Farm & Ranch
Meanwhile back at the ranch..
By Rayford Pullen
If it’s not broke, do all you can do to prevent it from getting broken. This is in response to my bull buyers who are buying bulls to replace bulls with a broken, or at least a severely damaged penis. There are things we can do, in my opinion, to minimize the possibility of this occurring. Why does this normally happen in pastures where multiple sires are turned in on a group of cows? Why are young, or at least younger bulls, more apt to have this happen?
In my personal experience, when you put a younger, lighter weight bull into a pasture with an older, heavier bull, you are more than likely going to have the younger bull get injured. Why? Size and experience are on the side of the older bull and when he comes strolling along and sees the younger bull messing with one of his girls, he will ram the younger bull in his penis with his head while he is in the process of breeding and the damage is done.
The younger bulls on our place where this has happen to them will then retreat to a secluded area and stay there since they are now unable to breed a cow. Mission accomplished on the part of the older bull.
To read more pick up a copy of the March 2017 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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