Farm & Ranch
Red River Crops Conference set for Jan. 20-21 in Altus
Writer: Kay Ledbetter, 806-677-5608, [email protected]
Contacts: Stan Bevers, 940-552-9941, [email protected]
ALTUS, Oklahoma – Challenges, obstacles and profitability potential facing agriculture producers don’t recognize state boundaries, so Texas and Oklahoma officials along the Red River are once again offering regional farmers and ranchers a two-day agricultural conference.
“Planning for Success – Crop production information designed for Southwest Oklahoma and the Texas Rolling Plains” is the theme of the third annual Red River Crops Conference, set for Jan. 20-21 at the Southwest Technology Center, 711 W. Tamarack in Altus, Oklahoma.
“The conference goal is to provide agricultural producers with relevant management information for this production area that will create and enhance their profitability,” said Stan Bevers, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service agricultural economist in Vernon, Texas.
Bevers said AgriLife Extension and Oklahoma Cooperative Extension collaborated to conduct the first and very successful conference in January 2014. The conference alternates between Oklahoma and Texas and addresses special agricultural production circumstances in the upper Red River region in both states.
In the Red River region, obstacles can include water and land resources, and weather extremes such as hot and dry summers and bitterly cold winters, he said. Producers also find themselves managing pastures of both introduced and native grass for cattle operations, and crop mixes such as cotton, wheat, and grain and forage sorghum.
More recently, Bevers said, producers have discovered that canola, guar and sesame can also be successfully cultivated within this environment.
Both days will begin with registration at 8 a.m. and conclude at 4 p.m.
In-season and summer crops will be featured on Jan. 20. Discussion topics will include effective crop rotation and the use of cover crops, grain and forage sorghum production, transitioning from row crops systems to forage crop systems, best management practices for peanut production, a wheat breeding update and a market outlook.
Cotton will be featured on Jan. 21, with topics including cotton risk management issues, market outlook, variety discussions, herbicide options, seed treatments and disease management, and new innovative cotton production systems.
The fee of $25 covers both days. To register for the 2016 Red River Crops Conference, print the form from http://agrisk.tamu.edu/. Make checks payable to the Red River Crops Conference and mail to 2801 N. Main, Suite A, Altus, OK 73521.
Preregistration is encouraged for planning purposes. To preregister or for more information, contact a local Extension office in either Texas or Oklahoma, or call 580-482-0823.
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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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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.
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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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