Farm & Ranch
Meanwhile back at the ranch
By Rayford Pullen
As we turn the corner and head into fall, those of us with fall calving cows will be getting ready for the new arrivals and weaning those spring born calves that are now six to seven months old.
Weaning weights and cow breed back may be below our normal averages, so with the short grass and hay predicament we find ourselves facing, making sure we are wintering productive cows is a must if we are to remain viable or at the least, minimize our losses.
Around our place, we have been identifying cows with any kind of problem for elimination from our herd.
That may be age, udder problems, condition, disposition, extremely hard-doing cows and those cows producing calves that don’t meet our criteria.
Pregnancy testing our cows is probably at the top of our list for cows to cull. With winter supplementation topping our list of annual cow maintenance costs, keeping only cows that have a positive economic impact for us is extremely important.
While annual cow cost per year varies greatly among producers, it’s bound to be $500 or more per cow and more per calf weaned.
If you have a weaning rate of 90 percent, which is above the average for most ranches, which is 86 percent, you have a cost of $555 in each calf sold. And, depending on your accountant, you may not want to actually know what it cost you on an annual basis to maintain each cow.
To read more pick up a copy of the September 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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