Land and Livestock Post

July 1, 2011

Bug Off

DROUGHT MAKING INSECTS DO STRANGE THINGS DON'T EAT THOSE GREENS

PAG E 10 QUALITY COUNTS

Drought causes plant toxicity problems.

Verification to be required at livestock shows.

RA�P�ING IT UP

THE GRASS REALLY IS GREENER

PAGE 4

New product leads to feedlot weight gains.

PAGE 6

PAGE 9

Multi-paddock grazing proves beneficial.

PAGE 16

The Land & Livestock Post ✪ July 1, 2011 2

IT’S HOT!

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Special to The Post

Temple Grandin will be the keynote speaker at the Texas A&M Beef Cattle Short Course, sponsored by Texas AgriLife Extension Service, Aug. 1-3 in College Station.

Grandin is a professor at Colorado State University and specializes in cattle behavior and handling facilities. She has advised ranchers, feedlots and meat plants throughout the U.S. and Canada on handling equipment as well as assisting in the development of animal welfare guidelines for the meat industry, consulting with McDonald’s, Wendy’s International and Burger King.

Grandin has received numerous awards, including the Beef Top 40 industry leaders award from The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association. HBO recently premiered a movie about Temple’s early life and career with the livestock industry. The movie received seven Emmy awards, a Golden Globe and a Peabody Award.

“We are fortunate to have Dr.

Grandin join us again at the Beef Cattle Short Course and provide insight as to the latest developments in animal handling and welfare issues,” said Jason Cleere, AgriLife Extension beef cattle specialist and conference coordinator. “These issues are very important to the beef industry and we think attendees will come away with fresh information that can be applied in their operations.”

The short course features a number of educational sessions and workshops. The Cattleman’s College portion of the three-day short course provides participants with an opportunity to choose workshops based on production experience and the needs of their ranch, Cleere said.

Participants can receive a Texas Department of Agriculture pesticide applicator’s license during the short course, and can earn at least 10 pesticide continuing education units if they are already licensed.

Producers can register online at beef.tamu.edu or contact Cleere’s office at 979-845-6931.

July 1, 2011

summer heat is a commonality among all species. In our cover story, we see how the heat has made insects migrate in search of moisture, often to places people would rather not have them.

We also hear from Dr. Steve Wikse about the dangers your herd can face due to the drought, and what to do to avoid them.

This along with many other stories and our regular features should be enough to keep you informed and keep you cool: Each issue doubles as an information source and a sun visor. But, I recommend reading it indoors, if you can. ’Til next time,

✪

uly is hot. This may not be breaking news, but it is factual.

The month gets it’s name from the Roman ruler, Julius Caesar.

Things ended badly for Caesar, and if the JESSE WRIGHT month of July is any reflection of the man, I think I know why.

Not only is July hot, it’s smack dab in the middle of a long stretch of heat. Just like it’s namesake, July gets stabbed from the front and back by June and August with high temperatures, and even May and September sneak in a few cheap shots.

The search for shelter from the

Temple Grandin to speak at Texas A&M Beef Cattle Course Aug. 1-3

The Land & Livestock Post

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The Land & Livestock Post ✪ July 1, 2011 4

News

Drought creates problems with toxic plants L

ast month’s question was: “I’m very worried about the terrible drought we are in. I’m concerned about what disease problems the drought could cause in my beef herd and what I could do to avoid them.” My column covered management practices to help maintain the body condition of cows in the face of scarce feed. This month I’m going to continue my answer by discussing droughtrelated toxicity problems.

I’ve often told clients to watch for poison plant problems STEVE during WIKSE, DVM droughts.

When grass is scarce cattle will eat plants they normally would not eat.

That sure is true, but since our spring rains were practically absent we haven’t had much toxic plant growth this year.

This summer and fall our greatest risk for cattle poisoning will be the chemicals prussic acid and nitrate which can accumulate in drought-stressed plants.

These deadly poisons especially reach high concentrations in plants that grow rapidly when rains follow stunting.

Prussic acid — or cyanide — and nitrate poisoning are both highly feared causes of multiple sudden deaths in cattle. Their clinical signs are similar as both prevent the body from using oxygen.

Basically, in both poisonings cattle can’t breathe.

Prussic acid blocks use of oxygen by cells, resulting in bright red blood due to a buildup of oxygen. Nitrate causes a change in the structure of hemoglobin, making it unable to carry oxygen to cells. In nitrate poisoning, the blood is dark red to coffee brown.

At the 20th Annual Food Animal Conference for veterinarians June 3-5, Dr. John

Reagor gave an excellent presentation on toxic plants.

Reagor is our recently retired toxicologist having served Texas cattle producers for more than 30 years at the Texas Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory. He stressed that our No. 1 toxic plant this year will be Johnsongrass, a sorghum. It only takes a little rain for stunted Johnsongrass to spring into new lush growth loaded with prussic acid. Johnsongrass has become widespread in the south and is often present along fences of improved pastures. Hungry cattle that find a low clump of early growth on the edge of a pasture can gobble it up and be dead in 5 minutes.

If you notice a dangerous looking clump of Johnsongrass following rains, you can take samples to the Texas Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory for testing.

University of California photo

JOHNSONGRASS Submit six or eight new plants up to 8 inches high, preserved on ice, and request the prussic acid concentration.

Hay, particularly Haygrazer hay — another sorghum— also can contain lethal concentrations of prussic acid under drought conditions. Suspicious round bales of Haygrazer can be sampled with a hay corer and tested.

Positive bales that are unrolled and left for one day

are safe for cattle due to volatilization of the prussic acid. Less than 1 percent nitrate in hay is safe for cattle to consume.

Reagor predicted that our No. 2 cattle toxicity problem this year will be nitrate toxicity. Conditions that favor accumulation of excessive amounts of prussic acid in plants also favor nitrate accumulation.

Nitrate poisoning commonly occurs when plants are growing in soils high in nitrogen, especially during drought. Beware of pigweed growing in barnyards and pens. Pigweed is a highly efficient nitrate accumulater that has higher nitrate concentrations in the morning than the afternoon. It can be

• See POISON/Page 5

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Poison From 4

Pecan Integrated Pest Management team wins Superior Service Award Special to The Post

COLLEGE STATION — The Texas AgriLife Extension Service’s Pecan Integrated Pest Management team has been awarded the Superior Service Award.

The nine-member team was recognized for “their work in developing and implementing a program that has culminated in a computerized information delivery system to provide real-time information to pecan growers throughout Texas and other pecan growing states,” according to the award citation.

The pecan industry in Texas is valued at about $40 million annually, according to the team citation.

Significant damage can be done by the pecan nut casebearer which causes about $2.7 million in losses each

year, the citation noted. The team worked to devise a combination of methods to control the pest in the most efficient, effective way.

Team members include Allen Knutson, AgriLife Extension entomologist in Dallas; Bill Ree, AgriLife Extension program specialist in Bryan; Joe Janak, AgriLife Extension agent in Victoria County; Mark Muegge, AgriLife Extension entomologist in Fort Stockton; Marvin Harris, Texas AgriLife Research entomologist; Tom Isakeit, AgriLife Extension plant pathologist in College Station; Alejandro Calixto, AgriLife Research assistant research scientist in College Station; Andrew Birt, postdoctoral research scientist; and Neal Lee, AgriLife Research web specialist.

Special edition a overrun of the 8/1 Issue

July 1, 2011

• 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.

Beef Cattle Short Course

✪

controlled by herbicide treatments.

Reagor also pointed out that there is one poison plant in the Brazos Valley for which we must be on the lookout, even in severe droughts: Twinleaf senna can sprout up with just a little rain. It is easy to recognize by its twin leaves, yellow flowers and 1 to 1 1/4 inch seed pods.

Twinleaf senna causes diarrhea and weakness. It destroys muscle cells resulting in downer cows with dark urine. Senna-poisoned animals found down seldom recover.

It’s very interesting that supplementation with phosphorus prevents consumption of twinleaf senna.

Providing a good salt-trace mineral supplement is a good preventive measure. Small clumps of twinleaf senna can be controlled with herbacides.

In summary, severe

drought conditions change the usual suspects of toxic plants that could cause losses of livestock. Toxic chemicals, prussic acid and nitrate, are the main dangers, especially in the sorghums such as Johnsongrass.

Any type of hay, however, could accumulate toxic levels of nitrates when rains follow stunting. I once investigated the sudden deaths of six steers. They had been fed a new round bale of Bahiagrass hay that was loaded with nitrate.

Suspicious plants or hay can be tested by the Texas Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory to be sure they are safe for livestock consumption.

Reagor predicted that oak bud poisoning definitely will cause losses this year. Shin oaks, black oak acorns or post oak leaves can be culprits. Next month’s column will focus on this threat.

Coming Soon

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The Land & Livestock Post ✪ July 1, 2011

News

New feed will RAMP weight gain, save money

By KAY LEDBETTER Texas AgriLife Communications

AMARILLO — A two-year study by a Texas AgriLife Research team in Amarillo has helped bring a new product to market that could allow the cattle feeding industry to realize efficiencies in mills and more weight on cattle, according to Jim MacDonald.

MacDonald, an AgriLife Research beef cattle nutritionist, finished his second trial of cattle early this year studying starter diets in feedlots during the transition phase from pasture to feed yard.

Typically, a steer or heifer will come off a forage diet when it goes into the feedlot, he said. For the first 21 to 28 days in the feedlot, the cattle are fed a diet that allows their rumen microflora to adapt to grain instead of forage.

“This is usually done with

roughage, and as they go through the period of adjustment, the amount of roughage goes down and the amount of grain goes up,” MacDonald said.

If the animal is not allowed to go through this process, it can suffer rumen acidosis, which is typically characterized by decreasing rumen pH and digestive disorders that cause the cattle to go off feed, he said.

The problem for feed yards, MacDonald said, is handling the roughage needed for this transitional diet can be inefficient. Roughage is typically expensive per unit of energy and is bulky and difficult to handle in the feed mills. Also, there can be a substantial amount of shrink depending on the roughage used.

Through a grant funded by

• See FEED/Page 7

BULK CUBES ARE HERE! Our new bulk bin was just installed and filled with 30 tons of quality Purina cattle cubes.

Texas AgriLife Research photo by Jim MacDonald

The RAMP product is colored green to differentiate it during the feeding trials. The new feed is the result of a study that will allow efficiencies in mills, while adding weight to cattle in feedlots.

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Submit your questions to:

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Feed From 6

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 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 Published by Bryan-College Station Communications, Inc., P.O. Box 3000, Bryan, Texas 77805.

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July 1, 2011

The Eagle

that needs to be handled — about one-third less — and the reduction in the number of diets that they were having to mix, MacDonald said.

“This is one more step that allows feed yards to improve on their efficiency with beef production, capture more pounds of beef per animal, and potentially reduce the cost of beef to the consumer,” he said.

U.S. House turns back efforts to cap farm subsidy amounts WASHINGTON (AP) — The Republican-led House has turned back bipartisan efforts to reduce farm subsidies as lawmakers passed a food and farm spending bills with deep cuts in food aid at home and abroad.

The bill provides $17.3 billion for the day-to-day operations of the Agriculture Department and the Food and Drug Administration.

It would reduce food aid for lowincome mothers and their children, as well as international food assistance, by hundreds of millions of dollars.

The House passed the measure by a 217-203 vote on June 16.

Lawmakers rejected proposals that would have lowered the maximum amount of money a farmer can receive in subsidies from the federal government.

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Cargill Corn Milling, MacDonald conducted two trials with 315 cattle in each to help develop a product that acts like a forage in the rumen but has the energy value of corn.

Cargill already produces Sweet Bran, a branded corn gluten feed that is high in digestible fiber with an energy value similar to corn, but without the potential to cause rumen acidosis, he said.

Cargill is expanding the Sweet Bran product with a new one called RAMP, he said. RAMP is a complete starter feed to adapt cattle to finishing diets of Sweet Bran pre-mixed with cottonseed hulls, alfalfa hay, vitamins and minerals.

“Our first trial was to determine if the concept would work in the Southern Plains and to help determine what level of cottonseed hulls might be optimal,” MacDonald said.

“Our second study looked at how many days the product should be used to step the cattle up,” he said.

The trial looked at 14-30 days, and while statistically it didn’t seem to make a difference on the length of time fed, MacDonald said he is most comfortable with feeding the product at least 18 days or more. He said the 14-day period may be too fast.

“Maximum energy intake early in the feeding period appears to have a large

impact on growth and performance,” MacDonald said.

“By using RAMP, we increased their energy intake during the adaptation period.

Our studies showed it allowed an additional 17 pounds of hot carcass weight to be captured on average.”

In addition to increasing weight gain, RAMP helps improve feed mill efficiencies because of the reduced forage

Special Sections Calendar

The Land & Livestock Post

News

• Equine Edition

June 15th

• Convention Issue

July 15th

• Convention Issue

August 1st

• Fall Forage • Wildlife Edition • Bull Issue

September 1st September 15th October 1st

• Holiday Issue

Dec. 15th

• Annual Ag Directory To advertise contact:

Jesse Wright 979.731.4721 jesse.wright@theeagle.com

7

The Land & Livestock Post ✪ July 1, 2011

News LIVESTOCK MARKET REPORTS Bryan

Results of the Brazos Valley Livestock Commission’s June 14 sale: Head: 1,575 Steers: 200-300 lbs., $120$182.50; 300-400 lbs., $120$162.50; 400-500 lbs., $113$132; 500-600 lbs., $109$126; 600-700 lbs., $95-$120; 700-800 lbs., $103-$113.

Heifers: 200-300 lbs., $110$141; 300-400 lbs., $110$130; 400-500 lbs., $105$125; 500-600 lbs., $100$125; 600-700 lbs., $82-$115; 700-800 lbs., $100-$107.

Slaughter cows: $40-$74.

Slaughter bulls: $70-$85.50.

Bred cows: $560-$940.

Cow/calf pairs: $840-$990.

Buffalo

Results of the Buffalo Livestock Commission’s June 11 sale: Head: 1,672 Steers: 150-200 lbs., $135$170; 200-300 lbs., $130-$167; 300-400 lbs., $135-$163; 400500 lbs., $115-$140; 500-600 lbs., $115-$125; 600-700 lbs.,

$110-$122; 600-700 lbs., $103$111.

Heifers: 150-200 lbs., $130$155; 200-300 lbs., $125-$150; 300-400 lbs., $115-$145; 400500 lbs., $110-$128; 500-600 lbs., $105-$123; 600-700 lbs., $105-$116; 700-800 lbs., $98$108.

Slaughter cows: $52-$76.

Slaughter bulls: $81-$88.

Bred cows: $700-$980.

Cow/calf pairs: $750-$1,350.

Caldwell

Results of the Caldwell Livestock Commission’s June 15 sale: Head: 776 Steers: 200-300 lbs., $130$175; 300-400 lbs., $120-$160; 400-500 lbs., $110-$150; 500600 lbs., $100-$130; 600-700 lbs., $100-$115.

Heifers: 200-300 lbs., $110$150; 300-400 lbs., $110$150; 400-500 lbs., $105$155; 500-600 lbs., $95-$130;

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Texans should use caution with fires

600-700 lbs., $100-$120.

Slaughter cows: $41-$70.

Slaughter bulls: $55-$82.

Stocker cows: $580-$1,000.

Groesbeck

Results of the Groesbeck Auction and Livestock June 16 sale: Head: 1,090 Steers: 300-400 lbs., $145$161; 400-500 lbs., $125-$137; 500-600 lbs., $122-$129; 600700 lbs., $112-$119.

Heifers: 300-400 lbs., $125$131; 400-500 lbs., $120-$128; 500-600 lbs., $119-$125; 600700 lbs., $105-$118.

Slaughter cows: $46-$72.

Slaughter bulls: $82-$89.

Cow/calf pairs: $1,050$1,200.

Jordan

Results of the Jordan Cattle Auction’s June 16 sale: Head: 5,810 Steers: 200-300 lbs., $150-

NEWS YOU CAN USE RIGHT IN YOUR MAILBOX

Special to The Post

8

GRIMES COUNTY — At least 26 homes were destroyed in the Dyer Mill Fire in Grimes County on June 19, bringing the total of homes and buildings destroyed by wildfire to nearly 2,000 across the state since fire season began Nov. 15.

As the unprecedented drought conditions continue, Texas Forest Service is encouraging Texans to help prevent wildfires by avoiding outdoor activities that can cause a spark.

Seemingly harmless things such as outdoor grilling, dragging safety chains behind a trailer, welding and building campfires can become deadly in an instant.

“There is high probability of a wildfire breaking out if a spark occurs,” said Justice Jones, prevention coordinator for the Texas Forest Service.

“Firefighters need the support of Texans to prevent new fire starts during this extremely hot and dry summer.”

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$180; 300-400 lbs., $135-$172; 400-500 lbs., $125-$145; 500600 lbs., $120-$135; 600-700 lbs., $115-$125; 700-800 lbs., $110-$118.

Heifers: 200-300 lbs., $130$150; 300-400 lbs., $125-$141; 400-500 lbs., $120-$130; 500600 lbs., $115-$125; 600-700 lbs., $110-$125; 700-800 lbs., $110-$115.

Slaughter cows: $50-$79.50.

Slaughter bulls: $70-$86.50.

Stocker cows: $675-$970.

Cow/calf pairs: $850-$1,220.

Milano

Results of the Milano Livestock Exchange’s June 14 sale: Head: 1,056 Steers: 300-400 lbs., $127.50-$155; 400-500 lbs., $120-$131; 500-600 lbs., $112.50-$131; 600-700 lbs, $109-$118.

Heifers: 300-400 lbs., $115$130; 400-500 lbs., $112-$130;

500-600 lbs., $109-$125; 600700 lbs., $105-$120; 700-725 lbs., $107-$111.

Slaughter cows: $52-$70.50.

Slaughter bulls: $70-$84.50.

Stocker cows: $800-$1,010.

Cow/calf pairs: $970-$1,230.

Navasota

Results from the Navasota Livestock Auction Co.’s June 11 sale: Head: 2,739 Steers: 150-300 lbs., $125$200; 300-400 lbs., $120-$160; 400-500 lbs., $115-$145; 500600 lbs., $110-$128; 600-700 lbs., $105-$121.

Heifers: 150-300 lbs., $120$180; 300-400 lbs., $115$142.50; 400-500 lbs., $115$133; 500-600 lbs., $110-$127; 600-700 lbs., $105-$117.

Slaughter cows:$47-$75.

Slaughter bulls: $65-$91.

Stocker cows:$750-$1,150.

Cow/calf pairs: $800-1,285.

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Livestock shows to require Quality Counts

By KAY LEDBETTER Texas AgriLife Communications

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Bill gives agriculture a delay in proposed E-Verify screening WASHINGTON (AP) — The agriculture industry is getting a break in a proposed bill that eventually would require all U.S. businesses to use a government database to verify that their employees are legally allowed to work in the country.

The Legal Workforce Act, introduced by Rep. Lamar Smith, would require all U.S. companies to use the government’s E-Verify program to screen new employees within

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two years of the bill becoming law. The agriculture industry, where labor, industry and government officials say the vast majority of workers are illegal immigrants, would have three years to start using the database.

Smith, a Texas Republican, said the extra time for agriculture businesses would give the industry time to legalize its workforce without having a devastating impact on businesses.

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Over these six years, Quality Counts has been supported and endorsed by every major livestock show in Texas, Chilek said.

“These livestock shows have been instrumental in helping market the program statewide and have also been a strong partner regarding the educational content developed for the Quality Counts Program,” he said.

“In addition, these livestock shows have fully endorsed this verification process,”Chilek said.

A verification number will be needed at the time of making an official entry into a Texas major livestock show, Chilek said.

Thus, youth will need to have completed and passed the test before the major livestock show’s entry deadline.

A passing score has been determined to be 80 percent.

✪

Starting in 2012, Quality Counts verification will be required for all youth exhibiting livestock — market and/or breeding — at major livestock shows in Texas, according to Kevin Chilek, Texas AgriLife Extension Service 4-H specialist in College Station.

The shows that will require the verification are the Fort Worth Livestock Show, San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo, Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, Star of Texas Fair in Austin, San Angelo Livestock Show, Sandhills Stock Show in Odessa, State Fair of Texas in Dallas, and Heart O’ Texas Fair in Waco, said Angela Burkham, AgriLife Extension 4-H specialist in Amarillo.

The verification process will require junior exhibitors

to pass an online test that measures their knowledge on quality assurance and character education content items, Chilek said.

To learn more about Quality Counts including the verification process, go to qualitycounts.tamu.edu.

“The Quality Counts Program has now been in existence statewide for six years,” Burkham said. “Over this time, it has reached an average of 30,000 youth per year through the 4-H and FFA programs.”

The program outcomes clearly demonstrate youth being more knowledgeable of best management practices associated with livestock projects, she said.

More importantly, the program’s impact has demonstrated positive changes in personal character attributes as well as adoption of livestock best management prac-

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The Land & Livestock Post ✪ July 1, 2011

News

What’s bugging you?

Extended drought changing insect behavior

By PAUL SCHATTENBERG Texas AgriLife Communications

T

he high temperatures and lack of moisture from the extended drought are having a serious impact on insects as well as humans, according to Texas AgriLife Extension Service and Research entomologists.

“Summer is typically a busy time for many insects,” said Wizzie Brown, an AgriLife Extension integrated pest management specialist at the agency’s Travis County office. “In the Austin area, we’ve been getting calls from residents who say they are noticing an increase in pill bugs getting into their homes, as well as more wasp and fly activity in and around their houses.”

Seeking moisture Mostly, the pill bugs and wasps are just seeking moisture and are migrating toward homes where people are irrigating their lawns and gardens, she said. As for the flies, the increased heat is making garbage decompose faster and stink more, drawing them to it and providing them with both a food source and breeding location.

Brown added that June bugs — more accurately May or June beetles — a common sight this time of year, have not been as active recently because their major flight came earlier this year.

“We’ve seen the beetles earlier this year, and I remember seeing a lot of them in late February and March,” she said. “That’s because it was unusually warm here earlier in the year and that warmth, plus whatever moisture we got then, triggered their proliferation. But now that it’s even hotter and there’s even less moisture, they’ve become less active.”

Chigger bite complaints

10

“I’ve also had some calls from people complaining about chigger bites they’re gotten while outdoors, Brown said. “But so far I don’t know if those are really chiggers or flea bites as nobody has brought me an insect sample for identification.”

“While I’ve heard of increased numbers of fleas in the San Antonio area, I don’t think the evidence indicates there’s been a larger-than-usual prolif-

Texas A&M University System photos

Fire ants have been driven underground to seek moisture during the extended drought. Mosquitos also are not as numerous, but recent rains could bring their quick return. On the cover, eration this season,” said Molly Keck, AgriLife Extension integrated pest management specialist for Bexar County. “Fleas always become more active around summertime; it’s just that people tend to forget that this happens every year.”

Keck, however, noted that one type of increase in insect activity in South Central Texas and other regions of the state most likely spurred by the prolonged drought is an uptick in scorpion and tarantula migration.

“Both are looking for moisture and a cooler place to live, so they tend to

grasshoppers do better in hot, dry weather, so they are more of a problem during this drought period throughout Texas. After consuming available weeds, they will move to croplands.

migrate around or even into people’s homes, provided they can find an opening,” she said. “In the case of the tarantulas, the males are also likely migrating in their search for a mate.”

Grasshopperd thriving Recently, grasshoppers have been a problem in some areas of East Texas, especially for hay producers, said Allen Knutson, AgriLife Extension entomologist at the Texas AgriLife Research and Extension Center in Dallas.

“Grasshoppers survive better and

grow faster during hot, dry weather, so drought conditions certainly favor their increase,” he said. “With the dry conditions this spring, grasshopper problems are more widespread, and young hoppers often increase in noncropland areas on weeds around fields.

Then as these weeds are consumed or dry out in the summer heat, grasshoppers move to crops and irrigated landscapes, creating problems for many agricultural producers and others.”

On the other hand, drought condi-

• See INSECTS/Page 11

Insects From 10

“While most of the state has had a respite from mosquitoes

TE PRIVA Y T A E TR

rk An a l C

July 1, 2011

Waiting for rain

✪

tions in East Texas and other areas of the state have significantly reduced some insect activity, Knutson explained.

“Fire ants tunnel deeper into the soil seeking moisture during drought, so their mounds are not as evident as during wet periods. And horn fly populations in rural areas are also reduced during a drought as the manure pats in which they reproduce dry up quickly, limiting their ability to multiply.”

Other recent increase in insect activity statewide has included a greater movement indoors of cockroaches, ants, centipedes and millipedes and crickets, said Roger Gold, an AgriLife Research entomologist at Texas A&M’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences in College Station.

“While drought conditions have made life more difficult for insects dependent on standing water for their survival, people should not be lulled into a false sense of security by their apparent absence,” Gold noted.

due to lack of rain, it won’t take long for them to proliferate as soon as some areas get a little much-needed moisture,” Gold said. “This is particularly true of what we call floodplain mosquitoes, whose eggs can withstand drought and are able to produce a new generation just 10 days after a rain.”

He said that now is the optimum time for people to dispose of outdoor containers, bottles, jugs or other receptacles, as well as tires and other items that might trap standing water and provide a potential breeding ground for mosquitos after a rain.

“People may also be deceived by the fact that they’re not seeing much termite activity, but termites are still there and we’ll likely start seeing swarms of them again shortly after a rain,” he said.

Gold noted the same is true of fire ants.

“Just because people aren’t seeing as many mounds, they shouldn’t assume their fire ant problems have been resolved. The mounds will pop up again and ants will be on the surface again once there’s enough moisture.

“However, I’m sure most people in the state would gladly endure a few mosquito or fire ant bites if these came about as the result of a good rain,” he said..

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The Land & Livestock Post ✪ July 1, 2011

News Pilot program will turn Water well companies kept busy grass into heat, electricity “It’s concerning people.

The Conroe Courier

TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) — The U.S. Agriculture Department this summer will begin signing up farmers in four states who are willing to grow a hybrid grass that can be converted into heat and electricity.

Growing and processing the grass into energy has the potential to create 4,000 jobs in Ohio, Arkansas and Missouri, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said June 15.

The government will spend $20 million over the next few years paying farmers in those three states and in three Pennsylvania counties near Ohio to grow the bamboo-like grass that can reach up to 13 feet high.

It’s money well spent, Vilsack said, because the projects will create jobs, reduce dependency on foreign oil and allow farmers to use land that isn’t as suitable to growing corn and soybeans.

“We’ve got to encourage people to take the risk,” he said.

Agriculture officials are planning to spend $5.7 million this year to enroll farmers in seven counties in Ohio and Pennsylvania.

Clevelandbased Aloterra Energy will

operate a biomass plant in northeast Ohio near Ashtabula to process the grass into small pellets that can be burned at power plants.

Two more projects are going to central and southwest Missouri. Farmers in those areas will feed into biomass conversion plants in Columbia and Aurora. MFA Oil Biomass LLC will operate both.

Another project in northwest Arkansas will include farmers in seven counties and a biomass plant in Paragould, which also will be operated by MFA Oil Biomass.

Estimates released by the Agriculture Department say the projects could create 1,200 jobs in Ohio, a combined 1,900 jobs in Missouri and 750 jobs in Arkansas.

The government will pay farmers 75 percent of the startup costs to begin planting the grass and then make annual payments in the following years, Vilsack said.

“There are a lot of good reasons to do this,” said U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, an Ohio Democrat, who joined Vilsack in announcing the projects.

The Farm Service Agency will oversee the program.

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It was in 1968 that Homer Lowe started up his water well company in Porter. He turned the business over to his son, Terry, 15 years ago, but it slowed down to where Terry was the only employee.

Although he’s still a oneman operation, Terry Lowe has so many requests to repair or drill water wells he’s had to turn down business, said his mother Jeanie, who answers the business phone.

“He’s swamped,” she said.

Terry Lowe’s situation is similar to many other water well companies throughout Montgomery County. The seemingly never-ending drought across the region, as well as the rest of Texas, has lowered water tables to unprecedented levels. That, in turn, has resulted in damage to wells in unprecedented numbers.

They haven’t seen anything like it.”

SCOTT WEISINGER owner of Montgomery County’s largest well-drilling firm and a board member with the Lone Star Groundwater Conservation District Owners of a water well service company in the Magnolia area, David Clevenger said he and his father, Bill, are working seven days a week to repair wells damage by low water. In some instances they have discovered 40-50 foot drops that have occurred in parts of west Montgomery County the past few months.

If homeowners don’t properly monitor their wells, the heat emanating from water-

cooled motors will shrink the well’s plastic casing like a plastic straw left in a microwave.

“It plugs up the well and then you have to replace the entire well,” said David Clevenger, a 30-year veteran of the industry.

Scott Weisinger, whose company is the largest welldrilling firm in Montgomery County, said the demand for wells coincides with a regionwide decline in water levels of the Gulf Coast aquifer under the county.

“It’s concerning people,” said Weisinger, a board member with the Lone Star Groundwater Conservation District. “They haven’t seen anything like it.”

“It was pretty bad about 15 years ago,” David Clevenger said. “I don’t know if it’s any worse now.”

• See WELLS/Page 17

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The Land & Livestock Post ✪ July 1, 2011 14

News

Texas raising a good crop of grasshoppers

By ROBERT BURNS Texas AgriLife Communications

COLLEGE STATION — While drought is bad for practically everything else that grows, it does often promote a good crop of grasshoppers, according to Texas AgriLife Extension Service experts.

“Grasshopper populations are normally maintained at lower levels by natural controls, including diseases,” said Chris Sansone, AgriLife Extension entomologist in San Angelo. “The main disease is a fungus, and most fungi do better during cool wet conditions. Since we didn’t have cool, wet conditions in the spring, the fungus isn’t thriving, and since the fungus isn’t thriving, we’re having higher populations of grasshoppers.”

There also are some effects with bare ground warming up faster in the spring that favors grasshopper outbreaks, he said.

Despite the drought, grasshopper reports from AgriLife Extension agents were sketchy across the state, but seemed to be more common in East Texas and South Texas around San Antonio.

The hit-and-miss outbreaks are most likely due to other factors involved, Sansone said.

“This year has been interesting because the drought has been so severe,” he said.

“If people haven’t had any showers at all — even those late afternoon showers of a tenth or two-tenths of an inch — we’re not seeing any grasshopper outbreaks.”

Sansone said this is probably because there’s not enough food in pastures and rangeland to sustain even a grasshopper population.

“These areas that have been catching afternoon showers are seeing the worse outbreaks.”

More information on grasshoppers can be found at in the AgriLife Extension publication “Grasshoppers and Their Control,” available at insects.tamu.edu/extension/publications/epubs/e209.cfm.

More information on the current Texas drought and

Texas AgriLife Extension Service photo by Robert Burns

Texas hosts about 150 grasshopper species, according to Texas AgriLife Extension Service entomologists. Both of these are of the Boopedon gracile species, a grass feeder. Both were found in the same Nacogdoches County pasture. The one on the left is a male, and the one on the right is a last instar nymph female. wildfire alerts can be found on the AgriLife Extension Agricultural Drought Task Force website at agrilife.tamu.edu/drought/.

AgriLife Extension district reporters compiled the following summaries: Southeast — In Montgomery County, there was neither grass nor water for livestock. Trees were dying throughout the county. In Walker County, water for livestock was also an issue.

Throughout the district, pasture conditions continued to deteriorate. Cattle numbers declined as producers culled herds.

Producers were still feeding remaining livestock, but hay supplies were low.

Central — Hot, dry, windy conditions were ongoing.

Pastures were rapidly deteriorating. Hay supplies were short.

First-cutting hay yields were down by as much as half.

Farmers were irrigating at full

capacity. Cattle prices were down again this week as livestock producers continued to reduce herds. Livestock feed prices remained high. Stockwater tanks were critically low in many areas.

East — Without any rain, and very hot, windy days and nights, the drought worsened.

Producers were culling cattle as water, forage and hay supplies were depleted. Some producers were weaning calves early and taking them straight to the market. Many counties reported that grasshopper infestations were becoming a problem; there were reports of armyworm infestations too. Creeks and ponds were going dry, forcing some producers to sell out completely.

Vegetable production decreased due to dry conditions, but those harvesting blackberries and blueberries reported good yields. Firefighters from at least nine different agencies continued Sunday to battle one of the

largest fires of East Texas history in Trinity and Polk counties.

More than 18,000 acres had burned as of June 20. Several communities were under mandatory evacuation orders.

Southwest — The region remained completely dry.

Record-high temperatures of 101 to 104 degrees and above, along with high winds, aggravated the drought. Most of the region remained in extremely high wildfire-alert status. Most dryland crops failed. Irrigated corn and sorghum were drying down. Sunflowers growers were harvesting. Peanuts, cotton, pecans, grapes and landscape nursery crops continued to make good progress under heavy irrigation — but at high pumping costs. The peach harvest began. The cabbage, onion, potato, watermelon, cantaloupe, green bean and sweet corn harvests were ongoing. Onion yield and quality has been excellent but onion prices remained weak.

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Cattle Handling Workshop July 8 in Stonewall

By PAUL SCHATTENBERG Texas AgriLife Communications

July 1, 2011

you can use all of that to your advantage if you just remember that she can only process one thing at a time.”

“Development of effective stockmanship skills is about improving animal performance and increasing profits in raising cattle on each individual operation,” Machen said.

Attendance is limited to the first 50 responders, so an RSVP by July 1 is recommended strongly , said program coordinators.

The cost is $100 per person and lunch will be provided.

Checks should be made payable to Gillespie Chuckwagon.

To RSVP, contact Micah Walker or Spiller with the AgriLife Extension office in Gillespie County at 830-9973452 or Ron Gill, 817-233-3164 or r-gill1@tamu.edu.

For more information on the workshop, go to effectivestockmanship.com

✪

STONEWALL — The Texas AgriLife Extension Service will host a hands-on Cattle Handling Workshop from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. July 8 at the Stonewall Chamber of Commerce Arena.

The workshop will cover a variety of cattle-handling topics, including cattle behavior, corral design and principles of cattle handling.

The program will include hands-on cattle-working instruction and demonstration from 1-3 p.m.

Program registration will be from 7:30 a.m. to 8a.m. with presentations immediately following.

Stress in livestock is one major cause of economic losses that can be managed on the farm or ranch, said Decky Spiller, AgriLife Extension agent for agriculture and nat-

ural resources for Gillespie County.

“Proper handling of livestock can minimize these potential losses,” Spiller said.

“This workshop gives practical, hands-on methods for handling livestock that should reduce stress not only to the cattle, but also the people handling them.”

Spiller said primary workshop instructors will be Ron Gill, AgriLife Extension program leader and co-founder of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association Stockmanship and Stewardship Program, College Station; and Rick Machen, AgriLife Extension livestock specialist, Texas AgriLife Research and Extension Center, Uvalde.

“A cow wants to be with other cattle,” Gill said. “When driven, she’ll want to circle around you. When put in a pen, she usually wants to go back the way she came. But

The Land & Livestock Post

News

Texas Agrilife Extension Service photo by Robert Burns

The Texas AgriLife Extension Service will host a hands-on Cattle Handling Workshop on July 8 at the Stonewall Chamber of Commerce Arena.

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15

The Land & Livestock Post ✪ July 1, 2011

News

Study proves multi-paddock grazing works

By KAY LEDBETTER Texas AgriLife Communication

VERNON — A long-term study verifies multi-paddock grazing improves vegetation, soil health and animal production relative to continuous grazing in large-scale ranches, according to Texas AgriLife Research scientists.

The study measured the impacts on vegetation and soils achieved by commercial ranchers who adapted management practices in response to changing circumstances to achieve desirable outcomes, said Richard Teague, AgriLife Research rangeland ecology and management scientist in Vernon.

At the ranch scale, when multi-paddock grazing is managed to give best vegetation and animal performance, it is superior to continuous grazing in relation to conservation and restoration of resources, provision of ecosystem goods and services, and ranch profitability, he said.

Teague said this study differed from those conducted by researchers who investigated multi-paddock grazing in relatively small experimental areas, without managing adaptively the way a successful, conservation-oriented commercial rancher would.

Adequate plant cover

16

In rangeland ecosystems, maintaining normal soil and ecosystem function over the landscape and watershed is possible only if there is adequate plant cover and species composition to provide protection from soil loss, he said.

This allows microorganisms to prosper and maintain ecosystem functions such as water-holding capacity, control of erosion, soil fertility and forage production, he said.

“In our study we examined the accumulated impacts of nine years of different grazing management categories on vegetation and soil parameters at a commercial-ranch scale,” Teague said.

The study evaluated the impact of multi-paddock grazing at a high stocking rate compared to light continuous and heavy continuous grazing on neighboring commer-

cial ranches in three proximate counties in North Texas tall grass prairie. The same management had been conducted on all ranches for at least the previous nine years.

Multi-paddock grazing was managed using light to moderate defoliation during the growing season followed by adequate time to recover, Teague said.

Grazing variations

With multi-paddock grazing and ungrazed areas, the vegetation was dominated by taller more productive grasses. With heavy continuous grazing, it was dominated by less productive short grasses and forbs, he said. Light continuous grazing had a lower proportion of tall grass species than multi-paddock grazing or ungrazed areas.

Texas AgriLife Research photo by Richard Teague

• See GRAZING/Page 17

This is tall grass prairie grazed continuously at a high stocking rate. It is dominated by weeds and grasses with low productivity, according to Richard Teague of Texas AgriLife Research in Vernon.

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The general management on the ranches using multiple paddocks per herd was to graze a pasture lightly to

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Although the stocking rate was less with lightly stocked continuous grazing, the preferred plants and areas were never allowed any recovery under continuous grazing while multi-paddock grazing, correctly managed, prevented overgrazing and allowed for adequate recovery after defoliation, he said.

By ensuring light-to-moderate use in the growing season with adequate recovery, the preferred forages are able to capitalize on good growing conditions, Teague said.

“The use of multiple paddocks per herd on commercial ranches spreads grazing over the entire landscape in the numerous smaller paddocks, rather than allowing a concentration of grazing pressure on preferred areas in the landscape,” Teague said.

“It also provides the manager with the option of regulating the grazing pressure on preferred areas and plants by adjusting when to move animals to a new paddock, and

provides the means to allow grazed plants to recover before they are grazed again.” he said.

“If managers adaptively respond to the ever-changing climate by changing the periods of grazing and time allo-

cated for plant recovery, and adjust livestock numbers to match the available feed, as the multi-paddock grazers in this study did, negative effects of grazing by the livestock can be minimized,” Teague said.

Wells

Unlike other areas of Montgomery County, Goss said the water tables along U.S. 59 and the East Fork of the San Jacinto River have remained constant.

“I don’t know how the system’s been recharged, but the water levels are pretty much the same,” Goss said.

One possibility is the requirement that a minimum 1-1/2 acre is needed before a water well and a septic system can be drilled, he said.

If a homeowner needs service — or replacement — of their water well David Clevenger recommends a licensed repairman.

“There are a lot of good people around the county,” he said.

From 12 A milky color to the water is an indication the pump engine is “sucking air,” he said.

Problems can be averted by simply lowering the pump below the existing water level.

With a 500-foot well, Jeanie Lowe hasn’t noticed a drop in her well’s pressure.

“It’s the 80-100 foot wells that are having the problems,” she said.

Like David Clevenger, Wendell Goss of Splendora followed his father in the business of servicing water wells.

July 1, 2011

Management schedule

Good conditions

✪

Teague said there was more bare ground on heavy continuous than light continuous, multi-paddock and ungrazed areas, while soil aggregate stability was higher with multi-paddock than heavy continuous grazing, but not light continuous grazing and ungrazed areas.

Soil compaction was lowest with multi-paddock grazing and ungrazed areas and highest with heavy continuous grazing, he said.

Water infiltration rate did not differ between grazing management categories, but soil erosion was higher with heavy continuous grazing as compared to other grazing management categories, Teague said.

Soil organic matter, water holding and fertility were higher with multi-paddock grazing and un-grazed areas than both light continuous and heavy continuous grazing.

The fungal/bacterial ratio was highest with multi-paddock grazing as a result of the greater amounts of tall grass species, he said, indicating superior water-holding capacity and nutrient availability and retention for multi-paddock grazing.

“This study documents the positive results for long-term maintenance of resources and economic viability by ranchers who use adaptive management and multi-paddock grazing relative to those who practice continuous season-long stocking,” he said.

moderately for one or three days, followed by a recovery period of approximately 30-50 days and 60-90 days during fast and slow growing conditions, respectively.

This resulted in two lightto-moderate defoliations during the growing season with regrazing before the majority of plants switched from vegetative to reproductive phases, Teague said. This kept the plants in a leafy, vegetative condition during the growing season to provide a high level of forage quality for the livestock and to ensure the best possible forage regrowth after defoliation.

During drought periods, animal numbers were adjusted to match forage amounts.

In the winter, the goal was to graze and trample most of the standing forage to enhance litter cover and minimize selfshading that would limit plant growth in the following spring, he said.

The continuously grazed ranches in each county were stocked at approximately the same stocking rates from year to year over at least the previous nine years. They were otherwise selected by the Natural Resource Conservation Service technical staff in each county as being representative of traditional continuous-grazing ranches in the region.

“The results we measured, representing the combined positive effects of multi-paddock management, indicate the multiple advantages of this management option,” Teague said.

“Multi-paddock grazing resulted in a higher proportion of desirable tall grasses, a lower proportion of less desirable short grasses, annual winter-growing grasses and forbs, and higher standing crop, even with a higher stocking rate than the lightly stocked continuous grazing.”

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