Tag: control (Page 1 of 2)

The practical guide on how to actually control cedar

April 22, 2024 / / 0 Comments

The practical guide on how to actually control cedarCedar, more accurately known as juniper, can be tricky to control. It is a very aggressive woody plant that grows here in Texas as well as in other places. It is often considered invasive because, if left unchecked, it can quickly take over a pasture, choking out any grass growth.

Along with quickly taking over a pasture, it is a very thirsty plant. They can soon suck a spring dry leaving you with no water. I knew a rancher near here that when he started removing cedars on his place, he had a spring start producing water again.

While controlling cedar is possible, it is not a one-and-done type of thing. It will take many applications to get this little pest under control.

Continue reading

How to be better at dealing with pinkeye in cattle

April 6, 2024 /

How to be better at dealing with pinkeye in cattlePinkeye is a very common as well as a highly contagious disease in cattle. Once it shows up, if you do not take proper steps immediately, it can quickly affect all of your cattle.

It can occur year-round, but it is mainly a seasonal affliction. This disease usually increases in spring, peaks during summer, and then decreases during the fall. This cycle is because, like most bacteria, it prefers warmer weather to cold.

It can be very labor-intensive to treat, and as I mentioned a couple of lines ago, it can spread quickly if not taken care of in time. No matter the severity, it is best that you quarantine all of the cattle that have it so you can prevent it from spreading to the others.

Continue reading

Surprisingly simple ways to control flies on cattle

March 9, 2024 /

Surprisingly simple ways to control flies on cattleTrying to control flies on your cattle can be a very frustrating endeavor, to say the least. It can often feel like an uphill climb with no rest in sight. No matter what you seem to do, they keep coming back year after year.

As we move into the warmer time of the year, these pests will be coming out in full force. They will be coming out of their dormant stage to feast on your cattle. This feasting will negatively affect your herd’s production. But what is a rancher to do?!

Though you will never fully get rid of them, there are ways to bring them under control. To be the most effective, it will require a multi-prong approach. It will need all of them because just using one will not get the results that you are looking for.

Continue reading

Mesquite: 5 proven steps to getting it under control

February 10, 2024 /

Mesquite: 5 proven steps to getting it under controlMesquite trees are the most popular “trash” tree out there. Mostly, that popularity is due to the excellent BBQ wood that it provides. Despite its ability to supply us with some superb firewood, it poses some problems for range managers.

Now, do not get me completely wrong on this. Despite being viewed by some as a poor-quality rangeland plant, mesquite does have some benefits. One such benefit is that it can provide food and cover for wildlife and livestock. Also, since it is classified as a legume, it has the ability to fix nitrogen back into the soil.

Despite the above benefits, it can easily dominate rangeland if left unmanaged. In the process of doing that, it will choke out any grass that you may have in the pasture. What that means is that there will be less for your animals to eat. With it also being a very thirsty plant, it will also suck your place dry if you let it get out of hand.

A disclaimer is needed here, so the thing to remember is that complete eradication is unlikely, not to mention unnecessary, but getting them under control is possible. Here are five steps that you can follow to gain better control of your pastures.

Continue reading

Get your pasture summer ready in 4 surprisingly easy steps

May 11, 2023 /

Get your pasture summer ready in 4 surprisingly easy stepsHaving a good summer pasture management plan in place can save you many headaches later on. It will allow you to put out any potential fires, not literally, before they can occur.

As the days begin getting longer, now is the time to get that plan figured out and put into place. Because of the different variations that can occur, you do not want to wait till the last minute on this one,

During this time, your pastures will be the base for all of your cattle’s nutritional needs. While it may be able to meet all of its demands now, that may not be the case in a couple of months. As anyone that has been involved in ranching will tell you, the weather can change you on a dime. What was once lush and green can turn brown and nonperforming in a matter of a couple of weeks.

But with some foresight, you can be ahead of the curve when it comes to anything the weather throws at you. I have compiled four steps that you can take to plan out your summer pasture management needs.

Continue reading

How to actually reclaim your pasture back from cedar

April 21, 2023 /

How to actually reclaim your pasture back from cedarCedar, more accurately known as juniper, can be tricky to control. It is a very aggressive woody plant that grows here in Texas as well as in other places. It is often considered invasive because, if left unchecked, it can quickly take over a pasture choking out any grass growth.

Along with quickly taking over a pasture, it is a very thirsty plant. They can soon suck a spring dry leaving you with no water. I knew a rancher near here that when he started removing cedars on his place, he had a spring start producing water again.

While getting control of cedar is possible, it is not a one-and-done type of thing. It will take many applications to get this little pest under control.

Continue reading

How to be better at dealing with pinkeye in cattle

April 5, 2023 /

How to be better at dealing with pinkeye in cattlePinkeye is a very common as well as a highly contagious disease in cattle. Once it shows up if you do not take proper steps immediately it can quickly affect all of your cattle.

It is possible that it can hit year-round but for the most part, it is a pretty seasonal affliction. This disease usually increases in spring, peaks during summer, and then will decrease during the fall. This is because, like most bacteria, it prefers warmer weather to cold.

It can be very labor-intensive to treat and as I mentioned a couple of lines ago it can spread quickly if not taken care of in time. No matter the severity it is best that you quarantine all of the cattle that have it so you can prevent it from getting to the others.

Continue reading

Surprisingly effective and simple ways to control flies on cattle

March 8, 2023 /

Surprisingly effective and simple ways to control flies on cattleTrying to control flies that are on your cattle can be a very frustrating endeavor, to say the least. It can often feel like an uphill climb with no rest in sight. No matter what you seem to do they just keep coming back year after year.

As we move into the warmer time of the year these pests will be coming out in full force. They will be coming out of their dormant stage to feast on your cattle. This will negatively affect your herd’s production. But what is a rancher to do?!

Though you will never fully get rid of them there are ways to get them under control. In order to be the most effective, it will require a multi-prong approach. It will require all of them because just using one will not get the results that you are looking for.

Continue reading

Mesquite: getting it under control in 5 proven steps

February 8, 2023 /

Mesquite: getting it under control in 5 proven stepsMesquite trees are the most popular “trash” tree out there. Though mostly that popularity is due to the excellent bbq wood that it provides. Despite it being able to provide us with some really good firewood it does pose some problems for range managers.

Now do not completely get me wrong on this. Despite being viewed by some as a poor-quality rangeland plant mesquite does have some benefits. One such benefit is that it can provide both food and cover for both wildlife and livestock. Also, since it is classified as a legume it has the ability to fix nitrogen back into the soil.

Despite its benefits listed above if it is left unmanaged it can very easily dominate rangeland. In the process of doing that, it will choke out any grass that you may have in the pasture. What that means is that there will be less for your animals to eat. With it also being a very thirsty plant it will also suck your place dry if you let it get out of hand.

I do feel that a disclaimer is needed here so the thing to remember is that complete eradication is unlikely, not to mention unnecessary, but getting them under control is possible. here are 5 steps that you can follow to get better control of your pastures.

Continue reading

4 steps for effective summer pasture management

May 12, 2022 /

4 steps for effective summer pasture managementHaving a good summer pasture management plan in place can save you a lot of headaches later on. It will give you a chance to put out any potential fires, not literally, before they can occur.

As the days begin getting longer now is the time to get that plan figured out and put into place. Because of different variations that can occur you do not want to wait till the last minute on this one,

During this time your pastures will be the base for all of your cattle’s nutritional needs. The thing is that while it may be able to meet all of their demands now that may not be the case in a couple of months. As anyone that has been involved in ranching will tell you, the weather can change on you on a dime. What was once lush and green can turn brown and nonperforming in a matter of a couple of weeks.

Continue reading

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