Land and Livestock Post

April 15, 2011

Sticking with it

PAG E 12

PASTURE STICKS CAN HELP DETERMINE FORAGE CAPABILITY SPRING FORAGE ISSUE

ANTHRAX CONFIRMED

Time to ready pastures for production.

Central Texas herd tests positive.

BURNING ISSUE

A PRICKLY ISSUE

PAGE 3

Fire marginally useful in mesquite conrol.

PAGE 6

PAGE 8

EямАorts made to stop cactus-eating moths.

PAGE 17

The Land & Livestock Post âœŞ April 15, 2011

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From the General Manager

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By JAMES ROGERS Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation

Springtime in pasture and range management is “go time.” As I start thinking about spring, here are some of the planning thoughts filling my head.

Soil sampling

As temperatures warm, it is a good time to get out and push a soil probe in the ground and pull samples — especially if you have not done so in the past three years. Fertilizer costs in 2011 are on the rise, and one of the easiest ways to save a dollar is to fertilize according to soil test results.

Annual ryegrass

March is “go time” for the

growth of annual ryegrass.

Quality will be high and provide the cow herd with a good boost of nutrition coming out of winter.

A lot of our annual ryegrass pasture has been overseeded into bermudagrass, which is a great way to extend grazing days.

Ryegrass, however, can be difficult to manage if it gets too far ahead of you. Ryegrass can shade the bermudagrass and delay its spring green-up, which can hurt summer bermudagrass production.

Manage additional ryegrass production by putting extra grazing pressure on it or removing it as hay if the yield is there. Annual ryegrass makes excellent hay if you can cut it in the boot to early head stage and can get it cured.

Tall fescue

Springtime is “go time” for tall fescue.

It will follow a very similar growth pattern as annual ryegrass.

It will begin rapid growth in March, which accelerates into April, then begins to slow down in May. Tall fescue can produce a lot of high quality forage during this time period, but care must be exercised not to hammer it too hard prior to the first of June.

It is a good idea to leave tall fescue with 4-6 inch height by June 15, especially along or west of the Interstate 35 corridor, in order to give it a good chance of surviving summer’s heat and dry weather.

April 15, 2011

that. We take a look at a simple tool — the pasture stick — and how it can help you run a smoother, more efficient operation.

We also have some tips from Texas Agrilife Extension on how to manage your pastures with fire.

In this Spring Forage edition, we have a few other features to keep you on top of what needs to be done to get your pastures ready for the summer ahead.

Hope you enjoy it and, as always, thanks for reading. ’Til next time,

✪

’ve always heard the saying “April showers bring May flowers” and I sure hope that it’s true. I hope it starts raining and keeps on going.

Heck, it can even rain on Easter if it wants to. I won’t mind.

JESSE WRIGHT The lack of rainfall makes this a challenging time of year for beef producers. At a time when everything is turning green, it’s almost hard knowing that a dry, brown summer is just around the bend.

It’s a time of year when beef producers need to take stock, and our cover story focuses on just

Spring is ‘go time’ in getting pastures ready for production

The Land & Livestock Post

Srping Forage Issue

• See PASTURE/Page 4

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The Land & Livestock Post ✪ April 15, 2011

News

Pasture From 3 Weed management

Springtime is also “go time” for weeds. Begin weed scouting in March and target herbicide treatment of annual weeds when they reach an average height of 4 inches.

Identify the weeds you are trying to kill, use the right chemical and the right rate.

The best deterrent to weeds is maintaining a good grass canopy.

Grazing management

With the rapid flush of forage growth in the spring, it is often difficult to imagine running short on grass later in the year — but it happens.

Review your stocking rates and your forage fertility program.

If you don’t plan to fertilize as much as in years past, you also need to consider that you will not be growing as much

forage either.

Concentrate rotations on cool-season forages first because their utilization period will be approaching its end by the first of June.

Move onto the warm-season grasses as they become available.

If you have grass getting ahead of you, turn the excess growth into hay or use it for summer stockpile.

Insect management

If you have alfalfa, springtime is “go time” for the alfalfa weevil.

As a general rule, the weevils are active by Easter.

Begin scouting if alfalfa is actively growing prior to that date.

If alfalfa weevil pressure is high, they can significantly reduce first cutting yield.

Another springtime insect to watch for is the aphid. It is common on winter pasture and alfalfa. Aphids can give the forage a drought-stressed appearance.

Fortunately, if economic thresholds are reached, these

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Crabgrass

Springtime is crabgrass establishment time. It works well following cereal rye graze-out. Seeding 3-5 pounds PLS into a firm seedbed from mid-April to the first of May will initiate crabgrass production 45-60 days after establishment. Production can be driven by 50-100 pounds/acre of actual nitrogen. Crabgrass quality is very high and makes excellent stocker forage or hay.

Barron Rector receives Extension Specialist Superior Service award Special to The Post

Barron Rector has received the 2010 Extension Specialist Superior Service Award from the Texas AgriLife Extension Service.

Rector, an AgriLife Extension rangeland specialist, was honored for his contributions and service through many of the agency’s programs, particularly the Master Naturalist

Program, which has grown to more than 2,700 members and 41 local chapters since 1998.

Since 1982, Rector has been the superintendent for state range and pasture grass identification and range evaluation contests.

The Superior Service awards recognize faculty and staff members who provide outstanding performance in Extension education.

Silver bullets

Springtime is also when we get hit with all the “latest greatest” chemicals, fertilizer and seed. Make sure that the hype is backed by replicated research. If they don’t have the research — be very leery.

Springtime is a period of rapid change in pasture and range.

Spring management decisions will impact pasture and range quality throughout the remainder of the year.

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LIVESTOCK MARKET REPORTS Results of Groesbeck Auction & Livestock Co.’s March 31 sale: Head: 768 Steers: 300-400 lbs., $170$182; 400-500 lbs., $160-$170; 500-600 lbs., $150-$166; 600700 lbs., $130-$149; 700-800 lbs., $122-$132.

Heifers: 300-400 lbs., $140$153; 400-500 lbs., $132-$152; 500-600 lbs., $130-$148; 600700 lbs., $122-$133.

Slaughter cows: $49-$88.

Slaughter bulls: $87-$95.

Bred cows: $750-$1,200.

Cow/calf pairs: $900-$1,475.

Buffalo Results of Buffalo Livestock Commission’s March 25 sale: Head: 1,234 Steers: 150-200 lbs., $150$215; 200-300 lbs., $145-$210; 300-400 lbs., $165-$185; 400500 lbs., $150-$172.50; 500600 lbs., $137-$170; 600-700 lbs., $120-$150; 700-800 lbs., $119-$133.

Heifers: 150-200 lbs., $145$210; 200-300 lbs., $135-$177; 300-400 lbs., $135-$172; 400500 lbs., $140-$158; 500-600 lbs., $125-$149; 600-700 lbs., $117-$133; 700-800 lbs., $108$116.

Slaughter cows: $56-$83.

Slaughter bulls: $82-$96.

Bred cows: $750-$980.

Cow/calf pairs: $750-$1,425.

Caldwell Results of Caldwell Livestock Commission’s March 30 sale: Head: 462 Steers: 200-300 lbs., $155$195; 300-400 lbs., $150-$195; 400-500 lbs., $140-$185; 500600 lbs., $130-$160; 600-700 lbs., $120-$150, 700-800 lbs., $120-$140.

Heifers: 200-300 lbs., $150$190; 300-400 lbs., $140-$160; 400-500 lbs., $135-$165; 500600 lbs., $130-$150; 600-700 lbs., $115-$140.

Slaughter cows: $40-$85.

Slaughter bulls: $65-$97.

Stocker cows: $720-$980.

Cow/calf pairs: $975-$1,550.

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Milano Results of Milano Livestock Exchange’s March 29 sale: Head: 654 Steers: 300-400 lbs., $142.50-$167.50; 400-500 lbs., $137.50-$162.50; 500-600 lbs., $128-$157.50; 600-700 lbs.,$121-$140; 700-800 lbs., $119-$124.

Heifers: 300-400 lbs., $142.50-$145 400-500 lbs., $125-$150; 500-600 lbs., $126$144; 600-700 lbs., $111-$139; 700-800 lbs., $106-$126.

Slaughter cows: $69-$86.

Slaughter bulls: $82-$98.

Stocker cows: $810-$910.

Cow/calf pairs: $1,100$1,200.

Navasota

Results of Navasota Livestock Auction Co.’s March 26 sale: Head: 1,480 Steers: 150-300 lbs., $125$225; 300-400 lbs., $120-$195; 400-500 lbs., $115-$170; 500600 lbs., $110-$157.50; 600700 lbs., $105-$147.50.

Heifers: 150-300 lbs., $120$215; 300-400 lbs., $115-$165; 400-500 lbs., $115-$155; 500600 lbs., $110-$142.50; 600700 lbs., $105-$133.

Slaughter cows: $52-$88.

Slaughter bulls: $72-$100.

Stocker cows: $750-$1,110.

Cow/calf pairs: $900-$1,375.

— Special to The Post

April 15, 2011

Groesbeck

✪

Bryan Results of Brazos Valley Livestock Commission’s March 29 sale: Head: 607 Steers: 200-300 lbs., $140$200; 300-400 lbs., $138$186; 400-500 lbs., $132$175; 500-600 lbs., $118$160; 600-700 lbs., $112$136; 700-800 lbs., $120$132.

Heifers: 200-300 lbs., $130$195; 300-400 lbs., $130$152; 400-500 lbs., $130$151; 500-600 lbs., $115$146; 600-700 lbs., $114$131; 700-800 lbs., $105$120.

Slaughter cows: $55-$82.50.

Slaughter bulls: $78-$100.

Bred cows: $510-$1,060.

Cow/calf pairs: $875-$1,200.

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The Land & Livestock Post ✪ April 15, 2011

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Benefits of fire limited in controlling mesquite

By KAY LEDBETTER Texas AgriLife Extension

VERNON — Controlled fires can help reduce mesquite encroachment on livestock grazing areas, but the results are somewhat limited, according to a study by Texas AgriLife Research scientists.

The fire and brush control studies in the Rolling Plains were conducted on a working ranch-scale and showed the benefits and limitations of managed fires for reducing mesquite encroachment while sustaining livestock production.

Richard Teague, AgriLife Research rangeland ecology and management scientist, along with colleagues Jim Ansley, brush ecologist, and Bill Pinchak, animal nutritionist, spent more than 10 years trying to determine how effective prescribed fire could be in reducing mesquite and cactus on the Waggoner Ranch south of Vernon.

Three major conclusions of the study were: • Fire is effective only at low levels of mesquite encroachment.

• Twelve percent of the unit must be burned each year • Stocking rates should be light — 12 percent lower than

the “moderate” Natural Resources Conservation Service level for the range type and range condition, Teague said.

To determine the potential of fire to reduce brush and prickly pear and how to manage the fire for maximum effectiveness, researchers looked at the effect of brush abundance on forage production and composition; how quickly the brush and cactus increased; treatment longevity; effect of grazing management on grass production and animal performance; and economic returns.

To ensure effective burns, it is necessary to have approximately 2,000 pounds of fuel per acre for each burn, Teague said. In an area where plant growth and rainfall vary each year, it’s most important to choose a stocking rate that allows for suffiff fficient buildup of fuel.

Rotational grazing systems provide sufficient grass fuel and continuity of fuel for the fire to be effective and for adequate post-fire grass recovery, he said.

With three experimental treatments and two replications covering an area of

Texas AgriLife Research photo by Richar Richard dT Teague

The head fire is set in a paddock as a part of a decade-long study of the effectiveness of using fire to control mesquite encroachment on grazing land on the Waggoner Ranch near Vernon.

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about 34,000 acres, the study was started in 1995 with Hereford cow-calf herds of the same age composition at moderate stocking rates. Treatment areas ranged from 3,0005,000 acres and three rotational grazing systems were compared under continuous grazing.

“Fire is by far the least expensive means of reducing brush, and it should be used whenever possible to minimize the use of more expensive treatments,” Teague said. “But our study suggests that fire can be used only for maintenance of low mesquite cover.”

The mesquite cover studied doubled to 40 percent coverage in seven years — more than expected — and resulted in a significant decrease in forage production, Teague said.

“At that rate of increase of mesquite, if a manager starts using fire at greater than 15 percent brush cover in the first area to be treated, by the time four to five years have elapsed the brush cover would have increased to 30 to 40 percent in the areas still to be burned,” he said. “This is far too high for fire to be effective.”

Teague said for lowest-cost brush reduction, burning must be done regularly at six to seven year intervals.

“At levels of mesquite above 15 to 20 percent, something more expensive like root-killing herbicides is needed to restore the productivity of the rangeland,” he said. “Where mesquite cover is low enough to use fire effectively, the use of fire as a follow-up to herbicide treatment would be economically superior to using herbicide with no follow-up burn.”

If the mesquite cover is 30 percent or higher, forage and fuel levels are reduced so fire is less effective in reducing

The Land & Livestock Post

News

Texas AgriLife Research photo by Richar Richard Teague

A paddock the day after the burn on the Waggoner Ranch shows the impact on mesquite and prickly pear A Texas AgriLife Research study shows fire has limited benefits in controlling mesquite. pear. mesquite, Teague said. Also, with this amount of mesquite, winter grass becomes more abundant than summer grass.

And because winter grasses are usually green at that time, the winter fire effectiveness is further reduced.

“This can be offset partially

by burning in late summer, since summer fires are more effective in reducing both mesquite and prickly pear, and in summer, the winter grasses are dry and provide excellent fuels,” Teague said.

Using a rotational grazing strategy to rest areas for an

entire growing season allowed the best fuel load for the precipitation received and improved the litter and grass cover, he said. This reduced soil temperature,

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The Land & Livestock Post ✪ April 15, 2011

News

Anthrax confirmed in Central Texas beef herd

By BLAIR FANNIN Texas AgriLife Communications

COLLEGE STATION — Sample tissue submitted to the Texas Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory has tested positive for anthrax in a Central Texas beef cattle herd, according to agency officials.

The Texas Animal Health Commission confirmed the anthrax case on a ranch in Hill County near Whitney, 30 miles north of Waco. A veterinarian submitted the tissue samples to the diagnostic laboratory in College Station.

“It’s not unheard of, but somewhat unusual (for anthrax to be discovered in Central Texas),” said Dr. Amy Swinford, head of diagnostic bacteriology for the Texas Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory.

The laboratory conducted a series of tests to confirm

the identity of the bacteria Most recent cases have been isolated from the cow’s primarily in Southwest spleen, Swinford said.

Texas, which is the endemic “While the organism can area for anthrax in the state.

Animals will be be cultured from restricted from infected tissues, movement the preferred and vaccispecimen is a nated, blood samaccordple, which to ing can be animal collected Bacillus anthracis health without (anthrax) culture. o f f i opening (Texas Veterinary Medical cials. the carDiagnostic Laboratory cass and T h e photo) potentialanthrax ly contamspores inating the live in the surrounding soil and soil,” she said. can continue Over the years, to be a threat to the laboratory has livestock if they confirmed cases of anthrax are not vaccinated, Swinford as early as March and as late said. Recent dry, warm as December, although the weather likely created a disease typically is discov- favorable environment for ered during summer in the the spores to form. state, according to Swinford.

“Also, when you have a

heavy rain, spores that may have been deep within the soil can float to the surface,” Swinford said. “They are then more easily ingested by livestock as animals graze the forage; the spores enter into their systems, germinate and cause disease.”

“I give credit to great people here in this laboratory,” she said. “Myself and my three senior technicians are on call to do this diagnostic work. Upon diagnosis of a reportable disease (such as anthrax), we notify Texas Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory directors immediately, who in turn notify state health and Texas Animal Health Commission directors.”

“This is another example of the laboratory providing early detection on diseases of high consequence and providing services to protect our livestock industry,” said Dr.

Tammy Beckham, Texas Veterinary Diagnostic Medical Laboratory director.

“We work closely with the industries and veterinarians across the state to provide timely, accurate diagnosis.

In the case of infectious diseases such as anthrax, the time to diagnosis is critical for control and containment.

Our staff is among the elite in their field and as such, works diligently to protect the agricultural, companion animal and public health sectors of Texas and the nation.”

For more information on anthrax or the Texas Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory, tvmdl. tamu.edu. Information about anthrax is also available on the Texas Animal Health Commission’s website at www.tahc.state.tx.us or by calling 800-550-8242.

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Four workshops to help small-acreage growers Special to The Post

LUIS RIBERA AgriLife Extension economist series was made possible through a USDA-Outreach and Assistance for Socially Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers grant awarded to the developers.

“Smaller growers have various bits and pieces of information on the production of crops but really need more detailed information to understand the pros and cons of a small-acreage enterprise and marketing to outlets in order to be successful,” said Juan Anciso, AgriLife Extension vegetable specialist and

series co-developer.

The first two workshops — April 19 and May 3 — will be at the San Antonio Livestock Exposition’s International Room on the exposition grounds, 3201 E. Houston St. in southeast San Antonio.

The May 17 and June 7 workshops will be at the Texas AgriLife Extension Service office in Bexar County, 3355 Cherry Ridge Drive, Suite 208

in northwest San Antonio.

The cost for the workshops is $20 each or $60 for all four.

Seating for the May 17 and June 7 workshops is limited to 45, so attendees are asked to register as soon as possible.

To register online for any of the series workshops, go to texaslocalproduce.tamu.edu.

For more information, contact David Rodriguez at 210467-6575 or

April 15, 2011

“This series is designed for those interested in or already involved in smallacreage production of fruits and vegetables ... .”

✪

SAN ANTONIO – The Texas AgriLife Extension Service and others will be presenting a new educational series on the business aspects of running a small-acreage vegetable- or fruit-growing business.

The “Small-Acreage Fruit and Vegetable Grower Business Series” will be presented as four separate workshops on April 19, May 3, May 17 and June 7 at two different locations in San Antonio.

Other presenting agencies and individuals include the Texas Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency and Natural Resources Conservation Service, Frost Bank, the Metropolitan Health Office and several South Central Texas area small-acreage growers.

“This series is designed for

those interested in or already involved in small-acreage production of fruits and vegetables on plots anywhere from the size of a backyard garden to up to 100 acres,” said Luis Ribera, AgriLife Extension economist-management and a series developer.

“If you’re interested in operating a small-acreage entrepreneurial business, this series will provide valuable information and discussion on how to go about doing it.”

Ribera said the series was developed by AgriLife Extension in response to the growing number of small-acreage producers wanting to sell directly or indirectly to the consumer, but needing more information on business planning, resources available to them, quality standards and other important factors related to a successful smallacreage enterprise.

He added that the business

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half of a deer that she canned or fried and preserved in a crock of lard.

The cow provided them with fresh milk, cream and butter and copious amounts of cottage cheese that she made.

In the spring, she planted a garden with great anticipation of fresh vegetables. She spent long days watering, hoeing and hoeing some more. The green sprouts broke through the fertile ground and became lush with promise.

In a cruel twist of fate from Mother Nature, she awoke on a July morning to find row after row of frozen, blackened plants. Not knowing what else to do, she fell to the ground and cried.

When her anger and disappointment were spent, she prayed, picked up her hoe

vived in an incubator fashioned from a shoe box set on the open oven door of the wood cook stove. Eleven months later another son arrived.

After saving for a long time, they were able to by a Model T Roadster for $25.

Their social life lif consisted of playing cards and checkers if someone happened by and stayed awhile. Material things didn’t matter, family and survival did.

That couple was my grandparents — married 50 years, most of them hard times, remembered with sweet memories. “We raised our kids on beans, love and poached venison,” my grandmother would say.

How many today could do the same?

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and began again. She never forgot the day her prayers were answered and she saw the first green stems poking through the ground in the garden she’d coaxed to life.

It was the height of the depression — the dirty ’30s.

The family ranch was struggling, with cattle selling for $17 a head, if you could find someone to buy them. It was not enough to support two families so the young couple continued to fend for themselves.

He continued to find sawmill work and even found a mill closer to home.

He walked four miles to and from work every day, working 10 hours a day for the princely sum of 15 cents an hour. Being frugal was not a choice.

The first baby was born a month premature and sur-

April 15, 2011

near a freshwater spring.

She filled the cracks with rags and tacked tar paper to the walls to keep out the winter winds. He had a job with a sawmill but it was too far away for a daily walk to work, so he left on Mondays and returned home on JULIE CARTE ARTER Saturday C OW OWGIRL SASS nights.

AND SAVVY The isolation and loneliness was overwhelming for the young bride.

Her only company was a big collie dog and a very cranky milk cow. She spent her days sewing, mending, cooking and doing laundry.

The basics of living took all day, especially in the winter when wood needed to be chopped and laundry required water to be bucketed from the spring. After a washboard scrubbing, it was strung on lines throughout the cabin to dry.

A ffew chickens provided an occasional egg or two and the couple was gifted with

✪

here is a new crop of 18-year-olds about to be loosed on a world full of technology and endless possibilities. It seems important to remember that the abundance of choices and opportunities weren’t there always.

The youngest of 10 children, her short life had been full of hard work and Old World discipline. Her mother died when she was 8 and in the summer of her 18th year, her father died. It was 1930.

Her siblings already had married, joined the military and found jobs. She was the last one in the nest and the nest was about to be sold, leaving her homeless.

Down the road a few miles was a childhood friend who also was looking for a home.

His widowed father had taken a young wife and was starting a new family. He and his brothers felt in the way and decided to strike out on their own.

It was not at all a romantic start to life, but the two homeless young friends married that December because of circumstances, not love.

Their first home was a oneroom cabin in the foothills

The Land & Livestock Post

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The Land & Livestock Post

News

12

Sticking to it Pasture sticks are a useful tool for producers

By JESSE WRIGHT Land & Livest vestoc vest stock Post

S

pring has arrived, green-up has started and calving season is under way.

Now is a good time for ranchers to evaluate their forage base, along with their cattle herds’ nutritional needs. The pasture stick is a quick, simple and economical way to do both.

“The pasture stick is a tool that was developed to help people estimate stocking rates, carrying capacity and number of pastures needed to obtain a desired rest period for their herd,” said Mike Stellbauer, rangeland management specialist for the USDA’s National Resources Conservation Service in Bryan. “Really, it is a tool to help you say ‘Here’s how much I have.’”

The pasture stick is a 36inch, four-sided stick that has formulas and tables printed on it. The formulas are for determining the number of animals a pasture can support, how long a pasture can support a given number of animals, and the number of pastures needed to obtain a desired rest period.

The tables printed on the stick are a reference for the variables within each formula such as: livestock type, grazing efficiency, and estimated forage per acre based on species and stand condition.

There are several versions of pasture sticks available based on region. Stellbauer said the version he uses has been available for about five years.

He added that the pasture sticks are in short supply and only avail-

ON THE COVER Mike Stellbauer Stellbauer, right, rangeland management specialist for the USDA-National Resources Conservation Service in Bryan, explains the tables and formulas on a pasture stick to Steve Densmore, cattle manager at the Circle X ranch in Bryan.

NRCS photo by Beverly Moseley

able on a limited basis throughout the year. He said, however, each agency field office has a few pasture sticks available for loan.

However acquired, using the pasture stick to determine the variables and plugging them into the given formulas can give ranchers an estimate of what forage they currently have on hand.

Critical during drought Stellbauer said it is especially important for ranchers to know what forage is available for their herd now, heading into the growing season. Current drought conditions also make it critical for ranchers to know their forage base According to John NielsonGammon, state climatologist based at Texas A&M University, most of the state is in a drought.

“Some of the most severe drought conditions are in the Brazos Valley,” he said. “One year ago, there were no drought conditions anywhere in the state of Texas.”

He said that Texas would need above-normal rainfall to recover in time for summer. Since October, College Station has fewer than 6 inches of rainfall; normal rainfall for the region for that time period is 19 inches.

State Forage Specialist Larry Redmon of College Station said the lack of rainfall reduces the capability of the forage base to support any normal rational stocking rate.

“The stocking rate is the most critical part of livestock production. It affects the overall economics of the operation the per-

vation Ser Service vice photo by Beverly Moseley Conservation Natural Resour Resources Conser

Mike Stellbauer, Stellbauer rangeland management specialist for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Resources Conservation Service in Bryan, uses a pasture stick to measure height of the forage. Pasture sticks can help producers determine how many animals a pasture can support and for how long it can support them. sistence and vigor of the forage base, it affects animal performance and it affects the environment,” said Redmon.

He said that ranchers should consider culling their herd, and making adjustments based on forage capacity.

“The pros of culling are to replace older or non-productive animals, especially at a time when cull prices are high like they are now, and to keep the overall stocking rate in bal-

ance with the forage capacity of that particular site,” Redmon said.

Pay off worth it Redmon said it’s important for beef producers to plan for the worst.

In other words, stock for drought.

“What people need to do is to build drought into their overall plan,” Redmon said. “You can handle

• See STICK/Page STICK 14

The Land & Livestock Post

News

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Texas AgriLife Research photo by Richar Richard Teague

The paddock after spring green up shows how the grass recovered.

Fire From 7 runoff and erosion, and increased soil carbon. Postfire deferment also is needed to ensure adequate recovery of palatable grasses and litter cover.

Ranchers know that failure to maintain low levels of mesquite populations in pastures results in decreased

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“With fire being so much less expensive than alternative treatments, our economic assessments indicate that stocking rates can be lowered by 25 percent and still be economically competitive with alternative brush treatments as long as fire is used regularly,” he said.

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The Land & Livestock Post âœŞ April 15, 2011

News

Stick

A pasture stick is designed to help estimate:

From 12 excess grass a lot of different ways. It’s a lot harder to handle deficiency of grass. In the end it can cost a lot of money.�

Redmon recommended finding out the number of grazing acres available, determine the number of head the grazing acres will sustain, and reduce the number of head for the drought.

Stellbauer agreed that beef producers should be ready for drought and said the pasture stick can be an effe ef ctive tool when determining your overall stocking rate. “The main concern should be to estimate carrying capacity,� he said “Use the pasture stick or any other forage estimation tool to estimate what forage production is, and then you can determine what your stocking rate should be.�

He added that the pasture stick also is beneficial in helping maintain adequate grass cover, which in turn can help maintain the health of plants, reduce erosion and provide positive benefits to water quality.

For more information on estimation of forage bases, stocking rates or culling cattle herds, go to www.tx.nrcs.usda.gov or contact a local Natural Resources Conservation Service field office or Texas AgriLife Extension office.

How many animals a pasture can support for a given time period: Animal Number =

lbs. of forage ra per acre rage acr X Acres Acr X Grazing Gr efďŹ cienc efďŹ ciency Animal wt. X Forage ra intake % of body weight X Days rage Da

How long a pasture can support a given number of animals: Da of grazing Days gr =

lbs of forage ra per acre rage acr X Acres Acr X grazing gr efďŹ cienc efďŹ ciency Animal wt. X Forage ra intake % of Body weight X Animal numbers rage number

Number of pastures needed to obtain a desired rest period: Number of Pastures stur needed = stures

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The Land & Livestock Post â&#x153;Ş

April 15, 2011

15

The Land & Livestock Post ✪ April 15, 2011

News

Warmer weather spurs wheat growth in Texas

By ROBERT BURNS Texas AgriLife Communications

COLLEGE STATION — With good soil moisture, warmer weather — unseasonably warm in some areas — and generally low insect and disease problems, wheat growth really took off in most of the state, according to reports from Texas AgriLife Extension Service personnel.

“Temperatures have been reaching the 90 degree mark during the day with lows around the high 40s,” said Ryan Martin, AgriLife Extension agent for Motley County, southeast of Amarillo. “These conditions have helped out the winter wheat tremendously; it looks like it came alive overnight. Some producers have started moving cattle back to wheat ground.”

“High winds and warm temperatures are starting to dry this ground out a bit,”

said Brad Easterling, AgriLife Extension agent for Baylor County, west of Wichita Falls. “Stockers are gaining nicely on graze-out wheat. So far, insects including greenbugs, are not a problem in wheat, and rust is lying low.”

“This week thus far has been dry and warmer, more seasonable for this time of year,” said Rick Maxwell, AgriLife Extension agent for Collin County, north of Dal-las. “What little wheat was planted last fall is now growing good with the sunshine and warmer weather.”

“Dry Southwest winds wicked away some of our moisture, but a survey of fields shows that only the top 1.5 to 2 inches are dry,” said Scott Adair, AgriLife Extension agent for Hale County, north of Lubbock. “The earliest wheat is in Feekes stage 6, with one main stem node clearly visible. Some produc-

ers and consultants are finding Russian wheat aphids.”

“Wheat and oats are heading out and look pretty good for a grain crop,” said Jerry Warren, AgriLife Extension agent for Bexar County, San Antonio. “Much of the wheat and oats will be grazed out, but the remaining should have decent yield.”

The following summaries were compiled by AgriLife Extension district reporters: CENTRAL — The agricultural situation continued to improve with warmer weather and sunshine. Wheat growers were treating for wheat stripe rust (yellow rust) and some leaf rust (brown rust) in fields dry enough to cross with spray rigs. Because wet weather delayed corn planting, it was expected some producers would plant milo instead.

Small grains and pastures made good growth. Peach trees were looking better than average.

COASTAL BEND — Farmers

continued planting sorghum, cotton and rice. Planting of sesame was also under way and seed rice will be planted soon. Rain was expected, and producers were trying to get fertilizer applications done while fields were dry enough. However, the showers did not materialize. Warmer temperatures encouraged pasture growth.

EAST — Warmer temperatures caused grasses to green up and grow. Producers were preparing to plant vegetables. Reports on fruit crops showed only slight damage caused by earlier frosts.

Watermelon crops were doing well. Livestock were in fair to good condition with some producers still providing supplemental feed.

FAR WEST — The weather was mild with warm days and cool nights. No precipitation was reported, and topsoils further dried out. Some alfalfa farmers made their first cutting. Springweed growth provided grazing for

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sheep and goats. Mesquites and pecans still had not leafed out.

SOUTHEAST — Warmer days and drier weather sped up forage growth, and rangeland was green and lush. Beef cattle body condition scores were above average.

Spring planting and land preparation were under way due to drier conditions. Cattle condition improved some this week with better forage growth conditions.

Native grasses made some progress while Bermuda grass and bahia grass were slow to come around.

SOUTHWEST — The total rain for March was about 70 percent of the long-term average, but the year-to-date cumulative amount was about 1.5 times average.

Soils still had considerable moisture. Mild, cool, open weather accelerated spring growth, and the region looked good and green. While some less-palatable winter weeds used up soil moisture, overall forage availability improved significantly.

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Corre or cts Soil Acidity orre Furni ur shes Available Magnesium and Calcium for Plant urni la s aand Animals lant IIncreases the Efficiency of Fertilizers Aidss tthe Growth ow of Beneficial Soil Organisms owth

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Efforts to halt moths killing prickly pears

By CAIN BURDEAU Associated Press

• See MOTHS/Page MOTHS 19

April 15, 2011

Cactoblastis cactorum, a tan-colored moth from Argentina, has been moving steadily across the Gulf Coast for the past decade. The moth lays its eggs in prickly pear

✪

CACTUS CANAL, La. — Federal agricultural workers carrying blow torches moved slowly down the bank of an old oil canal, burning prickly every pear cactus they came across in hope of killing off a cactus-eating pest that’s been on a tear across the Gulf Coast and is moving West.

cacti, which its larvae then infest. They’ll eat through the pads of the fruit-bearing plant worth hundreds of millions of dollars because of its use in Mexican cooking.

Cactus Canal now marks the western boundary of the moth’s new habitat, and federal workers hope to stop it before it gets to Texas and the population explodes with an abundant food supply.

“This is our line in the sand, so to speak,” said Joe Bravata, an invasive species specialist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, or APHIS. The cactus burning on the remote canal dug more than

The Land & Livestock Post

News

AP photo/Patrick Semansky

U.S. Department of Agriculture technician Kevin Balser burns a patch of prickly pear cacti to prevent the spread of cactus moths on the bank of Cactus Canal in Jefferson Parish, La. The moth's larvae infest prickly pear cacti, and officials are trying to prevent them from spreading further west to Texas, where the infestation could explode.

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The Land & Livestock Post â&#x153;Ş April 15, 2011

News Annual Ruminant Nutrition meet to be April 20-21 in Grapevine

By MIKE JACKSON Texas AgriLife Communications

GRAPEVINE â&#x20AC;&#x201D; The annual Mid-South Ruminant Nutrition Conference will be April 20-21 in Grapevine.

The conference will be at the Embassy Suites Hotel.

The event is sponsored by the Texas Animal Nutrition Council and the Texas AgriLife Extension Service.

Events begin at 1:30 p.m. on April 20 with a tour of three Grapevine wineries. The cost of the tour is $60 per person.

Conference registration will begin at 4:30 p.m. followed by a reception at 6 p.m.

Conference registration, excluding the wineries tour, is $95. Activities on April 21 will begin with registration at 7:30 a.m. and end after the final session, which begins at 4 p.m.

To register, make checks payable to the Texas Animal

Nutrition Council and send to Ellen Jordan, Texas AgriLife Extension Service, 17360 Coit Road, Dallas, TX 75252-6599.

For more information, call Jordan at 972-952-9201.

Conference topics are: â&#x20AC;˘ Regional irrigation use and changes on the horizon. â&#x20AC;˘ Environmental and management factors impacting corn-silage yield and feeding value. â&#x20AC;˘ Increasing silage levels in dairy diets using starch and neutral detergent fiberdigestibility. â&#x20AC;˘ Switching from corn to sorghum silage. â&#x20AC;˘ Managing mortality losses in dairy herds. â&#x20AC;˘ Impact of calcium and vitamin D on the immune system. â&#x20AC;˘ The role of inflammation in metabolic disorders. â&#x20AC;˘ Mycotoxins â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Lessons learned from the 2009 Midwest crop year.

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Moths From 17

lowed this cactus out,” he said, holding a sliced-open pad in his hand. “If you look in there, there is no meat left.”

In the middle of such a vast wilderness, killing the cactus — and thereby the moth — is hard work.

“Very labor intensive, very time consuming,” Bravata said. “We’ll have to come back many times to catch the little pads that are sprouting.”

But it’s important in stopping the pest’s advance.

Mexico beat back the moth when it was found off the coast of Cancun in 2007. The hope is the same will happen here.

Barron Rector, a range ecologist at Texas A&M University, is part of a team setting traps for the moth. It hasn’t been found anywhere west of Cactus Canal, he said.

“It’s marched through Florida, through the Pan-handle, and now we’re going to stop it here,” Bravata said.

“We’re moving east. That’s the whole point of the pro-

April 15, 2011

be.”

To stop the spread, the USDA has been running crews and scientists out to patches of infested marsh in Louisiana for about a year to scorch prickly pear down to the roots. There aren’t a lot of the cacti in Louisiana, but scientists say it’s just enough to allow the moth to hopscotch to Texas unless it’s stopped.

The recent work in the canal in Jefferson Parish, about 25 miles south of New Orleans, was timed to get the pest before the adult moths take flight in search of new nesting spots in spring. A female lays up to 120 eggs at the base of prickly pears, and the larvae then drill a hole into the pad and begin munching.

Bravata used a machete to chop at underbrush as he clambered over fallen trees and clumps of marsh and berry bushes. Crossing the canal, he spotted a cactus with brownish ooze on the pads. It’s the tell-tale sign: larva excrement.

“You see how they have hol-

✪

a half century ago by oilmen in the far-flung Louisiana marsh has support from the U.S. and Mexico. Both countries are contributing about $500,000 a year to kill the moths and save the prickly pear.

The cactus is so important in Mexico, it’s on the middle of the national flag under the eagle. Known as nopales, prickly pear is farmed on about 205,000 acres in Mexico with a harvest worth about $160 million.

California’s harvest, the biggest in the U.S., is worth $24 million a year.

The cactus also has ecological significance. Quails and snakes find cover in prickly pear, as do fungi, reptiles and birds that eat the plant. A good portion of a white-tail deer’s diet depends on the cactus, and coyotes and foxes, in bad times, will eat it too.

The moth is seen as a major threat. It arrived from the Caribbean at the tip of Florida in the 1980s and traveled up to the Florida Panhandle and across Alabama and Mississippi. In 2009, it was spotted in Louisiana.

“If nothing’s done, we don’t think it will take long for it to get to Texas and then into Mexico,” said Rebeca Gutierrez, the cactus moth program manager with Senasica, a Mexican government pestcontrol agency.. ”This pest has shown that it is spreading really fast.”

There’s concern the moth could wreak havoc on Mexico’s prickly pear farms and wild plant populations.

The country has launched a public education campaign, with flyers and highway billboards warning about the danger.

“Every state in Mexico is covered in opuntia (prickly pear) species,“ Gutierrez said. ”If it gets to the country, and we can’t find it in time, we don’t know what the exact damage it could cause will

The Land & Livestock Post

News

AP photo/Patrick Semansky

USDA technician Anthony Nunez burns a patch of prickly pear cacti to prevent the spread of cactus moths

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The Land & Livestock Post ✪ April 15, 2011

News

Spring is the time for the spread of oak wilt

By HOLLY HUFFMAN Texas Forest Service

AUSTIN — The big, beautiful live oaks that line your street and shade your home are strong, but not immune to every danger. There’s a silent killer that at this very moment could be creeping down your block, one yard at a time.

Considered an epidemic throughout Central Texas, oak wilt is one of the most destructive tree diseases in the United States. The infectious disease spreads in the spring, killing trees that share its name, with red oaks and live oaks most susceptible.

“Live oaks are just phenomenal trees that we’re blessed with here in the Hill Country; oak wilt is just its Achilles heel,” said Texas Forest Service Forester Eric Beckers, who is based in Austin.

“It’s an incredibly valuable tree. It’s a great survivor against everything that gets thrown at it from wind damage to drought to insects and other diseases, but it’s a poor survivor with oak wilt.”

Oak mortality has been noted since the 1930s, but oak wilt wasn’t confirme conf d as the cause until the late 1970s. It has since been found in 73 counties — principally in Central Texas, although it’s crept as far as Amarillo and Houston.

An infected oak can spread the disease to surrounding oaks via their interconnected root systems. When that happens, the only way to stop further spread is by digging trenches to break the root connections.

Oak wilt also can be spread from February through June via sap-feeding beetles, which eat spore mats produced by infected red oaks. The disease

is spread when those insects fly off to feed on a healthy red oak or live oak with a fresh wound.

Diseased live oaks do not produce the same spores but they can become infected by them.

“We’re talking about trees that have been in the landscape for a century or more.

We don’t replace those trees overnight,” Beckers said, adding that the death of such majestic trees can lead to drops in property values.

“Preventing oak wilt is the key.”

A wound is created any time bark is removed and wood is exposed, Beckers said. That can happen with the simplest of tasks — planting flowers, pruning or even pushing a lawn mower over a bare tree root.

That bare wood produces sap, which attracts the sapfeeding beetles, Beckers said,

Texas For Te Forest Ser Service vice photo

Live oak leaves show the oak wilt symptom called veinal necrosis. stressing the importance of avoiding wounds in the spring, painting tree wounds year round and destroying diseased red oaks.

“You don’t want to have to manage oak wilt. That means you have it. You want to prevent it from happening,”

Beckers said, explaining that there is no cure for the disease. “Oak wilt is a bear. It’s very difficult to stop.”

For more information about oak wilt and maps detailing which counties are affected, go to www.texasoakwilt.org.

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the maneuver, when she heard someone say, “Can I help you?”

A handsome, strong Kansas State trooper smiled.

June left him to push and hold while she went around to catch and latch.

When the divider banged closed it spooked the bull who tried to climb over the back gate, slid to the down side and spooked the trooper who fell back writhing in agony.

He was on the ground grasping his knee.

She reached to help him, “No,” he groaned, “I can do it!” He keyed his collar mike, “Officer down! Officer down!

I’ve been injured and need assistance!”

Within five minutes the horizon in all directions was filled with red and blue flashing lights and sirens blaring!

Lawmen closed Highway 400.

Well, nobody could get around all the Dodge City Police cars, Ford County Sheriff deputy pickups, the ambulance, fire trucks, tow truck, first responders and one Wildlife and Park Service utility vehicle.

After a thorough questioning, they realized the truth.

The upset June told them she thought they were going to handcuff her and leave her in the ditch while they searched her rig for contraband.

One big burly officer laughed and said, “Yeah, but if we’d done that, you could’ve told ’em it took six of us to get the job done, and you put one of us in the hospital!”

syndicated column and appears regularly on National Public Radio. His website is www.baxterblack.com.

The Eagle

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

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

April 15, 2011

found a hole in the floor of the front compartment of the trailer.

The bull, butt to the front, was eyeing the hole nervously.

“Simple,” she surmised, “I’ll just open the divider gate and move him BAXTER BLACK into the rear compartment and be on my way.”

She unlatched the gate and it swung it open. The bull was coaxed around the hole to the rear and June hurried around to close the divider. It was on a good slant. She pushed it closed and raced back around to latch it … but not in time! It swung back open.

Three times she attempted

✪

une was taking a renegade bull with a tendency to “wander” to the sale barn in Dodge City. Her son helped her load the beast into their stock trailer.

It was an authentic ranch trailer with lights that worked intermittently, gates that swung almost even, tires that didn’t match, and compressed rubber floor-planks whose 99-year warranty had expired.

A few miles outside of Dodge, June heard and felt a thump, crack and crunch loud enough to be heard above George Strait on KBUF. In her rear-view mirror she watched a dark object helicopter out from under the second axle!

She swerved to the right and stopped on a slant in the bar ditch.

Upon examination, she

The Land & Livestock Post

Commentary

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 The Post is printed in part on recycled paper and is fully recyclable.

• Baxter Black is a former large animal veterinarian who writes a

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21

The Land & Livestock Post ✪ April 15, 2011

News

Prairie View sets field days

By GLORIA J. MOSBY Special to The Post

The Prairie View A&M University 2011 Agricultural Field Day will be May 6-7 on campus. Activities start on May 6 with a pre-Field Day workshop, “Farmscaping,” from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and a High School Career Day beginning at 9:30 a.m.

Registration for Field Day starts at 7 a.m. on May 7 in the Carden-Waller Cooperative Extension building; workshops begin at 10:30 a.m. The College of Agriculture and Human Sciences is hosting the Field Day. “Our featured pre-Field Day workshop on Farmscaping is something that many farm and ranch producers will find extremely beneficial,” said Billy Lawton, program specialist, Agriculture & Natural Resources, Cooperative Extension Program. “Farm-

scaping is the deliberate use of plants and landscaping to increase diversity of habitats to encourage and conserve beneficial organisms to help prevent damage to crops by insect pests.”

Richard McDonald of Symbiont Biological Pest Management in North Carolina will present the Farmscaping workshop named “The Good, the Bad and the Bugly: Getting the Right Mix of Beneficial Insects and Pollinators on your Farm.”

Area middle and high school students will be invited to the High School Career Day where they will learn about ABCs of entering college and will be given a tour of the Prairie View A&M campus. Lunch is included.

On May 7, several speakers will address topics to help farmers and ranchers enhance and improve their farm operations followed by work-

shops that cover topics including food security, goat judging basics, diseases of pregnant goats, matching nutritional needs with forage and hay quality in beef cows, internal parasite management in goats, pasture management and general goat management.

Registration for the Field Day events on May 7 is $10 per person, which includes registration materials and lunch.

Contestants for a goat cook-off contest will be charged a $5 entry fee. There is no charge for the pre-field day farmscaping workshop and the High School Career Day. For more information about the Field Day, call 936261-5072 or 936-261-2540, or contact Billy Lawton at 936261-5117, bclawton@ag.tamu. edu. Interested persons may download conference registration forms at pvceppvamu.edu.

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• Spring Spr Forage

April 15th

• Equine Edition Edit

June 15th

• Conve Con ntion nt Issue

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• Annual Ag Directory To advertise contact:

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22

New landowners in West Texas target of AgriLife conferences

By STEVE BYRNS Texas AgriLife Communications

rk An a l C

April 15, 2011

TE PRIVA Y T A E TR

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AMARILLO — Essential natural resource knowledge for new West Texas landowners and managers will be the focus of an educational series to be conducted by the Texas AgriLife Extension Service at different locations in May. Re-Born to the Land conferences will be held from 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. in: • Alpine on May 12 at the Espino Conference Center located on the Sul Ross State University campus.

• Amarillo on May 18 at the Texas AgriLife Research and Extension Center.

• Odessa on May 20 at the MCM Grande Hotel.

“The Re-Born to the Land conferences are aimed at helping new landowners and managers be good stewards of their property,” said Ken Cearley, AgriLife Extension wildlife specialist in Amarillo.

“All three program agendas will be the same, but the speakers and their topics will be tailored specifically for that particular region,” Cearley said.

Cearley said participants will learn a broad array of land management concepts and strategies that will en-

hance their skills and ensure the future integrity of the land they own or manage.

He said the programs will start with a presentation defining and characterizing the Re-Born to the Land demographic phenomenon.

Cearley said these landowners have little or no agricultural background, but do have a love for the land.

Additional topics will include region-relevant presentations on managing wildlife, range and livestock; realworld economics and ranching; current and emerging GIS technology for land management; ranching diversification for habitat, rangeland improvement and ranch profitability; and various assistance resources available to land managers.

Two Texas Department of Agriculture continuing education units will be available, one in the integrated pest management category and one in the laws and regulations category.

Register online at agrilifevents.tamu.edu and click on keyword search “Landowner,” or call Conference Services at 806-845-2604. Individual registration is $75 until May 6 and $90 thereafter.

For more information contact Cearley at 806-670-6070.

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April 15, 2011 â&#x153;Ş

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