Farm & Ranch
Meanwhile back at the ranch…
By Rayford Pullen
Fall will be arriving shortly, and as cattle producers we all have to make decisions regarding our winter pastures, weaning our spring born calves, retaining ownership or not of weaned calves, deciding what our winter feeding program will be in the next couple of months or so, and so on and so forth.
If this fall is as wonderful as our past winter, spring and fall, at least here in North Central Texas, it should be great if we are planning on having fall and winter pastures.
I have made several observations when planting fall pastures over the years, but one thing is for sure, our fall success or failure will most certainly, in a large extent, be determined by the rainfall and weather.
Here are a few things you can do that will also influence your chances of having a better crop.
When overseeding established pastures such as bermuda grass, the shorter the better. Plants do not grow very well in the shade and five or six-inch grass looks like a forest to a small seed. What can you do? Graze or cut the grass as short as possible. I even like to keep the cattle on the pasture after I plant and until it does rain to keep it short. To read more pick up a copy of the September 2016 NTFR issue.
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.
By Rayford Pullen | [email protected]
Spring has sprung and hopefully the rains will continue where our country will heal from the previous droughts and our grasses will thrive. We are especially hopeful for the Panhandle of Texas where our neighbors and friends have been dealt a deadly blow to homes, ranges, livestock, and people. Keep them in your prayers as they will not be able to return to normal for many years if at all. Having lost their ability to benefit from this great cattle market is a double whammy for all of them.
Now is the time of year when we need to take care of business as it relates to our new calves that have been hitting the ground this spring. First and foremost is vaccinating for Blackleg followed by deworming with a white wormer and the IBR complex. Blackleg is a soil-born disease and with pastures extremely short this spring our calves have been grazing the green grass as soon as it shows itself, making them even more vulnerable to picking contaminates from the soil.
To read more, pick up a copy of the April issue of NTFR magazine. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
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