Texas Landowner Magazine by Texas Landowners Association

Texas

Landowner Texas Landowners Association

Magazine ISSUE NO. 5 FALL 2014

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President From the Desk of the

It is my pleasure to introduce to you the Texas Landowner Magazine, the official publication of the Texas Landowners Association.

Ashley Morrow VP of Operations amorrow@landassociation.org

Hello Landowners, It’s been a terrific year for our organization. Since debuting only 1 year ago, we’ve enjoyed tremendous growth. Our members own more than 1,000,000 acres in Texas and have interests Michael Morrow varying from livestock production, mmorrow@landassociation.org commercial hunting, eco-tourism, and pure financial investment. We’ve seen great success with our social media campaign, drawing more than 26,000 likes to our Facebook page in 11 months. We’ve also had the opportunity to partner with some amazing sponsors who are equally dedicated to assisting landowners. Thanks to them we are able to c ontinue providing you the resources you need to manage your property. Although we are happy about our growth, we are more proud of the ways we’ve been able to assist some of our members. We’ve helped answer questions about pipeline easements, mineral leases, wildlife management, tax valuations, plant ID, and pasture production. We’ve also assisted landowners by introducing them to nearby landowners with similar interests, in many cases help from neighbors can be the best help around. As a member, please take advantage of your perks by calling or emailing us with your questions. Our panel of experts is capable of helping or providing you with information about almost any situation a landowner might encounter. Also feel free to continue providing us feedback about our organization. Your feedback helps us develop our organization around your needs. You can connect with us by mail, email, social media. We look forward to our next year and we look forward to helping you!

Sara Noll Director of Marketing saranoll@landassociation.org

Luke Murray Jr. Editor lmurray@landassociation.org

Ryan TeBeest Managing Partner rtebeest@landassociation.org

Dana Rhoten Distribution Manager danarhoten@landassociation.org

Have a great fall! Michael Morrow President landassociation.org

Michelle Rhoten & Lindsey Rashall Member Services memberservices@landassociation.org

Negotiating Pipeline Easements.....................................................................6 by Raulie Irwin

Can You Cull Your Way to a Better Herd....................................................11 by Michael Embrey

The Drought & Recovery Managment...........................................................15 Wetlands & Waterfowl....................................................................................20 by Bob Locke

Texas T Kobe: It’s All in the Genetics.............................................................24 by Luke Murray

TLA Fall Feast’s Recipe Guide........................................................................28 Product Highlight: San Antonio Steel Company........................................33 Reversing the Plight of the Northern Bobwhite in Texas..........................34 by Mark Tyson

Texas Shale Plays: Want to Be a Wealthy Rancher......................................37 by Detlef Hallermann

Wild Turkey Restoration in Texas..................................................................43 by Blake Alldredge & Jason Hardin

Product Highlight: E.G.A. Fabrication.....................................................47 Project Highlight: Mulching............................................................................48 by Brad Beach

Property Highlight: RecordBuck Ranch.......................................................54 by Tom Hammond

Native vs. Introduced Pastures......................................................................64 by Megan Clayton & Larry Redmon

Hero Hunts: Giving Back to Those Who Gave So Much...........................68 by Ashley Morrow

Not Another Food Plot Article......................................................................71 by Emily Courtney

Drought Management for your Ranching Operation................................76 by AG Southwest Insurance

Texas Bourbon: Firestone & Robertson Distilling Co...............................79 by Luke Murray

#TXTUESDAY..........................................................................................84 Gulf of Mexico: Sustaining a Region.............................................................87 by Beverly Moseley

Fall Gardens in Texas..................................................................................91 by Russ Wallace

In This Issue

by Craig Bowen

Product Highlight: Road Boss Graders........................................................95

Texas Treasure: Salt Lick BBQ.................................................................99

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Qtr. Feature Stories

Did You Know?

NEGOTIATING PIPELINE EASEMENTS By: Raulie Irwin Licenced Property Inspector, Certified General Appraiser, & Rancher

hen a pipeline representative contacts you to obtain a pipeline right-of-way across your property, you have two choices. You can refuse their offer or negotiate. If you refuse their offer they will file to condemn your property. Refusing will lead to a condemnation hearing where a 足financial settlement is reached. The condemnation hearing only deals with money. The three commissioners conducting the condemnation hearing cannot by law grant you anything but financial reprieve. The only way to obtain any agreements and concessions from the pipeline company is to negotiate.

way. A typical pipeline easement can be from fifty feet to one hundred feet wide. The permanent easement (which is what is always valid) is generally smaller than the working easement which grants temporary workspace in the event the pipeline operator must repair or replace the pipeline. The working easement also allows for a wider temporary easement for the 足construction or laying of the pipeline. Once the pipeline is in place the permanent easement generally becomes fifty or sixty feet wide. A list of thirteen helpful hints follows and should be considered when negotiating a pipeline easement, either new or installation of an additional line.

With the development of the oil and gas plays in Texas, our lands are being crisscrossed with pipelines delivering gas and petroleum products to processing facilities. In some instances several lines are placed through a single property. A pipeline easement is perhaps the most common easement a land o足 wner has to deal with in these times. Most prior pipeline easements are perpetual and run with the title of the land. Unfortunately, these easements allow for the installation of multiple pipelines lines. Some old easements have no limit as to how many lines can be placed in an existing right of

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ONE

Limit the term of the easement. It maybe fifty years, but have a termination date. Allow for the pipeline company to renew the easement with additional payment when the initial term expires. State what is to take place at the end of the easement. Whether the pipeline is to be removed or not, needs to be decided at the beginning of the lease.

TWO

Be sure to limit the p ipeline to one line and one line only. Specify when the e asement reverts back to the land owner and specify what constitutes abandonment of the e asement. Or specify that more lines can be placed with additional compensation.

THREE

Insert language that r estricts the easement to the c ompany you lease to. Do not a llow the pipeline company to s ub-lease or allow other c ompanies to use the e asement with out compensation to the landowner and certainly without notifying you of the

sale or assignment. You want to always know who owns the easement.

FOUR

Determine if there are to be any pipes above the ground. This is a surface lease and is worth more money. Be sure to limit the size of the surface easement and require that it be fenced off and kept clean and mowed.

FIVE

The larger the diameter of the pipe, the deeper it needs to be. Require that pipes be buried at least four feet deep and watch the construction contractor to make sure it is done. The ditch should be “double ditched”. The top soil should be placed on one side and landassociation.org

put back in the trench last or on top. The subsoil is to be placed on the other side and goes back in the ditch first.

SIX

Require that the easement be kept clean and/or mowed at least once a year, maybe twice. Specify when it will be done and how and that you be n otified when the m owing contractor will be in your pasture.

SEVEN

Specify the restoration process the contractor will perform when finishing the pipeline and before leaving the job. R estrict the work days and hours, otherwise it may take place on Sunday morning at 6:00AM. Specify that the ground will be graded smooth and re-seeded with a grass that will grow in your area.

EIGHT

Restrict the hours the contractor will begin work and finish work and what days they will not be allowed to work. Pipeline and oil field work is generally seven days a week, t wenty-four hours a day. All heavy equipment are required to have safety alarms or backup bells and they can be heard a long ways off.

NINE

Restrict the access route to the pipeline and specify that all personnel will stay within the easement. Anyone found off the easement area or width should be guilty of trespassing. Allow for your own inspector or watchman and insure that the contractor will abide by their directions.

TEN

Address environmental responsibilities and have appropriate indemnifications. Require that Skid-O-

Cans be kept on the job and serviced regularly. State the consequences if someone doesn’t use the skid-o-can. Make sure they pick up their trash daily or otherwise a wind will come up and you will have plastic bags all over your pasture. Livestock just love to eat the bags and then you have a very sick animal.

TWELVE

ELEVEN

THIRTEEN

State what is going to happen when you find beer cans and /or bottles or other trash on your property. Independent trucking contractors will deliver the pipe and they do not care what your rules state or the agreement says. When you find the trash or beer bottles, the guilty party will be long gone. Therefore, that r ight-of-way agent you dealt with should be required to be on the job every day the c ontractor works on your property. Otherwise, when you have a problem the agent will be 500 miles away on another assignment.

Extraordinary

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State that a violation of the terms of the lease will allow the landowner to terminate the easement at any time. Include the land owner’s right to r ecover damages for violations of the terms and from any a ctivity not permitted or agreed upon.

State the use of the surface the land owner will have during the term of the easement. Require that the land owner be notified immediately of a change in ownership of the pipeline. You can require that your own inspector, supervisor or guard be present during the construction of the pipeline on your own property. Make these conditions actual parts of the lease, not just covenants, and have consequences. If you need additional information or assistance, contact Raulie Irwin at 361-645-2115. Raulie Irwin has been a general appraiser for 34 years, a real estate broker for 44 years and a right-of-way agent for 30 years.

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Can You

L UL CYour Way to a Better Herd?

By: Michael Embrey, President, Split Creek Wildlife Consulting Services, LLC & Ranch Manager/Guide, Patton Ranch

welling on past hunts, it is apparent that my management practices have done a complete 180-degree turn. As I sit, a 2-year-old seven point white-tailed buck stares down at me from the wall. At the time this was a great deer for me, and I am still proud of it, but was I really benefitting my herd when I pulled the trigger on that November morning? Many hunters are convinced that shooting “inferior” bucks will increase the genetic potential on their hunting grounds. There are many reasons why this is such a popular belief including tradition, as well as the beliefs of some industry professionals. However, times are changing. New research data is coming out contradicting the older data on culling, and many game managers are listening. The first thing that needs to be considered before you decide to cull a deer is the size of the property. To get to the point, culling simply does not work on most smaller free-range scenarios. Large properties, 10,000 acres plus for our purposes, or high fenced properties can benefit from intense culling practices. H owever, keep in mind that these are large properties under intense management, and are not the typical scenario that I am discussing in this article. Home range size, immigration, and emigration are landassociation.org

all factors that contribute to the genetic makeup of a deer herd. Small properties see deer come and go all the time. Simply put, this means that different genetics are entering and leaving your herd almost constantly. I truly believe that a deer herd can be culled into the ground. A lot of the time one of my first questions when talking to a landowner is “what are your current management practices?” The vast majority of the replies are “we shoot all spikes” or “we shoot anything with 8 points or less.” There was a period of time when I did these two things as well, thinking I was benefitting my herd, until my herd fell apart. Many of the culls fitting these two categories are very young deer. Most spikes are 1.5 years old, and you can almost eliminate an entire age class by shooting all of them. It has long been said that spikes are inferior deer, based off of older studies. However, overwhelming research is now saying that at maturity (5.5 yrs. old) spikes and forked antler yearlings average very close to the same B&C score. Protecting these younger deer will have far more positive benefits on your deer herd by allowing more bucks to reach older age classes, giving them the opportunity to express their full potential. Also, keep in mind that a professional biologist manages many, if not all of the large ranches that have success with culling. While it is great that the average hunter is trying to mimic these practices, there is a lot more that goes into each decision to cull a deer than most people realize.

There are many other management practices that can be implemented in order to further benefit the herd. Passing on young deer, providing supplemental feed and water, manipulating habitat, and keeping control of your doe population can all make a big difference in the quality of bucks that you will see. Do not get discouraged if you do not see immediate results. Managing wildlife populations, unfortunately, is something that takes time. It might take a few years before you start to see results, but it will be well worth it once it happens. Free ranging management has a lot to do with the management practices for your neighbors. Keep in mind that the larger the acreage being managed, the more potential there is to see the results of a solid management program. As hunters and game managers we need to remember that not everyone has the same goals. Just as I would not shoot a young landassociation.org

deer, other hunters are thrilled to shoot any buck. There needs to be mutual respect for different management practices, and trying to get s urrounding landowners on board with your goals and practices can substantially increase the quality of the herd. Remember the next time you are about to pull the trigger; a buck cannot live to grow another year if he is dead. If you have any questions, concerns, or would like to talk about managing your property, feel free to contact Michael Embrey at Split Creek Wildlife Consulting Services, LLC. SplitCreekWildlife@gmail.com

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Seasonal Wildlife Management

How to Protect Your Property During the Recovery Period After a Rainfall By: Craig Bowen, Account Manager, Cross-Timbers Region, Plateau Land & Wildlife Management

The Drought &

Recovery ManagemenT

“And it never failed that during the dry years the people forgot about the rich years, and during the wet years they lost all memory of the dry years. It was always that way.”

ohn Steinbeck wrote those words in 1952, at the beginning of one of the worst droughts in the history of Texas.

Savvy wildlife and livestock managers have long approached land management with a “prepare for the worst” mentality as their strategy for dealing with the This drought changed the unpredictable Texas weather landscape of Texas, and patterns. They know the more particularly the mindset of its the land has left to give at the end ranchers. Cattle ranchers had to of the growing season, the more adjust, and eventually bought it will give the next year. This cheaper and hardier sheep or goats, management style leaves at least which can ultimately damage the half of any available food, water, or landscape further and be more shelter for grazing and browsing competition for existing wildlife. animals. Leaving half ensures there The cattle industry has never fully will be at least that much the next bounced back in the western area year, and thus no more will ever be of the state; some ranches remain taken than what the property has badly overgrazed, and other signs to offer. of long-term drought stress can also be observed. landassociation.org

The good news is droughts do end. This usually occurs following an approximate 30-year cycle, with ebbs and flows similar to that of a radio signal graph. There are invariably wetter periods within a drought cycle. The years after a drought, and the “good” years during one, are often confusing for rural property managers. Do these wet years require a different stocking rate? Should one decrease hunting pressure to propagate more deer? Do quail and other vulnerable animals need as much human input now that it is raining? The same questions can be asked whether the drought is over or just in a “rich period.” The answers, unfortunately, depend

are used heavily without adequate replacement, even in the best stocking rate situations. That means if stocking rates are not reduced during extended drought periods, the less preferred plants will become the top tier, and so on along that pattern. Many of these first and second tier plants are also the plants which produce the most valuable seeds and berries, so the impact on songbirds and small mammals is very real. on the property. There are many aspects to addressing this issue, but there are two main components of habitat to focus on: water and food. Regardless of what animals the property owner is managing, water distribution on the property is the most important aspect of drought management. The quantity of water is not nearly as important as the distance traveled to reach the water source. A 10-acre lake is great, but if it is on the other side of a 1,000 acre property, animals can be distressed just getting to it, if they can reach it at all. Without human intervention, animals hydrate using dew on plant leaves, and water inside of plants, especially grasses and succulents. They can also hydrate from small puddles and pools, such as a deep place in a wet weather

creek, or a small depression in a granite outcropping. A g eneral recommendation is to have a man-made or natural water source every ¼ to ½ mile. Using rainwater harvest devices and float-fed troughs is often the most economical way to achieve this distribution. Food is not as universal as water in that different animals eat different types of food. Herbivores vary from strict grazers who eat up to 85% grass, to strict browsers who eat only 15% grass (or less), and fill their diets with forbs (weeds) and browse (leaves and twigs). Across the spectrum of grasses, forbs, and browse plants, there are preferred plants, less preferred plants, and plants animals would only eat as a last resort. During drought periods, preferred plants

At this point, most Texas properties are facing a prolonged recovery, exhibiting very early succession plants for long periods of time. This holds soil in place, reduces soil temperatures by shading, and gives more desirable plants a chance to recover (remember, they are always being eaten at a higher rate, and having a more difficult time catching up). Moreover, erosion during flooding rains, usually following drought periods, removes valuable seed banks and lessens the chance of a successful recovery. In regards to food, the type of grazing animals on a given property holds great bearing on how to manage them. Exotics like axis deer, fallow deer, sika deer, and blackbuck antelope are able to switch their diets during drought periods, changing from primarily

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browse to primarily grass and forbs. This means that animals not directly competing with native browsers (white-tailed deer) are now in intense competition for rare food resources. White-tailed deer do not have the capability to make this dietary switch. The old saying that a white-tailed deer “will starve to death with a belly full of grass” is true because they cannot readily digest lignin, a key component to grass’s cellular make-up. Therefore, not only can drought harm animals through directly reducing their food sources, it can increase competition amongst similar types of animals and reduce herd health in white-tailed deer populations. Much of the Texas Hill Country is overgrazed and over-browsed because it is not productive enough to sustain constant grazing

or a high level of browsing. Most landowners, especially multi-gen erational farmers and ranchers, blame the “current” lack of rainfall for these poor conditions, but the state of the land when entering the drought has a big impact. In fact, rainfall patterns are constantly changing, and adaptive management during low rainfall periods and during recovery periods instead of managing for the “rich years,” is the best way for a property to remain productive. Adaptive management may mean back-to-back years of very light or no grazing, reducing a deer herd on a well-managed ranch, or spending money to increase water infrastructure. Taking these steps will result in a greatly improved property, and as the property makes its way out of the drought period, it will recover quicker and

stronger than could have ever been imagined. So, if you are looking for the best way to manage during a drought or coming out of a drought, learn the plants on your property. Take a look at the indicators mentioned here, and begin to understand what they are telling you. Texas rural land can be managed and managed well, even with our infamous changing weather patterns. Give the property a break, give it time to recover, and do not demand more than it can give. Realize that there are hundreds of species depending on your stewardship, and seek help from a competent biologist, like those here at Plateau Land & Wildlife, if you are unsure of what path to take. And remember the rich years, because they will return.

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any people in Texas enjoy the sport of hunting, with over 1 million people classifying themselves as hunters. Although a higher majority of these hunters primarily hunt bigger game such as the white tailed deer, Texas offers some of the best waterfowl hunting in the nation. Being an avid deer and waterfowl h unter, I look at some of the advantages of waterfowl hunting—such as not having to have scent control or staying quiet in a blind throughout the hunt. Some of my fondest memories are the small talk in a duck blind with some of my best friends, catching up and you can only imagine what types of conversations ensue. The great state of Texas has many diverse ecosystems, with wetlands proving to be one of the most vital. Waterfowl can be found pretty much throughout the entire state during migration, but Texas host’s three major geographical regions for waterfowl and wetlands, which include: The High Plains Playa Wetlands, Coastal Wetlands, and East Texas Prairie Wetlands.

The High Plains Playa Wetlands

The high plains wetlands consists primarily of playa lakes spread out across the panhandle, and serve as wintering habitat for some or refueling

By: Bob Locke Ducks Unlimited

Wetlands & Waterfowl landassociation.org

Texas Gulf Coast

The Texas Gulf Coast provides vital habitat for wintering waterfowl in the central flyway. Texas winters 90% of duck populations and 75% of snow goose populations in the Central Flyway, many of that habitat being the prairie wetlands, coastal marshes and rice fields found along the coastal region. Most duck hunters in the state have heard of the phenomenal waterfowl hunting in the prairie region, around the rice fields of Eagle Lake and Garwood, with many hunting clubs/camps located all around the region. With that comes the responsibility of ensuring that these vital ecosystems are sustainable for future generations. points for waterfowl making their way down to the coast for their wintering habitat. The Texas High Plains has the largest density of playas in North America, with over 19,000 playas in the region. Vast numbers of cranes, waterfowl and geese inhabit the area during the winter throughout the playas and prairies, including the Canada goose and sandhill crane, two of the most sought-out waterfowl species in the nation. Sedimentation and poor grazing/ farming practices threaten the

layas. Livestock that graze the p playa basins during the growing season can remove much of the seed producing crops that are preferred by waterfowl, and soil erosion in the playas drainage basin has resulted in severe sedimentation. Not only are these ecosystems vital for waterfowl, but they also play a key role in recharging the Ogallala aquifer. Some funding is available through the NRCS to help private landowners establish native prairie buffers around playas to conserve these vital resources.

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Hunters fund conservation efforts yearly through hunting and fishing license purchases, including the federal duck stamp. Texas Parks and Wildlife use this funding for conservation projects, many times partnering with private groups or organizations like Ducks Unlimited to ensure the sustainability of these ecosystems. Through the end of 2012, Ducks Unlimited has spent more than $42 million to conserve over 224,000 acres across the state, with that money being raised by volunteers across the nation.

One of the major problems with the area is being able to draw water out of the Colorado River for flooding the rice crop. Triggered by the chronic drought in Texas, the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) board voted in 2013 to increase the cutoff trigger to 1.1 million acre-feet of water in Lake Travis and Buchanan before releasing water for rice, putting a priority on citizens of Austin and surrounding areas for people to water their lawns rather than on rice agriculture. Aside from this, wherever water is available on the prairie, hunts continue to take place—giving those patrons memories that will last a lifetime. I can remember one particular hunt this past fall, taking 5 hunters on a hunt outside of Lissie, TX on the first morning after the split ended. It was definitely one of the best scouting reports I had ever been a part of, with at least a few hundred birds on a very small flooded field. The report proved true the next morning, with everyone shooting their limits, including all of our pintails and 1 speckle belly goose. Watching a flock of pintails working into a decoy spread on a cold winter day on the prairie is definitely an amazing sight to see, and I know that hunt will be one of those that sticks with me.

The East Texas Prairie Wetlands

The East Texas Prairie Wetlands cover a wide geographic region throughout the state, offering many public lakes to hunt in the region as well as many privately

owned properties that can offer some pristine duck hunting. The figure head of Ducks Unlimited and the duck hunting world, the mallard drake, can be found throughout the region and is a staple for any hunter in the area to try and target. Every duck hunter dreams of having that picture, with a tailgate full of green heads and yellow bills, to brag and share the photo with all your buddies, and show them the unforgettable morning you had. Lakes, timber holes and river bottoms can produce vast numbers of mallards, and for those Texans that still haven’t harvested one, this is the place to go within the state to try and put one on the wall. A diverse group of other waterfowl species also occupy the area in the landassociation.org

winter, and can provide for a great mixed-bag hunt. A friend that I grew up with introduced me to duck hunting, and I’m fortunate enough to still hunt with him on his family’s property in east Texas. Their property is currently being served under a Ducks Unlimited partnership project, and the proof of good management is in the numbers. I specifically remember one of my favorite hunts, thanksgiving morning of 2012, where we killed our mallard drake limits each, hunting until 11am, almost missing my family thanksgiving dinner back home. But when you’re 1 bird short of your limit, sometimes dinner has to wait, even if it is thanksgiving.

Matt Mann, Broker 713-402-8827

matt@laglorialandcompany.com

Dilley, Texas | 874 Acres| Frio County

Hebbronville, Texas | 948 Acres| Jim Hogg County

Brackettville, Texas | 4,200 Acres| Kinney County

Seadrift, Texas | 505 Acres| Calhoun County

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It’s All in the Genetics

By: Luke Murray Texas Landowners Association

hen it comes to livestock, especially cattle, genetics are everything. Compared to traditional American cattle, Wagyu cattle are genetically different in a number of ways that make them ideal for the modern rancher. Bred over generations in Japan, Wagyu cattle were typically raised by low-income farmers. The cattle were fed poor quality diets consisting of rice straw, but were always bred for quality of beef where size of the animal has always been primary concern in the American beef industry. This manipulation of diet caused the Wagyu’s metabolism to adapt over a period of 200 years. Resulting in Wagyu beef showing superior marbling on low-quality diets. A pure Wagyu

steer, when butchered, will have high-marbling within the meat without possessing the large ring of fat around the muscle that you typically see in the American supermarket. This is simply because of a genetic difference in the way their bodies metabolize fat. Gene and Michele Terry, owners of Texas T Kobe out of Wallis, Texas, take great pride in producing some of the finest quality American Kobe beef found in the country. Their American Kobe beef, produced by an F1 cross of Wagyu bulls and American Angus cows, is in a league of its own. American beef is rated on a USDA scale of Select, Choice, and Prime. American Kobe beef requires its own category because it starts above Prime. To get an idea of its richness and what makes their beef so special, you have to understand the chemistry. The fat composition in the marbling will begin to melt at 77 degrees, the same as butter—causing it to literally “melt in your mouth.” This results in recommended preparations not exceeding medium temperatures, thus keeping the fat from liquefying.

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American Kobe beef has less saturated fat than a typical American Angus, a 2:1 ratio in fact, and contains high levels of oleic acid (the good fatty acids found in olive oil that prove to help reduce cholesterol). In addition, strict guidelines dictate that beef—in order to be labeled Kobe—must also be free of hormones and antibiotics.

iet—typically based on grass—but d also including a grain mixture and beer. Yes, beer. This is a trait that was developed over the years in Japan where the cattle were fed rice straw, rice wine, and rice beer as part of their daily diet to be bred for tastier beef. Scientists and cattle geneticists have determined that the beer itself aids in the animal’s natural ability to produce fine marbling within the beef, also The Terry’s produce their Texas T helping to give it a more desirable Kobe brand of beef by introducing flavor. The Terry’s haven’t noticed enough of the American Angus different flavors in their beef from strain to give the crosses a wider different types of beer, but they rear end and larger frame for more have noticed that their cows heavily meat production. The genetic favor dark, craft beers as opposed mixture also alters the meat slightly to light or pale ales. It’s a common to compensate for the American misconception that the beer will palate which typically leans away intoxicate the cattle. An animal that from the over-bearing richness of big would have to drink far more pure Wagyu beef. beer than its stomach could hold to show any drunk-like effects. For beef to be classified as Kobe, in It will, however, cause them to addition to being from the Tajima get the “munchies” and eat more strain of the Wagyu bloodline, feed—similar to what beer will do they have to be fed a special to humans. One drawback is that a full-blood Wagyu steer will take approximately six months longer than normal to reach finishing weight, due to the animal’s genetically smaller frame. A cross with American Angus will still finish slower than a pure American

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What Exactly IS Kobe? The cattle originally recognized in 1943 as “Kobe beef” were from herds in the Kobe area of Japan, and could be any of four breeds of Wagyu cattle: the Akaushi (Japanese Red), the Kuroushi (Japanese Black), the Japanese Polled and the Japanese Shorthorn. The increase in popularity of Japanese beef in the United States has led to the creation of A merican Kobe beef, taken from domestically-raised Wagyu crossbred (F1) with Angus cattle, to meet the demand. It is a requirement that Kobe beef, even American Kobe beef to come from the Tajima strain (from the Japanese black) because this is the strain that was bred for beef marbling, not size or dairy production. It is also required that the cattle are fed a special diet that includes beer or beer mash.

Where to Find Texas T Kobe In addition to direct purchase, consumers are able to get a taste of Texas T Kobe beef, prepared by world-class chefs, at a variety of locations around Houston & Austin

Houston Area

DOSI Downhouse Harvest Farm to Market Hugo’s KUU La Colombe D’Or Latin Bites Cafe Marriott Hotel - Texas Medical Center Oxheart Prego Radical Eats Sal Y Pimienta Sparrow Bar & Cookshop Tango & Malbec Houston Texans Grill

Austin Area Salt and Time Plate by Dzintra Barbeque Mercantile

The Terry’s also make regular appearence at Farmers Markets around Houston, including: Urban Harvest Eastside Farmers Market & Farmers Market at Imperial (in Sugar Land)

steer at 22 to 26 months when pushed to approximately 1400lbs, according to the Terry’s. The cattle themselves are more docile than typical American breeds, and are much more desirable for ranchers due to that fact. Another sought-after quality—that most wouldn’t initially see as positive—is the low birth weight of the calves, generally nudging the scales at a mere 4550lbs. Seasoned ranchers see the benefit in this trait, being that a Wagyu bull can breed a first-time American heifer and not cause birthing difficulties that would require constant monitoring and possible calf-pulling by the rancher during labor. This saves time and money. The crosses will still finish at the same weight as an American breed despite the low birth weight of the calves. The cattle show a high-tolerance to Texas summers and Montana winters alike, and they will continue to breed during drought conditions. There are also a number of different entities in the business right now that will pay up to a twenty-cent premium for Wagyu-Angus crosses. They will take the highest market value of cattle for the present day, and pay twenty cents per pound over market price for whatever weight that is being sold—along with picking the cattle up from the owner’s ranch. Wagyu cattle possess genetic landassociation.org

capabilities that, when crossed with American Angus, produce an American Kobe beef that is the essence of fine dining. The Terry’s, through their Texas T Kobe brand, produce the absolute highest quality USDA inspected American Kobe beef that consistently grades above USDA Prime. Through their expertise, they can ensure 100% satisfaction with a “melt in your mouth” flavor that you will not find anywhere else. “From our pasture to your plate with care and utmost concern for the health and safety of our cattle.” For more information on Texas T Kobe or to purchase beef, contact: Gene & Michele Terry Texas T Kobe, LLC Retail & Wholesale Meat Sales 713-298-4482 www.TexasTKobe.com texastkobe@gmail.com

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mobile - 678 - 544 - 4400

email - wyancy@ranews.com landassociation.org

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“Since 1965, we have been a family-owned business whose roots have been staked in rural Texas with our dealers and their customers. From the Pineywoods to the South Texas Plains—and everywhere in between—our mission is to provide a gricultural fencing products at the most competitive prices.”— L.C. “Chaz” Neely, Jr. CEO & Owner San Antonio Steel Company

For 50 years, San Antonio Steel Company (SASCO) has been the industry leader in wholesale distribution of agricultural fencing products. SASCO offers a diverse inventory of high-quality fencing supplies, from a variety of domestic and international manufacturers, to over 450 retail partners, including lumber yards, cooperatives and feed stores, across Texas. What sets SASCO apart from their competitors is their unique business model that focuses on making their retail customers s uccessful against large chain stores while leading the charge in the areas of service, price, inventory and innovative product offerings. SASCO has p artnered with some of the industry’s most successful manufactures to offer their customers, and rural landowners, with two affordable, and technologically advanced, private label products: Texas Classic and The 50-Year Fence by StaTite50. Texas Classic, also known as “The Official Fence of Texas,” is manufactured in the U.S. and is a standard class 1 product available in field fence, barbed wire, twisted cable, and sheep & goat fence. The 50-Year Fence—the company’s most sought-after brand—has gained popularity among landowners nationwide because it is the only fence of its kind backed by a 50-year warranty. This premier product, available in 16 different size configurations, is proudly endorsed by College Football Hall of Fame coach R.C. Slocum. The 50-Year Fence is a cost-effective, long-lasting alternative to traditional barbed wire or field fence. It is the most durable fence on the market due to its unique high strength, fixed knot design and hybrid Zinc-Aluminum coating.

Agricultural fencing is a dynamic market, leaving landowners with an overwhelming number of options when it comes to what materials they use to protect their land and livestock. SASCO stands behind the statement, “good fences make good neighbors.” To learn more about Texas Classic and The 50-Year Fence or to identify the fencing solution that is right for your next project, visit sasteelco.com. • SASCO is the largest wholesale distributor of fencing products in the US. • SASCO carries over 30 different barbed wires • SASCO has an exclusive on StaTite50 “The 50-Year Fence” coated fixed knot high tensile fence manufactured by Bekaert. • StaTite50 is a Zinc + Aluminum Class 40 coating that gives you more than twice the life of even the heaviest class 3 coatings. • SASCO last year sold 25,036 miles of barbed wire. (That’s the equivalent of a 5 strand barbed wire fence on each side of I10 from Los Angeles to Jacksonville Fl.) landassociation.org 33

Reversing the Plight of the

Northern Bobwhite in Texas By: Mark Tyson, M.S. & Kristen Tyson, M.A.

ith a number of different ecoregions, it is only fitting that Texas has a diversity of quail species. Texas is home to four species of quail, an accolade only three other states can claim. Northern bobwhites occupy much of the state, but they are uncommon in the state’s western third. These arid lands are home to the scaled or “blue” quail, the Montezuma quail and the Gambel’s quail. Although management techniques vary among the quail species, the bulk of quail-focused management and research in Texas is directed towards the northern bobwhite. Even projects like the Reversing the Decline of Quail Initiative (RQDI) are concentrating their efforts on bobwhite quail. Northern bobwhites are the most well-known and studied of the state’s quail species, yet their populations have experienced sharp declines over the last thirty years. Data from Texas Parks and Wildlife roadside surveys indicate a 68% decrease in the mean amount of bobwhites observed between 1978

and 2013. Habitat loss and land fragmentation have been cited as two of the primary factors in bobwhite population declines (Hernandez and Peterson 2007). Additionally, a myriad of known and unknown factors can contribute to decreasing populations. Known factors include brush encroachment, excessive livestock grazing, clean farming practices, predation and drought conditions. Unknown factors such as parasites and diseases may also influence declines, yet their true impact on population decline is not well understood. The implications of declining bobwhite populations reach far beyond the birds themselves. Entire grassland ecosystems are in trouble; bobwhites serve as an indicator species for a variety of grassland inhabitants, thus when bobwhites suffer, so too do many other species. One example is the black-capped vireo which is an endangered bird that occupied much of central Texas. Black-capped vireos have been impacted by a reduction in low growing woody cover

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and brush encroachment. While it may appear that quail-focused management is quail specific, in actuality a multitude of species reap the benefits. The livestock and brush management practices suggested for quail will also result in positive habitat changes for species such as the vireos and many others. It is said that starting a new endeavor is the hardest part of making a change. Where exactly do you begin once the decision has been made to manage for quail? Actually, that is not a hard question to answer thanks to the Texas Quail Index (TQI), an effort piloted by the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service. The TQI is designed to educate land m anagers, hunters and the general public about the population dynamics, habitat requirements and other factors affecting bobwhites in Texas. Currently, there are 35 counties and 7 Wildlife Management Areas involved in the project; find out how to join this effort by visiting http://wildlife.tamu.edu/quail/ texas-quail-index. TQI unites local County Extension Agents (CEA) with land m anagers and interested community members who work together to implement a variety

of quail assessment techniques at a local ranch. These techniques assess quail abundance, predator abundance and habitat quality. This type of one-on-one dialogue between local CEAs and community members offers handson experience that they can then conduct on their respective properties. Along with the TQI, RQDI has paved the way for research into the reduced numbers of quail. This collaboration between Texas A&M AgriLife Extension and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department seeks to understand, address, and reverse the critical quail decline in Texas. Since its inception in September, 2013, RQDI has funded 13 projects at several universities in Texas. In addition to research, this effort includes support of programs like Quail Masters, Quail Appreciation

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Photo provided by Mark Tyson Days and youth camps like Bobwhite Brigades. More information on the RQDI can be found online at http://wildlife.tamu.edu/quail/. Additionally, two new Smartphone apps will soon be released to further help landowners/managers support a healthy quail habitat: Northern Bobwhite Habitat Evaluation and Northern Bobwhite Management Calendar. The saying, “Anyone can count the seeds in an apple, but no one can count the apples in a seed”, represents the potential for the ongoing bobwhite restoration efforts which are vital to bobwhites and a host of grassland species. Actions taken today have the ability to produce an untold number of positive outcomes for Texans to enjoy well into the next century.

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Want to Be a Wealthy Rancher?

— BUY IT ON AN OIL FIELD

By: Detlef Hallermann, Ph.D. Director, Reliant Energy Securities & Commodities Trading Center Director, Trading, Risk & Investments Program Texas A&M University

hen I was ten years old, my father and I were leaving a family friend’s ranch. We had been working cattle most of the day with his friend. I commented on how beautiful his friend’s ranch was and how well fed the cattle were. My father gave me two pieces of advice that have stuck with me moving forward. They were: 1. Marry rich. It’s just as easy to love a rich woman as it is to love a poor woman. 2. It is easier to feed cattle with pumping jacks than it is with hay. So in an effort to help our single aspiring ranch owners reach their dreams, I thought I would start this article with the old real estate adage “location, location, location…”.

My view on being ending your life a wealthy rancher is to start by being wealthy. Once you become a rancher, it is a matter of stretching your ranching losses out long enough to die a wealthy rancher. I’ve see men try this strategy with horses, boats and airplanes. Usually the only wealthy person involved with any of these is the broker. Hey they buy a ranch…, wash rinse and repeat. So in an effort to save our twenty to thirty year old readers some time, I am going to recommend a strategy to fast forward through all the hard work associated with getting wealthy, I am going to recommend go straight to marrying the wealthy rancher’s son or daughter of your choosing. So the final question….where to search for your new ranch, er….spouse?

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Texas Shale Plays The two dominant shale plays in Texas are the Permian Basin and the Eagle Ford play. Both are in historically prolific parts of Texas. Add to the list (for those that prefer living in the city over large pastures in west and south Texas) the Barnett Shale in and around Fort Worth and the Woodbine/ Eaglebine shale between Austin and Houston. In east Texas and extending into Louisiana is the Haynesville-Bossier formation. In this article, we will cover the basics of each area. I will briefly outline the current trends and future extensions. In future articles, I hope to describe each play in g reater detail. Here is a brief s ummary of each of the formations:

Permian Basin:

While the first Permian Basin well was drilled back in 1925, the liquids-rich area, comprised of the Midland, Delaware, and Marfa Basins, has experienced a revival of activity as the oil and gas industry’s interest in unconventional resources grows along with new technologies and oil prices. Ranchers in the Permian Basin have and are reliving the glories of days gone past. Whereas old

(conventional) production is declining in the Permian, new production is more than making up for the loss. From July 2013 to June 2014, legacy production dropped by (50,000) barrels crude and (107) million cubic feet of gas per day. It was offset by gains of 73,000 barrels and 162 million cubic feet of production per day for net increases of 23,000 barrels and 55 million cubic feet per day. The increasing trends for the region are tremendous, as is the drilling activity as shown in Figures 1. From a dating point of view, the Permian has tremendous potential across the entire region. Imagine the Eagle Ford play having four more Eagle Ford plays directly underneath it. Names to listen for in the bar indicating potential future marrying material include Lower Spraberry, Wolfcamp (A or B…you cannot always be choosy), Clearfork, Dean, Bone Spring, and Avalon. If you overhear “My dad has acreage in the Yeso and Cline formations” while at the bar, the

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person saying it, just jumped 2 to 3 points on the 1-10 attractiveness scale. The possibilities of finding spouse material in West Texas has shot through the roof in the last five years. Consider seriously updating your match.com profile to include Midland or Marfa as your home town. To be happy here, make sure you are comfortable with long drives. It may take you a few hours to take a quick trip to the grocery store. This is BIG country. (In a future article, I plan to give the Permian Basin the due credit it deserves with a more detailed explanation of the shale plays.)

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environment for romance. Make certain you are OK with your spouse leaving you as a widow or widower during November through January to pursue the almighty “muy grande”. They have most likely been chasing big deer since they were eight. Don’t expect them to change. The Eagle Ford is well known for producing very light sweet condensate and heavy liquids rich gas.

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! !! ! !! ! ! !! ! ! ! !!! !!! !! !!!! !! ! !! ! !!! !!! ! !! ! ! !! !! !!!!!! ! ! !! ! !! !! !! !! ! ! !!!! ! !!!! !!!!! !! !!!!!! !!! !! ! ! !! !! !! ! !! !! !!!! !! !! !! ! !! ! !!! ! !! ! !! !!! ! ! !!!!! !!!!!!!!!! !!! ! !! ! ! ! !! !!! !!! !!! !!!!!! ! !! !! !!! !!! ! ! !! !!! !! ! !! ! ! !! !!!!! ! ! !!! !!!! !! ! ! ! !! ! !!!! ! ! ! ! !! ! !!! !! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !! !! ! ! ! ! !! ! !!! !! !! !!! !!!! !!!!!!!! !! ! ! ! !!! !! !! ! ! ! ! !! ! !! ! !!! !!!! ! !!! !!! ! ! !!! ! !! ! ! ! !! !! !!!! !! !! !! ! !! ! ! !!! ! ! ! ! !! !! ! !! ! ! ! !! ! ! ! ! ! !! ! !! !!! ! !!!! !! !! !!! ! ! !! ! !! ! !! ! ! !! !!!!! !!! ! !! !! !!! ! ! !! ! ! ! ! !! !! !! !! !!! !! !! !!! ! ! ! ! ! !! !! !!!!!!!! !! !!!!!! !! !!! !! ! !! !! ! ! !! ! !!! !!! ! ! !!! !! !!! ! !! !! !! !!! !! ! ! ! !! ! !!! !! ! !! !!! ! !! !!! ! !!! !!!!! !!! ! !!! !! !! !!! !! !! ! ! !!! ! !! ! ! ! !! !! !! !! !! ! ! ! !! !! !! ! !! !!! !!! !!! !!! ! ! !!! ! !!!! ! !! ! !! ! !! !! ! !!!! !!! ! ! !! !!! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !!! !!!!!!!!!!! !!! !!! !!! !!! ! !! !!!! ! ! !! !! !! ! !!!! !! !!! ! !! ! !!! ! !!! !! !!! !!!! ! ! !! !!!! ! ! !! !! ! ! !!! ! !!!!! ! !!! ! ! !!! !!! !! ! ! !!!!!! !!! ! ! !!! !! !!!! ! ! !! !! !!!! !! !! !!!! !!!! !! ! ! !!! !! ! ! !! ! !! !! !!! ! !! ! !!! ! !! !! !!!! !!! ! !!! !! ! ! ! ! ! ! !! ! !!! !!! !! ! !!! !!!! ! ! !!! ! ! ! ! ! ! !! !! !! ! !!! !! ! !! !! ! !!!! !! !! ! ! !! !! !! !! ! ! !! !!! !! !! !!! ! !! !! ! !! ! ! ! !! ! !! ! !!!! ! !!! ! ! ! !!!!! ! !! ! !! !! ! !!! !!! !! !!!! !!! !!!! !!!! !! !!! !!!! ! ! ! !! !!! ! ! ! ! !! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !!!!!!!!!!! ! ! !!!!!!! ! !! !!!!! !!! ! !!! ! ! ! ! ! !!! ! !!!!! !!! !! !! !!!! !! !! ! ! !!!!!! !! !!! ! ! !! ! !! !!! !! ! ! !! !! ! ! !!! !! !!! !!! ! !!! ! !!! ! ! ! !! ! ! !!! !! !!!!!!! ! ! ! ! !!! !! ! !!! ! ! !! !! !!! !!!! !!! ! !! ! ! !!!!! ! !! ! !!! !! !! !! !! ! ! ! !! ! ! ! ! !! ! !! ! !! !!!!! ! !! !!!!!! ! !!!!!! !! ! ! !! ! ! !!!!!!!!! ! !! !! !!!! !! ! !! ! !!! !! !! ! ! !!!! !! ! !!!! ! ! !! ! ! !! !! !! ! !!! !! ! ! !!!! ! !! ! ! !! !! !! !!!! !! !! ! ! ! ! ! ! !!!!! ! !! ! ! !! !! ! !!!! !! !! !! !! ! !! !! ! ! ! ! !! ! !!! !!! ! ! !!! ! ! ! ! ! !!! !!!!! ! !! ! !! !!! ! ! !! ! ! ! !!!! !!!!!! !! !! ! ! ! !! ! ! ! !!! !!!! ! !!!!! ! !! ! ! !!! ! ! !! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !! !! ! !! ! ! !! !! ! !! ! !!! ! ! !! ! !! !! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !! ! ! ! !! ! ! ! ! ! !! ! ! !!! !! !! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !!! ! ! !! !! !!! ! !! !! ! ! !! ! !! ! ! !! ! ! !! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !! !!! ! !! ! !! ! ! !!! !! !! !!! ! ! ! !! !!!! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !! !! ! ! ! !! ! !! ! !! !! ! !!!!! ! ! !! ! ! !! ! ! ! !! ! !! !! ! ! ! ! !! ! ! ! ! ! !! ! ! ! ! !! ! !! !! ! ! !! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !! ! !! ! ! !! ! ! ! ! !!!!! ! ! ! !! ! !! ! ! ! !! ! ! ! ! ! !! !!! ! ! ! ! ! ! !!! ! !! ! ! ! !! ! !! !! ! ! ! !! ! ! ! !!!!!! !! ! !!! ! !! !! ! ! !!! 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! !!! ! ! !! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !! ! ! !! ! !! ! ! ! ! ! ! !! !! ! ! !! !! ! !! ! ! !! ! ! !!!!! ! ! !! ! !! ! !! ! ! ! ! !!!! !! ! !! ! ! ! !! ! ! !! ! ! ! ! !!!! ! !!!!! !! ! !!!! ! ! !!! ! !! ! ! ! !! !! !! ! ! !! ! ! !! ! ! ! !!! ! !!! !! ! ! ! ! ! ! !! !! !!!!! !!! ! !! ! !!! ! ! !! ! ! !!!!!! ! !!!!! !! ! !! !! ! !!!! ! ! ! !! ! ! !!!! ! !! ! !!! ! ! ! !!! ! ! ! ! !!! ! !!! !! !! ! !! ! ! !! !!! ! !! !! !! ! ! !! ! !!! !!! ! !! ! ! ! ! !! ! ! !!! ! ! ! ! !! ! ! !! ! ! ! !! !!! ! ! ! ! ! ! !! ! !!! !! ! ! !! ! !!!! !! ! !!!! !!! ! ! !! ! !! !! !!! !! ! ! !! !! !!!!! !!!! !! !! !! !! ! !!! !! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !! !!!! ! ! ! !!! !! !! !! ! ! !! ! !!! ! ! !! ! ! ! !! !! !! ! !! !! ! ! ! !! ! !! !! !! !! ! ! !! !!!! ! ! !! ! !! !! !! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !!! !! ! !! ! ! ! !! ! ! ! !! !! !! !! ! !!! !!! ! ! ! ! ! !!! ! !! ! ! !! ! !! ! !! ! !! !!! !!! !!! !! ! ! ! !! !!! ! !! ! !!! !!!! ! ! !! ! !! ! ! !!!!!!! ! !!!! !! !! ! !!! ! ! ! ! !! ! !!!! ! ! ! ! ! !! ! ! ! !! !! !!!!! !! !!!! ! !! ! !! ! !! !! !!! ! ! !! !! !! ! ! ! ! !! !!!!!! ! ! !! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !! !! ! ! !!! ! ! ! ! !!!!! !! !! ! !! ! !! ! ! ! ! ! !!! !!!!!!!!! ! !! !! ! ! ! !!! !! !! ! ! !!! !!!! ! ! !!! !! !!!! ! ! !! ! ! ! ! !! ! !! !!! !! ! ! !!! ! !! !! ! ! ! !! ! !! !! !!! !!! ! !! ! !!! ! !! ! !! !!! !!! !! ! ! ! ! ! ! !!! !!!!!!! ! !! ! !! ! !! ! !! ! ! ! ! !! !!!!!! !! ! !! ! ! !! ! ! !! ! ! !!! ! !! ! !!! ! !! ! !! ! ! ! !! ! ! ! ! !! ! ! !! !! ! !! ! !! !!! ! ! !! ! !!! ! ! ! ! ! ! !! !! ! !! !!! !!!!! ! !! ! ! ! ! ! ! !! !! ! ! !! !! ! !! ! ! ! ! !! !! ! !! ! !! ! !! ! ! !! ! ! !! ! ! !!! ! ! ! !!! ! !!! !!!!! ! ! !!! ! ! ! !!!! !! ! !!! ! ! ! !! ! ! !!! !! !! ! !!!! !!!!! !! ! ! ! ! ! !! ! ! ! ! !!!! ! !! !!! !! ! ! ! !! !! ! ! !!!! ! !!! !!!!!!! !! !!!!!! ! !! ! ! ! !!! !! ! ! ! ! !!! ! !!!!! !!! !!! ! ! ! ! !!! !! ! ! ! ! !! ! ! !!!! ! !! !! !!! ! ! !! ! ! ! ! !!! ! !!!! ! ! !! !! ! !! ! !! !!!! !! !! ! ! !! ! ! !!!!! !! ! !! ! ! !! ! ! !! ! ! !!!!!!!! ! !!! !!! !! !!!!!! ! ! !!!! ! !! ! !!! ! !! !!!! ! ! !! ! ! !!! !! !! !! !!! !! ! ! ! !! ! ! !!!! ! !!! !!!! !!!!! ! !!! !! ! !! ! !!! !!!!!! !! !!! ! ! ! ! ! !! !!! !! ! !!! ! ! !! ! ! ! ! !!! ! !!!!!! ! ! !! !!! ! !!! !!! ! !! !!!!! !! !!! !! ! !! !!!! !! ! ! ! !! !! ! ! !! ! ! ! !!! ! !!! ! ! ! ! !!! !! ! ! !! !!!!! ! !!! !!!!! ! !!!! ! ! ! ! !!! !!!! !! ! ! ! !!!!! ! ! !! !! ! ! ! !! !! ! !! ! ! ! !! !!!!!! ! !! !! ! !! ! !!! ! !! !!! ! ! !! !!! !! !!! ! ! !!! !! !! !! !! ! ! !!! ! !! ! ! !!!! !! ! ! !! !!! ! ! ! ! !! ! !! ! !! ! ! ! !! !! !! !!!! ! !! ! ! ! !!! ! !! !!! !! ! ! !! !!!! ! ! ! !! !!!! ! ! !! !! !! ! !! ! !! !!!! ! ! ! !!! ! ! ! !!!!! ! !! ! ! !! ! !! ! !! !! ! ! ! !! ! ! !! !! !! !!! ! ! ! !!! !!!! ! ! !!!!!! ! ! !! ! !! ! !!! ! !! !!!! !! ! ! !!!!! ! !! ! ! ! !! ! ! ! !! !! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !! ! ! ! ! ! !! ! !!! !!!!!! !! ! !! !! !! ! ! !!! !!!! !! !! ! !! ! ! ! ! !! !!! ! !! ! ! ! ! !!! !! ! !! !!! !!!! !!! !! ! !!! !!!! ! !! !!! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !!!! !!!! !! ! ! ! ! !!!!! !! ! ! ! ! !! ! ! !! ! !! !! ! ! ! ! ! ! !!! ! ! ! !! !! !!! !! !!! ! !! !! !! ! !! ! ! ! !! !!!! !!!!! !! ! !! !! !! !! !!!!!!! ! ! ! ! ! ! !!! ! ! ! !! !!! !! ! ! ! !!!! ! !! ! ! ! !! ! ! ! ! ! !!! ! !! ! ! !! !! ! ! !! !!!!!! !! ! ! ! ! !! !! ! ! ! !!! ! !!!!! !! ! ! !! ! !!!! ! ! !!!! ! ! !! ! !! ! ! !! !!!! ! !! ! !!!!!! ! !!!!! ! !! ! ! ! ! !! ! ! ! !!! ! ! ! !! ! ! ! !! ! ! ! !!! ! ! !! ! ! !! ! !!! ! ! ! ! ! ! !! ! ! !! ! !! ! ! ! !! !!!! ! ! ! ! ! !!! ! ! ! ! !!! ! !!! ! ! ! ! !!! !! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !!! !! ! ! ! !! ! ! ! ! !!! ! ! !! ! ! !!!! ! !! ! ! ! !! !! ! !! !! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !! !! !!! ! ! ! !!!! !! !! ! !!!! !! ! ! ! ! ! !! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !! ! !!! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !! ! ! !! ! !! !! ! ! !! ! !! ! ! ! !! ! ! !! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !!! !! !! ! ! ! !! ! ! ! ! !!! !! ! ! ! ! ! !!! ! ! ! ! !! ! !! ! ! !!! !! !! ! ! ! !! ! ! ! ! ! !! ! ! ! ! ! ! !!! !!!! ! ! !! ! ! ! !! ! !! ! ! !! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !! ! ! ! ! ! ! !! ! ! !! ! !! !! !! ! ! ! !! ! ! ! ! ! !! ! !! !!! ! ! ! !! !! !! ! ! !! ! ! ! ! !!! !! ! !!!! ! ! ! ! ! ! !!!!! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !! ! !! ! ! ! ! ! ! !! ! !! ! ! ! ! !! ! !! ! ! ! ! ! ! !! ! ! !! ! !! ! ! ! !! ! ! !! !!! ! !!! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !!! ! !! ! ! ! ! ! !! ! ! ! !! ! ! ! ! !! ! ! ! !!!!!! !! ! ! ! !! ! ! ! ! ! ! !! ! ! ! ! ! ! !!! ! ! !! ! ! ! ! !! ! ! ! ! !! ! ! !! ! !

Montague

Clay

! !!! !

! ! ! !

! !!

Archer

Wise

Denton

Dallas

(

Dallas

(

Hood

Eastland

(

Erath

Johnson

(

Comanche !

Oil, Horizontal (315)

Oil, Vertical (364) Major Tectonic Features

Miles

(

McLennan Source: US Energy Information Administration based on data from HPDI, USGS, Pollastro et al (2007)

Updated: May 31, 2011

(

landassociation.org (

San Saba

Navarro

(

Limit of Barnett Shale in Ft. Worth Basin Mills

(

Reverse Fault (Rectangles on upthrown block) Urban Areas

!!!

Coryell

Thrust Fault (Triangles on upper plate)

! !!

(

Gas, Vertical (4,317)

!! !

Hill

(

BrownGas, Horizontal (10,860)

(

Bosque

Hamilton Surface Locations of Barnett Shale Wells (Well Count) !

Ellis

(

Somervell

(

Tarrant

(

Ft Worth

Palo Pinto

Developing Formations:

(

Parker

Stephens

Collin

(

Jack

(

Young

Grayson

(

Throckmorton

Cooke

! !!

(

Baylor

(

If the Permian Basin is the king of horizontal drilling at present, the queen would be the Eagle Ford formation. The Eagle Ford shale formation in South Texas runs from Mexico, west of Laredo in a narrow band e xtending northeast for several hundred miles to Brazos County ( Aggies rejoice). The Barnett Shale Play, Fort Worth Basin, Texas formation is located directly OK TX below the prolific Austin Ft. Worth Basin Chalk f ormation. The average thickness of the Eagle Ford shale is about 475 feet. Currently, the more active part of the region is mainly in McMullen, Maverick, Dimmit, La Salle, Karnes, Live Oak, and Atascosa counties. From a dating perspective, start your spouse hunting in Karnes City and Cuero and work your way west to Pearsall and south to Laredo. For those of you active ( whitetail hunters, this provides Waco you with a doubly rich target

The Barnett Shale is a perfect target ranch for those wishing to stay in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. IT is located under Fort Worth and in the counties to the west (Tarrant, SW Denton, Johnson, Parker, Wise and the surrounding area to the west). The field grew tremendously from 2002 to 2009. However, the play is primarily dry gas. Thus, when natural gas fell to $2.00 per mmBTU, drilling rigs moved towards the more liquids rich Permian and Eagle Ford play. With natural gas prices stable above $4.00 per mmBTU, the Barnett is becoming more popular. Drilling activity is increasing as demand for natural gas is rising. The Barnett has the advantage of being closer to Louisiana and the mid-Atlantic region where economic growth and manufacturing development is leading the rest of the country. From a dating point of view, consider the number of horse ranches west of Fort Worth. To garner a spouse with royalties, you will need to improve your riding skills and perhaps invest in a cutting horse or two.

The following fields are still developing plays. The fields may be several years from becoming as “hot” as the Permian or Eagle Ford. However, if a cute boy or girl at the bar happens to mention their family has a few thousand acres in this region with royalties, don’t “put on airs”. They may be a hidden gem, worthy of getting to

Limestone

HaynesvilleBossier Shale:

know. Woodbine/Eaglebine Shale: Ranches in Madison, Leon and Grimes County may become fairly desirable in the next decade. The Lower Woodbine is the equivalent to the Lower Eagle Ford to the southwest. The Woodbine has somewhat more challenging rock characteristics than the Eagle Ford. Thus, developers have not rushed into the region as quickly as the Eagle Ford.

The Eaglebine is where the eastern edge of the Eagle Ford and the Woodbine overlap. The Eaglebine is general to the west and southwest of the Woodbine. Counties where development are starting include Brazos, Burleson and Fayette Counties. Perhaps finding a spouse with season tickets to A&M or UT football and ranch half way between College Station and Austin would take care of your needs for royalties and college football.

The Haynesville Bossier Field extends from East Texas into Louisiana. It is very similar to the Barnett Shale in that it produces dry gas producing from depths greater than 10,000 feet. As a result, drilling and exploration in the Haynesville shale was very aggressive prior to 2009. In 2008, the Haynesville was thought to be the largest natural gas field in the lower 48 states. The Marcellus has overtaken that title, however, the Marcellus still has over 75 trillion cubic feet of recoverable gas. Thus, if tall trees, Cajun boudan, fishing and casinos are more for you, you wish to consider a fishing trip on the Sabine River to be an adventure in dating instead of an opportunity to fill your freezer with bass.

Summary:

For those bachelors and bachelorettes, I hope I have provided you with a battle plan for the dating scene. As my father told me, “It’s just as easy to marry rich as it is to marry poor”. I was never good at following his advice, but I see the virtue in it today. Hopefully, you have more luck with his advice than I did. FOR ORDERING INFORMATION, CONTACT: Jamie Driskell (903) 681-4263 jamie.driskell@malakoffisd.org

Danny Driskell (966) 546-4930

dannyray05@hotmail.com

100% Natural

Dusty Driskell (936) 465-0781

mdriskell@txfb-ins.com

landassociation.org

ON THE MARKET | WALLER COUNTY LAND COMPANY

CHAPPELL HILL WORKING RANCH | CENTRAL EAST TEXAS

CHAPPELL HILL, TEXAS | WASHINGTON COUNTY

1 , 2 2 6 ACRE S Five water wells - Good interior road - Hydraulic squeeze

WallerCountyLand.com John Hunt, Broker - 979.826.2269 Tim Phelan, Broker - 936.372.9181 broker@WallerCountyLand.com

chute. Good fencing and cross-fencing - Entire ranch sprigged In Jiggs Bermuda - 200-300 acre Pivot Irrigation system - Approx. 2 miles frontage on FM 2447 - Approx. 2 miles frontage on county gravel road - Frontage along New Years Creek and both sides of Red Gully.

Only one hour west of northwest Houston

landassociation.org

Wild Turkey

Restoration in Texas I

t is commonly believed that Benjamin Franklin tried to champion the wild turkey as the national symbol instead of the bald eagle. Even though this is not true, Franklin did talk about the negative attributes of the bald eagle and the positive attributes of the wild turkey in a letter to his daughter after the bald e agle was already selected as the national symbol. Regardless, the wild turkey is an iconic North American bird and the sight of strutting gobblers competing for the attention of hens is an unforgettable scene. In Texas, there are three different subspecies of the North American wild turkeys: Rio Grande, Eastern, and Merriam’s. Rio Grande wild

turkeys (Rios) are the most abundant and occupy more of the Texas landscape than the other two, but Easterns are the most numerous and widespread across the United States. The main difference between the three are the landscapes for which they are adapted and the color of the tail feather tips, which are tan on Rios, dark brown on Easterns, and lighter on Merriam’s. Wild turkeys suffered dramatic population declines in the 1800’s and early 1900’s due to overhunting and habitat loss as many acres of forestland were cleared. The low point was in the 1920’s when wild turkey numbers fell to 100,000 in Texas, and less than 100 birds were estimated landassociation.org

By: Blake Alldredge, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service & Jason Hardin, Texas Parks & Wildlife Department in the Pineywoods and Post Oak Savannah ecoregions in 1942. Since that time, hunting regulations, improved habitat management, and restocking programs have helped to restore wild turkey populations to an estimated 460,000. After restocking efforts, Rios were able to establish and expand their population, although population declines have been noted over the past couple of decades in some areas. Breeding bird survey data collected in Texas has shown a rapid increase in turkey

bservations over the past few o years (see table below). Easterns, on the other hand, have not responded as well, despite over 7,000 birds being relocated to east Texas since 1979. It is believed the lack of large areas of contiguous, or connected, tracts of quality habitat combined with low survival rates immediately following stocking efforts are the main reasons why Easterns have not been able to establish. Until 2003, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) employed the block-stocking technique of 15 to 20 birds per site, with little success. Researchers in the Wildlife and Fisheries Department at Texas A&M University then determined that a super-stocking technique of 80 birds per site would be more successful. The assumptions underlying the success of the super-stockings are that more birds transplanted in one location 3Wild turkey observations are increasing statewide according to Breeding Bird Surveys.

GPS transmitters fitted onto captured turkeys will relay their location throughout the day to assess their habitat preferences. Photo by Jason Hardin, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department

will result in more surviving and establishing a breeding population. Wild turkeys have core habitat needs: food, cover, and water. As a ground-nesting bird, wild turkeys require ground cover from native grasses and forbs at least 12 inches tall for concealment during nesting (late March to late June). The act of caring for young, known as brood-rearing, occurs after poults (turkey hatchlings) hatch from their eggs and follow the hen in search of food, consisting primarily of insects for the first 4 weeks of life. Since poults are flightless for the first 10 to 14 days of life, adequate cover is necessary to protect them from predators. Water is also important, especially in the more arid west Texas. Nesting usually occurs about ¼ mile from creeks and man-made standing water sources. Successful nests and brood rearing is critical to sustaining and landassociation.org

growing turkey populations. This recruitment of new birds into the population is driven by the number of nesting hens, their nest success rate, and the number of poults that hatch and reach 4 weeks of age. Researchers at Texas A&M University and Texas Tech University have made significant strides in understanding the habitat needs of Rios in the Rolling Plains, Edwards Plateau, and south Texas. Questions still remain for Easterns. The optimal nesting and brood-rearing habitat for Easterns is not completely understood, but researchers from Stephen F. Austin State University (SFA) began a study in the winter of 2014 after releasing around 247 birds on three different sites in east Texas. These wild turkeys were captured and transported from several different states including Alabama, Kansas, Missouri, Tennessee, South C arolina and West V irginia, and some were fitted with GPS transmitters that are worn much like a backpack. Each transmitter will provide the location of the bird throughout the day, giving researchers great insight into what kind of habitat Easterns most prefer. The Texas state chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation has provided financial

and brooding habitat during a wild turkey’s most vulnerable period of life. Brush management in the form of removal of undesirable brush species for Rios or thinning and clearing timber stands to create openings for Easterns is essential. Prescribed burning is extremely beneficial when done on a 3 to 5 year rotation in Rio habitat, and 2 to 3 years in Eastern habitat. Prescribed burning at the Gus Engeling Wildlife Management Area helps to reduce woody encroachment to maintain openings and increase plant diversity. Photo by Jason Hardin, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department

support for the restocking efforts, with TPWD funding restockings as well as the research project with SFA. TPWD is actively looking for new areas in east Texas to restock Eastern wild turkeys, so how can landowners participate in a super-stocking? Habitat, habitat, habitat! At least 10,000 acres that support a mosaic of forests and openings committed to managing wild turkey habitat is required. Most east Texans don’t own 10,000

acres, which means you have to get along with your neighbors! Landowner co-ops, or wildlife management associations, are encouraged for participation in super-stockings. TPWD biologists typically serve as advisors to these co-ops. For both Easterns and Rios, proper grazing and brush management is a necessity. Providing boot to knee high grasses during the spring and early summer months will help ensure there is sufficient nesting

landassociation.org

The Texas A&M Institute of Renewable Natural Resources estimates that 84% of Texas is privately owned, meaning that landowners are the key to sustaining wild turkey populations across Texas. To aid landowners in their h abitat management, the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and TPWD are in the process of developing publications on Eastern wild turkey biology and management and have a lready produced several publications for Rio Grande wild turkey management that are available at the AgriLife Bookstore.

landassociation.org

E.G.A. Fabrication creates world class metalwork pieces from American steel, truly crafted to exceed your expectations. Owned and operated by former U.S. Marine, Clint Bollinger, they are located in the town of Sealy, approximately 40 miles west of Houston, Tx. E.G.A. is a small company that has their primary focus on quality and personalized service. The attention to detail is what sets them above similar operations, putting their products in a category that is simply second to none. Clint and his craftsmen strive to make each piece of work—whether it’s a custom fire pit, sign, gate, or piece of unique art—exceptional by all standards. Their custom fire pits bring a certain warmth and glow to your outdoor entertainment area, designed to your specifications—including your name, custom logo, or personal tastes. E.G.A. Fabrication can also help you design a customized gate for your ranch or special piece of property. Nothing compliments your little slice of heaven quite like a customized entrance. A beautifully-crafted gate will set you apart from your neighbors. If you can dream it, Clint and the E.G.A. team can make it. Anything is possible. Call Clint today at 281-513-0495 or email him at clintbollinger@yahoo.com so that he can begin crafting your custom work today. Let him transform your vision into high-quality metal art—Texas style. landassociation.org

Project Highlight

ith the dry weather we have been faced with in Texas over the past few years, we have been forced as farmers, ranchers, and landowners in general, to look outside the box in order to find new methods to accomplish tasks that we have done a certain way for years. Many of these changes come with hesitance but change, a lot of times, is a good thing. In the Texas land-clearing industry, we have seen a tremendous amount of change in a short period of time. You may be confused as to how the dry weather has any effect on clearing land. During dry conditions, there are burn bans

in place in many, if not all, counties across the state that prevents any burning of brush piles. Due to this and the liability for contractors to burn on a customer’s property, as well as the expenses involved with hauling off debris, new methods of land-clearing have begun to replace the old. Historically, most methods of land-clearing included some sort of excavation or dozing. While there are still a few applications where these methods would be recommended, most applications would benefit from some of the newer methods.

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By: Brad Beach, Owner, All Out Ranch Improvements Forestry mulching has quickly become one of the most efficient and cost-effective methods of land-clearing. While this method has some different names; mulching or hydro-ax, they all refer to the process of cutting, grinding, and clearing vegetation. Forestry mulchers are often used for land-clearing, right-of-ways, pipelines/power lines, pre-survey clearing, wildfire prevention and management, invasive species control, wildlife restoration, roads and trails, fence line and pasture

restoration, and reclaiming grown up hay fields. This machine allows you to take a piece of property that is not in a usable state due to trees and brush and quickly turn it into usable land. Traditional clearing methods often present an increased risk of erosion by pushing over trees, uprooting the stump and roots, and substantially disturbing soil. The negative effects of this soil disturbance are even worse in rocky conditions, such as the Texas Hill Country, due to the fact that there is little t opsoil to begin with. Once dozing or e xcavating have been done, large amounts of topsoil are lost and the rocks are pulled to the surface, resulting in high erosion potential and difficulty growing grass. These methods have also been known to damage the root structures of desirable trees that the landowner is trying to keep; resulting in the trees dying soon after the clearing is completed. In contrast, mulching the vegetation leaves the soil structure intact and undisturbed. The mulched material is left on the ground and will act as an erosion barrier while returning nutrients back into the soil through decomposition. Over time, grass will naturally grow through the mulch and can be maintained with mowing or grazing. The mulch also acts as a sun block, allowing for ground moisture retention in drought conditions. This method of clearing also does away with any unsightly burn piles or need for debris to be hauled off. Resulting in a cost-effective, environmentally friendly method of managing an overgrown piece of property. landassociation.org

As we all know, there are many invasive species of brush in Texas that will return when dozed or mulched. For some landowners, there will be minimal maintenance after mulching, but for others, there will be more. This all depends on brush species and environmental conditions. Some landowners will need to follow up with shredding and herbicide spraying to maintain their land. The key is to understand that this is a process, not a one-time fix. It takes a steady management program to maintain your property once the initial clearing has been completed. Here is a land clearing project we completed in Edna, Texas in the spring of this year. This property has some beautiful live oak trees that were grown up with vines and brush. We mulched the entire property and utilized ground guys with chainsaws and pole saws to clean the base of the trees and raise the canopy of the live oak trees. To the right are the before and after pictures: At All Out Ranch Improvements, we take pride in providing the most innovative, cost effective & environmentally friendly methods of ranch improvements in the industry. Whether it’s wildlife management, ranch development or consulting, we strive to offer you the most advanced equipment and services on the market at an honest price. We serve the entire Lone Star State and look forward to visiting with you about your next project. Visit us at our website, www. alloutranchimprovements.com, or on Facebook.

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Field Proven, World Class Concealment Molded from living oak trees, the TreeBlind™ represents the pinnacle of realism in an all-season blind. Our blinds are thoughtfully designed with silent windows, a locking door, and insulated, scent-traping construction. Each is handcrafted one at a time by American workers. It’s how Nature Blinds is becoming America’s leading innovator in concealment technology. No matter what you hunt or where, Nature Blinds builds a wide range of products that offer unmatched concealment in the field starting at just $249. Available at a dealer near you or at natureblinds.com

landassociation.org Nature Blinds, LLC • Kerrville, TX • (877) 431-4433

Official Hunting Ranch of Central Texas

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Property Highlight By: Tom Hammond, Owner RecordBuck Ranch, Utopia, Texas

Photos Provided by RecordBuck Ranch

“At RecordBuck Ranch, they’ve got trophy animals and you need to get on them!”— Tim Garcia, Repeat Hunter

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bout 12 years ago, I began to look for a hunting ranch in close proximity to Dallas, Austin or San Antonio. A large property came available an hour and a half west of San Antonio—seven miles east of Utopia. The property was half in the hill country and half in flat, shrub country. It was an ideal property with contiguous property was available so that we were able to expand the ranch to its current size of 20,000 acres. It took years to fence the perimeter, erect interior fences for different pastures, plant food plots in each pasture. After we added on to the main house, we constructed a new lodge, purchased quality stock for breeding herds, cultivated a large field for hay, and built large commercial freezers for the harvested game. The half of the property that is located in the hill country serves as an ideal habitat for sheep, goats, aoudad, ibex, whitetail deer, elk, red stag, axis and fallow deer. The flat, transition land also serves well for whitetail, large grazing animals and most exotic species. landassociation.org

The large endeavor of improving the ranch to what it is today was, all-in-all, a lot of fun. We were also able to entertain guests during the building stages to help pay the costs. Each year the operation seemed to grow as herds grew and more species were added to our breeding program. Each year, more hunters came and we continued to enjoy the new company and new friends we made. Many things have to come together smoothly for a commercial hunting operation: first-class facilities, an abundance of great trophies, knowledgeable management, experienced and friendly guides, quality equipment and help on top of all that to ensure proper maintenance for the property. We try to maintain a comradeship—a family-like atmosphere—amongst ourselves. In order to do that you must be able to fit in and get along with your fellow employees, plus be willing to work hard and to accomplish what is best for the team. This family atmosphere is obvious and very noticeable to our guests and is one of the reasons that we serve close to 95% repeat hunters.

word of mouth, but most of our hunters are repeat customers. By the middle of summer this year, we were almost fully booked for the whitetail season through January 2015. We will harvest more than 300 whitetail deer in 2014 with approximately 80 of those scoring more than 200 inches—more than 200 will score higher than 170 inches. We have 30 deer breeding pens, plus breeding pens for elk, red stag, dama gazelle, red lechwe, European mouflon, Armenian sheep, and Trans Caspian Urials.

We have wild herds totaling approximately 60 different exotic species with many large breeding herds. We participate heavily in conservation with many different endeavors within our operation. We manage rare herds of dama gazelle, scimitar horn oryx, red lechwe, Arabian oryx, and Addax. We leave certain pastures quiet so the wildlife and vegetation have time to grow without hunting intervention, something that is only possible on a large-scale

Continued on page 56

In 2013, we harvested record numbers of whitetail deer and exotic species. We attract and book hunters from our website and also landassociation.org

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RecordBuck Species List Whitetail Deer

Wildebeest

Wild Turkey

Zebra

Boar

Aoudad

Javelina

Armenian Mouflon

Eurasian Boar

Corsican

Elk

Four Horn

Red Stag

Hawaiian Black

Addax

Himalayan Tahr

Blackbuck

Mouflon

Blesbok

Red Sheep

Bongo

Texas Dall

Dama Gazelle

Trans Caspian Urial

Eland

Axis

Gemsbok

Barasingha

Grant’s Gazelle

Sika Buck

Impala

Dybowski Sika

Kudu

Fallow

Nile Lechwe

Hog Deer

Nilgai

Pere David

Nyala

Catalina

Red Lechwe

Hybrid Ibex

Roan

Markhor

Sable

Nubian Ibex

Scimitar Horned

American Bison

Oryx

Asian Water Buffalo

Sitatunga

White Buffalo

Springbok

Yak

operation. We have erected numerous ponds and built many water breaks in creek beds, and have an ongoing cedar clearing process. Year around, we practice only shooting mature animals which is another reason for our high repeat business and customer referral, as well as the large number of entries into record books. Close to 70% of our clients are from Texas, with that percentage climbing closer to 80% for whitetail deer hunters specifically. We have no big plans for the immediate future. It is important that we maintain our standards and what we have done right, especially with an increase in hunters. We know the maximum number of hunters we can satisfy comfortably on any given day, plus on an annual basis how many hunters our herds can accommodate. We will add an additional large paddock next year, a place we have been clearing for over a year. It still has thick growth as we like to provide true hunting and stalking opportunities, not an open pen to shoot at something. There is nothing more satisfying than the smile on a hunter’s face after his guide has bugled an elk up close or rattled in a trophy buck.

For Booking & Information, visit RecordBuck.com or contact Chuck Herndon at 830-966-2301

Waterbuck landassociation.org

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Native vs. Introduced Pastures

o you remember purchasing your first car or home? The excitement and thoughts of potential bargains and that perfect item swirls in your head until a week or two into the process – when you discover this big decision is really not very fun at all! From time to time, landowners are faced with deciding which direction to take with their land – do you plant native grass species or go with an i ntroduced? Opinions from neighbors, the many options available, the monetary investment, unpredictable weather, and the potential long-term ramifications of the decision can make standing at these crossroads an unpleasant time. Below, we’ve answered five questions that may help you determine whether native or introduced species are right for you.

What Are My Goals?

Although we may be tired of hearing it, management decisions should always start by acknowledging the goals for the property. And, as distasteful as it may seem, this will also involve development of a written

By: Dr. Megan Clayton, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Range Specialist, Corpus Christi & Dr. Larry Redmon, Texas A&M University, Professor, State Forage & Bennett Trust Specialist plan. The written plan will serve as a guide or road map that optimizes the amount of time, effort, and money expended on the ranch operation. Goals define where you ultimately want to be; objectives will serve as the steps taken to achieve the goals. Questions related to goals could include do you solely manage for livestock production? Or, does wildlife contribute to your profit or recreational interests? While cattle may be able to thrive on thick pastures of introduced forage grasses, wildlife typically do best where there is a diversity of native plants that provide not only food, but also provide cover from predators yet are open enough for tiny birds to maneuver through as they forage for seed or insects. Many landowners are now managing for both livestock and wildlife on the same piece of property.

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What Am I Willing to Sacrifice?

While there are pros and cons to every management decision, the important thing is to know what you are willing to tolerate. Introduced grasses often establish quicker, may or may not be less expensive to establish, and have the potential to grow more pounds of forage per acre than most native species. However, these introduced species may need more inputs, such as fertilizer, weed control, or irrigation in order to do well. Also, they typically grow as a monoculture, or pasture with one dominant grass species, which is less desirable for wildlife management. Native grasses are typically planted in a mix, even with some forbs, to increase the success of stand establishment and to provide the plant species diversity necessary as wildlife habitat. It is important to choose seed adapted for your area and plant them according to recommendations. Often times, seed cost is higher than introduced species because of limited supply of native seed, but once established, there are fewer input costs associated with fertilizer and herbicide. The diversity of plants

that grow in a native reseeding is conducive to livestock grazing and for wildlife, although you will want to purposely delay livestock grazing for a couple of years to allow the natives to establish. Also, to balance the needs of both wildlife and livestock, stocking rates will need to be kept at a low to moderate level.

What Will Be the Future Use of My Land?

Although we have to make decisions that will benefit our operation now, the plant establishment and potential long-term impact warrant some consideration of what will happen to the land in the future. If your plans are to pass the family ranch down to your children or grandchildren, will their land use goals be the same as yours? If you have plans to improve and then sell your land, what would likely be more desirable to a buyer? Currently, people purchasing land typically place more emphasis on wildlife habitat than on cattle production. Once many of the introduced grasses have been established, they may be hard to eradicate. If you later choose to plant natives for their additional

wildlife benefit, you may find that the introduced species continue to out-compete the natives.

How Do I Convert My Pastures to Something Else?

Maybe you are that landowner who has either native or introduced grass species, but would like the opposite! If you have been considering a change, here are some things to keep in mind. • It is typically easier to go from natives to introduced species. Glyphosate, a broad spectrum herbicide, will help control currently green, growing grasses and forbs. • Switching from a well-established introduced field to natives can be done, although it may take a bit more effort. When preparing the seedbed, multiple applications of glyphosate may be necessary in combination with plowing or multiple disking operations. • Remember there is dormant seed in the soil that may germinate later, so follow up control may be necessary. • Planting a cover crop during times of unlikely or questionable establishment may help hold the soil in place and prevent

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erosion until the desired species can germinate. • Be aware of the plant composition in nearby fields as these can impact the fields you are planting through encroachment and the spreading of seeds by wildlife and livestock.

What Grass Species are Best Adapted to My Area?

In the back of my head is my grandfather’s voice saying “You wrote a whole article on what grasses to plant without mentioning a grass name!?” E verybody would like to know what to plant, but the grass species you choose should be based on your goals, climate, and soil type. Back to the written plan…based on your specific goals and objectives and

epending on your location in the d state (climate, soils), certain species will be better choices than others. For help in determining what species are best adapted to your region and will help you meet the ranch goals, seek out the following: 1) Your local county extension office; or 2) The local office of the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) or their Web Soil Survey tool; or 3) Local, successful neighbors with a reputation as a good land steward. Each of the above resources should be able to provide good information regarding forage species adapted to your region that will enable you to meet your goals.

James Curtis 361 877 2819

jwcurtis45@yahoo.com CurtisAgServices.com

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Hero Hunts:

By: Ashley Morrow Texas Landowners Association

Giving Back to Those Who Gave So Much n the fall of 2013, Troy Coleman of hero hunts contacted us through our Facebook page and mentioned a little about his organization, Hero Hunts. He asked us if we would have any interest in working with them to take veterans (many with purple hearts) to the outdoors for hunting and fishing adventures. It didn’t take long after speaking with him that we were sold on his cause and organization. Troy is as good as they come, with a heart bigger than our state. He and his organization work very hard to give back to those who have already given so much. We finally were able to join our schedules and meet at the Working Man’s Bow Ranch in Northeast Texas where they were hosting a spring hog hunt for 6 veterans.

The Working Man’s Bow Ranch is a little over 200 acres and almost exclusively dedicated to hog hunting. They offer hunts year round with pricing starting at a very reasonable $180/day. For more information check out their website www.WorkingMansBowRanch.com. We arrived in the afternoon and were greeted with a warm welcome. Two volunteers were already getting a crawfish pot heated up to cook 200lbs of crawfish before the evening hunt. We settled right in and started speaking to Troy and a few of the Veterans, who we won’t name. Three of the veterans served in Vietnam, one of which received a purple heart.

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pine. Throughout our ride we saw evidence of a dense hog population with wallows of all sizes, heavily utilized trails, and muddy tree trunks. Besides the incredible ranch vehicle, one of the volunteers brought a few incredible firearms for the folks to fire. The crowd favorite quickly became the tactical .308 with a suppressor on the barrel. Firing this rifle sounded more like a golf clap than a firearm.

In addition to the crawfish there were a couple other activities keeping everyone occupied before the hunt. One of which involved one of the largest custom hunting vehicles I’ve seen. It was by no means stealthy, sounding more like a monster truck than a heavily altered suburban, but it sure was fun taking

it down trails and through the mud! At one point 8 of us elected to take a ride and tour the property. We traversed many of the rolling hillsides through thick pockets of cedar, hackberry, and cedar elm and came across lowlands filled with hogs until we were back up to the hilltops with pockets of loblolly

Finally we sat and ate crawfish until we absolutely couldn’t eat another bite. Then it was time to head out for the evening hunt. The ranch has ground blinds that were able to accommodate one of the men who hunts from a wheel chair. That night 4 hogs were brought back along with number of great stories. For more information about this adventure go to our website at www.LandAssociation.org. If you have property and would like to donate hunts for a great cause please contact us by emailing info@landassociation.org. Any ranch donating hunts to this cause will get additional exposure (if desired) by being featured in another issue of The Texas Landowner Magazine. For more information about Hero Hunts feel free to visit their website Herohunts.org

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Not Another

Food Plot Article

By: Emily Courtney Forester/Wildlife Biologist Nature’s Eye Consulting

To the modern hunter and wildlife manager,

food plots are the standard, the go-to, or even the miracle cure for any hunting property. In some cases, they are even the only habitat improvements that take place. However, that wasn’t always the case. There was a time when food plots were at most a supplemental food source. That is what they are meant to be after all, a supplement to naturally occurring browse and forage. The role of food plots has changed drastically over the years. Food plots themselves aren’t new; they just didn’t always have a name. Old timers would grow such “plots” with whatever extra seed they had on hand. I remember my grandpa planting an extra patch of turnips in an out of the way spot on his farm “for the deer”, or planting a corner of a field with chufa for turkeys to scratch. While the concept has been around for ages, their place as a management strategy in and of themselves is a relatively new trend in the overall history of wildlife management. Most research pins the start of this trend back to 1988 when the Whitetail Institute of North America introduced the first products specifically marketed as food plot seed. Competitors caught on, product offerings expanded, and the popularity of food plots soared. In the quarter of a century since, seed companies, planting equipment landassociation.org

anufacturers, and chemical m companies have carved out a significant niche in the outdoor industry devoted to food plot products. The appeal is obvious. Food plots make it possible to turn just about any sliver of property into a huntable spot. They are a great solution for hunters who own or lease too few acres to effectively manage a deer herd. However, they should be used as only one component of a comprehensive management regime. If you’re dedicated to intensive habitat management, your first priority

should be maximizing the potential of the native, naturally occurring flora. These plant communities serve a dual purpose by providing both a food source as well as shelter. Biologists recognize four specific categories of nutritional requirements to maintain a healthy deer herd: herbaceous plants, protein, minerals, and agricultural crops (aka food plots). Food plots are certainly a critical part of the habitat equation, but they are only one part. For comprehensive management, we mustn’t forget about the other three.

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You can determine the value that food plots add to your property by the strategy you implement. The first factor to consider is something that is often overlooked. In keeping with the mindset that food plots are meant to be supplements, you should take into account what is already provided and what is lacking in the naturally occurring food sources on your property. Also, be aware of what’s available across the fence. If your neighbor plants a five hundred acre field with soybeans, a two acre soybean plot on your place probably won’t do you much good. When you get a good feel for what’s already

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out there, you can customize your strategy to complement or supplement what the surrounding properties, and surrounding areas on your p roperty, provide. The three main considerations for developing a food plot strategy are: which wildlife species do I want to benefit, in which seasons do I need to provide a supplemental food source, and which species of forage will meet those needs? Some management plans call for plots tailored to a particular species of wildlife, and these can be appropriate and beneficial depending on your goals. However, if your goal is to provide benefits to several different wildlife species, all-inclusive food plots can be an extremely effective strategy. Planting a variety of seed together in one plot provides much greater diversity than a single species plot. Determine whether you need cool season or warm season plots (or both) and choose

throughout the season, creating a sustainable all-they-can-eat buffet.

an appropriate seed blend. An example of a great warm season mix would be something like Mossy Oak Biologic’s Biomass, which is a blend of peas, soybeans, sunflowers, and sorghum. This variety will result in forage and seed production staggered

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Once you’ve developed your overall strategy to maximize the existing habitat and supplement that with a moderate helping of food plots, you can then take a closer look at the particulars of plot design, planting, and maintenance. In the design stage, you should take into account factors such as visibility, prevailing winds, and stand placement. Choose areas that cannot be seen by your neighbor when he’s sitting in the tripod he placed right on the property line. In the same vein, consider using trees or other vegetation to create a visual buffer around plot edges. This will not only prevent prying eyes from wandering onto your plots, but will provide a greater sense of security to the wildlife, encouraging them to use the plots more during daylight hours. A buffer along

plot edges will also help keep you hidden during your approach to your stand. Design plots where they will connect with heavily wooded areas (bedding areas) and corridors. Position plots so that prevailing winds won’t carry your scent into them when approaching or while in the stand. Stand placement is often not considered until after a plot is constructed, but thinking about this beforehand can help you make more effective decisions about plot size, shape, and orientation. Once the design is laid out, the process typically goes something like this: soil testing, choosing a seed mix, chemical and/or mechanical site prep, planting, fertilizing, and post-planting weed control. The details may vary a little, but the basics are relatively static. You may even want to soil

test several areas before designing and placing plots, to make sure you are taking advantage of areas with the highest potential for productivity, and avoiding areas that won’t produce. Once your plots are established, you may want to consider protecting your plots to allow them time to grow to a level where they can withstand browsing pressure. There’s nothing more frustrating than putting all of this planning and effort into a food plot only to have the young shoots gnawed down to the ground before they have a chance to reach maturity. There are numerous products on the market to protect food plots from premature browsing. From repellents to electric fencing, there’s a product to fit every budget. Monitoring the browsing pressure is also important to make

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sure you are providing enough supplemental forage to support the deer population. You can use utilization cages to monitor this. If your plots seem to be suffering from overbrowsing, you may need to adjust your proportion of total food plot acres to deer density. Food plots can indeed be a miracle cure, and can transform a hunting property quicker than almost any other management method. The extra nutrition they provide can drastically improve the health of a deer herd. When properly implemented along with all of the other elements in the habitat equation, the positive results are undeniable. A handful of well-stocked, well-managed plots in strategic locations will provide incredible benefits to both you and your wildlife.

growing great deer starts with nutrition START WITH TLA’S FALL FOOD PLOT MIX

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Drought Management for your Ranching Operation

n Texas, drought periods happen all too often, placing a devastating financial burden upon ranchers striving to keep their livestock fed and healthy. Jacob and Zachary Gerik started AG Southwest Crop and Ranch Insurance with a mission to spread the word about the different drought management programs available for farms and ranches. PRF (Pasture, Rangeland, Forage) Ranch Insurance is the highly

subsidized signature USDA program delivering financial aid into the hands of ranchers when a lack of rainfall takes its toll on our state’s grazing land and hay land. The supportive programs from the USDA and RMA(Risk Management Agency), such as PRF Ranch Insurance, assists farmers and ranchers in the shared and common goal of providing all of the American people with a safe, reliable, and very essential domestic food source. In Texas, it seems as if we are in a never ending cycle of extreme weather patterns. History has proven that the most economically

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etrimental Texas weather pattern d is the common ordinary gregarious drought. Yes, we do count our blessings during the occasional rainfall-abundant periods, but unfortunately the dry weather pattern tends to be the persistent thorn in the side for Texas agriculture. What if you could hedge a part of your financial risk by protecting your ranch from its strongest adversary, the lack of rainfall? Would you participate in this valuable program? For seven years now, thousands of Texas ranchers have been using this PRF Ranch Insurance tool to their advantage. Tied to the land for five generations, the Gerik family has made Texas Agriculture a way of life. Growing up in the cotton fields and cattle ranches of Central Texas, Jacob and Zachary learned

firsthand the efforts involved in taking agriculture commodities from the farm to the marketplace. They continue to work closely with the family farm as well as maintain their own Texas agriculture endeavors. The Gerik brothers reassure ranchers that working firsthand is the only way to truly understand the joys as well as the struggles relating to our passion for the land and agriculture. AG Southwest takes pride in educating ranchers about PRF. The PRF program insures rainfall in two-month intervals. Every two months stands alone. This allows a rancher to potentially receive assistance multiple times a year. The payments occur when the two-month rainfall amount falls below the historic normal rainfall for those two months. All historic and current rainfall data is d etermined and monitored by NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration). NOAA must also determine rainfall in the area of your ranch

land. NOAA uses a grid system to divide the countryside into 12 miles by 12 miles partials of land called grids. NOAA then determines the rainfall amount for each individual grid. In summary, rainfall is determined for your grid during every two-month interval. AG Southwest customer, Ron Eubank, ranches near Whitney, TX, and he has been taking out PRF insurance since the program started. “I have benefitted from PRF every year so far,” said Eubank. “Early this year, it was very dry from January thru April, and we collected payments which helped us buy extra feed. Since May, we have received a good amount of rain so our grass turned back on. It seems like almost every year there is at least one two-month interval of extremely dry conditions and we collect on it.” The USDA subsidizes up to 59% of the premium for the insurance so that it can be delivered to producers at an affordable

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price, even in extreme drought conditions. The deadline to apply for coverage for the 2015 year is November 15th. “In 2011 alone, during the catastrophic drought, we collected more than $115 an acre on our hay land which helped us bring in hay from other states,” Eubank added. “This certainly did not cover all of our extra drought related expenses, but it was a life saver in multiple ways.” The Gerik brothers have celebrated ten years in the crop insurance industry and are excited about what the future holds. In Texas, whether it is wide open cotton fields, rolling livestock pastures or famous red grapefruit, consider AG Southwest when it comes to Crop and Ranch Insurance. AG Southwest excels in its service to provide the latest insurance programs available for farmers and ranchers throughout Texas. Give us a call at 866.936.2767 or check our website www.agsouthwest.com for more information.

TEXAS T HE S OURCE F OR D ISCERNING B UYERS &

Visit Us Online:

www.FARMandRANCH.com

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速

S ELLERS

Texas Bourbon

By: Luke Murray Texas Landowners Association

If you’re going to make whiskey—it has to be good. If you’re going to make a Texas Bourbon—it better be the best. landassociation.org

The Namesakes For Leonard Firestone and Troy Robertson, a passion to create a uniquely bold and exceptional Texas spirit set off a new career path and lifelong partnership between perfect strangers. “We became friends a few years ago, because our kids were in the same playgroup, but neither one of us had any idea of the other’s distillation dreams – until we both independently made plans to visit the same craft distillery to learn more about the trade. Troy got there first, and while chatting with the owner, discovered that “another Fort Worth guy” had scheduled a visit the following week. Imagine Troy’s surprise when he found out it was Leonard. “I hear you want to get into the whiskey business?” Troy said when he called Leonard later. Leonard, who’d told no one but his wife about his plans, was floored. We got together for lunch the next day and quickly discovered we had the same vision for a truly Texas bourbon whiskey, and the same obsession with old-fashioned craftsmanship. We both had extensive experience with startup companies, and we immediately realized that together, we had the passion and know-how to make our whiskey dreams a reality.”

eep in the heart of Fort Worth, Firestone & Robertson Distilling Company has transformed an abandoned prohibition-era warehouse into a one-of-a-kind facility for creating their craft whiskey. “Ideally, we wanted to find a place that looked like it made whiskey,” said Troy Robertson, proprietor and distiller. From the exposed brick backdrop to the wall of bourbon barrels and custom copper boilers, the facility creates a statement as bold as the whiskey itself. Holding onto the heritage of the area is something that Troy and Leonard established in their core values. All of the grit and sweat poured into revamping an abandoned facility into a world-class distillery was well-met by the end result, bringing us to the real fruit of their labor: the bourbon. landassociation.org

Since their inception, Firestone & Robertson have solely distributed their TX Blended brand of bourbon. Like most business, everything starts with capital. In order to get a distillery up and running, you have to start with what is readily available. Since they couldn’t make and age a four-year straight bourbon over night, they sourced bourbons from around the country, blending the ideal combinations to give an end result that is truly exceptional. While TX Blended is being enjoyed around the world as the nation’s best American Craft Whiskey (as awarded by the San Francisco World Spirits Competition), their unique house blend of straight bourbon has been patiently aging in American White Oak Barrels, and is quickly approaching it’s initial bottling date.

Straight Bourbon “Our straight bourbon is made with #2 yellow dent Texas corn, Texas soft red winter wheat, 6-row distillers malt, our own proprietary strain of yeast that we captured from a Texas pecan (we call it the “Brazos”) and of course, pure Texas water. No one has ever aged bourbon whiskey in North Texas before, and the impact of our climate shouldn’t be underestimated. The dramatic temperature swings and sustained summer heat make our whiskey interact with our newly charred American white oak barrels in a manner unlike any other. This fact alone will provide our whiskey with a distinct provenance. One of the advantages of being a craft distiller is our freedom to experiment. As the bourbon matures, we’ll age samples of the whiskey with indigenous Texas woods such as pecan and white oak. Whichever type of wood yields the best and most unique flavors may end up as another F&R expression. Distillers’ Tasting Notes of F&R “White Dog” (off the still) bourbon: • Color: Perfectly clear • Nose: Floral and fruity, graham cracker and banana • Taste: Butterscotch, orange zest, black cherry, very smooth • Finish: Fruity, viscous, warm landassociation.org

TX Blended “As a craft distiller, we have the perfect opportunity to innovate, so we set out to create an American blended whiskey that would rival the best Scottish, Irish and Canadian blends. We spent over two years sampling an enormous number of whiskeys, determining the characteristics of our favorites, and then experimenting with different combinations to capture an even better, more robust flavor.” Blenders’ Tasting Notes: • Color: Auburn • Nose: Vanilla bean, oak and pear • Taste: Honey butter, banana, caramel and coffee • Finish: Long, smooth and slightly sweet • Proof: 82

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The Tops Look carefully at the top of any bottle of handcrafted TX Whiskey, and you’ll find a piece of Texas history and old-world engineering. Troy designed the caps himself in his wood shop at home. This was no easy feat: four elements in each top have to accommodate varying thicknesses of leather and be replicated on a large scale. We all thought the prototypes were incredibly cool, and we soon partnered with boot-making friends in the community and cork growers in Portugal to establish this five-step creation process: First, we select the leather. Most of our leathers are repurposed from boots donated by some of our friends in the community and by visitors to the distillery. Next, we use handmade tools to punch out a circle of leather. We then measure the thickness of the leather to determine which cork size to use. We looked for a partner to manufacture these corks in the historic cork capital of the world – Portugal – and found our solution where the world’s very best cork grows, in the provinces of Algarve and Alentejo. Now, we hammer a custom-made oak wood ring over the leather to secure it to the cork – again, using tools that were handmade by Troy.

From their uniquely custom bottles to their one-of-akind propegated yeast strain, Firestone & Robertson embodies the true meaning of heritage and expression in their craft. What started as a dream that evolved into a passion, has now become the benchmark of quality in the state of Texas. While we patiently wait for the bottling of their straight bourbon variety, schedule a trip to Fort Worth and line out a time to tour their facility—sample some “off the still” bourbon—and get a glimpse of why this North Texas Distillery is truly becoming an icon in the industry.

Finally, we add very small pins for reinforcement. Every resulting bottle cap is a unique example of fine Western craftsmanship – just like our whiskey. Stop by the distillery and swap stories with us – maybe even bring your own boots for topping off a bottle of F&R spirits; we’d love to make you a part of our history.

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Throughout the summer, we asked you to share your best pictures from across the state with Texas Landowners Association through Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. We received submissions from countless cities, counties and landmarks across the state. Here are some that we feel best demonstrate the beauty of the Lone Star State:

We want to see your piece of Texas! Every Tuesday, keep sharing your best shots with TLA and your picture could be featured in the â&#x20AC;&#x153;#TXTuesdayâ&#x20AC;? section of our Winter issue.

/TexasLandownersAssociation

@TheLandOwner

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TXLandowner

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NRCS’s Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) is one such Farm Bill program that offers financial assistance opportunities for landowners that are aimed at wildlife and their habitats.

Coastal Stewards

Gulf ofMexico Sustaining a Treasured Region

For generations, Taylor Wilcox’s family has farmed rice and raised cattle in the Texas coastal counties of Chambers and Jefferson. In fact, some of Wilcox’s Chambers County rice fields are only 12 miles from the state’s upper Gulf Coast shoreline, in turn making his lands a part of the migratory waterfowl and shorebird flyway zone.

Wilcox showed his stewardship commitment to migratory bird populations and the Gulf Coast region when he enrolled about 1,600 acres into NRCS’s Migratory Bird Habitat Initiative By: Beverly Moseley (MBHI). This initiative was a proactive response NRCS Public Affairs Specialist to the historic BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill of Photos provided by Beverly Mosley 2010 and its possible impact on coastal wildlife and habitats. NRCS offered coastal rice farmers hen a reported 168,000 gallons of oil spilled this financial assistance toward the costs of flooding spring into Texas’ Houston Ship Channel due to fallow rice fields in an effort to provide m igratory a collision between a barge and tanker, it was a reminder of the vulnerability of the Gulf of Mexico’s coastal bird populations additional areas for resting, roosting and feeding before their arrival to the wildlife and habitats. Gulf. The spill serves to highlight the continual need for “Rice stubble is the perfect environment. The levvigilance and proactive approaches in caring for the treasured Gulf Coast region. The USDA Natural Resources ies are there and from a bird’s eye view, they can see the water,” says Wilcox, adding, “Since we did Conservation Service (NRCS) is one federal agency that we did see an increase in our bird populaworking everyday with coastal landowners, farmers and tions. ranchers on conservation efforts aimed at protecting, restoring and enhancing vital coastal resources and bird Taylor Wilcox’s family has raised cattle and crops for populations.

generations in Texas’ upper Gulf Coast area

“The reality that disasters will occur from time to time is a good example of why conservation programs are important to protecting our resource base,” says David Manthei, NRCS district conservationist in Anahuac, Texas. “ Whether it be drought, impending flood waters, storm damage, an oil spill or even just day-to-day farming operations, NRCS has programs in place that can assist landowners in protecting and preserving the natural resources.”

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Was it because of that? I’m not sure. We do have to attribute some of that success to the initiative.” Wilcox says he would welcome additional financial incentives to help offset the costs of flooding fallow rice fields not previously enrolled under MBHI. “From a rice-producer standpoint, we still need that [financial assistance]. The market isn’t strong enough in the rice to offset the input costs in these situations. Extra incentive money would really help stimulate what we have going,” says Wilcox.

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Manthei says the 2014 Farm Bill through EQIP and the Migratory Shorebird Habitat Initiative (MSBHI) continues to offer available funding for wildlife management and habitat conservation practices such as wildlife habitat management systems, annual vegetation establishment for wetland habitat, brush management, herbaceous weed control and deferred grazing. “Fallow fields can provide excellent wildlife habitat. The only limit is in regards to the farmer’s need to utilize that area for farming purposes,” says Manthei. “A host of practices can be employed in these areas to provide habitat for either wetland or upland wildlife species.”

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Indeed, Manthei points out that it’s these type of sustainable conservation practices on an area’s natural

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resources that can prove critically beneficial during a time of crisis such as an oil spill.

Circling Back

Four days after the oil spill, the clean up and containment process continued at the Houston Ship Channel, Galveston Bay and the Gulf waters. Despite the spill, Mother Nature stayed the course evidenced by the beginning wave of migratory Shorebirds into c oastal habitats. And just like before the spill on March 22, NRCS employees continue their mission of working with private landowners along the Gulf Coast region on sustainable conservation practices which optimize the natural resources for all wildlife and their coastal habitats. “Private landowners are important stewards to the Gulf Coast. They ultimately will decide what does or does not happen on their land and this includes the implementation of conservation-friendly activities,” Manthei says.

Advertise Here! Need to get in front of more than 15,000 Landowners? Call today and be featured in our next issue!

888.979.1744

or email us at: advertise@landassociation.org

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IN BUSINESS FOR MORE THAN 30 YEARS

Owned and operated by Dan & Becky Verrips Located close to San Antonio ,Tx at 10655 Hwy 87 East in Adkins Tx 78101 Tel: 210-649-2077 Visit our website at verripstaxidermystudio.com

From the website you can access our Facebook page and also our Flickr page to see the photos Dan has taken. Available as a hunting consultant, call Dan at 210-415-2701

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Fall Gardening in Texas

erhaps at this moment you are relaxing on the porch overlooking your summer garden while enjoying a nice cold glass of lemonade or tea. The last thing on your mind is planting more vegetables. However, now is the best time to start preparing your fall garden! While you’re sitting there, pick up a few of your favorite seed catalogs and start thumbing through to get you in the mood.

Fall gardening is an excellent way to grow many unique and healthy vegetables. During the fall, temperatures are getting cooler instead of warmer. Most gardeners say that vegetables taste better harvested in the fall compared to those grown in the spring. High temperatures may cause some vegetables to taste bitter or bolt early (produce a flower stalk), which reduces quality. When planting a fall garden, be sure to follow the ‘days to maturity’ for each variety planted. For example, spinach is picked anywhere between 30 to 75 days after planting depending on the desired size. It can also be harvested multiple times. Spinach tolerates light freezes without much damage.

By: Russ Wallace, Ph.D. Extension Horticulturist Department of Horticultural Sciences Texas A&M AgriLife Research & Extension Center - Lubbock If a vegetable is susceptible to freezing and requires longer days to maturity, be sure to earlier enough to avoid the first average freeze. In northern regions of Texas where the first freeze occurs during mid-October, gardeners should plan to protect their vegetables with either row covers or small hoop houses covered with plastic. Using transplants will help your vegetables grow to maturity faster, and thus can be a way to avoid freezing temperatures. Frost-tolerant vegetables include those like spinach, lettuce, Pac choi (or Bok Choy), mustard, kale, collards, turnips, Swiss chard, beets, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, onions and carrots. In some southern regions where freezes are unusual, planting freeze-susceptible vegetables should be fine, but gardeners should have freeze protection available if needed.

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Similar to spring gardening, the vegetables in your fall garden still require nutrients. If you are using the same garden space you fertilized in the spring, it is likely that those nutrients have been used up by the previous crop; therefore, applying more fertilizer or compost will be beneficial. A soil test prior to planting will help you know which nutrients are lacking and how much to apply. It is important to rotate your fall-planted vegetables with those from different families. This will help to reduce nutrient, disease and insect problems. For example, gardeners who planted peppers in their spring gardens should avoid those areas for planting fall tomatoes, and

beets should not be followed with Swiss chard and so forth. While seasonal temperatures are cooler in the fall, watering your garden at the right time and right amount is still important. Avoid over-watering as soils could become waterlogged which

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will encourage root diseases. Uniform watering will improve plant growth. Depending on temperature and soil type, most vegetable will require between 1.0 and 1.5-inches of water weekly. Protecting your garden from insects, diseases and weeds is

also critical during the fall. Remember, diseases and insects have life cycles that are influenced by temperature and season, and therefore a different complex of pests may occur in the fall compared to a spring garden. Cool-season soil diseases and other leaf-eating insects may be found in your fall garden. There will likely be different weeds growing in your fall garden compared to one planted in the spring. The fall is an excellent time to control perennial weeds with an herbicide like glyphosate. In the fall, the herbicide will move deeper into the weed by following the pathway of nutrients into the underground roots and reproductive parts. Annual weeds can be hoed or pulled if interfering with your vegetables. It is important that you scout your garden weekly for pests and control them if they are damaging the plant. Diseased or insect-damaged plants should be thrown in the garbage and not placed in compost bins. Plant material containing pests may not break down completely and the pests may continue to spread in your garden.

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Harvesting cool-season vegetables is best done early in the morning. When the temperatures are warm, place your harvested vegetables in a cooler with ice or in cold water for transport back to the house. Be sure to remove any diseased leaves or stems before storage or post-harvest diseases may spread. Cutting leafy greens about 1 – 2-inches above ground level will allow regrowth and multiple harvests. Finally, my parents taught me that every good thing takes effort, especially with gardening. Gardening can be an enjoyable family activity and the rewards will be delicious and healthy. Gardening teaches children the value of work and reward. So don’t delay getting your seeds ordered for your fall garden and start planning now to enjoy the rewards of your fall garden. landassociation.org

(409) 692-0942 www.plashlights.com

Anyone Who Can Drive a Tractor

Can Operate a Road Boss • Built to last, heavier than any competitive model. • No moving parts • No hydraulic lines or cylinders. • Minimum training required • Lower operational costs • Spreads any type of road building material • Side pans eliminate wind-row effect • Commercial and industrial models have higher sides to increase capacity and insure a more level “pull” by tractor. Three-point hitch

Call for Dealer Opportunities!

Two hardened steel cutting edges High-strength moldboards

Skidpan skid shoes made from hardened steel with carbide wear patches

Simple • Affordable • Efficient

“seeing is believing”

We have never asked anyone to purchase a Road Boss Grader without first seeing one operate

The Cutting Edge of Technology

call 1-800-736-5309 for a free demonstration

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Road Boss

Graders

very farmer, rancher, and landowner knows the value of a good road system. More importantly, they also know the cost of maintaining a good road system. Nothing can be harder on your patience or lower back than a rough ranch road. Landowners have several options for keeping roads comfortable for driving, ranging from pulling a homemade drag sled behind a truck to periodically contracting a motorgrader. The folks at Road Boss faced a similar problem before developing an innovative implement to solve this age old dilemma. Instead of paying an outside contractor to maintain an interior road system you can now use your current equipment (Tractor or Skid Steer) to efficiently smooth your roads. This device is so remarkable that product trials have almost a 100% purchase rate.

Operation:

The Road Boss Grader is a simple, but innovative spreading and grading apparatus, exceeding the performance of large motorized graders. The simplicity of the Road Boss Grader consists of two forward- cutting blades mounted on a strong, high-grade-steel frame with runners and side pans. An A-frame hitch mounts it to any three-point-hitch tractor of 25 or more horsepower. The dual-blade and side-pan configuration work to maximum advantage. The Road Boss virtually eliminates corrugating or wash boarding of the road surface; also leaving no wind rows.

Blade Action

The dual blades churn and sift road material, produc-

ing a “boiling” action that deposits finer material in lower layers, leaving coarser material on the surface. The result of this “boiling” action, leaving finer material in lower layers and the more course material on the surface, produces better leveling, smoothing, and filling with absolutely no wind rows or piling, and better performance on compaction tests.

Results

Roadways are left in better condition so they need less maintenance in the future. The results are amazing under virtually any condition. As these photos demonstrate, the Road Boss creates no wind rows or piling, leaving a smoother, more level surface.

Speed & Efficiency

The Road Boss Grader performs faster, more efficiently and economically — using less power and less fuel because the blades are being pulled through the material, rather than pushing the material forward. The Road Boss is also easily transportable to and from work sites. The Road Boss Grader is virtually maintenance-free, and designed and built to last a lifetime. There are no moving parts, no lubrication points and no hydraulic fluids.

No Moving Parts! No Hydraulic Lines! Easy to Set Up and Operate! • Built to fit any tractor with a three-point hitch. • Accepts category 1-2-3 or quick-hitch attachments. • Lock collars provide for quicker, easier, more positive attachment. • Standard cutting-edge replacements can be purchased locally. • Skid shoes are reversible, interchangeable and replaceable. • Carbide patches on all four corners to minimize wear. • Built to last. Heavier than any competitive model.

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Available in Sizes Ranging From 4 ft. to 16 ft.! Accepts Category 1, 2 or 3 Attachments. • Our Utility Models are designed for small to intermediate tractors or skid-steer operators and come in widths of 4’, 5’, 6’ and 7’. They accept category 1 attachments and can be easily bushed to category 2 or 3. • Our Commercial Models, which accept category 2 attachments and feature 24” high sidepans for increased capacity, are designed for intermediate tractors and come in widths of 7’, 8’, 9’, 10’ and 12’. • Our Industrial Models, which accept category 3 attachments, are designed for larger tractors and come in widths of 12’, 14’ and 16’.

The Road Boss Is Almost Limitless in Its Applications: • National Forestry Service • Fish, Game and Parks Service • Burlington Northern Railroad • State Highway Departments • Townships

• Cities and Municipalities Alleys and Streets • Cemetery Roads • Parking Lots • Ball fields • Park Trails and Roads • Golf Courses, Cart Paths • River and Lake Accesses • Truck Line Depots • Truck Stops • Asphalt and Paving Contractors • Sand and Gravel Contractors • Landscaping • Subdivision Owners’ Associations • Coal Mines, Reclamation Land • Upkeep and Transport Roads • Farm Roads • Haul Roads and Field Ends • Ranch Roads • Interior Roads and Feeding Roads • Pivot Irrigation Roads and Tracks • Closing Irrigation Ditches • Commercial Feed Yards • Bunkline Feeder • Grain Elevator Roads • Parking Areas • Rodeo Arenas • Race Tracks • Ranchette Driveways and Yards • RV Parks, Campgrounds • Trailer Parks

Skid-Steer and Arena Attachments Skid-Steer Attachment Their Skid-Steer Attachment makes the Road Boss even more versatile, enabling you to use it with any skid-steer loader.

• One size fits all Road Boss models • Enables operator to go forward or backward, depending on application • Is quick and easy to attach or remove

New Arena Boss Attachment

An arena prepared with a disk or cultivator leaves a rough subsurface that can lead to ligament and tendon damage in horses. However, an arena prepared with the new Arena Boss Attachment produces an excellent subsurface which reduces stress placed on horses’ lower legs. After witnessing the Road Boss Grader in action, from hook-up to dissemble; the Road Boss Grader is the most simple, but effective and efficient mechanism to smooth, operational roads. “If you can drive a tractor, you can operate a Road Boss.” Contact the Road Boss Boys for your free demonstration and see how the Road Boss Grader can work for you!

1-800-736-5309 • 148 PR 3248, Decatur, TX 76234 www.roadboss.org

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O U T H A U L , O U T L A S T, O U T C H I L L Welcome to the Take-On Yukon Challenge! A no holds barred title fight between two of the most notorious heavyweight coolers in the Rotomold division. After the opponents go three, four-feature, rounds in the Igloo Octagon, the ultimate champion will be chosen once and for all! From the #1 cooler manufacturer world wide - Igloo Products Corp.

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OWN LAND?

! s u h t i w You belong Join Texas Landowners Association today and get...

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n Access to exclusive online content n

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Texas Treasure In 1867, the Roberts family set out from Biloxi, Mississippi, eventually settling in Driftwood, Texas. On the trip they barbequed meat by searing it and slow-cooking it over coals on a pit made of rocks. Over the years the recipes evolved, taking on on local flavors of the Texas land. In 1967, one hundred years after the family settled in Driftwood, Thurman Roberts built a barbeque pit on the family’s land and began selling meat. The current Salt Lick owner, Thurman’s son Scott Roberts, continues to expand the family business. Today the Salt Lick seats over 800 people, feeding nearly 2,000 customers on an average Saturday.

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THE PIT The original pit, made of limestone quarried from the land in 1967, is still in use at the Salt Lick today. The pit is fueled by live oak wood, the most solid and heavy variety of oak, which burns cleaner and provides a more distinct flavor.

THE SAUCE The Salt Lick Bar-B-Que is made without tomatoes so it won’t burn or become bitter. Sticking to Southeastern tradition, the Salt Lick adds sugar to the sauce to complement the acidity, allowing the meat to caramelize on the outside and retain moisture. The meat is basted four times, causing excess sauce to drip on the coals and create fire flares. The smoke from the flares gives the meat its unique Salt Lick flavor.

THE BAR-B-QUE The Salt Lick first sears the meat and then moves it away from the hottest part of the fire to cook slowly. The products are then transferred to an open fire fed by live oak wood, where pecan hulls soaked in water are thrown into the flames. To increase the flavor of the meats, the Salt Lick stops the cooking process before they are finished and refrigerate them for at least 24 hours. In a normal year the Salt Lick cooks over 750,000 pounds of brisket, 350,000 pounds of pork ribs, 200,000 pounds of sausage and more chickens than you want to count. Briskets are cooked 20-24 hours and pork ribs 2.5-3 hours. When it comes to ribs the Salt Lick holds to the hot-and-fast school of thought, cooking them at high temperatures and basting regularly to retain moisture. The sausages, a combination of beef and pork, are smoked for 3 hours with 45 minutes on direct heat.

The restaurant continues to garner praise across the country, topping several “Best” lists as well as being featured on The Food Network, The Travel Channel and the Today Show. Beyond all the accolades, the deep-rooted history of the pit and its masters is what sets The Salt Lick apart. When you take a bite of the delicious offerings at The Salt Lick, you’ve truly had a taste of history and good ole’ Frontier Texas Barbecue! In Texas, we value our traditions, and we value our treasures. landassociation.org

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$0 Down & 0% Financing up to 5 Years A.P.R.

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*$0 down, 0% A.P.R. financing for up to 60 months on purchases of new Kubota BX, B, L, M, RTV (excluding RTV-X Series), K008, KX, U, R, S and TLB Series equipment is available to qualified purchasers from participating dealers’ in-stock inventory through 12/31/2013. Example: A 60-month monthly installment repayment term at 0% A.P.R. requires 60 payments of $16.67 per $1,000 financed. 0% A.P.R. interest is available to customers if no dealer documentation preparation fee is charged. Dealer charge for document preparation fee shall be in accordance with state laws. Inclusion of ineligible equipment may result in a higher blended A.P.R. Not available for Rental, National Accounts or Governmental customers. 0% A.P.R. and low-rate financing may not be available with customer instant rebate offers. Financing is available through Kubota Credit Corporation, U.S.A., 3401 Del Amo Blvd., Torrance, CA 90503; subject to credit approval. Some exceptions apply. Offer expires 12/31/2013. See us for details on these and other low-rate options or go to www.kubota.com for more information. © Kubota Tractor Corporation, 2013

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