Southern Plains Bison: Dec 2014

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Plains Bison Christmas is 360 days away and people already have their lights up! It’s all about perspective… For those folks that my little comedic intro applies to; it might also be about preparedness and efficiency. My personal perspective, as a southern plains bison steward, is that the cool season and winter months are when; ‘the livin is easy’… but I tend to be busy in October.  Folks who tend otherwise are going to be much more focused on efficiency and preparedness with hay and supplementation. This is the time of year to watch the subordinates more than the others. … Read more

Grow Where You’re Planted

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As a certified plant geek, all I can say is ‘wow!’ every time I see one (seriously). The marvels of regenerative solar collectors providing food, fiber, medicine, inspiration, clean air and water, habitat, recreation and so much more can be an endless preoccupation. There is an active conversation around ‘invasion biology’ these days, that is, what does ‘native’ or ‘restoration’ truly mean and are introduced species ‘invasive’. Bloodletting aside, common sense should be our guide. The conservation minded will argue that pre-Columbian flora/fauna is pristine and spend untold funds to herbicide the exotics. An opposite extreme is to say there … Read more

Southern Plains Bison: Nov 2014

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  Making the Hard Decisions Easier  Well…. Here it comes again – the season of change, with some for bison – forever. In the southern plains, winter does not have to be dead and dormant, but if we are not busy in September and October, we may not find ourselves in the bounty of ‘Happy-November’ with winter forage. Either way it’s all about feed. Knowing values and how they plug into equations will make things easier to manage with confidence. An example of this is your hay. You say you have hay, but what does it represent to the nutritional regime … Read more

Southern Plains Bison: Oct 2014

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Plains Bison Going in to November is all about planning and making the best decisions possible during the seasonal shift to winter operations. Once again, as with all other seasons, it’s all about feed. Personally I like to enhance the already bountiful cool season in the southern plains, by adding seed to my system to feed bison and benefit my ecology. That’s right, my ecology. My ranch is an ecology that I accept responsibility for with regard to the whole system and its functionality.  Personally; I wish Aldo Leopold were around today and could see, perceive and write about the … Read more

Organic Matters

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‘No field was ever plowed by turning it over in your mind’…and yet that is what I would recommend as a land management  goal. You see, tillage is a destructive practice that oxidizes away your organic matter. Why care? Without it you have a lifeless mineral matrix whose sole purpose is to prop up crops with an endless need for capital and labor intensive inputs of water, fertilizer and biocides. For my money, I’m going to do all I can to amplify the positive effects of a living soil food web. That means mimicking a natural ecosystem which includes cycling … Read more

Southern Plains Bison: Sept 2014

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Busy-busy-busy! Fall in the southern plains is the best and most productive time to be busy in preparation for the cool-season, which is our strongest growing season in the south.  Whether you apply conventional agriculture methods or forward regenerative practices, getting some land care and habitat enhancement boxes checked will be to your advantage. Personally I like as much diversity in my food plot and pasture system as possible. Each year I plan strategic additions to a pragmatic end for soil structure health, bison-forage and wildlife benefit.  It’s always an experiment and always beneficial to my system, which includes the … Read more

At the Waters’ Edge: Sept 2014

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      Earth is the water planet. Sometimes we lose sight of that out here on the dry plains. The average ranching mindset considers a stock tank or pond simply as a drinking station for livestock. For me, it can be so much more. I’m a fan of the beaver. This little ecological engineering keystone species works tirelessly to construct habitat for itself that directly benefits everyone else in the ecosystem. Before they were trapped and slaughtered en masse, 90 million or so of these guys dammed waterways and spread water out over the landscape where lush vegetation and … Read more

Southern Plains Bison: Aug 2014

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Southern Plains Bison A Time for Questions – Not Answers! Many bison herd-managers and owners, feel that they are winding up the breeding season and are; pretty much ‘bred-up’ by now. If the largest percentage of the calves come in late March and April, this could be an accurate assessment of your situation. However if more calves are born to the herd in mid-May and June, then the math ‘don’t match’ for the herd to be ‘bred up by now’, or yet. September conceptions = May & June calves. The gestation period of North American bison is credibly conveyed as between … Read more

“The Secret Life of Weeds” Aug 2014

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One person’s weed is another person’s wildflower.  Some may consider weeds as a vile curse, others may see them as simply a nuisance.  How do you see a weed?  Typically a weed is best defined as any plant growing in the wrong place which obviously makes for a broad subject to discuss.  We try to grow crops, livestock or landscapes for our purposes and these unwanted visitors pop up and free-load from us.  Maybe they have something to say. Weeds are typically categorized as perennials or annuals.  The annuals have an amazing ability to pop up in massive numbers under … Read more

Summer Reservations: July 2014

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This seems like the coolest summer ever! With August upon us, I’m still cautiously optimistic that it won’t be the typical heat wave. Seven inches of rain last week was heaven-sent. If you’re also experiencing greener pastures at this time, be mindful to avoid overgrazing. Forage plants need recovery time between grazing cycles to allow the energy gathered from photosynthesis to rebuild the root system. This can vary with species and climate or soil conditions. Plants weakened by drought or other stresses can put out a lot of new growth in these unseasonably spring-like conditions with a still fragile root … Read more