Farm & Ranch
Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch
By Rayford Pullen
With fall officially here, we turn our attention toward the upcoming winter months and costs associated with keeping our herds healthy, productive and profitable. In our area of North Texas, forage quality improves dramatically once the temperatures moderate, meaning cool the heck down, and we get rain to rejuvenate it. Once nighttime temperatures begin hitting the 45-degree mark, growth basically stops, but the quality is really good and should remain good until a couple of weeks after our first freeze, which normally arrives mid-November. After that, we may need to supplement protein. If your cattle are thin going into the winter, you also will need to supplement energy, like grain, in order to prevent nutritional and health problems particularly affecting reproduction.
October is usually a wonderful month for us in regards to cattle production and economy. It also is when our fall born calves begin arriving, and what a pleasure it is to calve, especially first calf heifers, when the temperatures are north of 50. As our fall calves begin hitting the ground, we are fence-line weaning, deworming and vaccinating our spring born calves for blackleg and respiratory problems.
To read more pick up a copy of the October 2020 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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