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Category Archives: Grazing Management
Jimmie Powell – Thee Man
Mr. James L. Powell accepted the Foy Proctor Memorial Cowman’s Award of Honor in Midland last week and some of the greatest stories of West Texas were shared. I first met Mr. Powell on a prescribed burn south of San Angelo and the man is just cool. He is humble, gracious, hard-working, not to mention, a legend. He even has his own chapter in the Texas Cattle Barons book. But in my book, he is right up there with John Wayne and other cowboy heroes. The following is… Read More →
Dr. Jake Landers’ Thoughts on Mesquite
Dr. Jake Landers morphed into a Range Father of mine overnight. The second I met him he was my hero. Dr. Jake Landers served as an Extension Range Specialist at the Texas A & M Research and Extension Center, San Angelo in 1979. He developed techniques and procedure for individual plant treatment of brush and prickly pear cactus for ranchers in 17 counties. He initiated prescribed burning as a procedure for managing rangeland to reduce undesirable species and stimulate grasses. He wrote short articles for newspapers and magazines… Read More →
Why I Ranch.
This October we are featuring Mr. James K. Rooter Brite, Jr. from Bowie, Texas. Rooter is a father, rancher, conservationist, and my friend. The Brite Ranch has been a member of the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association (TSCRA) for Rooter’s entire life. He has been a director of the TSCRA since 1999, and has served on their Agriculture and Research and Natural Resources and Environmental committees since 1994. He has served as a director of the Upper-Elm Red Soil and Water Conservation District since 1979. He has… Read More →
Are Cows Athletes? -Dr. Travis Mulliniks University of Tennessee
Dr. Travis Mulliniks, Assistant Professor in beef cattle nutrition and energy nutrition University of Tennessee, poses a very interesting question. Read below for his incredible insight!!!! Excellent work by Dr. Mulliniks! Beef cattle in the United States graze a variety of unique environments, which differ in climate, topography, and forage quality and quantity. These differences are accentuated by dynamic and unpredictable weather patterns and thus impact forage production and subsequently increase variability in cow performance. Animals commonly react to these variable conditions by initiating adaptive responses to cope… Read More →
Why I Ranch.
I have decided to dedicate a series on West Texas ranchers called “Why I Ranch.” Each month I will highlight a rancher in West Texas and ask them to share their story about the ranch life. This September, Mr. John Treadwell will share with us his story on “Why I Ranch”. John ranches in Tom Green, Menard, and Schleicher counties. John is the recipient of the 2006 Statewide Lone Star Land Steward and Leopold Conservation awards. John has a mix of sheep and cattle on his operation and holds… Read More →
Prussic Acid Misconceptions – Dr. Ted McCollum
Dr. Ted McCollum, Extension Beef Cattle Specialist with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, explains that prussic/cyanide levels when there is a frost/freeze event is one of the most confusing and misleading statements in most extension and popular press articles. Here’s the skinny on the actual facts brought to you by thee Dr. McCollum: “The cyanide(prussic acid) in plants does not exist in a free, liberated state. The cyanide is part of a larger molecule called a cyanogenic glycoside. In members of the sorghum family this compound is Dhurrin; in… Read More →
Fire Appreciation Day
A HUGE thank you to Dr. Dale Rollins for organizing Fire Appreciation Day at the Rolling Plains Quail Research Ranch on May 24th! We had over 80 participants and a healthy mix of stakeholders, agencies, and Prescribed Burn Association members! Thank you to Dr. Robin Verble-Pearson, Zac Wilcox, Lloyd LaCoste, Matt McEwen, Mark Moon, Chris Ellis, Kent Mills, Barrett Koennecke, Brad Kubecka, Seth Pearson, Ethan McJames and all the other others who helped put this show on! Thank you for your support in prescribed burning! Click here for more information… Read More →
100 Years at Sonora
In case you haven’t heard, Sonora is having a party! Well, technically, Field Day first and party afterwards. Dr. Butch Taylor has decided to retire and go out with a bang at the Sonora Celebration. This Saturday we celebrate one individual and one Experiment Station that have been inseparable for 44 years. One man. One Career. One location. Pretty amazing and definitely not something you see everyday. The Sonora Experiment Station is a magical place to start with. This is probably the only place in the United States… Read More →