Farm & Ranch
Ag Elsewhere : Montana
By Jean Stimpson
Montana rancher Jean Stimpson and her husband Byron traded the Crow Tribe a beef to butcher for a feast, and in return received this buffalo to slaughter. Getting her as a calf, the Stimpson’s kept her and raised her. “She lived with a group of our late-calving cows and was their protector, nobody messed with her or that herd,” Stimpson said. Although she was a nuisance when it was time to move cows, standing in the gate and not letting them through. “We’d go move her so we could get the cows through the gate. We called her ‘Gooseberry,’ and she stayed in the closest two pastures always, never strayed from there but once or twice. The domestic bulls hated her or maybe were scared of her.” Gooseberry had one calf in all the years the Stimpson owned her. Unfortunately, some neighbor dogs were bothering Gooseberry one day, while protecting her calf, she accidentally stepped on the young calf, killing it. About three years ago the Stimpon’s lost Gooseberry after she laid down under a cottonwood tree by a creek and passed peacefully. Gooseberry lived with the Stimpson’s 22 years.
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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