Farm & Ranch
Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch…
By Rayford Pullen | [email protected]
We were busy during the month of March getting our babies on the ground, vaccinating our yearling heifers and bulls and making plans for the upcoming breeding season. We are so glad spring finally arrived, and the feed truck has been parked.
This month we will be vaccinating our cows with a lepto-vibrio vaccine before we turn our bulls out about the middle of April. Our yearling heifers and bulls also will be vaccinated the same with an additional blackleg, IBR and dewormed.
With the wild hogs running around everywhere these days, Lepto vaccination is even more important. Leptospirosis is spread mainly by contact with water or soil contaminated by the urine of infected animals, and from what I’ve been told, wild hogs are a significant host. Hogs can contract diseases such as lepto and basically be unaffected while at the same time shedding the lepto bacteria into stock ponds and on the ground.
To read more pick up a copy of the April 2020 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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