Farm & Ranch
Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch
By Rayford Pullen
The lady at the local newspaper office took the ad for “cattle for sale,” and with a bewildered look on her face asked the other ladies working there if they had ever seen cattle with little ears, but no one had. One had actually seen goats with little ears at the stock show, the Lamancha breed she thought, but she wasn’t sure.
When asked why she would even ask that question, she replied that a gentleman had come in to place an ad for 10 bred heifers for sale, mostly black with a little ear and she had never seen or heard of cattle with little ears. I guess we do speak a different language in this business.
With the weather extremes seen around the county this winter, we’re pretty lucky to live in this neck of the woods. While we had a long and wet winter, spring is now here and bringing with it the grasses and legumes we have been longing for. This also was the first time in my lifetime our pastures and fields were too wet for the grasses or cereal grains to grow.
To read more pick up a copy of the May 2019 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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