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Grazing North Texas – Green sprangletop
By Tony Dean
Green sprangletop is a native perennial bunch grass. It can grow from 12 to 48 inches in height and leaves are from four to 18 inches long. An interesting thing about this grass is that the stems are unbranched anywhere above the base of the plant.
Green sprangletop is most adapted to rocky hills and medium textured soils, but it can also grow on deep sands and deep clay. It is moderately tolerant of alkaline soils, and weakly tolerant of saline sites. It can be found in most states across the southern United States.
Green sprangletop is good forage for livestock but poor forage for deer. Crude protein levels run from 4.5 percent to 6.5 percent in the fall.
Ecologically, Green sprangletop behaves as a pioneer species, establishing quickly to give soil protection and shade, thereby giving other species a chance to germinate. For this reason, it has long been used as a nurse crop in seeding mixes, providing quick cover until the other species establish.
To read more pick up a copy of the December 2017 NTFR issue.
(Below) The seed head of Green sprangletop is an open panicle spreading four inches to 12 inches in length and with numerous branches up to six inches long. The large seed head below matured during the summer months and the smaller seed head on the right began growing recently, indicating this plant was attempting to produce a second seed crop. (Photo by Tony Dean)
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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