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Assignment: Texas – A Prairie in Pieces – Part 3
By Russell Graves
Despite the bad news, acres of pristine prairie do remain. Sixty miles northeast of Dallas, nestled between Blue Ridge and Celeste, are a couple of places of ecological significance. Collin County-owned Parkhill Prairie and the nearby Nature Conservancy easement, Clymer Meadow, protect some of the last remaining pieces of tallgrass prairie left in the state. The two parcels protect more than 1,400 acres of prairie that have never been developed or turned by a plow.
One fall day, Jim Eidson of the Nature Conservancy and I walk through the grass. Historic drought conditions have desiccated the grasslands, but botanical diversity is still evident. Maximilian sunflowers are shedding their seeds after a lackluster fall bloom, and many of the seasonal grasses are far past their peak. By conventional measures of natural beauty, most would probably think that the prairie isn’t too impressive. To the uninitiated it appears to be not much more than an overgrown field. That seems to be part of the problem. Even though beautifully sublime, prairies generally lack the monumentalism of other natural features. A prairie’s beauty is more microscopic. Eidson helps me see the beauty of the details.
By Krista Lucas Wynn
Each year, when the professional rodeo season wraps on Sept. 30, the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association and Women’s Professional Rodeo Association announce the Nutrena Horse of the Year, presented by the American Quarter Horse Association, in each event. This is a prestigious award, voted on by the members of the associations. To be named Horse of the Year by fellow competitors is a high honor only a few achieve.
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 Heather Welper
Husband and wife duo, Heather and Calvin Welper, are the Co-Owners and Operators or Two C Livestock, located in Valley View, Texas.
The pair’s operation has a show cattle focus where they raise and sell purebred heifers of all breeds and club calf Hereford steers.
When it comes to show cattle, the Welpers know a thing or two including how to prepare for the cold winter months and the Texas major show season run.
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
Snow on the Mountain is an annual forb that is part of our landscape almost every year.
It is adapted to most of Texas and grows north to Montana and Minnesota and south to Mexico.
Although is seems to be most adapted to clay soils, this plant can be found on a wide variety of soil and moisture conditions.
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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