Farm & Ranch
Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch
By Rayford Pullen | [email protected]
Now that we are entrenched in the dog days of summer, calves being held over for winter forage or being backgrounded do not gain much as our forage quality bottoms out. From personal experience, stocker calves I ran during July through September had rates of gain of half a pound of gain per day. I realized then we had to supplement these cattle if we wanted better gains.
The limiting factor restricting our gains is protein. If you have a good source of grass, supplementing your cattle with a pound or more of cotton seed cake will increase gains by roughly 30 to 40 percent according to trials conducted by Oklahoma State University.
If calves are worth $3 per pound, this extra gain, according to trials that began on August 16 and continued for 56 days, equals 27.44 more pounds and is worth $82 per head at a cost of $18. We can feed the protein every day, every other day, or Monday, Wednesday, Friday, as long as we average a pound or more per day. Yes, you can substitute 20 percent protein cubes, but you will have to double the amount fed daily, and it will also increase our cost.
To read more, pick up a copy of the August issue of NTFR magazine. To subscribe by mail, 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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