Farm & Ranch
Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch…
By Rayford Pullen | [email protected]
You can almost see spring from here, and for me, that’s a good thing after all the cubing and haying and calving in cold weather. The next four months, March through June, approximately 120 days, will be the best of the best regarding forage quality which results in the best gains, the most milk produced and the best time to get those spring calving cows, which actually calved during the middle of winter, rebred and putting that 150 or so pounds back on that we normally lose during the winter.
While fall born calves around here normally weigh five to six pounds less than our spring born calves, we have been fortunate this year that birthweight has not been an issue with our first calf heifers. February and March is when the majority of our spring calves are born which is important because we want them to be able to take advantage of all the wonderful forage we have in the spring and give our cows time to recover from winter and rebreed before we reach the dog days of summer, hot and dry, when forage quality declines rapidly.
To read more pick up a copy of the March 2021 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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