Farm & Ranch
Charlie and the Ultimate Cowboys’ Dogs
By Martin Aldridge
Katfish and Lacy are in constant motion as they drive a small group of cattle across a pen. There’s no barking, no fuss, until one of the cattle decides to take off in a different direction. That’s when Lacy flashes in and snaps at the flank of the stray, who lashes out with a rear hoof that doesn’t connect while quickly returning to the herd.
Katfish and Lacy are members of a new type of herder, Hangin’ Tree Cowdogs, and they are simply driving the cattle in whatever direction Charlie Trayer decides to walk. After completing their training exercise, they are rewarded with three words: get a drink. The two dogs happily jump into a large metal water tank.
Trayer is owner of Charlie’s Cowdogs, and scenes like this are repeated endlessly at his ranch near Seymour, just southwest of Wichita Falls. To read more pick up the April 2015 issue of North Texas Farm & Ranch.
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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