Farm & Ranch
The Future of Cotton Harvest is amongst us
By Payton Coker, WTAMU Student
A debate of epic proportion in the agricultural industry revolves around cotton country. Since the introduction of the John Deere CS690 in 2014, the conflict between traditional cotton strippers and the new stripper balers has caused producers to struggle to keep up with new technology, the cost and the repair bills on their aging traditional cotton harvesting equipment.
In the past, harvesting cotton required an extensive number of operators to accomplish necessary duties, such as run the boll buggy, module builder and cotton stripper itself. The stripper baler, on the other hand, is a single operator show where one operator can strip and produce bales of cotton with one machine.
Production is key in modern agriculture, especially with a time sensitive crop like cotton, where moisture and wind can rip the product from the boll. When harvest time comes around, producers scramble to collect their crop from the field before a potentially wet winter can claim the crop. With cotton being planted at an all-time high in the Panhandle, the need and want for effective harvesting is apparent.
Prior to 2014, the only cotton harvester John Deere had on the market was the 7460, the conventional basket harvester and the 7760 cotton picker baler. The basket harvesters are time-tested machines, dating back to 1950 and the release of Deere’s first self-propelled cotton picker. The problem with the basket system lies in the inability to continually harvest cotton without stopping to unload or wait on tractors pulling the boll buggy.
To read more pick up a copy of the May 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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