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 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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