Farm & Ranch
Meanwhile back at the ranch…
By Rayford Pullen
If you’ve ever wondered which month of the year the wind blows the least, just get you a windmill and a small trough for a herd of cattle, and you’ll soon find yourself hauling water in August. Not much good can be said about August most years, but hot and dry seems to describe it best.
As we all look for a cooler place to be, (anywhere the air-conditioning is working is just fine) it’s a great time to begin thinking about our plans for the fall, which is just around the corner and with it, hopefully cooler temperatures. Our major focus this time of year is making plans for our fall and winter pastures, which on our place is establishing ryegrass for fall and winter grazing.
We have seen and done many things throughout the years with some working and some not when it comes to getting the biggest bang for our buck in regards to early grazing and winter forage. We have done the wheat, rye, oats, triticale, barley, turnips, ryegrass, and combinations of all these, but when the sun set we discovered that the best thing that worked for us was ryegrass, but we had to do the right things at the right time to make it work.
By using the ryegrass and planting it right, we were able to greatly reduce or eliminate the health problems associated with the most common winter forage wheat. We had a lot fewer insect problems and seldom have had to spray for any insects except armyworms on rare occasion. Deleting wheat from our program also greatly reduced and mostly eliminated cattle dying from bloat and wheat grass tetany in our cows nursing calves.
To read more pick up a copy of the August 2018 NTFR issue. To subscribe call 940-8725922.
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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