Farm & Ranch
The Dr. McDonald Column — Screw Worms Are Where I Started
By Dr. Steve McDonald
What drove me to be a vet? It all started when I was 13. My great-grandfather had a ranch in Young County. He owned about 400 head of cattle, all Hereford, and about a dozen head of horses. He calved in the fall, hopefully after frost.
Earlier calving, or a late frost, insured that the newborn calves would be infested with screw worms, the maggots of tropical flies that ate living flesh.
They would set up housekeeping in the fresh, raw navels of the baby calves and snack away. The adult flies couldn’t survive the winter in North Texas, but would ride the southern winds from Mexico every spring, arriving by early June at the latest.
If conditions were right, meaning a strong southwesterly wind, the flies might arrive by mid-April. A couple of days of this wind was all it took to bring on an early fly season. It was horrible. The cattle would have to be gathered and the babies would have to be treated on their navel with a vile-smelling concoction that would kill the maggots.
To read more pick up a copy of the October 2017 NTFR issue. To subscribe 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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