Farm & Ranch
SAN ANGELO – Wildfire season is here and there’s fuel to burn.
By: Steve Byrns
Writer: Steve Byrns, 325-653-4576, [email protected]
Contact: Dr. Morgan Russell, 325-657-7317, [email protected]
SAN ANGELO – Wildfire season is here and there’s fuel to burn.
That’s the assessment of Dr. Morgan Russell, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service range specialist at San Angelo. She said during the week of Aug. 9, the Texas A&M Forest Service responded to 68 fires on 22,519 acres. Large fires were reported in Kimble, Edwards, Tom Green and Crockett counties.
“Extremely hot temperatures, low humidity, large amounts of dry grass and increasingly windy conditions are the perfect recipe for cooking up a very busy fire year,” Russell said.
Russell said the National Preparedness Level that monitors fuel and weather conditions, fire activity and resource availability for the Texas Interagency Coordination Center at Lufkin was increased to Level 5, the highest level, on Aug. 13.
“Given the continuing hot and dry weather and the major increase in fire activity, the decision to move to Preparedness Level 5 shows the complexity fire managers are facing to assure adequate firefighting resources are available to protect life, property and our state’s natural resources,” she said.
Russell offered the following “watch-out” potential wildfire situations to keep in mind over the coming months if dry weather lingers:
– Watch for fires starting in bar ditches along roadways, often caused by cigarettes or idling vehicles. Report the fire immediately to local authorities and clearly state the location.
– Watch for dragging trailer safety chains that can easily spark roadside fires.
– Watch for sparks coming from tire rims running on flat tires.
– Keep all firefighting resources such as slip-in pickup pumper units and sprayers filled and ready.
– Be aware of active county burn bans in your area.
– Be careful when welding and when using a chainsaw.
“Hunting season is about to start and with it will come an onslaught of off-road vehicles,” Russell said. “When driving anything – pickups, utility task vehicles or UTVs and ATVs through pastures, be aware that idling the vehicle in tall, cured grass can quickly spell disaster. Also, know that grass seed heads impacting the exhaust manifold can start fires.
“If conditions remain as they are, there will probably be some fires set by Mother Nature, but as a rule, most fires start from human carelessness,” she said. “Or, simply not realizing that some common practices, given the right conditions, can actually spark a fire.
“If we all remain vigilant and observant, hopefully we can stay safe until this wet El Nino weather system that’s been talked about so much arrives this fall.”
For more information, contact Russell at 325-657-7317, [email protected] .
To view prescribed burning information go to: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZiB7zLZEoDKhOOE0ayATyiwv4SGzg32W .
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Find more stories, photos, videos and audio at http://today.agrilife.org
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 Hannah Claxton, Editor
As the sun rises each day, so do the dozens of mouths that Meghan McGovern is responsible for getting fed. Rather than the sounds of a rooster crowing, McGovern hears the bellows and bleats of a variety of exotic deer, the chortle of kangaroos, the grunts of water buffaloes, and the chirps of a lemur.
Nestled against the banks of the Red River, the Double M Ranch and Rescue, with its high game fences and deer sprinkling the landscape,s its in stark contrast to the surrounding ranches.
“Having deer is kind of like eating potato chips- you can never actually have just one,” said McGovern with a laugh.
McGovern has several herds to take care of- fallow deer, axis deer, water buffalo, goats, and bison. In smaller numbers, there’s also a few kangaroos, a lemur, a potbelly pig, a pair of zebras, a watusi, and a few horses.
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 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.
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