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Kaput: Part 2
By Andy Anderson
The topic of hogs is a familiar one among ranchers and farmers during the morning coffee break. Lately it has been about the use of Kaput, the warfarin based poison. Since the last article announcing the approval by Texas Agricultural Commissioner Sid Miller, several law suits have been filed and a temporary restraining order effectively shut down the sale of the pesticide.
There have also been two bills filed in the House, H.B. 3451 and 1454, both asking for further research by an independent laboratory or university prior to any poison made available to the public. As of now both bills came out of committee on a nine to zero vote and have well over two-thirds of the House sponsoring, both Democrats and Republicans.
Despite the mounting lawsuits and pending bills in the house, the makers of Kaput have carried on hosting town hall meetings to inform farmers and ranchers about the product. During one of these town hall meetings, Kaput came under attack by a number of concerned landowners.
Deryl Markgraf, a passionate hunter and outdoorsman, attended the town hall meeting, confronting the Kaput team and its research. According to the 2015 Kaput study he obtained, Kaput used two treatment areas and one control area.
Kaput counted 354 hogs, with 311 in treatment area one and 42 in treatment area two but only one in control. Kaput deployed 93 feeders for this research on about 2,000 acres. They used 1,707 pounds of bait in the feeders.
In addition, they used corn to condition the hogs to eat out of the feeders (unknown additional cost). They reported 28 dead feral hogs in a four-week time period.
Markgraf was also able to obtain the true cost of Kaput poison and the feeders from the manufacture representatives in attendance. The cheapest feeder is $220 and progresses to as much as $1,500. The cost of the product is $168 for a 25 lb. bucket.
To read more pick up a copy of the May 2017 issue. To subscribe call 940-872-5922.
One of my professors out at Texas Tech University always told us that we aren’t just raising cattle, we’re raising grass, because without grass there is no cattle business. The same applies to most livestock species and crops we seek to raise- without good land management, no good yield can grow.
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.
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.
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