Farm & Ranch
The Garden Guy
By Norman Winter, Horticulturist, Author, Speaker
Oh my gosh, if you aren’t growing the Shoal Creek vitex you are missing the opportunity to add rare iridescent blue color to the landscape like few other plants can do. I’ve loved the vitex for years but the award-winning Shoal Creek has to be the best in the marketplace.
It was a Louisiana Super Plant, and Texas Superstar, too, and is perfect for the North Texas area with wide range of adaptability from zones five to nine. In warm climates it is grown as a large deciduous shrub or small open vase tree, while in colder areas it freezes to the ground and returns in the spring as a shrub, almost reminiscent of a buddleia or butterfly bush.
It is known botanically as Vitex agnus-castus, and is a marvel with its small structure, large, marijuana-looking leaves and fragrant, blue blooms that are most rare among trees.
Centuries ago, the seeds that followed the blossoms were used to Plant Shoal Creek vitex now for Summer WOW factor keep monks’ libidos in check.
To read more pick up a copy of the February 2019 NTFR issue. To subscribe call 940-872-5922.
By Heather Welper
Husband and wife duo, Heather and Calvin Welper, are the Co-Owners and Operators or Two C Livestock, located in Valley View, Texas.
The pair’s operation has a show cattle focus where they raise and sell purebred heifers of all breeds and club calf Hereford steers.
When it comes to show cattle, the Welpers know a thing or two including how to prepare for the cold winter months and the Texas major show season run.
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 Hannah Claxton, Editor
As the sun rises each day, so do the dozens of mouths that Meghan McGovern is responsible for getting fed. Rather than the sounds of a rooster crowing, McGovern hears the bellows and bleats of a variety of exotic deer, the chortle of kangaroos, the grunts of water buffaloes, and the chirps of a lemur.
Nestled against the banks of the Red River, the Double M Ranch and Rescue, with its high game fences and deer sprinkling the landscape,s its in stark contrast to the surrounding ranches.
“Having deer is kind of like eating potato chips- you can never actually have just one,” said McGovern with a laugh.
McGovern has several herds to take care of- fallow deer, axis deer, water buffalo, goats, and bison. In smaller numbers, there’s also a few kangaroos, a lemur, a potbelly pig, a pair of zebras, a watusi, and a few horses.
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 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.
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