Farm & Ranch
The Drover – 18,000 Cattle, Nine Months and 1,600 Miles
By Jessica Crabtree
Imagine if you will, being in the saddle, atop a horse, behind cattle, in the dust and heat for nine months. That’s 39 weeks, 273 days and 6,570 hours. That is just the logistics behind the Brinkworth Cattle Drove of 2013 that took place from Winton, Queensland to Hay, New South Wales, in Australia, traveling various stock routes. Between Queensland and New South Wales are 3.2 million hectares (7,907,372 acres) of stock routes.
It is an authorized thoroughfare for farmers to walk domestic livestock from one location to another. Most commonly the stock route is known as “The Long Paddock.” A huge undertaking, the drovers navigated the stock routes through advisement from the local shire council on which were passable, had good grazing and were with or without water. Permits were written weekly to the “mobs” or herds so that they could keep traveling. The stock routes were put in place years before roads were made and trucks were used to haul cattle. When made, the water was put in place every six miles or so. Modernization proved the demise of the routes.
Australian farmer and agriculture tycoon Tom Brinkworth purchased 18,000 head of cattle in 2013 in the midst of a staggering drought. That totaled $8 million. This was the largest transaction ever in the world from a seller to a buyer in cattle. Brinkworth was challenged with moving his cattle more than 1,600 miles to his station, also known as his ranch. When adding up the cost of freight to truck the massive amount of cattle, it was nearly the same amount of money to simply walk the cattle down. The purchased cattle were eight months to two-year-old breeding heifers. Their breeding was a mix of Brahman crosses, short horn crosses and Santa Gertrudis.
To read more of “The Drover” pick up a copy of the 2017 June NTFR issue. To subscribe call 940-872-5922.
(Photos by Alice Mabin)
Alice Mabin, photogrpagher and publisher of “The Drover.”
(Photo courtesy of Alice Mabin)
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.
-
Country Lifestyles2 years agoScott & Stacey Schumacher: A Growth Mindset
-
Country Lifestyles8 years agoStyle Your Profile – What your style cowboy hat says about you and new trends in 2017
-
HOME8 years agoGrazing North Texas – Wilman Lovegrass
-
Equine1 year agoThe Will to Win
-
Country Lifestyles5 years agoAmber Crawford, Breakaway Roper
-
Outdoor9 years agoButtercup or Primrose?
-
Country Lifestyles8 years agoJune 2016 Profile – The man behind the mic: Bob Tallman
-
Country Lifestyles8 years agoDecember 2016 Profile, Rusty Riddle – The Riddle Way