Rice University ecologists are checking to see if Hurricane Harvey’s unprecedented floods gave a competitive boost to red imported fire ants (Solenopsis invicta) and tawny crazy ants (Nylanderia fulva), two of southeast Texas’ most important invasive ants. Fire ants in particular are well known to be flood-adapted: they survive by … Read More
Unloading cattle – especially yearlings – to an unfamiliar pasture and shutting the gate isn’t the end of good cattle handling. If you settle cattle properly, they will know where everything is and be content were they are instead of beating a racetrack around the perimeter.
Cooler temperatures were experienced across the state. The Trans-Pecos, the Northern High Plains and areas of the Edwards Plateau received little to no rain, but the rest of the state received between 0.5 and 3 inches of rain. Areas of East Texas, South Central Texas and the Upper … Read More
Susan Combs, a former Texas legislator and statewide official, will be named acting assistant secretary of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Park Service, the Austin American-Statesman reported Thursday. -The Texas Tribune Read more…
USDA today announced on May 29 that ranchers and livestock producers in impacted Texas counties may be eligible for assistance through the 2018 Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP).
Many Texas counties recently met qualifying drought ratings and may be eligible for LFP compensation for grazing … Read More
Beef cows, especially the “easy keepers,” seem to make a living on a wide mix of forages across the country and for most of the year. Trouble in the form of mineral and vitamin deficiencies could lurk below that outward appearance, costing hundreds of dollars in production losses. That’s according … Read More
While economic efficiency measures focus on optimal use of inputs relative to the value of outputs in cow-calf operations, changes in output values or input costs can lead to improved returns due solely to changing market conditions while masking stagnant or even declining physical productivity. “It is important … Read More
The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) offers more than three dozen conservation practices that can benefit monarch butterflies by managing for healthy stands of milkweed and high-value nectar plants, and protecting these stands from exposure to pesticides. While many of these practices may target improving grazing lands or boosting soil … Read More
It has been a busy couple of weeks for TSCRA Government and Public Affairs staff, including policy updates and interesting speakers at the Cattle Raisers Convention. Last week the 2018 Ominbus Spending Bill was signed, affecting a number of ranching and landowner issues. Included in the bill were legislation about … Read More
