Roughage It

RETIRING KIND OF GUYEd Smith leaves AgriLife Extension Service.PAGE 5

THE GOOD, THE BAD, THE UGLYCotton crop reported ‘all over the board.’PAGE 9

LCRA TO EXPANDWATER SUPPLYGood news for Texas rice growers.PAGE 11

ON THE MENDBastrop State Park slowly recovers from fire.PAGE 26

S ep tembe r 15 , 2 012

PAGE 16

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With this being an election year,youwouldn’t figure there wouldbe any lack of ... well, let’s just

say it’s best to tuck your jeans in yourboots because it gets pretty deep. That’swhy I had to includea story fromWiscon-sin in this issue thataddresses the short-age of “pies” for anannual cow chipthrowing contest.This is just a smallexample of the dev-astation caused bythe ongoing drought in America’s greatMidwest.On the tragedy scale, it’s pretty low,

but unfortunate none the less. There isan art to throwing cow pies, and it’s ashame that theremay not be enough togo around this year.I grew up in the city for themost part,

but I had plenty of country cousins whowould not hesitate to pick up a cow pieand fling it inmy general direction, oftenwith stunning accuracy. I don’t believeany of my kin competed professionally in

the sport but I would have gladly offereda trophy or a cash prize for them to stoppeltingme.WhileWisconsin deals with the issue

of managing its cow chips, it is also agood time for folks in Texas to start man-aging pastures.In our cover story, we take a deeper

look at managing fall pastures and get-ting them ready for winter grasses, andhow to stock your pastures tomake sureyou get themost out of them.In addition to our cover story we have

a wide array of stories ranching frompocket gophers to deep fried cactus, soyou’re sure to find something you like.Hope you enjoy it, and thanks for read-ing.’Til next time,

From the General Manager

Several changes have beenmade to the way the Texas FarmService Agency reports a pro-ducer’s farm program paymentsto the producer and to IRS.Acting Executive Director

James B. Douglass, U.S. Depart-ment of Agriculture’s TexasFarmServiceAgency,announcedthe changes for calendar year2012.In past years, IRS Form 1099-G

would be issued to show all pro-grampaymentsreceivedfromtheFarmServiceAgency, regardlessof the amount.“Starting with calendar year

2012, producers whose total re-portable payments from [theTexas Farm Service Agency] areless than$600willnot receive IRSForm1099-G(Reportof Paymentsto Producers),” Douglass said.“Additionally, producers who

receivepayments frommorethan

one county will only receive oneForm1099-Gif the totalof allpay-ments fromall counties is $600 ormore,” he said.“Producers who receive less

than $600 in combined paymentsshouldconsulta taxadviser tode-termine if these payments mustbe reported on their tax return,”Douglass said.“If the payments were subject

to voluntary withholdings orsubject to backup (involuntary)withholdings a Form 1099-G willbe issued regardless of the totalamount of the payments,” Dou-glass said.The same changes will ap-

ply to producers and vendorswho normally receive IRS Form1099-MISC from FSA.For more information regard-

ing IRSreportingchanges,pleasecontact your local Texas FarmService Agency office.

Changes in reporting farmprogrampaymentsbegin this calendar year

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Special to The Post

SAN ANGELO — In an on-going effort to seek increasedfederal resources to enhanceborder security, Texas Agricul-tureCommissionerToddStaplesservedaskeynotespeakerat theAngelo State University Narco-Terrorism Conference. As partof his presentation, Staples an-nounced the debut of a 16-partvideoseries titled“TexasTraffic– True Stories of Drug and Hu-man Smuggling.” The series isavailable at www.ProtectYour-TexasBorder.com.“Federal officials in Wash-

ington can no longer deny vio-lence in Mexico is flowing intotheUnited States,” Staples said.“These brazen transnationalcriminalorganizationsareusingterrorism to smuggle drugs andpeople throughourTexas farmsandranches.Theviolence isnotonly taking place along the RioGrande River, but also on prop-erty 50 or 60 miles north of theborder.”Each week over the next four

months, the Texas Departmentof Agriculture will release vid-eotaped interviews with law

enforcement agents, farmers,ranchers and other citizenson the website. These “TexasTraffic” stories offer firsthandaccounts of drug running, hu-man trafficking, internationaltrespassing and other criminalactivities linked to dangerousMexican drug cartels.“Our citizens are finding hu-

man remains in their fieldsalong with drugs and cut fenc-es,” Staples said. “There alsohave been incidents where fear-ful U.S. citizens have sold theirproperty or had to hold intrud-ers at gunpoint in order to pro-tect their families. Clearly, thisis a national security breachthat demands sufficient federalresources to combat the cartelsand restore safety and securityto Texas soil.”The true “Texas Traffic” sto-

riesareatestamenttotherealitythat violence initiated by Mexi-can drug cartels is flowing intothe United States and extend-

ing northward into other areasof the nation. In one interview,Dr.MikeVickers, aveterinarianand longtimeresidentof BrooksCounty, compares the Texasborder to a battleground andaccuses the federal governmentof downplaying the severity ofthe situation.“The border is not secure,”

Vickers says. “It’s dangerous.We are in a war zone. There’sabsolutelyno truth towhat theyfederal officials are saying.”Using a PowerPoint presen-

tation entitled “Texas in theCrosshairs,”Staplesofferedcon-ference attendees a barrage ofoverwhelmingstatisticsprovingwhat Washington officials con-tinue to deny.“TheMexicandrugcartelsare

violent, theyarerelentless inac-cessing theAmericandrugmar-ket and they have chosen Texasas their primary access point,”Commissioner Staples said.“Unfortunately, President

Obama and his staff continueto make jokes about the situ-ation and suggest our borderis safer than ever. The ‘TexasTraffic’ testimonials prove theviolence is here on the U.S. sideof the border. The statisticsalso prove that the escalatingviolence in Mexico’s drug warsis overwhelmingly taking placealong the Texas portion of ourborder. Texas is clearly in thecrosshairs,” Staples said.The “Texas Traffic” video

testimonial series and Staples’“Texas in the Crosshairs” Pow-erPoint presentation can befound at www.ProtectYourTex-asBorder.com.

16-part video series to showdrug cartelviolence spreading north into Texas

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Special to The Post

A horseback emergency re-sponseteam,agroupof approxi-mately 20 responders who willenhance thestate’s capability toassist the citizens of Texaswithanimal issuesinemergencysitu-ations, has been created by theTexas Animal Health Commis-sion.

Thecommission isdesignatedas the lead state agency for ani-mal issues in disasters withinthe Texas Division of Emergen-cy Management state responsestructure.

According to Amanda Bern-hard, commission emergencymanagement coordinator, “Di-sasters in thepasthaverevealedthe need for responders onhorsebacktohelpwith livestockhandling issues. Public safety,as well as animal safety, can be

compromised when displacedanimals are found on publicroadways, as occurred duringHurricane Ike in 2008.Experienced riders on horse-

back will be invaluable in cap-turing stray livestock, as wellas assistingwith other “search”or “damage assessment” opera-tions in isolated or affected ar-eas.”The horse responder team is

composed of commission ani-mal health inspectors, whoseprimaryrole in theaftermathofa disaster will be to assist withlocating, rounding up, identify-ing, andmoving livestock.The horse team also will per-

form any other appropriate du-ties as requested by local andstate responders. In general,the Texas Animal Health Com-missionstaffwillworktoreunitestray livestock with their own-ers, assist local jurisdictions

with shelter activities, supportany unmet needs of impactedlivestockandpoultryproducers,aswell as assist the local veteri-narycommunity thatmaybeaf-fected by a catastrophic event.

Dr. Dee Ellis, commission ex-ecutivedirectorandstateveteri-narian, said, “The developmentof a mounted response team isa testimony to the dedication of[commission] personnel. Theseemployees are volunteering toput themselvesand theirhorsesinharm’swaytohelpwithemer-gency response operations.

In the future, with propertraining, theseresponderscouldassist not only with animal di-saster issues, but also partici-pate in other response roles asrequested, including providinghorseback security services, orparticipating in search and res-cue operations.”

Horsebackemergencyresponseteamcreated tohelp indisasters

Special to The Post

Houston — A WashingtonCounty man was arrested re-cently by authorities after hewas charged with third degreefelony livestock theft.Texas and Southwestern Cat-

tle Raisers Association SpecialRanger Doug Hutchison andWashington County Sheriff ’sInvestigatorDamonWegner ledthe investigation.Benjamin Gonzales, 47, is ac-

cused of stealing 2 calves fromhis employer’s ranch in Wash-ington County and selling them

at an auction market in Gid-dings, Texas.The calves were worth a total

of $1,000.According to Special Ranger

Hutchison, the calves were notbranded, but the victim kept acloseeyeonhisherdandnoticedthey weremissing soon after.Hutchison said that a paper

trail and eyewitness statementsled authorities to Gonzales.Bond is set at $50,000.If convicted, he could face up

to10years inprisonanda$10,000fine.

Washington County man arrested in theftof two calves from employer’s ranch

•DisplayTexas & SouthwesternCattle Raisers Associationmembersign on gates and entrances. It is anexcellent deterrent.• Lock gates.• Brand cattle and horses. Make

sure the brand is recordedwith thecounty clerk.• Put driver’s license number on

all saddles, tack and equipment.• Videotape horses and tack. Keep

complete and accurate descrip-tions on file. Establish an organized,easy-to-find proof of ownership fileto save valuable time in recoveryprocess.•Count cattle regularly.

•Don’t establish a routinewhenfeeding. Vary the times you feed.• Be cautious about who gets

keys and combinations.• If possible, park trailers and

equipment where they are out ofview from the roadway.• Keep tack rooms and saddle

compartments on trailers locked.•Don’t feed in pens.• Participate in neighborhood

CrimeWatch programs.•Don’t build pens close to a

roadway.•Never leave keys in tractors or

other equipment.—Courtesy ofwww.tscra.org

Theft prevention tipsTODD STAPLES

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News

By KATHLEEN PHILLIPSTexas AgriLife Extension Service

COLLEGE STATION –When recent high schoolgraduate Ed Smith drove

his old, un-airconditioned carinto College Station andmovedinto an un-airconditioneddorm in 1969, the Tahoka na-tive “quite literally thought itwas Hell.”Smith’s gravelly laugh fills

his office as he takes a swig ofhis ever-present diet Pepsi. Buthis somber reflection returnsas he recalls those whomen-tored him toward his career.As an 18-year-old, Smith

had only a vague idea of whatTexas A&Mwas, based onwhata high school teacher had toldhim. And he knew nothingof the land-grant universitysystem that began during theAmerican Civil War.But Smith’s path was steered

on a course not of his designwhich ultimately led to the po-sition of director of the TexasAgriLife Extension Service— aposition fromwhich he retiresFriday after 38 years with theland-grant agency.He now describes his career

as just short of heavenly.“My family was low-income

and no one had ever been tocollege, or even high school,”Smith recalls. “They didn’t be-lieve college was affordable.”

Fatherly adviceSmith’s father, whowas ill,

advised his son to join themili-tary with the hope of getting GIbenefits to afford an educationlater.“Butmy agriculture teacher

convincedmy dad that I wouldworkmyway through schooland that I couldmake it in col-lege,” Smith said.“Other thanmy dad, that ag

teacher—Lester Adams—hadthe greatest influence onmylife. He providedme the visionand helpedme to see that in-stead of taking basket weavingand playing football, I neededto take biology and chemistry,physics and trigonometry. I

went with what he said, and it’sbeen good.”With a bachelor’s degree in

agricultural economics in 1973,Smithmight havemoved backto Tahoka in northwest Texas,but one of his professors threwanother curve on his path.“Carl Schaeffer, an ag eco-

nomics professor, had a proj-ect looking at themarketinganalysis of grapefruit in theRio Grande Valley,” Smithsaid. “He askedme to work onit, though at the time, I didn’tknow if a grapefruit grew ona tree, a vine or what. So thatwas a great learning experi-ence to work on that project.And from that, I got mymas-ter’s degree in 1975.”It was time to get a job, Smith

recounted.With two degrees in agricul-

tural economics, he accepted ajob with the National Agricul-tural Statistics Service in Sac-ramento, Calif. But that wouldnot be his path either.Extension officials had a job

fair on the Texas A&M campusbefore he left for California,and with his father in failinghealth, Smith decided to checkit out.“I was offered a job as assis-

tant county agent in Seminole,Gaines County, just 80milesfrommy parents, so I backed

out of the job in California,” hesaid.His first role in the agency

that was new to him gave himlasting respect for the work ofa county agent – the positionhe still believes is the toughestin AgriLife Extension.“You have to be a counselor,

aminister, a youth director anda subject matter specialist inall the academic disciplines wedeal with,” Smith said of thepeople whowork for the agen-cy in all of the Texas counties.“So while it is an exciting job, itis extremely challenging.”

Never boringChallengesmeant the job

was never boring, but Smith’spath would go in a differentdirection when he thought ofadvancing up the ladder afterfive years as a county agent, bythen in Terry County.Smith applied for law school

at Texas Tech University andwas accepted in the early 1980s.He visited with his supervi-

sor, Bill Gunter, to tell himhewould be going to lawschool unless the agency hada program for him to pursue.Gunter described a program bythen-Extension director JohnHutchison to encourage peopleto earn a doctoral degree in Ex-tension administration.Smith was half convinced to

do it, but this was not the de-gree he wanted.“I convinced them that a

doctorate in agricultural eco-nomics was broader andwouldcover the items I would needto know as an administrator,”Smith recalled. “And theyagreed.”Smith became an Extension

grainmarketing specialist witha knack for working on farmpolicy, which he had fine-tunedwhile getting his doctorate.That parlayed into his workingon policy pertaining to agri-cultural cooperatives— bothpositions with what is now theAgriculture and Food PolicyCenter at Texas A&M.Throughout 1980s and 90s,

Smith ventured down the

policy path of his career. Herecalled the 1980s real estatecollapse in the U.S. whicheventually led to an overhaulof federal farm policy. Thepolicy center worked with theU.S. Congress as a “third partyanalytical base” to help legisla-tors determine the best optionsto positively impact themostpeople, he said.“I never left the policy arena.

It was the common denomina-tor throughoutmy professionalcareer,” Smith said.“And those were exciting

times. There were no dull mo-ments. Every daywas like anew job and you didn’t getbored. I enjoyed that 20-yearperiod verymuch.”That affinity for things politi-

cal would be served up in a dif-ferent waywhen Smith becamedirector of the agency inMay2005.“I had beenworking with

all the key agriculture andnatural resources congress-men fromTexas and the U.S.,so from the political context, Iknew the people,” Smith said.“Politics are politics and know-

ing the system can save you alot of heartaches.”

Management styleHis ease in the policy arena

was complemented by hisman-agerial preference to delegate.“I’ve always had a kind of

administrative philosophy oftrying to get the best people todo the job,” Smith said. “Getsmarter people than you arearound you, and youwill besuccessful. Of course, gettingthem smarter thanmewasn’t avery high bar.”Smith’s laughter returns, fol-

lowed by another swig of Pepsiand then another look back.“I’m finishingmy 38th year

with Extension as we celebratethe 150th anniversary of theMorrill Act,” Smith noted.“That was one of the fivemostimportant pieces of legislationin the history of this country.“It recognized that if you

don’t have education, you’renot going to have economic de-velopment. So with the nationtorn in two by civil war, theypassed a law that said ‘we don’t

EdSmith: Fromgrapefruit tomakingpolicyDirector of Texas AgriLife Extension Service retires

ED SMITH

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By CARRIE ANTLFINGERAssociated Press

SAUK CITY, Wis. — It’s veryseldomsomeone talksabout thequalityandamountof cowdung,but in one southern Wisconsincity that’s all they’ve been talk-ing about lately.The drought has caused a

shortage of flattened, dried cowmanure — or cow chips — forthe Wisconsin State Cow ChipThrow and Festival, which at-tracts about 300 throwers and40,000 spectators to Prairie duSac,Wis.“This is my 24th throw, and

it’s never been this difficult tofind chips,” said Marietta Re-uter, who helps organize thefestival.They use the chips from a lo-

cal beef cattle herd that mostlyeatsgrass,becausethediethelpskeep thechipsdenseandstrong.Thehot,drysummer—which

has caused crop, water leveland other problems across thenation — caused the grass tobrown and cattle to stay neartheir barn for food and to keepcool. Thatmeans themanure inthe pasture wasn’t able to dryand flatten in the sun.Thecommitteememberswho

run the festival usually goes outonce in July to shovel the ma-nure and let it dry in wagons inthe sun. But this year they hadto skip it because of the poorquality.

Instead, a few organizerswent out sporadically and col-lected about a third of the usualamount: 200 or 300. Every yearthey keep the good ones thatdon’t break — so they will dipinto the150 to200 inreservebar-rels for this year’s competition.When searching for chips,

they look for them be about thesize of a Ping Pong paddle.“If it looks like it has air bub-

blesonthe top, it’sbadchip,”Re-uter said. “It won’t be worth itbecause it will be light and airy.But if it’s thick and solid andgrassy, it’s a good chip.”Once they dry, they don’t re-

ally stink anymore.“A lot of people are afraid to

pick it up,” said Terry Slotty,who runs the throw every year.“They lookat it, and it looks likewhat it is but once they touch itthey notice that it’s very dry.”The men’s record was set in

1991 at 248 feet. The woman’srecord is from 2005 at 157.5feet, Reuter said. The festivalwill give the top finishers $200each toward a trip to the WorldChampionshipCowChipThrowinBeaver,Okla., should theyde-cide to go, Slotty said.Reuter’s brother, Russ

Ballweg, who is the festival’sgrounds chair, said the com-mittee already is planning on abackup plan for next year.“We are probably going to

have to go out more often andpick so we can get our reserveback up a little bit,” he said.

Weather causes adrought in suitable ‘pies’Wisconsin throwing contest suffers fromshortageof cowchips

AP Photo/Carrie AntlfingerTerry Slotty, one of the organizers of theWisconsin State Cow Chip throw, stands over this year’s chips in Sauk City,Wis. Orga-nizers had to dip into chip reserves because the drought caused a shortage.

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September15,2012

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havemoney but we’llgive you land to starta public university ineach of the states.’ Andthe sole objective is thatthe common person,the Ed Smiths of theworld, doesn’t have tohave wealth to receivea higher education,” hesaid.That legislation was

followed by the HatchAct in 1887, which es-tablished experiment,or research, stations tostudy particular agri-culture issues in con-nection with the publicland-grant university,Smith noted. And theSmith-Lever Act wastacked on in 1914 to es-tablish the county agentstructure that wouldtake the information

from the universitiesand research stationsto the local producers,where it would be ap-plied to growmore andhealthier food and fibercrops for the people.

Model is strong“I’m often asked if

that model fits in 2012,”Smith said. “And I sayit was important in1700, it was importantin 1900 and it will be im-portant in 2500.Because it starts

by asking the peoplewhat’s important totheir economic orhealth or social liveli-hood, and then bringsthe science tomeetthose issues in their lo-cality. That gives peoplethe ability tomake in-formed decisions.”“Themodel is strong,

so as long as the lead-ership in land-grantsystems understandthe principle andunderstand that allthree parts – teaching,research and Exten-sion – are absolutelynecessary for economicdevelopment and suc-cess, then themodel istried and true.”Smith swallowsmore

Pepsi and pauses afterrehashing his career.“I have tried tomake

it fun for all the folksI’ve worked with inExtension,” he said.“There’s always a jobto be done andwhenyou can do it using yourown talents, then thejob is fun all the time.”“Fun” will take an-

other form in his careeras Smith considers thenext turn on his path.

“I’ve never golfed,never fished, neverhunted and I don’t haveany hobbies. So I’veobviously got to findsomething fun to do.I need to get in shape.Maybe you’ll seemeon TVEd Smith DoesYoga telling everyoneto stretch or whatever. Itoldmywife I would behers 24/7/365 and shesaid she was going backto work,” Smith saidthrough deep laughter.“Actually, I have two

grandkids in Houstonand two in Austin,along withmy sons andtheir wives. So I havelots of grandpa-typestuff to deal with,” hesaid.“And you know, Ex-

tension depends a lot onvolunteers. Maybe I’llbe a volunteer.”

Remembering38yearswithagencyContinuedfromA5

By DAVID PITTAssociated Press

DESMOINES, Iowa—Cat-tle are being bred with genesfrom their African cousinswho are accustomed to hotweather. New corn variet-ies are emerging with largerroots for gatheringwater inadrought.Someday, theplantsmay even be able to “resur-rect” themselves after a longdry spell, recovering quicklywhen rain returns.Across American agricul-

ture, farmers and crop sci-entists have concluded thatit’s too late to fight climatechange. They need to adaptto it with a new genera-tion of hardier animals andplants specially engineeredtosurvive, andeven thrive, inintense heat, with little rain.“The single largest limita-

tion for agriculture world-wide is drought,” said An-

drew Wood, a professor ofplant physiology and mo-lecular biology at SouthernIllinois University.On his Kansas farm, Clay

Scott is testing a new kind ofcorn called Droughtguard ashis region suffers through asecond consecutive growingseason with painfully scarceprecipitation.“TheseareproductsIreally

need,” Scott said. “I couldn’tbe any happier that they areworking on these products.”The urgency is also evi-

dent in Texas, where rainfallhas been below normal since1996.Cropsandpasturesweredevastated in 2011 by a sear-ing drought, and some gothit again this year. Ranchershave sold off many animalsthey couldn’t graze or affordto feed. Cattle inventory, at97.8million head as of July 1,is the smallest since the U.S.

Looking for herds, cropsable to handle the heat

See Facing, Page a13

SaturdaySeptember 22

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Brazos ValleyResults of the Brazos Valley

Livestock Commission’s August 28sale:Head: 706Steers: 200-300 lbs., $

205-$225; 300-400 lbs., $177-$207.50; 400-500 lbs., $154-$191; 500-600 lbs., $137-$161;600-700 lbs., $120-$137; 700-800 lbs., $122-$132.Heifers: 200-300 lbs., $170-

$190, 300-400 lbs., $158-$186;400-500 lbs., $128-$148; 500-600 lbs., $122-$138; 600-700lbs., $112-$129; 700-800 lbs.,$118-$125.Slaughter bulls: $84-$94.Slaughter cows: $62-$84.Bred cows: $925-$1,325.Cow/calf pairs: $1,250.

BuffaloResults of the Buffalo Livestock

Marketing’s August 25 sale:Head: 1,480Steers: 150-200 lbs., $175-

$280; 200-300 lbs., $170-$250;300-400 lbs., $165-$217; 400-500 lbs., $155-$185; 500-600lbs., $130-$170; 600-700 lbs.,$120-$142; 700-800 lbs., $115-$136.Heifers: 150-200 lbs., $150-

$265; 200-300 lbs., $145-$245,300-400 lbs., $140-$195; 400-500 lbs., $135-$175; 500-600lbs., $130-$165; 600-700 lbs.,$125-$145; 700-800 lbs., $115-$143.Slaughter bulls: $84-$101.Slaughter cows: $55-$87.Bred cows: $925-$1,375.Cow/calf pairs: $900-$1,600.

CaldwellResults of the Caldwell Livestock

Commission’s August 29 sale:Head: 469Steers: 200-300 lbs., $200-

$220; 300-400 lbs., $180-$210;400-500 lbs., $155-$185; 500-600 lbs., $135-$155; 600-700lbs., $125-$140; 700-800 lbs.,$120-$130.Heifers: 200-300 lbs., $170-

$180; 300-400 lbs., $160-$190;400-500 lbs., $140-$175; 500-600 lbs., $130-$155; 600-700lbs., $120-$130; 700-800 lbs.,$120-$125.Slaughter bulls: $80-$95.Slaughter cows: $55-$85.Stocker cows: $1,000-$1,200.

GroesbeckResults of the Groesbeck Auction

and Livestock Exchange’s August30 sale:

Head: 561.Steers: 300-400 lbs., $190-

$235; 400-500 lbs., $180-$220;500-600 lbs., $155-$170; 600-700 lbs., $140-$155.Heifers: 300-400 lbs., $175-

$195; 400-500 lbs., $145-$160;500-600 lbs., $140-$150; 600-700 lbs., $130-$137.Slaughter bulls: $96-$103.Slaughter cows: $77-$83.Stocker cows: $1,000-$1,400.Cow/calf pairs: $900-$1,500.

JordanResults of the Jordan Cattle Auc-

tion Market August 30 sale:Head: 5,361Steers: 200-300 lbs., $200-

$232; 300-400 lbs., $175-$232.50; 400-500 lbs., $150-$211; 500-600 lbs., $140-$163;600-700 lbs., $130-$144; 700-800 lbs., $120-$134.Heifers: 200-300 lbs., $160-

$195; 300-400 lbs., $150-$190;400-500 lbs., $130-$174; 500-600 lbs., $125-$160; 600-700lbs., $120-$141; 700-800 lbs.,$115-$127.Slaughter bulls: $85-$98.Slaughter cows: $68-$87.Stocker cows: $750-$1,900.Cow/calf pairs: $1,000-$2,025.

MilanoResults of the Milano Livestock

Exchange’s August 28 sale:Head: 439.Steers: 300-400 lbs., $152-

$205; 400-500 lbs., $150-$195;500-600 lbs., $129-$156; 600-700 lbs., $110-$140.Heifers: 300-400 lbs.,

$130-$167.50; 400-500 lbs.,$125-$150; 500-600 lbs., $117-$147.50; 600-700 lbs., $111-$135.Slaughter bulls: $95-$104.Slaughter cows: $61-$83.Stocker cows: $1,000-$1,060.

NavasotaResults of the Navasota Live-

stock Auction Co.’s August 25 sale:Head: 1,606.Steers: 150-300 lbs., $150-

$300; 300-400 lbs., $150-$220;400-500 lbs., $125-$200; 500-600 lbs., $120-$150; 600-700lbs., $115-$140.Heifers: 150-300 lbs., $135-

$290; 300-400 lbs., $130-$190;400-500 lbs., $120-$160; 500-600 lbs., $115-$148; 600-700lbs., $115-$137.50.Slaughter bulls: $80-$100.Slaughter cows: $50-$84.Stocker cows: $850-$1,550.

— Special to The Post

Livestock reports

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&Livestock

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9

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By RoBeRt BuRnsTexas AgriLife Extension Service

COLLEGE STATION – TheTexas cotton crop is “all overthe board,” according toGaylonMorgan, Texas A&MAgriLife Extension Servicestatewide cotton specialist inCollege Station.

Morgan briefly summed upthe situation, starting in SouthTexas:Rio Grande Valley has

wrapped up its irrigated cottonharvest, he said. The CoastalBend area finished quite sometime ago, withmost fields ei-ther showing very low yieldsor being disastered-out by cropinsurance adjusters.“As youmove up the coast,

into Victoria and the upperGulf Coast region—Wharton,El Campo and Colorado Coun-ty areas— things are actuallylooking very good,”Morgansaid. “We harvested some cot-ton variety trials down there,

and a lot was pushing two-and-a-half to a little over threebales per acre.”North into the Brazos Valley,

the cotton harvest just startedthe end of August, butMorganexpected yields on both dry-land and irrigated cotton to bevery good.“And I’ve heard similar re-

ports from the Uvalde area onirrigated land,” he said.In the Blacklands, the har-

vest was nearly over, withyields varying greatly depend-ing on rainfall, ranging froma little more than a bale to asmuch as two bales per acre.Rains came just in time forsome northern Blackland cot-ton producers.“Of course, most of that is

dryland cotton,” he said. “Butguys in the northern Black-lands were pleasantly sur-prised by some of their yields.In the southern Blacklands,

Texascottoncropreported ‘all over theboard’

Texas A&MAgriLife Extension Service photo by Gaylon MorganCottony clouds hang over a cotton field inWharton County.Parts of theUpper Gulf Coast saw good cotton yields thanks to timelyrains, according to a TexasA&MAgriLife Extension Service expert. Conditions varied widely throughout the state in September.

See Rains, Page a10

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Texas A&MAgriLife Extension Service photo by Robert BurnsRains came just in time for some northern Blackland cotton producers.

The Rolling Plains has beensuffering from a substantialdroughtmost of the season,which has hammered bothdryland and irrigated cottonproduction, Morgan said.“Scattered showers have

helped some of the drylandcotton keep going, but mainlyit’s helped some of the irri-gated guys by supplementingirrigation,” he said. “I heardsome late-planted cotton inthe Rolling Plains is doingokay because it caught sometimely rains in the last 30 days.But the earlier-planted cottonprettymuch burned up beforethe rains came though.“Late-planted irrigated cot-

ton that got some of those rainsmaymake average yields, butit’s going to be far from a bum-per crop.”In the High Plains and South

Plains, it’s again a “mixedbag,”Morgan said. Drylandcotton is lost, but the recentrains helped supplement irri-gation there too.

“There have been some ar-eas where scattered showersfell and dryland cotton lookeddecent, but as a whole, theycontinued to suffer from thelong-term drought,” he said.It’s too early tomake esti-

mates for the total Texas cottoncrop, but simply because somuch of the state’s cotton isusually grown in the SouthernPlains and Rolling Plains, itwill certainly be a below-nor-mal year, Morgan noted.More information on the

current Texas drought andwildfire alerts can be found onthe AgriLife Extension Agri-cultural Drought Task Forcewebsite at agrilife.tamu.edu/drought/.AgriLife Extension district

reporters compiled the follow-ing summaries:Southeast—Montgomery

County remained dry, and therewere various levels of grasshopperand armyworm infestations. Pro-ducers were harvesting hay.WallerCounty was very hot andwindydue to Hurricane Isaac, but did not

receive any rain. In Burleson County,pastures were declining, and theharvesting of row crops continued.In Brazoria County, the last of thegrain sorghumwas harvested. Thedelayed harvest there was due tolate planting. High pecan yieldswere expected, with tree limbsalready breaking under heavy nutloads. In Jefferson County, the lowswere in the 70s and the highs inthe 90s, and 1.5 to 2 inches of rainwas received. Orange County re-ported cooler temperatures, whichenhanced forage growth. A dryingtrend there promoted hay harvest-ing.Central—Many counties had

spotty showers, but overall theregion remained dry. In some coun-ties, weed pressure and lack ofrain continued to slow recovery ofnative forages. In other areas, pas-tures benefited from rain. Manywillhave enoughwarm-season grassfor another hay cutting. Improvedvarieties of grass that were earlierfertilized greened back up andbegan to grow. As the corn harvest

Rainsofferproducers somehelpacrossportionsofTexasContinuedfromA9

See Cotton, Page A19

TheLand

&Livestock

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September15,2012

News

11

AUSTIN (AP) — Faced withshrinking resources brought onby severe Texas drought, the Low-er Colorado River Authority ismoving toward buying water-richland near the Gulf Coast in a salecheered by rice farmers whowerelargely denied water this year be-cause of short supply.TheLCRA,whichmanageslakes

and rivers that provide drink-ing water for more than 1 millionpeople around Central Texas, hadno immediate estimate howmuchwaterapairof plannedoff-channelreservoirs would hold.

The LCRA also did not disclosethe price for the 4,200 acres inWharton and Colorado counties.The money put down will takethe properties off the market for ayear while the LCRA considers afinal purchase, spokesman JerryWhite told the Austin American-Statesman.Currently, the LCRA relies en-

tirely on the Colorado River basinforsupply.Byputtingreservoirsonthe proposed sites, the authoritysays it could capture excess flowsdownstream that could be storedaway and used to meet later de-mand.“This is a significant day in

LCRA history, and this year hasbeen a good example of why weneed downstream reservoirs,”board Vice Chairwoman RebeccaKlein said in a statement.

Rice farmers hailed the news as“averypositivedevelopment,”saidHaskell Simon, a longtime farmerand local and regional leader in

Matagorda County.Most farmers this year got no

water from LCRA, but Simon es-timated that the amount of excesswater flowing through the riverthat off-channel reservoirs couldhave captured would have beenenough for more than a year’sworth of rice crops. Rice farmersare theauthority’sbiggestcustom-ers.Another purchase approved

by the LCRA was for water-richland in Rockdale owned by alumi-nummaker Alcoa. White said the34,000-acre property comes witha “significant amount of surfacewater rights,” and the parcel is ex-pected to add 45,000 acre-feet peryear in water supply.An acre-foot is about 326,000

gallons of water, enough for threeaverageCentralTexashouseholdsfor a year.

• Informationfrom:AustinAmer-ican-Statesman, www.statesman.

LCRApurchases land toexpandwater supply

Photo courtesy of tsswcb.texas.govThe Colorado River at Bastrop falls under the control of the Lower Colorado River Authority.

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WIKSE

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People love pets. Let merephrase that: Pets havea welcome place inmany

households around the coun-try. Approximately one-thirdof all homes in the U.S. have acat or dog.It is a common response

when students are asked whythey chose to go into the veteri-narymedicine or vet tech pro-fessions, to say, “I just love lit-tle animals!” Psychologically,it is possible for some humansto literally “love animals.”They can develop an extremeattachment to them or, morelikely, to one individual pet—be it a dog, cat or horse.I would guess the preponder-

ance of these very close attach-

ments occur during childhoodand have a deep, emotionallyentangled relationship. As apersonmatures, starts a familyand acquires grown-up respon-sibilities, a pet-affectionmustcompetewith otherimportantdemands ontheir heart.A personmay stillenjoy thecompany ofa dog or cat.I have

been sur-rounded bydogs and cats most of my life.I had one or two that I shed a

Don’tdumpyourpetsonacountry road

BACTER BLACKOn the Edge ofCommon Sense

tear for, andmanymore whowere “part of the farm life,”i.e., cowdogs, barn cats, strays,ravens, rabbits, fish, a goodhorse, county fair animals andthe occasional ‘marker’ beast.I figger if we gave the animala name, even ones such asBorn to Buck or Lead Foot, wehave elevated them in our con-sciousness.In a recent study, over the

past 10 years, pet ownershipis down 2.4 percent. Analystsconcluded it is the economyand changing demographics,i.e. two-parent families withchildren are themost likelyto have pets. As America andCanadamove away fromtraditional households, petnumbers decline. It can be anexpensive hobby these days forthe average family.Fear not that they are in

danger of extinction, however.

There are still 70 million dogsand 74million cats living inour homes and, to our con-sternation, millionsmore arebeing dumped on our farmroads and/or taken to the localhumane society.There are radical animal

rights groups whowant tooutlaw the raising and sellingof registered breeds of dogs.Their convoluted logic is thatpeople whowould like to owna dog of their choice should beforced to buy a pet from a localanimal shelter instead.Those of us who live in the

country realize irresponsiblepet owners, just as irrespon-sible horse owners, neitherwill neuter nor spay theirpets. And if the pets become anuisance, the owners will dropthem off down a country road.They assume the animal willfind a home.

The truth is, we who are be-ing dumped-on usually take onthe responsibility of humanelydisposing of your unwanted,abused or neglected animals.We do it for the animal’s sake,just as the local animal shel-ters do.And let me tell you, we do

not take pleasure in killing theanimals you don’t want.So, the decision youmake

when you consider a pet is not“how youwill raise and carefor it,” but rather “what willyou do when you decide youdon’t want it anymore, eventhough your children just lovelittle animals?”We all will thank you.

• Baxter Black is a former large ani-mal veterinarianwhowrites a syndi-cated columnandappears regularlyonNational Public Radio. Hiswebsiteiswww.baxterblack.com.

By Kathleen PhilliPsTexas AgriLife Extension Service

Information on growing fruitand nut crops in different re-gions of Texas—whether com-mercially or at home — will bepresentedby theTexasAgriLifeExtension Service Oct. 11-12 atthe Brazos Center, 3232 Briar-crest Drive in Bryan.Talks will include new or-

chard establishment, insectsand diseases, fruit varieties,and challenges and opportuni-ties. Earth-Kind techniques forproducing fruit and nutswill bediscussed as well.“The conference will be valu-

able to anyone interested ingrowingfruitsornuts forhealth,wealthorrecreation,”saidMon-te Nesbitt, AgriLife Extensionhorticulture program special-ist in College Station, one of theorganizers. “While it will assistcommercial fruit producers, italsowillbehelpful tohomeown-ers and gardeners who simplywant to grow fruits and nuts.”Because Texas has a wide

range of weather, soil types andwater availability, Nesbitt said,the varieties and methods for

growing fruits and nuts differamong the regions.“AgriLife Extension special-

ists from Fredericksburg, Lub-bock,UvaldeandCollegeStationwill present successful growingpractices forpecans,figs, citrus,olives and pomegranates,” Nes-bitt said. “Hightunnels, tools forprotecting fruit crops fromfrostdamage and extending marketwindowswillalsobediscussed.”Other fruit crops on the agen-

daarepeaches,plumsandotherstone fruits, apples, pears, per-simmons, blackberries, straw-berries, blueberriesandgrapes.Grower Dale Ham of Terrell

will talk about his experiencesgrowing peaches and berries atHamOrchard.Pesticide continuing educa-

tion units are offered for thisevent.The meeting costs $75 via

online registration at agrilife-register.tamu.edu through Oct.2. AgriLife Extension countyagents may register there for$45. Onsite registration is $80.For more information and

the complete schedule, see bit.ly/PtH8ql.

Texas fruit, nut grower meetingset forOctober atBrazosCenter

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By Kay LedBetterTexas AgriLife Extenion Service

FREDERICKSBURG —“Building on Our Heritage toPrepare for the Future” will bethethemeof theannualmeetingof TheTexasSectionSociety forRangeManagement’s Oct. 10-12in Fredericksburg.KenCearleyof Amarillo,Tex-

as AgriLife Extension Servicewildlifespecialistandthisyear’sTexasSectionpresident said theTexasSection isanorganizationof landowners, managers andprofessionals concerned withrange, wildlife and water con-servation in Texas.“And one of the best ways to

prepare for the future,” he said,“is for some of us who have aconsiderableheritagetodowhatwe can tohelp younger folks get

readytotakeourplacesomeday.So, annual meeting organizersMark Moseley and Charles An-derson,alongwithmanyothers,aredoing theirbest tomake thisan enjoyable, productive meet-ing for all ages,with that goal inmind.”The meetings will be at the

Pioneer Pavilion of Lady BirdJohnson Park, 432 Lady BirdDrive, and the Inn on Baron’sCreek, 308 S.Washington St.TheAgriLife Extension office

inGillespieCountywill serveaslocal host for the meeting. At-tendees will include membersstatewide and the meeting willoffercontinuingeducationunitstobothcertifiedprofessionals inrangelandmanagementandcer-tified pesticide applicators, saidBradRoeder,AgriLifeExtensionagent for agriculture and natu-

ral resources.“We’reproudtobehostingthis

year,” Roeder said, adding thattheGerman-settled communityof Fredericksburghasarichhis-tory for visitors to explore. Hesuggested those planning to at-tend themeetingshould log intowww.visitfredericksburgtx.comfor informationonareatourism.The meeting will kick off

with a tour of the living historySauer-Beckmann Farmstead,presented as it was in 1918, andmodern-day Wildseed Farmson Oct. 10. A mixer/social anddancewill followthateveningatLady Bird Park.TheOct. 11morningprogram

will be in the park’s Pioneer Pa-vilion and will consist of pre-sentations by ranchers and sci-entists discussing both the set-tlement and ecological history

RangemanagementsocietyannualmeetingOct.10-12of the Edwards Plateau. Othertopicswill includehowranchershavecopedwithchangingtimes,women’s heritage in rangelandmanagementand thehistoryofland tenure.Afternoon presentations will

describe changes in land useover time, military applicationof rangeland management onCamp Bullis and water use byjuniper in theHoneyCreekHy-drology Study.Later presentations will in-

clude carbon sequestration onrangeland, the relationship ofhabitat quality to ecologicalsites for endangered speciesand“YourRattlesnakesareget-ting intoMyYard!”Thedaywillconcludewithanannualawardsbanquet, followed by a dance.“Youwillnotwanttomissany

of these,” Cearley said.The Oct. 12 morning session

will be held at the Inn on Bar-on’s Creek Conference Centerand will continue with presen-tations on managing huisache,Texas native seed, new herbi-

cides, exotic and native grassmanagement, mule deer, nu-tritive value of woody plantsand keys to getting goats to eatjuniper.Therewill beplant identifica-

tion contests for the collegiateparticipants and the meetingattendees, as well as a tradeshow featuring the latest prod-ucts and supplies useful in landstewardship. A poster presen-tation will feature many topicsalso that day.Certified professionals in

rangeland management willearn 12 continuing educationunits for attending the meet-ing. Certified pesticide applica-tors will earn three continuingeducation units from the TexasDepartment of Agriculture.More detailed information

aswell as registration informa-tioncanbefoundat texas.range-lands.org/.Forthelatestdetails,CearleyencourageseveryonetofollowtheTexasSectionSocietyforRangeManagementonFace-book.DALLAS (AP) — Hold the

thorns.Fried cactus was announced

as one of eight finalists for thezany food of choice at the TexasState Fair.Officiallycalled“chickenfried

cactusbites,” thinlyslicedprick-ly pear cactus pads will be friedin chicken batter and servedwith jalapeno ranch and agavenectar dipping sauces.If something sweet sounds

a little better, fairgoers cantry fried chocolate tres lechescake. The cake will be soaked

in buttermilk batter and fried,then topped with cinnamon,whipped cream, strawberriesand peaches.Other finalists from the deep

fryer include jambalaya, maca-roni andcheese, cinnamonrolls

and pork wings.Vendors are competing in the

categoriesof best tasteandmostcreative.The state fair runs Sept. 28

to Oct. 21 at Fair Park, east ofdowntownDallas.

Fried cactus a finalist atTexas State Fair

Department of Agriculture be-gan a July count in 1973.Ron Gill, a rancher who also

headstheanimalsciencedepart-ment at Texas A&MUniversity,said research has been underway for years to develop cattlethat can withstand heat andgrow on lower-quality forage.Last year, he started incorpo-

rating into his herd Beefmastercattle, a cross between Brah-man cattle, which originated inIndia,andEuropeanbreeds thatinclude Herefords and Short-horns. He’s also experimentingwith the appropriately namedHotlanders,aTexasbreeddevel-oped for itsheat toleranceusinggenetics fromSenepolcowsbred

in the Virgin Islands.As ranchers replenish their

livestock, the advice from ex-perts is to breed drought toler-ance into herds.“We’retellingpeople, ‘Regard-

less of what you have to buy torestock, your future breedingprograms need to target thisnew normal and re-establish adifferent paradigm than whatwe’vehad in thepast,’”Gill said.It’s no different for farmers

in the nation’s Corn Belt, whoare confronting a drought thatstretches fromOhiowest toCali-fornia and from Texas north tothe Dakotas. Only in the 1930sand the 1950shasadrought cov-eredmoreof theU.S., accordingto the National Climatic DataCenter in Asheville, N.C.

Nearly half of the nation’scorncrop is inpoororverypoorcondition, as well as a third ofsoybeans.The damage would be much

worse without the crop scienceadvancements of the last 40years, saidAndrewWood,apro-fessor of plant physiology andmolecular biology at SouthernIllinois University.“We don’t want to turn corn

into a cactus,” Wood said. Hisperfectplantwouldtoleratemilddrought and, when it finallyrains, quickly resume “normalbiology and output.”Developed by St. Louis-based

Monsanto and German-basedBASF, Droughtguard is a com-bination of the best drought-tolerant seed.

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News

By Steve ByrnSTexas AgriLife Extension Service

DALLAS — Sometimes ittakes a foreign ally to conquera foreign invader. Such is thecasewithsaltcedar, saidaTexasAgriLife Extension Service en-tomologist.Since 2006, a steadily grow-

ing army of tiny beetles fromthe invasive trees’ homelandsof Crete and Tunisia have beenproviding biological controlof the pest by eating their waythrough saltcedar thickets toslowly weaken the foe, said Al-lenKnutson,AgriLifeExtensionentomologist at Dallas.“Most Texans who spend

time along West Texas’ rivers,streams and reservoirs recog-nize saltcedar,” Knutson said.“It was introduced into the U.S.as an ornamental plant in theearly 1800s, but unfortunately itescaped to become an invasivespecies. Today, dense thicketsof saltcedar chokeout desirablevegetation,use largeamountsof

groundwater and increase therisk of flooding as trees narrowthe river channel.”Saltcedar infests some500,000

acres inTexas,Knutsonsaid.Headded that herbicides are effec-tive but very costly.Saltcedar arrived in the U.S.

without its natural enemies, hesaid.Biological control reunitesthe saltcedar with its naturalenemies, limiting the trees’ in-vasive nature.“We have been working to

establish the leaf beetles forbiological control of saltcedarsince2006,”hesaid. “Todate,wehavecollectedandreleasedover800,000 beetles in 15 West Texascounties.Thisyear,wearestart-ing to see the area-wide impactof this effort as beetles have de-foliatedsaltcedar thicketsalongmiles of the Rio Grande, Pecos,ColoradoandUpperBrazosRiv-ers.Onceestablished, these ‘bio-beetles’ should persist withouttheneedforadditionalreleases.”He said the small beetles and

their larvaeeat saltcedar leaves.Without leaves, the trees slowly

starve to death. “Not many ofthese trees are ‘graveyard dead’yet, but over time, our researchandexperiencehasshowncano-pies will die back and in somesites, treeswill dieas thebeetlesreturn each year and defoliatethe trees.”Inthemeantime,Knutsonand

Mark Muegge, AgriLife Exten-sion entomologist at Fort Stock-ton, said thedefoliatedsaltcedartreesaren’tusingasmuchwaterorshadingoutdesirablespecies.Andthedefoliatedtreesproducefew or no seeds. The saltcedarbeetles eat only saltcedar andathel, a closely related tree thatgrows in South Texas.Knutson said the beetle proj-

ect originated with work doneby Jack DeLoach, entomologistwith the U.S. Department ofAgriculture’s Agricultural Re-searchServiceatTemple.TexasAgriLife soon joined the effortand has since led the beetle im-plementation program through

educational programs, appliedresearch and redistribution ofthe insects to establish them atnew sites.“Thesaltcedarbiological con-

trol program has the potentialto provide a low-cost, environ-mentally safe and sustainable

approach to managing a wide-spread, invasive species thatimpacts ranching, agriculture,recreation and water issuesacross the state,” Knutson said.For more information about

saltcedar control see: bc4weeds.tamu.edu/.

Imported ‘bio-beetles’ attack invasive saltcedar

Texas AgriLife Extension Service photo by Mark MueggeThe saltcedar leaf beetle species from Tunisia is proving effective in destroying thetrees that are chokingWest Teas rivers.

Photo courtesy of emporia.eduSaltcedarwas imported toAmericaasanornamental plant in theearly 1800s,but hassince become an invasive species that chokes rivers and destroys native vegetation.

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By RoBeRt FeaRsSpecial to The Post

Winter forage planting op-tions were listed in theSept. 1 issue of Land&Livestock Post and thediscussion is continued

in this issue with grazingmanagementtechniques for winter pastures. Thissecond discussion is taken primarilyfromMonte Rouquette Jr.’s presenta-tion at the recent Texas A&MBeef Cat-tle Short Course on forage and pastureoptions for wintering cattle. Rouquetteis professor with Texas AgriLife Re-search at Overton.The primary forage base for pastures

and rangeland in Texas is warm-seasonperennial grasses.There is considerable grass species

diversity and production due to climatevariance across the state.These grasses have restricted to non-

existent growth after the first killing-frost and during the wintermonths,though.Therefore, management strategies

for wintering cattle must include an ar-ray of options and associated costs.

Performance expectationAll cattle have daily requirements for

energy and protein with roughage asthe primary source. In order tomakeproductive and economically sounddecisions for wintering cattle, perfor-mance expectationsmust be consideredfor the specific class of cattle. Dailynutrient requirement for cattle classesvary with bodyweight, age, sex, stageof production and performance expec-tations. (SeeMarch 15 issue of Land&Livestock Post.)Although specifics of meeting an

animal’s nutrient requirementmay re-quire study and evaluation, the “short-cut” answer is that grazing cattle preferto consume from less than 2 percent tonearly 3 percent of their bodyweightdaily.Intake is influenced by availability of

forage and its quality.With forage nutritive value knowl-

edge, a supplement sourcemay bedeveloped that will provide energy andprotein requirements for animal per-formance expectations.

Small grain pasturesUtilization of small grain pastures

vary withmanagement objectivesand risk associated with the grazingventure. Small grain pastures are ex-pensive, costing $150 to $250 per acredepending on vegetation zone, soil re-quirements and nitrogen rates. Thesecosts may not necessarily be too highto justify small grain use in an overallgrazing plan.Decisions on use, methods and stock-

ing rates for small grain pasturesmayinclude the following alternatives foroptimizing forage utilization. Theseoptions are not intended to be all-inclusive.One alternative is to stock pastures

initially so the lowwinter growth rate

does not necessitate animal removal.Incorporate additional cattle into thegrazing scheme inmid-February toearlyMarch, or harvest excess springgrowth as silage or hay. Hay is usuallynot a good option inMarch and Aprildue to inclement weather conditionsfor curing. The additional cattle may beresident cows and calves or theymayinvolve winter-spring purchased stock-ers.A second alternative is to stock pas-

tures during the fall at amoderate toheavy rate and vacate pastures duringthe winter, if necessary. Supplementwith hay and/or protein during thewinter and resume grazing small grainin the spring. This option requires asacrifice area for cattle to reside dur-

ing the potential 30- to 45-day winterperiod. This alternative assumes cold,inclement weather during Decemberand January.Option 3 dictates stocking pastures

initially at the optimum spring stock-ing rate for your area. Exercise a limit-graze scenario during the fall-winterperiod until the rapid spring foragegrowth occurs usually in late Febru-ary to earlyMarch. This managementstrategy is a good choice for fall-calvingcows and involves supplemental hayand protein in addition to a sacrificearea to use when the cattle are not graz-ing small grain. Normally, these limit-graze systems entail a daily two- to

Hay there!Managingwinterpasture systems

Photo by Robert FearsIt is important to properly manage grazing of winter pastures so that they remain healthy for future years. Grazing cattle consume from less than 2 percentto almost 3 percent of their body weight daily. Intake is influenced by availability of forage and its quality.

See ProPer, Page A17

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three-hour grazing period witha 20- to 22-hour deferment. It isimportant to have an optimumnumber of cattle on hand andavailable for grazing during thespring growth flush period.

The last option is to delaystocking winter pastures untilmid to late winter or until therapid spring growth occurs.This strategymay involvepurchasing stocker cattle at atimewhen prices generally arehigher than during the previ-ous fall, but hay and supple-ment requirements are lowduring this period. Anotheroption is to purchase calvesduring the fall and backgroundthem on hay, standing forage,and supplemental protein.Option 4may also be used forcows and calves.

Ryegrass/clover pasturesStocking rates for ryegrass

or ryegrassmixtures aresimilar to thosementioned forsmall grains during the latewinter and springmonths.Initial stocking rates that al-low for an abundance of foragewill provide stocker averagedaily gain of 2.5 to 3.0 poundsper day. Pastures that arestocked sufficiently heavy toreduce forage heights to aboutfour inches are likely to limitstocker average daily gain toless than 2 pounds per day.Most ryegrass and/or clover

pastures are used primarilyby cow-calf operators ratherthan for stockers. A seven-yearaverage of forage and cow-calfresponses tomultiple stockingrates at the Texas AgriLife Re-search and Extension Center atOverton showed suckling, fall-born calf average daily gain of1.9, 1.2 and 3.2 at stocking ratesof 2.1, 1.3 and 0.8 cow-calf unitsper acre. (One cow-calf unitequals 1,500 pounds.)On continuously stocked

pastures in East Texas, a con-servative stocking rate of 0.75to 1.35 cow-calf units has beenconsistently low-risk withrespect to the need to de-stockfrom February to weaningin June or July. At 0.75 to 1.0cow-calf units per acre, thereis usually an abundance of

ryegrass-bermudagrass foragethat can be harvested as hay inlateMay to late June.Animal performance from

clovers, primarily crimson,during winter resulted in suck-ling calf average daily gain of1.7, 2.4 and 3.0 pounds per dayat stocking rates of 1.9, 1.2 and0.75 cow-calf units per acre. Al-though suckling calf gain andpasture stocking rates wererelatively similar at low stock-ing rates, ryegrass wasmoreresistant to severe defoliationregimes thanwere the clovers.Withmost clovers, except ar-rowleaf, grazingmanagementdecisions usually dictate thatcattle be removed for haying orreseeding about 30 days earlierthan for ryegrass pastures. Ar-rowleaf clover usuallymaturesand flowers later than annualryegrass.Grazingmanagement op-

tions and expectations for

forage production and animalresponse is site specific andis affected by the timing ofcultural management eventsand climate. Expectations ofaverage daily gain undermod-erate stocking conditions areapproximately 2.0 to 2.5 poundsper day for stockers and 2.5 to3.0 pounds per day for sucklingcalves.For cool-season annual for-

ages, and particularly smallgrain-ryegrass pastures, oneof themost efficient grazingmanagementmethods is toinitiate a stocking rate that al-lows for adequate leaf area forrapid plant growth during latewinter. Once the forage has ini-tiated a spring burst of growth,stocking rate increasesmay bemade. Grazingmanagementshould not allow for enoughsmall grain growth to initiatepremature flowering and flagleaf set.

Proper careofpastureswill ensurehealth in the futureContinuedfromA16

Photo by Robert FearsA sample from this pasture has been cut and weighed to determine theamount of available forage.

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By SeanHuBBardOklahoma State University

STILLWaTer, Okla. —They construct and live in un-derground tunnels and leavemounds of soil in evidence oftheir excavation efforts. Whilesometimes considered a pest,pocket gophers can be valuablebecause they contribute to theformation and conditioning ofthe soil, and provide food forlarger predators.Controlling pocket gophers,

however, may be necessarywhen theyeatgardencrops, clo-ver, roots of fruit trees, shrubs,alfalfa,or theirdiggingactivitiesinterferewithharvestinghayorgrain.“Gophers populations can be

reducedoveraconsiderableareawith persistent control efforts,”saiddwayneelmore,OklahomaState university Cooperativeextension wildlife specialist.“Control isbestconductedwhengophersaremostactivenear the

surface, usually in the spring orfall.”Gopher activity is evident

through the mounds of soil lefton the surface.The twomosteffectivegopher

managementtechniquesarepoi-soning and trapping.For larger areas, with more

gophersdoingmoredamage,el-more suggests contacting wild-life services which will knowwhat currently is legal andmayeven conduct the control if it isimpacting agricultural produc-tion.Trapping is themostpractical

methodonsmallerareassuchaslawns orwhere few gophers areinvolved.Two traps of appropriate size

should be placed in the mainrunway, one set in each direc-tion. There should be little dis-turbance to the surroundingarea as possible.Once the traps are set in the

tunnel, cover the opening in theburrow with a clod or handfulof grass to cut off most of the

light. Traps should be fastenedto a stake with a light wire asgophers instinctivelycoveropenburrows to keep out enemies.“after traps are set, tramp

down the tops of all themoundsso that moundsmade by the go-phers you miss will be evidentonyournextvisit,” saidelmore.“Forefficientuseof trapsandforbestresults,visit trapsetsmorn-ing and evening.”In large numbers, pocket go-

pherscanhaveamajornegativeeconomic effect. Before a deci-sion is made on whether or notcontrollinggophersisnecessary,however, landowners should beawareof theanimal’s long-termbenefits.“Management ispreferredbe-

cause it recognizes the value ofgophersandthe impossibilityoferadication,”saidelmore. “Try-ing to eradicate any species up-sets the integrity of the ecosys-temsinamannerwecannotpos-sible predict from our currentknowledge of the structure andfunction of those ecosystems.”

Going to ground to get rid of pocket gophers

Photo courtesy of courtesy of wdfw.wa.govAlthough pocket gophers can be useful for the formation and conditioning of thesoil, it sometimes is necessary to control their populations.

Courtesy of nsrl.ttu.eduThe Texas pocket gopher inhabits much of South Texas, especially Padre and Mus-tang islands.

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began to grow. As the corn harvestneared completion, producers weregetting ready to plant small grainsfor forages. Somewere applyingfertilizer to winter pastures. The cot-ton harvest began in some areas; itwas about half done in others. Manywere off to a good start only to beforced towait because of rain. Pe-cans lood good.East—Hurricane Isaac drove

spotty showers into the easternpart of the region. Counties in thewestern part of the region reportedpastures were extremely dry andmoisture-stressed. Several coun-ties issued burn bans. Producers insome counties had excess hay forsale. Cattle remained in good condi-tion. Livestock producers continuedweaning and selling calves. Pecantree limbswere breaking due toheavy nut loads.Southwest— Extremely dry,

hot conditions continued, with afew counties receiving very lightscattered showers. Pastures contin-ued to decline with grasses goingdormant. The corn and sorghumharvests were completed. Cottonwas largely harvestedwith goodyields similar to last year’s. Fieldpreparation for small-grain plantingwas in progress. Livestock remainedin good conditionwhere foragewasavailable. Rangelandwas in poorconditionwith the risk for wildfirehigh.FarWest—Many counties re-

ported cooler weather. Highs werein the upper 90s, and lows in theupper 60s to lower 70s. EasternCrane County got 1 inch of rain. InAndrews County, there were patch-es of green, but the native grasseshadn’t responded yet. Ector Countygot 0.35 to 1 inch of rain. AndrewsCounty wheat producers wereplanting irrigated fields. The fifthalfalfa cuttingwas completed andbeing irrigated in El Paso County.Cotton fields were showing im-provement in Upton County, whileproducers there continued to pro-vide supplemental feed to livestockandwildlife.North— Soil-moisture levels

were short to adequate. Pasturesand hay fields continued to dowell thanks to spotty rains and theslightly cooler temperatures. Cattlecontinued to dowell too. Nearlyall grain harvests were finished,with corn and grain sorghum yieldsabove average in some counties.Corn yields were averaging 80-85bushels per acre, and grain sorghumyields were about 5,500-5,800pounds per acre. Grasshopper pres-sure remained heavy, and there

were some reports of armyworms.Feral hogs were still a problem.Panhandle—The region re-

mained hot and dry, with soil mois-ture levelsmostly still very shortto short. Some producers werepreparing land for fall planting. DeafSmith County producers were tryingto decidewhat to dowith the cornand other crops damaged by hailin the last couple of weeks. Silagechoppers, trucks and huge tractorswith pushing blades were runninghard and fast on some of themoreseverely damaged crops. Elsewherein the region, cottonwas in verypoor to good condition, withmostcounties reporting fair. Rangelandand pastures were in very poor topoor condition. Cattle were in goodcondition.Rolling Plains— Pasture condi-

tions were improving in countiesthat got rain last week. The rain alsogave irrigated cotton a boost. Dry-land cottonwas still trying to hangon. Producers in some areas werepreparing land for wheat and oats,and expected to begin plantingsoon. In other counties, hot temper-

atures and no rain stressed cottonand pastures. Early planted forages,includingwheat and triticale, werenot germinating because of dryconditions. Peanuts were in fair con-dition. The fall-calving seasonwasongoing. Spring calving producerswho hadn’t weaned calves earlywereweaning themnow.The peachharvest neared completion. Pecanslooked goodwith some producersspraying for weevils. Stock tankswere still dry in some areas.South—Hot, dry andwindy

conditions continued. Soil-moisturelevels ranged from short to veryshort in all counties, with the excep-tions of Atascosa andWillacy coun-ties, where theywere 75 to about80 percent adequate. Though soilmoisture was rated adequate inthose counties, it was not enoughto green up rangeland and pasturesthat had been severely dried outover the summer. Ranchers contin-ued to increase supplemental feed-ing of livestock tomaintain goodto fair body condition. Rangeland

Cottoncropgood inplacesContinuedfromA10

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By STEVE BYRNSTexas AgriLife Extension Service

DALLAS — With Dallas offi-cials having declared a state ofemergency in regards to WestNile virus, Texas AgriLife Ex-tension Service personnel arebeing flooded with calls fromareaschool integratedpestman-agement coordinators seekinginformation to allay parents’and teachers’ mosquito con-cerns once school starts.“It’s a valid concern, but one

that’s manageable,” said JanetHurley,AgriLifeExtensionstateschool integrated pest manage-ment specialist headquarteredin Dallas County. “State lawmandates thatpublic schooldis-tricts inTexas, all 1,030 of them,must have a trained integratedpest management coordinatoronstaff.Theyare trained todealwith situations suchas themos-quito problemswe are seeing inmany parts of the state now.”

Hurley explained that inte-grated pest management uses anumber of practices to controlpests in thesafest,mosteffectiveway possible that has the leastamount of impact on the envi-ronment.“AgriLife Extension is the

leadagencyamongseveralagen-cies that can provide the train-ing for [integratedpestmanage-ment] coordinators,” she said.“And the Texas Department ofAgriculture is the regulatoryagency that is responsible fordoing on-site inspections to en-sure the mandate is being metand the school or school districtis in compliance.”“A big question has been

whether mosquito repellentscan be used by students inschool,” she said.According to Michael Kelly,

Texas Department of Agricul-ture structural pest controlservice coordinator at Austin,“Given the need for parents ofschool children to have the op-

tion of protecting their studentfrom the possibility of a vector-borne disease, parents may ap-plymosquito repellents to theirchildren and mosquito repel-lents may be kept in the nursesoffice intheevent thatreapplica-tion is necessary.“Itwould beup to each school

district todeterminewhetherornot theywant to allow the prac-tice of keeping mosquito repel-lents, sent by parents for theirchildren, in the nurses office,”he concluded.Hurley said the announce-

ment from the Texas Depart-ment of Agriculture is impor-tant, because therepellent issuehadsomeschooldistrictsworry-ing about breaking school pesti-cide rules. She saidKelly’s com-ments should allay concernsin favor of protecting studentswhen school starts.CecilFuestonistheMcKinney

school district’s integrated pestmanagement coordinator andone of a number of area coordi-

natorsworkingwithHurley. Hesaid good communication bothwithin the district and the com-munity is the key component toa successful pest control pro-gram.“It’sveryimportanttodevelop

aworkingrelationshipwithcityand county health officials es-pecially now with the mosquitoconcerns,” he said. “Inmy case,I knowwhen andwhere the citytrapsmosquitoes,whentheytestthe mosquitoes, where they fogand what product they are us-ing,” he said.He said one often overlooked

areaoutdoors, especiallynowasfootball two-a-day practices areunderwayinmanyareas,arethecontraptionsandtrainingequip-ment the teams use.“Here forexample, all football

teams use old tractor or trucktires for strength training,” hesaid. “The tires lay out on thepractice field the entire season.Water collects in these tires andmust be removed. I drill four to

sixhalf to 3/4 inchholes in eachtire, so they can’t hold water;problem solved.”In keeping with proper inte-

grated pest management prac-tices, Fueston is cautiouswherepesticide use is concerned.Undernormalcircumstances,

pesticidesareamong the last re-sorts used to control a pest out-break after more preventativemeasures have proven ineffec-tive, according to Hurley.For more school-related inte-

grated pest management infor-mation go to schoolipm.tamu.edu/forms/public-health-pests-information-resource/ .

Texas schoolofficials cautiousofWestNilevirus

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Events CalendarSeptemberSept. 15: 4 States Limousin Association Sale.Mt. Pleasant, TX. 281-808-5511Sept. 17: Jordan Cattle Auction, Stocker-Feeder & PremiumWeaned Calf Sale. Mason,TX.Sept. 22: Farm & Ranch Equipment Auction.Sealy, TX. 979-885-2400Sept. 24-26: TSCRA Fall Meeting. Austin,TX.Sept. 27: Advertising deadline for Land &Livestock PostSept. 29: Rudy Mueller Estate, Real EstateAuction. Cat Spring/ Millheim Area. (979)885-2400

OctoberOct. 5: Return to the Remuda. 2012 AnnualSale, 6666 Ranch. Guthrie, TX 806-596-4424Oct. 6:Heart of Texas Special ReplacementFemale Sale. Groesbeck, TX . 903-599-2403Oct. 9: Powell Herefords 15th AnnualProduction Sale. Ft. McKavett, TX. 903-599-

2403Oct. 10: R.A. Brown Ranch 38th Annual Bull,Female & Quarter Horse Sale. Throckmorton,TX 940-849-0611Oct. 11: Jordan Cattle Auction, Special BullOffering. San Saba, TX.Oct. 11: Dudley Bros. 51st Annual Bull Sale.Comanche, TX. 325-356-2284Oct. 19:W4 Ranch, Annual Production Sale.Morgan, TX. 817-595-1121Oct. 19: Briggs Ranches 9th Annual SantaGertrudis Bull Sale. Bloomington, TX. 361-573-7141Oct. 20: 35th Annual Tri-Star Santa GertrudisSale. Bloomington, TX. 361-573-7141Oct. 21: Texas Hereford Fall Classic. Buffalo,TX. 903-322-4940Oct. 27: Oak Creek Farms Forage Tested BullSale. Chappell Hill, TX. 979-836-6832Oct. 27: 44 Farms Fall Bull & Female Sale.Cameron, TX. 254-697-440 1

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Commentary

Anymanwill tell you thatbachelorhood has itsadvantages, but cook-

ing isn’t always one of them.A cowboy stays pretty busy allsummer— always in a hurryand trying to get his work doneso he can do his other stuff thatinvolves hors-es, saddles,trailers andropes.One time

backwhen itrained andthemonsoonswere forcedthrough thearea by a cou-ple of land-locked hur-ricanes, Jack had to fend forhimself for days on end.Withhis buddy’s arena underwater,there was no roping practiceand therefore no home cookedmeals from his buddy’s wife.For Jack, the rain brought

on some of the issues that be-come glaring in bachelorhood.No one to visit with except thedog, andwhile that’s accept-ablemost of the time, therewas also no one to cook for himexcept ... himself.Proof of the danger in that

came one evening.Leaving his job at the feed

store and feeling quite hungry,Jack stopped at the grocerystore on the way home to buythe fixings for a Tater Tot cas-serole. This now-famous dishhad beenmade notorious by aneighbor and his recipe foundits way to Jack’s house.Upon arrival at his humble

homestead, he placed thefrozen tots in the bottom of acasserole dish, added a can ofWolf Brand Chili on top andthen a nice covering of gratedcheese for the next layer.Thinking his culinary

creation was looking quitegood and the recipe could beimproved on, he added a fewsliced-up wieners to the top

and followed that with a layerof diced jalapeños.To his way of thinking, this

had to be about the best supperever.Knowing he had piled a lot

of food into the one dish, heshoved it in themicrowaveand cranked it up a ways. Histhought was that it would takea while to get it all warmedcompletely through so he gaveit plenty of minutes on thetimer.Deciding tomake use of the

cooking time, he headed out totend to his chores at the cor-rals while his delectable dinnercooked nuclear-style.As cowboys are wont to do,

he got sidetracked and it wasa good 30minutes before hegot back to the house.What hefound inside his kitchenwasthe aftermath of the completeexplosion of his microwaveand its contents. That wasn’tpart of the recipe, but it wasthe part that made it notorious.There were wieners and

Tater Tots stuck all over theceiling with tendrils of cheesehanging in various placesaround the room. Blobs of chiliwere splotted red in places thatwould never be the same.Too tired to caremuch about

themess, his main concernwas still the fact he was veryhungry. Likemost cowboys incow camp after long hard day,he resorted to the old standby:canned peaches.He drank off the liquid and

then filled the can upwithwhiskey. Falling into a re-signed slump in his favoriteeasy chair, he ate his cold sup-per of “pickled” peaches whilethe weatherman spoke of morerain.Pondering on his situation,

he blamed it all on the rain.After all, none of this would

have happened if he had justbeen able to rope.

• Julie can be reached for comment atjcarternm@gmail.com.

Homeon the range,but not themicrowave

JULIE CARTERCowgirl Sass & Savvy

TheLand

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News

By Kay LedBetterTexas AgriLife Extension Service

Fertilizer improperly appliedto newly placed sod may resultinnutrient runoffinto thewatersupply, but justwhen is the besttime toapply fertilizerandwhatkind is the best for new turf?Aiming to answer those ques-

tions isa teamof scientists fromTexas A&MAgriLife Research:Jacqui Aitkenhead-Peterson,assistantprofessorof urbannu-trient and water management;Ben Wherley, assistant profes-sor of turfgrass science andecology; Richard White, profes-sor of turfgrass physiology andmanagement; and JimThomas,senior research associate. Allarewith the department of soilandcropsciencesatTexasA&MUniversity.“We are looking at the estab-

lishmentof turf andwhatnutri-ents are coming off of that turfin the water runoff after irriga-tion or rain events,” Petersonsaid.The study, sponsored by The

Scotts Miracle-Gro Company,is being conducted at the TexasA&MUrbanEcologyFieldLabo-ratory on F&B Road in CollegeStation.Results of the entire study

will be discussed at the TurfandLandscapeFieldDay, set for8 a.m. to 3 p.m.Oct. 10. Formoreinformation on the field day or to register, go to

agriliferegister.tamu.edu/ andtype in the keyword “turf.”The runoff facilityused in the

study took a year to constructand consists of 24 individualplots, each13 feetwideby27 feetlong on native soil that had notbeendisturbeduntilplanting,allon a 3.5 percent slope.The plots are isolated with

verticalplasticbarriersbetween

themsothatwaterappliedeitherinfiltrates into the ground orruns down the hill where it canbesampled fornutrientcontent.“We have the capability of

irrigating where we can forcea ‘rainfall event’ but the equip-ment is always on to also recordanynaturallyoccurringevents,”Peterson said.ThestudywasplantedonAug.

8 and the first event measuredwas the followingday, theysaid.The plots are planted to

St. Augustine grass, which ismost commonly used in newconstruction in Central Texas,Thomas said.They will test and compare

runoff from plots with no fertil-izer to those receiving severaldifferent nitrogen sources, ap-plied either immediately orweeks after sod has been laidand rooted in, Thomas said.Afteramonthortwo, theywill

be able to gather conclusionsand information on the results.“Thiswillbethelargestrunoff

facilityof itskindinTexas, if notin the country,” Peterson said.“We hope to have a lot of

long-term projects looking atmanagement practices, waterconservation and nutrient con-servation.”Turfgrass,shesaid, is the larg-

est irrigatedcrop in thecountry.It is important to have recom-mendations for the industry.“Considering the amount of

sites thataresoddedduringnewconstruction, it is important tounderstand what nutrients arecoming off in runoff that couldimpair surface water quality,”she said.“Hopefully we can make rec-

ommendations towardsscience-based best management prac-tices for sod establishment afterour study.”Thomas said if turf is man-

aged properly, thefertilizerwon’t runoff and the lawnwill still be green.So there is no rea-son to over-apply.At the same

time,hesaid,aban-doned lawns canhave as much ormore erosion andnutrient loss thana well-maintainedlawn.“Our goal at the

end of the day is tounderstand howthese dif ferentmanipulations offertilization andirrigation affectthe runoff volumeand nutrient loadand provide rec-ommendat ionsand best manage-mentsuggestions,”Peterson said.

Studymayhelp improve fertilizerapplications

Texas A&MAgriLife Research photoA new turf runoff facility has been built at the Texas A&M Urban Ecology Field Laboratory. A teamof Texas A&M AgriLife Research turf specialists are testing and comparing runoff from plots withno fertilizer

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NewsDrought lingers, out-of-statehay required again

Texas AgriLife Extension Service photo by Kay LedbetterRound bales of hay will start showing up in fields as producers begin searching for supplies to get them through the winter.

By Kay LedBetterTexas AgriLife Extension Service

COLLEGESTATION—Someareas aremaking hay while thesunshinesandtherains fall, butothers just never had a chance,according to a Texas AgriLifeExtension service specialist.“We’ve had a better year than

last year, but that isn’t say-ing a lot,” said Larry Redmon,AgriLife Extension state foragespecialist inCollegeStation.“Wehadgreatwinterrainsandsomeinspring,but thentherainsshutoff for themost part.“There are some areas that

havehad8 to 10 inches this sum-mer, but it is not widespread.”Travis Miller, associate de-

partment head and AgriLifeExtension program leader inthe Texas A&M University soiland crop sciences department,said the state overall continuesto face drought, with notableexceptions along theGulf Coastand parts of East North Texas.“While showers along the

coast and in North Texas easeddroughtconditionsandgreenedup hay meadows, conditionsare worsening over most of thesouthern and western parts ofthe state, where livestock pro-ducersarecontinuing tosupple-ment cattle with hay and feedand are struggling to maintainwater supplies,”Miller said.He said at this time, nearly 90

percent of the state ranges fromabnormally dry to exceptionaldrought.Redmon said some produc-

ers already have made one haycutting and are ready to makeanother. These producers havetakencareof theirgrass,appliedfertilizer and had timely rains,so they won’t be buying hay, hesaid.“But justdowntheroad, there

maybeproducerswhodidn’tgetthe timely rains and the grasssimply hasn’t had a chance torecover from last year,” he said.“So it really depends on themanagement level of the prop-ertyandwhether ithasreceivedrainas towhetheran individualmade hay or has to buy it.”Lookingaroundthestate,Red-

mon said,NorthTexas seems toget a rain “almost whenever itwants one.” In Southeast TexasandtheHoustonandcoastareas,good rains have fallen and pro-ducers are growing some hay.East Texas has had good rain insomespots and is in good shape.But, up in theHighPlains, it’s

beena toughyear,hesaid.SamegoesforCentralTexas,WestTex-asandSouthTexas,where ithasbeen spotty.“Some of these areas look

much like it was last year, so nomatter how good of a manageryou might have been, you justdidn’t get the rain to make thehay,” Redmon said.“I’m afraid as we get closer to

autumn, we will see more andmore of those big 18-wheelersrolling into the state, but notnearly to the extent we saw lastyear,”hesaid. “Therearepeoplecuttinghay,goodhayandplentyof it, but theymightnotbenear-lyas interested insellingas theyhave in years past.”Redmon said there will be

producerswithhay to sell in thestate, but it won’t be anythingneara ‘normal’year,anditwon’tbe enough to supply hay needsacross the state. But it is muchbetter than last year.“As I drive across the state,

See EffEcts, Page A25

Texas AgriLife Extension Service photo by Steve ByrnsAlfalfa hay is a quality product that will be imported by some producers the year.

The Land & Livestock Post • Septem

ber 15, 2012

25

News

Texas AgriLife Extension Service photo by Steve ByrnsBermuda grass hay production thrived in areas that received rain.

I’m able to see hay bales sit-ting in the field. Last year, you could drive anywhere and not see bales of hay.”

In addition to some areas not seeing the recovery of their grass, other areas have suffered through tremendous grasshopper infestations this year that have been just like a heavy grazing by cattle, he said.

Redmon categorized hay into three categories: high quality alfalfa hay, grass hays that can range in quality and then the lower-quality stalk or strw hay.

Alfalfa hay is used primar-

ily by the dairy and horse industry, he said. However, a lot of the lower quality alfalfa hay — the early cuts — does not go to either of those markets.

“This could be a good buy for the beef market, using it instead of the 20 percent crude protein cubes,” Redmon said. “It is much less costly than buying the cubes. These square bales will come from Colorado, Oklahoma and New Mexico, primarily.”

At the opposite end of the spectrum is straw or stalk hays from wheat, rice, sorghum or corn. This hay is lower in cost, but also lower in nutritive value, he said.

Effects of drought lingercontinued from A24

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News

By MICHAEL GRACZYKAssociated Press

BASTROP — From a hilltopknownas“TheScenicOutlook,”Nicholas McClendon scannedthousands of acres of CentralTexas until he spotted some-thing familiar: the green crownof a pine tree.“That used to be the view,

green treetops,” the Bastrop-areaman said. “Now it’s not.”A green speck peeking over

the black expanse of tall barrensticks isoneof the fewtrees thatsurvived a firestorm one yearago this month at Bastrop StatePark, where historic wildfiresclaimed 95 percent of the trees,includingmost of the 6,600-acrepark’s signature “Lost Pines.”Statewildlifeofficialsandoth-

ersareworkingonrestoring theforest but acknowledge it willtake plenty of manpower, timeandmoney to succeed.The project calls for planting

some 2 million seedlings to re-

place the charred foliage in thepark, another 2million on thou-sands of acres outside the parkandmore than $4million to payfor them.

“You hear about the damage,but you don’t realize howmuchreally is gone until you see it,”

Bastrop slowly recovering

State officials symbolically water loblolly pine seedlings On Aug. 28. The seedlingsare intended to replace trees lost in the Labor Day weekend 2011 wildfires thatdevastated Bastrop State Park.

AP Photos/Michael GraczykWildflowers bloom last month among the landscape at Bastrop State Park ravagedby fire on Labor Day weekend 2011.An estimated 95 percent of all the trees at thepark east of Austin were destroyed, including its signature ìLost Pines. State parksand forestry officials are beginning a campaign to replant some 4 million pine treeseedlings at the park and surrounding area.

See Full, Page A27

TheLand

&Livestock

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Gary Stephens of Spring saidafter driving around the parkto set up his RV at a campsitethat had survived the infernothat started during Labor Dayweekend last year. “It’s justamazing. It’s changed the land-scape of this park for at least ageneration.”He’s right.Foresters say it could be at

least 30 years before the parkless than anhour’s drive east ofAustin and known for its forestresembles one.One bright spot has been the

discovery of “Lost Pine” seedsthat apparently were storedunknowingly more than twodecades ago in a cooler at agrocery warehouse in Lufkinin East Texas, said Bill Oates, aregional forester for the TexasForest Service. It’s hoped seed-lings from that genetically puresource will provide at least thefirst 25,000 new plantings.A batch of several hundred

seedlings about 6 inches talland growing in black plastictube containers was brought tothe park last month to receive aceremonialhand-watering fromtopofficialsof theparksand for-estry agencies. The first plant-ings won’t take place until nextFebruarywhenweather ismoreideal and will focus on the westside of the park.“Thatwillbeabigday,”Jamie

Hackett, the park superinten-dent, said. “Everystepweface isa positive healing for the peoplein this park and in this county.”About 160,000 visitors a year

traditionally have made thestate park one of Texas’ mostpopular. Attendance figureshad slipped before the fires lastyearwhenrecordhightempera-tures and a persistent droughtnot only contributed to the firedanger but kept people fromoutdoor activities. While parkattendance is not yet at levels ofyears past, it has exceeded lastyear’sdrought-impactedfigures

Full recoveryof the forestmay take30yearsor longerContinuedfromA26

Samantha Morrette and Nicholas McClendon of Bastrop inspect a shelter being rebuilt on a hilltop at Bastrop State Park.Theshelter,built in the1930s by theCivilianConservationCorps, lost its wood roof during awildfire on LaborDayweekenda year ago.

News

See Visitors, Page A29

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News

By Kay LedBetterTexas AgriLife Extension Service

COLLEGE STATION — Everythingfrom emerging research into grass-fedcattle and forages to soil fertility workattracted Gareth Davies to visit TexasA&MUniversity’s soil and crop sciencesdepartment.“I’m impressed with the range of rel-

evant research projects and the open-mindedness and knowledge of the peo-ple I amvisiting,” saidDavies, aNuffieldFarming Scholar from South Wales inthe United Kingdom. “They are not try-ing to make research fit preconceivedideas. And theirwillingness to share theknowledge and be freewith informationtransfer is great.”“TheCurrentandFutureRoleof Qual-

ityGrazedGrass inLowering theCost ofProduction onU.K. FarmsRegardless ofSystems” is the topic of Davies abroadstudies.His topics of interest include grass-

finished beef, grazing strategies for beefproduction, forages for grazing animalhealth, sustainability of forage-basedsystems, study of potential health ben-efits of pasture-fed over grain-fed cattle,drought-resistant grasses and soil nutri-ent retention/leaching.The Nuffield award, presented to

around20 individualseachyear,providesthe opportunity to research topics of in-terest in farming, food, horticulture orrural sectors. Scholars are able to travelanywhere in the world, visiting one ormorecountries inorderto furtherknowl-edge and understanding, with a view toadvancing their respective industries,according to the organization.Davies, the grasslandmanager forGe-

nusABSintheUnitedKingdom,saideachscholar travels for eight weeks and thenwritesapaperandattendsconferences toshare the knowledge they learned.Guiding Davies on his Texas A&M

experience is Russ Jessup, an assistantprofessorof perennialgrassbreeding.HesaidthelargestresourcesTexasA&Mhasto offer Davies include soil nutrient re-search, stress-tolerant grass cultivar de-velopment and accessibility to an abun-danceof producersandfarmersutilizinga diverse array of operations.“Gareth’s visit is a unique opportu-

nity to exchange ideas towards improv-inggrasslandproductivity,”Jessupsaid.“Therearemore than12millionacres ofgrassland in Texas that are abandoned

or underutilized. Europe is arguablyahead of us in thinking about advancedstrategiesto improveproductionontheselands.”The visit byDavies is a two-way learn-

ing experience, Jessup said. “Our pro-gram will be able to research and inte-grate some of the European strategiesinto the Texas grass-fed beef industry,and Davies will be exposed to the entirebreadth of the soil and crop science de-partment.”Davies saidhe’s interested in thework

of FrankHons,aprofessorof soilscience,and in learning more about the key rolesoil carbon plays in grass production.Also hemet with Jamie Foster, AgriLifeResearch forageagronomist andheadofthegrasslandresearchatBeeville;MonteRouquette, Texas AgriLife Research for-age scientist in Overton; and VanessaCorriher, Texas AgriLife Extension Ser-vice forage specialist, also at Overton.Another area of interest is Jessup’s

work.“In my area, the dairy industry has a

larger interest ingrasslandmanagement

than beef,” Davies said. “It will be inter-esting to see how the grass-fed beef areahas come about and how it is growing. Iam very interested to talk about variet-ies of grasses that respond to a range ofconditions and the different challengesfaced.”Jessup said the grass-fed beef market

is an emerging consumer-drivenmarketthat isnotwelldevelopedyet,butonethatis gaining a lot of interest.He is accompanying Davies onto pro-

ducers’ farms around the state, and hesaid this is giving him an excellent op-portunity “to make sure the perennialgrasses I’m developing in my programare adaptable to them.“Asaperennialgrassbreeder,mytask

is todevelop improvedperennial grassessuitable as forages and biofuels,” Jessupsaid. “Wealsohavea large interest inde-veloping dual-use biofuel forage crops.”HehasbeenwithTexasA&Mfor three

years and plans to release his first newcultivar next year.Two crops in his program that will

have interest to producers, Jessup said,

are sterile Columbus grass, which isa perennial sorghum that does not setseed, and a hybrid between pearl mil-let and Napier-grass, which provides ahigh-biomass, seeded-yet-sterile peren-nial feedstock.Davies said there are certain parts of

the United Kingdom that get no morethan 23 inches of rain a year, and theystruggle to grow high quality forage inlarge quantities. He believes there is agood chance the grasses Jessup is devel-oping will work in those regions.“I’m fascinated by the amount of re-

search, the breadth of research, goingon related to soil fertility andnew foragespecies,” he said.“We’ve had a big biomass plant re-

cently fire up on the west coast of Eng-land. Because a lot of the farmers maybe tempted to provide fuel for the plant,producers will want to look at biomassgrasses.”Davies said his visit to Texas A&Mex-

ceeded his expectations, “with the staffandtheirknowledgebeingof thehighestcaliber” and a large help to his study.

NuffieldFarmingScholarselectsTexasA&MUniversity as grassland studydestination

Photo by Tami HonsGareth Davies, left, a visiting Nuffield Farming Scholar from South Wales in the United Kingdom, looks at forage plots grown by Russ Jessup, a Texas A&MUniversity perennial grass breeder.

TheLand

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September15,2012

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News

as visitors return to seehow thepark now looks, Hackett said.

“I can’t tell you how impor-tant it is to keep the trees andvisitors coming in here,” JimWither, Bastrop County judge,said. “We particularly want tokeep the economy moving andthe trees that will be replantedwill certainly help along thoselines.”The park has been known for

itsuniquestandof loblollypinesrelated to but genetically differ-ent from the great East Texaspine forest that extends intothe SoutheasternUnited States.According to the Texas Histori-cal Association, the pines werebelieved part of an ancient for-est that shrank during or afterthe Ice Age. Spanish explorersdescribed it in1691, and theareathat’s now the state park waspart of the original 1832 landgrant toStephenF.Austin’sfirstcolony.Extensive logging took place

in the later 1800s andwhen landfortheparkwasacquired, theCi-vilianConservationCorps builtcabins and other park facilitiesduring the Great Depression

that still are used today.Except for a couple shelters

that lost wood roofs, the his-torically significant CCC-builtstructures were saved from theblaze, which was among some500 that raced across drought-parched Texas last year. For-esters estimate the trees lost inBastropwereabout80yearsold.Replacing them won’t be eas-

ily done on state funds alone.Withstatemoneytightandsome$3 million already spent on re-pairs, removal of debris andother projects, the Arbor DayFoundation is taking the leadonfundraising efforts for the newtrees, said Carter Smith, TexasParks andWildlife Departmentexecutive director.Visitors and state officials are

both looking forward to restor-ing the forest.“We’rethroughlookingback,”

said TomBoggus, a Texas A&MForest Service state forester.“We’re looking forward. Andthat’s what planting a seedlingis all about.”

———• Lost Pines Forest RecoveryCampaign: www.arborday.org/takeAction/disasters/lost-pines.cfm.

Visitorsarebeginningtoreturn to theparkContinuedfromA27

Gary and Jane Stephens of Spring set up their RV in one of the few areas of BastropState Park not ravaged by wildfires on Labor Day weekend a year ago.

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Bulls Forage Tested at OCF beginning on March 1st and ending September 1st under guidelines ofTexas Forage & Grassland Council. Weights and Measures recorded by Texas A&M Extension Service.

Saturday, October 27, 2012 - 12:30 p.m.Oak Creek Farms Sale Facility, Chappell Hill, Texas

Selling 100 Forage Tested OCF BullsBrangus • Red Brangus • Angus • Red Angus

Source Verified Commercial Heifer Sale to follow Bull SaleFriday, October 26, 2012, 6:00 p.m. - Seminar - DNA Technology Update, Kevin Milliner

RIBEYE STEAK DINNER to follow - sponsored by Pfizer

Forage Tested Bull SaleOak Creek Farms

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News

and pastures continue toworsen;very little standing foragewasavailable and of poor nutritionalvalue if it was. Haywas scarce andvery expensive. Stock tanks wereeither completely dry or nearly so.Dried-up stock tanks were causinghardship for livestock ranchers andwildlife as well. InWebb County,livestock producers considerablytrimmed down their herds. Manycattle producers had fewer than 50head left after the trimming. Evenranchers with only a few cattleremaining had to haul water on aweekly basis. In Atascosa County,irrigated peanuts were doingwell,and the cotton harvest was underway. In Frio County, some irrigatedhaywas harvested. In JimWellsCounty, producers were plowingunder crops. Crop producers inthat area feared a greater fall cropfailure unless rain is received in thenext fewmonths. In Zavala County,cottonwas finished, with reports ofexcellent yields and good quality.Also in that area, vegetable growers

began preparing seedbeds for cab-bage and onion planting. In Camer-on County, row-crop harvests werefinished. In Hidalgo County, thecotton harvest was under way, andin Starr County, fall crop field prepa-rations were ongoing. In parts ofWillacy County, there were reportsof asmuch as 0.75 inch of rain.South Plains—Most of the

region remained under a severe toexceptional drought. There was norain, with light winds, and highs inthemid- to upper 90s, with lows inthe upper 50s to low 60s. Irrigatedcrops werematuring and doingwellin areas where there was previousrainfall. Irrigated sunflowers wereprogressingwell. Many cotton fieldshad open bolls showing. Very lowyields were expected in dryland cot-ton fields. Many dryland crops weresuffering, and somewere sched-uled to be evaluated by insuranceadjusters. Producers were hayingsorghum forage. Rangeland andpastures needed rain, as there wereno cool-season grasses inmost loca-tions. Cattlemostly remained in fairto good condition.

‘Cooler’weatherhelpsContinuedfromA19

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†Offer ends 10/26/2012. Subject to approved installment credit with John Deere Financial. Some restrictions apply; other special rates and terms may be available, so see your dealer for details and other financing options. Subject to approved credit on John Deere Financial Installment Plan. *Offer ends 10/26/2012. $700 off is not valid on thepower steering option. Prices and model availability may vary by dealer. Some restrictions apply; other special rates and terms may be available, so see your dealer for details and other financing options. Available at participating dealers. ^Manufacturer's estimate of power (ISO) per 97/68/EC.

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