Livestock Management

Famine to Feast

/ Rangelands and Ranching: A Study of Proper Use of Rangelands & the Environment by Frank S Price / 1 Comment

The recent extended dry spell from September 1, 2021, through April 31, 2023 (14.16” for a 20-month period or an adjusted annual rainfall of 8.5” for 2 years) was devastating for most, over a wide area of Texas. Some had much less rainfall than us and the resulting lack of rangeland forage growth put most ranching operations’ future sustainability in jeopardy. Those that had an established-effective graze-rest program in place fared much better than others during this period. As some of those grazing programs had little need for expensive feeding and relocation of livestock costs. Yes, they reduced herd size dramatically, weaned calves early and utilized various other drought management protocols, as with grazing programs, drought management is essential. May to June was an established ‘sell out’ date by many in the area as little to no grazable forage remained.

Fortunately, on May 2nd rain did begin to fall. Over the month of May and into the first week of June 4.24” fell here at the headquarters. Perfect timing for grass growth and the recovery has been phenomenal. However, as the hot days of June progress, those areas that did not have deep rooted healthy plants established prior to the dry spell are already beginning to suffer, brown-out will soon occur and growth already has ceased in many cases.  Some producers are expressing concern about the density of the weed population, robbing the moisture from the grass resulting in poor grass growth, while the areas with well established-dense cover of healthy grasses are not showing those weed issues.

It is interesting that those areas that have been in an effective grazing management program the longest are showing the impressive grass growth rates the best, as some of the latest established grazing programs are obviously behind the recovery of the long time established proper grazing programs. RANGELAND RECOVERY IS A SLOW PROCESS THAT TAKES CONSIDERABLE PATIENCE OF THE PRODUCER-GRAZER. (And for that matter the research-extension-collegiate study groups. A short-term study is of little value when grazing studies are the priority.) It is notable that within some of those well-established programs of 10 plus years, the recovery is arguably to the point of conditions prior to the beginning of the dry spell and are perhaps in better condition than it was prior to the start of the dry spell. (Fresh grazable plants increasing in density and cover area.) This is impressive to say the least, as most expect recovery after drought to take several growing seasons or years to recover and get back to the pre drought point.

Perhaps the most gratifying point is that the livestock have recovered well and are gaining weight rapidly. Making the ranch operations future look much more positive than a short time ago.

The three photos below taken in the last  week are a dramatic case in point. Native-not seeded Indian Grass, Big Bluestem, Little Bluestem, Texas Cup Grass, Vine Mesquite and even the lowly (In some opinions) introduced KR Bluestem are showing amazing recovery in a short 6-week period.

THE BETTER IT GETS, THE FASTER IT GETS BETTER!!

Why the Cow is Important for Rangeland Ecosystem Health

/ Rangelands and Ranching: A Study of Proper Use of Rangelands & the Environment by Frank S Price / Leave a comment

This past summer I had the privilege of giving a presentation at the Texas Wildlife Association’s annual convention. Visiting with various owners of smaller places that have no interest in raising livestock proved very educational. Some expressed that after buying very degraded ranches that had been abused for years by failing ranching enterprises, rest from grazing was phenomenal in rangeland recovery for the first five to ten years. Then after that recovery period the rangeland seemed to start going backwards. The grasses were becoming what appeared to be old and dying, bare soil was becoming more evident and erosion was increasing after what was originally believed to be a phenomenal recovery of the land. My discussion during the presentation was about continual improvement to the rangeland resource well over the ten years that they had experienced. This led to discussion of what was happening to those rested (over rested) places.

Grass plants need disturbance to produce growth nodes and tillers for new growth. Once a grass plant matures without impact from some outside source, (breaking off the old leaves-trampling them to the ground-burning them off-biting them off etc.) the plant goes into a ‘neutral’ mode that ultimately reduces the plant to a moribund state that does not produce new tillers and growth nodes. This results in a slow death from the center of the plant outwards. A well-planned grazing program, utilizing cattle and other livestock to intensely graze the plants then providing extended rest periods is a very effective way of reversing this issue.

The picture below is of ‘a very lonesome’ Switch grass plant. (Only one I have found within this pasture.) Cattle were moved out 29 days ago and the current dry conditions reflect slight growth the plant has achieved in this length of time. However, note the lack of green of the other grasses, this expresses the drought mitigating characteristics of deep rooted-healthy tall grasses. Continuous grazing would destroy any hope of increasing the coverage of the Switch grass.
Of other interest is the pictures skeletal remains of what I believe to be Horse Nettle. The leaves have been stripped off these plants and as pastures that have not been grazed show no signs of this, I assume the cattle did the stripping. No health issues have been observed, so poisoning is not at issue. I do note that I have observed several other ‘poisonous’ plants grazed by livestock over the years and assume that limited grazing of these ‘bad’ plants is not necessarily a bad thing. Smaller Perennial Broom Weed is one of the others and I suspect percentage of diet is a major factor.
Studying the rangeland and seeking to understand what and why certain things are happening is fascinating.DSC00875