Farm & Ranch
Meanwhile back at the ranch…
By Rayford Pullen
Isn’t it nice to be able to complain about all the rain we have had although it does cause us some grief when it comes to baling hay, working cattle, and so forth?
Just five years ago we were wondering if we would still be in the cattle business next year, next month and for some of us, next week.
Many producers did have to sell out their entire herds when the stock tanks and ponds went dry and the extended outlook was bleak.
Cattle prices were getting above our wildest expectations and the outlook was as bright as the sun. We had seen our last poor day, or so we thought.
Fast forward to the spring of 2015 and then to the spring of 2016.
The rains came, the stock tanks and lakes filled up and over flowed, the grass grew, cattle got fat and cattle prices fell about 35 percent or so, and now that’s the hand we have been dealt, and we can either be glad that we got to experience the best cattle market in the history of mankind, or we can be upset that it is not as good as it was.
It is your choice, and just like life itself, it is what you make of it. At our place, the ride was great but we are now dealing with the hand we were dealt and will hopefully be making the best of it. Let’s just look around at the beautiful landscape that is in front of us from all the rains and enjoy the moment. Life is good. To read more pick up a copy of the July 2016 NTFR issue.
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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