April March 2014 2014 —— Issue Issue 12
Full of beans
Planting warm-season legumes benefits pastures
PAGE 16
PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID BRYAN, TX 77802 PERMIT # 23
CONSUMER CONFIDENCE
USING ANTIBIOTICS WELL
PAGE 5
PAGE 13
SEEKING GREEN ACRES
SPIRITED AGRICULTURE
Beef Quality Assurance boosts beef experience.
Dr. Wikse discusses stopping pneumonia deaths.
FFA works to attract city teens.
Texas family turns cowpeas into premium vodka.
PAGE 9
PAGE 20
2
April 2014 — Issue 1
The Land & Livestock Post
News
I
From the General Manager
looked back over my last column, and I got a little hostile. Sorry about that, I guess I can’t handle the pressure of house-hunting as well as I thought I could. But, the valve’s been twisted and some of that pressure is abated because we found a house! Now, before I get into the rest of my column, I want to let each and every one of you readers know how special you are to me. Some of you I know, some I’ve never met, but I consider each and every one of you — especially those with strong backs, pick-up trucks or flat bed trailers — to be an important part of my life. I hope I’m an important part of your life as well. So, back to the house.
When you buy a new house, I’ve heard you have to move out of the old one. I’m not a materialistic guy, but I am rather fond of my worldly possessions and I guess I’d like to take them with me to my new home. Is there anything more fun than moving? I mean, it is just the best thing. ... JESSE WRIGHT I can’t do it. I was going to try to Tom Sawyer you all into helping me move, but I just can’t. I’d rather someone ask me for a kidney than ask me to help them move. This is a rule I adopted years ago: “Don’t ask me to help you move, I won’t ask you to help me.”
It’s gone rather well up to this point. Before I moved into this house I’m moving out of now, everything I owned fit nicely in the bed of an F-150. But after getting married and adding two kids to the mix, things have piled up. It all still may fit in the bed of the F-150, but it’s going to take about 20 trips, at the very least. Still, I don’t regret my rule. With my luck, the second I let my guard down and ask for help, the person who helped me would be set to move the next week, with two sleeper-sofas, a gun safe and a loaded deepfreeze. So, I’ll strain my back and move as much of my own stuff myself as I can. Then, perhaps even more
painful, I’ll pull out my wallet and pay someone to help me. We all need a little help sometimes, and in this issue we look at how warm-season forages actually can help you keep from having to pull out that wallet. In our cover story, we look at the advantages to planting legumes and what type may be best for your neck of the woods. Keeping with the forage theme, I found a story about a Texan who found a way to turn a field full of cowpeas into a night of bad decisions. You’ll have to read the story to find out how. We also have some advice on restocking as well as some good news about youth in agriculture. This combined with a few other stories, sprinkled in with
our regular features should make for a pretty good issue. Hope you enjoy it. Come by our booth at the TSCRA convention, and be sure to sign up for our e-newsletter. And, as always — whether you help me move or not — thanks for reading. ’Til next time,
• For more information about content or advertising, contact Jesse Wright at jesse.wright@theeagle.
Your SOURCE for Top Quality Registered and Commercial Brangus Cattle Proud Members of
Circle Land & Cattle Co., Ltd.
Bobcat Bottoms Ranch • Persimmon Creek Ranch • Camp Cooley Ranch Spring Valley Ranch • Windy Hill Ranch • Vista Ridge Ranch
The Land & Livestock Post
April 2014 — Issue 1
located just off Hwy. 6 and OSR 1415 East OSR • Bryan, Texas 77808 Office: (979) 776-5760 • Fax: (979) 776-4818 Website: www.circlexbrangus.com Steve Densmore, Cattle Mgr., (979) 450-0819, cell • (979) 778-1055, home Chris Duewall, Operations Mgr., (979) 777-6803, cell
3
News Agricultural law blog serves as educational resource for Texas By Blair Fannin Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service
Tiffany Dowell, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service economist and agricultural law specialist in College Station, has seen her Texas Agriculture Law Blog continue to gain popularity due to timely topics addressing issues affecting landowners across the Lone Star State. “I continue to field many questions over the phone or at workshops dealing with oil and gas leases, as well as water law across Texas,” Dowell said. “Questions about pasture and hunting leases are also popular. To keep the latest updated information flowing on these topics, as well as others, the agricultural law blog is a central source of information that serves as a good reference.” The law blog can be found online at agrilife.org/texasaglaw/. It features a number of different topics, including updates on current ag-related litigation and events, information about basic laws in Texas, and information on specific legal issues such as pipeline easements and leasing. In January, the blog had more than 2,100 visitors. The source serves not only farmers and ranchers, but other Texas landowners as well, she said. Site visitors can access information online or sign up for email subscriptions receiving the latest information as soon as it’s posted to the site. “Every Friday I provide a roundup of the week’s hot topics and news with links to more information,” Dowell said. She also incorporates questions she receives via email and telephone calls and, while respecting confidentiality, shares those questions and answers with readers. Some of the most recent topics Dowell has addressed in the blog include: • Underground trespassing
4
— Earlier this month, the Texas Supreme C o u r t heard oral arguments in a case that could determine whether Texas recognizes underground TIFFANY DOWELL trespassing. This case involves a landowner drilling an injection well used to dispose of wastewater one mile underground, which then crossed over property lines to a rice farmer’s neighboring land. The case could have major impacts on the oil and gas industry and landowner rights. The Texas Supreme Court currently is considering the case and no decision has been issued. • interaction of rights between surface owners and mineral owners — Dowell has addressed what rights the surface owner has in the event the minerals have been leased and an oil company wants to drill on the land. Other topics Dowell has previously addressed include eminent domain and water law. “Water law continues to be a hot topic,” Dowell said. “This along with pasture leases is what I’ve been doing a lot of presentations on across the state.” Prior to joining AgriLife Extension in 2013, Dowell was an associate attorney with the law firm of Peifer, Hanson and Mullins in Albuquerque, N.M. She received her law degree from the University of New Mexico School of Law and bachelor of science in agribusiness from Oklahoma State University. Dowell g rew up on a family farm and ranch in New Mexico. “Agricultural law has always been my interest and my background has prepared me well for this type of work,” she said.
BRAHMAN BULLS/HEIFERS Registered Gray Brahmans • F1 Brafords
ALL TYPES OF STRUCTURAL STEEL & PIPE Steel Buildings 979-589-2333 1-866-959-2333 pioneerboys.com
22 – 24 Month Old Open Brahman Heifers Ready to Breed. Good Selection of Gentle Breeding Age Bulls Available. Anthony Kubicek (979) 324-7391 cell. (979) 567-4201 ranch. Email: RoyalKRanch@yahoo.com
Cleere Earthworks L.L.C. TEXAS A&M CLASS OF ‘02
www.cattleman bullsale.com
DEER • RANCH RANCH FARM COMMERCIAL RESIDENTIAL
Bud
Land Clearing • Ponds • Roads • Pads Dozer • Excavator • Scraper • Dump Truck
979-324-8746 Travis Cleere www.cleereearthworks.com
Bryan Office BryanCredit Credit Office 3000 Briarcrest Ste 101 979.775.0404 877.775.0404 979.775.0404 || 877.775.0404 CapitalFarm Credit.com CapitalFarmCredit.com
dy Micklitz
C 979.218.8674 979.779.0420 H 979.779.0420 979.218.8674 call for appointment or
micklitz@verizon.net FENCES
BARNS
PENS GAME FENCES CUSTOM BUILDINGS LINK STALLS CHAIN REMODELS
Cattle & Domestic Hog Processing Theiss Sausage Company
Get Your Name
Out There
Normangee, TX 936-396-9300
www.theisssausageco.com
To advertise in MarketplaceContact:
Jesse Wright 979.731.4721
jesse.wright@theeagle.com
April 2014 — Issue 1
The Land & Livestock Post
News Beef Quality Assurance improves consumer experience By RoBeRt Wells The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation
Ensuring a quality beef-eating experience starts at the ranch when the calf is born and continues until the steak is presented to the consumer as a cooked product. Every segment of the beef industry has a role in ensuring a quality dining experience. A national program called Beef Quality Assurance was developed more than 25 years ago to help producers increase the quality of beef they produce by educating ranchers and their employees on the importance of proper management and adhering to industry-accepted guidelines. This program also raises consumer confidence by asssuring the public that USA beef is the safest and most nutritious beef available. Beef Quality Assurance starts at the ranch. Ranchers care for their cattle daily and strive to provide a healthy and safe environment for their livestock. Producers need to make sure that their employees and guests on the ranch also care about the cattle. One way to do this is for ranch workers to be Beef Quality Assurance-certified and learn the importance of proper injection techniques, product handling and storage, and livestock handling and transportation, as well as the importance of documentation. Many ranchers ask if being
Beef Quality Assurance-certified will make them any more money when they sell their calves. The short answer is that by being certified you are ensuring that the cattle have received the proper care and treatment that the industry and consumers expect. This certification may promote the buyer to bid more for your calves since he knows that you understand the importance of Beef Quality Assurance and all that it entails. He also may assume that, since you have taken the time to become Beef Quality Assurance-certified, you have gone above and beyond for the rest of your calves’ management. Additionally, the more producers who become certified, the better the industry is able to tell our story and represent the American rancher to the consumer. Furthermore, ranchers need to educate all guests on the importance of being sure the cattle stay safe while they are on the ranch. It is rare that foreign objects are found in cattle at the packing plant, but it is important to reduce even the potential of this happening. Beef Quality Assurance has been an industry standard since 1986 as a way to reduce foreign residues in the beef supply. This is an industry initiative that more producers should embrace. Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica Inc. is making it easy by offering to pay for your certification until April 15. To do so, visit www.bivi-bqa.com, then type in the access code BIVIBQA.
Special to The Post
Cattle & Domestic Hog Processing Theiss Sausage Company Normangee, TX 936-396-9300
www.theisssausageco.com
The Land & Livestock Post
ď‚Ť
April 2014 — Issue 1
5
6
April 2014 — Issue 1
The Land & Livestock Post
News TDA seeks applications to honor Texas family farms and ranches Special to The Post
AUSTIN — Continuing a proud tradition of honoring hard-working Texas farmers and ranchers, Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples in February invited families to apply for the Texas Department of Agriculture’s Family Land Heritage program. The program recognizes family farms and ranches that have been in continuous agricultural production by the same family for at least 100 years. Applications are due May 1. “Family farms and ranches are the backbone of Texas agriculture,” Staples said. “Currently, more than 98 percent of all farms and ranches in Texas are family-owned. Recognizing this enduring commitment to Texas agriculture is what makes the Family Land Heritage program so special. “Through generations of hard work, perseverance and love of the land, these families have operated their farms and ranches for 100 years or more, making Texas a $100 billion powerhouse of agricultural productivity.” The 2014 Family Land Heritage ceremony will be held this fall at the Texas Capitol in Austin,
where the Texas Department of Agriculture will recognize farms and ranches established in 1914 or earlier. Eligible farms and ranches still must be owned and operated by the descendants of the founder, either through blood, marriage or adoption. At least 10 acres of the land must be in continuous agricultural production for the past 100 years or more. There is no cost to apply for the recognition. To date, the Texas Department of Agriculture has recognized more than 4,800 properties in 237 counties across Texas. In 2000, the Family Land Heritage program began honoring families for 150 and 200 years of continuous agricultural production. Since then, 133 farms and ranches have been recognized for 150 years of operation and six ranches have been honored for 200 years of operation. Applications for the 2014 Family Land Heritage recognition are available for download at www. TexasAgriculture.gov by clicking the Family Land Heritage icon in the middle section of the home page. For more information, email Jill Selman at Jill. Selman@TexasAgriculture.gov.
CALDWELL LIVESTOCK COMMISSION
REGULAR SALE EVERY
WEDNESDAY, 1:00 PM Carl Herrmann (979)820-5349 Hwy 36 South, P.O. Box 542, Caldwell, TX 77836 Sale Barn Phone: (979) 567-4119
The Land & Livestock Post
April 2014 — Issue 1
7
News
AgriLife Extension unveils feral hog management app By Steve ByrnS Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service
For many farmers and ranchers, it may seem as though feral hogs are well on their way to taking over the country. But now at least, the new app, “Feral Hog Management,” developed by the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, is here to help landowners learn the legal strategies available to impede this apparently unending flow of unwanted porcine invaders. “Feral hogs are fast becoming the number one single most destructive invasive species threatening agriculture and wildlife in the U.S.,” said Mark Tyson, AgriLife Extension wildlife and fisheries associate at College Station. “They contribute to poor water quality issues, disturb native ecosystems, and wreak havoc on landscapes and gardens. “Their growing numbers are now making them a menace on our roadways, with collision damage often exceeding several thousands of dollars per incident. “Even as they become ‘public enemy No. 1,’ their population relentlessly continues to explode. “In Texas alone, their numbers are now estimated at a conservative 2.6 million head, with $52 million in damages chalkedup to them annually. And, with an estimated 134 million acres of suitable habitat in Texas for feral hogs, their skyrocketing
8
Photo courtesy of Texas A&M AgriLife Extension
Feral Hog Management, a new app developed by the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, is here to help landowners deal with feral hogs. numbers are ripe for some major expansion.” For 99 cents, Tyson said the AgriLife Extension app, available at itunes.apple.com/us/ app/feral-hog-manag ement/ id784847089?mt=8, provides landowners with the key to a wealth of the very best information now available on various control measures. “This app, which is compatible with iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch, gathers years of sciencebased information and field experience from a host of sources into a single easy-to-use format right at your fingertips,” Tyson said. “The app provides valuable features, notably control methods like snare-building and strategic shooting, as well as bait recipes and trap design. The visuals are outstanding, with the vivid photographs providing users with the detailed examples many of us need to help us further understand the management practices outlined. “With the information in this app alone, a landowner could conceivably identify, plan and implement a highly effective feral hog management plan to rid his property of feral hogs and, with vigilance, keep it hog-free.” For more information, contact Tyson at 979-845-4698 or Mark.Tyson@ag.tamu.edu.
April 2014 — Issue 1
The Land & Livestock Post
News
Saturday, April 5, 2014 • Noon
Groesbeck Auction & Livestock Co., Groesbeck, Texas (Located 2 miles east of Groesbeck on Hwy. 164) 1,350 Head of Quality Replacement Females Including Pairs, Bred Cows, Bred & Open Heifers
For more information please call: 903/599-2403 or 817/291-5121
Certified F-1s, True F-1s, Brangus, Herefords, Brahmans and other Premier quality replacements
AP Photo/The Courier, Alan Warren
Cinco Ranch’s Kaylen Senogles hugs Brandon Homann after he sold his Reserve Champion Hog during the 2014 Katy sSchool district FFA Livestock Show & Rodeo on Feb.22.
This is a very choice set of replacement cattle consigned by leading commercial ranches throughout Texas. Cattle will be palpated and sold in uniformly sorted groups to fit any cattlemans’s needs.
FFA looks to teens to broaden its appeal
The Land & Livestock Post
J
N
OHNSO CATTLE MARKETING
April 2014 — Issue 1
Mexia HWY. 84
Waco
Groesbeck
HWY. 6 &164
Marlin
HWY. 6
Buffalo HWY. 164
5
See TEENS, Page 10
Motel Accommodations
Groesbeck - Express Inn & Suites, 254-729-3017 Groesbeck - Best Western, 254-729-0077 Mexia - Holliday Inn Express, 254-562-0005
I-4
HOUSTON — “Annabelle,” declared the wooden name plaque hanging over the heifer’s stall. Lauren Campbell, a sophomore at The Woodlands High School, cooed and rubbed the Red Brangus’ nose as if the 1,100-pound beast were a kitten. “Don’t lick,” she commanded. Annabelle paid no attention, her big, rough tongue heading
for Campbell’s face. Campbell laughed. Annabelle, she said, has a “diva personality”: tempestuous under normal circumstances, but all business when it’s showtime. When Campbell parades Annabelle past judges at the Houston Livestock Show, she expected the heifer to behave. Campbell, a suburban kid, is what the FFA — formerly Future Farmers of America — calls
I-35
By LISA GRAY Houston Chronicle
Tom Johnson
440 FM 246 • Wortham, TX 76693 903-599-2403 •Mobile 817-291-5121 Listings of sale cattle will be available online March 27th at www.johnsoncattlemarketing.com
9
News Teens, from Page 9 a “nontraditional member.” Increasingly, the group is securing its future by making itself appealing to members such as Campbell. In November, the Texas FFA Association logged more than 100,000 members, setting a record, not just for Texas, the biggest FFA state in the union, but for any state in the country. Despite ag-teacher cutbacks in many urban districts, nontraditional FFA chapters and students abound. School districts such as Katy and Galena Park operate agriculture facilities (read: barns) so that suburban FFA members have a place to raise their livestock. And the Texas county with the most FFA members? It’s Harris — home to Houston, Texas’ largest city and the site of the world’s biggest livestock exhibition. Campbell is one of roughly 10,200 FFA members who compet-
ed at this year’s livestock show. (Another 6,000 or so are members of 4H.) The vast majority of those kids, said Leroy Shafer, livestock show chief operating officer, are rural, reflecting the FFA’s roots. When the organization was born in 1928, nearly two-thirds of Texans lived on farms or ranches. These days, fewer than 17 percent of the state’s students are from rural areas. In 1988 the group re-branded itself as the National FFA Organization. The idea wasn’t that farming had no future. It was, as the FFA website explains, to “reflect the growing diversity of agriculture.” These days, members aren’t just future farmers, but also future biologists, wildlife managers,florists,mechanicsandsmallanimal lab managers. (Campbell plans either to be a large-animal vet or an ag teacher.) Urban and suburban schools, where lots of members don’t raise animals, are said to be particularly strong in
the FFA’s “leadership events” — competitions in areas such as “public speaking” and “job interview.” “I tell kids that it’s like KFC,” said Kevin Berrigan, one of two ag teachers at The Woodlands College Park High. “It used to be Kentucky Fried Chicken. But they wanted to be a little more modern.” Annabelle lives at the Conroe school district’s ag facility, which is shared by two high schools, The Woodlands High and The Woodlands College Park. In summer, Campbell spent five hours a day with her calf, teaching it to walk on a halter. Now that school is in session, it’s Campbell’s dad who stops by the barn to feed Annabelle most weekday mornings. (FFA dads joke that the letters stand for “Fathers Feeding Animals.”) But Campbell is hardly off the hook: She spends an hour and a half to
See FFA, Page 14
Do you have your Boyd Built Feeder?
AP Photo/The Courier, Alan Warren
• Fully assembled and ready to use. • Made of heavy-duty materials to withstand the toughest conditions. • Used all over the Southwest for over 40 years. • 1,500 lb. to 60,000 lb. capacity. • Feeders to meet all your feeding needs. • Available at:
Morton Ranch's Emma Fletcher spends some time with her lamb during the 2014 Katy FFA Livestock Show & Rodeo auction at the L.D. Robinson Pavilion on Feb. 22.
Now with Catwalks!
Boyd Industries, Inc.
Phone: (800) 611-3540
Fax: (940)-433-8540
www.BoydBuilt.com
10
April 2014 — Issue 1
The Land & Livestock Post
Saturday, APRIL 5 • 1 p.m. Madisonville, TX Complimentary Lunch served at NOON
Selling 80+ Head as 67 Limousin, Lim-Flex & Angus Lots TMCK CASUAL 28Y
9 Haltered Show Heifers 1 Angus Show Heifer 2 Donors 2 Herd-Sire Prospects 16 Spring-Calving Pairs 34 Bred Females 3 Three-In-One Splitting Pairs
4/12/11 • HB/P • 75% Lim-Flex AHCC WestWind W544 x BLEL Casual 646S CE: 6 BW: 3.0 WW: 63 YW: 117 MA: 20 CM: 3 SC: 0.8 Selling Half Interest, No Possession. A proven donor and dam of the Div. I Ch. Lim-Flex Female at the 2014 NWSS, TMCK Applause 301A, owned by Englewood Farms & Tubmill Creek Farms.
CFLX LUCY 005Z
7/27/12 • HB/HP • 75% Lim-Flex DHVO Trey 133R x VVLC Black Lucy 416R CE: 7 BW: 1.4 WW: 38 YW: 71 MA: 14 CM: 0 SC: 0.3 ClassWinner, 2014 NWSS Jr. Show • AI’d 12/29/13 to LH U Haul. Pulled from the heart of our showstring, we hate to let this one go. She is a full sister to the 2011 AALF Champion Lim-Flex Female, EF Xpect The Best, from Etherton Farms.
Her daughter, Applause 301A.
CFLX BLACK ROBIN 288Z
10/15/12 • HB/P • 75% Lim-Flex CFLX Wild Card x BOHI Red Robin 282R CE: 7 BW: 2.4 WW: 63 YW: 111 MA: 26 CM: 4 SC: 0.6 Donor Prospect. Selling half interest with the option to double up.
AI’d 12/29/13 to LH U Haul.
A full sister, Xpect The Best.
Our friends at DeMar Farms will also have 12 feature lots in the offering. The 10 open show prospects will be eligible for the Lone Star Shoot-Out and Run For The Roses. Expected Lone Star Shoot-out purse $10,000. Expected Run For The Roses purse $2,000.
CFLX TOWN GIRL 307A
2/28/13 • HB/HP • 63% Lim-Flex CFLX Woodstock 784W x Wulfs Talk Of The Town CE: 1 BW: 4.4 WW: 55 YW: 96 MA: 14 CM: -1 SC: 0.5 Open Show Heifer • By our junior herd sire, CFLX Woodstock, a flushmate to the MOE Silver Medal Female, MAGS Woodstock.
CFLX 218A
4/7/13 • HB/DP (test pending) • 50% Lim-Flex LH Rodemaster 338R x BOHI Red Robin 282R Proj—CE: 14 BW: 0.3 WW: 61 YW: 112 MA: 31 CM: 8 SC: 0.5 He is a full brother to the proven AI sire, MAGS UR A Robin.
Sale Management:
Contact us for a complimentary sale catalog. View our catalog, pictures and videos on our website.
Keith Kissee • Cell: 817-821-6263 e-mail: kkseedstock@comcast.net www.kkseedstock.com
Bill Helton - 256/962-0256
OWNERS: JIM & CAROLE COUNSIL
Watch & Bid Live
The Land & Livestock Post
4/3/13 • HB/P • 50% Lim-Flex EF Xcessive Force x BOHI Rhonda 314R (deceased) CE: 11 BW: -0.7 WW: 40 YW: 85 MA: 32 CM: 3 SC: 0.2 This is the last opportunity to purchase BOHI Rhonda progeny as the great donor is now deceased.
Hotel space limited. Make reservations early. _____________________
SEEDSTOCK CONSULTANTS SPECIALIZED SALES
Consultant:
CFLX FORCE 211A
BQA II Certified Herd Certified Brucellosis- and TB-Free
April 2014 — Issue 1
21314 OSR • MADISONVILLE, TX 77864 KEVIN COUNSIL, SHOW BARN MGR. WWW.COUNSILFAMILYLIMOUSIN.COM JIM, CELL (281) 808-3473 • KEVIN, CELL (281) 808-5511
11
News LIVESTOCK MARKET REPORT Buffalo Results of the Buffalo Livestock Market’s March 8 sale: Head: 972 Steers: 150-200 lbs., $255-$295; 200-300 lbs., $230-$290; 300-400 lbs., $225-$290; 400-500 lbs., $200-$252; 500-600 lbs., $190$220; 600-700 lbs., $170-$195; 700-800 lbs., $160-$180. Heifers: 150-200 lbs., $225$290; 200-300 lbs., $200-$260; 300-400 lbs., $190-$255; 400500 lbs., $180-$240; 500-600 lbs., $160-$217; 600-700 lbs., $155$182; 700-800 lbs., $140-$167. Slaughter bulls: $100-$131. Slaughter cows: $65-$114. Bred cows: $975-$2,150. Cow/calf pairs: $1,100-$2,450.
Caldwell
Results of the Caldwell Livestock Commission’s March 12 sale: Head: 326 Steers: 200-300 lbs., $225-$265; 300-400 lbs., $240-$290; 400-500 lbs., $220-$270; 500-600 lbs., $200-$215; 600-700 lbs., $170$195; 700-800 lbs., $160-$175. Heifers: 200-300 lbs., $210$220; 300-400 lbs., $200-$230; 400-500 lbs., $180-$200; 500600 lbs., $160-$190; 600-700 lbs., $150-$185. Slaughter bulls: $106-$127. Slaughter cows: $66-$118. Stocker cows: $800-$1,500. Cow/calf pairs: $1,500-$1,900.
Head: 306 Steers: 300-400 lbs., $230$287; 400-500 lbs., $200-$260; 500-600 lbs., $180-$217; 600-700 lbs., $175-$190. Heifers: 300-400 lbs., $180$230; 400-500 lbs., $175-$220; 500-600 lbs., $170-$190; 600-700 lbs., $170-$180. Slaughter bulls: $100-$127. Slaughter cows: $82-$122. Stocker cows: $1,150-$1,900. Cow/calf pairs: $1,300-$2,300.
Head: 525 Steers: 300-400 lbs., $132$251; 400-500 lbs., $120-$235; 500-600 lbs., $125-$207; 600-700 lbs., $120-$191. Heifers: 300-400 lbs., $130$267; 400-500 lbs., $125-$201; 500-600 lbs., $125-$207; 600-700 lbs., $111-$191. Slaughter bulls: $91-$100. Slaughter cows: $65-$112. Stocker cows: $1,000-$1,600. Cow/calf pairs: $1,350-$2,100.
Milano
Navasota
Results of the Milano Livestock Exchange’s March 11 sale:
Results of the Navasota Livestock Auction Co.’s March 8 sale:
Head: 620 Steers: 150-300 lbs., $150$310; 300-400 lbs., $150-$275; 400-500 lbs., $125-$245; 500-600 lbs., $120-$207.50; 600-700 lbs., $115-$192.50. Heifers: 150-300 lbs., $135$270; 300-400 lbs., $130-$215; 400-500 lbs., $120-$210; 500600 lbs., $115-$200; 600-700 lbs., $115-$183. Slaughter bulls: $75-$126. Slaughter cows: $65-$114. Stocker cows: $950-$1,600. Cow/calf pairs: $1,300-$1,975. — Special to The Post
Groesbeck Results of the Groesbeck Auction and Livestock Exchange’s March 13 sale:
Young Cow Herd Brangus X Cows (7 pairs & 2 Heavy Breds) 1 Reg. Brangus Bull (4 yr old) Located in Robertson County call
979-814-0700 12
April 2014 — Issue 1
The Land & Livestock Post
Ask the Vet
Using antibiotic properly cuts pneumonia deaths
MEAT SERVICE
936-348-3868
O •R
B E RT S O N • L E Leon
S TO
N• B R A
Robertson
Tri nity
Madison Wal ker
Brazos
OU
H
Montgomery
D
Washington
You deserve to have your animal processed by a professional butcher with integrity. Don’t take our word for it, ask your neighbors. We are PROUD to let our REPUTATION speak for us!
San Jacint
Grimes
leson
RIMES • M •G A
Houston
ZO
S
m estone
N
• WA L K E R
•
See ANTIBIOTICS, Page 22
JARRETT’S O
The Land & Livestock Post
The 5 basic principles of successful antibiotic treatment of pneumonia in calves are start treatment early, treat with an effective antibiotic, give the proper antibiotic dose, treat long enough and avoid residues at slaughter. Our present arsenal of miraclemycin antibiotics make it relatively easy to select an effective antibiotic and follow label directions on proper dosage and
Processing Needs!
Metaphylactic antibiotic treatment
If your calves are lightweight and have an uncertain vaccination history, they would be classified as high-risk. Giving a dose of long-acting antibiotic on arrival to calves that have a high likelihood of breaking with pneumonia is called metaphylaxis. As a rule of thumb, this will reduce the number of cases of pneumonia in high-risk calves by 50 percent. All calves are treated with antibiotics on arrival because it’s not possible to identify
Therapeutic antibiotic treatment
avoidance of residues. These broad-spectrum antibiotics all are very effective. In addition, many of them maintain lung tissue concentrations for five days or more which is an adequate duration of treatment for pneumonia. Starting treatment early is dependent on a rancher’s acumen in spotting the clinical signs of calves in the beginning stages of pneumonia. Some people may think that the most important key to successful treatment of calf pneumonia is selection of the proper antibiotic. All of us seem enthralled by each new antibiotic and our nu-
For all Your
er Wall
The number of factors and interactions between factors that affect the occurrence of pneumonia and survival or death of affected calves make even disease researchers dizzy! The factors that affect success of treatment fall into three general categories: severity of disease, degree of resistance of the calf and how properly antibiotics are given. Severity of disease depends mainly on susceptibility of the calf, virulence of the infectious agents (viruses, bacteria, mycoplasma), and amount of exposure. Resistance of the calf is determined by its plane of nutrition, level of parasitism and degree of stress in its environment (general health), age, genetics and amount of specific immunity from vaccination.
es are not the only negative financial impacts of pneumonia. Steps to prevent pneumonia can be very cost-effective.
which calves will become ill. Some calves in early stages of pneumonia will be stoic and other calves that do not have pneumonia will look sick from the fatigue of transportation. It’s just tough to pull sick calves accurately. In a study involving 469 steers followed to slaughter, 35 percent were treated for pneumonia. Of the 35 percent treated, 78 percent had lung lesions at harvest indicating prior pneumonia. However, 68 percent of the steers never treated for pneumonia also had lung lesions at harvest. Calves with lung lesions had 0.13 lbs less daily gains than calves without lung lesions. This illustrates that death loss-
ON
Factors affecting treatment success
Proper administration of antibiotics depends on starting treatment early with an antibiotic that is effective, giving the correct dose and treating for a long enough number of days. It’s easy to see that using a strong antibiotic is just one piece of a complex puzzle. Thinking over how the various pieces apply to your calves this past winter will help you to Dr. STEVE understand why WIKSE you had a lower than usual success rate in treating pneumonia. A bird’s eye view of your calves in their pasture could point to management practices that will lower the number of pneumonia cases next winter and increase treatment success in calves that do get pneumonia. Are your calves parasitized? Is there shelter such as wind breaks in your pastures? Have your calves been vaccinated against respiratory pathogens? Are your calves young and small?
IS
Q
uestion: I’ve got a stocker operation in Falls County and this winter I lost more calves to pneumonia than I can remember. I know it was a cold winter, but too many calves died after I gave them strong antibiotics. Can you give me some tips on how to use these antibiotics better? Answer: Sure I can give you some guidelines for treatment of calves with pneumonia. First, I would like to discuss the risk factors that affect both the amount of pneumonia in a group of calves as well as the success rate in treatment of pneumonia cases. The beef cattle industry’s biggest disease problem is infectious bronchopneumonia, commonly called the bovine respiratory disease (BRD) complex.
Jarrett’s Meat Service 335 Crossroads•Madisonville, TX 936-348-3868
April 2014 — Issue 1
Centrally Located to YOUR County Fair! Present this
Coupon to
SAVE
25
$
CUSTOM PROCESSING CATTLE ONLY ONE COUPON PER CUSTOMER EXPIRES MAY 31, 2014
13
News FFA, from Page 10 two hours each evening feeding Annabelle dinner and cleaning her stall. Before her March 16 date with the judges, Annabelle enjoyed the bovine equivalent of a day at the spa: Campbell would brush and blow-dry her, clip her hooves and clean her feet. That’s not how most Woodlands high school students spend their time. “At my school most people are more focused on fashion,” Campbell told the Houston Chronicle (bit.ly/O1ZKiv). “They’re not like, ‘Let’s go pick up cow poop!’ They’re more like, ‘I gotta get my nails done.’” But at the Conroe school barn, it’s easy to see ag’s appeal. Like Campbell, the other teenagers are outdoorsy, wholesome-looking and enthusiastic: farm kids who just happened to grow up in master-planned communities. Madi Stankevitz, a freshman at The Woodlands High School, is raising three pigs, one dark cross and two light crosses. “His name’s Mo,” she said, motioning
to the dark cross, which weighs around 250 pounds. “His favorite treat is Tums, and he likes to have his belly scratched.” He’aven Menard and Abby Jones are best friends, both juniors at The Woodlands College Park. Menard is raising a goat; Jones, a Hampshire lamb. They plan to be roommates at Texas State University and join the collegiate FFA there. After graduation, they want to team-teach high-school agriculture classes — just as their own teachers. Berrigan, who is gung-ho about ag and FFA, makes that life seem thrilling. “Agriculture is the backbone of every great society,” he said. “FFA isn’t super-Hollywood. It’s real. It’s tangible. It’s pure Americana. “It’s what we’re supposed to be like.”
$5,350
$16,399
Brazos Valley Livestock Brazos Valley Livestock Commission, Inc. Commission, Inc.
Sales: Tuesdays @ 12 Noon 6097 East Hwy. 21 • Bryan, TX
(979) 778-0904 Rural Land Loans Country Home Loans Farm & Ranch Loans Livestock Loans Equipment Loans Operating Capital Leasing T E X A S’
14
L A R G E S T
Bryan Credit Office Office
E. 29th Street 3000 1714 Briarcrest Dr., Ste. 101 979.775.0404 || 877.775.0404 877.775.0404 979.775.0404 CapitalFarmCredit.com CapitalFarm Credit.com R U R A L
Zimmatic Systems, For Large Acreages, Center Pivots, Lateral Moves, Mobiles
Greenfield Mini Pivot, Designed To Irrigate 1 to 60 Acres.
L E N D E R
April 2014 — Issue 1
The Land & Livestock Post
News
Rangeland management is key to surviving drought By Kay LedBetter Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service
AMARILLO — Improved management adapted to changing rangeland conditions will be a key to surviving three back-toback years of drought, according to Tim Steffens, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service rangeland management specialist in Canyon. “We have just had three of the driest growing seasons in recorded history in a row,” said Steffens, who is also a West Texas A&M University assistant professor, at the recent Panhandle Ranch Management event. “We’ve had one of the driest falls. We’ve had one of the driest winters. “So this coming year, don’t be in any hurry to increase numbers until we find out for sure how much rain we’ve got, and how much grass we’re going to have that can respond to further rain showers later in the year.” Steffens warned that if grass starts in bad shape from last year, it probably will remain in trouble this year, even if it rains normally. “If we don’t get rain in the spring to get things started and have some grass growing by midJune, it’s probably not going to be a good year. “So by early July, you need to assess the conditions and make decisions then. Then look again in the fall and determine if you have enough grass and if you have had enough rain to take care of the grass.” Steffens said keys to management include providing adequate recovery for grass before grazing, which means letting the plants get a full complement of leaves before cattle regraze a plant.A grazing “system” that does not provide adequate recovery following grazing won’t do much good, he said. Whatever management strategy a rancher chooses, adequate recovery for severely defoliated plants and leaving enough residue after a grazing period “is
what is going to get you where you want to go.” Steffens said grazing decisions can prepare resources to respond favorably in the good times or not go down so far when things are not good. “Right now, I am not worried about weeds,” he said. “If it will grow, I’m tickled to death. Get something to cover up that ground, provide some shade, protect it from the wind, keep it from eroding and provide some cover so that something can grow later.” A few other items on his management list include: • Provide adequate regrowth for heavily defoliated plants, and do that every year, if possible. • Improve distribution — get the animals away from the places they are overusing and get them
The Land & Livestock Post
to places they are underusing. • Provide every opportunity for recruitment of new plants. Most plants in pastures reproduce vegetatively; they don’t have to come up from seed. But some areas may need more seed. “If you have to have the seed, try to get some. But I wouldn’t advise going out there and wasting money now trying to plant.” • Maintain stocking rate within carrying capacity. “If you are overstocked, I don’t care what you do, you are a numerical failure going in.” • Maintain or improve resilience of the plant community. A variety of plants in unstable conditions is a positive thing; there’s always something there to respond to rain. Steffens said feeding hay on rangeland does not stop over-
10th ANNUAL SPRING FEMALE & BULL REPLACEMENT SALE SAT. April 12th, 2014 10:00 A.M.
Early Consignments Include: • 35 Fancy, 2 yr. old Brangus Pairs • 10 2 yr. old Hereford Pairs • 20 3-5 yr. old Brangus Pairs • 25 4-6 yr. old Crossbred Pairs • 25 3-5 yr. old Brangus Bred Cows • 175 3-5 yr. old Crossbred Bred Cows • 40 Braford Open Heifers • 15 Charolais &Angus Bulls from Pat Griswold
Expecting 500+ Head Accepting Additional Consignments All Livestock must be received no later than Wednesday, April 9th at 5:00 p.m.
All consignments will be screened upon arrival.
FOR INFORMATION
Call 936-825-6545 or Greg Goudeau 936-661-8432
For a free weekly market report log on to www.navasotalivestock.com
April 2014 — Issue 1
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service photo
Three back-to-back drought years have left very little grass in some pastures, and recovery will be a long-time coming. grazing, because if any grass does grow, the cattle will go to it before eating the hay. “Get cattle out of abused areas and to areas that still have feed,”
he said. “If you have to continue to feed cattle, I suggest getting them into a pen and feeding them there, where they won’t be overgrazing plants.”
Graham Land and Cattle Co. Custom Feedlot and Growing Programs • 30,000 Head Feedyard • 14,000+ Head Growing Program • Personal Customer Service • Licensed Feedyard for Nolan Ryan Tender Aged Beef • Pen sizes range from 1-250 head • Access to all performance and carcass data
P.O. Box 925, Gonzales, Texas 78629 Phone: 830-672-6504 Dr. Charles W. Graham, Owner Jay Gray, General Manager www.grahamfeedyard.com
Tyler Graham, Owner Maurice Janda, Feedyard Manager e-mail: grahamcattle@gvec.net
also home of:
sunset
Livestock Carriers, Inc.
Pete Peterman (830) 857-3562
15
News
Has-beans
Warm season pasture legumes are a good investment
P
By RoBeRt FeaRs Special to The Post
lanting legumes in pastures is a good investment, particularly with the high nitrogen fertilizer prices. Legumes can supply nitrogen to the pasture system through the nitrogen fixation process. This process is the conversion of nitrogen from the air into a form that plants and animals can use. In addition, legumes add protein to the pasture forage mix. “Cool-season annual legumes are the most extensively used in the southeastern United States,” said Gerald Smith of Texas A&M AgriLife Research in Overton. “They are usually overseeded on dormant warmseason perennial grasses. Both annual and perennial warm-season legumes are used more for wildlife than livestock.” It is difficult to grow warm-season legumes in association with warm-season perennial grasses because the warm-season grasses are so well adapted and competitive. High intensive stocking rates in a pasture rotation system may help alleviate this disadvantage. Because of their animal nutritional value, it is worth the time spent in studying the various types of warmseason legumes to determine if one or more can improve the ranch forage program. Warm-season legumes can be annuals or perennials.
Graphic provided by Texas Parks and Wildlife
The type of warm season legumes you should plant varies from region to region. Be sure you know which plants thrive in your area.
Warm-season annual legumes
“Cowpeas (Vigna unguiculata) are annual, viney plants with large leaves,” said John Caddel of Oklahoma cooperative Extension Service. “The species is tolerant of drought, low fertility and soil acidity. Cowpeas, however, do require adequate levels of phosphorus to be productive. “Forage nutritive value is high and plants are easily established in May through June.
See NITROGEN, Page 17
16
April 2014 — Issue 1
The Land & Livestock Post
News Nitrogen, from Page 16 “Cowpeas are used as a warm-season planting for white-tailed deer to offset the negative effects of summer stress. Allowing growing animals to have creep access to cowpeas provides for enhanced animal performance during summer when forage nutritive value of other species is typically reduced. Cowpeas does not cause bloat in ruminants and are immediately palatable to cattle.” A&M’s Smith said, “Iron and Clay (technically a variety mix) is an old forage-type cowpea cultivar that remains vegetative during most of the summer and flowers in early September. “Current cultivars of forage cowpeas are best adapted in Texas to the Piney Woods and Post Oak Savanah ecoregions.” (See map.)
Lablab (Lablab purpureus) is a viney, herbaceous tropical legume with high nutritive value as a forage or browse for ruminant animals (aggieclover. tamu.edu/rio-verde). Useful qualities of this tropical forage include drought tolerance, high palatability, high nutritive value, excellent forage yields and adaptation to diverse environmental conditions. Currently, seed of the Australian lablab cultivar, Rongai, are imported into the United States. It is used for supplemental forage plantings for white-tailed deer. Rio Verde lablab was developed through selection primarily for tolerance to defoliation, forage production potential and Texas seed production. Rio Verde was developed at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center at Overton.
See LEGUMES, Page 18
The Land & Livestock Post
Cows grazing. Adding legumes to the forage mix can pay dividends.
April 2014 — Issue 1
Texas Agrilife Extension photo
17
News Legumes, from Page 17
Thomas G. Barnes, USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database
Lablab tolerates moderate defoliation from deer browsing and livestock grazing. It may be most sustainable when either rotationally stocked or used as a creep-grazing area for suckling calves. Frequent and severe defoliation by the grazing animal may result in loss of plants and/or stand. When using a rotational stocking system, it’s recommended that grazing be terminated when an approximate 4-inch stubble height is reached, and that grazing may resume when lablab reaches a 12- to 15-inch height. The number of grazing cycles is moisture dependent. Research at Overton indicates that lablab is more palatable to cattle than cowpea. Smith said, “Rio Verde lablab is adapted to sandy, sandy loam, clay loam and clay upland soils of the southern United States, including the following ecoregions of Texas: Pineywoods; Gulf Prairies and Marshes; Post
Illinois bundleflower.
Cover photo by USDA Oak Savannah; Blackland Prairies; Cross Timbers and Prairies; and South Texas Plains. “As you go west from the Pineywoods, low rainfall may limit forage production of lablab.” “Soybean (Glycine max) is a temperate grain legume that can be used as a grazing and hay crop,” Smith said. “It is not as tolerant of heat and drought as cowpea and lablab and does not regrow well after defoliation. Soybean is better adapted to clay and clay loam soils relative to cowpea and lablab. Late maturing types are suited best for grazing or hay crops,” Smith said. In situations where there is a need for additional summer grazing, forage soybeans can be double cropped behind a winter
See NATIVE, Page 24
4400 East Hwy 21, Bryan, TX 77808
BESIDES BUILDING THE BEST TRAILERS ON THE MARKET, WE ALSO OFFER A HUGE SELECTION OF: TRAILER AXLES • HUBS • BRAKES • LIGHTS • JACKS COUPLERS • TOWING • HARDWARE • CARGO CONTROL TIRES AND WHEELS • TRUCK ACCESSORIES • WINCHES GOOSENECK HOOKUPS IN TRUCKS • AND MUCH MORE! BRING IN THIS AD TO ENTER A DRAWING FOR A
Liquid Feed Supplement
50 GIFT CARD
$
TO THE RESTAURANT OF YOUR CHOICE!
Bar JK Livestock Services Josh Kinslow
19412 Ransom Rd. | Hearne, TX 77859
Cell: 979-574-7914 Home: 979-589-1149
18
(979) 778-0034
See our complete Parts Inventory and order online at:
www.goosenecktrailerparts.com www.gooseneck.net
April 2014 — Issue 1
The Land & Livestock Post
“Give These Guys A Shot!”
Jon Hildebrand
- R.C. Slocum
Endorsed by R.C. Slocum
www.caldwellcountry.com 800 Presidential Corridor East Hwy 21, Caldwell, Texas 77836
979-567-1500 The Land & Livestock Post
April 2014 — Issue 1
800-299-SAVE 19
News
In good spirits
Turning cowpeas into premium Texas vodka By STEVE CAMPBELL Fort Worth Star-Telegram
F
ORT WORTH — Worn down by drought and dwindling water supplies, Trey Nickels was disheartened about his future as a farmer growing black-eyed peas in Muleshoe. Tending crops spread across three West Texas counties, Nickels often ended up sleeping in the fields and was running himself ragged trying to keep complex irrigation and agricultural equipment running. Rising land costs, stiff competition, falling prices and declining consumption of black-eyed peas added to his worries. Throw the stress of a divorce into the equation and Nickels was itching for a change. “Late at night, I was sitting there thinking, What can we do with all these beans? My brother said, ‘Let’s make beer out of it.’ And I said, ‘Let’s make vodka,’” Nickels told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Four years later, the pea-sized notion has become TreyMark Black-Eyed Vodka which soon will start pouring out of a 600-gallon copper still inside a historic firehouse south of downtown Fort Worth. “I started doing some research on it. It was just a wild hair. I wondered if it could be done,” said Nickels, 30. So he built a homemade still and started experimenting. His buddies didn’t think the raw results were drinkable, but it was high-octane spirits. It didn’t take long for his
20
AP Photo/The Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Paul Moseley
Above, TreyMark Black-Eyed Vodka is distilled in an old southside fire station in Fort Worth. Right, Deborah Nickels and her son Trey Nickels have taken their their blackeyed pea crop and turned it in to a new venture, TreyMark Black-Eyed Vodka, located in an old south side fire station in Fort Worth. mother, 58-year-old Deborah Nickels, who had retired from running the family’s processing facility about 70 miles northwest of Lubbock, to buy into his black-eyed idea. “It was a no-brainer for me when Trey said let’s do this,” said Deborah Nickels. “I lived in Muleshoe for 46 years, but Trey said it was time for a change.” To “prove the idea,” the mother-and-son team hooked up with Sherman Owens, a distilling consultant in Shepherdsville, Ky. Owens came to the same conclusion that got Trey Nickels started — peas are loaded with starch and that’s all you need to make a fermented mash that can be distilled into liquor. “It’s never been done that I know of,” said Owens, who proved the process using a
method developed in China to extract starch from mung beans. “After that, it’s the same distilling procedure as using corn or potatoes or any other product,” he said. That’s all the Nickels needed to get rolling. They “pretty much sold everything” to finance the cash-intensive project, Deborah Nickels said. “I bailed out and sold the farm and got out of it the best I could. I was forced to farm one more year to make up for some losses the year before,” Trey Nickels said. “We’ve both invested a lot of money in this.” For two years, they scouted for locations in Texas cities before deciding that Fort Worth’s
See VODKA, Page 21
April 2014 — Issue 1
The Land & Livestock Post
News Vodka, from Page 20 “hometown feel,” was the best fit, Deborah Nickels said. “This town just fit our history and roots in West Texas,” she said. They moved here late in 2012 and started hunting for a distillery location. A site near the Fort Worth Stockyards didn’t pan out, and six months ago they leased the two-story, 5,200-square-foot brick firehouse at 503 Bryan Ave. a block east of South Main Street. The building, built in 1910 after the original firehouse on the site burned down, once housed a 15-man horse-drawn firefighting crew and then a motorized unit until the mid-1960s, said owner Bob Higginbotham, who bought it in 1997 and renovated it to house his audio-visual company.
“It was in terrible condition. It was a brick shell with a roof. The windows were all boarded up, street people had made campfires on the floor and the second floor had caved it,” he said. The building has had several tenants since 2000 but had been empty for about a year, Higginbotham said. When Trey Nickels first checked out the building, he thought that with two floors, it wouldn’t accommodate the still’s 22-foot-tall column. Then he saw the fireman’s pole from the second floor. The still column now extends through the opening. “It worked perfectly,” he said. Changing the structure’s city permitting from an office building into a vodka facility has been the start-up company’s biggest challenge.
See COWPEAS, Page 28
AP Photo/The Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Paul Moseley
TreyMark Black-Eyed Vodka should be available at selected outlets this month.
April 17 – Advertising Deadline for the Land & Livestock Post
ollow us on
Events Calendar
Female Sale. Groesbeck, TX. (903) 599-2403
April 5 – Certified E6 Replacement Female Sale. Columbus, TX 210-648-5475
April 5 – Focused on the Future Production Sale.
Madisonvile, TX. (281) 808-5511
April 7-11 – Ranch Management University. College Station, TX. 979-845-4826
April 12 – Collier Farms Advantage Beefmaster Sale. Giddings, TX. 210-648-5475
The Land & Livestock Post
10:30 AM)
April 17 - Jordan Cattle Auction Special Bull April Offering. San Saba, TX. April 4 – 6 - Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raiser’s April 26 – Cattleman’s Brenham Livestock Association Annual Convention. San Antonio, TX April 5 – Heart of Texas Special Replacement
facebook.com/texasllp
April 19 -RCCC Goat Extravaganza (registration at
April 12 -RCCC Playday # 2 (books open at 1:00 PM)
April 2014 — Issue 1
Auction Spring Special Replacement Female & Bull Sale. Brenham, TX.
April 26 –
IRBBA Annual Meeting and “Divas in Red” Heifer Sale & Futurity. College Station, TX. www. redbrangus.org
April 26 – Springtime in Texas Sale. Brenham, TX. April 26 - Spring Replacement Female & Premium Bull Sale. Caldwell, TX. 979-450-8588
Do you have a sale or event you’d like listed? Call Jesse Wright at (979) 731-4721 or email jesse.wright@theeagle.com
21
Ask the Vet Antibiotics, from Page 13 merous choices. Many more calves, however, have died because antibiotic treatment was started too late than use of an ineffective antibiotic. If damage to lung tissue is extensive and walled-off when treatment is started even the most potent antibiotic will be helpless. A calf with the classical signs of pneumonia will have labored breathing, ocular and nasal discharges, depression, appear gaunt and possibly have a soft low cough. The big problem is that starting antibiotic treatment in that calf may be too late to save its life. There may be too much lung damage by then. Successful treatment of pneumonia involves pulling calves displaying the very earliest signs of depression. I got a lot of practice spotting calves in early
stages of pneumonia in three clinical studies involving calves shipped over a thousand miles from Tennessee. It’s best to start by observing calves from a distance. Cattle are prey animals that for their own protection become alert even if sick when approached. Calves in the early stages of pneumonia will stand off by themselves with a dropped head and arched back. Some have droopy ears and sleepy, partly closed eyes. They will move slowly and may drag their toes. Feeding is a good time to check for sick calves. They may slowly walk up to feed or not come up at all. Some calves come up to feed, but back out after a few nibbles. These can be found by checking 15 minutes after feeding to see if all calves that came up are still eating.
See CALVES, Page 26
Metal Roofing & Building Supply Navasota, TX
METAL BUILDINGS
METAL ROOFING
• Weld Up • Bolt Up • Residential • Agricultural
40’ X 105’ 16’ Clearance
Pipe / Fencing Supplies
• Pipe • Latches • Fence Cable
936-825-0500
3 - Sided Hay Barn (Round Bale) All Galvalume
12,50000 + TAX
$
ALSO
30’ X 60’ X 12’ Eave 1 - 10 X 10 FO All Galvalume Call for Pricing!
1-800-91-HILCO
12503 HWY 6 NAVASOTA, TX 77868
www.hilcosupply.com 22
April 2014 — Issue 1
The Land & Livestock Post
For Those who DemanD Tough. one serious skiD sTeer Whether you’re a producer of crops, livestock or both, or a supplier/retailer of seeds, fertilizer or feed, your Texas Cat® dealer has equipment you need to maximize productivity, while minimizing operating costs. When you need a compact machine with the power and versatility to tackle big jobs on the farm or ranch, look no further than a Cat Skid Steer Loader. Deliver the muscle and versatility for a wide range of farming applications. Contact your local Texas Cat dealer to make yourself the preferred customer.
VisiT our weBsiTe
FOR
more inFormaTion
www.texascatdealers.com/cce
geT The Tools To maTCh Cat Work Tool attachments help you to maximize asset utilization by giving you the versatility to tackle a wider variety of chores with the same machine.
For Those who DemanD Tough.
one serious skiD sTeer
Click on your local Texas xas Cat Dealer to be transferred to their web page. CliCk oN logo
holT agriBusiness HoltAg.com CliCk oN logo
Whether you’re a producer of crops, livestock or both, or a supplier/retailer of seeds, fertilizer or feed, your Texas Cat® dealer has equipment you need to maximize productivity, while minimizing operating costs.
musTang CaT
holT agriBusiness
www.mustangcat.com Houston 713-460-2000
holtag.com San Antonio • 877-882-5992
geT The Tools To maTCh!
wagner ag www.wagnerequipment.com El Paso 10501 Dyer Street • 915-821-7651
CliCk oN logo
musTang CaT www.mustangcat.com Houston 713-460-2000 CliCk oN logo
warren CaT www.warrencatag.com Midland 866-2WARREN
wagner ag
warren CaT
www.wagnerequipment.com El Paso 10501 Dyer Street • 915-821-7651
www.warrencatag.com Midland 866-2WARREN
© 2013 Caterpillar All rights reserved. CAT, CATERPILLAR, their respective logos, “Caterpillar Yellow,” the “Power Edge” trade dress as well as corporate and product identity used herein, are trademarks of Caterpillar and may not be used without permission. www.cat.com www.caterpillar.com
The Land & Livestock Post
April 2014 — Issue 1
23
News Native, from Page 18 wheat harvest. This is feasible only on productive soils and in non-drought areas.
Warm-season perennial legumes
“Illinois bundleflower (Desmanthus illinoesis) is a fernlike, high-protein plant that normally grows 3 to 4 feet tall,” said Lee DeHaan, plant breeder for the Land Institute in Salinas, Kans. “Defying its name, Illinois bundleflower’s heaviest populations are found in Kansas and Oklahoma. Yet it’s been identified in prairies, pastures and roadsides from Alabama to Texas and north as far as Minnesota.” Stephan Hatch and Jennifer Pluhar wrote in Texas Range Plants that the common name “bundleflower” is descriptive
24
Texas Cooperative Extension photo by Robert Burns
Rio Verde lablab was developed through selection for tolerance to defoliation, forage production potential and Texas seed production. of the unusual arrangement of seeds in a twisted bundle. They said that Illinois bundle flower is one of the important native legumes, valued as forage for domestic livestock and wildlife. DeHaan added, “The plant has several strengths that make it a potential good fit for pasture mixes: • “Fixes nitrogen. • “Grows well in the summer months, when cool-season crops slow. • “Palatable to livestock. • “A heavy seed producer at about 800 pounds per acre. • “Tolerates both moist and dry soils.”
See STRENGTHS, Page 25
April 2014 — Issue 1
The Land & Livestock Post
News Strengths, from Page 24 Smith said, “There are several additional species of bundleflower that are native to Texas and surrounding states. “Two species have been commercialized for use in Texas. Sabine Illinois bundleflower is adapted to North and Central Texas from about Austin northward. BeeWild bundleflower was developed by the Texas Agricultural Research Station at Beeville and is best adapted south of Waco.” All bundleflowers are adapted poorly to acid sandy soils, so their use is restricted to soils that are sandy clay loams and heavier with a pH near neutral and above. All bundleflowers contain tannin which reduces palatability and essentially eliminates the potential for bloat. “Recommended seeding rates for bundleflower is 3 to 5 pounds per acre,” continued Smith. “Seeding into prepared seedbed is the preferred method
of establishment, but successful seedings can be made following glyphosate treatment of the associated grass. “Bundleflower is very sensitive to seeding depth, and should be seeded no more than one-quarter inch deep. “On prepared seedbed, broadcast seeding followed with dragging or cultipacking has been very successful. Bundleflower likes warm temperatures so April and May seedings are preferred.” Annual warm-season legumes will not fit every ranch management system. They should be considered, however, for a mid-summer protein source when perennial grasses often go into semi-dormancy and their nutrient level is low. As mentioned earlier, annual warm-season legumes can serve as creep feed for calves. Native pasture grazing should be managed in a way to encourage growth of perennial warm-season legumes such as Illinois bundleflower.
Marek Grain Bin Co. • GSI Grain Bins • Grain Handling Equipment • Hutchinson Augers
254-985-2242 The Land & Livestock Post
April 2014 — Issue 1
25
Ask the Vet Calves, from Page 22 Pull suspect calves and confirm your diagnosis by rectal temperature. Treat calves with a rectal temperature of 104 F or greater. That is treatment based on depression with undifferentiated fever (no specific signs of pneumonia like nasal discharge yet).
Mass antibiotic treatment
New cases can be limited in a severe pneumonia outbreak by treatment of all calves in the pasture with one of the longacting antibiotics recommended for metaphylactic treatment. The rules of thumb commonly used by veterinarians for mass treating a pasture of calves breaking with pneumonia are to act when 10 percent of the group were treated for two or
three consecutive days or when 25 percent needed treatment in a single day. I don’t think anyone would call that being trigger-happy with antibiotics.
Bottom line Very early treatment is critical for successful treatment of pneumonia in calves. It’s far more important than which antibiotic is used. It’s automatic when antibiotics are used in metaphylactic or mass medication schemes. Early treatment of individuals depends on keen observations of animal behavior by ranchers and boils down to treatment based on depression with undifferentiated fever. Be sure to consult your veterinarian for recommendations on specific drugs and dosages that are best for each of the three above uses of antibiotics. Antibiotics can reduce deaths
and poor weight gains due to pneumonia, but it takes more than antibiotics to control this devastating disease. Management practices that reduce or eliminate the risk factors of pneumonia will prevent pneumonia outbreaks and have a greater financial benefit than treatment of pneumonia cases. As my old boss in practice, Dr. Douglas, used to say: Preventive medicine is the best medicine. • Dr. Steve Wikse is a retired professor of large animal clinical sciences in the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at Texas A&M University.
Capital Farm Credit Distributes Largest Ever Cash Patronage Refund Bryan, Texas — Capital Farm Credit stockholders will soon receive an all-time record $65 million cash patronage payment this spring. The customer-owned lending cooperative continued its track record of strong earnings in 2013, enabling it to maintain its long tradition of returning profits to stockholders through its patronage program. Since 2006, Capital Farm Credit has returned over $385 million to its stockholders — equating to an effective annual rate reduction of 1.10 percent on an average loan.
America’s Number One Seeded Forage Bermudagrass!
903-597-6637 800-888-1371 www.easttexasseedcompany.com seeds@easttexasseedcompany.com
Number one yielding seeded bermudagrass in production trials across the South in multiple years.
SEEDED BERMUDAGRASS STUDY ANNUAL DRY MATTER FORAGE YIELDS 2011, 2012, & 2013 MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY STARKVILLE, MISSISSIPPI
Lower planting rate (10# per acre) due to being pure seed and not coated. More economical alternative to sprigging bermudagrass. 15% higher yield (four year average) than sprigged Coastal Bermudagrass. Planted in twenty states surpassing 500,000 acres since 1994. Virtually disease free, drought tolerant and easy to establish. Stands stay productive year after year.
Variety
Total Yield
LB / ACRE 2011
LB / ACRE 2012
LB / ACRE 2013
3 YEAR AVG
RANK
Texas Tough + 4,646
11,488
7,618
7,917
1
Sungrazer +
3,516
11,281
6,599
7,132
2
Buckaroo
3,979 3,426
10,881 10,054
6,428 7,301
7,096 6,927
3 4
Ranchero Frio
3,051 3,201
10,374 10,293
7,013 6,772
6,813 6,755
5 6
Amarillo King Laredo
3,586 3,410
9,873 9,975
6,561 6,654
6,673 6,680
7 8
Highlander
2,379
10,880
6,159
6,473
9
Mohawk
Cheyenne II
3,163 3,612
9,739 9,334
6,321 5,941
6,408 6,296
10 11
Rancher
2,830
9,740
6,085
6,218
12
Cowboy
Numex Sahara
Planting Date 7/13/2011 10 lbs (P.L.S.) Planting Rate, LSD (0.05) Commercially available varieties only included in these results. 2013 TESTIMONIAL
I first planted Texas Tough + Bermudagrass in the Spring of 2009 for grazing and baling. I now have close to 200 acres in production. My Texas Tough + has been free of disease with no loss of stands. My yields have remained consistent with no loss in production even through our drought of the last three years. It establishes fast with excellent forage quality and much finer stems than coastal sprigs. In 2013, I thought I might have lost my newly seeded Texas Tough + because of very cold early spring temperatures but, after receiving rains, the Texas Tough + came on and I had a great stand. By July it was over knee high and we turned the cattle in. Some of our fields were cut three times for baling. I have been very pleased with my Texas Tough + production. It has increased my grazing time from 90 days on native grasses to 150 days on my Texas Tough stands. I plan on planting more in 2014. Denny Chaney - Bertram, TX
“Capital Farm Credit is committed to the cooperative principle of managing our capital, and our business in general, for the benefit of our customers,” said Ben Novosad, chief executive officer. “Our ability to return patronage each year sets us apart from other financial institutions. We believe this is a benefit that strengthens customer relations and reinforces our mission to provide financing and related services to support Texas agriculture — while affording our membership lower net borrowing costs.” Capital Farm Credit has provided financing to Texas farmers, ranchers and rural property owners for nearly a century. Headquartered in Bryan, it has nearly 70 offices spanning most of Texas. For more information about Capital Farm Credit and its patronage program, visit www.CapitalFarmCredit.com For more information, call Brad Luedke, VP Branch Manager, (979)775-0404
26
Harvest Date
April 2014 — Issue 1
The Land & Livestock Post
News Drip torches facilitate effective prescribed burns By Michael Porter Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation
If I could have only four tools to conduct prescribed burns or fight wildfires, they would be matches, a drip torch, an accurate weather forecast and a power sprayer with a water tank transported by a vehicle. This article addresses the drip torch. A drip torch is a portable apparatus that applies flammable liquids to ignite vegetation. Drip torches are available commercially from companies such as Forestry Suppliers Inc., Ben Meadows, National Fire Fighter Corp., Gempler’s and several others. A typical drip torch is made of aluminum and brass or bronze
Photo byf The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation
A typical drip torch is made of aluminum and brass or bronze to reduce weight and risk of undesired sparks. to reduce weight and risk of undesired sparks. It usually has a tank that holds 1.25 gallons of liquid, a handle, an adjustable air vent/breather valve to control liquid flow, a sealable lid, a tube or spout attached to the lid with a 360-degree loop (fuel trap) to prevent flashback or ignition of liquid in the tank, a one-way valve at the base of the tube or spout for additional flashback protection, a nozzle on the tip of the tube or spout, and a wick. A drip torch is a relatively simple
See TORCH, Page 30
Sign up for the Land & Livestock Post
Electronic Newsletter Ag news you can use, now at the click of a mouse!
Visit:
landandlivestockpost.com And sign up today for Land & Livestock Post news to be delivered to your e-mail inbox and for your chance to win a giftcard! The Land & Livestock Post
April 2014 — Issue 1
27
News Cowpeas, from Page 21 The work was to be completed in March and the first bottles to market in April, depending on completion of licensing by the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission. The Nickels won’t reveal their start-up costs or their black-eyed pea formula. “You have to have faith in this. One of the struggles is being out all that capital before you can produce anything,” Trey Nickels said. He says the pea-based product has a unique taste. “It’s a clean, no-burn vodka with a subtle nut flavor to green tea on the end,” he said. “It’s going to lend itself to mixed drinks.” Prices will be in the $35 dollar range, which would put it in on the top shelf of premium vodkas. “The grain is quite a bit more expensive. Corn could yield 18,000 pounds an acre, black eyes do 2,000 pounds an acre at their best,” he said. The final product will be a true field-to-still family operation, Deborah Nickels said. The peas will come from the fields
Published by Bryan-College Station Communications, Inc. (979) 776-4444 or (800) 299-7355
President - Crystal Dupré .....................................................Ext. 4613 Publisher and Editor- Kelly Brown.........................................Ext. 4656 Advertising Director - Ron Prince ........................................ Ext. 4740 Advertising Sales/General Manager - Jesse Wright ...............Ext. 4721
of Trey’s older brother, Chad, and will be ground into flour at the family’s processing facility in Muleshoe. The distillery will be able to produce about 670 gallons, or about 3,400 bottles, of 80 proof vodka a week, he said. The Nickels still are shopping for a distributor. In the meantime, it helps that a new Texas law that went into effect Sept. 1 allows distilleries to sell bottles and drinks directly to the public. Each month, customers can buy two bottles and distilleries can sell up to 3,000 gallons in individual drinks. “That will help as we get going. Three-thousand gallons is a lot of vodka,” Trey Nickels said. The company initially will concentrate on production, but the building eventually will be open for sales, tours and events, Deborah Nickels said. Micro-distilleries are popping up around Texas like mushrooms. In 2011, the city’s first licensed distillery, Firestone & Robertson Distilling, opened in a renovated warehouse only a mile or so from TreyMark’s facility. There are 56 distilleries now licensed with the Alcoholic Beverage Commission. That’s up from 49 since October and more than double the 25 in 2011. And the critics have liked what Texas stills are cooking. Balcones Distilling in Waco has won more awards than most Olympic teams and Firestone & Robertson’s TX Whiskey
was named “Best American Craft Whiskey” in 2013. Owens, the industry consultant who will be assisting the Nickels while they perfect the process, isn’t surprised by the explosion in micro distilling. He has helped 24 get going in the past year. Consumers increasingly are interested in local hand-made products, Owens said. “People have the perception that if it’s craft-made, there is more care put into it than something coming from the major distillers which are like big factories,” he said. Many of the micro distilleries are turning out vodka, but Owens believes black-eyed peas will give TreyMark Vodka Distillery a unique marketing niche. “Vodka is not tough to make, the tough part is getting sales. It’s more of a marketing thing than anything else,” he said. “They are going to succeed. I know of only one micro distiller that has failed. Most of the time, if they can do the marketing, they can make a fairly good living,” he said. Black-eyes also are known as cow peas and it’s fitting that cow pea vodka would originate in Cowtown. The peas are eaten for luck on New Year’s Day, and that tradition also could translate into a propitious pour on a day often celebrated with adult beverages, Deborah Nickels said. “It’s all coming together perfectly. It was an effort of faith that we could overcome every
roadblock. When things started falling in place here, we knew
NEWS YOU CAN USE RIGHT IN YOUR MAILBOX
19.95
$
we had it. We have confidence in our product.”
s
sue 24 Is
SUBSCRIPTION Subscribe to the award-winning Land & Livestock Post and receive 24 issues of the latest ag news and information about the issues that affect you!
New Subscription
Mail or Register Online:
c/o Land & Livestock Post
Address Change
P.O. Box 3000 Bryan, TX 77805
OR www.landandlivestockpost.com and click “subscribe”.
Name: Address: City:_____________________ St: ________ Zip:
Financial Director - Rod Armstrong .......................................Ext. 4605
Phone #:
Production Director - Mark Manning.....................................Ext. 4671
Old Address (if applicable):
Circulation Director - Jack Perkins .......................................Ext. 4752
City: _____________________St: _______Zip:
Published by Bryan-College Station Communications, Inc., P.O. Box 3000, Bryan,Texas 77805. E-mail: thepost@theeagle.com All offices are located at 1729 Briarcrest Drive Bryan,Texas 77802. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Eagle, P.O. Box 3000, Bryan,Texas 77805-3000
Email Address: PAYMENT INFORMATION
Check Enclosed (Please make checks payable to The Eagle)
Please Bill my:
Mastercard
VISA
American Express
Discover
The Post is printed in part on recycled paper and is fully recyclable.
Account#:_____________________________CIV#:_____________
3390 Winbrook Dr. Memphis, TN 38116
28
Photo courtesy of WFAA
The opening for the fireman’s pole from the second floor of the 1910 firehouse proved perfect for the still’s tower.
Name on Card: Amount: _________________________Expiration Date: Signature: Date:
April 2014 — Issue 1
The Land & Livestock Post
The Land & Livestock Post
April 2014 — Issue 1
29
News Torch, from Page 27 device that lasts a long time when not abused. The Noble Foundation purchased its initial drip torches 31 years ago. They have been used on hundreds of prescribed burns and continue to be used with little maintenance. A drip torch is a useful tool for prescribed burning and removing fine fuel to stop wildfires because it allows an ignition person or crew quickly and safely to ignite fire in specific locations, and establish a continuous line of fire when desired. Fine fuels such as grass, forbs and tree leaves should burn quickly and thoroughly along the edge of a burn unit, in a black line or in other ignited locations during a burn, so an ignition person or crew and a fire suppression crew efficiently can progress through the burning/fire fighting process. Slower progress and discontinuous ignition typically occur when using alternative ignition techniques such as matches or oil-soaked fabric on a stick or dragged object. Discontinuous ignition or unburned skips can allow fire to ignite later and burn in undesired areas, such as
in a black line or next to a firebreak after suppression crews have moved away. Ideally, all combustible material should be burned quickly, safely and thoroughly along a firebreak while a suppression crew is present to minimize the risk of spot fire or escaped fire developing outside the desired location. The most common flammable liquid used in a drip torch is a mixture of diesel and gasoline. The mixture is usually 50 to 80 percent diesel, depending on the air temperature and ignition characteristics desired by the fire boss and ignition person or crew. Greater amounts of diesel within this range allow the mixture to adhere to vegetation and burn for longer brief periods of time. However, too much diesel in the mixture makes ignition of the mixture difficult and slows burning progress. To use a drip torch, the air vent or breather valve is adjusted to obtain the desired flow of flammable liquid across the wick. A fire usually is started in vegetation with a match. Then the drip torch is dipped into the flame to ignite the wick. During ignition, the wick portion of the drip
CARC ASS DATA
TE PRIVA Y T A E TR
USGS photo by Eric Knapp
A firefighter uses a drip torch during a prescribed burn at Sequoiah-Kings Canyon National Parks in California. torch is pointed toward the ground and the drip torch is carried behind or along a person’s side. Flaming liquid can be tossed short distances with the drip torch to ignite difficult to reach areas such as into briers or ditches. To cease ignition, the wick portion of a drip torch is simply tilted upward. Important note: before a person with a lit drip torch steps out of a burn unit, e.g., into or across a firebreak, the wick always should be extinguished by blowing it out or covering it with a leather glove or metal cover to prevent starting an unintentional fire.
TJS S Hardware
Jet Dealer & Service For Over 30 Years
9 miles N. of Carlos 19685 FM 244, Iola, Tx 77861 (936) 394-2507 Texas Jet Systems, “Specialists in Waste Water Treatment”
rk Angus Ranch L.L.C. a l C
Water Troughs, Cattle Guard Beams, Septic Tanks, Storm Shelters
Concrete leg feed trough
Since 1952 CROCKETT, TEXAS
Concrete Products
Cattle Guards
100% Guaranteed
Semen Tested
Custom Cattle Guards Also ATV Cattle Guards
190 Gallon Concrete Water trough
Cable Fencing Supplies
New Pipe
100 REGISTERED BULLS, 18-24 MONTHS, EPD’s READY FOR HEAVY SERVICE OPEN & BRED HEIFERS - COWS AVAILABLE CALL FOr AN AppOiNtmeNt BiLL CLArK 936/544-9013 888-252-7501
30
GeNe StOKeS, mGr. WeBSite: clarkangus.com emAiL: clarkangus.aol.com
No Threads - No Bell Ends 1050 Ez Weld .100 Wall 1- 5/16 .115 Wall 1- 5/8 .110 Wall 1- 7/8 .110 Wall 2- 3/8 SCH-40 2- 7/8 .145 Wall 4- 1/2 SCH-40
3/8 Guy Wire Cable, Cable Ends, Springs, Clips, Caps
We Carry Cattle Panels • Water Well Supplies Waste Water Chlorine • Corral Panels Aerobic Sewer Systems • Gates Poly & Galvanized Culverts
Certified Dealer
WINCO Generator Tractor Driven PTO
April 2014 — Issue 1
The Land & Livestock Post
Quality and Integrity at Prices You Can Afford.
SHOW -2%6 :+2 6 %266
5D Series 8WLOLW\ 7UDFWRUV
• 45-55 hp† John Deere engines • Versatile, powerful and affordable • 2WD or MFWD options
5E Series 8WLOLW\ 7UDFWRUV
• 45-75 hp† John Deere engines • Great for utility applications • Tough transmission options
6M & 6R Series Utility Tractors 7KURWWOH XS D 0 RU 5 6HULHV 8WLOLW\ 7UDFWRU WR meet any need, from EDOLQJ KD\ WR FRPPHUFLDO PRZLQJ DQG PXQLFLSDO DSSOLFDWLRQV • 105-140 hp† John Deere engines
0% FOR 60 MONTHS 1,500 OFF 25
**
Visit the newly redesigned
CPTRACTOR.COM
BRYAN, TX
979-822-7684
NAVASOTA, TX 936-825-6575
TEMPLE, TX
254-773-9916
CAMERON, TX 254-697-6551
TAYLOR, TX
512-352-5296
2IIHU HQGV $SULO 3ULFHV DQG PRGHO DYDLODELOLW\ PD\ YDU\ E\ GHDOHU 6RPH UHVWULFWLRQV DSSO\ RWKHU VSHFLDO UDWHV DQG WHUPV PD\ EH DYDLODEOH VR VHH \RXU GHDOHU IRU GHWDLOV DQG RWKHU ÷QDQFLQJ RSWLRQV $YDLODEOH DW SDUWLFLSDWLQJ GHDOHUV 2IIHU HQGV $SULO 6XEMHFW WR DSSURYHG LQVWDOOPHQW FUHGLW ZLWK -RKQ 'HHUH )LQDQFLDO 6RPH UHVWULFWLRQV DSSO\ RWKHU VSHFLDO UDWHV DQG WHUPV PD\ EH DYDLODEOH VR VHH \RXU GHDOHU IRU GHWDLOV DQG RWKHU ÷QDQFLQJ RSWLRQV RII RU )L[HG 5DWH RI IRU PRQWKV RQ ' ( &\OLQGHU ([FOXGHV 0 DQG 6HULHV 6SHFLDOW\ 7UDFWRUV 9DOLG RQO\ DW SDUWLFLSDWLQJ 8 6 GHDOHUV ß0DQXIDFWXUHU V HVWLPDWH RI SRZHU ,62 SHU (&
The Land & Livestock Post
April 2014 — Issue 1
31
Spring is a busy time! And we’re here to help. z Fertilizers, Planting Seed & Agronomic Solutions
z Quality Fuels & Delivery
z Quality Livestock Feeds & Nutritional Services
z Full Line Animal Health
z Livestock Handling Equipment
z Fencing & Hardware
Your Agriculture Partner Since 1943 1800 N. Texas Avenue in Bryan
32
(979) 778-6000
www.producerscooperative.com
April 2014 — Issue 1
The Land & Livestock Post