Cattle in Brush Country: Photo by, Victor Gutierrez, Texas Water Resources Institute: Brahman cattle grazing south Texas rangeland
You’re More than a Grass Farmer, You May Not Know It BY LUCAS GREGORY
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hat does a rancher in northern Willacy County have in common with a homeowner in Harlingen? They are both grass farmers but might not realize it. The rancher raises grass to keep their livestock fed and in good condition for calving and market. The homeowner grows grass to keep the landscape around the house and the neighborhood looking nice. The scale and approach to managing these very different grass production scenarios are quite different though; and they don’t just focus on grass either. Ranchers run large-scale, complex operations of managing cattle and maximizing forage production with the least inputs in an effort to maximize profit margins. Homeowners manage a much smaller landscape and don’t necessarily make decisions based on optimizing costs versus benefits. Ease of implementing a management decision and ability to acquire materials for the job are usually the biggest decision-making factors.
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Ag Mag THEAGMAG.ORG
The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, Prairie View A&M University Cooperative Extension, and the Texas Water Resources Institute are hosting two virtual education events that will focus on managing these diverse, grass dominated landscapes. Pre-registration is required for each event. Program updates, instructions for joining the online program, and program materials will all be sent to program participants via email prior to the respective events. Homeowners and landscape managers alike will be interested in the Healthy Lawns and Healthy Waters Program. It will be held September 3 from 10 a.m.-2:30 p.m. with a half hour break for lunch. To register for this event, please provide contact information using the form available at: https://twri.tamu.edu/arroyoHLHW “The Healthy Lawns and Healthy Waters Program aims to improve and protect surface water quality by enhancing awareness and knowledge of best management practices for residential landscapes,” Dr. Becky Grubbs, AgriLife Extension urban water specialist, Dallas, said. This pro-
