Farm & Ranch
Meanwhile back at the ranch…
By Rayford Pullen
I’m so happy spring is here I can’t stop grinning.
Bull decisions are made this time of year that can impact our herds for the next 10 to 20 years if we retain heifers.
While bull suppliers like us focus on producing potential herd sires that are virgins, with calving ease, below average birth weight, good weaning and yearling weights, plus good carcass traits that result in a bull’s calves meeting CAB requirements down the road, most of our customers have their own criteria when selecting a new herd sire.
Our customers want a bull that is gentle, good looking and throws a live calf that will have a good weaning weight. Reading the EPDs on a bull is like reading a Chinese novel for most folks, so in our opinion, responsible breeders make sure the bulls they sell have the traits (EPDs) the customer needs for his operation. This may involve asking questions i.e. are you using him on heifers or cows or both, do you sell your calves at weaning, do you retain heifers, do you retain your calves as stockers, do you send your calves to the feedlot.
To read more pick up a copy of the April 2018 issue. To subscribe call 940-872-5922.
By Heather Welper
Husband and wife duo, Heather and Calvin Welper, are the Co-Owners and Operators or Two C Livestock, located in Valley View, Texas.
The pair’s operation has a show cattle focus where they raise and sell purebred heifers of all breeds and club calf Hereford steers.
When it comes to show cattle, the Welpers know a thing or two including how to prepare for the cold winter months and the Texas major show season run.
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 Hannah Claxton, Editor
As the sun rises each day, so do the dozens of mouths that Meghan McGovern is responsible for getting fed. Rather than the sounds of a rooster crowing, McGovern hears the bellows and bleats of a variety of exotic deer, the chortle of kangaroos, the grunts of water buffaloes, and the chirps of a lemur.
Nestled against the banks of the Red River, the Double M Ranch and Rescue, with its high game fences and deer sprinkling the landscape,s its in stark contrast to the surrounding ranches.
“Having deer is kind of like eating potato chips- you can never actually have just one,” said McGovern with a laugh.
McGovern has several herds to take care of- fallow deer, axis deer, water buffalo, goats, and bison. In smaller numbers, there’s also a few kangaroos, a lemur, a potbelly pig, a pair of zebras, a watusi, and a few horses.
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.
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