Farm & Ranch
Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch…
By Rayford Pullen, [email protected]
Spring has finally arrived. We have been waiting for it to get here since the first freeze last fall, and with its arrival, our overhead will be reduced by about three dollars per head a day. While grass is certainly not free, the now green grass will be our salvation for the next several months, when winter will once again make its presence known.
If you were able to make it to spring, we all need to take a look at where we stand, what we did right and what we did wrong. We also need to take a look at where the market is and what we can do to capitalize on this up tick we are currently experiencing.
When we discuss what we did wrong, it may be more about what went wrong, and we can certainly begin that discussion with the weather. There is not much of a cure for a drought and with that comes a lot less forage and, in many cases, inadequate water supplies. While we can and did purchase additional hay, we also had to begin feeding a month or two earlier than normal. When the lines at the sale barns began growing longer in early July, I had doubted those producers, the ones selling out, were doing the right thing. But as time and expenses increased, I thought they may have been the smart ones.
To read more, pick up a copy of the April issue of NTFR Magazine. 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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