Farm & Ranch
Land Market Report
By Jared Groce
“Texas is in a perpetual state of drought, interrupted by the occasional 500 year flood.” I’m not sure who coined that phrase, but it sure rings true in 2024, for both the weather and the rural land market. North Texas land sales continue to trend downward, as is very typical in an election year. It is not that prices necessarily go down, but the number of transactions certainly do. Here are a few very inexpensive things a land seller can do right now to help in getting their land sold in a timely fashion:
· Pick up any trash or junk that may be laying around fields, fence lines, or buildings and ponds. Don’t bury it or throw it in another ditch, but haul it off. Scrap iron is worth money and recycling is good for us all.
· If your gates are broken or sagging, or your corner posts are pulled out of the ground, fix it. That is one less thing for a potential buyer to dislike about your property. Neat, clean fence lines make a property more attractive and helps you keep livestock where they belong.
· Blade your roads or lanes. All of the spring rains likely caused some washouts that make for an eyesore for potential buyers. Run your box blade over it a few times to smooth things out a little. Usually, there is enough gravel already there – it just needs to be put back in its place.
· Pile and burn downed tree limbs and trees. Those same spring storms caused a lot of damage to trees in the area.
To read more, pick up a copy of the August issue of NTFR magazine. 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.
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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