Tag: pasture

Soil test: 5 tips on how to do it right

Soil test: 5 tips on how to do it rightPerforming a soil test is one of the most underutilized range management tools. Knowing your soil’s fertility and what nutrients are provided is crucial. Often, producers just put out the same fertilizer they always have and hope for the best.

Soil fertility and health is essential for forage production. When forage production is increased, that means there is less need for providing supplements. When you have to provide fewer supplements, that means less cost for you, the producer. Do you see the importance of taking care of the soil?

In order to improve pasture health, productivity, and longevity, a producer must take a practical first step. This first step is where doing a soil test comes in. However, this often gets put on the back burner as producers deal with the everyday tasks of caring for their land and livestock. Here are five tips to get the most return from your soil test.

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5 tips to get the most out of your soil test

5 tips to get the most out of your soil testPerforming a soil test is one of the most underutilized range management tools. Knowing your soil’s fertility and what nutrients are provided is crucial. Often times producers just put out the same fertilizer they always have and hope for the best.

Soil fertility and health is important for forage production. When forage production is increased that means there is less need for providing supplements. When you have to provide fewer supplements that means less cost for you the producer. Do you see the importance of taking care of the soil?

In order to improve pasture health, productivity, and longevity an effective first step must be taken. This is where doing a soil test comes in. However, this often gets put on the back burner as producers deal with the everyday tasks of caring for their land and livestock. Here are 5 tips to get the most return from your soil test.

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Improve your pastures by controlling prickly pear

improve your pastures by controlling prickly pearPrickly pear as well as with other species of cactus is a common problem in pastures. It is not an uncommon sight to have many cacti growing out in a pasture. They can interfere with the movement of livestock and cause serious health problems.

Along with this they can overtake a pasture very quickly and strangle out more desirable forages. Once they have taken hold it will take a lot of work and many years in order to get them under control. Even with all of the work that you can put in you will never really be able to completely get rid of them.

Because of this, they pose a very serious problem for livestock producers wherever they show up. Here are some things to think about before you start controlling this troublesome plant,

 

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5 steps to control mesquite

5 steps to control mesquiteMesquite trees are the most popular “trash” tree out there. Though mostly that popularity is due to the excellent firewood 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 in 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 ut 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.

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5 Tips for Drought Affected Pastures

5 tips for drought affected pasturesDrought is one of those things that every cattle producer will have to deal with at some point. It ranks right up there with Death and Taxes. Just like those two though it is unavoidable it is also something that most producers find themselves unprepared for.

But what is drought? Drought is simply a deficiency in precipitation over an extended period of time and is a part of normal climate variability. The duration of a drought can vary widely from just a matter or weeks to months or even years. Although hurricanes and tornadoes are more dramatic droughts are among the most costly weather related events.

Since these are slow-moving and doesn’t usually involve direct property damage we tend to underestimate the effects of drought. This is the wrong way to look at it as I mentioned above. A study done by FEMA back in 1995 concluded that droughts costs the United States an average of $6 to $8 billion per year.

Now that I have gotten you good and scared, sorry about that by the way, you may be asking yourself “How can I mitigate the effects that drought will have on my place?”. Well fear not, I have 5 tips here that you can follow to make the economic impact a little more bearable for you.

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4 Principles for Summer Pasture Management

4 principles for summer pasture managementA summer pasture can be a producer’s greatest resources for his cattle. When managed correctly it provides all of the nutrients your cattle need going into fall breeding season.

Utilizing it properly is necessary to the success and profitability for any rancher. Like any investment it requires the correct amount of work on your part to reach it’s full potential.

Managing pastures during summer, and other seasons, correctly can help to improve your bottom line. When your forages are performing at their optimum then you will not have to spend as much on supplements. As I have mentioned before supplement costs can reach as much as 70% of a ranch’s operating budget.

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How to Control Mesquite

how to control mesquiteMesquite trees, everyone’s favorite “trash” tree. It can provide us with some really good firewood but it does pose some problems for range managers.

Despite being viewed by some as a poor quality rangeland plant a mesquite does have some benefits. One such benefit is that it can provide both 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 it’s benefits if it is left unmanaged it can dominate a rangeland. This will choke out any grass that you may have in the pasture providing less for your animal 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.

The thing to remember is that complete eradication is not possible but getting them under control is. Here are 5 steps that you can follow to do this.

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Controlling Pasture Thistles

controlling pasture thistlePasture thistles are a group of plants that are considered a serious threat to rangelands. Like most weeds they propagate very quickly and choke out any grasses that are growing there.

The combination of their sharp spines on their leaves and being unpalatable means they will reduce the grazing area on your pasture. Animals will not travel near them so they will seek out other areas to go. This can lead to overgrazing and increased traffic to other areas.

Once they have fully established in a field it is very hard to get rid of them. It will take many years as well as the combination of different methods to really get them under control.

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Keeping cattle healthy during winter

Keeping cattle healthy during winterThe couple of cold fronts that have come through the last couple of weeks has signaled that winter is on its way. With winter it brings it’s own set of challenges for a cattle producer. Intense cold weather can leave cattle struggling as well as stressed, which can affect their health, as they go about their normal activities. Here are some ways you can help to reduce that stress:

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