Southern Plains Bison: July 2014

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Southern Bison It ain’t very cold out there!  Actually going into August sucks no matter where you call home in North America. Things like nutritional regimes, ambient temperature and behaviors are changing. Bison in the south are more equipped for the southern plains heat than you think.  The latter is a true statement with the caveat that; If_ they are prepared for harsh environmental conditions with adequate nutrition and energy reserve. It takes energy to operate normal bodily functions, juvenile growth and it takes energy to stay cool. The energy reserve is absent when the bison look thin [or hollow] … Read more

Rainfall Amounts; June 2014

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I’d like to congratulate all of you who received plentiful rainfall this year.  We’ve missed out on most of it here in the northern kingdom but still have our fingers crossed. I’m hearing reports of verdant pastures and wildflowers from places that have been parched for too long. Now, look at those lovely green acres and imagine that you could keep that going even in drought cycles.  How?  Strategic water conveyance!  Yes, water harvesting swales, structures, techniques and technology takes the rain falling on your ranch and puts it to work for you instead of letting it run away to … Read more

Southern Plains Bison: June 2014

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    Just a word before I write about southern plains bison realities that are current, but less about ‘meanwhile-back-at-the-ranch’ stuff. That word is worms!  I will follow that by saying worms, worms, worms, worms, worms!  They are the enemy and the #1 production and reproduction challenge to bison of the southern plains. In much of the southern plains we are enjoying plenty of moisture, guess what! – worms will come with that moisture and with specificity to a very real enemy, the liver fluke. This is a nasty little cuss that you should research for yourself and learn to hate … Read more

Southern Plains Bison – May 2014

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Plains Bison Well we’ve had a little rain. Some more than others and that’s just the way it is. While our neighbors in the bison world from the north draw a deep breath and let a sigh of relief after last winter, I envy their relief as I brace for making crucial decisions, planning ahead and watching closely how our herds handle summer in the southern plains. We’re not there yet, but the heat lamps-a- comm’in, and like us, our bison will slow down and shift many behaviors to cope. Our job is to strategically plan to save pastures that … Read more

DROUGHT May 2014

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DROUGHT “Charge it to the dust and let the rain settle it.”  There’s always a drought lurking around the corner, it seems.  How you prepare for and manage it will go far in the price you pay at the end.  Personally, I believe in thinking and planning over spray, pray and pay agriculture. Here in Texas, ranch life is ruled by the weather. I grew up dryland farming and ranching through some pretty humbling droughts that caused us to get innovative in our drought survival strategies.  Most of our place was a sand dune to start with and we’d watch … Read more

Southern Plains Bison: April 2014

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Spring has most definitely sprung and it’s ‘raining red-dots’. For me; it’s miraculous and one of my favorite times of the year. Just the other day I was working on a round-to-it with the herd off in the distance, but well in sight. It was late afternoon and turning into early evening.  My hands were occupied with menial task, while I contemplated things that were complicated to me for no reason and to no pragmatic end.  All at once the herd emerged from its afternoon hibernation, set off by a red-dot chain reaction of running and playing for no reason … Read more

Botanical Solutions for Internal Parasites

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While internal parasites are a fact of life in ranching, there are alternative holistic solutions available to assist in their suppression. A high priority should be rotational paddock shift grazing and the encouragement of dung beetle populations. A healthy mixed sward pasture including medicinal forbs is also very important. Access to tannin rich browseable trees such as oak, mesquite, hickory, locust, elm, etc have a strong negative effect on the worms. Specific plants proven to possess vermicidal/anthelmintic properties are Wormwood (Artemesia), Wormseed or Epazote, Garlic, Senna, Pumpkin seed, Prickly Ash, Monarda, Black Walnut, Tobacco, Neem and Pomegranate root, among others. … Read more

Southern Plains Bison: Mar 2014

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Spring has sprung and it won’t be long before it’s “raining red-dots” across the southern plains. There are a few points of interest in preparing for a new generation of American icons. The lush spring green explosion in the south can be less mineralized than the harder grasses during the warm-season, or summer. Micro minerals like copper have a direct impact to uterine tone and function. I like to make sure that a good mineral supplement, formulated for breeding stock in my area, is readily accessible to the bison herd prior to calving season to reduce the occurrence of calving … Read more

Useful Medicinal Plants part 2:

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Oak – There are hundreds of species of oaks all around the northern hemisphere in all types of habitat. Oaks are used for their durable wood, desirable ornamental qualities and edible acorns (for wildlife, at least). Indigenous peoples relied heavily on acorns as a staple food source when properly processed. The bitter properties in acorns are tannins which are useful medicinally as an astringent to staunch bleeding, as an antiseptic wash and to strengthen bleeding gums. The most concentrated tannins are found in oak bark, acorn caps and galls (round growths formed around the larvae of tiny wasps).   Elm … Read more

Southern Plains Bison: Feb 2014

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   Green-up’s here! Yee-haw! What a great place to live if you’re a [Native Grazer] while your relatives in the north battle blue storms and last mile of what can only be referred to this year as a marathon winter.  Our green-up in the southern plains is very aggressive and prolific. Something else happens during the green-up, also aggressive and prolific… worms! The land of early spring-plenty is also the land of early internal parasite attack. This preemptive parasite strike on your bison, will not visibly take its toll on body-score and health until just before the breeding season.  Just … Read more