Farm & Ranch
The Forbidden B Word- Bloat
By Jessica Crabtree and Dr. Jered Harlan
Pastures of green wheat across the countryside are full of grazing cattle. Most days they appear happy and healthy. Other times cattle will suffer from a multitude of problems associated with being turned out on wheat. One that is easily detected and requires immediate attention is bloat. To be more accurate, bloat may be either free-gas bloat or frothy bloat. Bloat typically shows its evil head when temperatures warm and moisture levels increase and growth of lush grasses or legumes increase drastically.
Bloat is initiated by a rapid release of plant cell contents that are quickly broken down and fermented in the cattle’s rumen. The accumulation of gasses in the first two compartments of the ruminant’s stomach, the rumen and reticulum, is a direct result of the fermentation process. That gas is normally released by belching (eructation in technical terms). To read more pick up the March 2016 issue of NTFR.
Here Dr. Jered Harlan is preforming a rumenostomy, a more permanent fix for a bloat. (Photo courtesy of Dr. Jered Harlan)
Here Dr. Jered Harlan is preforming a rumenostomy, a more permanent fix for a bloat. (Photo courtesy of Dr. Jered Harlan)
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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