Farm & Ranch
Meanwhile back at the ranch…
By Rayford Pullen
The bi-annual solstice will be occurring June 21 this year and is expected to occur at 10:07 a.m. Hopefully it will find you spending quality time with your family and friends as this is also the day we receive the most sunlight of the entire year. With daylight saving time in effect, you’ll be maximizing your fun in the sun.
We completed our first and only round of artificial insemination of our cows in early May and then turned our bulls out to clean up the ones we missed. Our bulls will remain out until the first of August or so and then put back into the bull pasture until December when we will be cleaning up our fall calving herd after their one and only chance to be bred artificially. I mention the one and only chance because of our need to keep our calves coming as close together as possible for management and marketing purposes.
While we prefer our spring calves to be born in February and March and our fall calves to be born in September and October, we will inevitably have those that will calve in the next 30-day period.
To read more pick up a copy of the June 2018 NTFR issue. To subscribe 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.
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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