July July2017 2017——Issue IssueI I
Waterlogged To apply or not to apply? It pays to keep ponds vegetation-free
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July 2017 — Issue I
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From the General Manager
recently took my son fishing. For those who think fishing is relaxing, you should try going with a 5 year old. It is difficult for a child to concentrate on a bobber when the bank is littered with really cool sticks and rocks. After about the third or fourth awesome stick we found and added to the pile of awesome sticks and rocks to take home and show Mom, he finally JESSE WRIGHT settled down
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service photo by Steve Byrns
A yearlong Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service livestock guardian dog study culminated with positive results.
AgriLife livestock guardian dog study numbers are in By Steve ByrnS Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service
SAN ANGELO — The numbers are in from a year-long experiment pitting 18 inexperienced young livestock guardian dogs and their neophyte dog-handling owners against a hoard of native sheep and goat predators ranging over thousands of West Texas acres. “Predation is and always has been one of the most significant problems in the sheep and goat industry in Texas,” said Reid Redden, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service state sheep and goat specialist. “And the problem is getting worse.” Redden, along with John Walker, Texas A&M AgriLife Research resident director, and John Tomecek, AgriLife Extension wildlife specialist, led the work. All are headquartered at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center in
San Angelo. To see the complete results, go to sanangelo.tamu.edu/ livestock-guardian-dogs/. “It’s reported we lose somewhere between 10 and 20 percent of the lamb and kid crop annually in Texas to predators,” Redden said. “Because of this significant loss, AgriLife is working with local ranchers to improve our understanding of livestock guardian dogs and their effectiveness in this part of Texas.” In January 2016, six cooperating ranchers across West Texas agreed to take part in the experiment. None had any previous experience with livestock guardian dogs, but all had significant predator issues and operate large pastures ranging from 500 to 2,500 acres. Each rancher received two to four livestock guardian dogs purchased from 5R Stock Dogs
See DOGS, Page 9
The Land & Livestock Post
enough to watch his bobber. It didn’t take too long, and he got a bite. The sticks and rocks soon were forgotten, as I handed him the fishing pole and told him to start reeling. I admit I was probably as excited as he was as he worked and worked to land what could only be a water monster. Granted, reeling is a skill we still are working on, so the effort put forth was probably not a reflection of the fight on the other end of the line, but it was still a fight nonetheless. As the battle drew on, I noticed that there wasn’t much movement in the line, and the bobber only went under when he tugged and reeled. I took the pole from him, gave a tug, and came up with a hook full of bright green moss. My heart sank a little; this would not be his first fish. I could only imagine what he was feeling. “Whoa! Cool!,” he exclaimed. “I caught that, it looks yucky!” Yes, turns out yucky moss is still a win for a 5-year-old. It’s a good thing, too, because that’s about all we caught that day. We went to Grandpa’s house a few weeks later, and found a perch hole. My son caught so many fish that he eventually
July 2017 — Issue I
even got bored with it. Luckily, Grandpa’s house is also a hotbed of awesome rocks and sticks. If you have water on your property, chances are you have your share of moss or other aquatic vegetation. My son would think your moss is awesome, but you may not. There are many economic and health reasons why it is a good idea to control the amount of vegetation in and around your tanks and ponds. In our cover story, we take a look at some of the effects of this vegetation, along with ways you can get a handle on it. In this issue we also have news from around the ag industry as well as information
about upcoming events and sales. Hope you enjoy it and, as always, thanks for reading. ’Til next time,
z For more information about content or advertising, contact Jesse Wright at jesse.wright@theeagle.com.
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News
Far from roads, cowboys thrive in Brazil’s wetlands CORUMBA, Brazil (AP) — Greener pastures grow under water in the Pantanal de Mato Grosso do Sul, an immense area of wetlands in western Brazil. On his feet hours before sunrise, 66-year-old Joao Aquino Pereira readies the horses and wakes up the herd of oxen for a new day in the three-week pil-
grimage in search of grass to graze. “Today’s going to be one of those days,” says the old cowboy, forecasting the weather by looking up at the red skies. “It seems like it’ll be a hot one and we still need to prepare the
See COWBOYS, Page 8
AP Photo/Eraldo Peres
Cowboy cook Odair Batista crosses the Taquari River with a horse train carrying food for the cowboys in Corumba, in the Pantanal wetlands of Mato Grosso do Sul state, Brazil. Hardly recognizable in the developed world, working as a cowboy is still a way of life in rural areas of Latin America’s largest nation.
Improve your herd’s productivity
AP Photos/Eraldo Peres
Above: Cowboy Joao Aquino Pereira, 66, cooks “churrasco,” or barbecue, at a ranch in Corumba, in the Pantanal wetlands of Mato Grosso do Sul state, Brazil. Dressed with leather chaps on top of their jeans, Stetson hats and machetes attached to their waists, before setting off the men finish their breakfast with “terere,” an herbal “mate” tea served ice cold from a cup made out of an ox horn. Below: Batista carries a case with food.
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July 2017 — Issue I
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AP Photos/Eraldo Peres
Above: Cowboy Joao Aquino Pereira rides his horse in Corumba, in the Pantanal wetlands of Mato Grosso do Sul state, Brazil. Each day, the men and animals traverse about 11 miles from dawn until 3 p.m., in temperatures averaging about 90 degrees Fahrenheit during the day. Right: Cowboys guide the herd to the Taquari River. The crossing of the river with 520 oxen requires all the skill the cowboys have amassed in decades of experience.
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July 2017 — Issue I
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Hay storage discussed at O.D. Butler Forage Field Day producers what tools potentially could be available for future forage production. “If a producer decided to spray for ryegrass, you can have a cleaner first cutting of hay and potentially a higher yield,” he said. If a producer decided to spray the ryegrass, however, he or she would miss the grazing benefits that if offers to livestock, Jackson said. For sandbur control, the dem-
By Blair Fannin Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service
FRANKLIN — Producing hay requires both time and expense, but it can lead to unwanted waste if bales are left sitting in the field, according to experts. To preserve nutritive value and money, there are options that can be implemented to manage unwanted waste, said Larry Redmon, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service state forage specialist in College Station. Redmon shared several options with producers at the recent O.D. Butler Forage Field Day held at the Circle X Land and Cattle Co. Camp Cooley Division in Robertson County. “A barn can pay for itself in four to six years, according to studies done by our Extension economists,” Redmon said. “Many think they can store hay outside, but when hay costs as much as $120 a ton to produce, can we afford to give up some of that expense? Many of us can’t.” During the demonstration, Redmon peeled back several layers of hay from a bale that had been sitting outside for more than a year. “The good hay is in the center,” Redmon said. “A cow knows where the good hay is.” As a result, a lot of undesirable hay will be pulled away by the cow from the bale and left on the ground. Redmon said a producer can go through the proper steps to produce good quality hay but still have losses due to improper storage. “Once you’ve got a good soil test, you apply the fertilizer to the soil test recommendations. Then you cut it, bale it and you do everything right except you leave the hay out in the field. You’ve lost one-third to one-quarter of your hay.” Redmon said some producers might not have the budget to pay for a barn. “A barn will pay for itself because you don’t lose all that hay,
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Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service photos by Blair Fannin
Top:Tony Provin,TexasA&MAgriLife Extension soil chemist,discussing cost effectiveness of utilizing lime in Central Texas. Above: Larry Redmon, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service state forage specialist from College Station, discusses hay storage options at the O.D. Butler Forage Field Day held recently at the Camp Cooley Ranch division of Circle X Land and Cattle Co. but some of us can’t afford a good barn,” he said. “However, we can use hay tarps. You can get a hay tarp to fit on your pyramid stack. It’s important to stack in a pyramid to form air channels. It moves the air and keeps those bales dry. “A barn also doesn’t have to have a concrete floor. Just good slope and sandy soil is all that is required.” Also at the field day, James Jackson, AgriLife Extension specialist in Stephenville, discussed herbicide options for controlling both broadleaf weeds, ryegrass and sandburs in hay fields. He discussed several herbicides, including Esplanade,
which has the active ingredient Indaziflam. It is still in the testing and development phase and is not yet commercially available for range and pasture use. “For our ryegrass control demonstration, we sprayed ryegrass at five different treatments,” he said. “These demonstrations were established on Oct. 27, which was 204 days prior to the field day.” Some producers appreciate the ryegrass that comes up for the grazing benefits it offers, Jackson said. Others consider it a weed that can hinder hay production. He said the point of his demonstration was to show
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onstrations included Esplanade, Esplanade plus Pastora, Esplanade and Cimarron Plus, and Prowl H20. Each of the six treatment plots used varying rates of mix, giving producers several ideas of how they might apply them to their own rangeland. “Overall, we want to show producers several options and what may be available in the future to choose from in managing their forage production,” Jackson said.
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China closer to resuming U.S. beef imports Associated Press
WASHINGTON — China is a step closer to allowing imports of U.S. beef for the first time in almost 14 years. The United States and China have agreed on final details of a deal to allow the imports, the Agriculture Department said recently. The agreement is one part of a bilateral agreement reached following President Donald Trump’s meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in April. China imposed a ban on American beef in 2003 after a case of mad-cow disease, a ban that remained in place despite extensive efforts by the George W. Bush and Barack Obama administrations to get it removed. Before the ban, the United States was China’s largest supplier of imported beef. In exchange for China opening its borders to U.S. beef, the U.S. would allow the sale of cooked Chinese poultry. USDA said that China is requir-
ing that any beef imported from the U.S. must have been born, raised and slaughtered in the United States or imported from Canada or Mexico and raised and slaughtered here. It also could be imported from Canada or Mexico and slaughtered in the U.S. The beef also has to be derived from cattle less than 30 months old and traceable to the U.S. birth farm or first place of residence or port of entry. All of the precautions lessen the risk of bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or mad cow disease. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer all praised the deal in a statement. “I have no doubt that as soon as the Chinese people get a taste of American beef, they’ll want more of it,” Perdue said.
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meta R f ng meta B d ng s HAYBARNS CARPORTS STORAGE SHEDS AND MUCH MORE.
AP Photos/Eraldo Peres
Above: Araras, or Macaws, are seen at a ranch in Corumba, in the Pantanal wetlands of Mato Grosso do Sul state, Brazil.At different moments during a cowboy round-up, they crosses paths with macaws, deer and pit vipers, all seemingly unfazed by their presence. Above right: Cowboy Joao Aquino Pereira smokes at dawn on a ranch in Corumba, in the Pantanal wetlands of Mato Grosso do Sul state, Brazil. Cowboys earn an average of $18 dollars a day, and the leader of the group can earn as much as $285 per day.
Cowboys, from Page 6 cattle to go across the river.” The crossing of the Taquari River requires all the skill Pereira has amassed in decades of experience. Along with five other mounted cowboys, he’ll have to line up and guide 520 oxen through the depths of the overflowing river. Each day, the men and animals traverse about 11 miles, from dawn until 3 p.m., in temperatures averaging about 90 degrees Fahrenheit during the day. At different moments during the trip, the men cross paths with
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macaws, deer and pit vipers, all seemingly unfazed by their presence. Dressed with leather chaps on top of their jeans, Stetson hats and machetes attached to their waists, before setting off the men finish their breakfast with terere, a yerba mate tea served ice cold from a cup made out of an ox horn. Working as a cowboy is still a way of life in rural areas of Latin America’s largest nation. While ranchers on the coasts can transport cattle with trucks, the excess of water and the shortage of roads make that impossible
in the biggest floodplain in the world. Ranchers here contract out the grazing business, and being a cowboy is reasonably well-paying for the region. Cowboys earn an average of $18 dollars a day, and the leader of the group can earn as much as $285 per day. Rene de Almeida, 70, has been leading groups since he was 25. “It’s better to guide the herd when it’s raining,” he explains, adding that once he led a group for 97 days straight. “During droughts, the land is too hot and the oxen get tired and thirsty.”
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July 2017 — Issue I
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News LIVESTOCK MARKET REPORT Brazos Valley Livestock
Results of the Brazos Valley Livestock Commission’s June 13 sale. (updated for this week) Head: 942 Steers: 200-300 lbs., $170-$220; 300-400 lbs., $160-$206; 400-500 lbs., $150-$170; 500-600 lbs., $140-$160; 600-700 lbs., $132$152; 700-800 lbs., $138-$144 Heifers: 200-300 lbs., $150$185; 300-400 lbs., $140-$161; 400-500 lbs., $138-$157; 500600 lbs., $128-$148; 600-700 lbs., $122-$136; 700-800 lbs., $120-$128 Slaughter bulls: $47-$75 Slaughter cows: $52-$77 Bred cows: $850-$1,425 Cow/calf pairs: $975-$1,425
Buffalo
Results of the Buffalo Livestock Commission’s June 10 sale. (updated for this week)
Dogs, from Page 3 of Billings, Montana. The dogs were 6 to 12 months old at the start of the experiment and had been bonded with sheep. Redden said livestock guardian dogs have been used for thousands of years in other parts of the world where sheep are herded, but less is known about how to use them or their effectiveness in sheep and goat producing West Texas. Some work was done in the 1980s in the area, but interest soon waned, possibly from lack of knowledge of the dogs. Redden said livestock guardian dogs are not herding dogs, but rather stay within the proximity of their sheep and/or goat charges, thus creating an effective and constant predator deterrent. Redden said unlike other parts of the sheep and goat producing areas in the U.S. and world, West Texas ranchers don’t often see their animals on a daily basis, meaning the dogs must rely on their own intuition and instinct to remain effective.
Head: 1,293 Steers: 150-200 l bs., $160$235; 200-300 lbs., $160-$230; 300-400 lbs., $155-$220; 400-500 lbs., $140-182; 500-600 lbs., $140$175; 600-700 lbs., $125-$165; 700-800 lbs., $110-$155 Heifers: 150-200lbs., $150-$225; 200-300 lbs., $140-$182; 300-400 lbs., $130-$180; 400-500 lbs., $120-$170; 500-600 lbs., $115$170; 600-700 lbs., $105-$175; 700-800 lbs., $100-$128 Slaughter bulls: $70-$100 Slaughter cows: $45-$74 Bred cows: $1,000-$1,550 Cow/calf pairs: $850-$1,850
Caldwell
Results o f the Caldwell Livestock Commission’s June 14 sale. (updated) Head: 820 Steers: 200-300 lbs., $180$200; 300-400 lbs., $170-$182; 400-500 lbs., $160-$160; 500600 lbs., $150-$154; 600-700 So were they effective? “Half the ranchers reported the dogs were having a significant positive impact resulting in improved lamb crops within the first year,” Redden said. “Averaged across all the cooperating ranches, the livestock guardian dogs improved lamb crops by an estimated 25 percent. The livestock guardian dogs were not foolproof, however. In the first year, two of the dogs went missing, three were removed for predating upon livestock, and four were relocated due to neighbor conflicts. Tomecek used GPS-locating collars to track the dogs’ movements. The collars revealed the dogs traveled an average of 2.5 miles a day, with the distance ranging from a low of 1.5 miles to a high of 3.5 miles depending on the dog, pasture size and terrain. “We also looked at the home range of the dogs, which was determined by where they spent 95 percent of their time, and found it
See GUARD, Page 17
The Land & Livestock Post
lbs., $140-$149; 700-800 lbs., $120-$144 Heifers: 200-300 lbs., $160$170; 300-400 lbs., $140-$162; 400-500 lbs., $140-$195; 500600 lbs., $135-$205; 600-700 lbs., $130-$162; Slaughter bulls: $75-$92 Slaughter cows: $59-$75 Bred cows: $750-$1,100 Cow/calf pairs: $1,050-$2,050
Groesbeck
Results of the Groesbeck Auction and Livestock Company’s June 15 sale. (updated) Head: 571 Steers: 300-400 lbs., $175$200; 400-500 lbs., $130-$183; 500-600 lbs., $150-$168; 600700 lbs., $140-$160 Heifers: 300-400 lbs., $160$180; 400-500 lbs., $140-$165; 500-600 lbs., $130-$160; 600-
700 lbs., $125-$155 Slaughter bulls: $85-$100 Slaughter cows: $55-$76 Bred cows: $800-$1,300 Cow/calf pairs: $1,100-$1,800
Jordan Results o f the Jordan Cattle Auction’s June 15 sale. (updated) Head: 3,201 Steers: Under 200 lbs., $180$200; 200-300 lbs., $180-$210; 300-400 lbs., $170-$212; 400-500 lbs., $150-$167; 500-600 lbs., $147-$161; 600-700 lbs., $143$155; 700-800 lbs., $140-$154 Heifers: Under 200 lbs., $165$190; 200-300 lbs., $160-$185; 300-400 lbs., $145-$182; 400500 lbs., $135-$167; 500-600 lbs., $130-$143; 600-700 lbs., $125$135; 700-800 lbs., $120-$135.50
Slaughter bulls: $86-$96.50 Slaughter cows: $57-$79 Bred cows: $800-$1,175 Cow/calf pairs: $1,275-$1,710
Navasota
Results of the Navasota Livestock Commission’s June 10 sale. (updated) Head: 1,424 Steers: 200-300 lbs., $115-$225; 300-400 lbs., $115-$197.50; 400500 lbs., $115-$170; 500-600 lbs., $110-$163; 600-700 lbs., $110$158 Heifers: 200-300 lbs.,$115-$205; 300-400 lbs., $115-$175; 400-500 lbs.,$115-$170; 500-600 lbs.,$110$160; 600-700 lbs., $105-$155 Slaughter bulls: $70-$93.50 Slaughter cows: $45-$73.50 Bred cows: $700-$1,800 Cow/calf pairs: n/a — Special to The Post
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Producers can find value in poultry litter as a fertilizer By AdAm Russell Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service
OVERTON — Producers can find value in evaluating fertilizer input costs and comparing traditional nitrogen sources such as urea and ammonium nitrate with popular non-traditional sources such as poultry litter, according to Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service experts. Poultry litter is a popular alternative fertilizer for East Texas farmers, said Vanessa CorriherOlson, AgriLife Extension forage specialist in Overton. Producers should evaluate the nutrient value and timing of nitrogen availability to plants to ensure they are getting the most out of fertilizer whether using urea, ammonium nitrate or poultry litter. “Litter is a viable option for nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium, but there are some things to keep in mind when considering poultry litter as a fertilizer for forage or hay production,” she said. First, producers should test their soils as prescribed to determine what nutrients are needed to optimize grazing or hay production, she said. “If the soil test says you don’t need phosphorous then there is no value in it. You’re paying for something you don’t need.” Corriher-Olson said nutrient concentrations in litter are highly variable based on whether the birds are broilers, pullets or layers, and even vary from farm-tofarm and house-to-house or how and how often they are cleaned, when compared to urea or ammonium nitrate. “The nitrogen available comes in various forms, and so not all nitrogen is readily available to the plant at the time of application,” she said. “Litter is more of a slow release compared to ammonium nitrate.” Slow versus immediate availability of nitrogen can greatly impact forage production, espe-
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Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service photo
Poultry litter is a popular alternative fertilizer source for nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium, but determining whether a source is an equal value to traditional sources like urea and ammonium nitrate takes a little math. cially for hay producers looking to maximize the quantity and quality of cuttings, she said. “Slow release is good for grazing situations in pastures,” said Jason Banta, AgriLife Extension beef cattle specialist in Overton. “But in a hay production setting that’s not so good. When weather conditions are favorable, an additional source of nitrogen may be warranted.” To take advantage of favorable growing conditions, hay producers would want to apply some urea or ammonium nitrate to get an immediate production boost, Banta said. Broiler litter has the highest concentration of nutrients compared to litter from layers or pullets, Banta said. But layer and pullet litter can be good buys depending on litter and traditional fertilizer costs. An average ton of broiler litter contains 60 pounds of nitrogen, 55 pounds of phosphorous and 50 pounds of potassium. A ton of layer litter contains 40 pounds of nitrogen, 50 pounds of phosphorous and 40 pounds of potassium on average, and the average ton of pullet litter contains 28 pounds of nitrogen, 40 pounds of phosphorous and 40 pounds of potassium. To evaluate the value of each
litter source, one needs to determine the price per pound of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium from traditional fertilizer sources, Banta said. Based on May 2017 market prices, the per-pound cost of nitrogen is 46 cents. Phosphorous is 52 cents and potassium is 29 cents. Using these values and the average pounds of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium per ton of litter, from above, we can calculate the potential value of each litter source. Broiler litter would have a potential value of $70.70. • The value of nitrogen per ton of broiler litter: 60 pounds x $0.46 = $27.60 • The value of phosphorus per ton of broiler litter: 55 pounds x $0.52 = $28.60 • The value of potassium per ton of broiler litter: 50 pounds x $0.29 = $14.50 • The total value per ton of broiler litter: $27.60 + $28.60 + $14.50 = $70.70 “If a producer could purchase broiler litter for less than $70.70 it would be a good buy compared to the same nutrients from traditional fertilizer sources,” Banta said. Layer litter would have a potential value of $56, and pullet litter would be worth $44.41 per ton. “These values will vary de-
pending on traditional fertilizer prices and the actual nutrient content of your litter source,”
he said. Additionally, if soil tests indicate phosphorus is not needed, the value of broiler litter in our example would be $42.10. “You want to know the potential value of the nutrients,” he said. “If the potential value is equal or greater than the cost of the litter then it’s a good buy.” Corriher-Olson and Banta said producers should send litter samples for analysis to the soil testing lab in College Station at soiltesting.tamu.edu to determine the nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium concentrations so an accurate valuation of the litter can be calculated. “The test will identify the true nutrient value of the litter and let you know if you are getting what your pasture needed,” Banta said.
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July 2017 — Issue I
The Land & Livestock Post
News Meat producer’s attorney: ABC reports nearly ended business ELK POINT, S.D. (AP) — A more than $1 billion defamation trial over ABC news reports on a South Dakota meat producer’s lean, finely textured beef product started last month with attorneys giving different versions of the company’s decline. Dakota Dunes-based Beef Products Inc. sued the television network in 2012, saying ABC’s coverage was a “disinformation campaign” that misled consumers into believing the product is unsafe, is not beef and isn’t nutritious. Critics have dubbed the product “pink slime.” The reports emphasized that the product at the time was present in 70 percent of the ground beef sold in supermarkets, but wasn’t labeled. ABC stands by its reporting. Beef Products Inc. attorney Dan Webb said the product was
used in most of the country’s ground beef, but that changed after ABC’s reports, the Argus Leader (argusne.ws/2saP8pn) reported. Webb said the company saw a 75-percent reduction in demand for its products. He said Beef Products Inc. was “almost put out of business by the wrongful actions” of the defendants, ABC and correspondent Jim Avila. But ABC attorney Dane Butswinkas countered that Beef Products Inc. had been losing clients over concerns about the product beforehand. He said fast food companies McDonalds, Burger King and Taco Bell stopped using beef with the product before the segments debuted. Beef Products Inc. must show that ABC and Avila made defamatory implications or statements, and that they either knew the
AP Photo/Nati Harnik, File
This March 29,2012,file photo,shows the beef product that critics call “pink slime” during a plant tour of Beef Products Inc.in South Sioux City,Nebraska.Beef Products Inc. sued ABC in 2012. statements were false or acted with reckless disregard for the truth. The company also must prove that ABC hurt Beef Products Inc.. The actual damages Beef Products Inc. is seeking could be as high as $1.9 billion, according to a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filing from Disney, which owns ABC. Beef Products Inc. also is seeking “treble” damages, or triple the amount, under South Dakota’s Agricultural Food Products Disparagement Act and punitive damages. The trial in state court is scheduled to last until late July.
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July 2017 — Issue I
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News
Keep it clean
Aquatic vegetation management in ponds By RoBeRt FeaRs Special to The Eagle
D
ue to other demanding tasks on the ranch, pond or tank maintenance often is overlooked; yet, there are economic and health reasons for moving aquatic vegetation management further up the priority list. Where there is a body of water, aquatic vegetation will grow. Aquatic vegetation identification and management was discussed by Todd Sink of the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service during the December Farm and Ranch Seminar. Most of the information in this article was taken from Sink’s presentation. There are several economic reasons for aquatic vegetation management, but one of the most important is reduction of water loss. For instance, cattails increase water loss by 75 to 80 percent, whereas invasive species such as water hyacinth can increase such loss 200 t0 300 percent. A combination term, evapotranspiration, is used to describe water loss processes. Evaporation occurs when water changes to vapor from various surfaces such as ponds and soil. Transpiration is the process in which plants take water into their systems and expel it as vapor from their leaves. Aquatic vegetation provides breeding habitat for noxious insects including mosquitoes and midges. Reduction of mosquito populations is an important practice because of
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Photos courtesy of Robert Fears
Above: Aquatic vegetation is not normally considered a problem until it covers 25 to 30 percent of the pond. On the cover: Arundo cane or giant reed is an introduced plant that is very aggressive in its growth.
the disease organisms they transport. Hunan diseases spread by mosquitos include West Nile and Zika viruses, yellow and Dengue fever, and malaria. Livestock and companion
animal diseases transmitted by mosquitos include four types of equine encephalitis, dog heartworm, and Rift Valley and West Nile viruses. Fish and wildlife habitat often is
July 2017 — Issue I
improved through aquatic vegetation management, resulting in increased size and condition of fish.
See VEGETATION, Page 13
The Land & Livestock Post
News Vegetation, from Page 12 Preventing a pond from becoming choked with vegetation enhances recreational activities such as swimming, fishing and hunting. Tremendous resilience and invasiveness of aquatic plants occur because of their ability to propagate in several different ways. They primarily reproduce by fragments, roots and vegetative shoots. To a lesser extent, they are propagated by seed. Aquatic vegetation not only is flood tolerant, its fragments are spread by flowing water. The plants also are drought tolerant.
Plant identification
The first critical step in managing aquatic vegetation is to learn to recognize the different plant types, which include algae, floating, submerged and emergent. Normally an aquatic vegetation infestation consists of more than one species and possibly more than one type. It is fairly easy to distinguish between aquatic plant types if you know their basic characteristics. Algae are primitive, nonseed producing plants and have no roots, stems or true leaves. They are identified by pulling plants from the water. If the plants don’t have roots, they are algae. Three types of algae are planktonic, filamentous and macro-algae. Planktonic algae are microscopic floating plants that are normal and essential inhabitants of sunlit surface waters. Filamentous algae are stringy or hair-like and form mats. Macro-algae resemble vascular plants.
Photo courtesy of Robert Fears
Benny’s Pool - Filamentous algae is the number one aquatic plant problem in Texas.
Filamentous algae are the number one aquatic plant problem in Texas because it is widespread, aesthetically unpleasing, not beneficial to fish and hinders recreational activities. Chemical control options include chelated copper complexes, diquat, or copper sulphate. One common group of macro-algae is chara, a green alga with stem-like and leaf-like structures. Chara often is called muskgrass or skunkweed because of its foul, skunk-like odor. It is controlled with chelated copper complexes or copper sulfate. A second macro-algae are nitella (stonewort). They do not flower and will not extend above the water surface. Nitella often has no odor, but when it does, the algae smell muddy. The plants are not gritty or coarse to the touch, like Chara. All parts of a floating plant float with no attachment to the pond bottom. Floating plants can be identified by moving your hand through the water under the plant. If you don’t touch anything, connecting the plant to the bottom, it is a floating plant. Examples of floating plants and their control are listed in Table 1. Long-lasting, systemic herbicides listed in Table 1 for duckweed, watermeal and water hyacinth control are very expensive. These treatments can cost as much as $1,800 per acre and only kill the vegetative portions
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The Land & Livestock Post
July 2017 — Issue I
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July 2017 — Issue I
The Land & Livestock Post
News WATER, from Page 13 of plants. They did not affect seed, but they offer the best opportunity for eradicating these plants from a pond. Ducks and tilapia are good for cleanup following lower cost, contact herbicide treatments, but there are issues in using them for total control. One acre of duckweed is estimated to require 208 ducks for total control. Tilapia consume duckweed, watermeal and mosquitofern (Azolla sp.) but are not effective for control of most other aquatic vegetation. These fish are a tropical species that cannot survive in water temperatures below 50 degrees Fahrenheit. They usually cannot be stocked before mid-April or May and will die in November or December in most parts of Texas. Contact herbicides listed for water hyacinth control in Table 1, including diquat, are more reasonable in cost. The greatest threat of water hyacinth is that it increases evapotranspiration loss by 200 to 300 percent. Submerged plants are mostly underwater and are rooted with flaccid stems. Pull a plant from the water. If it falls over rather than staying erect, it most likely is a submerged plant. Submerged plant examples and their controls are listed in Table 2. Identification of submerged plant species can be confusing. Egeria, elodea and hydrilla, for an example, are similar in appearance. Hydrilla and egeria are non-native and can be invasive, while elodea is a native plant. Hydrilla commonly is found, but egeria and elodea occur to a lesser extent. If you are unsure of the spe-
cies that is causing problems, diquat, endothall, fluridone or penoxsulam will control all three weeds. Grass carp provide effective biological control of these three species. Coontail is a very common aquatic submerged plant and is controlled with the herbicides listed in Table 2. Grass carp offer fair to good control of coontail, but will eat other types of preferred vegetation first. They are best used to clean up behind an herbicide treatment. Do not rake or cut coontail because these actions further spread the plant. Due to prolific vegetative growth, submerged plants form dense mats that hinder recreational activities. Eight to 14 tons of vegetation per surface acre may occur in water four to six feet deep. Care must be taken when using contact herbicides to control submerged vegetation. These herbicides rapidly kill plant cells upon contact. Many tons of rotting vegetation deplete dissolved oxygen and cause fish kills. This problem is diminished by treating no more than 25 to 30 percent of the pond at one time. Copper, endothall, flumioazin and diquat are contact herbicides. Fluridone, 2,4-D, glyphosate, triclopyr, imazapyr, imazamox and bispyribac-sodium are systemic herbicides. They are translocated throughout the plant and are slow-acting. Use only those glyphosate products labeled and specially formulated for aquatic systems. Some glyphosate products contain additives that are toxic to aquatic organisms. Emergent plants have stiff or rigid stems which are the identifying factors. Their up-
See ID, Page 16
The Land & Livestock Post
ď‚Ť
July 2017 — Issue I
15
News ID, from Page 15 per leaves and flowers stand above the water surface. Examples of emergent plants are listed in Table 3. Significant facts about some of the emergent aquatic plants are: • Alligatorweed is a nonnative plant. • Water primrose grows on land and in water with two different forms of growth. • Willow increases water evaporation by as much as 250 percent. • Species of water lilies include white or fragrant, banana or floating hearts, yellow lily or Mexican lily and spatterdock or cow lily. • Distinguishing between rushes and sedges may not be important, because glyphosate is the most cost effective treatment for both types of plants . • Annual water use of giant Reed or Arundo donax is approximately 150,000 acrefeet compared to slightly less than 40,000 acre-feet by native cane.
Control methods
Like most pest management, prevention of aquatic weeds is easier and more economical than controlling established populations. A fertilization program prevents rooted plants from establishing by shading the bottom. Another advantage of fertilization is that it creates a strong food chain for fish. Deepening pond edges to 2.5 to 3 feet decreases the ability of plants to root. Dyes shades the bottom as do fertilizers, but they do not enhance the food chain and should not be used where
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good fishing is a management goal. Grass carp, at five per surface acre, can prevent many species of aquatic plants from becoming established in a pond. Mechanical control of pond vegetation involves cutting or mowing plants. Remove cut vegetation to prevent spreading the plant. Cutting does not eliminate problem plants and the practice is expensive. If you like mowing your yard, you’re going to love mowing your pond. Control of some aquatic plants can be done effectively with fish, but all species used for biological control are non-native. Bacteria and fungi are used experimentally, but are not currently available to the public. Certain insects control aquatic vegetation and are used widely by state and federal agencies. These insects are not generally available to the public. Triploid grass carp (also called white amur) consume most submerged vegetation. A Texas Parks and Wildlife Department permit is required before they can be purchased. Department regulations also require an escapement barrier which prevent the fish from leaving the pond. Grass carp provide effective control of submerged vegetation for five to seven years and live for 10 to 12 years. Tilapia consume duckweed, Azolla and some filamentous algae. The one species that can be purchased legally is Mozambique and is the only herbivorous fish that doesn’t require a permit to stock in Texas. They are not effective in ponds with a
good bass population. This article provides only an overview of aquatic vegetation management. The following websites provide additional information: • aquaplant.tamu.edu • fisheries.tamu.edu The following two mobile apps offer sources of information as well: • itunes.apple.com/ us/app/aquaplant/
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July 2017 — Issue I
The Land & Livestock Post
News Multi-state cattle conference set for Aug. 1 in Lawton, Oklahoma By Kay LedBetter Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service
LAWTON, Oklahoma — Dualpurpose wheat and cattle grazing go hand in hand in the Rolling Plains of Texas and southwestern Oklahoma, said Emi Kimura, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service agronomist in Ve rnon. “The wheat market remains low, while expenses keep increasing,” Kimura said. “It is more important than ever for farmers and ranchers to efficiently utilize resources for profitable wheat and stocker cattle operations.” Producers will hear from experts on how to best manage these two commodities for maximum operational efficiency during the upcoming Cattle Trails Wheat and Stocker Cattle Conference, set for Aug. 1 at the Comanche County Fairgrounds Annex Building, 920 S.W. Sheridan Road, Lawton, Oklahoma. AgriLife Extension and the Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service jointly will host the conference from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Registration is $25 per person and includes educational materials, a noon meal and refreshments. Checks should be made payable to OSU Extension. Producers are encouraged to preregister by contacting their
Guard, from Page 9 to be about 600 acres per dog,” he said. “And depending on the dog and location, that ranged from 200 to 1,200 acres.” Tomecek also noted home ranges were not always one large area, saying, “It can be two areas separated by a wide gap, or have holes in it … usually dependent on where livestock would or would not be on a particular ranch.” He noted the dogs didn’t wear the collars all year long, and the collars were moved among the dogs. “We were able to use one col-
local AgriLife Extension county agent, Oklahoma Cooperative Extension county educator or the Southwest Oklahoma Area Extension office at 580-255-0546 or email Marty New at marty.new@ okstate.edu. Speakers and topics will include: • Trent Milacek, Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service northwest area agriculture economics specialist, Enid, Oklahoma, wheat and cattle market outlook. • Ted McCollum, AgriLife Extension beef cattle specialist, Amarillo, management methods to increase stocker production. • Kevin Prizlas, Merck Animal Health territory manager, Bowie, stress management considerations in stockers and weaning calves. • David Marburger, Oklahoma State University small grains Extension specialist in Stillwater, Oklahoma, dual-purpose wheat variety options. • Brian Arnall, Oklahoma State associate professor, Stillwater, soil fertility management in a forage or grain operation. Industry sponsors will have products on display during the event. For more information on the event or to download the registration form, go to bit.ly/2rXoJvp. lar’s beacon on one place to find a ‘missing’ dog that ended up still being very much on the job. Some sheep had broken away from the flock and he had stayed with them.” Redden said, “So bottom line is, with this particular scenario — ranchers new to livestock guardian dogs coupled with young dogs on unfamiliar and often rugged country — this unlikely combination can be a useful tool. But not all dogs work out, so we plan to continue to increase our understanding through multiple projects we have planned here in San Angelo at the AgriLife center,” Redden said.
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July 2017 — Issue I
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News
Barbecue Camp teaches finer aspects of smoking meat By Blair Fannin Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service
Who says summer camp is just for youth? At Texas A&M University, adults flocked by the hundreds to summer barbecue camp in College Station to find out how to cook great beef brisket, pork ribs, chicken and other cuts of meat suited best for the pit. Barbecue Summer Camp is so popular that a lottery system has been put in place to handle registration, according to organizers. The camp, sponsored by Foodways Texas and the meat science section of the Texas A&M department of animal science, is a must for those wanting to learn how to smoke meat Texas style. “This is the fifth of year of our barbecue summer camp,” said Davey Griffin, a meat specialist with the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and professor in animal science at Texas A&M. “The lottery system was put into place due to so much demand for people to come and learn more about barbecue. It just continues to grow.” Griffin said participants are from all walks of life and include people interested in getting into the barbecue business to those just wanting to learn how to smoke a better beef brisket. “We teach the science behind barbecue,” Griffin said. “We talk all about how to design a pit, build a fire, thermometers, spices and seasonings, how to develop seasonings to put on briskets, beef ribs and pork ribs. We talk about all of the cuts and which ones are good for cooking barbecue.” At the same time, those cuts are being smoked outside on campus as camp attendees participate in “heavy tasting.” “The last day of the course, participants talk about poultry and all of the poultry cuts,” Griffin said. “We even cook a whole pig on the pit. It’s a fun weekend full of protein. Hopefully people go away with a lot of information.
See BARBECUE, Page 19
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Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service photos by Blair Fannin
Left: Sliced beef brisket ready for serving at Summer Barbecue Camp.Above: Summer Barbecue Camp attendees inspect a pit used to smoke a whole hog.
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July 2017 — Issue I
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BARBECUE, from Page 18 “We get people from all over, even out of state. It’s just good social interaction, everybody gets to know everybody really well just like a family barbecue
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Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service photos by Blair Fannin
Above: Smoked sausage being sliced for serving at Summer Barbecue Camp.Above right: Davey Griffin,Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service meat specialist,discusses pit design at Summer Barbecue Camp.
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July 2017 — Issue I
WEDNESDAY, 1:00 PM Carl Herrmann 979.820.5349 Hank Herrmann 979.820.5277 Hwy 36 South, P.O. Box 542, Caldwell, TX 77836 Sale Barn Phone: (979) 567-4119
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News
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MOON RIVER RANCH | CHILTON, TEXAS 540± acres with complete event venue on the Brazos River near Waco. Accommodating up to 90 overnight guests, the ranch has served corporate retreats, reunions, weddings and celebrations. $5,600,000 TYLER JACOBS | 979.690.9933
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service photo by Blair Fannin
Bryan Bracewell, CEO of Southside Market & Barbecue, serves sliced brisket to Summer Barbecue Camp attendees.
Meat, from Page 19 and celebrate the diverse food cultures of Texas. “We are a group of Texans from all over ranging from farmers, ranchers, chefs, foodies and scholars as well,” he said. To attend the camp, individuals must be a member of Foodways Texas, then enter the registration lottery. “Before the lottery, the first time we offered this camp, we sold out within weeks,” he said. “It grew so fast the last last time we did an online registration, we
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sold out in 10 seconds,” Bendele said. “It’s been incredible. There are varying reasons people are here, a lot of it has to do with cooking brisket, but also talking about anatomy, grades and cuts of meats. “I think people want to pick up some tips on what they are buying and they get to rub elbows with some famous Texas pitmasters. I’ve done this eight times and I learn something new every time.” This year’s camp featured Texas pitmasters Kerry Bex-
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July 2017 — Issue I
The Land & Livestock Post
News Research shows protein on native grasslands in decline By AdAm Russell Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service
TEMPLE — There is an alarming trend on America’s rangelands due to grazing and changing climate, and it’s already costing producers almost $2 billion annually, according to recently published work by a Texas A&M AgriLife Research scientist in Temple. Jay Angerer, an AgriLife Research rangeland ecologist at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center in Temple, recently co-published “Long-term declines in dietary nutritional quality for North American cattle” in Environmental Research Letters with Joseph Craine of Jonah Ventures in Manhattan, Kansas, and Andrew Elmore of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science in Frostburg, Maryland. Their research outlines the falling dietary value of forages on unimproved native rangelands in the U.S. over the past two decades due to nutrient losses associated with grazing and changing climate. The researchers suggested in the publication that increased prevalence of drought, rising atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations and sustained nutrient loss from grazing “all have the potential to reduce cattle performance by reducing the nutritional quality of forage.” Angerer said the downward trend in nutritional value on rangelands poses a measurable concern for producers and consumers in the future. The publication notes grazing livestock such as sheep, goats, cattle and buffalo, provide 15 percent of the global human protein supply. The reduction in forage quality creates what Angerer and the other researchers labeled a “protein debt.” The contributing factors have led to cattle “becoming
increasingly stressed for protein over the past two decades, likely reducing cattle weight gain.” The research estimates it costs producers an additional $1.9 billion annually to meet the U.S. cattle herd’s protein needs with supplemental feed. “There are financial implications for producers and eventually the consumer,” he said. “Producers already have enough to worry about, and if their supplemental feed costs go up, their margin shrinks, and that may lead to a decision on whether to stay in the business or get out.” Between 1994 and 2015, the Grazing Animal Nutrition Lab at the Temple center collected 36,000 manure samples from cattle in the U.S. that were measured for dietary quality. The Grazing Animal Nutrition Lab’s short-term goal is to estimate a producer’s forage quality, especially crude protein and total digestible nutrients, using manure samples to help him or her optimize supplemental feeding regimens, Angerer said. The lab receives and tests samples from various livestock producers from throughout the U.S., including sheep, donkeys, cattle and wildlife such as white-tailed deer. Over the years, researchers have dialed in equations and parameters to determine forage quality based on manure samples, the animal, the breed and other factors that help the lab give producers or consultants the information to provide the correct amount and type of supplemental feed throughout the year. “If producers are looking for optimization, it’s better to look at a number and not a range of numbers,” Angerer said. But the long-term look at information provided by the manure samples showed that digestible organic matter and crude protein quality are declining. Over 20 years, available crude protein de-
The Land & Livestock Post
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service photo by Adam Russell
Manure samples arrive at the Grazing Animal Nutrition Lab at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center in Temple. The manure samples are analyzed to show producers the nutrient quality of their forages.Thousands of samples collected over the past 20 years have shown long-term declines in nutritional value in native forages on America’s grasslands. creased 1 percent which amounts to an average 10-pound loss per head without supplemental feed. The U.S. had 86 million cattle that were not on feed, including 27 million calves, in July 2015, according to the study. Angerer said potential losses depend on the rangeland, the animal’s production stage, growth, lactation, gestation, the season, temperatures and other factors that could increase the amount of supplemental feed to make up for the crude protein losses. Enriching native grasslands with nitrogen is discussed in the study, but fertilizing millions of acres would be counterproduc-
July 2017 — Issue I
tive, Angerer said, so producers face higher supplemental feed costs or the cost of establishing improved pastures for grazing. “These aren’t large differences after 20 years, but if that trend continues for 60 years it might get into something that makes a large difference for production capacity,” Angerer said. The study concluded the protein debt is likely to grow “if the drivers of the reduction of protein in plants cannot be identified and reversed, or adaptation strategies enacted” and could lead to net losses in cattle production. In 2010, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources
Conservation Service ramped up its conservation stewardship program that provides incentives to producers who participate in the studies. Angerer said participation in the conservation service program is picking up. Last year, producers turned in 19,000 samples for analysis. Most samples originate from the Great Plains area. Most participating producers send in six samples per year. The samples will continue to be analyzed to assist producers’ supplemental feeding programs, added to the long-term forage quality study and held in storage for future research.
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July 2017 — Issue I
The Land & Livestock Post
News
New facility offers hands-on pest control training DALLAS — A new training facility for pest management professionals has opened its doors at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center, Dallas, where entomologists converted a graduate student dormitory into what they now call “ground zero for pest control training in Texas.” The facility is called IPM Experience House after the science-based approach to pest control known as integrated pest management. “When it comes to ridding your home of pests, there are two risks,” said Mike Merchant, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service urban entomologist, Dallas. “There are health and safety risks from pests and there are potential health risks from pesticides.” The goal of integrated pest management, he said, is to use scientific knowledge about a pest’s biology to get rid of it
while keeping people and the environment safe. IPM Experience House is designed to lead pest control technicians through problem-solving scenarios in mock commercial and residential settings. Studying alongside AgriLife Extension entomologists, students learn about pest habits, habitats and biology. Classes review the best practices for controlling pests using methods beyond pesticides — methods that consider human health and environmental impacts. “With all pests we usually have multiple ways to address the problem,” Merchant said. “For example, with bedbug control, we use heat, vacuuming, steaming and barriers. It’s not the old way of just coming in with a sprayer; it’s a lot more sophisticated today.” He said the developing facility soon will feature working examples of a commercial kitchen, a nursing home patient room, a restaurant dining area, a hotel room, a
The Land & Livestock Post
By GaBe Saldana Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service
July 2017 — Issue I
residential living room and outdoor structures for termite treatment education, including a landscape of diverse regional plant life. IPM Experience House came online in part through donations by pest control businesses and trade organizations. Major teaching goals revolve around accurate identification of pests, control needs at specific sites and the importance of integrated control measures, Merchant said. “Texans invite pest control professionals into their homes all the time with the assumption they’ve hired someone who knows what they’re doing. We want to see the industry better justify their customers’ confidence.” Merchant, himself a former pest control technician, said many industry professionals, especially those entering the trade, receive little if any training beyond what they learn on the job. “I remember a week of driving around with a fellow technician being shown what
to do and then I was on my own,” he said. “A lot of it is sink or swim.” He pointed out many companies provide in-house training, some of which is “very good,” but that IPM Experience House provides a “systematic, biology-based approach to training”. “New technicians work in an environment designed to teach pest biology and pesticide chemistry and to provide a better understanding of products and techniques than they would just by having their buddies train them,” Merchant said. “It’s a real-world setting where new pest control technicians can hone their skills and learn about how to use pesticides and pest control techniques safely and around people, their pets and kids,” “We’re still letting the industry know we’re here,” Merchant said. “Hopefully, as word gets out that we have a nice industry resource, we’ll get more companies to send their employees to us throughout the year.”
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July 2017 — Issue I
The Land & Livestock Post