Land and Livestock Post, March 4, 2013

PRSRT STDUS POSTAGE

PAIDBRYAN, TX 77802PERMIT # 23

JAMES THOMPSONStraight from the horse's mouth.PAGE 3




March 2013— Issue 1

To apply ornot to apply?XXXXXXXXXXXXXXPAGE 12

PRSRT STDUS POSTAGE

PAIDBRYAN, TX 77802PERMIT # 23

ALLTHINGS CONSIDEREDThings to think about in buying cattle.PAGE 4

GETTING AMICRO-LOANWorkshop to discuss new USDA program.PAGE 6

A NEW SUPERSTARNatchez thornless blackberry sweet and hardy.PAGE 9

QUALITY NOT QUANTITYDr. Wikse talks about bull fertility.PAGE 10

March 2013— Issue 1

Putting thewhole inholistic

The best way tomanage your pasturesPAGE 12

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NewsFrom theGeneralManager

March madness is aterm that’s heard alot this time of year.

It’s a reference to the NCAAbasketball tournament, but Ithink it applies to the monthas a whole. March usuallymarks the beginning of springfor most of usin this partof the world,although younever can tellwhen anothercold-snap willblow through.

I rememberone March, I was at the TSCRAconvention in Fort Worth. Mytrip was preceded by warmsunny days in the high 70s, soI didn’t even consider packingany warm clothing and evenprematurely broke out mystraw hat. Well, sure enough,the mercury dropped rightabout the time the trade showlet out, and I shivered all theway back to my hotel room. Iwould have hailed a cab if onewas going by, even though itwas only about 200 yards to thedoor.

My plans for that evening,

a wild night out in Cowtown,were reduced to a night in thehotel room staring out thewindow.

But it is more than just theweather that makes this sucha mad, mad month. There arelivestock shows, sales, conven-tions and trade shows aplentyall throughout March.

If this spring, you are find-ing your pastures to be a littlecrazy, we have a story to helpyou with that. Our cover storyfocuses on holistic manage-ment of your pastures. We alsohave some information aboutupcoming events, as well as ad-vice from some of the leadersin the industry to keep yourherd healthy and productive.

Hope you enjoy it, and ifyou’re headed out of town thisMarch, take a jacket just incase.

’Til next time,

AgriLifeExtensionassociatetodealwith feralhog issues

By Steve ByrnSTexas A&MAgriLife Extension

Service

Mark Tyson was recentlyhired as a Texas A&M AgriLifeExtension Service associate towork on the Lone Star HealthyStreams program’s feral hog is-sues, said Jim Cathey, AgriLifeExtensionassociatedepartmentheadandprogramleaderatCol-lege Station.

Tyson will be headquarteredin College Station, developingand delivering educational ma-terials to landowners inGrimes,Harris, Liberty, Montgomery,San Jacinto, Walker, Waller,Brazoria,Galveston,FortBend,Austin, Colorado and Whartoncounties, Cathey said.

“Landowners work hard toreduce the negative impacts fe-ralhogshaveon landandwatersources,” Cathey said. “Tysonwill build on past efforts in-cluding 16 AgriLife Extension

publications and five videosnow available that teach feralhog biology and trapping tech-niques. He’llalso conductpersonal land-owner visitsand provideguidance onremoving feralhogs from thelandscape.”

Existing ma-terials can befound at feralhogs.tamu.edu,plumcreek.tamu.edu/feralhogsand extension.org/feral hogs.

Cathey said feral hogs are anon-native invasivespecies thatcause about $52 million in dam-ages annually to Texas farms,ranches and the agriculturalindustry.

“For most people, feral hogsare a neighbor you just don’twant,” Tyson said, referring to

TYSON

See TYSON, Page 8

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NewsProducersweighoptionsonbuyingreplacementcattle

By Blair FanninTexas A&MAgriLife Extension

Service

WACO—A32percentdeclinein Texas beef cattle has manypointing todroughtas themainculprit, but there are other fac-tors that have chipped away atinventory levels over the pastcouple of years, according to aTexasA&MAgriLifeExtensionService economist.StanBevers toldbeef produc-

ers at the Blackland IncomeGrowth Conference that notonly has drought forced largesell-offs of cattle down to thepoint of Texas inventory levelsof 1959, but land fragmentationcontinually is taking away po-tential beef cattle production.“When somebody sells 100

acres outside of Waco, who isbuying it? Folks are using itfor a lotmore reasons than justcows,” Bevers said. “You’ve al-so got to factor in rising inputprices. Land that’s being sold isnotbeingboughtbyranchers torun cows on.”Overall, theoutlook forcattle

prices will continue an upwardclimb,a trendthatcould last forat least two more years, Bev-ers said, unless rain returnsthrough the Midwest and theDakotas.“(Ranchers) there are mak-

ing the same decisionsweweremaking two years ago duringthe 2011 drought,” he said.

Feedlot capacity is approxi-mately 38 million to 42 millioncalves,withthisyear’scalf cropbeing only about 34 millionhead, Bevers said.

“Feedlots either pay highprices or they close down,”Bevers said. “We are going to

continue tosee thismarketcon-tract. If you’ve got cows, holdonto them. You aren’t going toget just decent prices, but goodprices as a result of our supplysituation.”

Beverssaidrebuildingthena-tion’s beef cattle herd has notbegun.“We aren’t done going down

yet,” he said. “We’ve got 29.3million female cows and 34million calves.We’ve seen verylittle indication that heifers arebeing held back even thoughthe recent cattle inventory re-port showedretention inTexas.Most pastures have not recov-

ered enough yet to sustain in-creased numbers.”Hesaidretailbeef prices like-

lywill continue tomove higherand that’s going to test whatprice consumers will pay.

“We have many (cattle pro-ducers) scratching their heads,asking themselves, ‘Am I goingto buy replacement heifers?’”he said.What has happened is a floor

price was put in the replace-ment heifer market by feedlotsneeding cattle, Bevers said.Thatfloorprice isapproximate-ly $1,100 a head. If a rancherwants topurchasereplacement

heifers, then the price will goup depending upon conditionssuch as color, quality, confor-mation, etc.

“The question a lot of folksare asking when paying $1,100or more for replacements is,‘will it work?’” Bevers said.

He said producers have totakeintoaccounttheannualnetincome over the years of life ofthecowandthevalueof thecowat the end of her life.“Hopefullyeachyear, thecalf

value isworthmorethantheex-penses you (paid) to maintainher,” he said.BeverssaidaccordingtoStan-

dardizedPerformanceAnalysisdata, it costs $594.78annually tomaintain a cow. Using this costfigure, and assuming averageproduction for the next sevenyears, Bevers analyzed what arancher could afford to pay fora four-year-old bred cow today.“Each year of the cow’s life,

varying net incomes would bereceivedbasedontheproductiv-ity level of the cow, calf prices,and the annual maintenancecosts for the cow,” he said. “Asan example, in 2013, the cowwould generate a net incomeof $404 based on the costs tokeep her, the price of the calfsold, and the fact that she wasalready bred.”

However, in 2014, Bevers saida calf from that cow would netonly $155 due to lower produc-tivity,highermaintenancecostsfor the cow and lower calf pric-es. After seven years of vary-ing net incomes and a usefullife, the cow could be sold for acull value of $900 assuming thefemale weighed 1,075 poundsand brought .83 cents a pound,he said. Given this seven-yearnet-income stream, the most arancher could pay for a four-year bred cow today is $1,918.

“Your long-term investmentis predicted to be zero,” Beverssaid. “If you paid more than$1,918,giventheseassumptions,you would lose money on yourlong-term investment.”Bevers said the break-even

would be after calculating de-preciation,annualmaintenancecost over the life of the cowandother expenses.“The probability is very high

thatwewillhavehighprices forthe next two years,” he told at-tendees.

Texas A&MAgriLife Extension Service photo by Blair FanninOverall, the outlook for cattle prices will continue an climb,a trend that could last for at least two more years, said Stan Bevers,Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service economist, at the Blackland Income Growth Conference in Waco, unless rain returnsthrough the Midwest and the Dakotas.

RanchExpo to showcaseAkaushi cattleBy Blair Fannin

Texas A&MAgriLife ExtensionService

SIMONTON — The latestin pasture management, weedcontrol and an in-depth look atAkaushi cattle will be featuredat the first Upper Gulf CoastRanch Expo May 10 in Simon-ton.The event, to be held at the

TwinwoodCattleCo., 4430Guy-ler Road, will feature bus tourswithseveralTexasA&MAgriL-ifeExtensionServicespecialistsfromCollegeStationdiscussingbeef cattle production, forage

management,weedcontrolandpecan production.

“We are anticipating a largeturnout for this regional eventand there will be great interestin the topics that will be dis-cussed throughout the day,”said Greg Kaase, AgriLife Ex-tensionprogramspecialist-riskmanagement. “With beef cattleproducers looking to capitalizeon continued strength in cattleprices, therewill be avariety ofmanagementpractices theycantake home and apply in theirown operations. Also, threecontinuingeducationunitswillbeoffered toall interestedpesti-

cide applicators.”Registration and sponsored

booth exhibits open at 7 a.m.At8:20 a.m., Doug Steele, AgriLifeExtensiondirector fromCollegeStation, will provide openingcomments. At 8:45 a.m., Ste-phenDeiss, U.S. Department ofAgriculture-Natural ResourceConservation Service, will dis-cussconservationandfinancialassistance opportunities.Followingabreakat9:15a.m.,

participants will board busesfor tour stops featuring JasonCleere,AgriLifeExtensionbeef

See AKAUSHI, Page 5

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Newscattlespecialist,discussingbeefcattle production; Larry Red-mon, AgriLife Extension stateforagespecialist, forageproduc-tion; Paul Baumann, AgriLifeExtensionweedspecialist,weedcontrol in pastures; and MonteNesbitt,AgriLifeExtensionhor-ticulturalist, pecanproduction.During lunch, Miles Phillips,

AgriLife Extension specialist,willpresentaprogramonranchdiversificationthroughtourism.He will be followed by DavidAnderson, AgriLife Extensionlivestock economist, who willprovide a livestock market-

ing update; Francisco Abello,AgriLife Extension programspecialist from College Station,will provide an update on theMarketMaker program.AaronSumerall, AgriLife Extensionagent in Newton County, willdiscuss feral hog control meth-ods and demonstrate differenttrappingmethods.Cost is $10 byMay 6 or $20 for

on-site registration. For moreinformation, call 281-342-3034.

Akaushi, from Page 4

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NewsWorkshop topresent newUSDAmicro-loanprogram

By Paul SchattenBergTexas A&MAgriLife Extension

Service

AUSTIN — The Texas A&MAgriLife Extension Service inTravis County and the U.S. De-partmentof Agriculture’sFarmService Agency are working to-gether to inform Central Texasurban farmers about the newUSDA micro-loan program.

A joint workshop will be

presented from 10 a.m. to noonMarch5atTravisCounty’sEastService Center, located at 6011Blue Bluff Road in Austin.

Coordinators said the newUSDA micro-loan program wasdesigned with small-scale pro-ducers in mind and may be anexcellent fit for urban farmersneeding capital to launch or ex-pand their operations.

The Operating Loan Pro-

See LOAN, Page 10

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Selling Bulls and HeifersSelling Bulls and Heifers

For more information, contact:TRIPLE RANCHBobby & Jared Lide714 FM 1366Mexia, TX 76667

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News

feralhogdamageand their con-tributions of E. coli bacteria toTexas streams.Tyson earned a bachelor’s

degree fromSulRoss StateUni-versityatAlpineandamaster’sdegree fromTexas Tech.While attending Sul Ross,

he worked as a student biolo-

gist for a 32,000-acre HudspethCounty ranch. He later workedas a research assistant evaluat-ing coyote diets on the RollingPlains Quail Research Ranchnear Roby.Tyson, a Bryan native, joined

the U.S. Navy after high schooland served aboard the U.S.S.AbrahamLincolnuntilhishon-orable discharge in 2003.

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Tyson, from Page 3

Consignments to the ABBA & TBA National F1 & Brahman Female SaleSaturday, 1 PM

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SELLING30 head ABBA Certified F-1Brangus, 15-16 months of age.

Exposed since 2/1/13 toAngus bulls.

10 head ABBA Certified F-1Brangus, 14 months of age.

Open, ready to breed.

15 pair ABBA Certified F-1Braford, 26-28 months of age, calfat side. Exposed back to Angus

bull on 2/1/13.

John Malazzo Farms811 CR 102 • Caldwell, Texas • Home: 979/567-4073 • Office: 979/272-8257 • www.johnmalazzofarms.com

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NewsNatchez thornlessblackberrynamedTexasSuperstar

By RoBeRt BuRnsTexas A&MAgriLife Extension

Service

COLLEGE STATION – Say“blackberry” today and mostpeoplewill thinkof smartphonefirst and the fruit second.Like the phone, there is an

upgrade available to Texasgrowers: Natchez thornlessblackberries, one of the newTexas Superstar selections for2013, said Larry Stein, TexasA&M AgriLife Extension Ser-vice horticulture specialist inUvaldewhoworksmainlywithpecans, fruits, grapes and veg-etable crops.Blackberries have a long his-

tory of being grown in Texas,and for good reason, Stein said.The fruit is easy to grow anddensely packed with antioxi-dants, dietary fiber, vitamins Cand K, and folic acid, as well asmanganese, an essential min-eral.These were only some of

the reasons the Texas Super-star board has chosen Natchezthornless blackberries as oneof the 2013 Superstars, he said.“Of all the thornless variet-

ies we’ve looked at, this onehas been the best one to date,”Stein said.Usually thornless blackber-

riesaren’tasproductiveandfla-vorful as the thorned varieties,Stein said. But Natchez, whichwas developed by a Universityof Arkansasbreedingprogram,is the exception, producinglarge berrieswith lots of flavor.Texas Superstar plants un-

dergo extensive tests through-out the state by Texas A&MAgriLifeResearchandAgriLifeExtension horticulturists, saidBrent Pemberton, AgriLife Re-search horticulturist, Overton,and chair of the Texas Super-star executive board.To be designated a Super-

star, a plant must not just bebeautiful but also performwellfor consumers and growersthroughout Texas. Superstarsalsomust be easy to propagate,which should ensure the plantsare not only widely availablethroughout Texas but also arereasonably priced, Pembertonsaid.Natchez easily fulfills all the

basic Superstar requirements,Stein said.“Likeotherblackberries,you

plant them one year and theywill fruit thenextyear,”hesaid.“Typically, you establish themfrom root cuttings, which sim-ply is a piece of the root. Plantin mid-to-late January or earlyFebruary, cover it with soil,and in the spring, it pushes upa shoot, and away you go. Thefruit will ripen (next year) inlateMay to early June.”“Container grown plants

are also often seen for sale innurseries and garden centers,”Pemberton said. “These can beplanted anytime they are avail-able,butarebestplantedasdor-mantplantsinmid-winterwhentheycanhaveanentiregrowingseasontobecomeestablishedsothatanicecropof berriescanbeharvested the following year.”There were no substantial

common diseases observed inthe Texas trials, Stein added.“The fruit are elongated,

somewhat blocky and very at-tractive with an exceptionalglossy,blackfinish,andit storeswell,” he said.Natchez’s fertility needs are

notexceptional, about thesameas other fruit plants.“Typically, we just need a ni-

trogen fertilizer. Although, ifthe soil pH is low, you can use a3-1-2 (ratio) fertilizer, somethinglike a 15-5-10,” Stein said.Likemany fruit crops, black-

berriesshouldbeplantedwherethey have sunlight all day long,according to Pemberton.“Only minimal bed prepara-

tion isneededas longas the soilis well drained. Control weedsas needed,” Pemberton said.“But in many cases you couldjust dig a hole and set the cut-ting or container plant in andhave success.”Mike Arnold, AgriLife Re-

search horticulturist and an-other Texas Superstar boardmember, said, “In areas wheresoil characteristics arenot con-ducive to in-ground culture,plants can be grown success-fully in largepatiocontainersorraised beds using commercialpotting mixes. Alternatively,where regional water quality,for instance in areas with saltywater, presents challenges, ir-rigation with collected rainwa-ter or reverse-osmosis treatedwater can permit successfulculture.”Stein also noted Natchez

thrives in U.S. Department of

Agriculture plant hardinesszones, which includes not onlyall of Texas, but much of therest of the U.S.Oneother thing tonote is that

Natchez is a semi-erect plant,whichmeans it will need a trel-lis.Dependingongrowingspace,

some growers may considerNatchez’s vigor a little exces-sive, but this is easilymanaged,Stein said.“What a lot of people will

do when they have excessivegrowth is to prune it, andwhenthey do, that justmakes it growmore.Thebest thingtodo is justpinch the top out of it, whichwill typically slow it down.”Texas Superstar is a reg-

istered trademark owned byAgriLife Research, a stateagency that is part of the TexasA&MUniversity System. MoreinformationabouttheTexasSu-perstarprogramcanbefoundattexassuperstar.com/. Texas A&MAgriLife Extension Service photo by Larry Stein

Natchez blackberries are very large, averaging a third of an ounce each.

TheLand

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Better bulls are theway to increase herd fertilityQuestion: “I’m just get-

ting started in the cattlebusiness and need some

advice from you onmy bullsituation. My pregnancy ratelast year was 75 percent and Iknow I need to do better. I run100 cows on leased landwithan ancient set of pens. I canwork cows in the setup, butputting bulls through there isout of the question.I’ve read about how it’s im-

portant to semen test bulls andjust can’t do it inmy pens. I de-cided to get around the prob-lem by putting in plenty ofbulls withmy cows. Last year Iused four bulls, 4 to 7 years oldthat were semen tested whenthey were 2 year olds. I plan tobuy a new 2 year old, sementested bull this spring so I’llhave 5 bulls. Can you think ofanything else I should do?”Answer:

Yup! If I wereyou I’dmakean appoint-ment with yourveterinarianto visit yourranch, observeyour cows andpastures, anddiscuss all the details of howyoumanage them. It takes ex-cellent management for a beefranch to reach the goal of a 90percent-plus pregnancy rate.The fourmainmanagement

areas that determine preg-nancy rate are what I call the“4 B’s of beef herd fertility”:body condition of cows, bulls,bugs and balancedminerals.Bugs are the infectious agentssuch as bacteria or virusesthat impair fertility. All thesefactorsmust bemanagedproperly to have reproductivesuccess. Your veterinariancan evaluate specific details ofeach area.I will give you some im-

portant general information,recommendations and food forthought relating to your ques-tion concerning bulls. First,you’ve just got to figure out away to get a breeding sound-ness examination (BSE) foreach of your bulls. Can youhaul them to the veterinaryclinic?Unfortunately, your plan is

not the formula for successful

reproduction. Reducing thenumber of cows that a bullmust breed by putting out alot of bulls doesn’t always in-crease pregnancy rates. Thereason is the oldest bulls inthe pasture will breed a lion’sshare of cows. This is due tosocial dominance where theoldest or biggest bulls preventthe younger, smaller bullsfrom breeding cows.The above table showing

the percentage of calves siredby bulls of different ages inamultiple sire pasture illus-trates how little breeding isdone by younger beef bullsIn year 1 of the study, the

2-year-old bull only impreg-nated 5 percent of the cows. Inyour herd you have a very oldbull (8 years) that may be ofpoor fertility but probably willbreedmany cows and youwillhave a 2 year old bull recentlycertified as fertile whowill bekept from breeding cows byolder bulls. The only bull inyour pasture youwill be cer-tain has high fertility will notbe doingmuch breeding.The best way to remedy the

problem is to expend the effortneeded to get all your bullsevaluated for fertility. Youneed a way to get that doneevery year amonth or twobefore your breeding season.Then youwill have time to buya new bull if needed. You alsowill have time to pasture yournew bull with the other bullsto let them get over their fight-ing and settled into their socialranking.You actually can achieve

higher pregnancy rates withfewer bulls when you use bullsthat have passed a BSE. Stud-ies have shown that excellent

pregnancy rates can be at-tained at bull to female ratiosof 1:25 to 1:35 withmaturebulls that have passed a breed-ing soundness examinationby a veterinarian. Thatmeansyou only need four bulls at themost for your herd. Youwillsave the cost of feeding andmaintaining one bull a year.Those savings can be used tocover costs of breeding sound-ness examinations.The important thing about

expecting bulls to do a goodjob in breedingmore cowsis that the bulls must havepassed a breeding soundnessexamination done properly.Toomany exams are not donequite right. Themain short-coming is not taking time tomake a smear of the semensample on amicroscope slideand classifying 100 sperm cellsas normal-shaped or abnor-mal-shaped. That is calledevaluation of sperm cell mor-phology. A bull must have atleast 70 percent normal spermcells to pass a breeding sound-ness examination. Good clini-cal trials have demonstratedthat bulls with 70 percent orgreater normal sperm cellssired large numbers of calveswhile bulls with less than 70percent normal sperm cellssired small numbers of calvesin the same breeding pastures.So, be sure sperm cell mor-phology is evaluated on yourbulls.Recent data collected from

an east Texas ranch that is astudy herd in the Texas BeefPartnership in Extension Pro-gram shows the huge impactthat sperm cell shape has onherd fertility. The ranch hada standard policy of annual

breeding soundness examina-tions for all bulls, however,the onlymeasure of spermcell health was semenmotil-ity. Sperm cell morphologywas not evaluated. Pregnancyrates were low. The beef part-nership program includedsperm cell morphology inbreeding soundness examina-tions. Many bulls were culledthe first year of the study dueto below 70 percent normalsperm cells. Pregnancy rateincreased over 10% the firstyear only bulls with 70% ormore normal sperm cells wereused for breeding.

Bottom LineIt’s a great idea to have your

veterinarian visit your ranchto evaluate the “4 B’s of beefherd fertility.” That will bea huge step toward improv-ing your herd pregnancyrate. Meanwhile, figure outa way to get your bulls to theveterinary clinic for breed-ing soundness examinations.Bull batteries that have passedbreeding soundness examina-tionsmakemore profits forbeef herds by higher and ear-lier pregnancy rates attainedby fewer bulls. It’s critical forreproductive success to notskip this management practice

by just puttingmore bulls in

the breeding pasture.Mymotto on breeding

soundness examination’s usedto be “all bulls, every year.”I’ve upgraded it to “all bulls,every year, done properly!”

• Dr. SteveWikse is a retired professorof large animal clinical sciences inthe College of VeterinaryMedicineandBiomedical Sciences at TexasA&MUniversity.

Year 1 Calves Year 2 Calves Year 3 CalvesBullA 70% 76% 12%

(10 yr) (11 yr) (12 yr)B 17% 18% 63%

(4 yr) (5 yr) (6 yr)C 8% 6% 12%

(3 yr) (4 yr) (5 yr)D 5% Not used 13%

(2 yr) (4 yr)

Dr. STEVEWIKSE

gram, is administered throughthe Farm Service Agency andprovides various credit optionsand solutions for small agricul-tural producers, according toUSDA officials. It also providesa simplified loan applicationprocess for beginning farmersand ranchers, and may providefinancingfor farmerswantingtogrow“nichecrops” tosell toeth-nicmarketsor farmersmarkets.“Last fall, beginning urban

farmers came from 11 CentralTexas counties to AgriLife Ex-tension’s three-week StrongStarts: Urban Farming 101 se-ries,” said Daphne Richards,AgriLife Extension agent forhorticulture in Travis County.“Agency specialists traveledfrom across the state to teacheverything from farm business

Loan, from Page 6

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planning and budgeting to cropselectionandcultivationstrate-gies.”Richards said the series in-

cludedpresentationsfromcoun-ty and state officials involved infoodsystempolicydevelopmentand representatives of the U.S.Department of Agriculture.“Feedback was overwhelm-

ingly positive from both thefarmer participants and pre-senters, so when the USDA ini-tiated this micro-loan programamonthago,Terri contactedusto see if our agency could helpget the word out about its ur-ban farming program and theStrong Starts initiative.”Farmers and ranchers may

apply for amaximumof $35,000to be used toward initial start-up expenses, USDA officialsexplained. And as their needsincrease, theymay apply for anadditional operating loan of upto $300,000 — or seek commer-cial-lenderfinancingfromanin-stitutionwithin its Guaranteed

Loan Program.Officials said farm loans can

be used for a variety of pur-poses, including buying land,equipment, livestock, seed, feedand supplies, or for buildingconstruction or farm improve-ments.“At this event, AgriLife Ex-

tension in Travis County alsohopes to survey participantsabout their informational andeducational needs, so that wemay support their continuedgrowth and success as urbanfarmers,” Richards noted.The workshop cost is $15 and

those interested may registeronline at the AgriLife Exten-sion Conference Services web-site, agriliferegister.tamu.edu.Enter “loan” in the keywordsearch field or “Austin” in thelocation field.Producers interested in ap-

plying for a micro-loan shouldcontact their local Farm Ser-vice Agency office. For moreinformation about the March5 workshop, contact Trevino [email protected].

USDA, from Page 10

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News

Simply thebestFightdroughtwithholisticmanagement

By RoBeRt FeaRsSpecial to The Post

In visiting ranches across Texas, Isee the results of many differentmanagement styles and produc-tionmethods. A consistent obser-vation is that holistic managed

ranches havemore grass and survivedroughts better than ranches underothermanagement programs.Holistic management is a ranch

planning system that utilizes resourcesto reap sustainable environmental,economic and social benefits. Throughholistic management, land can bereturned to a healthy condition so pro-ductivity is greatly increased withoutlarge infusions of cash, equipment ortechnology.Relationships between land, graz-

ing animals andwater aremanaged inways that mimic nature.“Forage utilization is measured in

animal days per acre,” said Peggy Se-christ, holistic management certifiededucator with HolisticManagement In-ternational. “One animal day per acrerepresents the amount of forage oneanimal consumes in one day and is eas-ily converted to the actual square yardsrequired to feed one animal for one day.“With practice, a landmanager can

learn to estimate the number of animalgrazing days on a pasture and use theestimate to adjust stocking rates orgrazing periods,” she said.“In holistic management, livestock

density is increased tomatch availableforage in order tomaximize animal im-pact,” Sechrist said.“Hooves of animals pastured at a

high stock density pulverize soil, al-lowingmore water penetration andnutrient cycling. Plants are grazedmore evenly and there is better distri-bution of forage utilization, urine andmanure.“High stocking density also causes

amore even distribution of litter as asoil cover.“The layer of litter cools the soil,

aids in water absorption and degradesinto organicmatter. Moving livestockto freshmanure-free ground results inimproved animal nutrition and perfor-mance.”

Adopting the conceptThe United States Department of

Agriculture Natural Resources Con-servation Service is changing theway it does business by adopting theholistic management concept to helplandmanagers improve soil health andreduce input costs. Healthy soil is thebasic requirement for producing goodyields of any crop, regardless of wheth-er it is grass, cotton or vegetables. It isvery hard to increase yields or sustain

Photos by Robert FearsStockers are used to manage grass holistically onthe Clark and Birdwell Ranch near Henrietta.

Right,in a soil stability test, stable soil is on the farright and an unstable soil left of it.

See HOLISTIC, Page 13

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production through a droughtwithout healthy soils.The Natural Resources Con-

servation Service launchedits new holistic managementprogram to Texas landown-ers through one-day soilhealth workshops held acrossthe state during September.Principles of agro-ecology,basic soil function, ecosystemprocesses, adaptive nutrientmanagement and adaptivegrazing principles were taughtin the workshops. The themewas to facilitate a holistic un-derstanding on how the soilfunctions.“If we understand the differ-

ent components that contrib-ute to soil health, we can in-crease infiltration rate and addorganicmatter, all of whichcan improve ranch profits,”said Ray Archuleta, NaturalResources Conservation Ser-vice conservation agronomist.“Whenwe improve soil

health, we address themajor-ity of our natural resource

concerns. The problem is thatwe have become detached fromour land and no longer under-stand it. We need to be ableto diagnose soil health anddesignmanagement strategiesfor improvement,” he said.During the workshops, Ar-

chuleta demonstrated soil sta-bility. Four air-dried clumpsof soil or clods were placedon screens positioned on topof four separate large glasscylinders. Water was pouredover each of the clumps andallowed to flow into the cylin-ders.Archuleta explained, “If the

water immediately dissolves aclump and carries soil into thecylinder that particular soil isvery unstable and is subject towater andwind erosion. Therapid dissolving soil is carbondepleted— it lacks organicmatter. Organicmatter is 58percent carbon.Two of the soils used in the

demonstration were Cecil clayloam fromNorth Carolina: one

Holistic, from Page 12

SeeMANAGE, Page 14

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Newsfrom a field that had been inno-till crops for 40 years anda conventionally tilled soil.The second pair of soils wasobtained from fields near Tem-ple,: one from a field that hasbeen no-tilled for two years,and a conventionally tilledsoil. The soil clumps from theconventionally tilled fieldsdisintegrated immediatelyandwashed into the cylinder.Soil that had been no-tilled fortwo years only partially cameapart. The 40-year no-till soilstayed intact, meaning it is

very stable.No-till soil remains open to

the surface, thus water can fil-trate through its pores withoutdestroying aggregate integrity.There is organicmatter inno-till soils that allow them toabsorb and hold water.There aremany indica-

tors that help determine soilhealth, but the soil stabilitytest is themost visual demon-stration, Archuleta said. “Acover crop is needed on the soil24 hours a day, 7 days a week tobuild organicmatter, hold wa-

Manage, from Page 13

See SOIL, Page 15

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Newster and stop erosion. Continu-ous live or dead cover helpsmaintain soil health and pro-tects it from heat and raindropimpact. Soil needs armor.”The need for continuous soil

cover is the reason pasturesshould not be grazed to bareground.Manage grazing sothat there is always enoughvegetation to generate newgrowth and to avoid bare spots.“A healthy soil is full of or-

ganicmatter, earthworms andmicro-organisms that includebacteria, fungi and protozoa,”Archuleta said. “Eighty per-cent of our plants aremycor-rhizal, meaning they have amutualistic relationship withfungi. Carbohydrates aretranslocated by plants to theirfungal partners and in return,the plant gains benefits fromthe fungi’s higher absorptivecapacity for water andminer-als. Through the absorptionprocess, the fungi coats soilparticles with a glomalin pro-tein.“Fungi aremade of amass

or network of threadlike tubescalledmycelium. The individ-ual thread-likemycelium partsare hyphae. Mycorrhizal fungiproduce glomalin protein tocoat hyphae to aid in absorp-tion of water and nutrients,”Archuleta said.“Hyphae act as a frame upon

which soil particles may col-lect while glomalin glues themtogether and protects them,”said Kris Nichols of the USDA.“This is similar to walls in ahouse, where 2 X 4s are used toframe the wall, insulation fillsin spaces betweenwalls, wallboard help keep every thingin place, and finally it is allcoated with a protective layerof paint. In a soil profile, hyhaeare the 2 X 4s; soil particles arethe insulation; microbial glueslike glomalin and fungal andbacterial polysaccharides arethe wall board; and glomalin isthe paint,” Nichols said.“Glomalin is an important

molecule in soil aggregatestabilization,” Nichols said.“When aggregates are not sta-bilized, they break apart withrainfall. Organicmatter andnutrients within disruptedaggregatesmay be lost torain andwind erosion. Highglomalin concentrations arerelated to the formation andstabilization of aggregates in

undisturbed and no-till sys-tems compared to nearby con-ventionally tilled sites.”When soil contains organic

matter, it is normally inhabit-ed with earthworms. They aremajor decomposers of deadand decomposing organicmat-ter and derive their nutritionfrom bacteria and fungi thatgrow on it.

Holistic managementYou only need to visit two or

three ranches under holisticmanagement to start believ-ing in the system. ForrestArmke, manager of the FordRanch near Brady, has usedholistic management for 20years. In November 2011, someof his pastures were coveredwith knee-high little bluestemgrass and the ranch had onlyreceived four inches of rain-fall since Jan. 1, 2011. Theirnormal annual rainfall is 24inches. Cattle body conditionscores ranged from 4½ to 5 inNovember.“We have 34 800 acre pas-

tures,” Armke said. “Thepastures are grazed in a sixto eight week rotation with450 cows.We only supplementprotein during fall and winterwhen the grass is dormantand its protein content is low.No hay is fed, but mineralsare offered free-choice year-round. Santa Cruz cows arebred to Red Angus bulls andour calves graded 86 percentChoice at the packing plantlast year.“ The ranch is owned by

a trust and I am requiredtomake an annual profit,”Armke said.Emry Birdwell and Debo-

rah Clark use stocker cattletomanage intensively theirranch near Henrietta. Theranch is divided into 50- to90-acre paddocks. Duringthe winter when cattle arepurchased, they graze twoor three herds. Starting inMarch, herds are combined in-to one large herd that is rotat-ed through the paddocks. Lastyear, the herd size consistedof 5,300 steers. The averagerest period for a paddock fromMarch until summer is 50 to60 days. By July of each year,if not sooner, the rest period isincreased to allow ample timefor grass recovery during thehot summermonths. Summerrest periods vary from 90 to 120

days.“Holistic management graz-

ing increases plant diversityand returns rangeland to itscondition prior to the over-grazing era of the 1800s,”Birdwell said. “Our steers pri-marily graze little bluestem,Indian grass, switchgrass, bluegrama and hooded windmillgrass. Big bluestem is slowlyre-establishing after years ofabsence and several previ-ously overgrazed pastures onthe ranch are showing recov-ery signs as a result of holisticmanagement.”“I’m very excited to see

the return of big bluestemand Indian grass to the FordRanch,” Armke said. “A pre-vious ranchmanager visitedthe ranch and couldn’t believehow range condition has im-proved with holistic manage-ment.“Other advantages of ho-

listic management grazingis parasite reduction andimproved wildlife habitat,”Armke said. “Pests such as

Soil, from Page 14

Photo by Robert FearsPeggy Segrist and Forrest Armke standing in a holistically managed pasture on theFord Ranch during November 2011.See RECOVER, Page 19

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Questions AboutCattle Health?

Ask the Vet!

P.O. Box 3000 Bryan, TX 77805or [email protected]

Submit your questions to:

SteveWikse - Retired DVM Large Animal Clinical SciencesCollege of Veterinary Medicine, Texas A&M University

WIKSE

News

Published by Bryan-College Station Communications, Inc.(979) 776-4444 or (800) 299-7355

President - Crystal Dupré ..................................................... Ext. 4613Publisher and Editor- Kelly Brown ......................................... Ext. 4656Advertising Director - Ron Prince ........................................ Ext. 4740Advertising Sales/General Manager - Jesse Wright ............... Ext. 4721Financial Director - Rod Armstrong ....................................... Ext. 4605New Media Director - Mike Albin .......................................... Ext. 4663Production Director - Mark Manning..................................... Ext. 4671Circulation Director - Jack Perkins ....................................... Ext. 4752

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Waterquality trainingwill focusonLampasasRiverBy Paul SchattenBergTexas A&MAgriLife Extension

Service

LAMPASAS — A Texas Wa-tershed Steward workshop onwater quality and availabilityissues of theLampasasRiver isset for 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.March 28.Theno-costworkshopwill be

at the Lampasas County FarmBureau Building, 1793 U.S. 281N. in Lampasas.The Texas Watershed Stew-

ard workshop is sponsored bythe Texas A&M AgriLife Ex-tension Service and the TexasState Soil andWater Conserva-tionBoard incoordinationwithTexas A&MAgriLife Researchand theLampasasRiverWater-shed Partnership.

Workshop coordinators saidthe program is open to anyoneinterested in improving waterquality in the Lampasas Riverand surrounding area.“The workshop is designed

to help watershed residentsimproveandprotect theirwaterresourcesbybecominginvolvedin local watershed protectionand management activities,”said Heath Lusty, AgriLife Ex-tension agent for agricultureand natural resources in Lam-pasas County.Lusty said theworkshopwill

include an overview of waterquality and watershed man-agement in Texas and will pri-marily focus on water qualityissues relating to theLampasasRiver, including current effortsto help improve andprotect thehealth of important areawater

sources.The training will include a

discussion of watershed sys-tems,typesandsourcesof waterpollution, and ways to improveandprotectwaterquality.Therealso will be a group discussionon community-driven water-shed protection and manage-ment.“Surface water in the Lam-

pasas River is a critical sourceof water in the area,” said LisaPrcin, research associate withAgriLifeResearch. “Stakehold-ers need to be armed with theknowledge to protect and re-store water quality in the wa-tershed.”AgriLife Research and the

Lampasas River WatershedPartnership are working to de-velop and implement a stake-holder-driven watershed pro-tection plan aimed at reducingpollution and improving waterquality in the Lampasas River.TheLampasasRiverWatershedProtectionplanwillbefinalizedandadopted later this year, andimplementation of the plan’smanagement strategies willbegin soon after.Prcin said efforts outlined

in the plan will include severalbest management practiceswhich will reduce pollution inthe watershed and potentiallylower the bacteria levels in theLampasas River.The Lampasas watershed

area is an important waterresource for Central Texas asevidenced by this hydrologicalmap. (Texas A&MAgriLife Ex-tension Service graphic)“Alongwith the free training,

participants receive a free copyof theTexasWatershedStewardHandbook and a certificate ofcompletion,” said Galen Rob-erts with AgriLife Extensionand the Watershed StewardProgram.

The program also offers sev-en continuing education unitsin soil and water management

for certified cropadvisors, sevenunits for profes-sional engineersandcertifiedplan-ners, and sevencontinuing edu-cation credits forcertified teachers.It also offers threegeneral continu-ing educat ionunits for TexasDepartment ofAgriculture pesti-cide license hold-ers, seven for cer-tified landscapearchitects andthree for certifiedfloodplainmanag-ers.Prere g i s t ra -

tion is availablet h r o u g h t h eTexas WatershedStewards website,tws.tamu.edu. Aboxed sandwichlunch will be pro-videdbytheTexasLand Bank of Lampasas.“Participating in the Texas

Watershed Steward programis a great opportunity to get in-volvedandmakeadifference inyour watershed,” Roberts said.

For more information, con-tact Roberts at 979-862-8070,[email protected], orLusty at 512-556-8217, [email protected] information about the

Lampasas River WatershedProtection Plan contact Prcinat 254-774-6008 or [email protected] information on

the watershed is available atwww.lampasasriver.org.

The Texas Watershed Stew-ard program is funded througha Clean Water Act nonpointsource grant from the TexasState Soil andWater Conserva-tion Board and U.S. Environ-mental Protection Agency.

Texas A&MAgriLife Extension Service photoA free Texas Watershed Steward workshop will be held March 28 at the Lampaspas County FarmBureau Building.

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T E X A S ’ L A R G E S T R U R A L L E N D E R

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stomachworms and some ofthe flies lay their eggs in freshmanure.With holistic manage-ment grazing, the cattle aremoved to a different pasturebefore the eggs have time tohatch and infest the animals.”“Deer hunting is a good rev-

enue stream for us, so we keepthe animals in good condi-tion,” Armke said. “Wemoni-tor browse recovery periodsand balance deer populationsize tomatch available vegeta-tion.We provide supplementonly during

hunting season. Due to holisticmanagement, we also have alot of quail and other types ofbirds.”Holistic management offers

an opportunity tomanagethe entire pasture ecosystemin harmony and to preservelong-term ranch productioncapability.

Recover, from Page 15

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344 Ac Grimes County…, Beautiful rolling pastures, 6ponds, large barn, equipment shed, barn with horse stalls/pens,improved coastal/jiggs pastures, long frontage on County road. 2story ranch house with cedar paneling, tile floors, and two mastersuites. $1,695,000312 Ac Robertson County…Tidwell Creek Ranch nearCalvert. Productive hayfields, good hunting, great terrainvariations, oak and pecan flats, cedar breaks in the draws, severaloutstanding homesites with great access to HWY 6! $2,721/ac198 Ac Walker County….Cedar Creek Ranch offers a 4800sq. ft. home, 10-stall barn with tack/feed room, 6,000 sq/ft metalbldg/shop and roping/riding arena. Two ponds, some hardwoods,rolling pastures, improved hay meadows. North of Huntsville.$1,586,800192 Ac Walker County…FM 247 and Pinedale Road justminutes from I-45 and Huntsville. Rolling terrain, wooded areasseparated by open fields. Long frontage on Hadley Creek andlots of wildlife. Multiple homesites with lots of natural character.$3,538/ac315 Ac Grimes County… Great location on Highway 105 nearPlantersville. Huge potential for developed usage. Upland rollinghillside pastures, Caney Creek transects portion of bottomlands.Would make a great showplace. $8,500/ac329 Acres Grimes County…Near Iola, entirely high fenced,numerous lakes and ponds and 150+- acres of improved grass.The remainder of the property provides diverse cover andvegetation for the abundant exotic wildlife and improved whitetailgenetics. Barndominium in central 3 acre compound offers shopand large living quarters. $1,498,000

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Near Iola, entirely high fenced, numerous lakes and ponds and 150+- acres of improved grass. The remainder of the property provides diverse cover and vegetation for the abundant exotic wildlife and improved whitetail genetics. Barndominium in central 3 acre compound offers shop

329 Acres Grimes County…Near Iola, entirely high fenced, numerous lakes and ponds and 150+- acres of improved grass. The remainder of the property provides diverse cover and vegetation for the abundant exotic wildlife and improved whitetail genetics. Barndominium in central 3 acre compound offers shop and large living quarters. $1,498,000

150+-and 150+- acresthe propertythe

wildlifewildlifeexotic wildlifeabundantBarndominium in centralBarndominium

quarters.quarters.

Near Iola, entirely high fenced,

soldNear Iola, entirely high fenced,

soldsoldsoldsoldnumerous lakes and ponds and 150+- acres of improved grass.

soldnumerous lakes and ponds and 150+- acres of improved grass. The remainder of the property provides diverse cover and

soldThe remainder of the property provides diverse cover and

soldnumerous lakes and ponds and 150+- acres of improved grass.



soldnumerous lakes and ponds and 150+- acres of improved grass.


soldThe remainder of the property provides diverse cover and vegetation for the abundant exotic wildlife and improved whitetail soldvegetation for the abundant exotic wildlife and improved whitetail soldnumerous lakes and ponds and 150+- acres of improved grass.


soldThe remainder of the property provides diverse cover and vegetation for the abundant exotic wildlife and improved whitetail soldvegetation for the abundant exotic wildlife and improved whitetail soldsoldThe remainder of the property provides diverse cover and

soldThe remainder of the property provides diverse cover and vegetation for the abundant exotic wildlife and improved whitetail soldvegetation for the abundant exotic wildlife and improved whitetail genetics. Barndominium in central 3 acre compound offers shop soldgenetics. Barndominium in central 3 acre compound offers shop soldThe remainder of the property provides diverse cover and






soldThe remainder of the property provides diverse cover and vegetation for the abundant exotic wildlife and improved whitetail soldvegetation for the abundant exotic wildlife and improved whitetail genetics. Barndominium in central 3 acre compound offers shop soldgenetics. Barndominium in central 3 acre compound offers shop

The remainder of the property provides diverse cover and



soldThe remainder of the property provides diverse cover and vegetation for the abundant exotic wildlife and improved whitetail soldvegetation for the abundant exotic wildlife and improved whitetail soldsoldvegetation for the abundant exotic wildlife and improved whitetail soldvegetation for the abundant exotic wildlife and improved whitetail soldsoldvegetation for the abundant exotic wildlife and improved whitetail soldvegetation for the abundant exotic wildlife and improved whitetail genetics. Barndominium in central 3 acre compound offers shop soldgenetics. Barndominium in central 3 acre compound offers shop soldvegetation for the abundant exotic wildlife and improved whitetail soldvegetation for the abundant exotic wildlife and improved whitetail genetics. Barndominium in central 3 acre compound offers shop soldgenetics. Barndominium in central 3 acre compound offers shop soldgenetics. Barndominium in central 3 acre compound offers shop soldgenetics. Barndominium in central 3 acre compound offers shop and large living quarters. $1,498,000soldand large living quarters. $1,498,000soldsold

150+- acres

sold150+- acres

provides

soldprovides

soldsoldand 150+-

soldand 150+-

property provides

soldproperty provides

exotic wildlifesoldexotic wildlifesoldproperty

soldproperty

abundant exoticsoldabundant exoticBarndominium in centralsoldBarndominium in centralsold

the

soldthe

abundantsoldabundantBarndominiumsoldBarndominiumsoldBarndominiumsoldBarndominiumsoldquarters.sol

dquarters.

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NewsLivestock,pasturemanagement school tobeMarch26-28

By RoBeRt BuRnsTexas A&MAgriLife Extension

Service

OVERTON — Even thoughparts of Texas have had relieffrom the drought, grain andfertilizer prices remain high,which makes efficient pasturemanagement as critical as everto livestock producers, accord-ing to a Texas A&M AgriLifeResearch scientist.

To address those issues, athree-day Pasture and Live-stock Management Workshopis set March 26-28 at the TexasA&MAgriLifeResearchandEx-tension Center at Overton.

Though billed as being fornovice ranchers, the schoolteaches both beginners andthe experienced to get the most“bang for their buck,” accord-ing to Gerald Smith, TexasA&M AgriLife Research plantbreeder in Overton, one of theschool instructors.

“Actually, high feed grainprices means efficient forageproduction is more importantthanever,”Smithsaid“It’s sim-ple. More forage for less moneymeans more profit.”

And while costs everywhereelse are going up, Overton cen-ter faculty have worked to keepthe cost of the school level, saidMonte Rouquette, AgriLife Re-

search foragescientist, anotherprogram instructor. Registra-tion for the three-day school is$350, which includes lunches,barbecue, a steak dinner, con-tinental-stylebreakfasts, breakrefreshments and educationalmaterials.

As in previous years, regis-tration is limited to 60 to allowplenty of one-on-one time be-tween the instructors and stu-dents, Rouquette said. Partici-pants may reserve an openingbyphoneoremailbycontactingJenniferLloydat903-834-6191orjllloyd@ag.tamu.edu.Lloydwillhave informationonclassopen-ings, localaccommodationsanddrivingdirections to thecenter.

“We’veheardagainandagainfromstudents thatwhat they’velearned in the first morningpaid for the cost of the coursemany times over,” said GregClary, TexasA&MAgriLifeEx-tension Service economist andanother course instructor.

Most of the instructors holddoctorates in their fields andare either with AgriLife Exten-sionorAgriLifeResearch,Rou-quettesaid.Theyhaveexpertisein forage breeding and produc-tion, soil fertility, wildlife man-agement, beef cattle nutritionand marketing.

Having knowledge in theseareas can mean the difference

between profiting from thecattle business or it becominga bottomless money pit, Rou-quette said.

One indication of the work-shop’s value can be found inrepeatattendance, according toRouquette. Though the grazingschool originally was designedfor local novices in 2001, atten-dance soon expanded beyondthe region, attracting studentsnationwide and out-of-countrywithvarying levelsof expertise.

Rouquette said some gradu-ates have found the intensivecourse so valuable, they havereturnedasecondyearto take itagain, and some have returneda third year.

The school is split betweenthe classroom and instructionin the field. Outdoor demon-strations cover all aspects ofrunning a beef operation, fromestablishing and maintaininghigh-quality forages, calibrat-ing sprayers, taking soil sam-ples, castratingandvaccinatingcattle, and de-horning calves,said Vanessa Corriher-Olson,AgriLife Extension forage spe-cialistandworkshop instructorin Overton.

Also includedwillbe trainingon writing a business plan for aranch, keeping proper records,choosing the appropriate for-age species for different soils,understanding soil fertility, es-tablishing forage systems thatminimize winter feeding costs,setting correct stocking rates,choosingtherightcattlebreeds,

promoting good animal healthandmarketingcattle,Rouquettesaid.

Another subject, dealingwith wild pigs, aka feral hogs,has become crucial to ranch-ers throughout Texas. Therewill be extensive instructionon trapping and other types ofcontrol by Billy Higginbotham,AgriLifeExtensionwildlifespe-cialist in Overton, a nationally

recognized expert in the field,Rouquette said.

A full program agenda canbe found at overton.tamu.edu/beef -catt le/grazing-school-2013/. A registrationform at the same URL can beprinted out and mailed with acheck to the center.

Driving directions may befound at overton.tamu.edu/info-maps-history/.

.Texas A&MAgriLife Communications photos by Robert BurnsWorking cow dogs will be one of the more entertaining presentations at the livestock and pasture management school.

Jason Cleere, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension beef cattle specialist, demonstrateshow to insert an ear tag on a calf at the 2012 East Texas livestock and pasturemanagement school.

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