Farm & Ranch
Reticulo-peritonitis : Hardware disease
By Lindsay Allen
“Hardware disease,” also known as traumatic reticulo-peritonitis or traumatic reticulo-pericarditis, depending on which chamber of the stomach the foreign object lands, is a result of debris entering the digestive track of cattle and creating the potential for the object to pierce through the stomach walls and perhaps even the chest cavity and heart sac.
Heavy rains bring lots of silt and debris and the movement of water brings the movement of other items too, like nails, short pieces of fencing wire, small metal pieces, and other sharp objects.
These objects can linger and be found in winter feeding, too, when pastures are baled and foreign objects are picked up in the process. Items can be leftover from projects like fence or barn building, also.
Like most things in life, prevention is the best approach. Dr. Tom Troxel, professor and associate department head at the University of Arkansas, recommends producers walk their pasture and hay meadows after each rain, as the rain will wash away more of the silt and more likely expose foreign objects, which can even include sharp rocks.
To read more pick up a copy of the November 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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