahoma National Stockyards was one of the largest markets in the nation, representing approximately $125 million in annual business. In 1973, the number of saleable cattle rose to more than 900,000, and the Stockyards took the nation’s lead.
Unfortunately, the industry that created the need for the stockyards, the meat packing plants, were having a major business decline, and one-by-one, they closed or moved to other locations, resulting in a decline in receipts at stockyards across the country.
Payne added that, while the Oklahoma National Stockyards has had many years with nearly one million head of cattle passing through the arch, video sales and people contracting cattle directly to the feed yard have also contributed to the lower – but still strong numbers.
“There are other sale barns that, maybe over a year will move more cattle, but historically speaking, over the course of time we would be tough to beat,” Payne explained. “This past year we ran just under 400,000 head over cattle through the sale barn. Week in and week out we’re pretty strong.”
That strength is attributed to several factors, including the proximity to major interstates and highways, as well as feedlots in Texas and Kansas. “Our location is the best. There are cattle to the north, south, east and west, and we’re right in the middle,” Fisher said. “We also take care of our customers. We cater to the big companies as well as the small ranchers. It doesn’t matter if they bring 500 cattle or five, because we’ll take care of them.”
Fisher also noted that the schedule of selling cattle on Monday and Tuesday helps to draw in more sellers. “I think it helps because many of our customers have jobs, and they like that they can bring in cattle over the weekend,” he said.
The economic impact of the Stockyards can literally stretch across the country. “I’ve tried to pin it down. If you look at the impact here in Oklahoma City, you’re only looking at a small piece of the equation. It actually goes coast to coast,” Payne said. “For example, a couple times a year it gets really popular for Florida cattle to come to town, so if you look at it, they could be loaded in Florida and make the drive to Oklahoma City. They driver will have to buy fuel and food or maybe lodging, and they need the same once they get to Oklahoma City. Those cattle the driver brought could then be purchased and be in California within just a few days.”
While the Oklahoma National Stockyards employs between 20 to 30 people at a time, there are approximately 300 that make their living because of it. This includes employees of commission companies, and other companies located behind the arch.
Although droughts, floods, and other factors have caused fluctuations in the market, the Oklahoma National Stockyards has continued its steady tradition of the cattle business. “We were flooded with cows during the drought. We’re still trying to catch up on sleep because the cows just kept coming. Owners were out of hay, feed, and water, and they had no choice but to sell,” Payne recalled.
Learn more about the Oklahoma National Stockyards in the April issue of Oklahoma Farm & Ranch.
Farm & Ranch
Inventions of Agriculture: The Reaper
Agriculture has been a staple of human society since around 9000 BCE during the Neolithic Era, when humans began developing and cultivating their own food.
For centuries, food production was a slow, tedious process until the invention of agricultural machinery. One such invention was the reaper. Until its time, small grains were harvested by hand, cut with sickles or scythes, hand-raked and tied into sheaves.
While a few had unsuccessfully attempted to create a similar machine, it was Cyrus McCormick who would ultimately be credited with the invention of the first commercially successful reaper in 1831.
McCormick’s invention was a horse-drawn machine used to harvest wheat, a combination between a chariot and a wheelbarrow. He had joined together the earlier harvesting machines into a single, timesaving one. His reaper allowed producers to double their crop size, capable of cutting six acres of oats in just one afternoon. In contrast, it would have taken 12 workers with scythes to do the equivalent in the same amount of time.
McCormick had simply followed in his father’s footsteps. Growing up in Rockbridge County, Virginia, his father had also created several farming implements and even worked to invent a mechanical reaper of his own.
McCormick would patent his invention in July 1834, a year after Obed Hussey had announced the making of a reaper of his own. In 1837, McCormick began manufacturing his machine on his family’s estate.
In 1847, McCormick recognized Chicago as the future of the agricultural machinery industry. The railroad to Galena was nearing completion, the Illinois and Michigan Canal would soon be open, and a telegraph link to the east was coming. So, in 1847, McCormick, together with his partner and future Chicago mayor Charles M. Gray, purchased three lots on the Chicago River and built a factory where they would produce the reaper. It was the first of many industrial companies that would make their way to the area, making Chicago an industrial leader.
McCormick wasn’t done yet. He purchased an additional 130 acres in Chicago in 1871, but the Great Fire of 1871 threatened to destroy his company when the factory burned. It was his young wife, Nettie Fowler McCormick, who pushed the company forward when she went to the site just days after the fire and ordered the rebuilding of the factory. By 1880, McCormick was the largest machinery producer in Chicago and employment reached 7,000, a whopping fifth of the nation’s total.
McCormick joined the companies of Deering and Plano to form the International Harvester Company in 1902. At its height, the company controlled more than 80 percent of grain harvesting equipment in the world. While the Great Depression would hit Chicago’s agricultural industry hard, McCormick’s invention of the reaper forever changed the face of agriculture.
Resources
Carstensen, Fred. (2005) Agricultural Machinery Industry. Encyclopedia of Chicago. Retrieved from http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/29.html
Cycrus McCormick, Mechanical Reaper. (2022) The National Inventors Hall of Fame. Retrieved from https://www.invent.org/inductees/cyrus-mccormick
Although the author has made every effort to ensure the information in this article is accurate, this story is meant for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for historical documents.
Farm & Ranch
Scrapie
Barry Whitworth, DVM
Senior Extension Specialist Department of Animal & Food Science Ferguson College of Agriculture
Scrapie is a chronic, progressive disease of the central nervous system that affects sheep and goats. Scrapie is the oldest of the group of neurodegenerative diseases known as transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSE). Some of the other TSE are Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy known as mad cow disease, Chronic Wasting Disease which is found in deer, and Creutzfeldt Jacob Disease which is found in humans. TSE are protein-misfolding diseases that lead to brain damage and are always fatal.
The cause of Scrapie is not completely understood, but evidence indicates that an infectious protein referred to as a prion is responsible for the disease. These infectious prions cause damage to the normal prion proteins found in the brain. The mis-folding of the proteins lead to brain damage and the presentation of clinical signs of the disease. Prions are very resistant to destruction, so once in the environment, they are difficult to remove.
Scrapie is believed to primarily be transmitted by the oral route. Typically, lambs and kids might ingest the prion when they come in contact with the infectious agent through placentas and birthing fluids from infected ewes and does. Older animals may be exposed to the prions this way as well. Colostrum and milk are also sources of prions. Other secretions such as urine, feces, saliva, and nasal secretions may contain infectious prions as well. Once ingested, the prions cross into the lymphoid system. The prions will incubate for a long time usually two to five years before entering the nervous system.
Genetics plays a part in Scrapie infections. Certain breeds are more susceptible to the disease due to genetic composition. Genetic testing is available for producers to help them select breeding stock with resistant genes.
Clinical signs most commonly associated with Scrapie are intense pruritis, ataxia, and wasting. Early in the disease, small ruminant producers may notice slight changes in behavior with sheep and goats infected with Scrapie. Initially, animals may have a staring or fixed gaze, may not respond to herding, and may be aggressive towards objects. As the disease progresses, other clinical signs noticed are progressive weight loss with normal appetite, incoordination, head tremors, and intense pruritis. In the terminal stages, sheep are recumbent and may have blindness, seizures, and an inability to swallow. Once initial clinical signs are notice, death usually occurs in one to six months.
The gold standard for postmortem (dead animals) diagnosing of Scrapie is the use of immunohistochemistry test on brain tissues as well as microscopic examination of brain tissue for characteristic TGE lesions. Live animal diagnosis is possible by testing lymphoid tissues from the third eyelid and rectal mucosa scrapings.
There is no treatment available for Scrapie, so prevention is key to controlling the disease. Following biosecurity protocols is a good starting point for preventing Scrapie. Part of the biosecurity plan is to maintain a closed flock and only buy replacement animals from certified Scrapie free flocks. Producers should limit visitors’ contact with their animals. Sanitation is important in lambing and kidding areas. Manure and bedding contaminated with birthing fluids and placentas should be disposed of properly. Genetically resistant animals should be used for breeding to produce genetically resistant offspring.
It should be noted that there is a novel or atypical form of Scrapie. This disease may also be referred to as Nor98 variant. This atypical version of Scrapie was initially found in Norway. It has been diagnosed in the United States as well. The disease is usually only found in a single old animal in the flock or herd. The brain lesions in atypical Scrapie are different from classical Scrapie. Currently, experts believe that natural transmission of atypical Scrapie is not likely.
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has been battling Scrapie for decades. According to recent information from the USDA, the United States (US) is close to accomplishing eradication of the disease. In order for the United States to achieve Scrapie free status, no sheep or goats can test positive for classical scrapie for seven years and a certain level of testing needs to be done each year that represents the sheep and goat populations within the country. Small ruminant producers can assist the USDA eradication efforts by contacting the USDA when they have an adult sheep or goat exhibiting clinical signs of Scrapie or an adult animal dies or is euthanized. Producers should contact the Oklahoma State Veterinarian, Dr. Rod Hall at 405-522-6141 or the USDA Veterinary Services at 405-254-1797. This will aid the USDA in reaching sampling testing goals. There is no charge for the collection or testing of the samples for scrapie.
Scrapie is a disease that needs to be eliminated from the US. Once eliminated, the US will have additional export markets for sheep and goat products. Oklahoma State University Cooperative Extension Service has an informative fact sheet on Scrapie. Please visit the Local County Extension Office and asked for fact sheet VTMD-9135 or producers may view the fact sheet online at https://extension.okstate.edu/fact-sheets/scrapie.html. Also, the USDA National Scrapie Eradication Program website has valuable information as well at https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/animalhealth/animal-disease-information/sheep-and-goat-health/national-scrapie-eradication-program.
References Cassmann, E. D., & Greenlee, J. J. (2020). Pathogenesis, detection, and control of scrapie in sheep. American journal of veterinary research, 81(7), 600–614. https://doi.org/10.2460/ajvr.81.7.600
Farm & Ranch
Avian Influenza Update
Barry Whitworth, DVM
Area Food/Animal Quality and Health
Specialist for Eastern Oklahoma
High Path Avian Influenza (HPAI) continues to be a problem in commercial and backyard poultry in the Unites States (US) with over 60 million birds affected. Since the start of the outbreak in 2022, 879 flocks (347 commercial and 532 backyard flocks) have been confirmed with HPAI in the US. Many wild birds and mammals have been affected as well. Five backyard flocks and one commercial flock have been confirmed with HPAI during this outbreak in Oklahoma. The latest was detected in a backyard flock in Carter County on October 16, 2023. For a complete listing of domestic birds, wild birds, and mammals affected by HPAI visit 2022-2023 Detection of High Path Avian Influenza website at https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/animalhealth/animal-disease-information/avian/avian-influenza/2022-hpai.
Avian influenza (AI) is a highly contagious viral disease. The virus is classified as either Low Path Avian Influenza (LPAI) or HPAI depending on the virulence. This virus infects many food producing birds such as chickens and turkeys while it commonly resides in migratory waterfowl and many other wild birds. Most often ducks, geese, and wild birds harbor the virus in the intestinal tract without having any clinical signs of the disease. The virus is shed in the feces and respiratory secretions from infected birds. Poultry can be infected with the virus when they come in direct contact with infected birds or consume feed that is contaminated with the virus. The virus can be spread indirectly through objects like shoes, clothes, or equipment contaminated with the virus.
Clinical signs of the disease vary depending on the severity of the virus and the organ system affected. LPAI usually results in no clinical signs or only mild problems. However, HPAI has many different clinical signs. Death with no symptoms is a common finding. Respiratory problems such as coughing, sneezing, watery eyes, and nasal discharges may be seen. Depression resulting in loss of appetite and decrease consumption of water may occur. Egg production may be impacted with a decrease in production and/or softshell or misshapen eggs. A bird’s comb, wattle, head, eyelids, and hocks may swell. Combs and wattles may turn purple. Nervous system disorders including tremors, incoordination, and unusual positions of the head may be seen. Diarrhea has been reported in some cases. For more information about clinical signs visit Defend the Flock-Signs of Illness at https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/animalhealth/animal-disease-information/avian/defend-the-flock-program/outbreak-illness/outbreak-illness.
For commercial and backyard poultry flocks, the best defense against HPAI is a sound biosecurity program. Biosecurity is the development and implementation of management procedures intended to reduce or prevent unwanted threats from entering a flock. The protocol is designed to reduce or prevent the spread of unwanted threats through the flock and eliminate any unwanted pathogens that may enter the flock. Lastly, a biosecurity plan is designed to prevent threats from infecting neighboring poultry operations. Biosecurity can be broken down into four basic areas which include traffic, isolation, sanitation, and husbandry.
The first line of defense should be limiting the traffic that enters the area. Poultry operations should have a perimeter buffer area (PBA). For backyard poultry operations, this could be a fence. In commercial operations this may be a fence or road that surrounds the facility. All entry points need to be clearly marked with “Do Not Enter” signs. In a study by United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) evaluating factors associated with introduction of HPAI in layer farms in the US, the presence of a gate was found to be protective against the introduction of the virus. Gates with signage may encourage people to follow biosecurity protocols.
Inside the PBA, a line of separation (LOS) needs to be established. The LOS isolates the birds from possible sources of infections. The LOS is usually the walls of the poultry building plus the entry point. No person should cross this line without following proper biosecurity protocols. Producers should provide visitors with clean coveralls and disposable shoe covers. Visitors should wash their hands before and after visiting the facility. All visitors should dip their shoes in a disinfectant solution when entering and exiting the facility. Also, no other animals, wild or domestic should cross the LOS.
Sanitation is one of the most important parts of a biosecurity plan. All equipment, feeders, waterers, and buildings need to be cleaned and disinfected regularly. First, all fecal material and dirt should be physically removed. Next, disinfectants must be applied and allowed sufficient contact time to work properly. Foot baths need to be properly maintained. The property outside the poultry house should be kept mowed and cleaned. Failure to keep the grass cut and/or to promptly clean up feed spills is associated with HPAI.
Poultry producers must also practice good animal husbandry. Flocks need to be observed several times per day. Producers need to collect and dispose of dead birds frequently. Producer should know the clinical signs of a sick bird. Any unusual increases in sick or dead birds should be reported to proper authorities. Backyard producers have several options. They can contact their veterinarian or Oklahoma State University County Extension office. They can also contact the Oklahoma State Veterinarian at 405-522-6141.
The National Poultry Improvement Plan (NPIP) has guidelines for a biosecurity protocol. Commercial and backyard poultry producers should examine the NPIP 14 standards of the biosecurity protocol. Any areas that do not meet the standards need to be addressed. The NPIP biosecurity audit form can be found at http://www.poultryimprovement.org/documents/AuditForm-2018BiosecurityPrinciples.pdf. Additional sources for backyard poultry producers can be found at the USDA Defend the Flock website at healthybirds.aphis.usda.gov, Protect Your Poultry From Avian Influenza at https://www.aphis.usda.gov/publications/animal_health/bro-protect-poultry-from-ai.pdf or Oklahoma State University fact sheet Small Flock Biosecurity for Prevention of Avian Influenza ANSI-8301.
Avian Influenza is a major threat to the US and Oklahoma poultry industry. It is the responsibility of all commercial and backyard poultry producers to do everything in their power to protect this industry.
Reference
Swayne, D.E. and Halvorson, D.A. 2003 Influenza. In Y. M. Saif (ed.). Diseases of Poultry, 11th ed. Iowa State Press: Ames, Iowa, 135-160.
Green, A. L., Branan, M., Fields, V. L., Patyk, K., Kolar, S. K., Beam, A., Marshall, K., McGuigan, R., Vuolo, M., Freifeld, A., Torchetti, M. K., Lantz, K., & Delgado, A. H. (2023). Investigation of risk factors for introduction of highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 virus onto table egg farms in the United States,
2022: a case-control study. Frontiers in veterinary science, 10, 1229008.
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