Outdoor
Noble Learning: Can Management Alone Build Plant Diversity, or Are Cover Crops Always Needed? One Expert Weighs In.
By Marilyn Cummins
Cover crops have skyrocketed in popularity over the last several years – and for good reason. But are they always the only answer? Steve Swaffar, ag consultant at Noble Research Institute, says, “it depends.”
Below, Swaffar outlines three scenarios and gives his recommendations to answer the question of “plant or manage” for each one, as well as tips for how and when to plant or overseed cover crops. The number one goal in all of them is to increase forage diversity to improve soil health, ideally while still being able to graze.
Scenario 1:
Park the Sprayer and Close the Gates.
He says there are certain situations where “you can park the sprayer and close the gates and let the forages rest. You will begin to see more native species starting to express themselves, because you’re no longer spraying them out.” However, Swaffar says, the natives that start to come up are typically forbs (still grazeable), and not immediately the “big four” desirable native grasses: little bluestem, Indiangrass, big bluestem and switchgrass.
To read more, pick up a copy of the June issue of NTFR Magazine. To subscribe call 940-872-5922.
By Jelly Cocanougher
What an extraordinary end to the Wise County Youth Fair – a fantastic opportunity for the Heart of a Champion participants to show. From rabbits to lambs, to pigs to dogs – we’ve seen it all. Through this unique event, the Heart of a Champion Livestock show aimed to promote confidence, friendship, and a sense of accomplishment within our amazing community. Everyone worked tirelessly to create an environment that fosters growth, camaraderie, and a shared passion for agriculture. Until next year!
By Tony Dean, [email protected]
If moisture is adequate, there are several winter annual grasses that dominate the landscape during early spring in Texas. One of the most common is Rescuegrass.
This winter annual is native to South America but grows over much of the United States and can be found in all ecoregions of Texas. Rescuegrass is easily recognized by its flat seed head.
Numerous seed heads produce seed that is transported by animals and can quickly spread to other areas.
To read more, pick up a copy of the April issue of NTFR magazine. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
By Norman Winter | Horticulturist, Author, Speaker
The National Garden Bureau has designated 2024 as the ‘Year of the Angelonia’ and I am in full celebration mode. As I was preparing for my contribution to the celebration, I was, however, sent into taxonomic trauma.
For the last 26 years of deep love for the Angelonia, or summer snapdragon, I have told everyone via newspaper, radio and television that they were in the Scrophulariaceae family. Since most gardeners don’t like those words, I modified or simplified the snapdragon family, but somebody has tinkered with green industry happiness and moved Angelonia to the Plantaginaceae or plantain family. I immediately reached out to my friend Dr. Allen Ownings, Horticulture Professor Emeritus with the Louisiana State University AgCenter. I said, “Did you know this, or better yet, did you do it?” He said, as I expected, that the Taxonomist group had done it. This reminded me that someone once said taxonomists have to eat, too.
To read more, pick up a copy of the April issue of NTFR magazine. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
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