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Grazing North Texas – Purpletop Tridens
By Tony Dean
Purpletop tridens is a native, perennial, warm season bunchgrass that is found across all of Texas except the extreme western areas. It grows in most of the U.S. from the central plains to the East coast.
Purpletop is easily recognizable once it blooms due to the deep purple color of the seed head. It can grow from three to five feet tall with leaves up to two feet long that are rough to the touch on the leaf margin.
The purple seed head is open, pyramidal shaped, and up to 15 inches long. After maturity, the seed head gives off an oily residue, giving the plant a common name of greasegrass. It is also sometimes called redtop.
Purpletop is good grazing for livestock when it first greens up but becomes less palatable as it matures during summer months.
After frost, livestock again prefer to graze purpletop tridens.
Purpletop is most adapted to sandy to loamy soils and can be found as individual plants or in colonies. It prefers partial shade and is a relatively low user of water. It is somewhat tolerant to road salt, so in northern states it is often found in road ditches.
To read more pick up a copy of the November 20128 NTFR issue. To subscribe call 940-872-5922.
One of my professors out at Texas Tech University always told us that we aren’t just raising cattle, we’re raising grass, because without grass there is no cattle business. The same applies to most livestock species and crops we seek to raise- without good land management, no good yield can grow.
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.
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.
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